#wow my first longpost | Explore Tumblr Posts and Blogs

iloveschiaparelli · 4 months

Text

Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes: My Love Letter Part 1

Okay okay okay SO Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes longpost time just my whole opinion/analysis/love letter for the whole film beginning with my Wes Ball backstory so skip to the Ruin screencap if you want to skim past all that.

I haven't talked about it on tumblr yet but I'm actually like a huge fat fan of the Maze Runner cinematic series directed by Wes Ball. Really I'm just a fan of Wes Ball. It not only singlehandedly got me through my first year of high school but also became the reason I ended up entering the film industry. I've watched all 3 movies at least 4-5 times each. Probably like 20-30 for Scorch Trials at this point because it's my favorite. I can quote probably at least half of it from memory. I've watched all of the BTS content that was on the DVDs + the bloopers on youtube like i was obsessed ok.

2019 was like the second worst year of my life so imagine my distress in january 2019 when I found out about Wes Ball's next movie, Mouse Guard, got Super Hyped Up for the multimillion dollar mice-with-swords movie (I eventually read some of the comics btw it's insanely good) And then within the same week found out Disney pulled the plug on the project after acquiring 20th Century Fox. TWO weeks before production was scheduled to begin. I was livid. I'm still bitter about it. Wes Ball then released the demo reel for the film to the public which iirc also had temp music.

So anyway yeah that was awful but then! I think it was later in 2020 that it was announced that Wes Ball was going to be directing the 4th POTA movie. This kicked off me seeing the original 1968 film and then the trilogy and wow did doing so increase my excitement. In my opinion Rupert Wyatt/Matt Reeves' directing styles and Wes Ball's were/are very compatible. I also took the time to get caught up on as much of Wes Ball's old projects as I could get my hands on at the time, including his animated short Ruin (screencap below). Which is fantastic BTW and apparently was purchased by Fox for a feature film that was never made (???) I swear, filmmakers have their past works splattered all over the internet like body parts after a landmine explosion: Good luck finding everything.

Now, Finally Finally FINALLY!!!!!!!! Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes is out. I meant to see it on the premier night but my boyfriend broke up with me 2 days before so I forgot. I saw it tonight instead! So now with the backstory out of the way I can finally talk about the actual movie.

First of all, the beginning of the film absolutely WOWed me!!!! It honestly feels like a callback to Ruin, the way that the buildings are overgrown and the post-apocalyptic setting is super evident and feels so delightfully reclaimed by nature. It's also really neat to see how far VFX has come since Ruin was released if you compare the opening shots of the movie with the wide shots in Ruin. Wes Ball himself is also a VFX artist, so it's really neat to see how that affects his work especially since Planet of the Apes is by nature a very vfx-heavy franchise. This movie absoutely popped off in that area but we'll get to that.

Secondly, I forgot how much I missed Ball's directing! Oh my goodness, the performances he gets out of the actors are always so authentic. I still have yet to see a performance by Dylan O'Brien that was as raw and believable as in the Maze Runner movies, and I'm like halfway through Teen Wolf already. In the action scenes especially, I love how characters in Ball's movies, you can really feel their pain. Since pain and physical discomfort aren't communicated directly through film, we often forget just how hard it is to get back up again after getting kicked down, but with Wes Ball you never forget. Ugh, when Noa was getting beat up on top of the bunker at the end of the movie, I caught myself catching my own breath when he coughed up blood. Like, yeowch!

Additionally, everything this man makes is just, like, a masterpiece? On a technical level at least. That's really the mark of a good director, whose job is not only to evoke a performance from the actors, but also to tie together the whole crew. And KOTPOTA really showed off how well the team worked together. Just the establishing shots alone in a lot of these scenes! Oh. My. Word. You can clearly see the fruits of labor of not only the concept artists, but also the VFX artists and production designers, and how they worked with the DP and actors to get the shot. Here are some examples of what I'm talking about:

There are more that I'm thinking of, but unfortunately without a digital release available yet there's a limit to the screencaps that I'm able to obtain. The shot where Noa is walking up the escalator following Raka and you see the plane in the background indicating that Raka lives in an airport is one of them. There's also one or two establishing shots in nature that just show off the setting. The opening shots, of course. And then the shot where it pans up and you see Eagle Village for the first time. There's also an aerial of Proximus Caesar's camp, but I'm unable to find that one as well. The main one I want to look at is the telescope.

Just, like, Hello???? It looks like an art piece. This screencap is a little closer in than I'd like, but in the full frame you can see the absolute mastery of composition that it is, you can totally imagine it as a painting. Which in my experiences usually means there's a painting behind it somewhere in the process, lol. Let's go concept artists!!! But then you see how the colors are just, perfectly balanced, the plant growth is realistic and accentuating the set, and so on and so forth. It was just absolutely breathtaking to see for the first time. I'm pretty sure I audibly gasped. I did a lot of stimming during this movie just to stay quiet and not start babbling about the film pipeline to my father in theater auditorium.

Even more magic happens when Noa steps onto the set, and starts messing with the telescope. Suddenly it's real, it's tangible, it's touchable. Transforming what was likely a matte painting at one point into a set that the actors can interact with, and then into a shot where almost everything is overlaid with VFX, and having it look so real like that is truly magic.

The ship also had me dumbstruck, but slightly less so because we saw a similar setting in The Maze Runner: The Death Cure in 2018. Although it was slightly different for sure. What had me going even more in this movie was how much the characters interacted with the ship, moving in and around it, and trading glances with one another from on the ground and up inside. In TMR:DTC, you really only see the decrepit ships in the background, and one is referenced as a plot point but the characters never actually physically interact with any of them. So it's much easier for our brains to categorize the ships as gimmicks to help us believe the scene.

It's when props like these are woven into the scene as tangible objects that our brains start to shut up about the CGI and really start to believe what's happening onscreen! and KOTPOTA did an amazing job at this. Please bear in mind like, I literally have zero specialization in VFX, it's not my field and although I draw, I've never done concept art for film. I honestly believe that I'm simply in an appropriate level of awe for what this film accomplished.

The other thing that amazed me was how stylized the setting was. The greenery was so green, the ocean felt like a painting, the ship was red, the telescope shot is very, very blue. Several of the shapes used in the ape's costume design are simplified. And yet, despite the stylization, it never feels cartoony or polygonal, it still feels completely grounded in reality, and I could really believe I'd see it in real life. I think this owes partly to the fact that we rarely inspect any of these simplified items at a close distance, aside from Raka's necklace which appears to be made of either bone or whittled wood. It also owes to absolute geniuses in color grading that kept the stylized colors realistic enough for our brains to believe. Overall I'd take the visual style of the film to be Impressionist. I love impressionism.

My main interest in filmmaking is writing/directing. However, most of my experience lies in costume design (Student films rarely need costume "design" so its usually coordination) and production design. As a result I spent a good deal of my time watching KOTPOTA zeroed in on the production design.

I love post-apocalyptic science-fiction/fantasy worlds like this partly precisely because of how much you can learn from the production design alone. When Mae enters Trevathan's room for the first time I swear I was eating it up. Every single prop in this movie was carefully thought out by the PD, which is why his room absolutely stood out from the rest of the setting that we had seen up to that point. It was distinctly "human-centric" as opposed to the rest of the movie. I remember seeing it in the theater earlier today, laying eyes first on the bed by the door, thinking that it must be something they set up for Mae, but then wondering why or how the apes would know or want to set up a human-style bed for Mae when we're so many generations removed from human-dominated society.

Next it was on many miscellaneous table objects, thinking to myself "That looks like how a human would treat a space. Apes are generally too big to decorate at that scale." and then my eyes roved on to the furniture, seeing a human-sized table, human-sized chair, human-sized junk everywhere! Slowly, by observing the room, I gained a stronger and stronger sense of "there is another human here," which upon observing the rows and rows of books became "a smart human like Mae, who unlike her can read" (Remember at this point we still believed that Mae and her mother were the only smart humans that Mae had known growing up, and that she had been pursuing the opportunity to meet other smart humans and join them).

It was only upon the instant of realizing that this was a smart human that Trevathan spoke and appeared on the stairs. It was absolutely perfect timing. THIS, guys, is exceptional production design. It was honestly my absolute favorite piece of production design in the entire film, especially because of how much it contrasted what we've become used to seeing in the series as humans have diminished in population and apes and nature have taken over the space instead.

That exact sense of change or "otherness", that noticeability of contrast upon seeing what is honestly a pretty "normal" human space if you look at it in the context of our existing society, is only present because of how well PD treats the rest of the movie. In order to make a completely normal space feel strange, you have to change literally every other space to something alien but consistent with itself. And KOTPOTA does just that. The job was begun in the original trilogy, with the decline of humanity depicted across decades, nature taking over the gas station and the dam and even the city. But this movie had the biggest challenge because of simply how many years had passed before the story even began. Society as we know it today is completely and totally obliviated in KOTPOTA's setting. In every set that the characters interacted with in any way, PD had to fabricate a space where humans had been but the virus, decades of decay and post-apocalyptic living, and ape encroachment had transformed it.

This also brings me into the subject of the rich culture we see emerging in the world of the apes through this movie. The original trilogy, especially the first and second film, was all about the ape's identity. In the first film Caesar wonders whether he is human or ape, and whether apes are pets or equals to humans. He eventually comes to the realization that humans are never going to look out for apes the way that apes will and decides to become that person. In the second film, Caesar and the other characters involved have to figure out what being an ape means. Does it mean strength is power? That humans are always an enemy to defeated? Or a similar species to live alongside? It's about establishing what the ape race's relationship is to the human race. The third film I didn't get to rewatch before seeing KOTPOTA, but iirc it was about whether humans and apes could ever coexist, which is a theme we see continued in this movie, albeit in a slightly different way. Either that or more likely it was about whether apes will repeat the same mistakes as humans.

Anyway, I digress. In the script we already see a rich culture emerging in hints, right from the start of the movie. It's in the hunt for the eagle eggs at the beginning with mentions of some kind of coming-of-age ceremony, followed by Noa reminding Anaya and Soona that they must "leave one egg always. It is the law." Already in the first five minutes we've established that this particular ape civilization not only has cultural traditions surrounding youth and coming-of-age, but also rituals and laws surrounding their relationship with and the conservation of nature. And through dialogue we extrapolate that these apes have bonded animals (eagles). It honestly felt like a crossover between Native American Indian hunting practices and How To Train Your Dragon, which is wild I know. (Also can we talk about how the eagles in this movie actually made eagle sounds???? And not falcon sounds! Finally we're breaking the bad habit of making up animal noises to sound cooler when the original already sounded super cool by itself.)

So in just a few minutes guys!! We already have so much. Then the trio heads back to the village and has their first encounter with the Echoes (Ekos? If anyone could get spelling on that for me that would be fantastic) but are too afraid (or law-bound) to get too close to or cross through the tunnel "into the valley below". So through these we establish that there is a taboo around not just humans but also around leaving the village. The clan has taken an isolationist approach wherein they not only forbid their young clan members from leaving but also withhold information about the outsiders from them until they've come of age. Guys the cultural system arising here is absolutely wild. Like sorry not sorry but I eat this stuff up. (Screenwriters-- this is prime example material of "show don't tell")

There's also all of the ape social communication rules that we've already gotten used to, mainly a variation of the palm-up/palm-down gesture as a means of showing respect (submission) and asking for permission/approval.

In this movie however the hands are mostly closed and the palms are down for the sub as well as the ape they're seeking approval from, as opposed to the trilogy in which the submitting ape always had their palm up. At first I chalked this up to cultural differences among clans since we learned that this clan is not the clan descended from Caesar's apes in the trilogy, but then Caesar's descendants were doing it this way too? So I don't really know what to make of it but I'm going to decide that it's just global cultural evolution (at least, as global as the real-world evolution of Old English into modern English).

Through the production design of the beginning sequence in Eagle Village, we see that the eagles catch fish and then the vast quantities of fish and the smokehouse indicate that fish caught by the eagles are the main source of food for the Eagle Clan. We also see feathers as a motif throughout, worn especially by the parents and the elders as a sign of social status (we know it's social status bc Sylva rips it off of one of the elders as an intimidation tactic and everyone audibly gasps, indicating it worked). That last bit is honestly more costume design, they popped off too but one thing at a time or I'm going to become incomprehensible. I will repeat myself. It is inevitable.

Then throughout the film we learn that not only do they adhere strictly to the "law", but that that law is set by the elders alone. We also learn that they primarily relate to their eagles by singing to them which!!! is just!!!! so!!! metal!!! I love it. The way it plays into the end scene with Proximus just AGHRGHJHRHGR GROWL BARK BARK FERAL NOISES>

ahem

Also we see them building nests at home for their eagles and they've figured out falconry tools for the aerie and everything on their own like??

Then in contrast we see what's left of Caesar's clan, it's descendants. Proximus Caesar, we learn later from Trevathan, has gone completely fangirl over the ancient roman empire and decided to emulate it because "he likes it" and it makes him "feel good" (yeah he's probably the most textbook tyrant I've ever seen in media), choosing to morph Caesar's teachings into his own new worldview rather than adhering to them properly.

So the culture of Caesar's clan is very heavily roman-influenced, often copying practices outright such as the insitution of slavery, a lot of the fashion choices and even the way that banners are put up around the camp and the way that Proximus dines at a low-set table filled with an overabundance of food. And he has a throne and crown, and there are roman numerals inscribed on both his and Sylva's necklaces. But we still see influences of Caesar's original society, most noticeably the persistence of the window symbol and the architecture of the dam. The architecture wouldn't be significant at all, instead being noted as a stylistic choice for the whole series, if it weren't for the fact that it's different from Eagle Clan's architecture.

If Eagle Village resembles those spaghetti bridges that engineers build for class, with thatched roofs, then the dam at Caesar Clan's camp is much more brutalist by comparison. Eagle Clan was very spindly and focused on height and lightness of building materials: many of the logs were thinner and longer, more spaced out, and sometimes rounded at the ends. By contrast, Caesar Clan's dam is built with stumpier logs, closer together, and spiked at the top. The dam is also shored up with soil and other materials. Which yeah, is typical of beaver dams but is also typical of the structures in the original Caesar's village in the trilogy.

Unfortunately, there's only one image currently available of Eagle Village and it's after it was burned down. But you can still see how it differs from Caesar's village, instead of being chaotic it's more organized, allowing for a more lightweight structure.

This (below) is the closest I could get to having a picture of the dam's architecture, but you can still tell how it's more similar to OG Caesar's architecture than it is to Eagle Clan's, even though it's using a completely different building material (scrap metal instead of hewn trees).

Eagle Clan's architecture is also a further effect of how their society revolves around making a life bond with eagles, which are flying creatures. So of course they would be inclined to taller structures, especially ones that are more lightweight and have structural patterns, imitating the way that birds are built (see above).

I'll continue in part 2 as a reblog because it's 1 am and I'm running out of steam but YALL I need you to understand: It's been 6 years since the last time I had a Wes Ball film to overanalyze and rave about. I have SO MUCH to say about this film.

#kingdom of the planet of the apes #filmmaking #concept art #fiction #film #pota reboot #planet of the apes #planet of the apes trilogy #pota trilogy #wes ball #worldbuilding #culture #science fiction #cinema #cinephile

13 notes · View notes

karkadette · 2 years

Text

The Sims 4 | Ukrainian village house [photo longpost]

A story of this build is more than it seems.

English version of this post, so it can be also educational (sorry for mistakes in advance). [UA ver link / посилання на українську версію]

I finished this house on April 11th, 2022. It was already more than 1 month of russian full-scale invasion on Ukraine. This was one of the first times when I tried to distract a bit from a 24/7 scrolling though terrible scary news. I took my laptop, sit in corridor (note: this is a safe place in a flat if there is full-scale war with bombing, air strikes etc outside) and launched The Sims4. This was the most chill and comfy game that I had back than. No buttles, no difficult quests, just building.

I decided to build old Ukrainian village house, because at that time I was fully into thoughts about my country. I wanted to do something with traditional Ukrainian vibe or simply nostalgic.

I searched for some refs, childhood memories when I was spending summer holidays in the village. But also all of this is from my imagination and game functional.

The whole view to the land area.

Sunflowers in front of the house near the fence is a must! We have a lot of sunflower fields and it always nice to see even single flowers here and there. This is Ukrainian thing.

fun note: on the first months of russian full-scale invasion on Ukraine, brave Ukrainian woman came to the russian soldiers, that wanted to occupied a Ukrainian village, and ask them to put some seeds in their pockets, so they can at least somehow be useful after they pass away on Ukrainian land. This became a well-known meme and also a symbol in Ukraine.

Anyway, back to the house.

A vegetable garden in Ukrainian village household is a must too! I did a little one just for vibes. But usually Ukrainians have a few hectares of gardens. As people of agricultural country it would be strange if we didn't. BTW pumpkins in Sims are super cute, i guess they're not even from debug.

sad note: many of Ukrainian vegetable gardens are destroyed because of russian's bombing. They, in fact, purpously burn and shell fields to left us with no harvest.

Beekeeping is also a thing here. I guess almost every Ukrainian has a nostalgic chilhood memory when local beekeeper inspecting a hive frame and bees don't sting them. Oh, wow!

Hives in the Sims are very cure too!!

Talking about nostalgia. Even though nowadays in vilages we have toilets inside the house I wanted to build an old school one, haha. (one of the reason was me wondering how to buid it in Sims lol).

wtf note: while I was wondering which toilet to build in a game, russian soldiers were stealing flush toilets from Ukrainian houses, to send it to their homes and i guess finally live their dream.

The outdoor summer shower is another old school stuff that I wanted to include. On the left you can see an old bath and a tyre with flowers (just for fun really).

Some other details as a well and outdoor table.

It was so weirdly satisfying to build and to clutter up a shed, lol

Finally interior! Sunflowers on the table, random furniture and bunch of printed stuff on the walls.

Small bedroom with 2 extra beds if someone came to visit. I want you to notice an icon in the courner on the first pic. Small detail that I customised myseft 'cause I couldn't find any to download, ugh.

The basement or cellar. Very useful top tier place in the house. Safe and has a lot of food.

note: nowadays it's not an odd thing for Ukrainians to spend hours in here, waiting for air raid alert to stop. This one better than a corridor

Can you imagine how much time it took me to add all of this single veggies, fruits and other stuff from the debug? I bet you can't. Too long! But is was worth it!

The fun part! Secret exit from the basement, hidden in the bushes, hehe.

You never know when you will need to secretly escape your own house, because of neighbor invaders.

YAY! That's it! Thank you for scrolling down this long post! I wish I never needed to add such notes from my own experience.

And lastly, please,

1) Help and support Ukraine.

2) Don't say "because of Ukraine", say "Because of russia".

#The Sims 4 #sims #sims 4 #gaming #building #Ukraine #war in Ukraine #russia is a terrorist state #український тамблер #укртамблер #укртумбочка #sims 4 screenshots #сімс #karkadette sims

99 notes · View notes

ghostartistrandomness · 3 months

Text

I’m getting back into Doctor Who again! And I just gotta scream into the void because I’m so excited for how the new series is going! Be warned, minor spoilers! And also opinions, so please don’t get mad at me for having them. Reply or not, even if this gets not a single note, I just can’t not post this somewhere. It is a loooong audhd-fueled 1am ramble so yeah don’t mind me lol.

I got into Doctor Who about a decade ago. I was in middle school. A friend convinced me to watch it. And WOW, I loved it like the little middle schooler I was. I loved (and still love) those first four seasons. Those are defining parts of my childhood. There’s something magical about them.

But then… season 5 came along. The writing team changed. I could tell the moment that first episode played that the vibes were off. Something was different. Matt Smith did an excellent job, don’t get me wrong. But just… the vibes, the storylines, they just lost me. I get why most people like them, but the show changed. Season 7 came and I actually do prefer it to 5 and 6. Please, don’t hate me. A bit of the magic came back by then, but that was really cause it lost that really weird vibe the entire early 2010s had. It still wasn’t perfect. I got to Season 8 and it continued improving a bit. By the time I watched it, season 9 was about to come out, and I liked it even more, especially watching it live. Season 9 less so.

I lost it at season 10, and completely stopped season 11. Stopped watching live. Tried catching up later on, but the writing team had changed again. The vibes were all wrong all over again, and even worse this time. I don’t have high standards. The stories themselves don’t have to be perfect, as long as the writing is consistent and keeps the vibes I like. It killed my motivation the first time in season 5, and destroyed it for season 11. I didn’t even get halfway through season 12.

Now, the 10th Doctor has always been my favorite. Back in the day, I’d be called a David Tennant loyalist. And I do love his portrayal of the Doctor, and I always thought that was that. But the thing is, I do also with we got more 9th Doctor in the show. I always thought I just wasn’t a fan of the newer actors. Maybe my disdain for change gave me too much bias against the new actors that played the character. Well… that was part of it. But it had nothing to do with the actors.

I watched the 3-part specials a couple nights ago.

The magic is back. I was struck by my childhood seeing the 10th (well, 14th) Doctor and Donna together again! Literally felt like I was back in season 4! The characters, the story, the emotion and soul of the show was all back. It was as if nothing changed.

It didn’t stop at the specials lol. Besides the ending being so incredible it was the best closure I have ever gotten out of every TV show I have ever watched (a ramble for another longpost), it carried onto the main series, which is now the *new* season 1. I’m only five episodes in… and I feel like I’m back there as a kid watching the first four seasons all over!

I discovered it’s not who is playing the Doctor. I’ll like the show either way. It is the writing that counts. And yes, while the 10th Doctor will still most likely remain my favorite (nostalgia helps with that), as long as the writing fits the *vibes* I’ll be happy with the show. And the vibes are all here! Russel T Davies is the head writer again. I get that way back in the day, the head writers were a topic of debate, and I hope I don’t give out that impression in my text. I genuinely believe it’s his writing direction that really puts those perfect *vibes* into the show, the vibes that I fell in love with, the vibes that really speak to me. IMDB ratings of the show are iffy, so I must reiterate that my storyline standards are low in case the real fans’ consensus is that the show is bad or something like that. It’s the vibes that I took issue with, and the vibes that are bringing me back in.

What are vibes, you ask? Well… I can’t explain. They’re called vibes for a reason lol. They’re the general feel of the show. And it’s back. The vibes are back. The writing of all the characters has the right vibes. The stories have the right vibes. There’s a certain magic in the show again! Aaaaaagh it’s so good! It’s all so good!

#doctor who #stupid rambles

2 notes · View notes

antlerqueer · 2 years

Note

I could talk Yellowjackets FOREVER (but if it's too much you can ask me to stop and I will) There are so many theories (like who is Pit Girl? What is the fate of Shauna's baby? What happened to Javi? Who is the Antler Queen? So many questions and theories) And yes I too suffered through PLL so I know your pain. Also I hope that it stays in the "human" world and it doesn't go "supernatural" (the seance scene for example the character is a schizophrenic or so I read and that could explain a lot)

We waited seven years for an absolute sham. Marlene King owes us dues.

Yellowjackets longposting under the cut!

cw for discussions of mental health re: Lottie, just the first paragraph

One thing I'll disagree on is Lottie, I think she's psychic or at least has some sort of premonition and that's been demonized by her father. In many cultures, there are people like her that aren't considered supernatural. I mentioned this in a server I'm in but it's really possible that Lottie's (white, rich) father simply wouldn't believe in anything he couldn't personally explain, where her mother was saying that Lottie could be having psychic visions. Obviously her father is rich and powerful so anything he wants she gets, which very well could include a high dosage anti-psychotic for a daughter who doesn't meet the criteria for schizophrenia. According to my (admittedly bare) research, most women are diagnosed as adults in their later twenties, cases are very rare for 12-18, and in general it's incredibly rare for kids under 12 to be diagnosed - and Lottie looked like 9 or 10 in the car scene imo.

I think, by now, I'm sold on Lottie being the antler queen, I don't think it'll be a rotating title like -A was.

I really fell for the Adam is Javi hints hook line and sinker. Once I read that the writers weren't sure if Adam was gonna be Javi I felt better about seeing it, but whew I was kinda like... WOW he's just some guy, isn't he? But I can't wait for his torso to be discovered and then confirmed to be Adam's torso because of the tattoo. That'll be fun, and I can see it happening specifically because Misty said the torso is not identifiable but he has a back tattoo.

As for Pit Girl, I truly don't have any solid theories! My only vague thought is it could be Mari, but honestly that's just because she's the only one we've seen with straight, dark hair that hasn't been confirmed alive. There are people who think it's Callie and it was a modern day hunt, which is wild to me just because like... c'mon Callie deserves life, or they think it's Shauna's baby grown up.

Speaking of Shauna's baby, she's going to have the baby, but... yeah. I don't know what's going to happen, but I do think the cult is gonna love that baby. The way I've described Lottie's power ascent was Laura Lee dying was the catalyst and Doomcoming was her coronation; her visions were confirmed before but not everyone knew about them (the red water, the sick deer, Laura Lee's death), but at Doomcoming she said "we will eat soon" and then the bear came the next morning, and someone even pointed that out. Van also said she's predicted multiple things at school, like prom queen. So then will the baby become a fixation as the rebirth of Jackie and Laura Lee? I don't know much about Jesus, tbh, but I know rebirth is a thing Christians talk about. The second-coming. Will the baby be considered the second-coming? Will Shauna only be protected because of her pregnancy, and will her giving birth put her in danger with the cult? I have more questions than answers, truly, because there are no hints (that I've uncovered!) about the baby's fate.

Unfortunately I think Javi dies. I think one of the reasons Travis was so anti-cult is because they want to eat Javi's corpse and he won't let them, maybe? Or maybe the cult hunts Javi and killing Travis completes their ritual! Most of my theories are basically out of thin air when it comes to Javi, but there is one thing I think I know for sure: if Javi were alive, he'd have been Adam. (I don't know that for sure.) His death, if it occurs this season, will definitely be a huge thing that divides Travis and Natalie further apart from the cult.

#yellowjackets #long post

11 notes · View notes

sugaredoleander · 2 years

Text

on the death of the arrowverse & what we owe to each other

gonnae say something potentially controversial bc it's exam season & i have all my notifications off so if people get mad at me i won't even know (& most likely no one will see this anyway, my longposts tend to go unnoticed)

in honour of the flash season 9 premiering in february, here's my opinion:

not lending any of their screentime to the cancelled arrowverse shows is a selfish move.

we don't know that they don't have cameos because the season isn't out yet, but i'm going off things the showrunner has said.

i'm not calling them bad people but i am saying it would be a selfish move, and i am saying that as an artist and creator myself.

because as an artist, it is my first impulse to sympathise. i get having a creative vision, wanting to stick to it.

but Also, as a Queer artist, i value solidarity in art. i want to uplift the work of my more marginalised contemporaries. i want to stand with other artists.

the flash got a last season in a move that wasn't survival of the fittest but was corporate fuckery, this is proven, and then, as for the thing we don't have solid proof of - who are we fucking kidding?

like are we really going to pretend that just because we don't have solid proof of something that would be a PR disaster to admit out loud, but that, if you've been paying attention, you Know happens and not infrequently, that just because we don't have solid proof it's not the case?

like wow, what a complete and utter coincidence. the only arrowverse shows with leads that were straight, white and male survived the cull, whereas the show that, as of its next season, wouldn't have a single straight white man in its ensemble, and the show with a Black lesbian protagonist, got cut.

both shows with Ridiculously passionate fanbases as evidenced by the fallout (there were billboards. there were planes. there was even Beebo.) legends was the Only show on the entire god damn CW. with ratings going up.

are we really going to act like that has nothing to do with it?

the fact is, queer shows are always up against unfair odds because a lot of people don't want to see us on screen. because a lot of people don't want us to exist. we're inherently a minority & from a capitalist marketing perspective, that often means our stories don't matter. but we defy the odds, because that's part of being queer. but also, as an inherent minority, it's damn near impossible to do it without outside support.

it's a unique opportunity. on most networks with most shows this wouldn't even be an option for the creators, even if they did disagree with other shows getting cancelled, there really is nothing they can do about it.

but the arrowverse is Full of crossovers, it exists in this larger world. a world they didn't build alone.

so taking your final season & running with it when the people you really built this great big world with, the people you worked with on crossovers - the people who decided to tell more diverse stories - telling your story while theirs are left to end on cliffhangers? idk. as an artist i want to be understanding, as a fan i don't want to act entitled, but especially as an artist i feel that is a selfish move.

a unique opportunity is presented here, to make a move of solidarity & give their stories the endings they deserve.

and if would be a shame not to take that.

i get needing to wrap up your own story, needing to prioritise that. but let's be fucking for real, they get to do that anyway, it's a full final season. a last season is generally a place to bring back old characters & guest stars anyway, especially the flash and legends are pretty tightly woven together, with crossovers and swapped characters over the seasons.

idk. at the very least, like. the very least they could do is consult the writers of the other shows on the endings they Would have wanted their shows to have & mention them in passing (which wouldn't be anything new on the flash, they've mentioned other shows before). a few lines of dialogue, & it wouldn't be Worthy of the shows we lost but it would be. a nice gesture of solidarity, and some closure for the fans at least.

like as a fan, it really is my strongest feeling that i'm not entitled to much. i mean, what are we entitled to in this world, not fucking much. but the question is more, what do we owe to others? when i twist it around and think about it as an artist, if i was put in that position, then i'd feel real selfish doing nothing

#legends of tomorrow #batwoman #the flash #arrowverse #the cw #dc's legends of tomorrow #avalance #(not a callout to any the flash fans btw. we like different things but that's fine #2 like your thing. enjoy the season either way. i'm not calling you morally bad or anything if you do.#3you don't hold the power here. & at the end of the day. it's just tv #i am known to have excessive feelings and opinions about tv shows

10 notes · View notes

thehoundwrites · 2 years

Note

I find it very cute that Yelena is aroace and Natasha bi because I'm both (well, I'm pan technically but the spirit is here). Have you any thoughts, headcanons about gender neutral reader being best friends with the Romanov sisters? Maybe reader is a spy too, or the "I have everything you need and contacts everywhere" person. Hope you have a good day :]

AYO!! I love aro rep bc I am aro!!! I also totally love romance in theory and then it happens and i'm like lol okay bestie ahha! But like the thought of being in a relationship with Characters who also suck at romance is cool asf! Like i love you but ITS WEIRD AND ROMANCE IS WEIRD but hey i dislike you the least!

YES

Gn!Reader x Romanoff sisters (platonic) [Being their contact]

undercut for longpost!

You probably met Nat first, since she was free from the red room. Out of their control. She was always kind, always friendly. But she was very clearly paranoid. She was always holding her tongue and you could tell. You'd end up hooking her up with lil extras. After all you heard about Dreykov. The girls. And these were only just rumors. You could only imagine the horrors she's been through. But everyone had horrors these days, And you were no stranger to ghosts from the past.

You came early one day, with a ride for her. And she absolutely wasn't expecting you. Well you guessed by the knife that just barely missed your head.

She was clearly upset. "What are you doing I almost killed you!?"

You were not expecting to get your head nearly chopped off, so you were at a loss for words. She came up to you and pulled the knife out of the tree you were standing by.

"i didnt get you right?"

"No, No I- I'm fine, i just came back with some more rations, and hitched a ride. Youre going to be leaving soon so thought i'd make it easier"

She was a bit suspicious of you, thought you were being nice with intentions. She invited you in for the night. You hesitantly accepted, but despite your training you knew there was know way you could really fend off a black widow let alone Natasha. The avenger.

But it went way better, the two of you drank and put an old movie in the background neither of you could focus on. Neither of you talked about your pasts nor did you want to.

It had been a couple months since she needed you last. you never got a letter but she was a busy women. None of your other clients were as kind as her, you never really spent time with any others anyways.

You knew there were other widows but when Nat showed up with her sister you were conflicted. You felt bad for them, not quite pity, I mean they were amazing and strong. But it never quite sat right with you. What happened to them.

Yelena had mentioned more about their past than Nat did, she seemed more apathetic. Like "yeah it happened lmao lets drink" where nat was more broodish in a way, not really able to look you two in the eyes. You thought she looked guilty.

The first time the three of you hung out was very awkward, but yelena in a very wow fuck this tone was the first to speak.

"This is stupid, i need a drink" She made comments of how unusually nice you were to them, when Nat chimed in with yeah. "Theyre my friend Yelena" That mad eher raise her eyebrows for a moment before returning to her usual snarky nature, "Who would be friends with you, you're so quiet. Not boring. Buuuut boring."

Sisters...

You couldn't help but to snort at that. So that's where the humor in the family went to. But you laughing seemed to make Yelena in a better mood. But earned a glare from Nat.

"Im sorry, shes funny"

"Ah, you like that, huh" Yelena smirked handing you the bottle she had in her hand. "You drink right?" You nodded and took it taking a few swigs,

The first time the three of you hung out was very awkward, but yelena in a very wow fuck this tone was the first to speak.

Sisters...

You couldn't help but to snort at that. So that's where the humor in the family went to. But you laughing seemed to make Yelena in a better mood. But earned a glare from Nat.

"Im sorry, shes funny"

"Ah, you like that, huh" Yelena smirked handing you the bottle she had in her hand. "You drink right?" You nodded and took it taking a few swigs,

It took a few visits but Yelena did end up opening up a bit, but as she told you more about her past she was either making a joke out of it, or being apathetic. They tended to be sarcastic towards each other and ended up bickering sometimes.

Usually the three of you just sat around talking, and drinking. Kinda just dozing off into each others worlds rather than thinking about the shit show around you all. You never really worried about being judged, other than seeming boring or weak. They liked you. And it was kinda refreshing. Yknow? People in your world. They tended to be cruel, incompetent, horrible people. But they still had their heart. No matter how much Yelena tried to shove it down.

You always wondered what it would be like, if the three of you weren't fugitives. If the three of you could live normal lives and be yourselves.

They never really talk about their feelings, which you couldn't blame them. Nat never really talked about her past. Only her two families. You kinda just sat there happy to be with them. They were fun, and nice. And you felt appreciated and accepted. And you were.

42 notes · View notes

jostystyles · 3 years

Text

ghostyjosty’s 2.2k writing challenge!

wow! thank you so much for 2.2k! it’s been such a wild ride and i’m so grateful for each and everyone of you! instead of a usual sleepover, I decided to celebrate this time around with a writing challenge! as much as i love writing, i love reading fic just as much. and what better way to kick off the holiday season with a holiday theme?

fic masterlist

rules:

pick up to 2 prompts/and or scenarios. i’m limiting these to 2 writers per prompt, so pick your favorites and make sure to check what’s taken! after that, write whatever your heart desires. canon, au, whatever you please!

send me an ask with what prompts you’d like, and who you’re writing for.

when your fic is done, tag me so I can add it to the master post!

there’s no word limit, write as much as you can! just be sure to mark it properly to avoid longposting.

i’m including holiday themed prompts, but by no means do you have to stay within that! you can stick with a regular theme if you wish.

tag your fics properly with warnings/triggers/tags etc

fics will be due on january 1st, 2022! I understand how busy this time is between finals and holidays so send them in before this date when you can!

fandoms:

nhl:

this is pretty much open to any player, im always looking for new people to read for. obviously, no players with controversy surroundings are allowed. if you request someone i have an issue with ill message you and ask you to change it!

outer banks:

jj maybank

john b routledge

pope heyward

sarah cameron

rafe cameron

kiara carrera

topper thornton

rudy pankow

drew starkey

prompts:

all from @creativepromptsforwriting

cold hands in warm hands

@jarmorie & nolan patrick

dancing with their hands holding onto each other

@princessphilly & jamie oleksiak

grabbing hand to show them something

holding hands while skating

@rosesvioletshardy & tyson jost

@sebbyaho & sebastian aho

smiling while kissing

@/fallinallincurls & mat barzal

passionate kisses

jaw kisses

"Is it ok if I kiss you?" "I would like that very much."

@sorryjustafangirl & bowen byram

“I've never thought I could fall in love with someone like you." “Because I'm a man?" “No, because I never liked your dog."

"I knew I would love kissing you, but it this was..." "Even better than the dream?" "Yes."

one gives the other a kiss on the cheek and the other one suddenly turns their head

“However many years we have left, I want to spend them all with you.”

@fallinallincurls & nathan mackinnon

“Do I really have to spell it out for you? I love you! Are you happy now?”

@mattyanonwrites & cale makar

“I don’t want this to ruin our friendship, but I just had to tell you.”

@/mattyanonwrites & cale makar

@tangercrosbyschultzfan25887 & chase elliot

scenarios:

also from @creativepromptsforwriting

Later they would say it was love at first sight, but both knew it was a long road they had to take to get here.

@tonyspep & jt compher

It was so typical. She couldn’t just go through life hating everyone. No, she had to fall in love with the most annoying guy, 10 things I hate about you style.

@/tonyspep @ erik johnson

It’s nice to see my whole family again but it would be even better if everyone stopped asking me if I’m in a relationship with my friend I brought with me.

@jackydrury & andrei svechnikov

@laurenairay & miro heiskanen

It’s still three weeks till Christmas but you’re already annoying me with your ugly sweaters, the bright lights and the songs you’re always humming. So please go away - but leave the cookies!

@calgarycanuck & tyson jost

You’re not a Christian and never celebrated the holidays, so I take you home with me to show you how I love to do Christmas.

@ilyasorokinn & elias petterson

We want to get a Christmas tree together but we have very different opinions on how the perfect Christmas tree looks.

We’re telling our children about our catastrophic first Christmas together.

@/tangercrosbyschultzfan25887 & kris letang

@teelagurl558 & jj maybank

It's the morning after a wild New Year's Eve party and there are quite a few regrets.

@starshine-hockey-girl & tyler seguin

5 times Person A woke up without Person B and one time they woke up together.

@nugnthopkns & ryan graves

5 times Person A thought they were in a relationship with Person B and one time Person B finally catches on that their own pining is definitely not unrequited.

5 times they told each other they would hate them and one time they finally told each other the truth.

@lam-ila & matthew tkachuck

Person A needs a partner for an upcoming event and it’s a spur of the moment decision, but they ask their friend with benefits to go with them.

@glitterandpankow & rudy pankow

@/teelagurl558 & jj maybank

Person A is leading Person B on a wild scavenger hunt to all the places that mean something to them. At the end they propose.

@/rosesvioletshardy & tyson jost

After spending Hanukkah with the parents and then Christmas with the in-laws is a lot of fun and full of love, but it’s also nice to finally have some alone time as a couple.

@/princessphilly & josh anderson

💚❤️

#emmie speaks #2.2k writing challenge!#hellooooooo it’s me :)#pls don’t let this flop #nhl imagine #obx imagine #nhl fanfiction #outer banks fanfiction

68 notes · View notes

covered-with-ink · 3 years

Note

3 for the ask game :]

Hi! You're my first anon ask here, what a surprise! :-D Anyway...

3. What do you think about [specific character]?

Since you didn't specify who you're thinking of, I decided to just go and share my opinion about the main cast.

Light - He's a total asshole (affectionate). I remember that in the first few episodes, I didn't care about him, I just acknowledged that he's the perfect tool for delivering the complex plot. When we got to Naomi's demise, this turned upside down, though. From then, I became intrigued with his thought process, and watching him get to rock bottom was...really fun. I love Light, and I tend to get emotional about him. L - Fun fact, when I first got into dn, I started off as a huge L kinnie! But unfortunately, over the months my passion for his character somehow disappeared. It's been a long time since I rewatched the first half of the anime. I still appreciate his character a lot, and I've been thinking about him a lot, recently. And I agree with everyone who says he's certainly not a good person, he's just the lesser evil out of the two. (If you want to see how I like to perceive his character, then read this fic - https://archiveofourown.org/works/36100453 - by @SeventhFracture, but mind the tags! This fic is currently my favorite though. :-D) Misa - I don't particularly like her, but I don't think she's annoying either. I deeply relate to her because of her totally unrequited feelings for Light. She surely made some reckless decisions, but I think her presence makes the show better. So good points to Misa. And I like her and Rem.

Mello - I liked Mello and his way of seeing things and his intelligence certainly impressed me. But his arc was rushed, both in the manga and the anime, with a lot of plotholes I couldn't overlook. I wish we got to see him more. Near - It's complicated. First of all, I'm convinced that they're trans, and no one can change my mind about this. It's hard for me to relate to them, mostly because of their stoic behavior, but that also makes them one of the most interesting and dangerous characters in dn. Near is a very complex character, and I'd like to explore them more in the future. Mikami - wow. huh. As you can see, I created a Tumblr blog because of my immense love for him. He's my all-time favorite, and I can't get enough of him. There are so many aspects of his character, so much foreshadowing and dropped clues about his personality. Due to this, I believe he should have been given more screen time and scenes, so we can all explore those aspects more. Still, I'm not angry that particularly angry that this didn't happen. This way I have more chances to fill those tiny holes myself, and I truly enjoy it.

Thanks for reading through my longpost, and thanks for asking dear anon! I hope this is the answer you expected, but if you'd like to know my opinion on other characters too, feel free to drop another ask! 📷

#death note #light yagami #l lawliet #misa amane #mello #near #mikami teru #answers #anonymous #long post #wow I went a bit overboard with this one!#but i hope you guys like it!#asks are still open

7 notes · View notes

thepenultimateunicorn · 4 years

Text

Notes from my Samarkand reread

I basically marked up my whole book (yeah I write in my books sue me) and there’s honestly too much to be said in one post but there were some things I forgot about until rereading, particularly odd character tidbits that might be relevant to any fanfics I attempt to write, and also some stuff that made me do a double take either cause it was funny or I have questions about it or I didn’t absorb it fully the first time or cause it lines up suspiciously with the next two books.

Under a cut cause longposting and incoherent

Mrs. Underwood makes an offhanded comment about Nat looking for the chocolate spread for breakfast. This is almost entirely conjecture, but I do find the idea of Nat liking Nutella cute.

Nat is a swimmer. He took lessons twice every week as a kid with the Underwoods, and in the months leading up to summon Bartimaeus it mentions he swam every morning to improve his stamina and to “grow strong in body”. Summoning has a physical element to it, so being athletic is actually vaguely relevant to magicians. This is a long-winded way of saying I don’t think Nat is as weak and pathetic as we tend to think of him. Idk how much he continued exercising into books 2 and 3, but I find it doubtful he would have just stopped entirely especially with his fixation on remaining in control and staying strong in front of his demons. He’s kind of portrayed as frail and out of breath in parts of Ptolemy’s Gate, but that might be more due to exhaustion than him being a wimp? The bottom line is, he’s not about to get into a fist fight or anything, but I think he could probably take Artemis Fowl if he had to.

In conjuncture with the swimming point, Nat apparently took classes with commoner kids, but was too awkward to make friends early on, and by the age of 8 they were actively avoiding him due to his status :(

Nat knows how to play a lyre (yeah yeah I guess I’m just rehashing his education regimen but this stuff was all things I’d forgotten).

Music also appears to be a trigger for Nathaniel, since it leads to ‘distant memories’ resurfacing, presumably of his life before the Underwoods. This makes me wonder if maybe one of his parents was a musician. Or maybe they just had a lot of music playing in their house. Either way, Nat is sensitive to it.

“You don’t want to die just yet, do you Nathaniel?” StroUD?????

Nathaniel’s birthday is in November. He’s most likely a Scorpio. Could be sagittarius but assuming the first book still takes place in November, but after Nat’s birthday, I’m going with Scorpio. I don’t even believe in astrology, so idk what the significance of this is but it seemed funny.

“Do you beat him?” “Rarely.” is in fact in the book and not just a graphic novel addition. Anyway, Underwood? We’re going to have words.

“He made swift progress with his studies, for his mind was fired with hate.” Ah, spite, the best motivator. Also, what a mood.

“Too much hate is bad for you.” “Why?” The fact that Nat just does not get it...I stan an emotional illiterate.

Nat at 12 and Ptolemy at 14 are the exact same height, according to Bart. Either Nat’s a bit tall or Ptolemy is a bit short. Given the fact that people are on average taller than they used to be, and also Bart labels Nat as very average, I’m rolling with Ptolemy being short by our standards. Kitty at 13 is also slightly taller than Ptolemy, and ergo slightly taller than Nat.

When was Bart’s last pre-Nathaniel summoning? He knows what a Yellow Pages book is, and is familiar with kids playing marbles (both things that started late 1800s/early 1900s as far as I know), so presumably sometime within the last century? I’m really curious what his other adventures during the modernish era looked like.

“Ambition is all very well, my lad, but you must cloak it. If it is too obvious, you will find yourself brought down in flames before you reach your twenties.” StROUD????????

“I shall get that stamped at the ministry directly and you will then officially exist. However, don’t go getting above yourself.” wow such an ego rush, being publically acknowledged to exist. If it isn’t obvious the reread doubled my hatred of Underwood.

Think it’s interesting to note that at the Prime Minister’s address, there are other apprentices and they appear to know each other and the magicians. Nathaniel not having any kind of peer group is an oddity even among magicians, and more so than his powers singling him out, it’s probably because Underwood forcibly isolated him.

“His face mottled with rage, he took two quick steps in Nathaniel’s direction, his hand raised to strike. Nathaniel flinched, but the blow did not fall.” Nat flinches. Underwood has done this before. If he weren’t already dead I’d kill him myself.

I only relate to Underwood once in this whole book and that’s at how upset he is when Lovelace breaks his best teapot.

Nathaniel ran straight into fire, toward Jabor, just because he thought there might still be a slight chance of saving Mrs. Underwood. My heart.

“He was going to his death. Which would have been fine, except he was taking me along for the ride.” I know this isn’t necessarily foreshadowing but why are there so many references to Nathaniel dying in this book? The comparison to Ptolemy and not living very long, most magicians not being as ‘suicidal’ as Nat? The two quotes I marked earlier? Was Stroud really laying the groundwork that early?

More evidence for Nat being high-int/low-wis; he just takes off his pants while swapping into the grocer uniform and when Bart tells him not to put the uniform ones on because he didn’t realize he’d taken his off, Nat just...goes with it? And doesn’t question why Bart is telling him to just ditch his pants????

I forgot that Nathaniel straight up murders someone in this book. And not even in that usual way of children’s stories where the villain’s own mistakes do them in??? Nat just. lobs some mild explosives at him like huh let’s see what this’ll do. (granted Schyler was trying to kill him but it’s still not usual to kid’s books)

“Surrender to my tender claws” “Nathaniel went white” Nat is so freaking scared of Bart? Earlier he was having nightmares about Bart eating him. It really makes their relationship that much sadder.

Bart shouts Nathaniel’s name in the hall at the end. How did nobody hear that and connect the dots? Then again I guess nobody noticed much of Bart towards the end. Nat did manage to pass him off as a foliot.

The reality distortion toward the ending reminded me of Annihilation (a spell turning to flowers, a chandelier turning to a flock of birds). Feel like it could be aesthetically interesting if they ever make that movie.

Devereaux flinching when a literal twelve year old approaches him. How did this man become Prime Minister (yeah yeah, I know, a coup and nepotism, but still)

That’s about it.

Also feel like the climax of this book could have been speeded up if someone had a gun. It wouldn’t be as dramatic but it sure would be funny. Let’s see the Amulet of Samarkand try to defend against bullets.

Okay that’s it.

Also Nathaniel deserved better.

I’m done.

#the bartimaeus sequence #amulet of samarkand #bee reads bart #this was a TIME #the book was so good I've missed this series so much <3

6 notes · View notes

hyumjim · 5 years

Text

List of PC games I played as a small child and have the vaguest pleasant memories of now

1. Millie’s Math House (1992)

1992 is also the year I was born! This game is as old as me. So, as you might imagine, I did not remember the names of nearly any of these games and had to do some very specific google searches. The games that were harder to find were the ones connected to big franchises like Sesame Street, since there are of course a billion of those. I did not have this problem with Millie’s Math House, as this franchise did not really get off the ground. Anyway I LOVED THIS GAME! The above is the home screen and the shelves behind Millie the cow represent mini games. I especially loved the cookie game where I think you counted jellybeans, and the pink monster bug guy whose body parts you could rearrange. I don’t think this game was any help in teaching me math because I was always terrible at it and still am to this day. But I had fun!

(READMORE BECAUSE THIS ENDED UP BEING A FUCKING LONGPOST... the more I write, the more I remember!!)

2. Math Munchers Deluxe (1995)

Funny how many of these games specifically are math-related edutainment, considering that this is my biggest weakness in life. Perhaps my parents and teachers were trying to help me, but failed! Anyway, I FUCKING LOVED MATH MUNCHERS! I guess I was doing math or whatever but they had a whole story and characters, with “common taters” (LOL HAHAHAH GET IT) who would comment on your gameplay like it was a sports game. I thought it was so funny and nerdy, I loved it! I love the Munchers Cinematic Universe!!!

3. Sesame Street: Get Set To Learn! (1996)

I think I only played this at school when I was in kindergarten, which explains why I have only the vaguest memories of it and why it took me so much effort to figure out which Sesame Street game it was. But I remember this cookie pattern recognition game like it was yesterday. And the dunk tank with the pickles, too! Wow, everything back then was so bright and colorful and ugly, I love it.

4. The Land Before Time Activity Center (1997)

OMG um.... I’d like to apologize for calling the Sesame Street game ugly. I didn't know what ugly was until I looked this up 2 seconds ago. Sesame Street, I’m so sorry sweetie. Okay so this Land Before Time minigame collection was hideous, and also I think it was really bad. I mean I ate it up and played it for probably days altogether because I was a little kid and I LOVED this franchise. But it had very little to do with the story of Littlefoot and friends, and really the only thing I remember is the dreadful maze game up top, where you tried to navigate some kind of hedge maze that looked exactly like a Windows screensaver and sometimes a T REX WOULD POP OUT AND SCREAM AT YOU. AND PRESUMABLY EAT YOU. I also seem to remember the hedge maze game having awful music and sound effects. Just a terrible aural, sonic and visual experience all around. And a testament to the fact that kids will play literally anything. This game was apparently billed as edutainment as well, which I think is really a stretch. I will also note that in 1998 it apparently came bundled with The Land Before Time Animated Moviebook, which I also played, and which was altogether much better.

I mean if you are making a movie tie-in game for preschool-aged children, this is what it should be: basically a summary of the movie, so we can relive all of our favorite parts without rewinding the VHS tape. And put some minigames in there if you want I guess, it doesn't really matter.

5. Putt-Putt Goes to the Moon (1993)

Let’s take a momentary break from franchise tie-in games to recall Humongous Entertainment. I’m sure you all played some form of Putt-Putt but do you remember Putt-Putt Goes to the Moon? Maybe I should have reviewed it first since I think it really is the first game I can remember ever playing. It is also the first point-and-click game on this list and notable for being the only one so far with an actual original linear plot... it was like an RPG! I really think this game was ahead of its time in many ways. I know the basic story is that Putt-Putt gets stranded on the moon and has to find a way back to earth. I read on the wikipedia page that he is helped by a “lonely moon rover,” who is pictured in the bottom image, and that triggered very strong emotional memories for me. I THINK THEIR RELATIONSHIP WAS VERY HOMOEROTIC. I mean Putt-Putt was probably the only person (car...) the rover had seen in years.... sigh. Anyway, you can tell it’s an early Putt-Putt game because Putt-Putt’s design is so weird. He is like an amorphous purple blob, barely passing for a car. and we love him. NOTE: the entire Putt-Putt collection is apparently available for Steam! I love that for him.

6. The Oregon Trail Deluxe (1992)

Doesn’t this look like a REALLY FUN game for little children to play??? No? That’s because it’s not. The Oregon Trail (which was colloquially referred to in my family simply as Oregon Trail, as in, wanna play Oregon Trail? FUCK NO) is a SHOCKINGLY ANCIENT GAME which was originally released in 1985 (!!!!!) for the Apple II. This version was of course very simple and with some quick googling you can find many places to play it in your browser online. It was a simulator of the emigration of a bunch of people west to Oregon along a wagon route in the 1840s, a trip which was apparently DEEPLY FRAUGHT WITH PERIL AT EVERY TURN. According to Wikipedia, the game was designed by a schoolteacher to “teach schoolchildren about the realities of 19th-century pioneer life.” is that not fucking psychotic? ALSO according to wikipedia, “between 3 and 10 percent” of emigrants on the real-life Oregon trail perished. Does that sound like a lot to you? Because that is WAY LESS than I would have inferred based on this game in which you were lucky if ANYBODY AT ALL survived your little road trip after going for long stretches of time with constant notifications that there was NO GRASS FOR THE OXEN. Perhaps the most enjoyable novelty of the game, which gave it replayability, was naming your party; assuming you were playing with a gaggle of schoolchildren, you would naturally name them after yourself and all of your friends, and see who perished first. It was like survival horror for children! What fun to experience the macabre joy of seeing your friends’ names etched upon pixelated tombstones! I also played this with my parents a lot, and I’m sure it was tons of fun for them to watch me grapple with their onscreen deaths, coming to terms with the fact that they would in fact one day perish. Anyway, for some reason this game was massively successful and spawned a whole bunch of sequels, which I enjoyed A LOT, also for unknown reasons.

(Pictured above is the 3rd edition, released in 1997, which I owned at home.) In addition to the significant graphical upgrade (check out those real live actors transposed on an uncanny 3D background!!!), these games included a (HONESTLY VERY FUN) hunting minigame; “UPDATED ROLES OF WOMEN AND MINORITIES” (we, too, could die terribly); a plethora of diseases one could catch such as cholera and dysentery; and random encounters with strangers who could kill you! Oh, does the fun never end?

7. LEMMINGS (1991)

Isn’t that box art great? The creators of LEMMINGS were apparently aware of it being totally dreadful and mind-breaking and decided to power through and subject all of us to it anyway. This game was, as I recall it, a very difficult puzzle-platformer in which we were challenged to strategically prevent an infinite variety of mindless little green-haired fellas from plummeting to their deaths. As you may have inferred, LEMMINGS is the first entry on this list that is not an edutainment game for children, which means I was TERRIFIED OF IT and really didn’t play it very much. I watched my older sister play it quite a lot, and it gave me terrible anxiety. How could one person handle the responsibility of saving a whole race of idiot people from certain doom? I still cannot fathom it.

But apparently, for adults that played it, this game was a bit of light-hearted fun! Good for them, I say.

8. SUPER SOLVERS SERIES (1989-1993)

This series of edutainment games, which honestly in my head are all called “SPELLBOUND,” are apparently all subtitled “Super Solvers,” and titled as follows (in order of these images): “Midnight Rescue,” “Treasure Mountain,” “Treasure Cove,” and finally the actual “Spellbound.” I loved Spellbound for its spelling bee concept; spelling was always my strong suit, so it made me feel like a real champ. In general I think these games were more focused on reading/writing/spelling than anything else, which is probably why I liked them so much, because I liked feeling like a little genius prodigy (and I was probably playing them even when I was way too old for them so I could get that ego-stroke lol). They also featured random encounters with evil robots, and I really don’t know why the robots all had paintbrushes for legs, or why the paint was always pink, but they were very frightening to me. Also I’d like to note that I felt the first flutters of sexual attraction to the MYSTERIOUS PLAYER CHARACTER. Don’t you see it? Look at how sexy he is with his iconic turquoise jacket with the popped collar, his red baseball cap and yellow shorts... king of primary colors.

That’s all for now folks I have to go to work and be an adult, it’s a Tuesday. Tell me if there is anything else CRUCIAL that I left out and I’ll check back later and see if I remember it!!!!

32 notes · View notes

mitsuhidethesnek · 6 years

Text

I'm feeling self conscious so rather than shit on myself, i'm just going to thank my followers instead

in case you do any of the shit i do;;;

Thank you if you are subscribed to my posts. It doesn't come off as too much when you're the first to see my posts. You clearly just love my curation and personality. And that's wow, thanks.

Thank you if you sometimes remember my name and sit on my blog for an hour reblogging/liking every damn thing. I see it and am glad you are having a blast.

Thank you if you can only manage a garble or short sentences of excitement. It means a lot that words get tossed my way at all!

Thanks for tagging me multiple times. It's not too much. I am so happy you find me memorable. I might not always get a chance to reply, but i check my activity feed every damn day so i see it.

Thank you if you go out of your way to look for my tags in case i added any. (I dont talk in tags much, but i try to remember who does so i can enjoy the enthusiasm)

Thank you if you blog a longpost of mine multiple times just to continue the conversation. I love it a lot. Great passion.

Thank you if you express a different perspective than mine. I love hearing other people's interpretations and how they relate to the same characters. I dont need your headcanon to match mine.

Thank you if you ever fact check me. I wanna be accurate.

Thank you if you go on tangents, bouncing off what i started. I pretty much love all deep thinking and all these characters. So i love all the fresh takes.

Thank you if you defend your character especially when i'm not a fan because i love seeing things from a different angle in a way i might not have considered yet.

Thank you if you get personal and share a piece of your life story. It's not too personal. These games changed my life and spoke to me on a personal level. So i'm happy to see you relate it to your own life.

Thank you if you pop up on my activity feed everyday. I feel your love and am glad to spread the love.

Thank you if you ramble. I love listening.

Thank you if you come up with new stuff to talk about in messages. I love conversation.

Thank you if you post thirsty commentary.

Thanks for just enjoying yourself however way you want on this website.

Feel free to add.

#fandom #otome #tumblr #positive post

28 notes · View notes

maxladcomics · 6 years

Note

If you have time to, could you explain how you go about planning/making your comics? Other than drawing them, I mean. Like, how do you plan out what happens in a page, how do you go about scripting it, that kinda thing.

WELL- (This is gonna be a long post, so block the tag #longpost or #Maxramble if it’s too much!)

I unfortunately keep most stuff in my head- but I’ll explain some small things that might help out!

I keep the base of every character set down, so I understand how that character behaves, and when I already know their backstory and how they react/behave to other characters, it makes their actions easier to put in a scene rather than plan out properly. Instead of asking myself “Hmmm how would they react to this-” I can trace back to those details I already know, and help myself realize how they would respond.

For instance- the comic I have in the works right now is much easier than the other ones I’m not working on >3>.. because it has Fell and Fell Undyne, who I’ve drawn a lot and grown attached to and they’ve got a lot of history with each other and they interact in fun ways. I haven’t done that much of Swapfell Papyrus, and Underfell Alphys. While I definitely relate to these two- it’s REALLY hard to figure out their ‘base’, especially since Alphys’s Past comic starts with how hers will be built, and show what she grows into and why- IT’S SO COMPLICATED AND I NEED TO LOWER MY STANDARDS SO I CAN JUST DRAW IT AND GET IT OVER WITH.

Anyway, that was a bunch of rambling.

So yeah, first: Character basics. Then I move onto the plot.

I have a vague setup for the comic I work with, and while I wish I could put more details in, it seems like this is how I like to work and there just isn’t any way to fix it lol.

Also before these spoilers are notes of what the babybones behaviors are like- they’ll help me understand how the babies act and get an idea of how Fell can respond to them throughout the comic. This is normally what I have noted down when I bring any new character into a comic, so I can understand how they’ll act first, and how my characters can respond/behave around them.

These notes I’m showing, will be the first scene I’m working towards, so from point A (the start of the comic), and the goal is point B, here: (spoilers ahead! But vague spoilers, it doesn’t even spoil the first page)

(Thank you Anon Paps for the ideas!)I mean there’s not much, so I need preferably a point C which is here:

and other than that, the rest is in my head, but I can summarize it fairly simply. With Undyne’s help Fell decides to take care of the babybones (UT Paps asks him earlier in the comic to take care of them but the kids make everything difficult for him so he needed to talk to someone), suddenly ghost, things get a bit easier and something happens with Levee to make him a lot more tolerable.

There was an idea of Fell protecting the kids after something, but I can’t remember it, I might bring that in if I figure it out lol. But yeah the comic will mostly be meant for cute/funny stuff and to encourage myself to draw more, which is how I’ll plot out the inbetween’s for each point. I also have a vague ending planned but that’s a secret :D…. and not noted down *quickly scribbles it down*

ANYWAY TO THE SCRIPT.

So while Paint Tool SAI version 2 has a text feature- I usually write out my scripts on Open Office Writer (Basically microsoft word, but free) and try to keep it to AT MOST, one A4 page. This depends on what’s happening in the page and how much talking is going on. In the past I’ve had to cut pages into two because there’s too much text.

Script for page 2: (Might not be full script, there’s more to this but it might not fit on one page AND I KEEP FORGETTING A BIT OF IT)

(Out of context script is hilarious omg)

Obviously not shown: There’s a panel break (Silent panel) between a point in this script so far. After Fell says he’s going to call someone else, it’ll show Undyne looking extra confused, then Fell calling another number.

So with my script I have a basic idea of what’s going to happen (or in the case of funny comics, usually a punchline to work up to) and build the page in my head as I script. If it doesn’t work then I do have to redo the script or even cut out scenes I like because they wont work. It happened a lot in the Drinking comic.

I guess the easiest way I can explain it is, the Point A, B, C and finale are the important points that HAVE to happen, and I consider every scene between that a mini point I can reach, but I don’t have to and it’s ok to cut them as long as they don’t mess with the main points. (…Although they can. All the shenanigans between Short Fell and Fell changed a lot of the other plot points I had, honestly most plot points are changeable, but I usually pretend they’re fixed so I have an idea of where I need to go. WHAT REALLY MATTERS IS THE START AND FINALE OK-)

It makes it much easier since Papyruses and Undyne’s are so.. enthusiastic, that they’ll usually do something without needing a prompt. I love characters like these.

Anyway, onto the drawing of the page: I don’t have any extensively rough scribbles to show, but I usually try to consider who’s in the scene (and if I have to, turn the perspective a certain way so I don’t have to keep drawing 3-4 characters every panel) and how they respond to whatever they’re given. If they’re in a relaxed scenario (like the Drink comic) then how do they respond? Which characters do they naturally gravitate to?

I usually plan this stuff during scripting of course but anyway-

I’ve been drawing larger panels lately (Inspired by UnderlineAU) and usually draw smaller ones when the scene calls for it, like a silent reaction, or something happening in the background. As usual- I think that showing the character from the waist up is a good place to start so you can show body language and how they react without saying anything. Do they close off when someone comes near them but try to act friendly- or are they genuinely friendly? ALL FUN STUFF TO FIGURE OUT.

Anyway, I try not to end the pages on something that’s too..??? That feels too much like an ending, I want people to continue reading, or know that there’s another page. Obviously I don’t cut a joke short and end it on the next page, but what I mean is.. with, say if all the characters said goodbye to each other at the end of one page and it seemed like an ending, then suddenly they’re talking again in the next page- it’d be weird xD.

I think I did something similar to that in the babybones comic? I vaguely recall them saying goodbye, and then having one or two panels to have them talking about the next place, so readers knew there was more. So that’s the kind of thing I mean

…..WOW THAT WAS A LOT.

I’m not sure if I have any more to say lol, but I hope this helps??

#maxask #long post #maxramble #wolfgirl55stuff #longpost

28 notes · View notes

moviegroovies · 5 years

Text

okay so one of my points in the original incoherent longpost ramble i wrote while fending off the the post-lost boys haze that overtook me after watching it for, i believe, the fifth time, was that i thought the reason it was such a good movie was how quickly it checked the “oh, i like these characters and want to think about them now that the movie is over” box. in that post, i then proceeded to not talk about the thoughts i’ve actually been having about these characters at all, so let’s get down to work and try to fix that, shall we?

okay i was going to just write another impossible to read multiple paragraph long post, but y’know, how about i make things easier on all of us and do this in bullet points. so, in no particular order..... headcanons!

despite her later desire to get out of the gang, star wasn’t tricked or pressured into becoming a vampire like michael was. rather, she had been hanging around them for long enough that she pieced together what they were and asked to join, only coming to realize that it would mean killing other people for her own continued survival and wanting out later on.

in the 6-issue lost boys comic, it’s implied that star has cystic fibrosis, informing her decision to become a vampire. i’m definitely not taking all of that comic into my own personal canon, but i stand by that part--esp. bc it fits with vampirism being her decision, even if it was one she later regretted.

marko is the smallest of the lost boys, but also the most dangerous, even exceeding david. have you seen that part where he’s peeling a man’s head like a fruit? that bitch is BLOODTHIRSTY.

not that he’s exactly an upstanding citizen on his own, but a good deal of the reason that david abuses exercises his control over the other boys is that he knows that they (but marko in particular) are always just about ten minutes and one show of weakness on his end away from staging a coup, and he knows that with anyone else in charge (save maybe dwayne, but dwayne isn’t interested in the leadership role) the group would become too violent and draw too much attention, getting them all killed.

okay now i feel like i’m vilifying marko which. i definitely stand by what i’ve said, but i also don’t think he’s like, pure evil or anything by any means. i like marko!

i feel like i owe marko some nice headcanons now so like: i agree with the general consensus that marko cares for the pigeons in the vampire hotel, to the point where he feeds them and maybe talks to them. he DEFINITELY has named them all, although honestly he can’t tell them apart that well so usually when he sees one and calls it a specific name, he’s fucking with everyone else. loves to make fun of the other guys for not knowing which one is which, though.

one day he looks at a bird flying into the cave and casually announces “hey, vlad’s back,” and after hardly a glance, michael deadpans “vlad? that’s lestat.”

marko goes into existential crisis mode for a week. this is the first time he starts to respect david’s decision to make michael one of them.

he never figures out if michael was just fucking with him the way everyone else or if he could really tell the difference between the pigeons and it haunts him to this day.

ok wow that was a LOT of marko

back to star: she’s trans. you know that part on the boardwalk where she and michael are introducing themselves to one another for the first time, and michael goes “oh, your parents too, huh,” when she says her name is star? i always felt like she didn’t really get what he was saying, even after michael elaborated and told her he meant that her parents were ex-hippies. now i’m totally choosing to read that as her being like, a little offended that he thought someone would only be named star because they were burdened with it by uncool ex-hippie parents, because honestly when she picked it she thought she had the coolest name of all time.

i will not take constructive criticism on that last part because it is already perfect.

on the subject of star, the general consensus i’ve seen in fic and stuff is that she had been a vampire for a few months or maybe a year before the events of the movie, but honestly i’d disagree.

personally, i feel like she’s been there for a lot longer than that--like, have you seen how she dresses? that immediately pinged “free spirit hippie girl” to me, which was kind of out of place, especially considering that everyone else dressed so 80′s. imo, star might have been turned as early as the start of the 70′s--making her the ex-hippie, and not her parents, like michael assumed. this fic here (which is SO good, by the way) explains the way that she was able to last a year with the hunger while michael was already struggling after about a week by having star steal sips from david’s bottle to tide her hunger when she could. that’s basically the way i see it, too, tbh, except over a longer time scale--rather than one year, something around 15.

which means star is nearly as old as michael’s mother. oops.

alright, it’s weird, but i don’t actually think it’s that weird. the way i’m choosing to see vampirism in this universe is that it permanently halts the emotional maturity of the vampire at whatever age they get turned; david and the guys are nearly grown, at ages like, 18-22 or so, but not quite, and they’re never going to grow up and out of their immature mindset. the worst is for laddie, who’s permanently stunted around 8 years old. the others respond to this with a certain degree of pity, but since he doesn’t actually know what he’s missing, it mostly translates to a really rabid older brother/sister instinct. heaven help anyone who tries to pick on that kid--they’re immediately going to face 5 angry vampire dudes and one absolutely enraged vampire chick.

(not to mention that his emotional immaturity means he’s got no real self control over the hunger he feels... if he ever snaps and becomes a full vampire, he’ll be the most dangerous of the group for a plethora of reasons)

on that note, if i were to list the lost boys by most control over their urges to least (or, y’know, least to most actively bloodthirsty), i think it’d be something like this: michael -> david -> star -> dwayne -> marko -> paul -> laddie, with the caveat that while marko is technically better at controlling himself than paul, paul has more moral reservations about the actual act of violent murder, while marko is more inclined to kill for fun.

david being so high on that list may be a point of contention for some but tbh i feel pretty strongly about it

a majority of that call for me comes from the unmade screenplay for the lost boys: the beginning, a prequel to the film set in 1906. before reading that, i honestly had different headcanons entirely, and a lot less sympathy for david, but if you take the script as canon, i think a lot of things change about his characterization.

in the script, the four main lost boys are together (plus one other member named jasper, which is the only crossover name between the lost boys and twilight) as a petty gang before they became vampires. the start of the movie sees them pickpocketing to try and pay for a place to sleep that night, and david seems to luck out early, lifting a wallet with a $100 bill inside.

however, when he realizes the guy has a family, including two babies, and he just took everything the guy has, he gives the wallet back, to marko’s intense dismay.

basically, david starts out a criminal, and he definitely does care about self preservation above most other things, but he still has morals. later, when the movie’s big bad is pressuring him and the others to drink blood and live eternally, he’s the only one who refuses, spitting out the wine when he’s forced to drink it and showing the others that it’s blood. notably, even before that he’s warning his friends that they don’t have to drink it if they didn’t want to (mirroring the way that star told michael he didn’t have to drink of the bottle), protecting not just himself, but also them. he resists becoming a vampire the longest, too; david refuses to join the movie’s villain, even after the other lost boys have been turned, right up until he’s shot by some military men in a scuffle and it’s a matter of life and death. then, his self preservation wins out, but even once he’s been turned, david doesn’t lose who he used to be.

tl; dr: i feel like david is a better person than the events of the movie alone would have you think.

in my opinion, he’s been looking out for his friends from the very beginning, and he’s never stopped doing that. yeah, even before he turned, he was a crook and kind of a burnout, but he had morals. i’m not going to deny that david enjoys being a vampire--enjoys drinking blood, the physical rush, the power over people who pushed him around--not by any means. i just think that comes from an understandable place, given that he was a streetrat who got pushed around a lot in the events of that script; he likes that he’ll never be a victim to assholes with knives who are bigger than he is again.

plus, if you look at the people the lost boys kill over the course of the movie, they’re not exactly innocent victims. there’s the asshole cop who restrained david with a baton to his throat for pretty much just the act of putting his hand on a dude’s face, a jerkass who starts fights on boardwalks, steals comic books, and ignores his girlfriend’s protestations in the car when he’s trying to make out with her, the girlfriend, who stuck by him while all that shit was going down (and was reading one of the stolen comics, if i interpreted that scene correctly--not that this means she necessarily deserved to die, but she wasn’t innocent), and a bunch of assholes calling themselves surf nazis. david and his gang only go after people who have started the fight themselves in some way or another, and i think that david is a big part in keeping it that way--he’s the one who deescalates the tension on the carousel to keep things from an all out bloodbath, after all, and was the one keeping the gang in check since the turn of the century from doing anything too unforgivable for their own gain. that to me says he’s got a pretty good grasp of self control, and he keeps the gang to a level of violence that sustains their bloodlust without being totally gratuitous as much as possible.

re: his placement on the sliding scale of vampiric self control, you might be wondering why i put michael at the absolute top. honestly, it’s not that i think he’s a saint or anything. i just think he was the one member of the gang (jury’s out on laddie, but he’s automatically at the bottom because of his age and inability to control himself) who didn’t make a conscious choice, one way or another, to become a vampire. marko, dwayne, and paul gave into the temptation of the prequel’s big bad. david and star were given the choice between vampirism and death, and chose to live. michael, though--michael gave into peer pressure, but the worst crime he committed was drinking some wine. watching the others kill absolutely fucked him up, but he was able to resist any kind of bloodlust that might have had him joining in the slaughter on the beach that night. when pushed to the absolute wall by david in the ending of the movie (an ending you might have noticed i’m completely ignoring in favor of a full gang inc. laddie, star, and michael for my headcanons lol), his strength was tested against david’s and he won. michael isn’t perfect or superhuman, but he’s making the choices an essentially good, normal human being would make, and when everyone around him for one reason or another chose what they have, he’s got that tiny bit of a head’s up on them that makes all the difference.

tbh tho, i think david was right when he said there was something of a killer in michael. i think on some gruesome level he’s kind of fascinated with the vampirism he’s fallen in with, which makes him more susceptible than, say, sam, or really any of the other emersons, who would rank above him on that scale, were they vampires too.

paul to me is just a fun happy dude. i was endeared to him when he clapped michael on the back after he drank and announced, totally earnestly, “you’re one of us!” i just, you know, liked his eagerness to welcome in a new friend. tbh i think he’s a bit of a ditzy airhead (or, dare i say it, a himbo), but he’s ultimately got his heart in the right place.

i really like dwayne. i like that he’s the quietest of the group (i saw a headcanon that said he didn’t speak that much because he’s got a stutter he’s embarrassed of, which i have absorbed into my canon), but i especially like that he does speak--to laddie, telling him what’s going on when he’s riding on the back of his bike. other than star, i think dwayne’s the most protective of him, and probably the most “maternal” of the guys. he’s under star in the sliding scale thing because to me he doesn’t really have qualms with killing assholes to survive, but at the same time, he’s never really tempted to take more than he needs, like marko is.

i like the idea that dwayne’s really into music, like, ‘can name the artist, album, and song title of any song made since 1890 from the first line’ into music. immortality is a hell of a thing for music buffery.

ok i have sooooooooo much more i want to say, i didn’t even realize i’d put together this many thoughts about this movie but Apparently I Have, holy god, but i need to cut off this post at some point sgfdshgh

one more fun marko one: totally love the hc that he paints, especially that he paints murals on the cave wall. artist boy.....

#the lost boys #text post #david #star #marko #michael emerson #paul #dwayne #this post got the FUCK away from me can you tell sgfdhgfnh #it was just going to be fun little headcanons that i'd thought of and then it turned into a david character study halfway through #no ragrets #peace OUT!!!!

3 notes · View notes