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earthstellar · 3 years

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TFP Russian AU: Eastern European Sci-Fi Media and the Influence on Science Fiction in the West

World Building is Fun: Research is Good

I like to do a lot of cultural and media history research to establish a suitable in-universe family of design concepts that inform the development of the AU world, relative to the themes or inspiration overall for any given AU.

As the TFP Russian AU is all about “what if the bots landed in Russia when they came to Earth instead of America”, obviously I’ve been doing tons of research into Russian social history, geography, culture, and of course, media!

For my TFP Russian AU, @milabazal2002 and @everdino have been extremely kind and patient with me, and have really helped me develop specific details that I would be unable to grasp myself as someone who isn’t from the region-- And I am very thankful for their involvement and support! :) <3

You can see my most recent TFP Russian AU post here, discussing the conceptualisation of Cybertron using Russian sci-fi and popular science magazines as a basis for design.

The Invention of Sci-Fi: Origins of the Genre

For an idea of why I’m looking at these films for inspiration for this AU, it is important to understand just how influential Eastern European sci-fi has been to the genre overall.

While the actual origins of sci-fi as a popular genre are generally attributed to Victorian English and French literature, specifically HG Wells and Jules Verne, modern (current) audiences actually tend to interpret Wells and Verne motifs more as Steampunk genre material, which is itself a fairly recent genre or sub-genre delineation.

What most consider currently to be Science Fiction in terms of design, overall theme, etc. is derived primarily from various Eastern European works, primarily those produced from the Edwardian era through to the late 1970s.

These Eastern European concepts of sci-fi were heavily influential on the West.

For example, Kubrick based many design elements in 2001: A Space Odyssey off of the previous 1957 Soviet film Дорога к звёздам (Road to the Stars), especially the design of the space station-- Which also later influenced space station designs in other media, such as Terok Nor in Star Trek: Deep Space Nine!

Compare the station designs below, with the original Soviet 1950s on the left, and the American 1960s on the right; Both feature the “ladder ring” design:

I’ll keep this as short as I can, but there is so much to cover that I am only able to touch on a few key examples here.

1) The Origin of Robots and Robot Designs: Universal Robots and Transformers

The word “robot” comes from the Czech playwright K. Čapek's R.U.R. ‘Rossum's Universal Robots’ (1920).

“Robot” is derived not directly from Czech, but from Old Slavonic/Proto Slavonic: The word “robota”, often translated as meaning servitude/indentured work or forced labour. Sometimes it was/is used to imply wage slavery or manual labour, specifically.

The costume designs in this play/movie are beyond fantastic, and became formative influences in robot depictions and designs in media.

You can see the design influence in Transformers in several places as well, but I like to focus on certain helm designs as a particularly good example.

Check out these R.U.R. characters next to G1 Powerglide and Kup for a good comparison of helm designs!

With Powerglide, you can see the influence of the “bullet” type helmet on the left, which was common in Art Deco, Constructivist, and Futurist sci-fi designs of the time. It was a design associated with speed, strength, and the cutting edge modern era of industrial technology.

For Kup, if you just take out a middle section of the cylindrical helmets on the left and add a badge in the middle with some audial receptors, you have Kup’s helm design almost exactly.

The fact that Megatron in G1 is often called “buckethead” comes not just from the metallic bucket-like look of his helm design, but because metal bucket helmets were often made for robot or robotic/cyborg characters in classic sci-fi, and it became an instantly recognisable design element!

In IDW Transformers, Rossum’s Trinity is named after the play which brought the word “robot” into the common cultural lexicon.

And of course, there is the Decepticon Rossum himself, as well!

I love that they referenced Rossum directly in-canon. Nice work, JRO! :)

2) Russian Futurist and Constructivist Design is the Established Look of the Future and Far Away Worlds

The first science fiction feature film ever made was the Russian production Аэли́та (Aelita, 1924), which informed sci-fi visuals for decades and still does.

We can see architectural Art Deco/Futurist design in Aelita, which became the established standard for creating other-worldly looking sets and backgrounds.

Compare this set model from Aelita, with a G1 depiction of Cybertron:

Sweeping geometrics, smoothed surfaces with arches and Constructivist/Futurist design elements still persist in the public mind as a common concept of what alien worlds look and feel like.

3) Aelita = Elita-One!

The headdresses worn in Aelita by characters on another world to visually distinguish them from characters in scenes on Earth influenced a lot of character and costume design for the genre.

We see this in so many franchises, including Star Wars (Princess Amidala).

Compare Aelita (1924) to Elita-One below, for an example of how geometric elements in early Eastern European sci-fi costume design continue to be utilised as distinct mechanical or futuristic character design elements.

I also like how Aelita and Elita-One both have matching eyebrows, too! :)

Hopefully this was interesting for someone out there!

I want to do another TFP Russian AU post soon, with a list of some of my personal favourite Eastern European sci-fi movies which I’ve been re-watching lately as inspiration for this AU.

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milabazal2002 · 3 years

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Some sketches with RusTFP AU Miko

@everdino @earthstellar

I've always associated her with graffiti. I bet she always have at least 3 spray cans of paint with her

Sarafan radio (rumors) in action

1: There's been a lot of soldiers here lately

2: Probably something from that old base is being taken away

1: Wasn't it abandoned?

2: I don't know, everything is secret there

#russian transformers #tfp au #RusTFP #miko nakadai #tfp miko #sketches

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therealsaintscully · 4 years

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My list of X-Files inspired BBC Sherlock fic prompts

I recently finished reading @88thparallel‘s fabulous “Written in Ashes”, a BBC Sherlock fic inspired by the X-Files episode Demons. I’m a huge X-Files fan myself, and the idea of adapting an XF story into a Sherlock one sent me down a rabbit hole. I decided to compose a list of ideas, all up for grabs, for X-Files plots that can be adapted in interesting ways to a BBC Sherlock casefics.

Below you’ll find a list of X-Files episode with their original description, and some suggestions based on my knowledge of the two shows of what makes the plot an interesting one to write. As I mentioned, these ideas are PROMPTS, suggestions - feel free to write them. In fact it’ll be my honor! Let me know if and when you do (I might even create a collection for them in AO3).

Ice (1x07) - Mulder and Scully investigate the death of an Alaskan research team. Isolated and alone, the agents and their accompanying team discover the existence of extraterrestrial parasitic organisms that drive their hosts into impulsive fits of rage. Cool plot points you might enjoy writing: extreme nature adventures (mountains, snow, remote research facilities); isolated together with strangers in a distant location (Ice was supposed to be a bottle episode); a lot of suspense as Mulder and Scully’s trust in each other is put to the test (a handgun showdown), physical inspections rife with sexual tension, ooo!

Darkness Falls (1x19) - Mulder and Scully are called in to investigate when a team of loggers disappear without a trace. Initially suspecting eco-terrorism, the agents find themselves trapped by a seemingly ancient menace lurking in the woods. According to Wikipedia, “Chris Carter was inspired to write this episode based on an interest in dendrochronology (sic? that’s how it’s spelled in wikipedia), a subject that involves analyzing annual growth rings found in non-tropical tree species.” An interesting topic to develop! Cool plot points you might enjoy writing: Just like in Ice, opportunity to write magnificent nature descriptions; also like in Ice, Mulder and Scully have to fend to themselves against the ‘others’; wonderful quotes such as “Rugged manly-men. In the full bloom of their manhood.” and “Come on, Scully. It'll be a nice trip to the forest." A Three Garridebs moment could work here!

Pusher (3x17) - Ah, Pusher. An early Vince Gilligan classic! Mulder and Scully’s assistance is requested for a case involving a man, who goes by the pseudonym "Pusher", seemingly capable of bending people to his will. The suspect uses his mysterious abilities to manipulate Mulder into a dangerous end game. Cool plot points you might enjoy writing: Many parallels can be found between Modell and Eurus and or Moriarty; the game of cat and mouse in hopes of luring Mulder as the end game is quite similar to the TFP/TGG; the final game of Russian roulette with Mulder at the end is a classic MSR scene which could be lovely to write for John and Sherlock (Gillian is amazing with that One Tear™ while she threatens Modell); an opportunity to instill a fear of a very specific shade of blue in your readers; a chance of a sequel, since Modell returns with a vengeance in Kitsunegari.

Jose Chung's From Outer Space (3X20) - Mulder and Scully hear, and promptly investigate, a story about an alien abduction of two teenagers. Each witness provides a different version of the same facts. Within the episode, a thriller novelist, Jose Chung, writes a book about the incident. Cool plot points you might enjoy writing: Humor! Lots and lots self-aware, meta-type inner-jokes humor as an observant book writer describes Mulder/Sherlock’s many weird traits.

Avatar (3x21) - Assistant Director Walter Skinner is accused of murdering a prostitute, Mulder and Scully investigate to determine the truth behind what happened. Cool plot points you might enjoy writing: A fine chance to turn Skinner into Sholto or one of John’s other army friends (Skinner discusses trauma from his days in Vietnam in this episode, which could be adapted to Afghanistan). John Asks for Sherlock’s help on behalf of Sholto/said friend and there’s a thrilling prospect of some good old jealousy :) *After writing this I kinda fell in love with this idea and I might attempt writing this, but I’m absolutely not claiming this exclusively! If you like the idea go ahead!

Paper Hearts (4X08) - Another Vince Gilligan episode, my go-to one these days for when I miss the show and need a good dose of Mulder and Scully. I can go on and on about why I love this episode but I’ll spare you from that right now ;) Mulder and Scully find that a child killer who Mulder had helped to apprehend several years earlier had claimed more victims than he had confessed to; and in the resulting investigation, learn that the killer is now claiming to have killed Mulder's sister Samantha. Cool plot points you might enjoy writing: The Alice in Wonderland theme in the episode is somewhat reminiscent of the Hansel and Gretel theme from TRF so Moriarty could be one way to go; another way to go is have Eurus as a villain in a TFP plot fix-it (if you find the Sherrinford plot exaggerated), with Sherlock’s hope of finding Victor’s body by the end of the game.

Zero Sum (4x21) - In the episode, a case Mulder is asked to investigate is covertly covered up by the agents' boss Walter Skinner, who has made a sinister bargain with The Smoking Man. Scully is missing in this episode (Mulder cites her cancer treatments; Gillian Anderson was filming something else at the time). Cool plot points you might enjoy writing: A wonderful opportunity for a Lestrade-as-Skinner story! (and you’re given a fine chance to write a Lestade naked with nothing but pants situation); Mulder is a bit lost without Scully in this episode so that’s added background Johnlock angst; the story can happen when John is away, either during his honeymoon or after Mary dies.

The Pine Bluff Variant (5x18) - This is an underrated episode which I quite like, personally. Scully grows suspicious of Mulder when she thinks he may be helping a terrorist organization. Scully begins to wonder if he is now a traitor to the FBI. It is eventually revealed that Mulder is working as a mole in the group, and he is trying to stop them before they are able to use a biological weapon—that may have been created by members of the U.S. government—which causes rapid degeneration of human flesh. Cool plot points you might enjoy: alternating POVs between Sherlock and John; a lot of tension between John and Sherlock while John is suspicious; Mycroft recruiting Sherlock to appear as a traitor.

Triangle (6x03) - What can I possibly say about Triangle that hadn’t been said before? Cool plot points you might enjoy: An AU-within-AU opportunity - a chance for John and Sherlock to meet in a WW2 era, saved by rebel-Nazi Lestrade, Sherlock’s irregulars are The Lone Gunmen, a kiss, a punch, “You’re my one in five billion” (remember when there 5 billion people on this planet?) :) If you do write this, please make sure present John and past John pass each other by and get a strange, tingling sensation as a result! It’s one of my favorite scenes in the entire show.

Dreamland I & II (6x04 and 6x05) - Mulder and Scully visit Area 51. But when the agents witness the flight of a mysterious craft, Mulder and a member of the Men in Black switch bodies, unbeknownst to the others. In part two, Scully begins to suspect that her partner's strange behavior is more than it appears to be, while Mulder fights to return his life to normal before it is too late. Cool plot points you might enjoy: Humor, humor and more humor. Mostly Morris Fletcher trying to bed John (=Scully) who promptly pulls a gun on him. That should be an awesome scene to write in and of itself. And let’s not forget “Lately, for lunch, you've been having this six-ounce cup of yogurt, plain yogurt, into which you stir bee pollen because you're on a bee pollen kick even though I tell you you're a doctor and you should know better.“ as well as “I’d kiss you if you weren’t so damn ugly.”

Tithonus (6x09) - Another underrated episode. I think it deals with the theme of death’s inevitability rather beautifully. Scully learns that she, but not Mulder, is being given a chance to prove her worth at the FBI, and—paired with a new partner—she investigates a crime scene photographer with an uncanny knack for arriving just in time to see his victims' final moments. What she does not expect, however, is for Death to play a role himself. Cool plot points you might enjoy writing: John exploring on his own, for one reason or another, attached to another investigator (things happen!); this episode further explores a theory referred throughout the show since Clyde Bruckman’s Final Repose, that Dana Scully is immortal (she seems to avoid death in this episode as well). It’s an Appointment in Samarra sort of story.

Monday (6x15) - Mulder and Scully are stuck in a deadly time loop. It’s a story that writes itself! Cool plot points you might enjoy writing: Sherlock or John having a really bad morning, over and over again.

Alpha (6x16) - Mulder and Scully investigate several killings blamed on an Asian dog called the Wanshang Dhole, thought to be extinct. Mulder and Scully join an obstinate Sheriff, a seemingly eccentric hunter, and a reclusive canine expert to find it. However, there is more mystery to the expert than meets the eye. Cool plot points you might enjoy writing: I enjoy this episode because it has some gentle but obvious MSR moments. Scully is suspicious (and low-key jealous) of Karin Berquist’s involvement in the case and it colors her opinion of the investigation. A key quote in this episode, preformed softly and beautifully by Gillian, is: “She's enamored of you Mulder. Don't underestimate a woman. They can be tricksters, too.”

The Unnatural (6x17) - This is a weird ass episode, let’s admit it. This is DD’s love story to baseball and it’s silly and sometimes boring/slow. BUT, it has lovely MRS moments. Cool plot points you might enjoy writing: The structure of story within a story (Mulder retells his time spent with Arthur Dales who tells him the story of Josh Exley) is interesting enough. The opening and closing scenes are lovely as well of course!

X-Cops (7x12) - Mulder and Scully are interviewed for the Fox reality television program Cops during an X-Files investigation. Mulder, hunting what he believes to be a werewolf, discovers that the monster terrorizing people instead feeds on fear. While Mulder embraces the publicity of Cops, Scully is more uncomfortable about appearing on national television. Cool plot points you might enjoy writing: It’s your chance to write a Sherlock crossver fic about an X-Files crossover episode. If that’s not cool, I don’t no what is.

Hollywood A.D. (7x18) - Let’s admit it, Hollywood A.D is not a good episode, as funny as it is. This episode was one of the first signs the show had lost its edge, possibly because they thought this would be their truly-this-time last season. However, it IS funny and gave rise to fans claims that by this point, Mulder and Scully were Definitely Sleeping Together. Wayne Federman, an entrepreneurial Hollywood producer and college friend of Walter Skinner picks up the idea for a film based on the X-Files, however Mulder and Scully find that the level of realism in their fictional portrayal is somewhat questionable. Meanwhile, during the filming of the movie, Mulder and Scully research the mysterious "Lazarus Bowl", an artifact that supposedly has the exact words that Jesus Christ spoke to raise Lazarus from the dead recorded on its surface. Cool plot points you might enjoy writing: Lots of inner-jokes and crack humor, many fluffy moments, the chance to imagine who’ll play Lestrade, Sherlock and John in a BBC Film, Lazarus could refer to The Fall(!), which could be the plot to said film.

The X-Files: I Want to Believe - Mulder and Scully have both left the FBI, but when an FBI agent is mysteriously kidnapped, and a former priest who has been convicted of being a child molester claims to be experiencing psychic visions of the endangered agent, they reluctantly accept the FBI's request for their paranormal expertise. I know, I know. Don’t look at me like that. I didn’t like it either at first, but a) compared to the revival seasons, it’s not that bad and b) in terms of established relationship angst, it’s a fucking goldmine. Cool plot points you might enjoy writing: A chance to write a post-recent-retirement fic for Sherlock and John, with a lot of tension in their established relationship based around John’s reluctance to return to their lives as investigators. IWTB has quotes like “This isn't my life anymore, Mulder. I'm done chasing monsters in the dark.” and “This stubbornness of yours, it's why I fell in love with you.” So there! Don’t dismiss the idea so quickly!

Wow, this turned out longer than I expected! I hope you liked them, and even if you don’t write anything - I definitely enjoyed this exercise.

My finished fics are ready to be read on AO3 :)

#bbc sherlock #sherlock fic #sherlock fic prompts #x-files #the x files #sherlock/x-files crossovers #john watson #sherlock holmes #dana scully #fox mulder

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earthstellar · 3 years

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Russian TFP AU World Building: Imagining Cybertron + Commentary on the Canonical Depictions of Cybertron

In theme with the AU concept, I’ve been looking at Russian and Soviet sci-fi classics to get an idea of how Cybertron might look in this universe.

We see Cybertron depicted here and there throughout various Transformers shows and media, but it’s all very influenced by Japanese and Western sci-fi architectural elements, because of course that’s the primary frame of reference for the concept artists involved and so on.

But I really love the creative and distinctive Eastern European sci-fi architectural designs, particularly those featured in old issues of Tekhnika Molodezhi / Техника молодёжи (Technology for the Youth) Magazine.

First, here are some canon depictions of Cybertron from various Transformers media:

We typically see the planet as primarily blue and orange, with the surface either being totally grey from battle damage and destruction, or depicted as a Blade Runner city style metallic but very grim and foggy environment on the actual ground level.

Personally, I feel like the architecture and colours and atmospheric environment may be entirely different. The above environmental designs could fit into concept art for Fifth Element or as I said, Blade Runner-- But this isn’t a cyberpunk future Earth environment, it’s a whole other world with an entirely different type of lifeform.

I feel like colour would be more prominent on Cybertron, even if diminished by the effects of war. After all, Cybertronians have thousands of different paint jobs for themselves, why wouldn’t their architecture and environment emphasise their increased technological capabilities and nanite based paint? Would some buildings change colour? What about signs, decoration, public art works?

Would roads and road signs feature prominently as transportation is an innate part of their physical being and culture? Would walkways be distinguished, or would all pathways be wide enough to accommodate root mode and alt-mode travel, and how would that be coordinated?

The environment designs we see of Cybertron are often very human in terms of design; Generally focusing on the “war devastation” theme and not the fact that before the war, these would have been fully functioning alien communities and cities and workplaces and leisure areas and so on.

Looking to the Past to Design the Future: Tekhnika Molodezhi Designs

I feel like Eastern European sci-fi art remains some of the best in the world, entirely just my personal opinion, and I love the vibrancy and genuinely liveable feeling of many of the environmental and architecture concepts.

These designs are unique, creative, and integrate the concept of living and working functionally in such an environment as well as the maximum possible application of technology and cutting edge creative engineering design to make sci-fi environments that feel plausible and believably alien and futuristic, despite their impossibility.

Below are a couple pieces that give me a very Cybertron vibe:

So I think that when I get to that point in the Russian TFP AU story, I’m going to depict Cybertron in more of a colourful, truly alien and technologically oriented way, as opposed to the canon depictions.

I just personally feel like an alien world with a people and environment based on incredible technology with a totally different culture and history to anything on Earth wouldn’t look like New York at 11 PM on a Friday.

For example, we know Iacon is described often as having tall skyscraper type buildings and lots of glass like material; That’s totally fine, but it still shouldn’t be immediately familiar to humans.

I feel like Iacon could have towers made of materials that can’t possibly exist on Earth, different types of flexible metals etc. that have no equivalent on Earth, the “skyscrapers” being these shining beacons that shimmer in the way that rainbows appear in sheets of Titanium-- But instead of the light causing the reflection, the buildings are painted with the same nanite paint that the Cybertronians use to coat their armour, living pigment, that can’t help but ripple every now and then as it adjusts to weather conditions and so on.

Emotionally Connecting to the Loss of Cybertron: What, Exactly, Was Lost?

To see a vibrant, fantastical Cybertron-- And then to see the same places in ruins due to centuries of war-- Would have a far more significant impact, and drive home just how much has been lost to this ongoing conflict.

We only ever see the planet as this dark, gloomy, grim place even before the war, and it’s hard to fully appreciate or understand what it could have looked like prior to it’s destruction, or prior to extensive damage.

We know it’s been destroyed, we are shown the destruction, and inherently we can understand the loss and pain of that especially on a planet wide scale. But what, exactly, did it used to look like? Just how much was lost? Because it is an alien world, we can’t necessarily look at the rubble and reconstruct it in our minds reliably as it used to be; We don’t ever really see that much of Cybertronian design, all things considered.

So seeing it before the war, clearly, and then after the war with most major territories in ruins-- That would emphasise how stark the damage is, how totally obliterated Cybertron has become over centuries of war, and the emotional reactions of the characters would be immediately that much more relatable to the audience.

It would also help provide context for why some bots dislike Earth. Is it because Earth is so different as to drive home the feeling of being permanently displaced? Or are there actually some commonalities between human and Cybertronian design that may emphasise painful memories of what was lost on their homeworld? It could add a lot of subtle depth here and there.

Again, all of the above is mostly just my own personal feelings about sci-fi foreign planet design in general, but hopefully it’s still interesting to read!

(Tagging @milabazal2002 and @everdino!)

#Russian TFP AU #Russian TF AU #maccadam #transformers prime #cybertron #long post #transformers #cybertronian culture #transformers essay #transformers headcanons

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earthstellar · 3 years

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Russian TFP AU: Classic Russian Sci-Fi Film Inspiration

Alright, so I’ve been pretty busy lately, and I’m gonna still be busy for the next few months probably, but I’m still working on the Russian TFP AU!

You can see my latest Russian TFP AU brainstorming posts here and here!

Since I haven’t had a lot of time to talk much about it in a while, I thought I’d make a fun inspiration/research materials post here with my favourite classic Russian sic-fi movies I’ve been watching to fuel my AU brainstorming!

My Top 4 Classic Russian Sci-Fi Films for Inspiration:

1) Planet Bur / Планета Бурь - Watch Here! (RUS with ENG Subtitles)

No Spoiler Summary: A space crew head to Venus in three separate ships, forming a flotilla; One craft is stricken by a meteorite and destroyed, while the others choose to continue the mission. When they land, they discover an eerie surface world full of hidden threats. Working to complete their mission, they discover something they hadn’t been looking for...

This movie is a slow burn, which I usually struggle with due to my ADHD, but let me tell you-- Give this movie a chance. It’s absolutely worth it.

The costume design is incredible, the practical effects and cinematography are excellent as with most Russian classic films, and it’s a beautiful movie.

2) Amphibian Man / Человек-амфибия - Watch Here! (RUS)

No Spoiler Summary: A boy is given gills in a medical experiment to save his life; It is successful, but as an adult, he is forced to hide under the water and lives in isolation. He meets a pearl fisherman’s daughter, and the fisherman exploits him for his condition (by being forced to help collect pearls), which he tolerates in exchange for his secret being kept-- And so that he might get the chance to speak with the woman he loves.

First of all, if you saw Shape of Water and liked it, this is the movie for you.

Second, the anti-capitalist themes here are super relevant at this moment in time, and it is genuinely a beautiful movie-- They filmed a lot of it underwater, which looks incredible!

And if you thirst for mermen, well, here you go. Enjoy!

3) The Orion Loop / Петля Ориона - Watch Here! (RUS)

No Spoiler Summary: There is a discussion on how best to deal with a potential first contact scenario with an alien civilisation, prior to the crew’s next mission. While some good points are brought up, once they are out in space, they are affected by the radiation that strikes the ship once they are near the edge of the Solar System, and it begins to deteriorate the crew’s mental state. As they struggle to work through the crisis, they begin to see things... Are they ghosts, holograms, or something else?

This is a classic “freak out in space” movie, with some really interesting thoughts about contacting, communicating, and coping with life beyond Earth-- Both human life, and alien life.

4) Cosmic Voyage / Космический рейс - Watch Here! (RUS)

No Spoiler Summary: A space mission is threatened when one of the crew members is deemed too unstable to continue on the next flight. Disregarding the medical advisory, the crew departs, unwilling to put their expertise to waste. But once they start their voyage, they face some extreme circumstances and struggle to achieve their goals. Will their mission be a success, or

This is a real Art Deco era masterpiece, with some of the best practical effects in the world at the time. Amazing set design, costume design (seriously, please watch this movie), and honestly it’s just a very beautiful, interesting film to watch.

It’s also one of the earliest sci-fi films to depict a no gravity environment-- And when they do, it is mesmerising.

GENERAL NOTE REGARDING VINTAGE FILMS:

These movies, like all media, are products of their time. There may be some dialogue that we would now consider inappropriate, scenes that may impart a different feeling than originally intended, or cultural etc. references that are missing context for modern viewers.

Please proceed with caution when watching any older films; Due to the nature of film archival, re-prints, and so on, it is impossible to provide a 100% fully accurate list of potentially upsetting content or themes for any of these movies, as there are many different edits/versions of these films floating around and some sequences may have been edited out of some or altered in others (for international release or due to variations in film print editions and so on).

My Russian language skills are not very good at the moment, although I am doing my best to improve; Currently, I am unable to personally provide any specific content warnings for Russian language media.

Please also keep in mind that translation errors are always a risk with any film that is not in your native language, and it is often the case that older Russian films are subject to extreme changes in dialogue and sound editing when translated into English (where possible) due to a lot of different circumstances, including the state of international politics at the times these films were released, as well as the innate differences in the languages and difficulties with dubbing/subtitling effectively with the technology and editing practices that were used at that time.

Wherever possible, I suggest watching the original Russian language versions, even if you do not speak Russian, so that you may pick up on the tone and emotion of the original actors on screen. Sometimes, feelings are more clear than words, and it makes a unique viewing experience! :)

END: I hope you enjoy one or more of the above movies; I like to keep these on in the background while writing/drawing, but I have a list of over 50 Russian sci-fi movies that I really love, so it was hard to pick just four to write about before I have to go to work!

Also tagging @milabazal2002 and @everdino, who have been hugely helpful in constructing details for the Russian TFP AU! :)

#long post #Russian TFP AU #TFP AU #tfp #transformers prime #Russian film #Russian media #sci-fi #science fiction #movies #films #vintage movie #sci fi

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milabazal2002 · 3 years

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@earthstellar

So, in RusTFP au Raf (Rodion) has a big family. And I almost instantly thought that he has not only parents and siblings but also grandma! In Russia grandparents often help with their grandkids so why not?

Bonus:

Rodion: My grandma baked buns. Want some?

#rustfp au #tfp #tfp au #russian transformers

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milabazal2002 · 3 years

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Sketches of RusTFP AU Starscream

Because I love this feral bird :)

I think his frame is not good with cold invironment (wings are pressed against his back, so you can't see them). He doesn't have this problem during the flight, because Stars is a jet after all :/

At first it was a joke, but now it seems to me that it suits him. We all need to rest our minds sometimes

#RusTFP #tfp au #tfp #russian transformers #starscream #tfp starscream #sketch #Yes his wings are the main differense

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earthstellar · 3 years

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Most of the brainstorming on Russian Transformers AU so far

Throwing together a lot of the details so I don’t lose track, here’s the thread master post for this AU!

Big thanks to @milabazal2002 and @everdino for providing really helpful insight and for contributing to building the AU lore! :) Feel free to comment on what’s been assembled here, too!

EDIT 03/03/2021: Updated with some more suggestions from @milabazal2002 and @everdino, thanks again! :) Updates are in italic.

Likely Base Location for Autobot Autonomous Zone: Western Siberia (still open to suggestions, but W Siberia has ideal relatively low population and lots of abandoned raw materials/spaces to use)

Russian Alt-Modes (Autobots):

Optimus - Kirovets Tractor

Arcee - Ural M-63 or Dnepr M-72

Bumblebee - Lada

Ultra Magnus - Buran, based on GAZ-3308

Bulkhead - UAZ Patriot

Ratchet - GAZelle Ambulance

Wheeljack - ?

Smokescreen - Lada Vesta Sport

Humans:

Agent Fowler - Equivalent military role would be Spetznaz, likely an SOF Spec Ops Commissioned Officer, not much else figured out yet

Nurse Darby - Daria, full time healthcare worker, not around very often

Jack - Dmitry; It was brought up that due to his age relative to the other kids, he might have some family baggage from the 90s, and I like that as it possibly relates to why his father is missing from his life. I get the feeling he would like the work of Boris Ryzhy and might be a little more moody in this AU.

Raf - Rodion, still a very academics-focused student, comes from a large family

Miko - Marina or Maria, Yakutian background but Chinese background was also suggested and both are pretty strong (Mei is currently a Chinese name option)

Russian Alt-Modes (Decepticons):

(Briefly discussed difficulty of evading Russian Air Force; I think Megatron might take his classic tank mode for that reason. I’ve tried to pick suitable aircraft alt-modes for the rest; This is all open to suggestions!)

Megatron - T-34 Tank or Object 279 Tank / Possibly an aerial alt mode

Soundwave - Sukhoi S-70 Okhotnik-B (Reconnaissance stealth aircraft)

Starscream - Sukhoi Su-57 (All Seeker frame types might be this or similar)

Shockwave - His alt-mode is already a tank-like thing in TFP, so a 2S1 Gvozdika might work as it also has some unique features

Knock-Out - Sportcar Marussia / Marussia B2 / Nissan GTR

Breakdown - GAZ Tiger / Tiger-M

#russian transformers #tfp au #tfp #transformers prime #maccadam #maccadams

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earthstellar · 3 years

Link

I’ve been super busy the past like two weekends in a row, this one too, but I’m doing my best to get stuff done and update here and there on my various little AU side projects! :)

This is a link to my TFP Russian AU inspiration mood board, which is just a bunch of space, nature, and sci-fi themed stuff thrown together to help me brainstorm and develop ideas.

Tagging @milabazal2002 and @everdino, you both might find some stuff on there to be interesting! :) Or at least, some of it is cool looking, lmao!

#TFP Russian AU #TFP RUS AU #tfp au #mood board #inspiration board

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earthstellar · 3 years

Text

Russian Transformers AU Master Post of Threads

Here is the original post!

Some discussion on what the Russian vehicle alt-modes might be, with the help of @milabazal2002 and @everdino!

Some additional world building discussion with @everdino!

Here are some wonderful sketches by @milabazal2002!

Collection of some of the content from brainstorming in the above threads. (Now also updated here.)

Mood Board One

I will keep this updated as things evolve! Mostly so that I can keep track of things, lmao.

The tag for this AU is #RussianTransformers for now, because this AU doesn’t have a name...Yet!

#russian transformers #tfp #Transformers Prime #transformers au #tfp au

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earthstellar · 3 years

Photo

Here’s one of my mood boards for the Russian Transformers AU!

Upper Left: “We Will Open Distant Worlds/Galaxies”, according to my bad Russian language skills and confirmed by articles that may or may not also be correct lmao (I still struggle to read handwriting style Russian, but I’m learning!)

Upper Centre: A zoomed in screenshot from Планета Бурь / Planeta Bur / Planet Bur, 1962, one of my favourite sci-fi movies which also happens to be a Russian classic. (Please watch this movie if you’ve never seen it, it’s a slow burn but the ending is so beautiful it’s worth it. You can watch it here!) I included it here because of the heavy machinery look of the robot, and because nobody did robot design better than Eastern European and Central European media. Pretty much every sci-fi concept that we’re familiar with today originated from ideas first expressed in writing and media from those regions.

I’m trying to resist the urge to go on a rant about how 2001: A Space Odyssey (1968) just copied all of the Russian sci-fi movie cinematography designs, which it absolutely did. Please watch Небо зовёт / Nebo Zovyot (1959), which you can find here, because Kubrick straight up used the designs and filming ideas invented by Yuri Shvets for that movie.

They’re both great films, but I never see the credit given where it’s due. Russian and wider Soviet media is some of the most influential and important work in the sci-fi genre, and I encourage you all to watch the films listed here. They’re beautiful. Also, watch all of these. Seriously, you’ll like them.

Upper Right: The control panel from one of the Soyuz Space Modules.

Middle Left: Cybertron. Specifically this image, as it shows it damaged, but with the glowing core still alive. I juxtaposed it to the image across, the abandoned complex, because I want to emphasise the idea of rebuilding from ruins, revitalisation, and restoration as main themes of this AU.

Middle Centre: An Огонёк magazine cover showing a little girl holding a robot’s hand.

Middle Right: An abandoned complex in Siberia (I believe Western Siberia, but I’m not entirely sure), helps me think of the kind of base the Autobots might build out of similar abandoned complexes/materials in their Autobot Autonomous Zone

Lower Left: A Soviet Cosmonaut poster; It reminded me of Jack in the TFP episode where he goes to Cybertron with Arcee, and I had a great image of Dima wearing an old Cosmonaut uniform second-hand from Baikonur if he ever goes to Cybertron in the AU. Not for any real reason, I just absolutely love the Soviet Cosmonaut uniforms. They’re visually distinct and very stylish!

Lower Centre: A shot from Аэли́та / Aelita: Queen of Mars, 1924, which is also a fantastic movie, also a Russian classic, and was one of the first films ever made depicting space and science fiction! I like to think Cybertron looks more like this in the AU, purely because I love how this looks so much. I also recommend this movie if you’ve never seen it! (You can watch it here!)

Lower Right: A Soviet artwork depicting a futuristic warehouse, with workers overlooking the construction of a space vessel. (If I can dig up the artist name, I will add it here.) Helps me imagine what a Russian-Cybertronian base made from repurposed old Soviet stuff might be like on the inside!

And of course, I get a lot of inspiration from old Teknika molodezhi / Техника молодежи / Technology for the Youth magazines.

@milabazal2002 and @everdino, I made this here if you want to try! :)

#russian transformers #tfp au #transformers prime #transformers au

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