#which probably means adding a whole new sequence in between

[baby-prophet]

this new video piece im working on is like 20x better than the one i made for my finals

[dragonmage]

After watching the game play I'm still on kinda hype but kinda anxious about it.

TLDR; some probably wrong theories about what we're getting, mostly positive but also seems like not as much New Fun things tm

-I loved the animations and art style and backgrounds

-Levels: I think its gonna be like Inquisition and parts of 2 where the levels are more 'set paths' kinda things with beautiful backgrounds very much like Val Royeaux - which is kinda iffy on how little was in Val Royeaux but I imagine there's gonna be 'open world' areas much like the Hinterlands. Idk why I expected something different but I did, and am just worried about how much we'll actually get to explore

-The Combat was Kinda Good Kinda Bad - it was hard to tell exactly how much was button combinations or just spamming X; it looked like there was a parry and a dodge option, and as some others said reminded me of Jedi: Fallen Order - which I really enjoyed !.

-I can already kinda guess though that at higher difficulties the enemies are just gonna be health sponges; idk what difficulty they were playing at its already seemed like the baddies weren't that hard but just didn't go down quickly

-I don't/didn't particularly care for switching between party members, but I also think it will be missed - there was so many times where I had to play Cassandra 1v1ing a dragon bc the rest of my party went down lol. I think it added a level of strategy - again not that I used it much, but it was a mechanic of at least 2 and inquisition that I relied on for harder fights.

-I really really liked the rain effects in cutscenes and on characters - i hope that theres a blood option like that lol.

-I was on the fence about Varric Dying and everyone's theories that he is, but there's no way he's not after that game play lol. I saw a tiktok saying that they could see it where Varric's the one in charge/leading/gathering the Veilguard and with his dying is how Rook becomes leader of the Veilguard and yeahhhh that seems pretty accurate.

-I like the companions commenting on your personality, it's always been a fav component of mine and it seems it might pop up more than in Inquisition.

-Oh the entire opening/showed sequence reminded me so much of the Inquisition one which is kinda :/ but it was good , but also sad in how much it feels like a repeat of a climatic/cinematic set piece (ala bridge collapse, demons, sliding, the veil fucky). The magic effects look gorgeous tho.

-Obligatory comment about Varric not being blonde/ginger

-Saw some others comment on dialogue/voice acting; for me it seemed on par with Inquisition, and again a neither bad nor good thing lol. I can see the faults of it having to establish what happened in Inquisition for new players, but again seems like par for the course.

-The different factions seem very interesting to me, and with how much it was showed in the 'tutorial' I'm curious if they're making it even more apparent than again previous games, at least dialogue wise

-I really think that regardless of class, everyone might be getting some 'extra/magic' abilities - someone pointed out that Harding might have some little extra oomf, and with the limited party, ON TOP OF Veil fuck shit, I think it's very possible to see not only party members with interesting mechanics, that Rook has the potential to arcane stuff - I mean the whole thing with the Veil was that Solas was opening it and giving elves magic (iirc, and the funny hahas about Fenris running around with mage spells lol) so it'd be interesting if that was something race effected as well.

-but overall positive, I think it'll feel like more of the same which isn't bad, but I had also hoped with how much time in development There'd be Something More - this is also based off just some sneak peak stuff. I just don't want a repeat of Andromeda where they change the entire feel to something watered down thats for a bigger audience but essentially not Dragon Age/Bioware

-I would love to comment on the story because at the end of the day thats why I play. - game play wise, it seemed expected, story wise I like how many potential things were brought up but its way too early to tell how much we're going to get. It seems more than Andromeda and Inquisition with the factions and new characters and I can only hope that it has as much depth as breadth that its showing

[fallinginreversefanblog]

Ronnie Radke spitting facts about Motionless In White being a rip-off

On Sep 18th Ronnie Radke shared MIW's new Halloween poster on Twitter showing off the resemblance between the two monsters (the one from MIW's "Werewolf" and the FIR's "Popular Monster") and discussing the issue of MIW copying FIR for a while now.

He even added:

“I’m A popular popular Biter”

Last year on Oct 31st Motionless In White released the video for their song "Werewolf" directed by Jensen Noen, the same director Ronnie Radke works with constantly since "Popular Monster". The two videos ended up in resembling too much; not only the monsters, but the plot, the transformation movements, the filters and environment.

WATCH Motionless In White's "Werewolf":

And WATCH Falling In Reverse's "Popular Monster":

Ronnie expressed his disappointment on Twitter in a few lines, which continued in a beef, then in a few days the whole topic was forgotten.

Yesterday, after Ronnie renewing the topic and expressing his despise towards MIW about the new Halloween poster and the monster's image on it, a long argument unfolded between him + FIR fans and MIW fans defending Chris Motionless from accusations of plagiarism. At one moment Ronnie made a statement about the required honesty in general when it comes to inspirations:

In the mean time he showed the resemblance between FIR and MIW imagery on different album covers, posters and image sequences from the videos within the past few years.

He pointed out Bring Me The Horizon's video on the song "LosT", which was also made by Jensen Noen, but the resemblance with any of FIR's videos is not even close as strong as it is with "Werewolf". This is what Ronnie wrote about Oli Sykes and BMTH:

"oli Sykes went to the video director I use because he was inspired my mine, and guess what he told him “I like what you did but I don’t want to copy” he went out of his way to make a video that was his own, I gained so much respect for oli after I was told this, this is what I mean. Instead of just ripping he went out of his way to do his own thing. I RESPECT THAT SHIT, same with ice nine kills they do there OWN THING. this is what I mean."

WATCH Bring Me The Horizon's "LosT" on Vimeo, because YouTube made age restrictions on it and cannot be embeded in the post:

Finally Ronnie said he doesn't take the whole copy thing as an offense, and it's actually flattering to be the good example to be copied. Mind his words:

"Anyway, this copy cat stuff is so trivial, and at end of day will be forgotten, it’s trivial to get upset at, it should be flattering if anything. But sometimes I can’t help to express myself on these matters. like who cares at end of day"

He shared some more resembling promotion stuff and soon the beef was over from his side. Fans were continuing the argument on both sides for more hours long.

A Falling In Reverse fan made a very apt comment to this whole beef. He said: "I smell a new FIR song and music video 👀👀" Rightful, Ronnie most probably had a secret goal with stirring up the moods, as usual :))

[gwarden123]

What I mean is, and this is another thing that's going to bother nobody but me, but the original game had FMV sequences with real actors and they naturally had to update these for the remake. The characters are all digital now and I think that's the most practical solution.

The issue is for the smaller parts, like the guard at the beginning, they seem to have taken the original audio and animated a character on top of it (although, the timing seems off... not sure if it's just perception, but playing the original, which I have, feels faster and I'm not sure if I'm just imagining it... anyway) but for Atrus they've not only rerecorded his dialogue (probably to be less mumbly?) but they're rewritten it. And made it ba--

Not quite sure why they've done it. Changing things for clarity I can understand, although I've never had trouble understanding what the game is trying to tell me when I've played the original, even if I had trouble catching one or two things that Atrus said. But they've changed the tone and I don't know why. The original movie is fairly tense and a little bit mysterious, Atrus is clearly troubled and a little bit sad, but is also clearly resolute about what he's doing: maybe sending someone to their death, which is quite a big thing! But he also clearly doesn't know the player character all that well, because why would he, they only met yesterday! That's literally the plot of the first game! Atrus is trapped in D'ni by his sons, he has laid a trap for them in turn, but he notices an unknown person futzing with his stuff, adding pages back into his books, and he recruits this unknown person to free him and trap his sons permanently. And then he says you're welcome to enjoy my library. When you're done, come and see me, and maybe you can help me with another problem that I'm having. That's where Riven starts. The player character is technically you, but more literally, it's someone who was walking in what would later be identified as the New Mexico desert (it was more Middle Eastern originally in The Book of Atrus) later retconned as the founder of the D'ni Restoration Council, but I think in between that and being literally you it was possibly a Native American person who happens upon Atrus's book. The one that he dropped when he threw himself Fissure after trapping Gehn on Riven. The point is that I've thought about this a lot that when Atrus calls you "my friend" he means it in the way that you do when someone saves you on the battlefield. They don't know each other.

In the new one, Atrus is more nutty professor-y? Which he kind of was in the first game, if you kinda squint, but you didn't need to stick to that. His role is more expanded in the sequel and he is literally trying to eternally imprison his own father in order to save his wife, who is herself a little ambivalent on Atrus in her own writings because of his connection to his father and his father's colonialist oppression of her people and the destruction of their culture, as well as the literal destruction of their world through his arrogant and skillless Writing. The games are a little serious in tone. It's fine if the opening is more dramatic. The world you're going to is literally ending. Literal apocalyptic earthquakes ending. And they changed it to make it that the player character is actual friends with Atrus now, which see above.

So, yes. It looks really pretty* and they've tweaked one or two of the puzzles in a way that is probably related to how the control scheme works (although they seem to have removed one thing that doesn't make any sense) and they've changed the opening movie with Atrus.

*That's a different complaint. One that's more related to modern games as a whole, probably not something any developer can avoid, and is probably mostly because my computer is old. It only looks good if you turn the settings up.

[solardick]

More magic

This allows a fine placement for the anglican fool. On the peak of a mountain. Well, if he wasn’t peering at the moon instead of the radiance of the sun, perpetuity and sight. A lasting moment instead of the constant flux of menstrual bs cockblocking life.

What about temperanve? I dont know. Im to fucked to straigth. I wonder what having trust in aomwone feels like. I womder what having someone to talk to feels like. Oj well the things in life one may never know. Its just me bei g fucked by the world since my first memory. Theres nothing to gain in life and nothing else to learn. That’s all theres ever been. I dont want to be alive anymore. All they fucken do is ruin mt fucken life. The temperance card disappears. Fitting. In the qwerty, she stands between shattered barriors and the french fool. This is probably the worst card in the deck. It stems from the vagabond, the homeless, the destitute. Of ridicule, further debasement, mal-intentions. Call him jack. To fit the old song. O dont even need to name it you already know. Or if you don’t y’ah may just hit the road. The dog here serves as a mass of people. While also serving place in the discontent for dis shelved dog lowering the quality of peace in the environment. The warning of intruders. As the next scene over is also the moon.

This fool is also found deeply interconnected to the emperor, in sight of, and the promise of mobility through out the land. All these require the utility of structuralism and maintenance outside the realm of nature.

The dominance given to the emperor over the centuries was in the implementing a foundation of territory and influence into the creations of the mechanized world outside of The world. As it actually is. The church here as a guiding principle forward. A tower, in its own sense. Its only in this marriage of conditioning in which he is given license to roam, if it were.

In order to accomplish this, the fool inside the guidance of the emperor in turn, inside the influence of the church requires the destruction of land. The empress holding number 3 here, gets paired up mathematically to card 16 the tower. (In the land of nature) equals card 13. Death.

Temperance here should, according to this plan, merge death and the devil. Here between death and desires. At least in a linear pattern. If one card flows in the next, and going with the flow bs. Its a sewer not a river. Unfortunately a majority of these cards all play back to the emperor, and change, destruction, and death. The qwerty system at least with the added self plays better than this lot of trash.

The temperance card thus could be given the sequence;

Depending on which cards here one chooses to add. Fools dont always mean a lack of experience but, pose as figures representing wisdom and the ability to draw out possibilities. If there is a actual proper placement for the vowels, would pull this whole argument in question. And the more one question the tarot the more evil finds route to grow.

Here, above the sequence one may layer the moon card between death and the fool. And the tower, as destruction between the fool and the devil. Which is what it would be under duress and calamity. The death card belonging to the il matto card shows death gathering resources and is often identified and categorized to scorpio. It also shows affinity by sequence to taurus. Peace, tranquility, security to “sensuoso”. And the organized state of the material. Which may also be found under the heading of a door and departure. The past dies and a new journey is birthed to the present moment.

The structured tower, in winter, comes in and shows the sequence with a new light. And the environment is hostile and overwhelming, the allure of the devil’s invitation to physical comfort and protection from the elements. Whatever they may be. Of course this imagery is only higher relevant or appropriate to temperate climate zones. To the physical and not solely on the “spiritual”. For death does start this sequence and it involves desires vs. resources, ehatever they may be.

Literally, as in written, the sequence may thus be spelled as ;

QwE >R< AtS

Or as something similar, save for the limitations of type.

The moon card is something worth noting too. It seems as if the card itself was designed after the letter. Like other cards to mention. The letter itself over layered as the image, which now would seem absolute agreement. Planet wise it is said to be the moon in pisces, which is the breeding ground of “objects” that bear as feed towards development in a new cycle. An end sequence imagined as curtains closing and all the influences behind the script appear. They all take a bow. But it all seems inconsequential and unentertaining so, everyone leaves unless the music invites attention. That entire vision now being poured into beat. It also shows a very heavy descend of force and the emergance of what is tradionallky taught to be pincing balance. And the release of animal nature or crippling pressure. And that force is set out into the world. And it would seem to be searching punishment. One finds Waite’s death card doing just that.

The craw fish itself, under biblical doctrine is considered unclean and unfit to be included in consumption. To be an active part in the everyday experience. Shell fish, which may cause severe allergic reactions. If the card holds one dog and one wolf like it’s been said to do. Shows a clash in civility, and order. The tame and the wild.

While also showing a destination. A distance to need a travel. But one doesn’t need to rely on traditional symbolism. The second tower doesn’t need to be affixed a mars. There’s other possibilities. Taken as a relationship. With the winter, one finds Saturn. Saturn rules winter. The increasing darkness produces increasing ligthness. And shows people living in the grey and focusing on a glass half full. The scene speaks of exposure.

[thetoxicgamer]

Soulframe is Elden Ring meets Ghost of Tsushima as a “cozy” MMO

TennoCon 2023 experiences a silence, which is unusual given the event's sold-out status and large number of guests. Why, you inquire? Simply said, it's Soulframe. Our first in-depth look at the new MMORPG, which is unmistakably inspired by 2022 Game of the Year Elden Ring, has been provided by Digital Extremes. In order to learn more about the upcoming game, PCGamesN had the privilege of meeting down with Soulframe's chief creative officer, Steve Sinclair, at TennoCon 2023. It is set in a beautiful, high-fantasy setting that serves as a stark reminder of some of the evils that exist in our own world. Nestled in Digital Extremes’ cozy streaming room amid myriad Warframe goodies and a rocking horse (that Warframe creative director Rebecca Ford informs me used to talk), I ask Sinclair about Soulframe’s Elden Ring-esque aesthetic. Combat features a lot of dodging and parrying, and while the ‘purified’ world looks more akin to something out of Fable, the warped, twisted iteration of Midrath that we’ll likely spend most of our time in certainly channels the moodiness of Elden Ring’s Lands Between. When I ask if Soulframe is directly inspired by the game, Sinclair tells me “it’s impossible to avoid it. When we were naming the game, we have this premise of the souls of our ancestors, and then we put f**king ‘souls’ in the name.” https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5PPPNbJ3UKc “When Elden Ring came out, we were just starting on Soulframe and obviously we, like every developer in the world, looked at each other and went ‘oh shit.’ was just so incredible in terms of how the exploration felt and, for me, the non-linearity made it that, when you hit a wall, you just go to a different place – which was refreshing. So yeah, we are taking a lot of inspiration from it.” However, it’s not the only game that has inspired the Soulframe saga. “There are a lot of other influences there; great melee combat games like Ghost of Tsushima are huge ones as well. You’ll probably notice that the camera is a bit more like Ghost, and less like Elden Ring.” An armored character with a sword fights an enemy with a stag skull for a helmet in a forest clearingHe does tell me, however, that there’s a “cozy” element to the game. Soulframe is a step away from the grimdark worlds of series like Warhammer 40k, and Sinclair says he’s hoping to channel more “Disney princesses” than blood, guts, and gore. We see a bit of that during the menu sequence when your character has fallen asleep in the forest and accrued a slew of adorable animals who have dozed off in their lap. When I ask who came up with the idea of adding said adorable sleeping critters, Sinclair tells me “that was Geoff . He is the Disney princess – he doesn’t look it; well, he does a bit.” Either way, I am very, very thankful for that choice. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RskEsLIv3Jk As someone who loved the world of Elden Ring but struggled with the soulslike elements, Soulframe is exactly what I want and more. I genuinely felt tears well up in my eyes as we watched the Torment Stag boss fight – that moment cemented the fact that I want to play this game. The music, the aesthetic, and just the whole meaning behind Soulframe has sunk its claws into me, and it’s already skyrocketed towards the top of my most-wanted games. While we don’t know when the Soulframe release date is just yet, we do have a list of games like Dark Souls if you fancy some FromSoft-style chaos. We also have a list of the best PC games out there, and yes, Elden Ring is on there. Read the full article

[morrowkite]

Music of the Shire

Here's a fun topic I know a bit about, since I researched it heavily for a music project in high school once. I think it's really fascinating, so that means I'm going to subject as many people as possible to an essay about it. Enjoy!

----------------------------------------------------------

(Image ID: A wide view picture of The Shire, from Lord of The Rings.)

I think just about everyone who's seen the Lord of the Rings trilogy can hum (or at least remember with a vague fondness) the main theme melody for the Shire/Hobbits. If you can't, well, here it is in its most plain form, for reference. This one melody is easily the most recognizable part of the score as a whole, which is incredibly impressive considering just how gargantuan the score is in both scale and musical richness.

Now, there's no doubt that the Shire Theme is beautiful - it has this wonderfully gentle rising/falling quality to it, as if the music itself were embodying the rolling hills of Hobbiton. But I think the reasons that it sticks with you so well after watching the trilogy go beyond the musical beauty of it, and into the absolutely genius ways that this one melody is thread throughout the three films, assuming a new musical/narrative context with each appearance.

These contexts are called settings, according to Doug Adams, the pre-eminent LOTR musicologist, and if I'm honest, I'm absolutely obsessed with them. The way that they're used to shape this one theme and turn it into something that defines an entire trilogy is incredibly fascinating to me, and has changed the way I think about film music. If this sounds interesting to you at all, then stick around and join me for a little dive into the world of the Shire and it's music.

(Warning: lots of music nerd stuff up ahead.)

Part 1: The Theme Itself

(Image ID: Sheet music for the Shire Theme, with the first half highlighted a separate color from the second.)

Before we can start talking about settings, we need to define what the Shire Theme actually is. The music pictured here is taken directly from the song In Dreams, from the end-credits sequence of Fellowship, which I linked to before but will now link to again (Don't worry if you can't read musical notation, I still love you).

This is the closest we can get to the most basic form of the Shire Theme, without the extra ornamentations that are usually added in other contexts.

Now, the reason that I've highlighted the two halves separately is because these two are actually considered distinct themes: Shire A, and Shire B, or the verse and chorus of In Dreams, respectively. Shire A is the one you're probably most familiar with, appearing most often. But Shire B has its place too, and is just as relevant.

As you can see/hear, Shire A is more gentle and relaxing, with the 'hilly' style melody and lots of second/third intervals. Shire B, on the other hand, is more dramatic, with these soaring ascensions that really grab the audience and shout "LISTEN! I'M PRETTY!" directly into their ear.

Got all that? Brilliant.

Part 2: The Pensive & Rural Settings

(Image ID: Frodo and Gandalf sitting on a cart together, talking.)

I'm going to kick off the setting discussion by talking about the two that you're probably most familiar with, because they dominate the majority of the early-trilogy Hobbiton scenes. In fact, if you pull up Concerning Hobbits off the soundtrack here, then you have a pretty good place to start when dissecting these two and the relationship between them, as they're intertwined throughout.

The Pensive Setting is the very first one you hear on that track, right after the little plucked-string opening (which, incidentally, is called the Outline Figure). The reason it's called that is because, generally, this setting is used to inspire a feeling of calmness, serenity, and affection toward the Shire. You can often pick it out because it's being played on a soothing instrument like strings, or in this case, a tin whistle, playing the Shire A melody.

(Image ID: Sheet music for the Pensive Setting of the Shire Theme.)

If you compare this to the basic version from In Dreams then you can see a pretty big difference - the rhythms are more free flowing, not particularly beholden to the beat and with plenty of extra notes added in-between for smoothness. You can still tell it's the same melody, though.

The Rural Setting of Shire A starts up right after -where the Pensive Setting gives a general sense of contentment with the Hobbits' way of life, the Rural Setting is more about Hobbiton itself and the folksy, lighthearted fun that takes place there in the early scenes. That's why, once Frodo leaves home, it isn't heard again until the end of the trilogy.

(Image ID: Two hobbits, looking very disappointed.)

(Unfortunately, I couldn't get proper sheet music for the Rural Setting. You can hear, it though.)

This setting is played on a fiddle here, and in fact is accompanied by a whole bunch of folk instruments that add to the lighthearted feeling, alongside the fun melodic variations that are included (syncopation, trills, etc.) that contribute to the fun atmosphere. Not too much else to say about this one, considering its short appearances.

If you keep listening to Concerning Hobbits, it becomes easier to pick out the changes between the two settings. For example, right after the fiddle section, some lush strings pick up the Pensive Setting again, but this time playing the Shire B version. Then the Rural Setting actually gets its own unique conclusion, separate from either version of the melody.

Next time you watch through the beginning of Fellowship, try pick out which setting is playing in a given scene! It's very fun.

Part 3: The Hymn Setting

(Image ID: Frodo sitting under a tree, reading.)

This is where things really start to get interesting. The Hymn Setting is very important, because it's the one that makes you cry. In any situation where the hobbits, especially Sam and Frodo, are feeling homesick or mourning the loss of their simple lifestyle, then you'll probably hear the Hymn Setting.

If we jump back to In Dreams again, then you might notice that there's a series of chords playing underneath the melody, lasting two beats each. That's because these are the Hymn Chords, and I was LYING to you when I said In Dreams didn't have a setting (Okay, I didn't say that, but I implied it).

In actuality, In Dreams is practically one long instance of the Hymn Setting, but it still works as an example of the basic melody because the Hymn Setting doesn't have anything to do with the melody, only the accompanying harmony.

(Image ID: The same sheet music of the Shire Theme from earlier, with added chords.)

These are the so-called Hymn Chords, named that because they are intended to evoke a chorale effect found in traditional Western religious music, according to Doug Adams. Now, if I wanted to, I would go into a long musicological analysis of why these chords make the melody sound more melancholic, but this post is long enough already, so I won't.

Just know that these things are everywhere in the most emotional scenes of the trilogy, like the ending of Fellowship, or "My friends, you bow to no-one," and I'm half-convinced these simple chords are responsible for a few swimming pools full of tears.

What makes the Hymn Chords even more interesting are their connection to Frodo, and a special variation on the melody, called...

PART 4: A Hobbit's Understanding

(Image ID: A picture of Frodo crying.)

This one is special, because it's not so much a setting as a melodic variation on the Hymn Setting. That being said, it's very important, and worthy of its own section.

A Hobbit's Understanding is sort of an 'epiphany' theme, kept for whenever Frodo is confronted with some terrible situation that forces him to come to a certain realization (this is why I like to call it Frodo's Theme, as well.) Here are some examples:

When Bilbo talks to Frodo alone at his party, and the young hobbit gets some insight into a deeper pain in the old man.

In his soul-searching conversation with Gandalf in Moria - "I wish the Ring had never come to me..."

At the moment when Frodo recalls these words and decides to leave the Fellowship at Parth Galen (see image above).

When Sam follows Frodo anyway and he is forced to admit his need for companionship.

At the end of the Two Towers, when Sam gives his speech about the lasting good in the world.

You can hear it best here, in The Breaking of The Fellowship.

(Image ID: Sheet music of A Hobbit's Understanding.)

You can instantly recognize this melody by those three upward movements at the beginning (and the Hymn Chords underneath). In Shire B, which this example is based off of, there are only two upward movements. If you scroll back up to that original sheet music, you can see the foundation that this melody is based on, and the points that it differs.

The really effective part about this melody, for me, is how is mirrors the feeling of an epiphany. Those three rapid ascensions at the beginning are the realization itself, which goes on to slowly solidify in Frodo's mind as the melody itself descends back onto that oh-so-satisfying D note at the end. It's absolute magic.

Part 5: Conclusion

(Image ID: Merry, Frodo, Sam, and Pippin standing, surrounded by bowing people.)

There are a few other minor melodies and settings that are used infrequently, but I'm satisfied with having discussed the main ones. I hope this has provided a bit of an insight into the wonderful world of leitmotifs, and added something to your next LOTR viewing.

Personally, I find the different setting and variations of the Shire Theme utterly fascinating. If you want to read more about it, follow the link posted below in the credits.

This was a pretty big post to make to kick-off this tumblr, and I'm not sure if I'll make one this big again, but we'll see. Thanks for reading all the way through, if you in fact did. Follow if you wanna see more stuff like this, and have a great day!

CREDITS

The organizational system used for the themes is borrowed from an old LOTR soundtrack blog called the Magpie's Nest, which no longer exists, but can be found on the Wayback Machine here. The author of this site based his system on that of Doug Adams and his brilliant book The Music of The Lord of The Rings Trilogy, so credit is due to both of them.

The sheet music transcriptions used throughout come from an anonymous transcriber, and was published on the website of a fellow named Alcaeru, found here.

[catelyngrant]

I don’t think I’m actually going to end up writing fic for Hacks because I’m terrified of writing these two characters who have SUCH specific voices, but like hell I’m not thinking about them 24/7 and I figured I’d share this concept.

One of my biggest questions is how they could actually get to a point in canon where they could hook up believably (not in a dream sequence) and what I keep coming back to is that it would have to be a situation that they’d be able to play off as a joke for as long as they could. Combine that with how all of the writers talk about how their bantering is a “turn on”, what I’m imagining is one of them pitching a joke about org*sms - either Deborah making some snide comment about how men are useless at getting her off or Ava offhandedly mentioning something about the differences between sleeping with different genders. (Deborah would totally be one of those people who would be like, “how do women know when sex is over if there’s not a d*ck in the picture?” so that energy is strong.)

Anyway, it ends up with Ava bragging about her record of getting women off in one round.

“Seven times? Oh fuck off, Ava, even if those basketball hands were battery operated you couldn’t -”

“Okay so first of all, I have a lot more tools at my disposal than my freakishly long fingers, which by the way no one has ever complained about, and second, I may be a disaster in 95% of my life but I will not accept this sort of slander when it comes to my ability to make women come. I have that shit down.”

“It’s just physiologically absurd. And Jesus, talk about excessive - even if I believed you, which I’m not saying I do, it sounds more exhausting than fun.”

“Spoken like a woman who’s never made another woman come.”

“I meant for me! I’m not fucking Marty, it’s not like I roll over and fall asleep in twenty seconds, but even at your age I’d be done after two, three times tops.”

“So just to be clear, in this scenario you’re the one I’m getting off? Because yeah, I know you’re not 25, but if those progesterone packets work half as well as you say they do in those ridiculous ads, I could get you to five, easy. And you’d be thanking me. When’s the last time someone actually got you off, anyway?”

“That’s rich, coming from Ms. ‘I don’t think you can ask me that,  you know, legally’ -”

“You’re right. You’re right - my bad.” A pause, then: “You can probably afford some really awesome lube, though, I’m just saying. And didn’t you get a press kit from Netflix a few years ago?”

“That yam shit from Lily Tomlin’s show? Please, no. I haven’t had vegetables near my c**t since I was twelve and tried a cucumber.”

“Okay, well, we’re coming back to that later, but. I’m just saying - if you don’t want me to prove my point that’s fine, but you’re a total smokeshow and I could find a dozen ladies who’d be more than happy to try to beat my record in like five minutes. Although if you take me up on that you’re not allowed to make fun of these bad girls anymore.” She waggles her fingers. “Can’t knock 'em till you’ve tried 'em.”

“If I didn’t know better I’d say you were trying to get me into bed.”

Ava shrugs. “I have a reputation to maintain. Plus, it’s not like I haven’t thought about it - like I said. Total smokeshow.”

“It’s a bad idea. For one - what did you say, five? It’s just not possible. You’re setting yourself up for failure.”

“Maybe. Could be fun anyway, though. Don’t get me wrong, the multiple orgasms are great, but sleeping with women is just a whole new level - it doesn’t all have to be about the main event. Or, you know. Events.”

“Oh that’s right, it’s more emotionally fulfilling -”

“Hey, I’m not pressuring you! Seriously. But either way, you’ve got to drop the bit, you have too many queer lady fans for tired straight sex jokes to fly. And if you want new material, I mean it. Happy to be of service. And, you know. Defend my honor.”

So anyway, this goes on and on and they obviously end up in bed. Ava gets her up to four before Deborah taps out, but even Deborah can’t mock her afterwards, and those hand jokes take on a whole new layer.

idk y’all i just have a LOT OF FEELINGS

*** this wasn’t showing up in the tags so I went back with asterisks for words that might’ve been flagged bc this site is a fucking hellhole

[class1akids]

The fact that it seems Endeavour won’t be there to save Touya means Horikoshi ended up dropping him out of any possible redemption?

I mean, we know that narratively he’s tryingto make amend. Yet we also know that again and again when he had a chance to make it better , instead he messed up things again or more. His absence state his redemption is a failure?

Or do you think it might be possible for AFO to mix up all of the set ups again? I mean. Maybe Ochaco can save Toga and with his new move Shoto might get though Touya… but setting up Endeavour vs Touya would ruin any progress (in theory) and Hawks vs Toga is just enough to set Sad Man Parade… so what do you think? either no father /son confrontation or something will bring them to meet?

I feel like these 2 battlefields will converge - to bring together all the Todoroki-plot players (Shouto, Dabi, Endeavor and Hawks + Tokoyami). Now my feeling is that they'll end up going to UA, which is between Kamino and Gunga Villa, to have Natsuo, Fuyumi and Rei involved too.

I could imagine a sequence like this:

Shouto gets through to Touya, who says then that it's already too late because AFO put something in motion to attack UA.

Shouto realizes that the whole family is there

With the help of Iida, they race back to UA to protect the civilians.

AFO gloats about the same thing to Endeavor, who also goes to UA and proves that he prioritizes family. It's also an opportunity to have a face-to-face with Touya

[Not sure where and how Toga and Uraraka would join the fray, but I think Sad Girl Parade would come and bail Touya out at some point - though arguably they'd make sense at vs Shigaraki battle too, but I'd like to see Hawks face to face with SGP]

The Todoroki-trio + Tokoyami [+ Toga + Ochako] brings down AFO

This set-up would allow Touya to see the rest of the family - and have them as an added motivation for changing sides.

I basically think that it won't be Endeavor coming to Touya, but Touya and Shouto meeting up with Endeavor.

If the battle loosely follows Midoriya vs Todoroki, then Shouto gets through to Touya before he meets his father (paralleling, Shouto going in his doubt to face Rei).

I basically have zero doubt that we will see Touya and Endeavor meet at some point, and I think there will be words, but I don't think they will fight. It is simply not fitting for Endeavor to try to hit Touya in any way.

And I think there is a very high probability of seeing a Touya-Shouto-Endeavor combo attack somewhere in the battle climax.

[citrus-cactus]

FrontierFest, Day 13

Favorite episode/moment

It’s true, I already did a post about my top 5 (really 6) episodes… but that doesn’t mean it has to stop there!

Hmm, a favorite moment really is difficult… and really it’s between two, I think. The first is when Duskmon is probing Kouji’s memories, seeing his family life (and struggles therein), and learning that they have a connection. The buildup to that was intense, and I really appreciate that little moment we get with Kouji at the florist and getting to see what he was doing immediately before Ophanimon’s summons. And then when the POV switches to Kouichi’s view on the train, that is just SO well-done. The voice acting is really top-notch and there are just so many feelings throughout the whole sequence, and while I’ve said elsewhere I love the whole Duskmon arc, this moment (imo) is the lynchpin of those episodes and really elevates the whole thing to something special. Plus it doesn’t hurt that Kouji gets a snazzy new evolution out of the ordeal!

My second would probably be the very end of the series, starting with Bokomon’s goodbye (HE IS SO SAD!!), and when Lowemon reveals to the group at the last second that he can sense Kouichi is still alive. Adding that ray of hope and a touch of real-world drama (which is resolved by magical digimon powers, sorry doctors!) is a nice way to tie up the remaining loose ends, and seeing all the kids in the ER relieved and happy that Koichi made it back (never mind who allowed them in there!) is really touching. And immediately following that with the epilogue, showing and telling us the ways their lives have improved since their adventure in the Digital World and that they’ll be friends forever… it’s a simple ending, sure, but it was the feel-good, character-driven resolution that these kids needed and I really am a sucker for that, especially for these kids I love so much!

[crusherthedoctor]

Can you list anything you unironically like in the games (and cartoons and comics) that you don't like?

I won't bother mentioning music, since that goes without saying and is to be expected for a Sonic game... unless you're Chronicles.

Sonic Adventure 2 (mixed gameplay-wise, annoying story-wise) - While I prefer Sonic's SA1 levels for a number of reasons, I still think his and Shadow's gameplay in SA2 is fun on its own merit. I also don't mind the treasure hunting gameplay returning or how big the levels are this time around, since Knuckles and Rouge are still fast and not '06 levels of slow. It's mainly the gimped radar that creates the unfortunate domino effect of making them a problem.

- Introduced Rouge, one of my favourite characters for how playful she is and how she's a lot more nuanced and intelligent than you'd expect.

- Some genuinely good scenes, like Eggman's trap on the A.R.K and Sonic escaping from the G.U.N. helicopter.

- Had some good ideas going for it, like the Pyramid Base and the Biolizard as a scientific monster instead of an ancient one.

- Despite my thoughts on the backstory itself (or rather, its execution), Shadow has enough depth and subtle qualities and occasional unintended hilarity to stand out from the typical dark rival characters you see in media.

- The Last Scene's music in particular is one of my favourite cutscene tracks in the series.

Sonic Heroes (mixed gameplay-wise, loathed story-wise) - The gameplay is fun when you're not being screwed over by repetitive combat, overly long levels and/or ice physics.

- Boasts some of the most consistently Genesis-worthy environments in the 3D games, up there with SA1's and Colours'.

- The in-game dialogue that isn't the same tutorial drivel repeated ad nauseam can be interesting, funny, etc.

- Reintroduced the Chaotix, which provided me with another character I quite like in the form of Vector.

- Bringing Metal Sonic back in full force and front and center in the plot after a long absence (not counting cameos and the like) is a perfectly fine idea. Just... not like this.

Sonic Battle (decent yet repetitive gameplay, mixed story-wise) - Emerl's arc is compelling, and it earns the emotional weight of having to put him down at the end.

- While some characters are iffy (read: Amy), other characters are extremely well-handled. Shadow is probably the prime example.

- Gamma's belly dance healing animation is fucking hilarious.

- When I was young, and the game was first announced, I was really excited about being able to play as Chaos. This proved to be my downfall when it turned out he was arguably one of the worst characters in the game due to being slower than me during the writing process, but I still recall that excitement fondly.

Shadow the Hedgehog (comedy classic) - The sheer amount of legendary stupidity this game has going for it makes it practically impossible to actually hate. It helps that it's not quite as white-knighted on the same level as '06... usually. You know you're in for a unique experience when you hear a gunshot every time you click something in the menu.

- By extension, Black Doom never gained an unironic fanbase like Mephiles/Scourge/Eggman Nega did, which means I'm a lot more willing to take Doom's dumbass brand of villainy in stride. He even has a unique design... a terrible one that rips off Wizeman granted, but alas, even that is a step-up from Fridge Shadow and Bumblebee Eggman.

- Despite being... well, Shadow the Hedgehog, some of the environments would fit right in with any other Sonic game, like with Circus Park, Lava Shelter, and Digital Circuit. Even the Black Comet levels look pretty cool.

- This game understands amnesia better than IDW does.

Sonic '06 (what do you think?) - The obvious one: Shadow's character was handled pretty well, even if it came at the cost of everyone else being a dummy and being forced to interact with Mephiles.

- Like SA2, there are some good moments, like the Last Story ending sequence with Sonic and Elise.

- In the greatest form of irony ever, I like Solaris as a concept and design(s), and its backstory has potential to serve as a parallel with Chaos without being a complete ripoff. Iblis sucks, Mephiles sucks, but I'm fine with Solaris.

- Introduced legendary characters like Sonic Man, Pele the Beloved Dog, Hatsun the Pigeon, and Pacha from The Emperor's New Groove.

The Rivals duology (apathetic outside of Nega-related grumbling) - There were some cool zone ideas in both games that were sadly let down by the restrictive and limiting gameplay. I particularly like Colosseum Highway for thus far being the only full-on Roman level in the series instead of merely having a couple minor hints of Roman, and Meteor Base for the unique scenario of the space station being built into an asteroid. These level concepts and others deserve a second chance IMO. (At least Frontier Canyon got a second chance in the form of Mirage Saloon, amirite?)

- Ifrit has a better design than Iblis. Not saying it's amazing, but the Firebird motif it has going on is a lot more interesting for a fire monster than the Not-Chaos schtick they had with Iblis.

Sonic and the Secret Rings (a very frustrating gaming experience) - Erazor Djinn, A.K.A. Qui-Gon Djinn, A.K.A. Dr. N. Djinn, A.K.A. I'll Take It On The Djinn, A.K.A. Not From The Hairs On My Djinny Djinn Djinn, is one of the best villains not associated with Eggman in the series. He's a Mephiles-type character done right, and there's actual weight and reason to his actions, however sinister or petty.

- I don't have strong opinions either way on Shahra as a character, but the Sonic/Shahra friendship is sweet and well-handled.

- The ending is one of Sonic's greatest moments. The sheer contrast between how ruthlessly he deals with Erazor and how comforting he is towards Shahra speaks volumes... Still gonna make fun of the mountain of handkerchiefs though. (Before anyone lectures me, I understand the significance of it and can even appreciate it from that angle... doesn't mean I'm not allowed to poke fun at it. :P)

- Another game with some redeeming environments. I love the aesthetic of Night Palace, and Sand Oasis looks gorgeous too.

Sonic Chronicles (my personal least favourite game in the series) - Uh...

- Um...

- Er...

- I like Shade's design?

Sonic Unleashed (overrated game and story IMO) - The obvious two: the opening sequence and the Egg Dragoon fight deserve all the praise they get.

- Seeing Eggmanland come to life was an impressive moment to be sure. While part of me does feel it didn't quite measure up to what I had in mind (ironically, the Interstellar Amusement Park ended up being closer to what I had in mind), it still looks badass and works well for what it is. I also don't mind the idea of it being a one-level gauntlet... key word being idea.

- Obviously, the game looks great. Not a fan of the real world focus (real world inspiration is fine, but copy-pasting the real world and shoving loops in it is just unimaginative), but it can't be denied that the environments look good.

- This game pulled off dialogue options a lot better than Chronicles did, since they didn't rely on making Sonic OoC.

Sonic and the Black Knight (just kind of boring all around) - Despite my gripes with the story (Merlina wasn't nearly as fleshed out as her unique anti-villain status deserved, which ends up severely undermining the ambition of the plot in more ways than one, and the other characters go from being useless yes men for King Arthur to being useless yes men for Sonic), I will admit it provides interesting insight into Sonic's character.

- Like '06 and Secret Rings, the ending is very nice... well, aside from Amy being an unreasonable bitch ala Sonic X at the very end.

Sonic the Hedgehog 4 (apathetic) - The admittedly few new concepts sprinkled within had promise. They may not have been as fleshed out as they could have been, but level concepts like Sylvania Castle and White Park, bosses like Egg Serpentleaf and the Egg Heart, and story beats like the Death Egg mk.II being powered by Little Planet, all could have been brilliant had they been better executed.

SatAM (apathetic outside of SatAM Robotnik-related grumbling) - I'm not a fan of the environments on the whole due to them looking too bland or samey, but there are some exceptions that look pleasant or interesting, like the Void.

Sonic Underground (apathetic) - The character designs make me feel better about myself.

- Does "large quantities of unintentional meme material" count as a positive?

Sonic X (mostly apathetic outside of Eggman's handling) - Helen was a better human character and audience surrogate in her one focus episode than Chris was throughout his entire runtime.

- Actually, most of the human characters not named Chris were legitimately likable. Including everyone in Chris' own family not named Chris. Hilarious.

- Despite arguably having the most Chris in it, I actually don't mind the first season that much, partly due to slight nostalgia from seeing it on TV when it was new, but mostly because Eggman actually acted like a villain for the most part, and certain other characters weren't quite as flanderized yet. It's season 2 and onwards where things started going off the rails IMO. (Incidentally, Helen's episode was part of season 1...)

The Boom franchise (apathetic) - Along with Chronicles, the games provide yet more proof that just because someone isn't SEGA/Sonic Team, that doesn't mean they're automatically more qualified to handle the series.

- The show had some good episodes here and there, and Tails' characterization was probably the most consistently on-point out of the cast.

- Despite not exactly being favourite portrayals for either character, even I'll admit that many of Knuckles and Eggman's lines in the show on their own were genuinely funny.

Archie Sonic (pre-reboot is mostly terrible, post-reboot is mostly... bland) - Whenever I doubt myself as a writer, I think back to Ken Penders, and suddenly I'm filled with a lot more confidence.

Sonic the Comic (apathetic) - Fleetway isn't a comic I tend to recall much of aside from how much of a loathesome cunt Sonic is, but IIRC, Robotnik's portrayal is pretty good. Different, but good.

IDW Sonic (stop pissing me off, comic) - Putting their handling aside (and being too obviously "inspired" by MGS in the latter's case), Tangle and Whisper are good characters IMO.

- Same goes for Starline, before he was killed off-screen and replaced with Toothpaste Snively.

- Execution aside (noticing a pattern?), the zombot virus was a fine concept on its own and an interesting new scheme for Eggman.

- I get to remind myself that I've never drawn scat edits and posted them publicly on Twitter.

[sickofthistoxicshit]

Buddie 4x14 review - if you haven’t watched it yet don’t read.

The episode starts where we left it, once Buck was on the ground, it seems like he was thrust back into reality. I noticed two things here (connected with 4x13) Eddie didn’t close his eyes until Buck was safe behind the truck on the ground. And the second thing is that Buck was spurred into action the moment Eddie’s eyes closed.

And I mean this was some BAMF Buckley right there, that was SEALS trained Evan Buckley! 😱🤩 It’s like training and instinct kicked in and all that mattered was to get to Eddie and get him help as soon as possible, sniper’s bullets be damned. I gotta say it was executed to perfection❣

Big kudos to both Oliver and Ryan for delivering this whole sequence in a heart-wrenching, beautiful manner.

The shooting doesn’t stop and they get Eddie out of there under fire, I really like the 133 captain and crew, they worked so well with the members of the 118, it seemed effortless. (I’m not touching that subject, but let’s picture Buck lifting Eddie bodily up into his arms and in to the truck for just a second here. - I mean we wanted it but not under these circumstances)

Buck taking the role of medic when finally getting Eddie into the truck, is so amazing, he’s usually the one either in need for treatment or the one who stands back and let’s Hen, Chim and Eddie do the medic stuff, it is their jobs after all, but he doesn’t sit back and let the medics of the 133 to take over, he does it himself. 

He tore Eddie’s uniform’s buttons open (again, that’s not how any of us wished for this to happen), tore the pressure bandage wrap open and pressed it down on the wound, he did not step back from Eddie, until he absolutely has to, at the hospital. 😭

Eddie, my poor baby, was lying on the ground of the truck, bleeding and half conscious and the one thing he focused on was the blood on Buck’s shirt and he asked him if he’s hurt. I mean I could totally cry, because that’s Eddie. Best friend, combat medic, protective and caring, that never goes away even as he’s lying there bleeding. 🥺🥺

Eddie was legit ready to forget his injuries and try to get up and take care of Buck if he was hurt too. He loses consciousness only when Buck assures him that he’s not hurt.

Buck’s frantic litany of “Just hang on, we’re almost there.” and “I need you to hang on” (“I need you”, not we, not Christopher, “I need you”) was really hard to watch, because even though we all read and wrote it in fanfics thousands of times, watching it actually play out was heartbreaking, I totally teared up with Buck there.🥺🥺

For firefighters the job ends at the hospital doors, so Buck naturally, out of instinct stops from following. But that’s Eddie taken away from him and he looks frozen, at that moment he must have thousands of thoughts running around his head.

“You ok Buckley?”

Buck’s broken “No.” was maybe expected, but it was also earth shattering of sorts. This is Buck standing there, knowing (especially after the well incident) that when Eddie is not okay, he’s not either. 😭❤

I want to point out that I loved the fact that the 133 didn’t just drive away or waited outside for the cops, they went in after Eddie. And after trying to check in on Buck, the Captain of the 133 went in too.

I’m going to point out a parallel here between S3 Finale and S4 finale, in 3x18 Eddie asks Buck if he’s ok as his ex-girlfriend was taken in the ambulance with her new fiancé, Buck’s response was “What’s next?” and going back to work. He was okay, because Eddie was with him, and there was still work to be done.

Here in 4x14, Eddie is taken from him to the hospital, and Buck doesn’t know if he’ll live, so Buck’s obvious answer here is ‘No’.

Later we see Buck exiting the hospital, in his firefighter uniform. I’m a little disappointed we don’t see him cleaning up, I know that could have made for a hell of a scene, Oliver would have killed it, and us in my opinion.

Taylor is coming to the hospital, not as a reporter but as a friend. She was worried. I like that side of her, when she knows to put away the reporter and to make sure her friend is in one piece. Her character development is shown beautifully in this scene. 

Buck, in no condition to pretend and speak to the press, turns away from her, he doesn’t trust her at that moment and he doesn’t trust himself not to break down there. He’s teary, still in shock and his hands are shaking like crazy. (in complete contrast to the usual Buck, where he can be in danger or wrap up a crazy rescue and he is normally completely steady.)

Taylor, offered to take Buck to Eddie’s house to see Christopher, telling him he can’t go see Chris looking like he does now. “You can’t got see his son like that.” - At first hear and several others it sounded like “Your son.” - of course it’s not but either way it would have been true too, because in a way Buck has been co-parenting Christopher for a very long time now. And indeed later when Buck gets to Eddie’s house he is washed and dressed in civilian clothes.

The scene with Oli and Gavin killed me! I thought for sure the breaking down will be done in private, but Buck couldn’t hold it together in front of Christopher once he found out Eddie is going to be ok, and Christopher comforting Buck was so so sweet.

Christopher’s “like the ones who fixed you?” Kind of gives us a certain idea as to the conversation Eddie had to have with Christopher when Buck was hurt. His sweet “Then he’s going to be ok,” he says it with such conviction, only adding “right?” only as an afterthought.

And as if he manifested it himself Buck then gets a text from Bobby that tells him that Eddie pulled through surgery and it looks good.

Buck actually dropped the phone from the relief and he started to cry, and sweet, adorable, national treasure Christopher puts an arm around him and tells him that Eddie is going to be okay. I definitely cried with Buck here. It was such a powerful scene and it was portrayed so well by Oliver and Gavin. 

The “it’s going to be okay Buck” was kind of a call back to 3x01 - when Christopher reassures Buck and tells him “You’re going to be okay kid.” - I love these two together so much! ❤❤

When Bobby gives them the talk in the firehouse about how they proceed from there, Buck is standing with his arms crossed, looking completely dejected. And when Hen asks about the safety of their families, Bobby says there's no reason to believe they are in danger, Buck pipes in with “We didn’t have a reason to believe Eddie will get shot helping a kid either.” Buck is traumatized, and worried, he sleeps at Eddie’s house looking after Christopher.

I loved Christopher waking Buck up, and them having cereal breakfast together, a call back to Eddie and Christopher having breakfast together in 2x04. Buck doesn’t sit next to Chris, but across from him - to me it says that the seat between them is usually reserved to Eddie when they’re together at the house.

I love how Christopher’s teasing Buck about him snoring. And Buck is later confused because he’s unsure of whether or not Chris really understands what’s happening, but Carla assures him that he already lost his mother, unfortunately he understands better than he or she thinks. Which again should give people a new appreciation for Christopher’s sunshine child attitude.🥺❤

Carla showing up to take Christopher to school, is showing relief that Buck could finally sleep, which means that he didn’t for at least a couple of nights. She’s also asking him how it feels to go to work, Buck doesn’t even think about the sniper, for him all that matters is that Eddie is not out there with him and it feels off. (call back to 2x18 when Eddie seemed pensive about being back at work but Buck was not with them.)

Carla, bless her, retorts that that is not what she was asking - obviously she meant, she was worried about the sniper, but that is not Buck’s main worry, his head and his heart are somewhere else.

The crane scene was insane! I laughed when Chimney looked to Bobby and asked him “Can you blame him cap?” and Bobby flat out responded “Yeah!” 😂

The rescue was really impressive. However if Eddie ever found out about this he would probably hit Buck over the head with something heavy. It just goes to show that Eddie is Buck’s impulse control and vice-versa.

Bobby and Buck’s interaction wasn’t one of anger, Bobby was terrified and Buck was guilty but unapologetic, because he couldn’t protect Eddie but he could protect the rest of his family, so he did just that. Bobby didn’t have anything to say other than give him the same response Eddie did in Monsters - “Don’t do it again.” - Because for one, in my opinion, Bobby knows where Buck is coming from and also Bobby knows, he knows Eddie is Buck’s impulse control, knows he’s his anchor, he knows that Buck will only be his relatively normal self when Eddie comes back.

I’m not even going to touch the Taylor scene, yes she was worried, and yes she scolded him in a friendly way, but that kiss felt so out of left field for me, especially since Buck was just packing a bag to go stay with Christopher and Eddie was still unconscious at the hospital.

Also she freaking friendzoned him last episode, how fickle do male writers think women are? She gets a little scared and kisses the guy? Lucky they didn’t write in a sex scene! That was an insult to women everywhere in my opinion. It could have been set in so many better opportunities, why now? And if she’s scared now what’s to say that won’t make her leave like Ali did? I have a whole tirade about it but I will let it go for now.

Now I know ya’ll are like - Eddie woke up because his spidey senses told him someone was kissing his Buck (and I do not negate that point lol), but he just woke up and he asked for Buck. I find it so deliriously endearing that I need a moment even as I’m writing this.🤗🤗

I have to point out that there is no scene of Buck, Eddie and she who will not be name together other than the second when Buck walks in (read ran through the hospital corridors) and Eddie has only eyes for his partner. 👀❤

Afterwards it just the two of them, with a brief facetime to Christopher. I love that Eddie thanks Buck for staying with Chris, and Buck pretty much breaks down the logic behind the decision, like a true parent. - Christopher’s comfort came first in Buck’s eyes, and really that just demanded a hug right there.

“Is he doing ok?” 

Buck’s response here, was very honest, a lot more honest than I expected, “better than me.” He said. Buck openly admits to Eddie, “I kinda lost it when I told him you got shot. I’m sorry I should have held it together.” To be honest, I’m very curious as to the ins and outs of Buck and Eddie’s friendship, especially during quarantine, they seem so much closer, a lot more open. More honest than you'd expect two male, straight, lead characters to be with their friends.

Buck would have played it down and shared only the essentials when it’s anybody else. With Eddie he openly saying here, in his own way, ‘I was terrified, and heartbroken, and ‘couldn’t imagine my world without you.’ - ‘I couldn’t function with a clear head.’ - ‘all my masks were shattered.’ 

“You were there for him when I couldn’t be, that’s what matters.” Eddie knows, buck, he understands him better than anyone, he’s telling him here in his own way that it’s okay, and he loves him just the way he is - it was his way to reassure Buck that he was doing just fine.

But Buck’s “Still I think it might have been better for him if I was the one who got shot.” - Eddie looked like he was ready to get up and smack some sense into Buck. 

I want to point out that Buck’s response to Eddie being hurt or in danger is nowhere near the same as his response to anyone else in danger. Case in point in 4x14 is Bobby, he is inside, probably injured, in a fire with a gunman - if it was Eddie, Buck would have waited 0.1 seconds before he disappeared back into the flames to help Eddie. 

With Bobby, he was calm, cool, calculated, he knew what Athena would do because that’s exactly what he would have done if it had been Eddie and he is ready with helpful details and a plan. He wants to go with her, but doesn’t argue when she says no. 

Eddie is Buck’s Bobby, and it reflects all throughout this episode, and I think I had some parallels pointed out in 4x13 too. So I don’t know what scripts Tim reads or if we’re all watching the same show but buddie exists and thriving as far as I’m concerned.

Buck is also the one to pick Eddie up at the hospital - he tells him that the nurse is getting his meds and discharge papers ready, which means that Buck did all that process, he was busy getting Eddie discharged. (Take a moment to soak it in.)😌

Eddie sits Buck down to talk, to be honest this talk went pretty much the way I expected it. 

Eddie explains why he had his will updated, and that Buck is Christopher’s legal guardian if anything happens to Eddie. - I love that after all this time, sweet Buck is still surprised. 

He asks if Eddie didn’t need his consent for this and Eddie’s reply is: “My attorney said you could refuse.”  

I also love, that even shell-shocked, Buck knows that Eddie knows him “You know I wouldn’t.”

And Eddie assures him that he does in fact know Buck, and he knows that Buck loves Christopher as much as Eddie does “I know you wouldn’t.” 

(”I had to do it.” - “Yeah, I know you did.” this was a call back to 4x05 where Eddie understood why Buck did what he did. And knowing what we know now, I can assume that even though Eddie understood and forgave Buck, he didn’t have to like it.)

“No one will ever fight for my son as hard as you.” - call back to 3x03 anyone? 

“There’s no one I trust with my son more than you.” - and Eddie proves it time and again.

And here he is basically giving Buck permission to give hell to his parents or anyone who tries to take Christopher away from His Buck. - And I love it!! 🤗❤

Buck, smart, handsome guy that he is, asks the right question again - “Why are you just telling me now?”

“Because Evan.” That first name that even took Buck by surprise, because Eddie only ever called him Buck, to our knowledge anyway. - Eddie was talking to Evan Buckley, not Buck, and yes they are two separate entities living inside one hunky firefighter. - This is Eddie saying, I know you’re frayed around the edges, I know I’m asking for a lot right now but I need you to hear me.

“You came in here the other day and you said it would have been better if you who were the one who was shot,” and I think for Eddie, who was lying on that firetruck floor bleeding out, and his only concern was that Buck may have been hurt, that was the worst thing Buck could have said. 

“you act like you’re expandable but you’re wrong.” 

Eddie has been where Buck is at that moment, losing his wife, watching his best friend nearly die time and again. - Really at this point Eddie just wants him safe, and if telling him about Christopher is what will do the trick, then he is not above playing dirty.

Eddie is telling Buck, you are my partner, you are Christopher's second parent, I love you, Christopher loves you, I don’t know what I’d do without you. - Because Eddie has been without Buck before and he was completely lost. - And that’s before they became even more intertwined as they are now. 

I love the second before Buck and Eddie enter, Eddie’s house, before Buck opens the door, Eddie looks like he’s steeling himself to get in and Buck has a knowing grin on his face, somewhere between ‘ready?’ and ‘they’re happy you’re back be nice.’ 👀😂

I hated the jump forward, but everyone standing on the roof looking good and Eddie with those sunglasses? wow!! 🥵🤩

This was an all out buddie episode, and I was totally there for it!! I really hope for many more, because these two give me life!!

[seeksstaronmewni]

The Bear Roots of Burbank Cartoons: A Lookback at Boo Boo Runs Wild

5 years ago, [adult swim] aired the greatest of all Yogi Bear / Ranger Smith episodes, “Boo Boo Runs Wild” (1999), on August 13th, 2016 A.D. at 4 AM.

Look and see, kids, how America’s not-so-average bear connects in the wide world of animation that produces many of the cartoons that you love in Burbank, Canada and more!

As and after I saw it, I knew that I found the greatest band of cartoonists out there, and that greatest band of cartoonists out there was none other than...

Spümcø, whose many creatives would end up working at Hanna-Barbera Cartoons, Cartoon Network Studios, and many other popular Burbank and Canadian studios that made the cartoons I grew up and beyond watching.

Obviously, the character design is rather different, but they still look like the right characters, even with the slight color changes...

and with their items of human attire out. Ranger Smith, on the other hand...

Ranger Smith is wildly off model, and probably on purpose, throughout the picture.

Only in one scene appears he with a more familiar face.

Now, I didn’t have to watch Wild Kratts (which, by the way, features 6 Spümcø Canada creatives) to learn that “there’s only one thing a bear likes more than raiding a pic-a-nic basket.”

As the title suggests, Boo Boo loses his temper when Ranger Smith restricts him from tearing bark and decides to go primal in returning to his bear roots: “From this day forth, I’ll not dress in the man’s attire, and I’ll not speak in the man’s tongue. From now on, it’s going on all fours and grunting for me!”

Boo Boo wreaks havoc for the trees with his natural bear roots.

Unlike past episodes, however, the artists went far wilder than the usual Hanna-Barbera cartoon, making the trees alive and screaming in pain! OH, WHAT TOURTUE! Not to mention how I love Boo Boo’s goofy/manical laugh, a beautiful product of John Kricfalusi’s voice (Yes; I know that he was a formerly abusive megalomaniac who still has ADHD, but God knows what cartoons would be like today—at least those produced in Burbank and Canada—if it wasn’t for the many layout artists that he led).

Also unnatural to a Hanna-Barbera cartoon is the extreme levels of slapstick, wackiness and graphic nature of cartoons since such shows as Mighty Mouse: The New Adventures, Beany and Cecil’s DiC reboot, and The Ren & Stimpy Show. Boo Boo and now Cindy Bear are licking away at all of the honey... and bees... with insanely long tongues (may be that they’re sloth bears?). This left Yogi Bear practically speechless.

The mere sequence of dialogue between Yogi and Ranger Smith, discussing what to do about Boo Boo, involved HEAVY work in the storyboards by Vincent Waller. So many expressions that they couldn’t fit in each of Spümcø’s 3-panel storyboard pages!

As you see, in addition to Vincent Waller’s storyboards, John K. added extra poses (storyboard revisions more or less, but definitely layout poses) under the respective scenes. That way, Vincent could focus on telling and writing the story in rough pictures. (source of storyboards)

I also love the sound design. While it’s definitely true to a Hanna-Barbera cartoon, John K. and the late Henry Porch were very creative with some weird, dated and out-of-context sound effects, similar to what they and Horta Editorial did on The Ren & Stimpy Show in the first two seasons. The production music (probably APM and Capitol Records) also gave it a vintage, nostalgic feel.

Ultimately, with the aforementioned abusive megalomaniac aside, Spümcø undoubtedly harbored some of the finest animators and artists ever. Such names as Bob Jaques (Spongebob Squarepants, Buy One, Get One Free*, The Baby Huey Show), Ben Jones (DC Super Hero Girls, Cats Don’t Dance, Teen Titans GO!), Vincent Waller (Spongebob Squarepants, Adventures of Sonic the Hedgehog), Albert Lozano (Inside Out, A Kitty Bobo Show), Todd White (Spongebob Squarepants), Eric Koenig (Atlantis: The Lost Empire, Madagascar, Cats Don’t Dance, The Simpsons, and The Tigger Movie), and Erik Wiese (Samurai Jack, The Mighty B!) are among the hundreds of creatives who ended up almost everywhere working in Burbank and Canadian animation.

Other names on the Spümcø team that one might recognize include Gabe Swarr (Dexter’s Laboratory, The Buzz on Maggie, Foe Paws, El Tigre), and even background artists such as Richard Daskas ( @rdaskas​ - Samurai Jack, Time Squad, Sym-Bionic Titan, Batman Beyond), Richard Ziehler-Martin (Tiny Toon Adventures, The Wacky World of Tex Avery), Hector Martinez (Tom and Jerry: Robin Hood and His Merry Mouse, Timone and Pumba, Captain N, Evil Con Carne, Dora the Explorer), and Tony Mora (MAD, Teen Titans GO! to the Movies, Pickle and Peanut). I mean: in short, these artists worked for Warner Bros. Animation, Disney Television Animation and Walt Disney Feature Animation, Nickelodeon, and Cartoon Network Studios!

Spümcø’s production assistants on Boo Boo Runs Wild feature Matt Danner —a fantastic character designer, storyboard artists, director and producer, whose credits range from (Johnny Test and The Legend of the Three Caballeros to Team Hot Wheels and The Looney Tunes Show—and Cartoon Brew editor Amid Amidi. Brian A. Miller was an executive in charge of production, not for but probably in association with Cartoon Network.

Spümcø’s creatives, as I said, are all over the place in Burbank animation. Other shows that still air on @adultswim​ have ex-Spümcø creatives. For example: today’s re-run of Samurai Jack EPISODE XVI features Chris Reccardi (The Powerpuff Girls, The Grim Adventures of Billy & Mandy)...

Scott Wills (Genndy Tartakovsky’s Primal, The Twisted Tales of Felix the Cat)...

Lynne Naylor-Reccardi (The Shnookums and Meat Funny Cartoon Show, Wander Over Yonder) and Jim Smith (YooHoo and Friends, Tom and Jerry Tales, McGee and Me)...

and Leticia Lacy (TRON: Uprising, Sym-Bionic Titan, Wander Over Yonder, Korgoth of Barbaria).

Even outside of Cartoon Network Studios, where most ex-Spümcø artists end up, @cartoonnetwork​’s The Amazing World of Gumball, from Cartoon Network Studios Europe (AKA Hanna-Barbera Studios Europe), features ex-Spümcø artist Charlie Bean (The Powerpuff Girls, Robotboy, Batman: The Animated Series, Timone and Pumba, Creature Crunch) on The Cartoon Network Europe Development Team.

One of Cartoon Network’s biggest and craziest hits, Teen Titans GO!, also features such ex-Spümcø artists as storyboard artist, director and producer Luke Cormican (The Buzz on Maggie, Brandy and Mr. Whiskers, Brickleberry, The Replacements, El Tigre)...

Gerald de Jesus (The Book of Life, The Ricky Gervais Show, TMNT)...

and Eric J. Pringle (Fosters’ Home for Imaginary Friends, The Problem Solverz). What wacky cartoon filled with live-action images, unpredictable visual gags and extreme slapstick humor wouldn’t?

Relatively, you could even tune in to Nickelodeon, the original home of Spümcø’s ground-breaking hit, The Ren & Stimpy Show, and see names of creatives associated with Spümcø and Ren & Stimpy, such as Zeus Cervas (Star vs. the Forces of Evil, Spongebob Squarepants, Clarence) on today’s episode of The Patrick Star Show...

or even Gabe Del Valle (Mighty Magiswords, Spongebob Squarepants) on today’s episode of Middlemost Post!

Overall, Boo Boo Runs Wild introduced me to the cartoon studio whose works I took for granted and on which I was missing out all of my life, and I strongly encourage this generation to support this Yogi Bear / Ranger Smith episode, which you can watch RIGHT NOW on [adult swim]’s site. It was officially on their YouTube channel, but it was removed for unknown reasons. This short never even got a DVD or VHS release!

The last televised airing of Boo Boo Runs Wild on [adult swim] so far was January 6th, 2019 A.D., but Spümcø also produced “A Day in the Life of Ranger Smith” and “Boo Boo and the Man” (based on true events in the life of John Kricfalsui) for Cartoon Network.

As I come to a close, it’s worth noting that layout Ed Benedict, an animator and artist whose credits go all of the way back to the 1930s with Disney and continued with MGM and Hanna-Barbera/Cartoon Network Studios, originally worked on Yogi Bear episode “Yogi’s Birthday Party” as a layout artist, and reprised that very role for “Boo Boo Runs Wild”. What a legacy the animators and artists of this episode leave!

Always will I remember how Spümcø, whose legacy connects to my Cartoon Network-infused childhood, blessed me and graced me that fateful day, August 13th, 2016 A.D., with the ultimate example of the fine art of cartooning that is the Yogi Bear / Ranger Smith episode “Boo Boo Runs Wild”. I was living in the moment, and I thank God for it.

“For years they have [been] asking me to make new Yogi cartoons, but I can’t even get a half a million [dollars] to make one, probably because I actually like the characters, but 60-70 million $ to make walking corpses is economical.” - John Kricfalsui on Yogi Bear (2010)

Another Ranger Smith, Boo Boo or Yogi Bear cartoon from the people behind The Ren & Stimpy Show is highly unlikely today, due to the abuse and harassment of John K. angering the world to the point of hating and condemning the man who helped to shape not only Cartoon Network but also television animation—and animation as a whole—with an undeniable legacy of artists and animators who deserve way more credit and respect than we perhaps thought of giving as kids.

Tweet version of this post here.

[aoitrinity]

The “Me Too”

DISCLAIMER: I am about to put forth further speculation about a major Destiel-related event from this season, specifically the confession scene in 15x18. This is 100% pure speculation and I do not claim to have any insider knowledge AT ALL. If you are not in a place to read such things, please go take care of yourself instead of reading this. Do not cause yourself any additional pain. 

If you are here to be an asshole and call me delusional...uh...I mean, go for it, but like I really don’t get what that’s doing to make your life better? If shitting on people’s desire for understanding a TV show brings you joy then uh...that says more about you than it does about me?

With that out of the way...read below the cut for my theory about the “me too” line.

I know I just unloaded my theory about the finale on all of you the other day, and that I should probably give you all a break in between my bouts of theory-dumping, but I had to get this out here tonight.

If you somehow haven’t seen it yet these last few (painfully exhausting) days, there is a rumor going around of a cut in episode 15x18 of a specific line--a “me too” that Jensen supposedly recorded during the 15x18 sequence, which would have given us all textual validation not only that Cas is in love with Dean, but that Dean is in love with Cas. Various people have been trying to confirm or deny this rumor since it surfaced. We all figured it would have happened during the final scene, with Dean crying, alone. It would have been there in place of the crying, and we hypothesized that Jensen had to dub it over with AMR of his sobs. It was an interesting thought, but we had no real proof it ever happened. I, for my part, started to assume it was entirely false.

But then tonight, on the Latin American CW, we apparently discovered that in the Spanish-language dub of 15x18, they had taken Dean’s last line to Cas, “Don’t do this Cas,” and dubbed it as “yo a ti”--translated to “me too,” seemingly confirming to us that the line did exist!

I watched the clip of the dub excitedly, hoping for some secret new shot that we had been robbed of in the original episode, but the “me too” was simply dubbed over Dean’s line of “Don’t do this Cas,” which is definitely something Dean very clearly said in the original recording. That wasn’t a dub, Jensen said that line.

So what gives? Where the heck did the “me too” come from?

Well, as apparently I am wont to do recently...I talked @winchester-reload‘s ear off and was eventually hit with a stroke of realization. 

I don’t think the “me too” went in the crying scene. I think Dean said it to Cas’s face, and we were robbed of it.

Before I go any further, I want to again remind you that this is PURE SPECULATION. PLEASE JUDGE FOR YOURSELF AND ALWAYS BE SKEPTICAL.

So.

The original end of the scene runs as follows:

Dean: Why does this sound like a goodbye?

Cas: Because it is. I love you.

Dean: Don’t do this, Cas.

*a longing exchange of looks, with Cas smiling through his tears even more broadly than he was earlier*

*the Empty appears and Dean starts to panic*

Cas: Goodbye Dean.

*Cas throws Dean out the way, smiles at him one last time, and is taken*

Now that always struck me as a sort of weird exchange because...I mean, Dean can tell Cas not to “do this,” but whatever he was going to do that would get his ass taken by the Empty, he had clearly already done. But I originally handwaved it as Dean begging Cas not to go and leave him again by dying, even though it was too late, because I was too entranced with the beauty of the scene and of the performances to imagine anything otherwise.

However, after this Spanish-language dub story broke this evening, I started to wonder if the exchange had initially gone a little bit differently. 

What if the “don’t do this, Cas” was pulled from earlier in the scene? 

I would have originally imagined that it actually went between the “Because it is” and the “I love you,” but in the leaked shots of script we got a few days ago, there doesn’t seem to be any line there--Cas goes straight from his “because it is” to the “I love you.” Thus I conclude one of two things: either the line it was adlibbed or added by Jensen on the spot, between the “because it is” and the “I love you,” or it was dialogue that originally came earlier in the scene.

Either way, what matters is that I think that line, “Don’t do this, Cas,” was moved to after Cas’s “I love you” in the final cut and replaced the “me too.” I think the initial episode probably followed the Latin American dub instead, and went like this (with the one line inserted where I feel it best fits, though again, it could have come from earlier):

Dean: Why does this sound like a goodbye?

Cas: Because it is.

(Dean: Don’t do this, Cas)

Cas: I love you.

Dean: ...me too.

*a longing exchange of looks, with Cas smiling through his tears even more broadly than he was earlier*

*the Empty appears and Dean starts to panic*

Cas: Goodbye Dean.

*Cas throws Dean out the way, smiles at him one last time, and is taken*

Well.

Doesn’t that all hit a bit differently now? Doesn’t it now make sense why, after Dean’s line, Cas starts smiling more broadly than he was during the entire rest of the scene? Doesn’t it make sense now that when Dean turns to look back at the Empty emerging, there are way more tears in his eyes than there were in the prior shot? Doesn’t Dean’s body language line up better between shots if we read it this way? Doesn’t it make Cas’s sacrifice hurt both more and less at the same time, because he could go to the Empty knowing he was loved in return? That he had the one thing he wanted most? 

To me, at least, it does. 

Unfortunately, I think that, similar to what I speculate happened with the finale...they were told by the network that they had to cut Dean’s reciprocation because the CW panicked about coming off as too gay at the last moment. You can read all about that in my other post.

Anyway, here’s more food for thought. Remember @oceaxe-ifdawn’s post about how she had spoken with a cast member about how the script for the finale was being frantically rewritten in March, the weekend after they finished shooting for 15x18? Why would they suddenly have to start tossing out their own ending in MARCH? TWO WEEKS before they were supposed to start filming the finale?

What if it was because that was the moment when the network started to pivot? If their contacts on set told them how very beautifully homosexually gay the scene was, and that was the moment that the CW decided that they couldn’t risk losing a very specific (conservative, heterosexual) part of their fanbase and needed to start toning down the gay before it got out of hand? And since they couldn’t obviously go back and reshoot anything for 15x18, given everyone then immediately went into quarantine for COVID, they had to remove Dean’s reciprocation from the script and replace it with another, earlier shot, that could have FEASIBLY gone in its place. But they couldn’t take Cas’s confession because it was entirely necessary to the whole plot of the season (and that, I think, was a fucking genius move by the writers to at least get us this much--god bless you, Bobo).

And this way, the CW could actually have their cake and eat it too--they could claim they were still being accepting of queer people (look, we let Cas confess his affection for Dean!) while avoiding the potential loss of their favorite cishet male audience (whom they really want to transition to Walker after all of this is over because MONEY) that they might suffer if that audience discovered that one of their two “traditionally masculine” lead characters was in love with another man this whole time.

The only reason they didn’t carry it all off is that, when they needed to send the script over to the Spanish-language dubbers for recording, there was some sort of screw-up. They somehow forgot to have the dialogue swapped out back in March and the lines were never replaced in the dub script.

And that is how we got the “me too” line from Dean in Latin America tonight, a line that we had  heard rumors existed, but had no actual evidence of... until now.

I’m sorry to have pulled you guys into this theory with me, but... It just lines up too perfectly. Sometimes a cigar is just a cigar, yes, but sometimes that cigar is actually a dick. A big, beautiful, gay dick that your stupid homophobic TV network executives are censoring because they are afraid of the reactions of their more conservative viewership.

On the plus side, I think that this more than ever confirms that Destiel is and was always canon. Textually. Reciprocally. 110%. 

And the CW fucking robbed us of it.

[ultrahpfan5blog]

Rewatching JJ Abrams Star Trek trilogy

First some context. I am not a hardcore Trekkie. I have seen some of the older Star Trek shows but I have genuinely never followed Star Trek until the first movie of the trilogy came out, which led me to Star Trek: Discovery and Picard that I do follow.

That may give you a context to why I unabashedly love this trilogy. I think its genuinely one of the more consistently entertaining trilogies in the new millennium. While I obviously don’t put it on the same pedestal as TDK trilogy or LOTR trilogy, its just a genuinely fun, fast paced, and well cast trilogy. 

Star Trek (2009) is just a genuine blast. I think the movie is near perfectly paced because it starts with a bang and never lets up. It also does a pretty good job of setting up Kirk and Spock as the two leads and then gradually assembles the supporting cast over the course of the movie. I think the pace is key to this film’s enjoyment. Its not a particularly deep movie and doesn’t have a ton of big character moments, but the humor and action in the film genuinely work. The cast works big time. Certainly Pine was instantly appealing. I had seen in him in maybe a couple of rom coms prior to this but he was an instant hit for me here. Lot of natural charisma and comic timing. Quinto is also excellent in this movie as Spock and he has a very tricky tightrope to balance to show emotion without showing too much emotion. Karl Urban as McCoy is hilarious and an instant scene stealer. The rest of the cast including Zoe Saldana, Simon Pegg, Jon Cho, and Anton Yelchin are all instantly appealing though the film is firmly focused on Kirk and Spock so these characters don’t get a whole lot of depth. I will say that Bana as Nero was probably the weakest of the villains in this trilogy, but that has a lot to do with the film being very focused on introduction to the heroes. Bruce Greenwood as Pike was a very welcoming steady presence. Nimoy as Spock Prime is a delight. Even with my sparse background of Star Trek before this movie, it was lovely to see him and he certainly has a few good scenes with Pine, Pegg, and Quinto. All in all a really strong starter to this series. An 8/10.

Star Trek Into Darkness is understandably the most controversial of the series. I had not seen Wrath of Khan when I first saw this movie. Its kind of a tricky thing this film does. Its both trying to be and not trying to be Wrath of Khan at the same time and the comparisons were inevitable. However, irrespective of comparisons, I still really like the film. The pace of this film is not nearly as smooth but the film has a lot more character moments and the ensemble gets more opportunities to step up. Now, I get that have Benedict Cumberbatch playing a character called Khan Noonien Singh might raise a few eyebrows, but he elevates this film so much. This was at the height of Sherlock popularity, when the the first two beloved seasons had released and everyone was going crazy over him, for good reason, and in all honesty he is worth every penny in the movie, chewing scenery with great gusto. Its a pity that advertising spoilt almost every scene he was in, but all his scenes are terrific. Chris Pine also showed much greater depth in his performance, delivering big time on a lot of dramatic moments while continuing to have impeccable comic timing when required. Quinto has comparatively less to do here than in the first film but he steps up during the climax. Zoe Saldana, Jon Cho, and Simon Pegg definitely get more scope here to deliver. All the other returning cast, like Karl Urban and Bruce Greenwood continued to be excellent. Alice Eve and Peter Weller are pretty good as Carol and Admiral Marcus. The action in the film is still pretty entertaining. The dramatic moments in the films work and the film does a nice job of showing the new dynamic between Kirk and Spock. The Spock and Uhura romance also ended up being a lot more enjoyable than I thought it would be. Some of the Wrath of Khan references are a little clumsy and there a few points in the movie where the film drags a little, and certainly the superblood being a cure for death was kind of silly and should have been a much bigger deal, but overall, I still found the film enormously entertaining. An 8/10

Star Trek Beyond is maybe the most Trekkie of the films. I mean, I haven’t even watched a whole lot of the original show and even I have seen episodes where the crew has similar adventures. The strength of this film really lies in the character dynamics. The film splits up the enterprise crew into a few different groups, with Uhura and Sulu together, Kirk and Chekhov together, McCoy and Spock together, and Scotty with newcomer Jaylah. All of these duos work well together. The film is again well paced so its never boring and certainly it has the most entertaining action sequence of the series in the Sabotage sequence. That was silly but damn entertaining. The film also does well to take a breath and give the characters a moment of two to shine. Certainly the scenes between Quinto and Urban are excellent with Urban probably getting the most scope he has gotten in the series. There is also a wonderful moment with him and Pine towards the beginning of the film which really brings home the friendship between them. Pine again is fantastic. Delivering a more weary and weathered performance. I like that the film doesn’t hesitate in bruising him up. He ends the film with a big bruise over his eye. That’s actually one of the things that I love about Kirk’s character over the series. He is not portrayed as this invulnerable action hero. In fact, he gets his ass handed to him constantly throughout the series and symbolically it works that he wins his first fight during the climax of this movie. I liked the mentor/mentee dynamic with Yelchin’s Chekhov. Simon Pegg in this film is a delight. I really enjoy that he fully embraces the character’s scottishness. Jaylah is also a pretty badass character and Sofia Boutella does a really good job emoting through that makeup. Chu, Saldana, Quinto, and yelchin are all first rate. Idris Elba is excellent as Krall. The one things I would hold against the movie is it makes its twist reveal a bit too late to have impact. The film didn’t really need this to be a twist reveal. I think they missed an opportunity to make the villain a lot more heartbreaking. As it stands, it works well enough, but it could have been the best villain is they had given the character reveal earlier and then given the motivations more depth. I also think the tribute to Nemoy after his passing was handled in a lovely manner in film. They handled it in a way where it added something to the character of Spock and the decisions he makes. While the film’s plot is nothing new, it does its characters well enough and the pace and the action continues to be a ton of fun. An 8/10

I do think fans are a bit to harsh on this series at times. I know knocking on J.J. Abrams is common for fans of series which have the words “Star” in it. I certainly think this series kept the brand of Star Trek alive for new fans. I certainly would not have gone on to see Discovery and Picard if I hadn’t seen these movies. So I do think the movies deserve that credit, regardless of what you feel about the quality. I think Justin Lin took on the directing role for Beyond very smoothly and its a shame we won’t get more from this series because this cast was very appealing. But in a way the series ending as a trilogy seems appropriate. I feel the trilogy did end up having a very full character arc for Kirk, who went from cocksure and overconfident Captain in 2009, to a humbling and learning self sacrifice in Into Darkness, to becoming a senior mentor figure in Beyond. Its a damn good character arc in my opinion. Also, it would have sucked to continue the series without Yelchin, who was kind of the baby of this group. So in a way its poetic for this series to end with the whole core group still in tact.

[pillow-anime-talk]

genshin month ; nineteenth day.

synopsis: Amber on drums, Xiangling on bass, Xinyan on electric guitar and you as a vocalist... You four were definitely the best band in the whole Teyvat!

# tags: scenario; friendship; instrumental band!au; singer!reader & pyro!reader; fluff; sfw

includes: female reader ft. amber, xiangling & xinyan {genshin impact}

author’s note: aaaaah, because of this scenario i would also like to be in the band!

Before every – even the smallest – concert (or rehearsal), your band had a tiny tradition. I mean, it was a little conversation where all four of you recalled yours previous performances and tried to share any mistakes you shouldn’t repeat this time. The order of your short speeches was always the same, but of course, from time to time one of you might have cut in on another girl’s monologue to add something important, but this time, however, everything was going its normal pace and sequence:

“... Hey, do you remember our last concert on this stage? The audience in Mondstadt is always so loud and lively! Let’s not forget to be the same and show them our most joyful songs!” As a drummer, Amber loved to remind everyone (especially herself) that playing live is about having fun and genuine energy. “I’m in favor of adding a few solo performances on yours guitars and my drums between our normal songs!” The twenty-year-old liked being the center of attention, so at Mondstadt concerts, she was always eager to perform a solo or two, and of course you could never say ‘No’ to her.

After all, there was only one such good drummer in whole Teyvat, and that was your best friend.

“Ahh, girls! Girls! Don’t forget to take breaks every now and then and talk with our fans. Everyone always loves it, right?” The second that spoke was Xiangling, who was holding the neck of the guitar with one hand. 

The blue-haired bassist was the youngest of you, but that didn’t mean her understanding of music was worse than yours.

To be honest, Xiangling was by far the most passionate to learn new songs and guitar chords, and she always motivated whole band with new ideas or warm words. And while the fact was that she was only fourteen, she sometimes seemed more serious to music than the other three of you together.

“Yeah! It’s true! But remember to have a good time too!” Xinyan raised her free hand, showing the peace sign, which made the rest of you chuckle, nodding your heads. “This is probably the perfect time to show new songs and talk about what happened while we creating them. People will surely be curious about it and everyone appreciate our honesty and willingness to share it all.” As always, dark-haired was ready to spill the tea about all of you, including herself.

Xinyan was a big talker who enjoyed to joke with fans and gossip about the other girls in the band. And naturally it was okay, because such moments always brought people together; not only you four, but above all, your precious listeners.

“... Also, girls, remember that your health is the most important thing and when any of you feel worse you should tell me about it right away and rest at backstage, okay?” As the leader and originator of ‘Pyro Girls!’ you had to be responsible not only for the vocal, but above all for the well-being of the rest of the group and for communication between everyone. There was definitely no one better in this role than you. “Remember that every concert is for the fans, but your health is yours only so don’t forget about it during the show. Plus, bring a water with you... Now, let’s just have fun as always! This is our night!” You grinned broadly, your left hand clenched on the red microphone, and you pulled your other hand down. Your meaningful gaze fell on each of your female friends. “On three...” You started softly, and each member agreed.

“One...” Brown-haired started and her golden eyes flashed in the light of the spotlights, making your hearts beat faster.

“Two...!” The bassist counted as well, and the sweet blush on her cheeks added charm not only to her, but also to the bass, which was covered with a rose shade.

“And three!” Xinyan shouted, and you all raised your hands, shouting ‘Let’s do our best and good luck everyone!’. 

The little ritual was completed and you as leader only glanced out of the corner of your eye at the man standing next to the speakers; he showed you a thumbs up after a quick second. At this sign, all four of you ran from behind the scenes, immediately meeting the cheers of many fans – adult men, beautiful women, teenagers, even young children and elders.

You waved at them with enormous happiness on your pretty face, and after a short while a electric guitar sound echoed between the gray city walls. The bass and drums played a moment later.

“Welcome to the concert! Let’s have a good evening, guys!” A bright smile on your mouth caused another long applause and countless whistles, and as soon as your melodic voice joined the instruments, the concert could officially begin.

previous day ; diluc, kaeya and ayaka ♡ next day ; mona