#visual proof yay!

[rgbfactsdaily]

The guys sometimes park Ecto 1 outside next to the firehouse. (Captain Steel Saves the Day)

[kroosluvr]

【celexcity cosmetics × THE ROYAL Collaboration Confirmed!!】

A limited-time collaboration between 「celexcity cosmetics」 and Violet, Crow, and Joker has been announced!

Various goods will be sold alongside original visuals! ✨

Order Period: 7/28/24 – 8/5/24

Purchase 「celexcity cosmetics」 items over a certain amount in-store for a random photocard of either Violet, Crow, or Joker (while supplies last)! 🍱 🥞 ☕

hey u found the cele notes section. YAY

the lipstick colors r rather similar so its hard to tell but akira kissed goro, goro kissed sumire, sumire kissed akira

black mask choker, violet mask earring, joker mask lapel pin

also the logo i just threw together but it has elements from all their mask designs (sumi's floopy things and black mask for the wings and the sharp bits on the crown frm akira's mask) and also crown bc yay. and the sparkle-diamond on top also for sumi smile

heres my eyeshadow palette reasoning. AHEM

violet

glass slipper: cendrillon! yay!!!

your resolve: kasumi's ribbon. her resolve to become a world-class gymnast, bright red and passionate

my ambition: sumire's earrings. softer and gentler, but still a powerful gold shade, showing her resolve to carry on kasumi's dream as well as pursue hers

brave step: cendrillon's signature skill!

crow

dazzle: taken from "dazzle camouflage", the design concept for loki

dark sun: dark sun ova!

laevateinn: loki's signature skill!

proof of: proof of justice ova! it's the brightest shiniest color in his palette, referencing his pure and bright childhood dream of being a hero of justice

joker

unjust game: this truly was an unjust game...

guillotine: always have been fascinated w the persona fusion mechanic being a guillotine in p5... something super wrenching abt it. i still dont understand it 100% ADKJSAHKJS in terms of the symbolism

sea of souls: YIPPE!! also i wanted dark blue for his palette

leblanc: coffe:3

TY FOR READING!! i came up w this concept yesterday and stapled myself to my chair to finish it asap

[princessaffirms]

heyy! i’m kind of new to loa but have manifested some very small things before. i understand a lot about loa too. i was just wondering how to manifest my big sister continuing to live with me and my mom after summer. she said she would move out after summer break. she plans on traveling alone during the summer, and i want me and my mom to go with her to all the places my sister plans on going to.

hi angel! ₊˚⊹♡ it’s awesome that you’re really stepping into your power on your manifestation journey, yay!! and CONGRATS on your recent successes 🥹

if you understand the fundamentals of the law of assumption (your assumptions create your reality), then you already have all the knowledge you need to manifest that! the ability and power to do so has ALWAYS been in you. now, all you need to do is APPLY the knowledge! 🫶

i know things can feel really overwhelming with all these new manifestation methods, concepts, etc. on social media, but don’t let that sway you! those new methods, etc. are just there to help provide structure for those who need it. but it’s not necessary for you to succeed!! 🤍

you don’t need a new technique or anything to manifest this. you just need to APPLY the law! the law can NEVER fail. the universe is algorithmic, NOT random (i wrote a BLOG about this topic that i recommend reading through: 🔗 LINK HERE)

🫶 that being said, here are some loving reminders for you to consider as you continue persisting in your affirmations:

　 . ★⋆. ࿐࿔　✦　　　.　　. 　 ˚　.ੈ✧̣̇˳·˖

1. DECIDE it’s already done. ✨

assume that your sister already chose to stay. that you and your mom are already going on those summer trips with her.

for EXAMPLE, you can affirm things like:

• “i love that we’re already officially all traveling together this summer!”

• “it feels so good having my sister still living with us!!”

a popular concept in the law of assumption is that everyone is you pushed out. this means that the people around you reflect your beliefs, assumptions, and inner state. so shift internally, and let the external world mirror that.

2. SEE it in your mind + FEEL it in your heart. ✨

you don’t need perfect visuals (or even to visualize it at all if you have aphantasia or struggle with visualization). just imagine little moments where it’s already true. think about how you’d feel and think if it was already true and happening, then hold onto that feeling.

laughing together. seeing her room still set up. photos from your summer adventures. feel the gratitude and happiness in your chest, and use THAT as your evidence of it being true now. create that proof for yourself, because whatever is true for you in your 4D (inner world) ALWAYS reflects in your 3D.

shut down any doubts by flooding your mind with that experiential evidence. how could your affirmations be anything BUT the truth? you’ve ALREADY EXPERIENCED IT!! you ALREADY HAVE IT! <3

(i also wrote a BLOG about this topic that i recommend reading through for more information: 🔗 LINK HERE) 🫶

3. REMEMBER: there’s no such thing as a “big” or “small” manifestation — that’s just a label your mind gives it. ✨

the only thing that makes something feel “harder” or “bigger” is the WEIGHT YOU ASSIGN to it.

when you normalize your desire and let it feel easy. because it’s meant to be! 🥹

　 . ★⋆. ࿐࿔　✦　　　.　　. 　 ˚　.ੈ✧̣̇˳·˖

you’ve got this, and your desire is SO POSSIBLE.

sending you so much love and light! <3

[guiltycorp]

I feel the most upset over Mel though... realised this when i saw how my fellow fujoshis have reacted to her involvement in jayvik jdfhgfd, the Viktor parallels that i have always enjoyed and pointed out before are now treated as Yaoi Proof and nothing else. ...because well yeah they lead nowhere else this season sadly, her relevance was cannibalized by her future league iteration and by fandom's reductive approach to shipping. To me the parallels used to be interesting because Viktor and Mel in s1 were polar opposites in social standing/background & physical health and visibly disliked each other BUT they were more or less on the same page when it came to their rather centrist but ultimately pacifistic beliefs, and they both were enamored by Jayce's ambition from the second they heard him talk about magic, inserting themselves into his life immediately. Those comparisons and visual symmetry were compelling because Jayce was lowkey trying to find a way to unite the two most important people in his life (telling Mel about Viktor's importance to him, trying to get Viktor to accept his involvement in politics, having them in the room together) while technically opposing both of them ideologically by not caring that much either about applying hextech for the benefit of the Undercity or about Piltover's participation in global politics and preserving its neutral status. While initially it seemed like he had to 'choose' between them, ultimately their separate character journeys (Viktor with Hexcore and killing Sky, Jayce with Vi and killing a zaunite kid, Mel with hearing her mother's justifications of war) led them to be on the same page in the last episode of the season which was a cool twist. So logically for character growth they either needed to improve their relationships further or to have sudden conflict, right? ...but s2 ultimately went for... just getting rid of both Mel and Viktor entirely! Viktor's motivation to give himself more time to leave more of a mark on the world (and finally getting to feel good about his own efforts by focusing on the Undercity rather than working for Piltover's financial benefit) was overshadowed by Hexcore corruption and a sudden inexplicable wish to transform humanity into a hivemind, that's a different guy entirely. Mel's motivations ended up not mattering at all, the only progression was her hardening into a proper warrior, like sure yay... her vision for Piltover and her identity as a Medarda was rewritten by sudden magical powers that ultimately, yeah, also make her into a different character. She did have a brief argument with Jayce over seeing him as an 'investment' of sorts but they didn't even get to finish it and their relationship is just one big ? before Jayce fucks off to die alongside his one true partner, like all of their previous loving interactions were just a situationship they both easily moved past without even acknowledging it. Like sure yeah we got our yaoi fanservice but at the expense of female characters and previously established relationships and plotlines... And btw there's a lot to be said about the cowardly approach of the showrunners to once again centering a 'male friendship and brotherhood' while getting pissy at anyone who might interpret it as romantic at the same time, as if a canon lesbian romance is a great excuse to be saying shit like that. Also imo timebomb pairing got more actual development and emotional investment compared to CaitVi in this season despite how hollow Jinx's character felt, so there's still a vibe that a hetero ship was more interesting to the writers... while the only things they wanted from queer ships were the aesthetic and the fan engagement.

[cozymochi]

https://www.tumblr.com/cozymochi/761648232176697344/people-watched-me-draw-silver-on-a-stream-and-it

girl i think you may have inadvertently predicted Silver’s relaxing room card

Yay!

This is worse than the time I accidentally predicted Silver’s backstory but since I only did that offline so I have no proof except for one-other person who happened to be present 😔😔

That art drives me insane there’s so much visually wrong with it 🫠 tho on the bright side

i was apparently being more subtle than the real thing

[watashime-ciel]

RH headcanons before bed yay

hi yeah uh

so

Blue likes taking pictures of Yellow when he's not watching. most of the times he gets caught, but he enjoys it

J.J is the kind of guy that babysits a kid and plays heavy metal covers of kids songs.

FIVE LITTLE MONKEYS JUMPING ON THE BED.🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥👹👹👹🗣️🗣️🗣️🗣️🗣️💥💥💥💥🦅🦅🦅🦅🦅🦅🦅

since they got into Visual Kei, Cecil promised to never cut out their hair... that, until J.J once left for a month to play with his old bad, not having much time to communicate with Cecil, making them super sad and entering theur bad guy arc, cutting their hair like a generic anime boy from a slice of life anime. J.J suffered the most out if it believe it or not

"J.J! You stayed up all night painting another canvas!?" "i drank the paint water thinking it was tea."

Yellow is an impulsive buyer. and then complains when he can't buy stuff anymore. "BLUE NO WAY THEY JUST CLOSED MY CREDIT CARD!!!!!... oh also i just got this really cool and big ass hatsune miku cendrillon dress which i have no fucking clue where to keep but lol yeah"

Blue's imagination can be "dangerous" for him in some situations... "some", as in: Yellow mentions his next feminine cosplan and Blue.exe stops working. for hours. the whole thinking process he has is up to you to imagine(?)

have i mentioned that Yellow and Connie are like super besties?? theyre sooo besties rhat they accidently broke a store window and got away with it together... it was an accident, Yellow was drunk, Connie was trying to stop Yellow, one thing led to another and they broke a store window (they werent driving they dont got a license)

oh yeah, did you know that technically Yellow is prohibited from drinking alcohol? at least when Blue's not present or he's at home. potential risks of him drinking without Blue present or at home may include tax fraud, kissing the homies goodnight with Kohai, falling down and not getting up for hours or more impulsive buying, but without proof of Yellow ever thinking of buying smth. "when the fuck did i buy a birds cage- i got no bird-"

Blue's favorite fruit has to be strawberries. whilst Yellow's is, obviously, lemon. his taste buds had stopped working since he was 13 years old

done idk lol

also semi face reveal because i felt bonita with my new hairdye and cut

[alittlefrenchtree]

I remember Taylor riding the motorcycle too. I'm glad at least he stopped with that bc I'm terrified of that 🙈 btw that man does so many things in life it's crazy

I'm going to need visual proofs of that because either I forgot or I didn't know so please somebody feed me? (thank you 🫶)

(and of course yay for safety but was it hot as fuck??? where are the eye witnesses???)

[allwormdiet]

Shell 4.9

I don't even have a quip for opening this one honestly, let's just go

Another glimpse of something beneath Alec's calm exterior. More proof that he's more than what he seems despite all efforts he might make otherwise. Or... lack of efforts? Not sure how you classify that one

Also interesting that Regent's power involves, I guess overheating? Feedback? I'm not sure exactly what to call it but if it's nerve based then it tracks that it'd fuck up his nerves too in the worst-case scenario

Yay handholding, yaaaaaay

And here's Grue also letting the mask slip a little bit due to frustration

God that's such a fucking cool visual effect though

Not entirely sure why Grue feels the need to explain why he shielded Tattletale though? Is he worried Taylor might feel jealous or something? I don't know if they're there yet

And now we see how the pageantry of cape stuff is used for misdirection and intimidation outside of just the Undersiders' costuming

Clever fucking idea though, give Bakuda credit for that

God, Tattletale just has the full capacity to read anyone's worst neuroses, huh? Gotta be hell to be on the wrong side of that.

And of course the bomb Tinker is hard to defuse without accidentally setting her off

Man, Grue, I like you, but you're fucking lucky this play doesn't get you blown to pieces

Fucking good job Regent, you're carrying here

And now things take another turn for the worse

Current Thoughts

There's only even a fight here because Bakuda decided to play with her food, and now she's paying for it

Tattletale proving that Bakuda was right to try and keep her from talking, and letting her slip away to start talking again is another mistake she's paying for

Grue actually pulled a pretty solid feint which was cool as fuck

Regent is doing a great fucking job showing his worth in this chapter, and how far he's willing to push himself if he's going so far as to render himself unconscious from the feedback on his power. Can't fake like you're apathetic about everything forever, stinker

As I'm looking back through this whole situation it's struck me that Taylor hasn't really scored a hit against Bakuda yet. She pulls it off in the next chapter but that's through head games, not power stuff

Speaking of which, that next

[despiteherself]

it's the anon that asked about the gang being supportive - i love controversial takes!! can't wait to see what you have to say! it's just that, i feel like the fandom mischaracterizes hiccup so much. like soooooooooooooooooooooooooo much, and i get it if they're hcs but alot of the time, people just have like, wrong takes. objectively wrong takes. there was post in the past couple of weeks that got a lot of attention that said that hiccup is kind and understanding of his friends and then listed out a bunch of random ass things he did in rtte as proof of that and like, there's 100 and more people agreeing. one of them was that he was okay with just being friends with astrid if that is what she wanted. WHERE?? WHERE DOES THAT TAKE PLACE?? he tried kissing her when she was blind what the hell. if he cared about his friend so much he wouldn't be taking advantage of her at a time when she was visually impaired and worried about her dragon what the hellllll. and who cares? he wasn't understanding when her house burned down and she wanted to stay back on berk, he wasn't understanding in Snow Way Out when she was keeping heather a secret even though he turned around and did something similar later on and just expected people to be on board. It's like,, the gang is so much more understanding of hiccup than hiccup is of them. and whatever, he is understanding, yes, but, idk, people gotta be realistic when they speak of this stuff. i needed him to stay away from astrid in both blindsided and night of the hunters when she was sick STOP TOUCHING HER LIKE THAT OHMMYYGOADD ASTRID GET BEHIND ME GIRL (sorry for the crashout)

💛 yay!!!!! and yes we’re thinking on the same thought train, but i won’t go into it bc i wanna save that for your other ask. ppl mischaracterise hiccup so fucking bad all the time and it’s like he’s more interesting if you’re not demanding he’s soooo understanding like !!! he in canon has a nickname for when he’s being a little asshole to everyone ?????

also pleasseeee feel free to vent in my inbox any time! I love talking about this

[colourme-feral]

✨2023: A Summary✨

Post your most popular and/or favourite edit/gifset/analysis for each month (it’s okay to skip months!)

Thanks to @lurkingshan for the tag! This is a pretty great way to do a wrap up of posts for the year past.

January

most popular — the NLMG title cards post (but tbh, I liked the idea, but not the calligraphy lol)

favourite — I identified one of my favourite locations

February

most popular — MLC and the chin tickles saga

favourite(s) — NLMG and some of its visual parallels and MLC and the passing of time

March

most popular — understandably, this post on MLC and some of its details

favourite — this post about chains of heart 😂😂😂

April

most popular — the use of light and warmth in ODT / Bokura no Shokutaku

favourite — brutalist architecture in Lockwood & Co. made my brain go brrr

May

most popular — (it was actually a poll, so I ignored that post) the very pride and prejudice of step by step

favourite — I was mad at Yutaka's parents for how they dealt with their adoption of him. Still valid to me

June

most popular — (again ignoring the poll) in an honestly shocking and unexpected twist, I actually considered the tops that Chot and Pat were wearing and what they might have meant

favourite(s) — the looks that minoru gives looking at yutaka talking to tane and part 2 of the Step by Step and Pride and Prejudice parallels

July

most popular — the hopes we had for kissing gmm grandpas in Hidden Agenda dashed by gmm

favourite(s) — this scene in Khun Chai that wouldn't leave my mind, leaving me not choice but to scream about it a year after watching the show and also my first loa/khun chai parallels post. If you listen carefully, you might still hear me screaming.

August

most popular — the packet of rice in loa

favourite(s) — the 2 part shared + spotted locations post for Baan Bellawin because it was so much work (part 1, part 2) but I guess I need to also do a shout out to the ifylita locations post for Yai's home

September

most popular — Troye Sivan's Got Me Started and its shared locations with Thai qls. This is actually the post I got the most notes for in 2023. really proud of it.

favourite(s) — loa brainrot so I made a loa parallels post, also loa and khun chai parallels post #2, another ifylita locations post for dear ol' robbo's home and genius chef junior (and then she cried)

October

most popular — I'm just gonna say that the best part of Zong Yi's cake shop are the catz. This post is also more proof that tumblr loves cats

favourite — @lurkingshan 's ask about my favourite location from a drama, which I used to do an entire list of locations I'd like to visit if I were in Bangkok, referencing some of my locations irl posts

November

most popular — Old Fashion Cupcake and its manga parallels, inspired by @troubled-mind. So fun to do!

favourite — I identified Babe's controversial house. I like it, but I know some people were screaming - and not in a good way 😂

December

most popular — I saw parallels between NLMG and Last Twilight and ran with it

favourite(s) — @my-rose-tinted-glasses was very kind to indulge me and asked for my favourite irl locations of 2023. I also couldn't help myself and started posting Last Twilight and Open Spaces. Excited about continuing these and also writing about these once I'm back home.

I'm sure some have already been tagged, but no pressure tags for @blmpff, @my-rose-tinted-glasses, @neuroticbookworm, @respectthepetty, @sparklyeyedhimbo, @telomeke, @troubled-mind and anyone else who might be interested!

This site was helpful for showing the top 10 posts of each month.

[clouds-of-wings]

Metal fans suddenly being opposed to generative AI because there's music AI too now: Good, ok, exactly as I predicted, just kinda annoying that they only started taking it seriously once they had proof that it would affect them personally but I guess that's just what most people are like

Metal fans starting to see AI cover artwork as a red flag and a no-go because it's a hint the music might be AI too, effectively killing the hype around "yay free visual promo material": hilarious

[choco-cherry-chunk]

Aww, yay! I’m so glad @sablehaven ! I adore all of this. I just love the idea of all of them trying to care for him this way. And it speaks to another elements of what I headcanon for Izzy getting pregnant in this AU. Izzy is the type to kind of gain weight all over while pregnant and his nausea really messes him up at first, only for him to start feeling embarrassed about the change. But secretly, all these friends think it’s the sweetest thing. Ed and Stede obviously adore the changes, but all of these friends also like it because it is like a visual proof of Izzy softening with this pregnancy. Izzy’s cheeks seeming less gaunt, his hips widen, his thighs thicken, and obviously his chest and belly swell up. He hates how his clothes fit differently and feels weird about how he presents himself, but all of those friends just want to encourage him and help him see himself the way they see him.

[typekiku]

TSUKIHIME FASHION REVIEW 2!!

HELLO EVERYONE!!

it is i your epic and incredible kiku

patiently waits for applause

well damn ok no applause...

MOVING ON... considering im just screaming into the void who cares for applause anyways RIGHT?

so this is more of me ranting about the designs of the characters from the single greatest media franchise since barney that is tsukihime. lets get right into it with the man the legend the GOAT the weirdo our beloved...

SHIKI TOHNO

this man saw a bad bitch like arcueid and dressed up like this holy shit.

like lets think about this for a second

he saw ARCUEID

ARCUEID BRUNESTUD

and dressed up like that?

is he not ashamed?

if it was me id be dressing up like im the king of england (forgive me for mentioning engl*nd) but no this boy wore that shirt

a thousand curses on shiki tohno

this is his normal getup and it aint too bad tbh. in fact i lowkey fuck with it. i may even find this good looking (random fun fact: this is the first time we ever see shiki and its not even in the original vn its from plus disc)

i get hes a student but why the fuck are you dressed up like that in evening anyways actually wtf.

his taste in fashion is really questionable even more so then the GODDESS arcueid

now THIS is what i want even if i can still see that abomination of a shirt

the apron with mushroom man himself making an appearance is cute but more importantly theres a certain GODDESS arcueid who is my wife (dont correct me on this matter i have proof) in this picture which drives up his rizz by 100 points

and hes serving food like any good servant servant should...

goddamn arcueid is cute... good on her! good on her.

um what were we talking about?

ok onto the remake shiki because im SICK of og designs and seriously missing my wife arcueid

ok this like most remake (re)designs actually looks really good i cant lie. he doesnt have that godawful abysmal shitty trash ugly painful terrible demonic shirt

THIS SHIRT. THIS SHIRT. THIS SHIRT. THIS SHIRT. THIS SHIRT. THIS SHIRT. THIS SHIRT. THIS SHIRT. THIS SHIRT. THIS SHIRT. THIS SHIRT. THIS SHIRT. THIS SHIRT. THIS SHIRT. THIS SHIRT. THIS SHIRT. THIS SHIRT. THIS SHIRT. THIS SHIRT. THIS SHIRT. THIS SHIRT. THIS SHIRT. THIS SHIRT. THIS SHIRT. THIS SHIRT. THI-

sorry i cant help it. i live in fear of it. i mourn my innocence i lost upon sight of this THING. how dare you takeuchi for invading my eyesight with this thing. he also designed arcueid tho so i guess it all evens out

look at this world that could've been... a peaceful world.. a complete world....

Arcueid receiving a variety of incredibly beautiful dresses while shiki receives... jacket and jacket and uh jacket i mean they really couldve had everything.

ok he did get another jacket in the series im sorry i stand corrected but i really like the black shirt!! thats an upgrade and a HALF

yay shiki

seriously i miss arcueid

anyways this is where ill stop befor-

AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHH

ok enough im sick and tired of the visual abuse

anyways its time for me to go and play tunguska so i can kick koyanskayas incredibly alluring ass. feel free to uh do whatever ig

[000marie198]

Looking at my digital art wips in a chronological order from oldest and I'm. . Improving?

Visual proof of improvement?!

YAY!!

[episodicnostalgia]

Spider-man: The Animated Series, 101 (Nov. 19, 1994) - “Night of the Lizard”

Written by: Gerry Conway, Stan Berkowitz, & John Semper Jr. Directed by: Bob Richardson

The Breakdown

After sightings of a mysterious lizard-creature in the sewers make the news, J Jonah Jameson offers a $1,000 reward to whoever can provide a photographic proof.  Peter Parker is hurting for cash, so he grabs his camera and thwips into action.  First up, he begins his search with a visit to his professor (Dr. Curt Connors) because that guy knows, like, a LOT about Lizards you guys. In fact, Connors even has a fancy ray gun at his campus facility called a “Neogenic Recombinator” which is capable of giving small mammals the ability to regrow missing limbs just by zapping some Reptile DNA into them. Pretty neat, right? Maybe one day this device will help Connors regrow his own arm, but surely not today. Of course, that expository information is purely to set the tone of the story, and I’m sure it won’t relate directly to the primary narrative or events of this episode.

In the twist that utterly may shock you, it turns out that Doc Connors and the Lizard are-one-and-the-same on account of engaging in a reckless attempt to regrow his own arm, which has gone horribly wrong! (Who could have foreseen this?) With a new set of reptilian priorities, Croc Connors decides to turn everyone into Anthropomorphic Reptiles, because he’s decided being a dinosaur-man actually kinda slaps. (Important follow up question: does he maybe have a point? That does sound awesome.)  Regardless, it’s poor form to assume that’s what everyone wants without checking first, so Pete gets into Spidey mode and shuts the whole thing down, using the gene-ray-gun to turn Connors back into his normal human self.  And to top it off Peter gets the pictures so he can keep the noose of capitalism at bay for a little while longer!  Yay!

The Verdict

One thing these old 90’s cartoons excelled at was in getting to the point. ‘Night of the Lizard’ picks up when Spider-man is already well established, and Peter is in university. Even Peter’s supporting cast are all introduced as if the audience could already know them, and it works. At no point are we ever left to wonder what’s going on, or who anyone is. The writing and animation on this show never reached the maturity of Batman: TAS or other WB fare of the era, but this episode still holds up pretty well for a 90’s kids show. Visually the animators do a decent job of capturing Spider-man’s acrobatics (the webbing looks great), although the CGI backgrounds have not aged gracefully. Meanwhile, what the writing lacks in emotional depth, it makes up for it in whiz-bang adventure that’s simultaneously a faithful update to the source material. 

When all is said and done, this is remains a solid intro to an iconic show from my childhood.

3 stars (out of 5)

Additional Observations

I like that they introduced Eddie Brock as a rival photographer right away. Gives us some time to establish his dynamic with Peter before he becomes Veno- I mean, I’m sure they’ll sort out their differences amicably.

The Lizard’s design is spot on. As a kid watching this show felt like like a comic book come to life. Coincidentally the Lizard was one of the first Spidey rogues I was introduced to back when I first started reading comics.

I love how a university has access to a device capable of creating literal super-monsters almost instantly, and there seems to be no resources devoted to guarding it. And this is only the first of many times that specific one-of-a-kind device will be misused to a similar effect. Maybe the line between this universe with super-people, and ours, is a better security budget.

[billconrad]

Alternative Book Endings

    I enjoy movies with a director’s cut, deleted scenes, and exciting commentary. These extra bits add to the experience and provide insight into the movie creation process. A personal favorite is the Austin Powers commentary track. Hilarious!

    This weekend, I watched a YouTube video about the original ending of Dr. Strangelove. If you have not seen the excellent movie, it is about a crazy air base commander starting WWIII. The original ending had a giant pie fight among the world leaders, but the movie release was atomic bomb blast stock footage.

    This discussion inspired me to think about other movies with drastically different endings: Bladerunner, Terminator 2, I Am Legend and The Butterfly Effect. Well, what happened? First, a script was written, and a team made the move. The director/producer/test audience wanted something different when they watched it. So, the team reshot the ending.

    This makes perfect sense because we all have made something, looked at it, and then changed it. My garage is full of half-attempts and leftover pieces. But what about a book? While common in movies, I do not recall any book including an alternate ending. Why not?

    In my fourth book, I planned to end it with a grand reunion, but while writing, I realized this ending was unrealistic and inappropriate for the next book in the series. So, when I got to the last chapter, I changed the ending to have the characters go their separate ways. Thus, I had an alternate ending in mind but did not write it down, which is the closest I have ever come to creating an alternate ending. In other books, I re-wrote or deleted major sections to correct flaws. So, it is possible to have an alternate text that my readers have not seen.

    Would my readers be interested in this material? I think some might find it interesting and gain insight into my writing process. But where would a writer put that text? I suppose the best place would be their website, which is closest to a “DVD Extras Menu.” Is that a solution? I have visited several author’s websites and have never seen deleted material. I recall seeing a published first draft of a famous author’s book at a used bookstore. I have since forgotten the name; obviously, it did not make an impression.

    One reason might be that readers would not know what to make of this text. “Did the author mess up?” “Why are they telling me this?” “So, they wanted to end the book this way?” “Why not combine the two?” Another reason is that it takes effort to edit/proofread this material and there is no financial benefit.

    Another reason might lie at the commitment level. An alternate ending would reveal the author’s lack of writing confidence. “What? Is there a third ending I do not know about?” “The original is better.”

    Finally, I do not want to show the world my mistakes. Take my fourth book ending as an example. I admit that my first ending was weak. Why celebrate my lack of writing ability? “Hey, world, look at me! I wrote something subpar.” Yay? The whole point of spending thousands of hours writing/editing is for readers to enjoy the result. A flawed version does not help.

    Yet, I still enjoy watching alternative-ending movies. What is the big difference? I pondered the matter and developed a theory. A book is in a different entertainment category. They are long stretches of linear concepts, while a movie is driven by limited dialog and big visuals. I would argue that other parts of the brain are triggered, and the intended audience knows this.

    A movie has actors, editors, camera operators, microphones, sets, locations, producers, theaters, DVDs, big money, foreign markets, and illegally downloaded copies. A book only has an author. So, we get it. With all the moving parts, a movie is bound to have issues. Viewers accept this. Alternatively, readers do not let authors off the hook because they have total control.

    I wanted to offer some proof of my theory. Why did famous spy novelist Tom Clancy not write a romance book? This category of books is undoubtedly popular and profitable, and Tom had the talent to write an excellent romance novel. I can feel the readers of this article getting upset. The people who enjoy romance books think, “Hey! Stop using my book category as an example.” And Tom Clancy fans think, “Hey! Stop tarnishing the memory of my favorite author.”

    Tom (when he was alive) was aware of your feelings and chose not to change book categories because this would have dumped a load of ice water on his career. This means that Tom respected his loyal readers, understood his limitations/market, and respected other readers.

    Let’s flip this thought. Mega action stars, such as Dwayne Johnson, Arnold Schwarzenegger, or Jason Statham, star in a romantic movie. What if it is a hit? Romance movie viewers will watch it, while action viewers will not. What if it is a failure? All viewers will not watch it. What if their next movie is action? Will anybody refuse to watch it because of the prior romance movie? Nope.

    So, there is a mental difference. Readers have an expectation, which is perfection. An alternate ending does not have a place in their minds. So, it is unlikely that alternate endings and first drafts will ever become popular. I certainly will never show the world my mistakes.

    You’re the best -Bill

    April 02, 2025

    Hey, book lovers, I published four. Please check them out:

    Interviewing Immortality. A dramatic first-person psychological thriller that weaves a tale of intrigue, suspense, and self-confrontation.

    Pushed to the Edge of Survival. A drama, romance, and science fiction story about two unlikely people surviving a shipwreck and living with the consequences.

    Cable Ties. A slow-burn political thriller that reflects the realities of modern intelligence, law enforcement, department cooperation, and international politics.

    Saving Immortality. Continuing in the first-person psychological thriller genre, James Kimble searches for his former captor to answer his life’s questions.

    These books are available in softcover on Amazon and in eBook format everywhere.