#z grade film

[izmooi]

🎥 izi's Random Movie Reviews 🎞

Nikos the Impaler 👤 dir. Andreas Schnaas

This post contains spoilers.

"There is one scene, though, where Niko's sword makes an airplane sound as it moves through the air - gold star to the sound guy overall."

Alert: Good, bad movie! My friend and I randomized a movie to watch, and we landed on this piece of cinema. This movie is a Z-grade splatter film, meaning it's not that great of a budget, but it sure does have lots of killing in it. The mix of pros and cons of this movie fell to the unexpected end of the spectrum.

I became fond of all of the characters, which typically, with these movies, isn't the case. I thought the main character focus was the two college boys, but it's not; it's the teachers. I didn't grow attached to anyone in a super heartfelt way, but the dynamics among the characters added to the fun of this overtly violent film. The beginning of the movie in the gallery is drawn out for a long time without much going on, but it allows for the characters to bond for survival while yelling at each other for a third of the movie. Nikos, our dear titular star, was a funny character to watch run around and slice through people like butter. He never had any hesitation in making his large, gaited strides toward people and using his comically large sword to smite them where they stood. They don't call him the impaler for nothing.

Some of the audio mixing and music volumes were wild at times. It didn't help that we watched this movie in 144p on YouTube, and everything was shot in the dark so we couldn't see a whole lot. There is one scene, though, where Niko's sword makes an airplane sound as it moves through the air - gold star to the sound guy overall.

As is the case with a low-budget movie, there are occasional scenes that have wild camera cuts. There are lots of tangential headshots, where the tip of the head to the bottom of the chin is the only thing in view. Folks are often standing way too close to the camera. Kudos to them for shooting in the space they reserved for the gallery, which seemed like a tight space to record all of these random shots in. 

A common scene in these Z-grade films is the Booby Scene, where a woman gets full-body naked for no reason other than to show boob. This turns into gore porn quickly, and while these scenes are always of bad taste, this one gets an even lower rating for its poor execution in exposition and delivery. 

My friend and I were unsure about what the guy sneaking into the backroom to find Nikos' helmet in an unpadded crate had for a goal that led to his resurrection. It was very confusing at the end, too, when Nikos suddenly developed superpowers and summoned Hitler and a low-budget Elvira to serve under him.

Upon researching more about this movie, we discovered that it is meant to be the fourth and last movie of Schnaas' "Violent Shit" movies. If we had watched the previous three, then maybe more would have been explained, and the ending may have been a bit more satisfying. I could imagine the other three films are just like this one, though. Before seeing the movie, we found DVD listings for around the $40 range. After watching, we determined the price tag might be worth it at the risk of it not getting a better resolution.

2/10

Read this review on Letterboxd!

[mariocki]

The Headless Eyes (1971)

"You've tried to alienate yourself but, Mal, I'm here, you -"

"Why? For two years I have been trying to live alone and to be able to accept this. Why are you here?"

"Because you haven't convinced me."

"Of what?"

"That you're incurable."

[atiny-for-life]

Ateez's Full Storyline Explained - THE MEMBERS (A-World)

Masterlist

This is fully focused on Ateez from the A-World since we don't yet have much backstory on the Black Pirates' individually. Thus far, even all I could gather on their shared history is largely speculation based on the Thanxx MV.

SIDE-NOTE: The majority of their backstory is easily found in their Diary Film which was released prior to the Inception MV. But for further details, look to the Fever Part 1 Diary Entries.

HONGJOONG

BACKSTORY

He comes from a troubled or at least not particularly close-knit family - they all moved away as he grew up, splitting up across the world and leaving him behind

When he was younger, before he met Ateez, he didn't have a dream and struggled to see the worth in life - he tried to please his parents with his grades but otherwise felt trapped in a pointless routine

After meeting Ateez and bonding over a shared love for music and performing, he finally got a dream: to become a star and be seen by his family so he can reunite them

But until then, he sees his fellow Ateez members as his main family

Him, Seonghwa and Yunho seem to have known each other the longest and were regularly performing in the streets as a trio

ROLE IN Z-WORLD (FEVER/TREASURE/THE WORLD SERIES):

He naturally took on the role as Captain since he was the first in their hideout and brought the rest of them together; additionally, he was also the one to be handed the Cromer by his alternate self

This role was likely also strengthened by Yunho who's been with him the longest alongside Seonghwa, and sees hints of his dead older brother in Hongjoong and thus tends to look to him for advice

In addition to his position as Captain, he'll also fulfill whichever other role is needed for their missions just like the rest of his crew

Frequently displayed character traits: passion, character strength, leadership, cleverness, caution, intuitivity, loyalty, bravery

CURRENT ROLE (AFTER 3 YEAR TIME SKIP):

He's lonely, missing his members who drifted apart after their permanent return to A-World

In order to ensure he won't forget their adventures, even as time keeps passing, he documented their shared journey on a blog which blew up in popularity, leading him to turn his entries into a full blwon novel

Now, he's got it all: a best-selling book, a family who returned to him, fame, but alone in his room at night, he still feels empty

SEONGHWA

BACKSTORY

His outlook on music was permanently altered when he witnessed a girl with a 'Be Free' bracelet dance

He was part of the original Ateez trio alongside Yunho and Hongjoong

ROLE IN Z-WORLD (FEVER/TREASURE/THE WORLD SERIES):

His unique connection to the 'Be Free' girl transcends realities and has allowed the fusion of the currently two biggest known revolutionary groups in the Z-World (see: Will - The World Ep. Fin Diary Entries)

As a result, I would describe his current role as a mediator between Ateez/The Black Pirates and Thunder since he's so far been the most willing to extend good faith toward Thunder and learn about their backstory

Previously, like most other members, he simply took on whichever role was needed for the current mission

Frequently displayed character traits: intuitivity, kindness, trust, loyalty

CURRENT ROLE (AFTER 3 YEAR TIME SKIP):

After struggling majorly with anxiety and trying to cope with the trauma the Z-World inflicted on them, Seonghwa threw himself into his studies and later became a firefighter

There are fulfilling elements to saving people in this way, but he still can't forget their shared dream of making it in the music scene

He has yet to read Hongjoong's book, having kept it on his desk since it came out

YUNHO

BACKSTORY

His older brother died in a car accident after giving up his dream of becoming a musician

As means of fulfilling his brother's dream post-mortem, Yunho wants to work alongside Ateez and establish a successful music career

Yunho admires Hongjoong as a person and artist but also feels he resembles his older brother which surely influenced how he originally viewed Hongjoong and why he's always looked to him for guidance

He, alongside Seonghwa, has also known Hongjoong the longest and used to be a street performer trio with them

Prior to his brother's accident, he spent a lot of time riding around on his motorcycle with a separate friend group

ROLE IN Z-WORLD (FEVER/TREASURE/THE WORLD SERIES):

He was the first to establish an emotional bond with Left-Eye, who is still one of their first and closest allies, when they bonded over their shared loss of a loved one and lingering survivors guilt (see: Fever Part 3 Diary Entries)

Other than that, he'll fulfill any role needed, such as utilizing his established ability to operate a motorcycle and whatever else is needed (though it does seem like all of Ateez have learned to drive pretty much any street vehicle since they've arrived in the Z-World)

Frequently displayed character traits: honesty, empathy, loyalty, bravery

CURRENT ROLE (AFTER 3 YEAR TIME SKIP):

He became disillusioned with their world, recognizing it as colder than the Z-World - people don't care about each other, just about themselves

After the situation with Ateez fell apart, he threw himself into archaeology, hoping to find another artifact like the Cromer which could reunite them for another adventure

YEOSANG

BACKSTORY:

He comes from a very strict household

His parents, especially his father, had already planned out his entire life and filled his days to the brim with schedules, such as violin practice

As a result, he felt trapped his entire life (like a caged bird) to the point where he compared his upbringing to Strictland upon first arriving in the Z-World (see: Fever Part 2 Diary Entries)

His only escape was studying the inner workings of machines which is how he taught himself the basics of engineering and robotics

He was the last to join Ateez and got in by building them a drone upon their request

ROLE IN Z-WORLD (FEVER/TREASURE/THE WORLD SERIES):

He's in charge of controlling the surveillance butterflies seen in Will - The World Ep. Fin Diary Entries which tells me he's still their main tech-guy

This role is also highlighted in Guerrilla when we see him inside the surveillance van

Frequently displayed character traits: self-blame/guilt, self-sacrifice, loyalty, quick thinking, bravery

CURRENT ROLE (AFTER 3 YEAR TIME SKIP):

Yeosang recognized money as the biggest obstacle between Ateez and achieving their dream so he decided to tackle the problem head on

Reinventing himself, he became a leader of the investment world - profit in mind but also investing in the arts on the side, even if that meant losing money

He's the one who invested in Hongjoong's authorial debut

SAN

BACKSTORY:

He was forced to move around a lot growing up which left him lonely and isolated

Ateez were his first real friends and he was desperate to stay with them, even when his family already planned the next move

His strong longing for a fixed friend group carry into his current behavior and reflect in his emotional reactions to certain situations, i.e. his immense devastation when they first lost Yeosang, his outrage when he found out Android Guardians burn prisoners' treasured memories

ROLE IN Z-WORLD (FEVER/TREASURE/THE WORLD SERIES):

He has no set primary role, so he'll also simply execute whatever part of the mission is assigned to him, such as playing the decoy (see: Guerrilla)

Frequently displayed character traits: strong sense of justice, bravery, loyalty, empathy, sensitivity

CURRENT ROLE (AFTER 3 YEAR TIME SKIP):

San started his own business after Ateez drifted apart, a food truck, and ended up in Jeju where he got to meet a lot of people as he prepared their food and watched them eat with their loved ones

Through their shared conversations, he quickly learned most never got to live out their dreams and wondered if it was time for him to accept his fate may be sharing the same fate

MINGI

BACKSTORY:

He grew up in poverty and with no family left except his grandmother

He's been suicidal since he was young which led to him building up walls that keep others from getting too close

However, he's known Wooyoung since elementary school and Wooyoung's persistence eventually wore Mingi down and they got closer

Since then, Wooyoung was the only one who could make Mingi laugh

Wooyoung was also the one who introduced Mingo to the rest of Ateez (i.e. Hongjoong, Seonghwa and Yunho)

Once all of Ateez had been established, Mingi's grandmother got into some kind of accident which made Mingi relapse and shut down since he felt like he wasn't allowed to be happy while his grandmother was so close to death

His resulting decision to fully depart from Ateez had him call their dreams meaningless, upon which Jongho became enraged enough to lash out and punch him but Yunho intervened before it could escalate further than that one punch

His mental well-being was brought up again when he overheard Left-Eye talk to the Grimes siblings about their lingering hope to fix the state of the Z-World because it led him to realize how powerful dancing could be and how much he'd been letting the past affect the way he sees the world (see: Fever Part 3 Diary Entries)

ROLE IN Z-WORLD (FEVER/TREASURE/THE WORLD SERIES):

He has no designated role, but did recently team up with childhood friend Wooyoung to go undercover as security guards at Prestige Academy during their mission (see: Outlaw - The World Ep. 2 Diary Entries)

He unfortunately also got traumatized during another mission when the Prestige Academy boy's brother died right in front of him and he was left to take out a bunch of Android Guardians by himself without time to process what he'd just witnessed (see: Will - The World Ep. Fin Diary Entries)

Frequently displayed character traits: bravery, quick thinking, empathy

CURRENT ROLE (AFTER 3 YEAR TIME SKIP):

Despite coming from a broken home, Mingi made it big, becoming a professional model for a fashion magazine working with high-end designers

His social media was flooded with adoring comments, his influence far reaching, but he still couldn't help but get captivated by a group of boys busking on the side of the road

When he tried to distract himself from the memories, he came across a video of Hongjoong reuniting with his family

WOOYOUNG

BACKSTORY:

He grew up alongside Mingi and wormed his way into Mingi's life despite the strong walls Mingi had put up

Whenever he feels shy, he'll laugh it off and when he's scared, he'll keep talking until it wears off

He doesn't mind being teased for his habits

He had a strong desire to be a performer but was dealing with intense stage fright until he met Hongjoong, Seonghwa and Yunho at a street performance and they took him under his wing and helped him overcome his fear

Once he became a member, he introduced Mingi who proceeded to join the group as well

ROLE IN Z-WORLD (FEVER/TREASURE/THE WORLD SERIES):

He has no set role but the injury he sustained during the first Android Guardian raid they experienced in the Z-World (see: Fever Part 2 Diary Entries), did lead them to finding out about Left Eye's existence and connect with the Grimes siblings who were then the catalyst behind the establishment of Thunder (see: Will - The World Ep. Fin Diary Entries)

Frequently displayed character traits: nosiness/curiosity, playfulness, quick thinking, bravery, loyalty

CURRENT ROLE (AFTER 3 YEAR TIME SKIP):

Struggling with dread and anxiety after their return from Z-World, Wooyoung was desperate to get back on stage but couldn't see Ateez making it there after their many failed attempts to grab the public's attention

He became a flight attendant instead, making the plane his stage - their guests adored him

On his latest flight, Yunho and Mingi just happened to be on the plane

JONGHO

BACKSTORY:

His original dream was to become a pro basketball player but a serious ankle injury shattered that dream and made him feel like his life was over

Meeting Ateez became his second big dream

When Mingi tried to walk away from all of them and called their dreams meaningless, Jongho felt betrayed and like his dream was being taken from him and lashed out - he gets reminded of this incident again in the Fever Epilogue Diary Entries

ROLE IN Z-WORLD (FEVER/TREASURE/THE WORLD SERIES):

His trauma from his past as a basketball player is further explored in the Fever Part 2 and Part 3 Diary Entries but since then, he seems to have moved on and left it in the past

Like most of the other members, he has no set role and will fulfill necessary roles as needed

Frequently displayed character traits: bravery, commitment, quick thinking, loyalty

CURRENT ROLE (AFTER 3 YEAR TIME SKIP):

Jongho became a songwriter for an idol group after getting signed by a label who approached him after hearing a song he recorded with the members

After breaking up a fight between the boys he now worked with, he thought back to his own argument with Mingi so long ago and got lost in the memories

Putting on the song they'd recorded together so long ago, he cranked up the volume and felt the painful ache caused by the sound of their voices singing his song

[atomic-raunch]

Suzanna Ridgeway sometime in the 40’s. One of the most prolific women you’ve probably never heard of, she appeared in such Z-grade fare as The Tijuana Story and From Hell It Came. She never reached the apex of stardom but she did appear in an absurd number of classics, many of them film noir, including Gone With the Wind, Citizen Kane, the proto-noir Stranger on the Third Floor, Gilda, The Big Sleep, It’s A Wonderful Life, They Won’t Believe Me, Criss Cross, The Mighty Joe Young, both The Lady Eve AND All About Eve, 3 Abbott and Costello movies, one of the Road movies with Bob and Bing, and Strangers on a Train. And that’s just beginning to scratch the surface.

[earlgraytay]

....God, now my brain is trying to spit out a DunMeshi Hollywood AU...

Laios is a former child actor whose career trajectory most closely resembles that of Macaulay Caulkin. His dad was his manager, and this went about as well as you'd expect. Laios dropped out of public life for a long, long time in his late teens- people say he was in rehab, though whether that's true is best left as an exercise for the reader- and, as an adult, his acting credits mostly consist of cameos as "Serial Killer" or "Drug Dealer 3" on crime shows. He's trying to become a director and keeps working on incredibly offputting Z-grade horror flicks that can't get seed money. on account of. well. laios. His friends are always welcome to take a role- as cast or crew- if they need something between gigs.

Falin is also a former child actor. Unlike Laios, she managed to get out of the biz with her sanity intact- she got accepted to a very prestigious STEM magnet high school, which is where she met Marcille, and went to med school after. She's wound up working as the set doctor for a couple movies you've heard of and a lot of movies you haven't; she's also been "the Chimera", a monster in several of Laios' horror flicks.

Marcille is in pyrotechnics. She seems mild mannered at first, but then you catch her on set up to her elbows in gasoline... well. She spends more time in the medical tent than anyone would like, especially Falin. She's got a YouTube channel as a side hustle where she blows things up in parking lots and freaks out at bad Italian cooking.

Speaking of, Marcille went to high school with Falin and fell for her pretty much instantly. They recently moved in together and are trying to navigate living together for the first time. It's not going as well as either of them would like, but they're getting there.

Senshi works catering. Was there ***any*** doubt about that? Everyone's excited to work on the same set as Senshi, because the food is actually good, regardless of whether you're filming in Monterrey, Marrakesh, or Mentor, Ohio. Senshi's pretty quiet about his personal life, but he'll occasionally whip out his phone and show off pictures of his stunning, xeriscaped garden. He loves working with Laios, even though the pay isn't great, because Laios WILL let him put squid and dragonfruit on the menu.

Chilchuck is a stuntman, and the de facto union rep on most sets. He can tell you, to the second, when the next mandated break is, when the kid on set needs to be done for the day, and when it's time to go home. I headcanon human!AU Chilchuck is a little person, so his proudest career accomplishment to date is probably standing in for Peter Dinklage in a film where he got to be the leading man; he's real fucking sick of being a bootleg hobbit. Somehow, he manages to spend LESS time in the medical tent than Marcille.

Itsuzumi ... God. Her background is so specific and doesn't translate well. My gut instinct is that she's a cat-themed idol who came to the US to be ~☆ a movie star ☆~ and got stuck in a shitty, exploitative contract. I'd love it if someone who knows the character better could give suggestions, though!

[am-i-the-asshole-official]

Am I the asshole for ditching helping my friends on a school project to hang out with someone else? I know this sounds bad.

So my friends are all in an english class im not in and they have a big final project due where they have to make a movie based on the hero's journey or whatever, and I agreed to play one of the roles. I haven't had this agreement long bc they werent originally allowed to let me participate because im not in the class, but the teacher agreed. I also only have a small role that would be two or three scenes at the very beginning and very end.

Everyones had a hellish time trying to schedule together, and theres not a huge amount of time left for the project. Monday was off this week because no one was prepared, thursday and tuesday were off cause two of the people had other school stuff, but that leaves wednesday, friday, the whole weekend and monday as well.

The thing is, everyone was planning on filming on wednesday to get it done as soon as possible- but I agreed to hang out with a different friend wednesday (ill call him Z). Z and i are besties and would spend hours talking every day last year, but since he graduated and has college he's been scary busy, and we've barely been able to hang out at all. We've been trying to schedule a meetup for weeks and finally got free time matching up wednesday, which was prettymuch planned before my friends gave me a role in their project.

I'm not the only person who cant film wednesday, another friend will be gone, and they said thats fine and they'l just film his scenes another day. They seemed really stressed and upset that i couldnt make it, though, but I dont understand why we cant just film mine & his scenes friday or the weekend.

It feels weird too because they're okay with him being gone because he had plans with his girlfriend, but i just have mine with a friend. Many of them know and love Z too and have barely gotten to see Z either so I thought they'd understand. I know I said I could be in the project while still having plans with a friend, but the plans are only one day. & i didnt know everyone elses schedules were so tight too. It's also not my class & this project isnt gonna affect my grade, so I'm not taking it as seriously as a lot of my friends- but the friend seeing his girlfriend is also not part of their class and it wont affect his grade either. I feel like im really disappointing them all but im not gonna pass up hanging out with Z after months of not seeing him in person.

aita ??

What are these acronyms?

[calliemity]

purchased a 3 page magazine article about lsoh 1986 from back when it came out! i cant find a single piece of info on this article specifically, and the printer is just labeled "film review" so its pretty. uh. vague. its also a deeply bizarre article that has incorrect information in it so????? anyway check this guy out!

few notable things about this include:

audrey 2 being called "audrey 11" (probably attempted roman numerals)

incorrect information about the movie that has the character that orin is based of off. hes based on the dentist dr. phoebus farb from the original 1960 movie "the little shop of horrors". that movie also has jack nicholson in it. i dont. know where they got the movie "grade z" from??????

anyway. its a neat little thing i have now. its also unfortunately another item where i have to stare at orin's infuriating face. ugh! also if anyone has more info about the article let me know :]

[generositygullet]

A letter to Akira Toriyama

Dear Akira Toriyama,

I first interacted with dragonball when I was in 6th grade or so, when I started playing dragon ball fusions for the 3ds since the trailer looked cool. Kind of a weird start right? But I was getting really into anime at the time, and wanted to check out one of the most popular ones. I had NO idea who the characters were, and had NO clue what the story was about. But for some reason against all the odds, as soon as I saw the title screen boot up with that soaring music I was hooked. The game was super fun, no doubt about it. But what REALLY kept me going when playing it, was the world of dragon ball itself.

Again I had no clue who any of these people were. But seeing these characters interact with each other, seeing these different setpieces made, seeing all of these powers and personalities, it was unlike anything I’d ever experienced before. It channeled the raw kid desire in me to see two buff dudes duking it out, and god I adored every bit of it.

I didn't dig any deeper than that initially, and like all my other hyperfixations it died down. But again in 7th grade I started playing fighterz, and I was hooked again. But this time I dug deeper in preparation for the release of the new GT dlc, and so the first dragon ball media I actually watched? Was GT. Which is hilarious in hindsight, but I still adored every second of it.

In 8th grade things were not going so well for me, I was losing friends due to being an asshole, and I had to change myself to be worthy of the people around me. I was pretty depressed, and everything seemed sad and hopeless (I know it's pretty dramatic for a literal like 13 year old but bear with me lmao). It's around that time when I decided to watch Dragon Ball Super. And again, I was hooked. I binged it so fast, all 130 something episodes. I could talk big about the characters and everything, but honestly it was just so plain cool. It made me feel excited and happy, it made me feel like everything was ok. And those positive feelings made that much of a difference in me.

From that point on I always was interested in Dragon Ball. my first and only hyperfixation to never really go away. I read the OG dragonball, and started REALLY noticing your artistic talent. From the way you drew Goku moving across the battlefield and the poses he struck. To the illustrations of the action and the punches thrown. It was all so dynamic and energetic. When I was reading it I was always engaged, excited to see the next panel. I wanted to channel the same energy in my own art somehow, to encapsulate the same excitement you instilled in me with your drawings.

I FINALLY got around to watching and reading Z a little later. And of course I loved it. I knew all the basic plot beats, and had a 3 in one Goku vs Vegeta volume collection that I would reread constantly. But seeing them play it is so different. I also started to admire your character design more and more. Trying to draw them in my free time, and getting a bit sad when I couldn't capture the same magic you could.

All of this, of course, was older material though. This was all before my time, I was never there to experience it when it initially happened. Not for super, not for the OG DB, and not for Z. I adored it all, but I always knew what was going to happen.

I remember the reaction on my face when the news of DBS Superhero dropped. I was so so SO excited. More than you could ever imagine. Something new, something I could see with my own eyes, and something about Piccolo and Gohan??? It was amazing. And seeing it in theaters a few years later? God I was on the edge of my seat the entire film. I even started reading the DBS manga, I think it's amazing so far.

When I heard that you were gone yesterday night, I was crushed.

I’m a junior now. And after a long time of thinking about it, being anxious, afraid, and scared of the future. I think I want to be an artist or filmmaker. I want to bring the same energy you did to the world. I'm still trying to figure out my artstyle, and how I want to draw. I’m not great at it, but no matter what, I want to keep going. Because I want to bring a character to life, like you brought Son Goku to life and so many others as well. I want to inspire so many others like you inspired me. With your messages, you brought me happiness. You told me that simplicity was ok with Son Goku. You told me that we need to fight for what we love with Son Gohan. You told me that we should aim to be better than our predecessors with Piccolo Junior. You told me that we shouldn't let our pride consume us with Vegeta. You’ve shown me and the entire world so so much. And I hope you were proud of it. I’m

I said the world of Dragon Ball earlier, but really, it was your world Akira Toriyama. And your world changed mine forever in the best way. Thank you, for letting me dream again.

[sweetescapeartist]

FULL POWER FORMS & SUPER SAIYAN GRADE FORMS

These forms allow for characters to amplify their physical strength by swelling their ki to expand their muscles mass & height as it greatly increases the physical power of their current form. I categorize these forms as "Partial Full Power" & "100% Full Power" forms.

Now, here are the characters who have used these "Full Power" forms. (If I missed any, let me know.)

ROSHI: 🕶️🐢

Normal • Partial Full Power • 100% Full Power

GARLIC JR (Z Films): 🧄

Normal • Transformed (100% Full Power)

FREEZA: 🧊

Normal • Partial Full Power • 100% Full Power

VEGETA: 🥗🐒

Normal base • Normal SSJ • SSJ Grade 2 (Partial Full Power)

TRUNKS: 🩳🐒

Normal base • Normal SSJ • SSJ Grade 2 (Partial Full Power) • SSJ Grade 3 (100% Full Power)

GOKU: 🥕🐒

Normal base • Normal SSJ • SSJ Grade 2 (Partial Full Power) • SSJ Grade 3 (100% Full Power)

CELL: 🧬

Normal • Partial Full Power • 100% Full Power

BROLY (Z Films): 🥦🦍

Normal base • Restrained SSJ • Normal SSJ • Legendary SSJ (100% Full Power)

GOKUA (Z Films): 🏴‍☠️

Normal • Transformed (100% Full Power)

ZANGYA (Z Films): 🏴‍☠️

Normal • Powered-up (Partial Full Power)

BOJACK (Z Films): 🏴‍☠️

Normal • Transformed (100% Full Power)

TRUNKS (DBS anime): 🩳🐒

SSJ • SSJ2 • Super Saiyan Rage (Transformed 100% Full Power)

MERGED ZAMASU (DBS anime): 🐵☯🍏

Merged Zamasu • Merged Zamasu [Corrupted] • Merged Zamasu [Corrupted] (100% Full Power)

FROST (DBS anime): ❄️

Normal • 100% Full Power

CAULIFLA (DBS anime): ⚪🥦🐵

Normal base • Normal SSJ • SSJ Grade 3 (100% Full Power)

KALE (DBS anime): 🥬🦍

Normal base • Berserker SSJ (100% Full Power) • Controlled Berserker SSJ (Controlled Full Power)

TOPPO (DBS anime): ♨️

Normal • GoD Form (100% Full Power)

SSGSS VEGETA (DBS anime): 🥗🐒

Normal SSB • SSBE (Controlled 100% Full Power)

JIREN (DBS anime): 👽

Normal • Full Power (100% Full Power) • Awakened (Beyond/Super Full Power)

BROLY (DBS anime): 🥦🦍

Normal base • Wrathful State [Stage 2] (Full Power base/Humanoid Oozaru) • Normal SSJ • Full Power SSJ (Legendary SSJ)

GAS (DBS manga): ⛽

Normal base • Instincts Released (100% Full Power) • Instincts Controlled (Controlled Full Power) • Burning (Partial Life Reserves) • Zombie (Life Reserves) • Instincts Released Zombie (Life Reserves 100% Full Power)

THE FLAW OF FULL POWER FORMS: 📉

Often times, the Full Power forms are more of a liability than a benefit. Most quickly burn through ki & put strain on the body while giving brute strength at the cost of speed. All which can make the user vulnerable in a life-or-death battle.

In the case of Kale, Broly, & Gas, their increased muscle mass didn't cost them speed. Instead, their Full Power forms caused them to temporarily lose their sanity; something that can put their own life at risk as well as others they may care about.

However, there are characters who have been able to make use of the Full Power forms immediately without losing speed, stamina, or sanity. Examples being SS Rage Trunks, Merged Zamasu, GoD Toppo, SSBE Vegeta, and Jiren (Full Power & Awakened).

EXTRA THOUGHTS:

Certain names of the transformations are just what I call them. Like Kale's Controlled Berserker SSJ, Jiren's Awakened Full Power state, and all of the names for Gas' forms.

Super Saiyan Grade 2 & 3 forms are essentially Roshi's buffer forms repurposed for a Super Saiyan.

I decided to not classify Freeza's "True Golden Freeza" Form as a Full Power Form of Golden Freeza because it appears to be more akin to Super Saiyan Grade 4/Mastered Super Saiyan.

Knowing that Freeza can increase his power by percentages, this would imply the same for other characters who use Full Power forms. Roshi's semi-buff form would possibly be about 70% while his Full Power form is 100%. Super Saiyan Grade 2 may be about 80% or so depending on the character, while Super Saiyan Grade 3 is 100%.

There's a reason you don't see a Full Power SSJ2 or a Full Power SSJ3 used in combat. Most Full Power forms are not stable and would only be good if they can land a hit. And with the stamina drain of SSJ3, a "SSJ3 Grade 3" would be a very pointless form that greatly multiplies the stamina drain.

I didn't include Majin Vegeta as a Full Power form despite it being SSJ2 Vegeta at Full Power. The power Vegeta recieved was not entirely his own & was power beyond his limits granted to him by magic. He was not using a Grade 3 form either, so I did not consider it to be a Full Power form in the same sense as the others on the list.

From what I can tell, Super Saiyan Rage could be some sort of "SSJ2 form of SSJ2." Meaning its a unique form above SSJ3. Before transforming into Super Saiyan Rage, a SSJ2 Trunks bulks up into a "SSJ2 Grade 3." Then, Trunks controls the power, slims down, gains a new aura, gets sharper and longer hair, & temporarily lacks pupils/irises. This is like Kale's Controlled Berserker SSJ form, but seemingly on a higher level. Future Trunks had already gotten his SSJ2 form to be almost as strong as SSJ3, so a "Controlled Full Power SSJ2 form" (SS Rage) would probably put him on a level around or a bit above SSG. (Maybe I should make a post about Super Saiyan Rage in the future. 🤔) On the other hand, Controlled Berserker SSJ Kale is shown to be somewhat below SSG Goku in DBS EP 114 when she & SSJ2 Caulifla fought SSG Goku when he had his gaurd up. So... from what I can tell, Super Saiyan Rage is a transformation of SSJ2 that began as "SSJ2 Grade 3" before Trunks controlled his Full Power & transformed. Thus, I classified Super Saiyan Rage as a Full Power transformation similar to SSBE. (If you disagree & have evidence of some sort, share it with me so I can adjust my thoughts as needed.)

After transforming into SSBE, Vegeta said "This is everything I have, Jiren!" So, I classified Vegeta's SSBE as some sort of improved version of the Full Power form while using SSB. It's basically Vegeta as SSB Grade 3, but slimmed down due to god ki giving him better control of the form, so there is no speed drawback. In a way, it's similar to how Trunks transformed into Super Saiyan Rage. Like Father, like son I suppose.

I wonder if DBS Broly's green haired SSJ form is his SSJ form mixed with the power of his Wrathful State (the Humanoid Oozaru form). With how the Wrathful State [Stage 2] made Broly grow in height and muscle mass, and how the Legendary SSJ form makes Broly turn giant and buff... Maybe his Full Power SSJ form is indeed SSJ combine with a [Stage 2] or a hypothetical [Stage 3] of Broly's Wrathful State power? 🤔

The DBS Manga continuity version of Broly's forms differs from its animated counterpart from what I can tell. DBS manga Broly is more similar to DBS manga Kale. [DBS manga Broly & DBS manga Kale have Base • Super Saiyan • Full Power Super Saiyan.]

I believe Zangya was in a partial Full Power form because she had to power-up against Krillin. When she did, her hair stayed floating upwards during her entire battle with Krillin. Her hair returned to normal only after she defeated him. She clearly had to power-up. But, does Zangya have her own green-skinned transformation like Bojack & Gokua? It's possible. Or perhaps she wasn't able to use a Full Power form like them just yet. We didn't see Bido or Bujin power-up to a Full Power form either. It seems like most of the crew don't have access to that Full Power transformation. So, this powered-up state Zangya used against Krillin could be her "Partial Full Power" if she can transform, or even her current "full power" if she cannot transform a true Full Power form. I currently believe that it is Zangya's "Partial Full Power" form & she hadn't unlocked the Full Power transformation yet.

I disagree with the idea of Krillin using the the Full Power form as a "power-up" like Roshi does because it wouldn't allow him to even touch a stronger opponent due to the buff form's speed reduction. As shown in Resurrection F, the Full Power form still quickly depleted Roshi's stamina & Krillin had to come in to save him. Some ppl say it will make Krillin taller, so it's a good form for him. However, being of short stature is actually an advantage because Krillin is harder to hit and his opponent will underestimate his strength like Piccolo did during the 23rd Tenkaichi Budokai, & like how Vegeta & Nappa underestimated Krillin's strength & skill when he fought them. Plus, Krillin being short is not only part of his character appeal, but it is also a reference to Journey To The West.

Since the buff form is pointless for most characters (unless its a controlled Full Power Form), the best goal for the Krillin and the other Earthling fighters would be for them to utilize masterful ki control & performance in their normal state rather than greatly increasing their muscle mass with ki. As displayed by Krillin, Non-Self State is the next level of Earthling "transformation." But, rather than physical, it is a spiritual transformation; a transformation of internal energy. Hopefully Krillin's Non-Self State makes a return in some form & the other Earthling warriors recieve a similar power-up in the future as well. I have my doubts, but fingers crossed. 🤞

[nablah]

filipino folk song faves ni nablah (not ranked)

Dandansoy - the lyricism, the oyayi quality, the yearning for another and for a better world. Please watch the CCP (C/P/P? 🧐 jk) short film on youtube

Cariñosa - mostly in love with how there are so many versions with different lyrics even different lyrics within the same rendition due to translations (see Mabuhay Singers' english version). thats so luzon culture i.e. liars (i am taga-luzon)

Katakataka - klak klak klak very cute lyrics very cute music first love? last love? second chance? kyut!!! (shoutout to @theresa-of-liechtenstein 's cabin pressure fanart with katakataka!!)

Chitchiritchit - magical realism tradition lives on in how they were just rhyming shit here. colonial comedy and horror :>

Lawiswis kawayan - reminiscent of Elemental by Marjorie Evasco. the imagery!! entry point for more mature folk songs

Paruparong bukid - yes very filipino catholic feminism (appreciative) worship the woman! also i performed this as a butterfly in grade 3. gender.

Magtanim ay 'Di biro - TAMA!!! korek!! labor and agricultural rights ❗️

Bahay kubo - versatile queen. any pinoy millenial/ gen z will remember this in nutrition month AND buwan ng wika

Ako ay may lobo - radicalized me as a child

Tong tong tong tong - alimangooo Not kosher but helps exercise your speech (friends w too many SLPs) funny kung lasing 🍾🍾🍾

Ili ili, tulog anay - similar to Dandansoy in fame imo, one of the most beautiful lullabies. anyone saying she is creepy does not understand!!! that's my ate waiting for mama kung nagbrownout!

[cantsayidont]

Haterating and hollerating through the '90s:

POSTCARDS FROM THE EDGE (1990): Carrie Fisher scripted this witty adaptation of her novel about coked-up, pill-popping actress Suzanne Yale (Meryl Streep), who overdoses in the bed of a strange man (Dennis Quaid), ends up in rehab, and learns that the only way the production insurance company will let her keep working is if she stays with her mother, an aging singer-actress-diva (Shirley MacLaine) whose love for her daughter is equaled only by her tireless determination to upstage her. (No, it's not autobiographical at all, why do you ask?) Fisher's deftly paced, funny script weaves in various serious mother-daughter moments without ever becoming mawkish, and offers a fabulous part for MacLaine, who has a ball poking fun at herself as well as Debbie Reynolds, Fisher's real-life mother and the obvious basis for the film's lightly fictionalized "Doris Mann." Curiously, the weakest link is Streep, who never quite sheds her customary air of prim affectation and always seems ill at ease with Fisher's layers of self-deprecating, sarcastic humor. CONTAINS LESBIANS? Apparently not, although I had questions about Suzanne's rehab friend Aretha (Robin Barlett). VERDICT: MacLaine's finest hour, but Streep's primness keeps it "good" rather than "great."

TERESA'S TATTOO (1993): Painfully unfunny crime comedy, directed by Melissa Etheridge's then-GF Julie Cypher and costarring Cypher's ex, Lou Diamond Phillips, along with an array of incongruously high-profile actors like Joe Pantoliano, Tippi Hedren, Mare Winningham, Diedrich Bader, k.d. lang (!), Sean Astin, Emilio Estevez, and Kiefer Sutherland, most in bit parts (some of them unbilled). The headache-inducing plot concerns a couple of brain-dead thugs whose elaborate hostage scheme hits a snag when their hostage (Adrienne Shelly) accidentally dies. Their solution is to kidnap lookalike Teresa (also Adrienne Shelly), a brainy Ph.D. candidate, and disguise her to look like the dead girl — including giving her a matching tattoo on her chest — in the hopes that the dead girl's idiot brother (C. Thomas Howell) won't notice the switch until it's too late. This truly bad grade-Z effort, barely released theatrically, feels like either a vanity project or a practical joke that got out of hand, and is interesting mostly as a curiosity for Melissa Etheridge fans: The soundtrack is M.E.-heavy, and Etheridge herself has a brief nonspeaking role. CONTAINS LESBIANS? Technically? (Etheridge has no lines and lang plays a Jesus freak.) VERDICT: May erode your affection for M.E.

BLUE JUICE (1995): Tiresome comedy-drama about an aging surfer (a terribly miscast, painfully uncomfortable-looking Sean Pertwee) who's still determined to continue living like a 20-year-old surf bum with his obnoxious mates, even though his back is giving out and he's perilously close to driving away his girlfriend (a disconcertingly hot 25-year-old Catherine Zeta Jones), who is keen for him to finally cut the shit. Meanwhile, the scummiest of his mates (Ewan McGregor) doses their pal Terry (Peter Gunn) and gets him to chase after an actress from his childhood favorite TV show (Jenny Agutter) in hopes of dissuading from marrying his actual girlfriend (Michelle Chadwick), and their mate Josh (Steven Mackintosh), a successful techno producer, flirts with an attractive DJ (Colette Brown) who's actually furious at him for building a vapid techno hit around a sample of her soul singer dad's biggest hit. The latter storyline probably had the most potential (although a weird scene where Josh is castigated by a group of outraged soul fans seems like a lesser TWILIGHT ZONE plot), but none of the script's various threads ever amounts to much. CONTAINS LESBIANS? It doesn't even pass the Bechdel test. VERDICT: If you happen upon it, you may be tempted just for Zeta Jones (and/or Brown), but the rest wears out its welcome with alacrity.

HIGHER LEARNING (1995): Potent story of simmering racial tensions on the campus of a university that definitely isn't USC (writer-director John Singleton's alma mater, and where most of the film was obviously shot), let down by incredibly heavy-handed execution. (The film's final shot is of the word "UNLEARN" superimposed over a giant American flag!) A capable cast (including Omar Epps, Kristy Swanson, Michael Rapaport, Jennifer Connelly, Ice Cube, Tyra Banks, Cole Hauser, Laurence Fishburne, and Regina King) tries to maintain a sense of emotional reality through Singleton's frequent excursions into overpowering melodrama, but there are so many competing plot threads that few characters have any depth; curiously, the script's most complex characterization is in the scenes between budding white supremacist Remy (Rapaport) and Aryan Brotherhood organizer Scott (Hauser). Singleton made this film when he was 25, and there's no shame in its sense of breathless ambition (even if it inevitably bites off more than it can chew), but the overwrought stridency undercuts its intended impact. For a more effective treatment of similar themes in roughly the same period, try Gilbert Hernandez's graphic novel X, originally serialized in LOVE & ROCKETS #31–39 and first collected in 1993. CONTAINS LESBIANS? Jennifer Connelly gives Kristy Swanson a bisexual awakening. VERDICT: The '90s through a bullhorn.

CRASH (1996): Divisive David Cronenberg adaptation of the J.G. Ballard novel, about a movie producer called James Ballard (James Spader) and his desperately horny wife (Deborah Kara Unger), drawn into a loose-knit group of car-crash fetishists organized around a man called Vaughan (Elias Koteas at his creepiest), who stages recreations of famous celebrity crashes like the 1955 accident that killed James Dean. Despite some pretentious dialogue about "the reshaping of the human body by modern technology," the controlling idea might be better summarized as "anything can be a paraphilia if you get weird enough about it." Part of what offends people about the film is that Cronenberg deliberately treats the entire story with the same frosty clinical detachment, rendering the "normal" sex scenes just as remote and perverse as the characters' fixation on the grisly aftermath of car wrecks; the point is that there is no line, just different facets of the same erotic longing, which each of the (admittedly unsympathetic) principal characters embodies in different ways. Spader, Kara Unger, and Koteas are very good, as is Holly Hunter, in perhaps the bravest role of her career, but Rosanna Arquette is underutilized. A worthwhile companion piece would be Steven Soderbergh's 1989 SEX, LIES, AND VIDEOTAPE, also with Spader, which is much more highly regarded (though almost as contrived and scarcely less perverse), perhaps because it seeks to titillate where Cronenberg does not. CONTAINS LESBIANS? Briefly. (See previous note in re: underutilization of Rosanna Arquette.) VERDICT: Icy but interesting.

[sapphire-weapon]

How would you recommend someone to get into canon character analysis? Like how did you start, how did you improve? honestly so impressed by all ur takes

oh god that is a

hell of a question

I been doing this for so long, man... I don't even know.

I mean, I had an unfair advantage over a lot of people in fandom. I was taught how to do a lot of this in school and from a very early age. Like, we're talking second grade. We had entire lessons dedicated to identifying cause and effect in stories. Open-ended critical thinking questions were on every test for every story I read in elementary and middle school. They were also part of the ITBS, which I don't believe is still in use in public schools -- but, in my generation, to pass the standardized tests that we had, we had entire sections of the English/literature portions of that test that were just blank pages to write an essay-like response to an analytical question about a story.

So, I guess I would probably start there. And I would start with something short and simple that has very strong, distinct character voices. Resident Evil is huge and labyrinthine and contradicts itself constantly.

In fact, start with movies. I would actually probably start with Disney movies. And I don't say that to be patronizing to you; I say that to be complimentary to Disney movies. Films like The Hunchback of Notre Dame, The Lion King, and Tangled have really, really strong themes, really distinct and layered characters, and a lot of very adult motivations to their villains especially.

The two big questions that you're going to want to start with are: What is the theme of the story? and What is the character I'm analzying's overall goal?

In a good story, those two answers will either be identical or very closely related. So, to use Tangled as an example: the theme of that movie is "the freedom to pursue/live your dream" and Rapunzel's overall goal is "freedom so that she can pursue her dream of seeing the floating lights." (side note: A good villain should have their goal be the photo negative of the hero's. So, Rapunzel's goal is freedom, whereas Mother Gothel's goal is confinement.)

And once you have those two things established, you can look at the actions that a character takes and see how those actions help move that character closer to achieving their goal. And this is where you can run cause and effect exercises.

Pull out an action that a character takes. Any action. Look at it, and go, "What caused this to happen?" and then ask, "What is the effect that this action has on the story/the other characters/the character themselves? What happens as a result of this?"

And just. Do that. Constantly. Run exercises like that until you want to fucking throw up because the questions seem so simple to you that you don't understand why you're bothering to ask them anymore. I distinctly remember reaching that point in school; eventually cause and effect questions on tests just pissed me off because it just seemed so self-evident.

And then, every so often, while you're doing that, ask why. "So, X happened because Y character did Z. But why did Y character do Z in the first place?" This is a more abstract form of cause and effect, where you have to then go back in the script and identify "Well... B thing happened earlier, which caused Y character to feel this way or learn this thing... so they probably did Z because of the B thing."

It's basically the literary version of

If A + B = C, then C - A = B

or

If A = B and B = C, then A = C

Read into the concept of catharsis in stories and how things are set up in order to pay off later, and that will help you with these exercises.

And once you have that down, read up on the difference between character arcs -- identify a positive arc, a negative arc, and a flat arc. Determine what kind of arc the character goes through. Characters can sometimes have multiple arcs. Look into character archetypes and see how that archetype informs the character's behavior (how many times have I yelled about Leon being "The Protector" archetype?).

If you're interested, here's a whole video of me and @friedesgreatscythe mapping out Rufus Shinra's multiple character arcs, to give you an idea of how that all shakes out.

Once you are able to actually build that outline/map in that video, that's where the actual analysis part starts. Because that's what I'm really doing in all these posts. I'm just applying all that shit ^^^ simultaneously to create these posts. Like this is a really easy to see example of me using those skills from those exercises in order to create an analysis of one part of Leon's character.

And when you get really really advanced at all that shit, then you can start looking into things like symbolism and imagery and camerawork and unreliable narrators, and all that other fucking shit that goes into telling a story.

It's a lot. You're basically going to have to teach yourself several years' worth of skills that school just never taught you. And that fucking sucks. But if that's something you're really interested in doing, I think you should do it. It's never too late to learn a new skill.

[atiny-for-life]

Ateez's Full Storyline Explained - Part 1

Masterlist

I'm gonna cover the Diary Entries/Diary Film before we tackle Inception MV in the next post since all three tie into each other but, as the only written medium, the Diary Entries are the most elaborate and provide the foundation on which the Inception MV is built.

Fever Part 1 Diary Entries:

Side-note: All future albums from Fever Part 1 onwards come in three versions - usually titled A, Z, and Diary Version. If you purchase the Diary Version, you'll find a series of diary entries by the members in the photobook - that's how the storyline gets told. This album, however, is a bit of an exception. There are still three versions but this time, the Thanxx Version includes just one bonus diary entry on the back of Hongjoong's large photo, but we also get the regular Diary Version which comes with a bonus booklet that includes all main entries.

Thanxx Version Entry:

Note: This entry is also being read by a female voice for Track 1 on the album, indicating that someone later found it. Who exactly is unclear. However, it's not the writer as will later become evident.

The entry begins with the first person narrator recounting an incident where an adult asked him what his dream was

From his entry:

As if my dreams explained who I am... When I said I have no dream, the look on the adult's face was like to the child with no name. The look was familiar to me.

He talks about how life passed him by: try to get good grades to please his parents, walk the same path each day, expression unchanged

Many books tell me, look at the stars in the night sky and become the person who shines bright like those stars. But, the stars that I looked up to in the sky did not shine at all. So I continue to walk, looking down at the floor.

It was then that a child walked up to him and told him there was nothing down there to look at, that he should look up

He describes the child as weird because the smile on his face was bright but his eyes were just like his own

They began to hang out together from then on; they would turn up the music and dance

Eventually, those hang outs became the times he felt truly alive

My heart pounding like it's about to burst and this tingling feeling coming up from my fingertips started to take over me. Was there ever another moment where I wanted something this bad? One by one, more children started to say my name. The path that I only walked with one other person became a path to many. Slowly, the word 'I' became 'ours'. Wandering around with this unknown fever, as we looked above our heads, stars seem to shine bright. Today.

The identity of the author is unclear, unfortunately, because going based on the events and some of the word choices, it seems like Hongjoong but later on, we'll see Yeosang's diary entry outright re-use parts of the final lines above

Diary Version Entries/Diary Film:

I highly recommend watching the Diary Film before you read on! It covers all entries in a very pretty, artistic way and will set the vibe for what's to come.

The Intro describes the location of Ateez's hideout: leave the city behind, head through a deserted side road and past a maze of cement walls to find a factory entrance with a 'No-Entry' warning sign

It's surrounded by wild grass, the only sign of visitors: a trampled path made by several sets of footprints

From a distance, you can already hear a familiar beat

Following the path, you'll find a deserted warehouse with rusty iron gates

The first person narrator (likely Hongjoong) enters and finds his friends - the sight makes him smile

From the entry:

These are faces I never got tired of seeing every day. This is our own space. Laughing, crying, arguing, dancing, and singing. A space where our dreams came together. Our hideout, our own world, separating us from the adult world. Right now, it is a moment void of compromises and tameness, it is the moment before we opened that door.

From Hongjoong's entry:

I don't want to be forgotten as if I never existed.

He talks of how he feels different from the people on TV who're performing under bright lights, but he still wants to be a star like them so he can be seen from everywhere

Maybe then, his family will notice him

Even if it were by coincidence, I wish I could meet them at least once. If my family could get back together like before... I miss the warmth of our living room.

His family split up, each of them moving away and leaving him behind where he now found his new family in Ateez

He met each of them through music, by performing in their hideout

Just thinking about them warms my heart! I really hope we can achieve our dreams together! My family, the music I love, and our dreams... We must keep them.

Seonghwa watches a girl perform by herself and feels something in him change as the music from her headphones reaches his ears

He feels the world fall away

From his entry:

Common sense, rules and this tough world didn't have power over her moves. Right this moment, my world broke along this snowy road. [...] She dropped a bracelet that had "Be Free" engraved on it. Ever since that day, I went to the same place at the same time.

Yet, she never returns and he has no way to contact her

Regardless, the way he views music permanently changes

I can no longer distinguish the structure, code, or the genre of the song. Only the lingering feeling of that day remains.

Yunho's entry is a one-sided conversation with his brother, likely taking place at his brother's grave

From his entry:

Hey brother, you look like you are in such a good mood today! The weather is so good as well. Even though I was running to see you, I didn't even feel the heat.

He tells him about his day, how they would've gone to Han River together and how he's been planning to rid of his brother's old guitar but couldn't bring himself to do it

But since it's a guitar you cherished so much, I just left it out of sight because it seemed like you abandoned your dream.

He continues to tell his brother about Hongjoong and how he was someone he felt he could talk to when things get tough

He is a person I admire on both an artistic and humane level. Thinking about it now, you both kind of look alike? I think you guys would have gotten along if you'd ever met each other.

He tells his brother how he can laugh again, thanks to Hongjoong and the other members and how it's helped him avoid the painful memories and focus on achieving the dreams his brother couldn't

I will make them happen: the boys and I will make it happen. When that time comes, you must wake up from the long hibernation. I want to show you all of it! I'll be back tomorrow. Good night!

Yeosang talks about how he was originally never good with mechanics until he started to dismantle a speaker

As time went on, every time he felt suffocated, he would begin to dis- and reassemble appliances and instruments

His parents are the ones who always make him feel like this; they have his entire life planned for him - one routine repeating over and over again each day

From his entry:

That day in that shabby warehouse, a bunch of guys I'd normally run away from asked me if I knew how to work a drone. This whole encounter was a bit strange! I actually was lost and wandering around. The sound of music was what brought me to that place. From that day on, I went there every day.

He falls in love with dancing, describes it as a mind-blowing activity not even the memory of his parents' worried faces could hold him back from

For the first time, I felt alive.

From here, we get a paragraph that can also be found in the bonus entry from the Thanxx album, as I already mentioned when we discussed it

However, where the Thanxx entry reads: "Slowly, the world 'I' became 'ours'. Wandering around with this unknown fever, as we looked above our heads, stars seem to shine bright." This one ends as follows:

Slowly, the word 'I' became 'ours'. However, now I must leave the 'ours'. If I back out, everything will be back to normal, the scattered members and the stolen hideout. I'm sorry, guys.

From San's entry:

I was always laughing, but I always felt lonely. I just couldn't open up or maybe I've never had the time to open up. Every time I got closer to someone, I had to move.

He has to move again today but at least this time, he can talk about his feelings with his friends

As soon as I saw them, I knew right off the bat, they're like me. Oh, Seonghwa was a little different. He never tried to do anything the traditional way, he was always 'HIS' way.

It was his dad who told him they'd have to move again but the words hit San differently this time since he finally found a place he felt like he belonged

What should I say to Wooyoung? Thanks to him, thanks to my friends, I was able to perfect my dance moves. Bobo, what should I do? What? You want me to do it 'MY' way?

The entry ends here, leaving it unclear who "Bobo" is but they get mentioned again in the Fever Part 2 Diary Entries

From Mingi's entry:

Music was my haven, my escape, my one and only relief. When I felt like dying, I would listen to music. I wasn't afraid of death! People who never lived in poverty would never understand this feeling.

The people around him looked at him as if he were an alien and laughed at him for wanting to die when he's just an "immature high school student"

I guess it is uncommon for someone my age to feel that way.

He doesn't remember a lot of names from his years spent in school since no one ever talked to him and, even when they tried, he simply wouldn't answer

But Wooyoung was different.

He's been with Mingi since elementary school and would always stick to him during breaks, even when Mingi would never bother to partake in the conversation

Wooyoung would tell him stories about their classmates, his favorite songs, American dancers and the other Ateez members he worked with outside of school

He always tops it with that signature laugh of his, which naturally made me laugh. Out of shyness, I started calling him "Woo-Ong". Ah, that unique laugh of his. He was the first friend I've ever opened up to.

Mingi started to spend all his time with Wooyoung until he eventually also followed him to the hideout for the first time

The place where I could dream. They were friends who took me as I am. We cried, laughed, and made music together. They accepted me as who I am, regardless of where I live or who my parents were. I felt exuberant for the first time in my life. But now I'm getting scared. Can I really have a dream? Will it not be taken away from me?

Wooyoung recalls how his mind always goes blank and how he wants to run away whenever he tries to perform in front of an audience, regardless of how confident he feels when practicing alone

On social media, his practice video already raked in 100,000 views and many people, including big entertainment agencies, reached out to him, and yet

Once I felt their look towards me, I just couldn't move. I closed my eyes, trying to escape, and then Seonghwa's voice popped in my head: "Wooyoung, before you start performing on stage, remember these three things: 'Everything will be okay!', 'Believe in yourself!', 'You can do it!'" "He will be too nervous to remember THREE things! What kind of psychology book did you read?" "Yunho, are you making fun of Seonghwa again? Buy hey Wooyoung, believing in yourself is the key." Hongjoong is always good at putting everything into perspective.

Wooyoung smiles at the memory and feels their presence despite them being nowhere near; he gets back up

He has a habit of chatting in order to beat his stage fright and has trained himself to laugh when he's feeling shy

But even though he doesn't mind being teased for these habits, he still freezes when he feels the eyes of an audience on himself - his tricks don't work in this kind of setting

He recalls the first time he met Hongjoong, Seonghwa and Yunho at a street performance and how he saw something in them he felt he was lacking

Expressiveness beyond dance techniques and showmanship that captivated the audience. When I danced with them, I wasn't self-conscious and was able to deliver my best performances. My legs are tense. The first step, the step that I was never able to do, the chain that was tying to my body was magically released.

Jongho recalls how he's had his entire life planned out, everything centered around playing basketball... and then he got injured

He begged the doctor to let him get back on the field and play again but it was no use

I felt like I was drowning. No matter how hard I tried, I was still stuck in the exact same spot.

He tried to keep going but the moment he fully gave up on his dream, he felt lifeless

As good as being dead.

He sees his own lifeless eyes from before reflected on Mingi now as he punches him

Yunho grabs his throbbing hand after to keep things from escalating further

Mingi clearly saw the fist coming his way but didn't try to avoid it. His lifeless eyes are still haunting me.

Mingi had called their dreams a luxury, had said their time together meant nothing to him and decided to quit

Jongho couldn't hold back from throwing a punch then

Funnily enough, it was a heartbreaking moment for me but also the time I started to dream again. At that time, I didn't know how to reach out to a lost Mingi. Where are we, where should we go?

The situation with Mingi clearly reminded him of the way it had felt to lose his first dream which meant, amidst the chaos and heartbreak, he realized he'd unknowingly begun to dream again

The Outro, written from Hongjoong's POV as will later become event, begins as follows:

Even though I lost my dream and family again, there was nothing I could do. Everyone left and here I am, alone again.

On a hot summer day, they decided to go their separate ways since they began to view their shared dream as shackles that were holding them down

The scorching sun melted away even our dream of youth and made it disappear at the end of our feet.

Their problems were piling up, their shared promises kept getting put off and, eventually, they began to forget each other

It was then that Hongjoong began to see him in his dreams

The man in the black fedora, whose eyes you could only see through his mask. Somehow familiar but tired eyes. "You lost your dream, not because of the tough reality, but because you guys decided to. "Get rid of the idea that the world you see is everything. There are many dimensions and many realities in this world. The world I am in, the world you are in, are all real."

The man says he'd like to share more but is short on time

He calls the hourglass in his hand "the Cromer" and says it's the key to connecting the worlds

He hands it to Hongjoong before stepping back with his final words

"Follow your heart, the map is there."

When Hongjoong looks up from the Cromer, the man is already gone and Hongjoong wakes up, feeling lonely

It's then that he spots the hourglass on the table in front of him and watches as the sand begins to flow from bottom to top, indicating the Cromer's ability to time travel

The iron door then opened and I could hear the footsteps coming closer one by one. The guys then gathered around me with the same puzzled face.

[r1999-transcript]

A Nightmare at Green Lake 18 - A Cliché Photograph

Tooth Fairy: Are you suffering from the headache again?

Z: Me? No, I’m not.

Tooth Fairy: You shouldn’t lie to a doctor.

Z: Fine. A bit, just a bit. Some warm water will help. I don’t need those … those things. I don’t dislike your tooth fairies. It’s the texture that creeps me out. I’ve tried multiple times. You know how it ended.

Tooth Fairy: Don’t worry. I have some drugs for humans. Wanna try?

That is another option for arcanists who find it hard to swallow those humanoid fairies.

Z: Oh? That’s surprising. Thank you.

Tooth Fairy: How about the future of those kids?

Madam Z casts a glimpse at the backseat and sighs.

Z: Are you talking about the deer girl, or Joshua, the troublemaker?

Tooth Fairy: You can tell me one by one. It’s a long trip back to the headquarters. We’ve plenty time to chat.

Z: Joshua will pay for what he did. Absence from duty without permission is a severe violation of the regulations. He will face a demotion and be grounded for three to five months. Of course, I’ll apply for leniency for him, but I think it won’t make much difference. We don’t have many means to help him. Vertin might be a good choice.

Tooth Fairy: You mean assigning him to Vertin’s team?

Z: Exactly. If we can make Vertin apply for that … He’ll be put through a much milder punishment. After that, he’ll be free to leave with Vertin.

Tooth Fairy: This is a good idea. How about Jessica, the deer girl?

Z: She … She needs to receive some education to become adequately socialised. Based on her result of the amended Arcanists Risk Evaluation Chart, this little girl is very dangerous. We rescued nine hostages from her cage. Three are from the film crew. The other six are from the student expedition team that went missing six months ago.

Tooth Fairy: The validity of that chart is debatable, for it doesn’t have a sufficient number of questions to draw a conclusion.

Z: Yeah, when we arrive at the Foundation, we will give her a more comprehensive test. But that doesn’t mean that she’ll get a higher grade. We all know that the amended version tends to overestimate examinees.

Tooth Fairy: Can I visit her while she’s in the Foundation?

Z: Of course, chatting with someone familiar is conductive to embracing the community. You don’t need to worry too much about her. We’ll treat her the right way. The arcanum shown on her is of a very unique kind, and she’ll be helpful in many experiments.

Tooth Fairy: That’s good. But I still have one more question.

Z: Go ahead, doctor.

Tooth Fairy: Members from the Zeno also participated in the rescue. Did you call them to come?

Z: Yeah, this should have been their responsibilities. To be more precise, all of these problems were their fault.

Tooth Fairy: Are you talking about the missing of their Youth Force?

Z: What? No. But, wait, what missing Youth Force?

Tooth Fairy: The myth that Zeno Youth Force disappeared overnight at the Green Lake Campsite. Haven’t you ever heard of that?

Z: No, never! Where did you hear that?

Tooth Fairy: Joshua told me.

Z: He is just a young man, impulsive, and can’t tell a story from a fact. Why would you believe … Never mind. Back to the business. By the end of the ‘50s, Zeno found a bunch of critters with unique appearance in the woods near the Green Lake Campsite. As they continued to investigate, they found that special moss in the woods that can trigger changes in appearance. In order to conduct further research, they built a campsite and held some camping activities as disguise from time to time. The critters mutated and evolved very fast. Meanwhile, the town prospered, and the nearby population soared. After several incidents of attacks on local residents by fled critter subjects, Zeno decided to move the campsite out of that area. That deer girl was neglected during the moving. She was left at the Green Lake and kept on secretly living there till now. Other critters that escaped have hybridised with the local breeds and hence created the new critters you’ve encountered. They more or less carry a lineage of changelings, which are very hard to deal with. But thank God, you’ve brought this girl under control.

Tooth Fairy: Jessica has been like their … friend, or leader.

Z: I think she is more like a leader, or even a master to them. Zeno conducted military training to the first batch of critters, so they are more obedient than others. Your Jessica is like … their commander. She gives orders to the critters at the bottom of the lake through a radio hidden in the remote control so that they act in precise alignment.

Tooth Fairy: … So you knew the truth of the Green Lake Campsite from the beginning?

Z: It was Zeno’s idea to clean up the mess with the Foundation. They contacted me before … Huh! If you could’ve asked me earlier, like before you departed, we wouldn’t have to go through so much trouble.

Tooth Fairy: Kids were ignorant for lack of knowledge, yet adults were ignorant for their cognitive inertia. In a story where truth and falsity are mingled together, it is hard to tell which is which.

Z: What did you say?

Tooth Fairy: Nothing, nothing important. Have you heard of what happened to my brother?

Z: Huh? Your brother? What happened to him?

Tooth Fairy: Do you know how his teeth disappeared?

Z: Ummm. I don’t want to offend anyone, but wasn’t it because of the curse of the tooth fairies?

Tooth Fairy: Heh heh.

Z: What? What are you laughing at?

Tooth Fairy: Nah, nothing. As for my brother, I will tell you more later. Hush now. Give me my camera.

Tooth Fairy turns around, leans over her seat, and presses the shutter. The children are leaning against each other and sleeping in peace. That’s the end of the horror story, which is not that horrible, though.

[spicykaraage]

Tenipuri Complete Character Profile - Seiichi Yukimura

[PROFILE]

Birthday: March 5th (Pisces)

Blood Type: A

Relatives: Grandmother, Father, Mother, Younger Sister

Father’s Occupation: Company Employee (advertising company)

Elementary School: South Shonan Elementary School

Middle School: Rikkai University Junior High School

Grade & Class: Third Year | Class 3-C | Seat 21

Club: Tennis Club (Captain)

Committee: Beautification Committee

Strong Subjects: English, Math, Art

Weak Subjects: Chemistry (the smell of chemicals reminds him of the hospital…)

Frequently Visited Spot at School: The campus flowerbeds, the rooftop garden

World Cup Team: U-17 World Cup Japanese Representatives

Favorite Motto: “If you have not experienced the cold of winter, you will never know the warmth of spring.”

Daily Routines: Watering his potted plants, scenario training

Hobbies: Gardening

Favorite Color: Light Blue

Favorite Music: Brahms’ Symphony No. 4

Favorite Movie: Films by Jean-Luc Godard

Favorite Book: Poetry books (especially French) ➜ Night Flight by Antoine de Saint-Exupéry [23.5]

Favorite Food: Grilled fish (mostly white meat [23.5]), tea [23.5]

Favorite Anniversary: July 1st (the day his first flower bloomed)

Preferred Type: A healthy person ➜ A person who pursues their dreams [23.5]

Ideal Date Spot: Art museum “They’re holding an impressionism exhibit right now.” ➜ An art museum or a library “I want to know more about French history.” [23.5]

His Gift for a Special Person: Candied violets

Where He Wants to Travel: Kunsthaus Zürich

Thing He Wants Most Right Now: A book of Pierre-Auguste Renoir’s paintings ➜ An outdoor easel stand [23.5]

Dislikes: Talking about people behind their backs

Skills Outside of Tennis: Watercolor painting, identifying plants and animals

Spends Allowance On: Gardening supplies, books

Routine During the World Cup: Sketching

[DATA]

Height: 175cm ➜ 176cm [23.5]

Weight: 61kg ➜ 63kg [23.5]

Shoe Size: 26.5cm

Dominant Arm: Right

Vision: 1.5 Left & Right

Play Style: All Rounder

Signature Moves: Selfless State, Yips (not a technique), Howling, Sixth Sense

Time He Wakes Up: 6:30am

Time He Goes to Sleep: 10:45pm

Number of Times He’s Been Hit By Sanada as Punishment: 1 time

Favorite Brands:

Racquet: WING HEART (FORJE Z 115)

Shoes: YONEX (POWER CUSHION 190)

Overall Rating: Speed: 4 / Power: 3.5 / Stamina: 3.5 / Mental: 6 / Technique: 6 / Total: 23

Kurobe Memo: “It is quite surprising that at his age he can play a style of tennis that makes use of the slightest movements to the greatest effects. Once he fully recovers from his illness, I would like to see him play more aggressively.” [RB]

[POSSESSIONS]

What’s in His Bag:

Supplements and Chinese herbal medicines // He occasionally gives them to his classmates

Patient registration card and telephone card

Book of Paul Verlaine’s poems // He got into French literature while he was in the hospital

Reference books // He’s been doing a few make up exams when there’s no after school practice

Club notebook

Sanada’s calligraphy: “I pray you live a long and healthy life.”

What’s in His Locker [C&S]:

Homemade potpourri // Potpourri made from dried flowers that he grew himself. He brought it to share with Yagyuu

A nostalgic music box // A cute music box, he will not give any details regarding it though

Dumbbells Shiraishi gave to him

[vidreview]

VIDEO ESSAY ROUNDUP #6 [PART 2]

[originally posted august 1st 2024 NOTE: while migrating the archive from cohost i've discovered that tumblr has a 10 link-block limit, which means i have to split some of these roundups up in order to maintain the embeds. we love websites don't we folks]

"New Zelda isn't Zelda" by Eroymak.

it's novel to see one of these shot in the mountains! vibes like a younger, ganglier nakeyjakey. i like to imagine that there's an escalating war of spectacle happening between white outdoorsy middle-class nerds all trying to one-up each other by casually filming an otherwise anodyne video essay in increasingly precarious locales. how long until a 22 year old DJ from Wisconsin dies on the slopes of Everest trying to film an essay about Mario 1-1? who's going to be the first human being to levy a citation-heavy critique of Ayn Rand's The Fountainhead while skydiving? how long until Shiey accidentally loses Jacob Geller down an abandoned mine shaft? anyway, Eroymak is extremely correct here about what makes modern Zelda games a drag, namely that their "go anywhere do anything" attitude ruins the sense of progression that once defined the franchise. i worry about this with the upcoming Echoes of Wisdom, which seems to be applying the Of The games' open toolset philosophy to the 2D Zelda template, but i digress. for being only 7 minutes and 20 seconds, this is a pretty succinct and broadly comprehensive summation of why the open world Zeldas lack a certain magic that was once so easily flaunted by their forebears.

"so that's why they cut all her scenes from the movie" by CinemaStix.

i've seen CinemaStix videos in my recommended feed multiple times and avoided them like the plague. i mean, come on. "CinemaStix"? at a glance this conjures a monstrous Third-Way chimera betwixt CinemaSins and CinemaWins, and i would sooner stave my own head in with a rock than give such a thing the time of day. EXCEPT… Constantine 2005 is one of my favorite comic book movies. i saw it in theaters and it changed me. in the years since, i've defended Constantine's honor from the haters to little avail (thankfully the tides have turned in recent years and people are realizing that they totally missed the second-best John Wick movie), and it's top of my list of fun movies to show guests when we're bored. this special interest overrode my kneejerk book-cover judgment survival mechanism, and i'm so mad that i don't regret it. this video is about the editing of Constantine 2005, and how many of the film's iconic moments were constructed in post. as the title suggests, a substantial amount of time is spent trying to understand why an entire character was ultimately cut, a question that's also plagued me ever since watching the deleted scenes on the DVD in 10th grade. whether you've seen Constantine 2005 or not, this is an excellent portrait of editing as a substantive authorial process. i've since gone and watched multiple CinemaStix videos, and god damn it, these are some quality essays. sometimes popular things are good, she said grumpily.

"Conservative Comedy Ruined My Life" by Big Joel.

oops, can you tell this vidrev roundup has been sitting in my drafts for a long time? this video came out on April 2nd of 2024 and has nearly 2.5 million views, so i won't belabor the point. this is a great deconstruction of conservative comedy that looks hard into why so much of it sucks beyond the empty platitudes endemic to smarmy liberals. it's some of Big Joel's best work in my opinion.

"On Online Entitlement" by CJ The X.

an excellent autopsy of the rhetorical implications of an overly familiar instagram comment-- a description that i know probably sounds obnoxious, but genuinely is not the case. Mx. The X goes to great lengths to assure us that this is not about the person who left the comment, but the various attitudes and assumptions that are implied in its construction. gen z essayists in particular seem to specialize in this sort of editorial post-game breakdown of the things people say when they think they're saying something else, and i think they're always worth paying attention to. consider this something of a downstream epilogue to Shannon Strucci's seminal Fake Friends series. even as i don't always agree with the totality of their conclusions, i do always come away from CJ The X videos feeling like i've learned something about how i and other internet-dwelling social animals think.

"How Uber Is Destroying Food Delivery" by More Perfect Union.

More Perfect Union is not typically in the business of video essays, focusing more on feature stories that heavily rely on interviews and on-the-ground reporting. this one's a unique development in that it is just straight up a video essay, using the business model of Uber as an avenue for understanding Corey Doctorow's theory of platform decay (except he calls it Enshittification because god forbid 21st century materialist philosophy grow out of its twee blogosphere adolescence). if you know the theory then there's probably not gonna be much here that surprises you, but i felt it a notable inclusion nevertheless.

do you have recommendations for video essays i might not have seen, new or old? well my askbox is open and i'm always looking for ways to penetrate my experiential-algorithmic youtube bubble. hope you found something enjoyable in this collection, see you in the next one!

<- ROUNDUP #5