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girlfriendsofthegalaxy · 5 months

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tuesdaypost year in review

this year brought to you by viewers like you. thank you! i still do not know how to thank everyone for their incredible generosity during the Late July/Early August Moving Catastrophe Badtimes and im still feelin some kinda way about it. thank you.

took eight weeks completely off, more than any other year so far

overnight traveled for work for the first time

moved cross country with Mack to face dangers untold and hardships unnumbered

bought an actual for-real couch and not a futon

got Phil

(unrelated to Phil) i got spayed after almost ten years of begging and pleading various medical professionals, (also unrelated) got covid and RSV back to back

listening

fallow weeks: 8. i almost always have a tuesdaysong bc i am almost always listening to something. all of the tuesdaysongs are here:

particular favorites were Peel Me A Grape (Anita O’Day), top spotify song of the year Yeah Yeah Yeah (Blood Orchid), Yeah Yeah Yeah’s Wolf remixed by Sextile, Father Finlee (Spence Hood), A Minha Menina (Os Mutantes).

the very last tuesdaysong of the year is Sugar Rum Cherry by Duke Ellington, one of the few christmas songs i tolerate.

special shoutout to the austin underscore walker universe of podcasts, bc i mainlined A More Civilized Age (clone wars/star wars rewatch) while packing, and devoured P/alisade (the newest scifi season of F/riends at the Table) this month.

reading

fallow weeks: 11. pleased that i am killing the invisible rules in my head and including more articles instead of feeling guilty about Not Reading A Real Book!!! every week when i sit down to write the tuesdaypost. read a fuckton earlier this year bc i was procrastinating moving prep, have not read much since i moved.

article sources:

inoreader (the best free RSS feed/app imo)

The Markup (gold standard usage of data to show how various technologies are being used to harm the public good: you may have heard of the recent American bills to equalize internet service and fix organ donation grift. that was them)

Web 3 Is Going Just Great (crypto disasters)

404 Media (technology reporting, internet culture, also break a lot of data/legal/privacy scandals)

Remap (formerly Vice's video games division Waypoint, more active on podcasts and twitch but do have great personal essays about gaming longreads)

Retraction Watch (an important academic service but platformed a particularly virulent transphobe and let the comments devolve into a free for all. yes im still mad about this)

Krebs on Security (~once a month extremely long and thoughtful infosec writeups)

Data Colada (cover academic data whoopsies, currently being sued for their journalism)

the two authors i spent the most time with this year were Alexis Hall (romance novels and novellas) and Raymond Chandler's noir detective novels. i read 90% of Raymond Chandler's work in march and went insane about yet another sad bisexual man. Philip Marlowe the cat is named after his pet detective, the human Philip Marlowe.

march was kind of a banger for this category bc in one of what i consider the best tuesdayposts this year, i tried to break down why i fucking hated Frank Miller's Sin City comics so much.

other comics, but ones i loved: Spy X Family, Berserk, weird noir DC miniseries The Human Target.

watching

fallow weeks: 10

notable stuff i watched for the first time (according to letterboxd) that will stick in my head for a bit. some (The Night of the Hunter) i am so glad i watched once but do not feel the need to revist. some (Slipstream) fascinate me with how good they could have been. some (Twilight. all of them) were fun bc of the people i watched them with. the two i went particularly deranged over are The Big Sleep and Day of Anger. still feel very normal about them.

very heavy on crime and courtroom films this year!

television: very excited for s2 of Blue Eye Samurai, Interview With The Vampire, Spy X Family.

youtube

i should loop back and finish Black Lagoon, Adventure Time (completely forgot i rewatched most of that this spring), and The Big O. that last one is throwing me a little bc (since i last checked) there is no freely available version with subtitles (i cannot find subtitles Period) and i'll be damned if i have to import a dvd. i can find the dub with subtitles but! i want to hear spike spiegel as mecha-batman :(

sort of lukewarm eh-i'll-get-around-to-it about s/tar wars shows. i have not watched a/hsoka At All or wrapped up the animated Resistance show. i'll pay attention when ando/r is airing again.

playing

fallow weeks: 10. way fewer than i would have guessed!

the trouble with this category is that it is exceptionally hard to find new good games (either ones i already own or ones that are free). it is almost completely prohibitively exhausting to trawl through the free category on steam. there's simply a lot of cruft out there. a very good thing (but also incredibly timeconsuming thing) i started this year was throwing games into various folders so the eight bajillion libraries i have are less overwhelming. i can safely ignore 80% of my epic games library, for example. the itch.io library is a whole separate weekend project i think.

got back into genshin for good or for ill, which took up most of the back half of the year.

youtube

go play ABZU. i am no longer asking.

i would like to go back and finish the RPG Gamedec, un-softblock myself in the RPG Weird West, and finish the visual novel Dead Man's Rest. i think i stalled out in Call of Juarez: Gunslinger bc there was a mexican standoff that my reflexes are simply not fast enough for/too much to pay attention to. i am excited to pick up that spooky fishing simulator DREDGE when i have fun money again.

completely forgot i spent most of jan/feb/march being annoyed at fallou/t 4 but having some fun in Far Harbor, also forgot i spent an entire month playing through Wolfenstein: The New Order but i am not compelled to play through it again. it was fun! but like many games after one playthrough my time with it is done!

making

fallow weeks: 17 (unsurprising, pretty low energy year as a whole as i recovered from covid rounds 1 and 2 and the frankly insane stress of moving).

wrote exactly one fic: some matters at the heart of cowboy western snap shirts: why they are so and some of the implications of their being so, i would like to write more next year but i don't really have the brainpower. i hope this changes soon.

the baby blanket i started last year is still not done but the baby is still under a year so i have a very narrow window of time.

dyed some couch covers im still very pleased with

wrote an extremely long but very well received gallery wall guide

recipes: 12. sort of shocked by this? i am becoming an incrementally better cook and slowly finding recipes i both like and can successfully execute. found the fortitude to caramelize onions, for example. quick pickled red onions, for another thing. big year for protein or greens on top of beans and rice. faves included: cuban-style pork shoulder, hellofresh peruvian chicken, red lentil soup, white bean/kale/rice bowls

i would like to be less terrified about cooking fish. i would like to eat more fish.

and of course, the biggest project of all, acquired Phil. here is my very favorite photo ive ever taken of a cat

#tuesday again #tuesday again no problem

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koraesrambles · 3 months

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KORAES SUPER DUPER COMIC READING CHALLENGE 2024

Alright, I've decided to set a goal for myself. I've been binge reading comics for over a year but only of a specific variety and it's time to expand my tastes. Especially since OUTCAST ODYSSEY is updating on webtoons. The more comics I read, the better my own comic should be, right? I mean, supposedly.

I decided to read 100 of the top graphic novels on goodreads. The list spans all ages and genres, so there's going to be some VARIETY here. There are some graphic novels I've already read (like Maus or Calvin and Hobbes) that I didn't include. I dunno if I could handle reading Maus again (It stabs you in the heart, twists it and pulls it from your chest still beating, but instead of being happy about it like I am with fiction it's soured by the realization that this actually happened and then I want to die).

Here's the list I copy and pasted from Goodreads. If you don't see your favorite on here, add it! I need to read all of the things!

Watchmen

V for Vendetta

Batman the Dark Night Returns

Saga

The Complete Persepolils

The Sandman

Y: The Last Man

Batman: Year One

Batman: The Long Halloween

The Walking Dead

Preacher

Sin City

Locke & Key

The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen

Fables

From Hell

Blankets

Fun Home: A family tragicomic

The Arrival

Haven

The Far Side Gallery

Marvels

Kick-Ass

Habibi

Batman: Arkham Asylum

Pride of Baghdad

Cult Girls

The Crow

The Absolute Batman: Hush

Chew

Amulet

X-men: The Dark Pheonix

American Born Chinese

The Umbrella Academy

Kingdom Come

The Absolute Death

Marvel 1602

Sweet Tooth

The Cartoon History of the Universe

Transmetropolitan

Superman: Red Son

All Star Superman

The Ultimates

The Unwritten

Runaways

Astonishing X-Men: Ultimate

Buffy the Vampire Slayer

Planetary

Wolverine: Origin

Identity Crisis

Black Hole: A graphic novel

Spider-Man: Blue

Hellboy: Library Edition

The Books of Magic

Astonishing X-Men

Lone Wolf & Cub

Anita Blake: Vampire Hunter

300

Squee

Rat Queens

The Uncanny X-Men: Days of Future Past

Monstress

Wolverine: Weapon X

The Wicked + the Divine

Captain America: Winter Soldier

My Friend Dahmer

Blake Orchid

Dr. 2

Once Upon a Time

Superman: Secret Identity

Asterios Polyp

Ex-Machina

Domu: A Child's Dream

One Piece

Civil War

Mouse Guard

Summer Blonde

Desolation Jones: Made in England

I Kill Giants

Pumpkin Heads

The Wolves in the Walls

The Batman Adventures: Mad Love

Through the Woods

Absolute Dark Knight

Lenore

The Fountain

The Eternal Smile: Three Stories

The Unbeatable Squirrel Girl

Death Note

Girl Genius

Wonderstruck

The Tragical Comedy or Comical Tragedy of Mr. Punch

Happy New Year

Logicomix: An Epic Search for Truth

Skooter Girl

Daytripper

A Little Prince in the Land of the Mullahs

Absolute Justice

Wanted

Velvet

Obviously, a lot of these are series, and I'm not going to read the whole series of every book on this list. If I like it enough, I might continue it for fun, but it won't count toward the list. I'll cross the title off as I finish them and write up my thoughts. Cuz what's the point if I don't post an analysis, right?

#reading #dc #marvel #graphic novels #reading challenge #comic artist #comic author #all genres #comics #time to read all the things #and get inspired by all the art #and figure out all of the little tricks that these people know that I need to learn #I'm seriously psyched

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lorenfangor · 2 years

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Are there any places you think the books have aged poorly? You’ve defended the Auxiliaries and #40; where do you think the flaws are, if there are any?

ooh, interesting question

the obvious answer is the Civil War book, but at the same time that book was clunky and bad even when it was published. the Addy books from Pleasant Company/American Girl, and the Dear America diaries, were just some of the middle-grade and kid literature written about the Civil War and slavery that was available by the year 2000; I'm not going to give this book credit for being fair for its day when Meet Addy or Color Me Dark existed contemporaneously.

with that out of the running, I'm honestly going to talk about the animals, but not in the Science Marches On sense (I do have to accept that Animorphs takes place in a universe where dolphins are basically good, but that's beside the point)

I was a kid in the 90s and I could read in the 90s and I wanted to be a marine biologist growing up, so I devoured Zoobooks and My Big Backyard/Ranger Rick and the stuff the Kratt brothers put out, and I read every animal book at the library I could find, checked out The Crocodile Hunter on VHS, and watched nature documentaries as often as I could. We had a zoo membership so I could go see the animals there, and I played all the animal-focused Magic Schoolbus computer games. All this is to say that was pretty decently aware of how the pop science ecosystem treated animals and animal facts, and Animorphs is very of-its-time, and I don't think that's aged well for one main reason.

We're aware now of the focus on charismatic megafauna and other similar animals that dominated zoos and popular awareness for decades, and how that focus can prioritize conservation efforts for a small number of "famous" species (like koalas and giant pandas) while erasing or overshadowing work on insects and other invertebrates and "ugly" or "weird" vertebrates like Hellbenders or poison dart frogs. There was also a lot of moralizing in how animals were presented - mammals and birds good, amphibians and fish good, arthropods and reptiles and non-cephalopod invertebrates bad. A lot of animals were sensationalized and presented as disgusting or shocking or extreme, in part to incentivize kids to read about them, but that did contribute to a frightening public image.

This is why sharks are mindless killing machines, why Spawn the cobra doesn't get the same love as Fluffer the cat, and why Yeerks and Taxxons are terrifying and gross by sole virtue of how they look. There's a level of cultural context that's predicated on the assumption that you know how you're "supposed" to feel about different types of animals. It's easy for me because I grew up in that era, so I can understand what's being implied, but wondering things like "what cartilaginous fish hurt you, Applegrant" is a perennial frustration among new readers.

Plus, if you find termites or slugs or ants genuinely cute, or if you (like me) think sharks are sweet little babies who need to be loved, especially if you're relatively up to date on the scientific literature, it's frustrating to see these books rely on outdated widely-agreed-upon stereotypes and misconceptions (the wolf pack dynamics is one I'll let slide because it wasn't widely known yet that wolf packs didn't have strict dominance hierarchy) that only become more glaring the further away 1996 gets.

this is something I've seen first-time readers get upset by, particularly scientifically-minded ones, and it's another aspect of the era of publication that I really think deserves more context. nobody was trying to say certain animals were Truly Evil for no reason! we just... all kind of collectively agreed that if a species Felt Scary it Was Scary, which is being corrected now, but wasn't purposeful malice.

#animorphs #animorphs meta

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homestucksongcomics · 3 years

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Masterpost of Song Comics Part I (A-K)

*Unfortunately, due to a peculiarity of tumblr, a post containing too many links will not have any of them function. Thus, the masterpost has been broken into two parts.*

Organized by musician alphabetically

Last updated on 07/18/2021

See Part II here: Masterpost of Homestuck Song Comics Part II (L-Z)

Kryptonite - 3 Doors Down by absinthianlyunheroic

This is War - 30 Seconds to Mars by caffieneandcarpaltunnel

I’m Not Your Boyfriend Baby - 3HO!3 by awildcale

Almost Lover - A Fine Frenzy by irlmako

New Tomorrow - A Friend In London by maria-artz

Hand Over Mouth, Over and Over - A Lot Like Birds by binart

Skyfall - Adele by stormfather

Song of Healing - Adriana Figueroa by talkshitnojutsu

Everything Stays - Adventure Time by starchip-one

Kiss my Eyes and Lay Me to Sleep - AFI by 413art

Prelude 12/21 - AFI by toastyhat

Another Day - Air by chubsintubs

A Whole New World - Aladdin by copper-fish

Mercy Me - Alkaline Trio by brainbent

Hothouse - Aly & AJ by dristr

Evelyn, Evelyn - Amanda Palmer by p-pamda

Luck - The American Authors by timehwimeh

21 Guns - American Idiot Cast by jankyweeaboo

Pittsburgh - The Amity Affliction by anafigreen

Inevitable - Anberlin by suchirolle

Ready to Die - Andrew W. K. by askherroyalcondesce

The Age of Not Believing - Angela Lansbury by toastyhat

Director - The Antlers by gin-and-djinn

Kettering - The Antlers by cloudymew

My Mamma Said - Aqua by xamag-homestuck

Suburbs - Arcade Fire by porrim-maryam and collaborators

Wake Up - Arcade Fire by catprinx

We Used to Wait - Arcade Fire by drawingspecibus

R U Mine? - Arctic Monkeys by dacadaca

The Ballad Of Love And Hate - The Avett Brothers by umjulikins

Hey Brother - Avicii by esmeblaise

Wake Me Up - Avicii by a-vodka-mutini

Sail - AWOLNATION by theamazingzombiegirl

If I Die Young - The Band Perry by japhers

Memory - Barbra Strisand by toastyhat

Glitter and Gold - Barns Courtney by chibigaia-art

Daniel in the Den - Bastille by tomato-bird

Pompeii - Bastille by maria-artz Broken

Pompeii - Bastille by toastyhat and oskarna

Above the Clouds of Pompeii - Bear’s Den by groveofsketches

Let it Be - Beatles by toastyhat

The Fool on the Hill - The Beatles by robotoucan

All the Pretty Little Horses - Becky Jean Williams by purplecalamity

Pieces of Sky - Beth Orton by awildcale

Sweet Dreams - Beyoncé by dacadaca

River Below - Billy Talent by kamdensl

Rusted from the Rain - Billy Talent by crispychocolate

Just a Game - Birdy by redwordsoncavewalls

Kill the Lights - The Birthday Massacre by xamag-homestuck

Red Stars - The Birthday Massacre by lord-caliborn and tricotee

These Days - The Black Keys by digitallyimpaired

In the End - Black Veil Brides by rinasart

Let it Be - Blackmill (feat. Veela) by awildcale

Bad Sun - The Bravery by crashtest-therapist

Dear Agony - Breaking Benjamin by yukishii-chan

Diary of Jane - Breaking Benjamin by nevernoahh

Give Me a Sign - Breaking Benjamin by perceptur

I Will Not Bow - Breaking Benjamin by themockingcrows

First Day of My Life - Bright Eyes by usatoria

Can you feel my heart? - Bring me the horizon by domingoos and Yumegurren

Seeds - Brooke Fraser by anno-bannano Broken

Kodaline - Brother by zzpopzz

When I Was Your Man - Bruno Mars by babynarwalshineyeyes

P.O.W. - Bullet for My Valentine by anafigreen

Angel with a Shotgun - The Cab by dawngyocry

How Are You - Cage the Elephant by facetiousfanatic Part 1

How Are You - Cage the Elephant by facetiousfanatic Part 2

How Are You - Cage the Elephant by facetiousfanatic Part 3

The loneliest Girl - Carol and Tuesday by cassandraooc

Morning Has Broken - Cat Stevens by thlange

Star Spangled Banner - Chase Holfelder by chillybuns

Between the Bars - Chris Garneau by roselalondee

Dirty Night Clown - Chris Garneau by idontevenknow-anymore

Dirty Night Clown - Chris Garneau by immabananana

Enter the Circus - Christina Aguilera by askinsanegamzee Broken

A Thousand Years - Christina Perii by angstyelf

A Thousand Years - Christina Perii by mari-victal

Burning Gold - Christina Perri by raspberrylemonhead

Fall - Cider Sky by nevernoahh

Falling (Demo) - The Civil Wars by zomdi

Safe and Sound - The Civil Wars by karaokekarkat

Hum - Clara C by nymphicus

3 Foot Tall - Classifed by kyrah-art

Summer Day - Coconut Records by kathysbrotherssister

Fondu au Noir - Coeur de Pirate by derperistical

Fix You - Coldplay by absinthianlyunheroic

Paradise - Coldplay by Moonpaw

The Scientist - Coldplay by ikimaru

Up with the Birds - Coldplay by the-rag-tag-earl

Viva la Vida - Coldplay by raspberrylemonhead

Viva La Vida - Coldplay by rozeart

Yellow - Coldplay by mariedisgrace

Young Volcanos - Coldplay by kawo-shin

Princess of China - Coldplay (feat. Rihanna) by sora-la

Chin Up - Copeland by vriskamidfangserket

Accidentally in Love - Counting Crows by hopelesslyblithe Broken

Crywank are posers - Crywank by p-666t

Thrice - Daedalus by foramen-magnum

Something About Us - Daft Punk by moxel

Something About Us - Daft Punk by yazzdonut

Emotion - Daft Punk (MissingNo remix) by doomzy

The Spine - Darren Korb (Transistor) by rose-ebottles Broken

Youth - Daughter by zelpixel

Raise Your Weapon - Deadmau5 by marintan

Go Get Your Gun - The Dear Hunter by mcsiggy

Whisper - The Dear Hunter by prospt and collaborators

I Will Follow You Into the Dark - Death Cab for Cutie by davsturdur

I Will Follow You into the Dark - Death Cab for Cutie by inusushi

I Will Follow You Into the Dark - Death Cab for Cutie by kawaiifarts

Bottom of the River - Delta Rae by wwhatevven

Perfect Insanity - Disturbed by vasheren

Just Be Friends (Instrumental) - Dixie Flatline by cheese3d Inspired by Litlte Red Riding Hood

Pity Dance - Dn Stith by jazzango

Venus Hum - Do You Want to Fight Me by shubbabang

Everything You Ever - Doctor Horrible’s Sing-Along Blog by thesassylorax

My Eyes - Doctor Horrible’s Sing-Along Blog by equiu5

Close Every Door - Donny Osmond by allegro-designs

Baby Mine - Dumbo by gayrupunzel

I See Fire - Ed Sheeran by arachnerdsgri

I See Fire - Ed Sheeran by themockingcrows

Small Bump - Ed Sheeran by janecrockeyre

Cosmic Castaway - Electrasy by themockingcrows

Telephone Line - Electric Light Orchestra by daily-beta

You are my Sunshine - Elizabeth Mitchell by the-rag-tag-earl

Goodnight Sweet Ladies - Emilie Autumn by amporasexual

Asleep - Emily Browning (originally by The Smiths) by joker-ace

O Come O Come Emmanuel - Enya by pseudocon

One for the Money - Escape the Fate by ikimaru

Follow the Sun - Evermore by ladygrit

Fever Dreamless - fadeintocase by peregr1ne

Centuries - Fall Out Boy by sixofclovers

Immortals - Fall Out Boy by etcterrayellowmoon

Immortals - Fall Out Boy by mari-victal

Immortals - Fall Out Boy by quiversarrow

My Songs Know What You Did in the Dark (Light Em Up) - Fall Out Boy by toastyhat

The Kids Aren’t All Right - Fall Out Boy by i-am-a-riceball

The Kids Aren’t All Right - Fall Out Boy by scarlettheknight

The Last of the Real Ones - Fall Out Boy by dopingues

The Phoenix - Fall Out Boy by orangelemonart

Caught Like a Fly - Falling in Reverse by viria

Tragic Magic - Falling in Reverse by elasticitymudflap

Heavy Storm - First Aid Kit by moxel

Wolf - First Aid Kit by spooneaterarts

100 years - Five for Fighting by orangelemonart

Superman - Five for Fighting by grimbarke

Hurt Feelings - Flight of the Conchords by koroke

Rise - Flobots by lyricstuckbeatdown

Blinding - Florence + the Machine by collaborative

Cosmic Love - Florence + the Machine by rosemaryserver

Cosmic Love - Florence + the Machine by starkthirdeye

Cosmic Love - Florence + the Machine by toastyhat

Dog Days Are Over - Florence + the Machine by greatbiglyricstuck

Dog Days are Over - Florence + the Machine by m0thboy

Girl With One Eye - Florence + the Machine by kingdomzombified

Kiss With a Fist - Florence + the Machine by miraculoustang

No Light, No Light - Florence + the Machine by dacadaca

No Light, No Light - Florence + the Machine by nappotuna

Only If for a Night - Florence + the Machine by glueball

Seven Devils - Florence + the Machine by fangirlinginleatherboots

Seven Devils - Florence + the Machine by themockingcrows

Shake it Out - Florence + the Machine by cod-tier

Tear out my Tongue - Florence + the Machine by wheresmyhamlet

What the Water Gave Me - Florence + the Machine by colonoscolypseart

With an Axe - Foxy Shazam by oldshiel

Something Stupid - Frank and Nancy Sinatra by toastyhat

Some Nights - Fun. by greatbiglyricstuck

Mad World - Gary Jules by ahabsiconoclast

Mad World - Gary Jules by prospitheir and aze

Mad World - Gary Jules by synnesai

Where Everybody Knows Your Name - Gary Portnoy by calliotp

Child of Light - The Getaway Plan by dingohugs

It All Dies Anyway - The Gits by skittykitty55

Take Me Away - Globus by toastyhat and splickedylit

You’re the One That I Want - Grease by doodlebonez

Top of the World - Greek Fire by eggsand-santoast

Song of the Century - Green Day by babakinkin

Song of the Century - Green Day by delinked

Song of the century - Green Day by the-rogue-0f-light

Boats and Birds - Gregory and the Hawk by striderprovider

Hard Knocks - Griffinilla and Alex Cole by colouredteapot

Colors - Hasley by innocuoussketches

Anything - Hedley by valeriannnn

The Unquiet Grave - Hellen McCrocry by madreamcanular

Coming Back Down - Hollywood Undead by flynnagan

Coming Back Down - Hollywood Undead by skittykitty55

Levitate - Hollywood Undead by anafigreen

SCAVA - Hollywood Undead by scarlettheknight

Temporal Shenanigans - Homestuck ost - Rachel Macwhirter by arachnerdsgrip:

Almost (Sweet Music) - Hozier by metaname

Take Me To Church - Hozier by sailerscrimshaw Broken

God Help the Outcasts - Hunchback of Notre Dame by velocitiestrumpet

The Court of Miracles - Hunchback of Notre Dame by moc-tod-ffuts-modnar

That’s Okay - The Hush Sound by porcupet

Where We Went Wrong - The Hush Sound by canni8al

Wine Red - The Hush Sound by zeborah

Volatile Times - IAMX by xamag-homestuck

Bad Karma - Ida Maria by margarethours

Amsterdam - Imagine Dragons by paperseverywhere

Bleeding Out - Imagine Dragons by rapidopatter

Demons - Imagine Dragons by muraokami Broken

Demons - Imagine Dragons by rapidopatter

Fallen - Imagine Dragons by maria-artz Broken

I'm So Sorry - Imagine Dragons by abbiwhozit

I'm So Sorry - Imagine Dragons by catkindness Part 1

I'm So Sorry - Imagine Dragons by catkindness Part 2

Nothing Left to Say - Imagine Dragons by paperseverywhere

On Top of the World - Imagine Dragons by lickfoot

Radioactive - Imagine Dragons by falloutboyonboy

Radioactive - Imagine Dragons by rachelhungry

Thief - Imagine Dragons by mikimosh

Warriors - Imagine Dragons by turretsyndr0me

Hide and Seek - Imogen Heap by kingdomzelaybli

The Devil’s Carnival - In all My Dreams I Drown by artblogofminji

Don’t Stop - InnerPartySystem by spocktalia Broken

What We Will Never Know - InnerPartySystem by lets-lyricstuck

Cinders and Smoke - Iron & Wine by laughingandgrief

Walk the Moon - Iscariot by cissaisthisyou

The Weekend - Islands by daily-beta

R.I.P. Everyone - J.J. Demon by trickstercarlos

Fallin’ - Jake Bugg by awildcale

I Won’t Give Up - Jason Mraz by impudentkid

I’ll Be Good - Jaymes Young by asexualls Broken

Sufferer’s Final Sermon - jbriner by sketchloft

Be Thou My Vision - jbriner (originally a hymn) by mrdespondency

O Death - Jen Titus by canni8al

Oh Death - Jen Titus by artweaver5

If the World Should End - Jennifer Damiano by atrueenglishman

The Hanging Tree - Jennifer Lawrence by sixofclovers

Highwayman - Johnny Cash by toastyhat

What A Wonderful World - Joseph William Morgan ft. Shadow Royale by jayspants

The Stars - Jukebox the Ghost by innocuoussketches

Die Young - Ke$ha by gelasticat

[S] Ke$ha: Enter - Ke$ha (Die Young Remix by captaincrapster) by ket3

Because of You - Kelly Clarkson by timehost

Breakaway - Kelly Clarkson by karaokeoctoberkat

Britland City Theme - Kenashcorp by stormfather

Animals - Kids in Glass Houses by faun-songs

Dustland Fairytale - The Killers by spiritleaf

Mr. Brightside - The Killers by mlle-annette

Sam´s Town - The Killers by gei-may

Smile Like You Mean It - The Killers by toastyhat

I Will Never Forget - Kimya Dawson by moxel

All I Want - Kodaline by godtier8itch

#Homestuck #lyricstuck #song sets #masterlist #Song comics #song comic #homestucksongcomics

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deaddee-anime-brownfanlady · 2 years

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My Top favorite anime shows thus far. PART 1

Here are some of my personal fav anime series that really stuck out to me in terms of either storytelling also plot as well as characters and just overall enjoyment & satisfaction levels, even for some that got their flaws but still means a lot to me and why I love this medium so much.

First: Cowboy Bebop. Honestly do I even need to say anything about this anime that hasn't been said already. But for real there’s a reason why this show is consider the gateway anime for newcomers with its mature character-driven story also cool mixed-mush stylistic nature of the show in terms of genres like Jazz, Sci-Fi , American Western , & a whole bunch of other influences that still makes this anime so iconic & watchable.

Casshern Sins. This is a 2009 darker continuity reboot of the original 70s anime known as Neo Human Casshern, now I have never seen the original older anime before except seeing a few clips of it here & there. But I can tell you how much I loved this more updated version of it. The world of Casshern is set within a barren, desolate, post-apocalyptic hellhole were a plague called the Ruin has killed both man and robots alike...except for one super advanced humanlike robot named Casshern whose memories of said events are no more also who is the main one responsible for the Ruin happening. This was the anime (besides Bebop) I’ve watched on Toonami that made me go more in depth in terms of anime shows & seeing that there was a lot more to it then I originally thought. While Casshern Sins does has its flaws & isn’t perfect in parts of its jigsaws puzzle plot...But I can’t help but love this show simply for what it is while knowing it got its problems to it.

Space Dandy : Another Shinichiro Watanabe anime that I feel is highly overlooked as well as being pretty underappreciate is the zany for out insanity but oh so such a grand time kind of episodic series that is Space Dandy. I remember back during 2014 watching CN sometime at night seeing the very first Toonami official trailer of Dandy and I instantly knew upon seeing the high energetic also different quick shots of aliens & the cool animation & such that Yes! This anime is truly going to be something I can really see myself getting into. And I was right, Space Dandy I feel is truly one of those gems within seasonal anime or when it comes to anime as whole. For those who don’t know the plot, the show focuses on poor at times down on his luck alien hunter named Dandy who is a lover of all the ladies really *All* women regardless of species & his little robot partner QT who is pretty much the voice of reasons as well as Meow who is a feline-like alien otaku , kind of lazy, slacker that’s become apart of Dandy crew in the search for new & rare alien species to find for money. One of the things of I love about Dandy is that its probably the most creatively experimental anime show out there so far, in terms of having every each episode done by either a different director , artist , also animator in the Industry that gives said episode a new art / animation style or storyline every episode. Given that the series is mostly episodic by nature...but it does have an overreaching main plot detail that’s all comes together towards the end. Either way Space Dandy is truly a enjoyable , fun , comedic, sometimes emotional epic universal adventure.

Wolf Rain: Yet another pretty old school also somewhat a bit underrated and classic emotional journey of a series is Wolf Rain. Now for those who don’t know nothing about this show, Wolf rain is an 2003 ( thou it does look kind of 90s ) fantasy drama set within a world on the verge of dying were years of war between the nobility have reduced the world to a barren wasteland with only a handful of high-tech cities. It is said within legend that on the very last days of civilization that wolves will follow the scent of lunar flowers that will lead the way to Paradise, too bad that its just a myth or is it? This series is what I would call a beautifully sad fantastical adventure about these group of actual lone wolves that can change themselves to appear human on a journey to find, to search for some kind of safe heaven from a world that’s close to the end. While not perfect or super great in terms of certain elements to some episodes or aspects of some of the story that could’ve been handle better, I seriously love this anime for its heartbreaking journey as well as its characters and the emotions attach to it.

Astro Boy: Yet another old school but highly classic, influential anime that I feel can be somewhat underrated or for lack of a better word super underappreciated within the anime community sometimes is the always timeless Astro boy. Now when it comes to this series / long time franchise I first got hooked into it a few years back upon my more recent further adventuring when it came to anime as a whole, and while I personally already knew about the iconic history in terms of Astro or also known as the “Mighty Atom” I was still curious to see also find out what’s more does this series had to offer which lead me into watching the 1980s Astro boy series then continue on with my watching with the 2003 slightly updated version of the show. Honestly while I equally love both versions for a lot of different reasons...I got to say the 80s show is without a doubt my more preferable far liked one more then the early 2000s series version, mostly due to certain changes in the overall 2000s one that I didn’t quite cared for. But Astro Boy in its entirety is truly I would say is remarkable & endearing in its episodic stories which for the most part tends to sometimes end on a bittersweet note but still manage to be enjoyable. With varying episodes bordering a mix between both heartwarming and humorous as well as being emotional & heartbreakingly sad sometimes not to mention touching on some pretty serious themes here and there, Another reason why I love this anime is due to the fact that I’ve really don’t see a lot of attention or love going towards Astro way like I know that you do have other fans of this iconic little robot boy hero...but yet I feel when it comes to Tezuka other works is that they seem to get left underappreciated within the anime fanbase at times. I always hear how other anime fans seem to constantly hype up or praise Hayo Miyazaki namesake non-stop , when honestly if its wasn’t for Osamu Tezuka both manga & anime wouldn’t be what it mainly is today since the man himself is literally known as one of the founding father of equally both manga & anime for the most part, but yea when it comes to Astro I got to say its a anime that I wish others would give it a shot more and try to really experience this cute but still great classic series. Yelp that’s its for now as of part 1 of some of my fav anime shows, I’ll work on part 2 hopefully soon next time.

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madsinartime · 3 years

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thoughts about tfatws

aka cacw (2021) ;)

this will be kinda long, so more under the cut!

Sam and Bucky

i love their relationship. whether you ship them or see them as bros this show gives you everything you could want. sam and bucky’s character and relationship development are the best parts of the show. sam learns to overcome his insecurities and pick up the shield, bucky learns to forgive himself and move on from the winter soldier. although to be honest, who let the fanfic writers into marvel? the couples’ therapy scene and rolling in the flower field are straight (not) out of ao3.

sam wilson IS captain america. i hope that in future movies he’ll continue to be political and an activist, not just focus on all the avenger threats and forget about the stuff that continues to happen on the ground. sam’s a guy who follows through. let’s see him at marches, rallies, campaigning for something better. the show was a step up in representation about different perspectives than the usual mcu stuff and i hope they continue with that.

bucky! him living with the wilsons’ is canon now. i love that he’s finally got his happy ending :) i hope he’ll be in black panther, at least a lil cameo! i think he is great friends with t’challa shuri and all the dora milaje! maybe a bit of how he became known as white wolf? or earning the title? he definitely trained with the dora, rmb how he threw that pole like a spear :D

Zemo

i kinda like zemo as a character now. he’s definitely still a terrible person but hey. he’s a fun guy. he even got the last laugh with orchestrating blowing up the rest of the super soldiers from prison. i wonder what he’ll do about john walker? US agent is definitely the guy zemo hates. would be a cool subplot in a future movie/show.

Sharon Carter

this is such a step up for her from winter soldier and civil war! she’s a badass shield special agent and it really showed. her fight scene in the shipyard is one of my favourite. making her a villain? i mean i kinda get why she’ll be so jaded from being on the run for years. there are some theories where she’s like a skrull,, but idk. the part where she’s the power broker seemed a bit ?? at first, but here’s what i think:

sharon didn’t get blipped. it was shown in endgame but she could have disappeared and so everyone assumed she was dusted. 5 years seems a bit short to build a criminal empire, plus zemo had heard of the power broker and he was in jail the whole time. in those 5 years maybe the original power broker got blipped, and in the power vacuum (lol) sharon took over. makes sense why zemo would think the power broker was a dude. after everyone returned maybe sharon killed the power broker for real or he’s out there hiding and we’ll see the two go at each other. that could be fun to see. as for leading sam bucky and zemo to dr nagle, sharon was playing the long game. nagle maybe was upset with her/not doing so well and she wanted to get rid of him so no one else could get the formula. or she’s already compiled his notes and decided he was a liability. leading the gang to dr nagle and defending them against the bounty hunters (remember someone had to know and send out the message after killing selby) would put her in sam’s good graces and he would get her pardoned, then she could operate outside of madripoor (maybe getting away from the original power broker). anyway i think it would be cool to see what she gets up to in the future.

The Flag Smashers

hmmm. i liked them at the start of the show. karli was young and radicalised by the life after the blip, and she wanted a better life. which is great. i know the flag smashers’ plot was a bit messed up by the pandemic and the had to rewrite some stuff, and the writer’s did a good job considering. still, i dislike how the entire flag smashers became villainized by just karli’s extreme actions. i think that she could’ve had better character development, like john walker’s, where she was out to do good and then because of the serum she became too extreme and spiraled. the first time people get killed is because of an accident. also at the end the whole thing seemed driven by karli, and rest of them were like uhh what are u doing girl. could have been better, but alright, i guess.

in future movies, i hope that we’ll see the flag smashers again. remember they were a global network (with parallels to hydra, which is like, not cool, marvel) with supporters all over the world. just because the leaders were killed off doesn’t mean the movement would stop.

John Walker

marvel’s stepping up with their villain game, which is awesome. john’s negative character development was great and quite believable, considering the way the american government treats its veterans. john likely has trauma and ptsd and a whole host of other stuff that led to his going crazy, all amplified by the serum. he’s a really good example of ‘the road to hell is paved with good intentions’. he does want to be a good person, like him saving the truck instead of going after karli showed, but that doesn’t fully redeem him. let your villains be villains marvel. let him go off, azula style. (not sure marvel is the type to let that happen, but it would be awesome to explore john’s psyche like that.)

Lemar Hoskins

*sigh* i feel like marvel let us down with this one. all the progressiveness in this show and they had to kill off the black sidekick to further the white man’s character arc. come on. i have Thoughts about this. see, this could have been an amazing opportunity to explore lemar and john’s characters. john’s spiral off the deep end, lemar having to reconcile his best friend with this guy, who is nothing like the great man he once knew. everone thinks that john is irredeemable, lemar keeps trying to get him to therapy. john goes crazy from the serum, lemar having to fight against his brother. lemar goes to bucky and asks for help, because he thinks it’s like what happened with the winter soldier thing. bucky learns to help someone he disliked because he too can see the similarities and that john does need help. in the end, john goes full evil and has to be taken down by his best friend. the parallels this would have had with the steve/bucky relationship, yall.

lol if u got this far, congrats and thanks for reading my rambles :D just out here Thinking my Thoughts

#the falcon and the winter soldier #tfatws #sam wilson #bucky barnes #sharon carter #zemo #the flag smashers #john walker #lemar hoskins

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tlbodine · 3 years

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A Horror History of Werewolves

As far as horror icons are concerned, werewolves are among the oldest of all monsters. References to man-to-wolf transformations show up as early as the Epic of Gilgamesh, making them pretty much as old as storytelling itself. And, unlike many other movie monsters, werewolves trace their folkloric roots to a time when people truly believed in and feared these creatures.

But for a creature with such a storied past, the modern werewolf has quite the crisis of identity. Thanks to an absolute deluge of romance novels featuring sometimes-furry love interests, the contemporary idea of “werewolf” is decidedly de-fanged. So how did we get here? Where did they come from, where are they going, and can werewolves ever be terrifying again?

Werewolves in Folklore and Legend

Ancient Greece was full of werewolf stories. Herodotus wrote of a nomadic tribe from Scythia (part of modern-day Russia) who changed into wolves for a portion of the year. This was most likely a response to the Proto-Indo-European societies living in that region at the time -- a group whose warrior class would sometimes don animal pelts and were said to call on the spirit of animals to aid them in battle (the concept of the berserker has the same roots -- just bears rather than wolves).

In Arcadia, there was a local legend about King Lycaon, who was turned to a wolf as punishment for serving human meat to Zeus (exact details of the event vary between accounts, but cannibalism and crimes-against-the-gods are a common theme). Pliny the Elder wrote of werewolves as well, explaining that those who make a sacrifice to Zeus Lycaeus would be turned to wolves but could resume human form years later if they abstained from eating human meat in that time.

By the time we reach the Medieval period in Europe, werewolf stories were widespread and frequently associated with witchcraft. Lycanthropy could be either a curse laid upon someone or a transformation undergone by someone practicing witchcraft, but either way was bad news in the eyes of the church. For several centuries, witch-hunts would aggressively seek out anyone suspected of transforming into a wolf.

One particularly well-known werewolf trial was for Peter Stumpp in 1589. Stumpp, known as "The Werewolf of Bedburg," confessed to killing and eating fourteen children and two pregnant women while in the form of a wolf after donning a belt given to him by the Devil. Granted, this confession came on the tail-end of extensive public torture, so it may not be precisely reliable. His daughter and mistress were also executed in a public and brutal way during the same trial.

Who’s Afraid of the Big Bad Wolf?

The thing you have to understand when studying folklore is that, for many centuries, wolves were the apex predator of Europe. While wolf attacks on humans have been exceedingly rare in North America, wolves in Europe have historically been much bolder -- or, at least, there are more numerous reports of man-eating wolves in those regions. Between 1362 and 1918, roughly 7,600 people were reportedly killed by wolves in France alone, which may have some bearing on the local werewolf tradition of the loup-garou.

For people living in rural areas, subsisting as farmers or hunters, wolves posed a genuine existential threat. Large, intelligent, utilizing teamwork and more than capable of outwitting the average human, wolves are a compelling villain. Which is probably why they show up so frequently in fairytales, from Little Red Riding Hood to Peter and the Wolf to The Three Little Pigs.

Early Werewolf Fiction

Vampires have Dracula and zombies have I Am Legend, but there really is no clear singular book to point to as the "First Great Werewolf Novel." Perhaps by the time the novel was really taking off as an artform, werewolves had lost some of their appeal. After all, widespread literacy and reading-for-pleasure went hand-in-hand with advancements in civilization. For city-dwellers in Victorian England, for example, the threat of a wolf eating you alive probably seemed quite remote.

Don't get me wrong -- there were some Gothic novels featuring werewolves, like Sutherland Menzies' Hugues, The Wer-Wolf, or G.W.M. Reynolds' Wagner the Wehr-Wolf, or even The Wolf Leader by Alexandre Dumas. But these are not books that have entered the popular conscience by any means. I doubt most people have ever heard of them, much less read them.

No -- I would argue that the closest thing we have, thematically, to a Great Werewolf Novel is in fact The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde by Robert Louis Stevenson. Written in 1886, the Gothic novella tells the story of a scientist who, wanting to engage in certain unnamed vices without detection, created a serum that would allow him to transform into another person. That alter-ego, Mr. Hyde, was selfish, violent, and ultimately uncontrollable -- and after taking over the body on its own terms and committing a murder or two, the only way to stop Hyde’s re-emergence was suicide.

Although not about werewolves, per se, Jekyll & Hyde touches on many themes that we'll see come up time and again in werewolf media up through the present day: toxic masculinity, the dual nature of man, leading a double life, and the ultimate tragedy of allowing one's base instincts/animal nature to run wild. Against a backdrop of Victorian sexual repression and a rapidly shifting concept of humanity's relationship to nature, it makes sense that these themes would resonate deeply (and find a new home in werewolf media).

It is also worth mentioning Guy Endore's The Werewolf of Paris, published in 1933. Set against the backdrop of the Franco-Prussian war and subsequent military battles, the book utilizes a werewolf as a plot device for exploring political turmoil. A #1 bestseller in its day, the book was a big influence on the sci-fi and mystery pulp scene of the 1940s and 50s, and is still considered one of the best werewolf novels of its ilk.

From Silver Bullets to Silver Screens

What werewolf representation lacks in novels, it makes up for in film. Werewolves have been a surprisingly enduring feature of film from its early days, due perhaps to just how much fun transformation sequences are to film. From camera tricks to makeup crews and animatronics design, werewolf movies create a lot of unique opportunities for special effects -- and for early film audiences especially (who were not yet jaded to movie magic), these on-screen metamorphoses must have elicited true awe.

The Wolf Man (1941) really kicked off the trend. Featuring Lon Chaney Jr. as the titular wolf-man, the film was cutting-edge for its time in the special effects department. The creature design is the most memorable thing about the film, which has an otherwise forgettable plot -- but it captured viewer attention enough to bring Chaney back many times over for sequels and Universal Monster mash-ups.

The Wolf Man and 1944's Cry of the Werewolf draw on that problematic Hollywood staple, "The Gypsy Curse(tm)" for their world-building. Fortunately, werewolf media would drift away from that trope pretty quickly; curses lost their appeal, but “bite as mode of transmission” would remain an essential part of werewolf mythos.

In 1957, I Was a Teenage Werewolf was released as a classic double-header drive-in flick that's nevertheless worth a watch for its parallels between werewolfism and male aggression (a theme we'll see come up again and again). Guy Endore's novel got the Hammer Film treatment for 1961's The Curse of the Werewolf, but it wasn't until the 1970s when werewolf media really exploded: The Beast Must Die, The Legend of the Wolf Woman, The Fury of the Wolfman, Scream of the Wolf, Werewolves on Wheels and many more besides.

Hmmm, werewolves exploding in popularity around the same time as women's liberation was dramatically redefining gender roles and threatening the cultural concept of masculinity? Nah, must be a coincidence.

The 1980s brought with it even more werewolf movies, including some of the best-known in the genre: The Howling (1981), Teen Wolf (1985), An American Werewolf in London (1981), and The Company of Wolves (1984). Differing widely in their tone and treatment of werewolf canon, the films would establish more of a spiderweb than a linear taxonomy.

That spilled over into the 1990s as well. The Howling franchise went deep, with at least seven films that I can think of. Wolf, a 1994 release starring Jack Nicholson is especially worth a watch for its themes of dark romantic horror.

By the 2000s, we get a proper grab-bag of werewolf options. There is of course the Underworld series, with its overwrought "vampires vs lycans" world-building. There's also Skin Walkers, which tries very hard to be Underworld (and fails miserably at even that low bar). But there's also Dog Soldiers and Ginger Snaps, arguably two of the finest werewolf movies of all time -- albeit in extremely different ways and for very different reasons.

Dog Soldiers is a straightforward monster movie pitting soldiers against ravenous werewolves. The wolves could just as easily have been subbed out with vampires or zombies -- there is nothing uniquely wolfish about them on a thematic level -- but the creature design is unique and the film itself is mastefully made and entertaining.

Ginger Snaps is the first werewolf movie I can think of that tackles lycanthropy from a female point of view. Although The Company of Wolves has a strong feminist angle, it is still very much a film about male sexuality and aggression. Ginger Snaps, on the other hand, likens werewolfism to female puberty -- a comparison that frankly makes a lot of sense.

The Werewolf as Sex Object

There are quite literally thousands of werewolf romance novels on the market, with more coming in each day. But the origins of this trend are a bit fuzzier to make out (no pun intended).

Everyone can mostly agree that Anne Rice’s Interview with a Vampire was the turning-point for sympathetic vampires -- and paranormal romance as a whole. But where do werewolves enter the mix? Possibly with Laurell K. Hamilton’s Anita Blake, Vampire Hunter books, which feature the titular character in a relationship with a werewolf (and some vampires, and were-leopards, and...many other things). With the first book released in 1993, the Anita Blake series seems to pre-date similar books in its ilk.

Blood and Chocolate (1997) by Annette Curtis Klause delivers a YA-focused version of the classic “I’m a werewolf in high school crushing on a mortal boy”; that same year, Buffy the Vampire Slayer hit the small screen, and although the primary focus was vampires, there is a main werewolf character (and romancing him around the challenges of his wolfishness is a big plot point for the characters involved). And Buffy, of course, paved the way for Twilight in 2005. From there, werewolves were poised to become a staple of the ever-more-popular urban fantasy/paranormal romance genre.

“Sexy werewolf” as a trope may have its roots in other traditions like the beastly bridegroom (eg, Beauty and the Beast) and the demon lover (eg, Labyrinth), which we can talk about another time. But there’s one other ingredient in this recipe that needs to be discussed. And, oh yes, we’re going there.

youtube

Alpha/Beta/Omegaverse

By now you might be familiar with the concept of the Omegaverse thanks to the illuminating Lindsay Ellis video on the topic (and the current ongoing lawsuit). If not, well, just watch the video. It’ll be easier than trying to explain it all. (Warning for NSFW topics).

But the tl;dr is that A/B/O or Omegaverse is a genre of (generally erotic) romance utilizing the classical understanding of wolf pack hierarchy. Never mind that science has long since disproven the stratification of authority in wolf packs; the popular conscious is still intrigued by the concept of a society where some people are powerful alphas and some people are timid omegas and that’s just The Way Things Are.

What’s interesting about the Omegaverse in regards to werewolf fiction is that, as near as I’ve been able to discover, it’s actually a case of convergent evolution. A/B/O as a genre seems to trace its roots to Star Trek fanfiction in the 1960s, where Kirk/Spock couplings popularized ideas like heat cycles. From there, the trope seems to weave its way through various fandoms, exploding in popularity in the Supernatural fandom.

What seems to have happened is that the confluence of A/B/O kink dynamics merging with urban fantasy werewolf social structure set off a popular niche for werewolf romance to truly thrive.

It’s important to remember that, throughout folklore, werewolves were not viewed as being part of werewolf societies. Werewolves were humans who achieved wolf form through a curse or witchcraft, causing them to transform into murderous monsters -- but there was no “werewolf pack,” and certainly no social hierarchy involving werewolf alphas exerting their dominance over weaker pack members. That element is a purely modern one rooted as much in our misunderstanding of wolf pack dynamics as in our very human desire for power hierarchies.

So Where Do We Go From Here?

I don’t think sexy werewolf stories are going anywhere anytime soon. But that doesn’t mean that there’s no room left in horror for werewolves to resume their monstrous roots.

Thematically, werewolves have done a lot of heavy lifting over the centuries. They hold up a mirror to humanity to represent our own animal nature. They embody themes of toxic masculinity, aggression, primal sexuality, and the struggle of the id and ego. Werewolf attack as sexual violence is an obvious but powerful metaphor for trauma, leaving the victim transformed. Werewolves as predators hiding in plain sight among civilization have never been more relevant than in our #MeToo moment of history.

Can werewolves still be frightening? Absolutely.

As long as human nature remains conflicted, there will always be room at the table for man-beasts and horrifying transfigurations.

This blog topic was chosen by my Patreon supporters, who got to see it one week before it went live. If you too would enjoy early access to my blog posts, want to vote for next month’s topic, or just want to support the work I do, come be a patron at https://www.patreon.com/tlbodine

#horror history #werewolves #horror #werewolf #long post

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legendsoffodlan · 4 years

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Wild West AU (Yeehaw)

The town? Garreg Mach. A growing boomtown on the edge of the frontier. Life out here is tough, but the people are tougher. Between the sandstorms, the corrupt politicians and business moguls, and the weird magic shit going on behind the scenes, the people of Garreg Mach are gonna need all their wit and gumption to survive.

Golden Deer

Claude: A popular young lawyer, half Irish Immigrant and half Cheyenne Native American. Claude is well known as a bit of a celebrity about town, frequently challenging the government and protecting the rights of Native Americans and their claims to land. A bit ruthless and a lot charming, Claude is a leader among the townsfolk, particularly the poorer folk.

Hilda: While the Civil War ruined most southern folk, Hilda’s family made it rich by siding with the Union and fighting the Confederacy. Hilda, a southern belle who also happens to be as strong as an ox, came to Garreg Mach to get away from her overbearing brother. A rich girl, she frequently funds Claude’s efforts to protect Native and African American rights.

Lorenz: Born to an old-money New England family, Lorenz talks and acts like British nobility. He’s come to Garreg Mach to expand his family business, but he aims to do it the proper way, avoiding his father’s unsavory tactics. He pays all his employees a living wage, and insists on paid vacation and maternity leave. A reluctant ally of Claude, Lorenz truly has a heart of gold under the snobbery.

Marianne: Marianne's family worked on the Underground Railroad, shepherding slaves to freedom. That got them killed. Alone now, Marianne has come out west to try and get away from her past as the town doctor. But he inborn compassion proves too powerful for her, and she frequently finds herself fighting alongside Claude in his legal suits. She’s smart and she’s ind, but blames herself for her parents deaths.

Ignatz: The son of a merchant who hit it big during the Gold Rush, selling to miners, Ignatz has been sent out to the frontier to both expand his family business and try to make it big selling his art. Ignatz loves to paint murals upon the various buildings of Garreg Mach, bringing some much needed color and beauty to the town.

Leonie: A spitfire girl who was born and raised to ride ‘em, rope ‘em, and brand ‘em, Leonie is a cowgirl through and through. She’s been making a name for herself as a bounty hunter, bringing outlaws and the like to justice. She hates big business and “civilized softies”, but she’s got a place in her heart for her more “upper class” friends. She thinks this whole “Manifest Destiny” thing is stupid and works with Claude against heedless expansion.

Raphael: The son of Scottish immigrants, Raphael’s a big guy with a big heart and an even bigger appetite. With a sick grandpa and a little sister to look after, Raphael makes his money working as the local blacksmith and occasional head-thumper at the bar when fellas get too fresh with the dancing girls. He does his best to keep the town honest and he’s more than willing to throw down against any corrupt old men looking to take over his home.

Lysithea: Smart as a whip and just as stinging, Lysithea is a genius chemist and scientist. Diagnosed with a nasty disease early on in her life, she’s determined to make the most of the time she’s got. She bought herself an old farm which she’s converted into a “science paradise”, Lysithea is determined to make as many breakthroughs as possible, making money to leave her parents comfortable. Much to her chagrin, she finds herself sucked into Claude’s legal fights

Blue Lions

Dimitri: Dimitri was a boy, son of wealthy Russian immigrants, when he enlisted in the Civil War. Now traumatized and trying to move, he’s come out West to find a better life. But his wish for a quiet existence seems to be for naught, as he finds himself made Sheriff of Garreg Mach and charged with fighting criminals and the corrupt. Hoping that protecting the living will silence the screams of the dead in his head, Dimitri is determined to protect his people, no matter what form the threat takes.

Dedue: The son of an escaped slave, he and Dimitri met during the Civil War. Hoping to liberate the rest of his family, Dedue found that the slaves of the plantation his mother had fled from had been butchered by their master, whom Dedue and Dimitri killed in revenge. Disillusioned, Dedue now leads many former slaves here in Garreg Mach, helping them find their footing as farmers and ranchers. A part-time deputy for Dimitri, Dedue will let nothing stand in his way of fighting for a better future for his people.

Ingrid: A girl who disguised herself as a man to fight in the war, Ingrid is firecly loyal to Dimitri as his full-time deputy. A powerful voice of compassion and justice, Ingrid is a devotedly “by the book” woman. She’s been softened to new ideas by many of the folk in Garreg Mach, but she remains decidedly stubborn towards change. Nonetheless, you’ll never find a more devoted and steadfast soldier than Ingrid.

Sylvain: The local lothario and heartbreaker, Sylvain is the self-proclaimed “good for nothing” son of a wealthy rancher. Despite this, his kind heart frequently triumphs over his self-loathing and he stands as a permanent friend of Dimitri and enemy of the forces seeking to ruin Garreg Mach. A surprisingly good quickdraw, Sylvain also fights alongside Dedue for the rights of the African Americans in Garreg Mach.

Mercedes: The daughter of slave-owners, Mercedes ran away from that life, unwillingly leaving her brother behind. Working first on the Underground Railroad, and then as a medic during the war, Mercedes has come to Garreg Mach to devote her life to the Goddess and the less fortunate. A permanent fixture of compassion and healing, Mercedes is beloved by the everyone for her willingness to heal and work with everyone no matter their race, religion, or nationality.

Felix: The son of New England wealth, Felix is the fastest gun in the west and one of the best bounty hunters to boot. Sickened by civilization by the horrors he experienced in the war, Felix is determined to make his own way in the world as a running gun and part-time vigilante. Despite his “lone wolf” status, Felix finds himself frequently coming back to Garreg Mach and the friends he’s made there, frequently ridding with Sheriff Dimitri, grumbling all the way.

Annette: The local schoolteacher and historian, Annette is a slightly flighty girl who loves her friends, her charges, and books. Always trying her hardest, Annette is behind several charities trying to take care of veterans and former slaves, working closely with Dimitri and Dedue towards that end. She’s also a part-time singer at the local saloon, much to the town’s scandal.

Ashe: A former thief, then the adopted son of a Southern Abolitionist, Ashe lost everything during the war. Gathering up the remains of his adopted and blood-related family, he now seeks to build a new life for them in Garreg Mach. Despite trying to stay out of trouble, his strong sense of fairness and compassion frequently suck him into problems that are not his own, fighting for the weak and downtrodden. He’s one of the few people who can sometimes outdraw Felix.

Black Eagles

Edelgard: The mayor of Garreg Mach, Edelgard was the daughter of a powerful plantation owner before she gunned her father down and rallied her friends to take up arms against the Confederacy. Now she fights for the rights of the poor and oppressed as Mayor with the same ferocity and single-mindedness that she fought in the war. She frequently butts heads with Claude and Dimitri over methods, but she is determined to create a better future, and damn anyone who gets in her way.

Hubert: Edelgard’s closest friend and bodyguard, Hubert is also a chemist and mathematician, using his deadly intellect to devastating results. While absolutely devoted to Edelgard, Hubert is also determined to make a better future through whatever means necessary, no matter how unsavory they might be. There are rumors about what happened to Hubert’s father during the war, but nothing that could be proven.

Petra: The daughter of a Lakota Native American Chief, Petra is determined to make a better future for her tribe and fights for their rights at every turn. As such she works frequently with Claude and Edelgard to secure the rights of the Lakota. As deadly as she is beautiful, Petra makes her money by keeping the frontier safe and taking out Edelgard’s political enemies to pave the way for her people’s future.

Ferdinand: While Lorenz only acts like British nobility, Ferdinand actually is British Nobility, come across the pond to secure his family’s interests. He ended up sucked into Edelgard’s crusade and provides support and money to her designs. Despite his loud demeanor and arrogant tendencies, Ferdinand is a kind creature at heart who will always put his neck out for the little guy, much to his family’s chagrin. He’s also the owner of the local saloon, and as such everyone want to be on his good side.

Dorothea: The star-singer of the town saloon, Dorothea is the face of Edelgard’s political machine, earning support and favor with her charm and her voice. She has a love-hate relationship with her boss, Ferdinand that veers between attempted murder and true love. She spends most of her money on the poor and badly-off as she knows what its like to go without. Despite her pretty face and gentle demeanor, she’s no less vicious in her pursuit of what’s right than Edelgard.

Caspar: The former son of a plantation owner, Caspar fought alongside Edelgard against the Confederacy and his own father. Tough, brave, and true-hearted, no one knows what Caspar’s job actually is. He just seems to do a little bit of everything from manual labor to bounty-hunting. A permanent shield for “the little guy”, Caspar will never give-up the good fight. Never.

Linhardt: As smart as he is, Linhardt could take over the world if he had a mind to. Fortunately, he doesn’t. A scientist and researcher who frequently works alongside Lysithea, Linhardt seems more interested in taking naps and reading his books than anything else. Despite this, he maintains polite friendships with many of the townsfolk, including his dearest friend Caspar whom he lives with and shares a bed with. But totally just good friends!

Bernadetta: The local shut-in, Bernadetta was the victim of an abusive father and neglectful mother, who jumped at the chance to run away when Edelgard presented it. Despite her shyness and her borderline agoraphobia, Bernadetta runs a large farm outside of town, frequently hosting political get-together which she barely shows up at. Hidden reserves of courage drive her to help Petra and her people frequently providing aid whenever she can. From insider her room, of course.

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goldenavenger02 · 3 years

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Susz's Halloween Recommendations Part 1: Movies, specials and TV shows.

Movies/specials

Girl Vs. Monster (2012)

Skylar, a teenage girl who discovers on Halloween she's a fifth generation monster hunter. When Skylar accidentally releases some monsters from a containment chamber she must recapture them before they wreak vengeance on her parents.

Notes: I've been watching this since it came out and it's always been a favorite of mine! Has a great message about facing your fears and not letting them control you with the backdrop of monster hunting!

Halloweentown (1998)

When a young girl living with her good-witch grandmother learns she too is a witch, she must help her grandmother save Halloweentown from evil forces.

Notes: I watched this for the first time last year, and I was pleasantly surprised even as an 18 year old!

Hocus Pocus (1993)

A curious youngster moves to Salem, where he struggles to fit in before awakening a trio of diabolical witches that were executed in the 17th century.

Notes: another movie I watched last year, and so surprisingly dark for Disney, especially in the 90s.

The Haunted Mansion (2003)

A realtor and his wife and children are summoned to a mansion, which they soon discover is haunted, and while they attempt to escape, he learns an important lesson about the family he has neglected.

Notes: Eddie Murphy trying to keep his family safe in this haunted house? It's one of my favorites!

Scooby Doo (2002)

The Mystery Inc. gang have gone their separate ways and have been apart for two years, until they each receive an invitation to Spooky Island. Not knowing that the others have also been invited, they show up and discover an amusement park that affects young visitors in very strange ways. Fred, Daphne, Velma, Shaggy and Scooby soon realize that they cannot solve this mystery without help from each other.

Notes: this is a childhood movie of mine, and the sequel is so good as well. Definitely a good mix of spooky and fun!

Scooby Doo: The Mystery Begins (2009)

A made for TV movie about the origins of the Mystery Incorporated gang.

Notes: a high school/Disney Channel style movie with horror elements starring Robbie Ammel and Hayley Kiyoko. This one is one I've been watching since it came out and it's one of my favorites.

Coraline (2009)

An adventurous 11-year-old girl finds another world that is a strangely idealized version of her frustrating home, but it has sinister secrets.

Notes: watched this one last year and I absolutely adore it! It's so terrifying and I highly recommend.

The Boy (2016)

An American nanny is shocked that her new English family's boy is actually a life-sized doll. After she violates a list of strict rules, disturbing events make her believe that the doll is really alive.

Notes: the movie is suspenseful the whole time, and the last 15 minutes are absolutely horrifying.

Flashback (2020)

After a chance encounter with a man forgotten from his youth, Fred literally and metaphorically journeys into his past.

Notes: I watched this psychological thriller a few months ago and it has it's scary elements, but it's really interesting to see the main character descend into madness and obsession due to something in his personal life.

Edge of Winter (2016)

When two brothers are stranded by a brutal winter storm with an unpredictable father they barely know, the boys begin to suspect their supposed protector may be their biggest threat.

Notes: pretty sure this movie was filmed around the same time Captain America: Civil War, so it's very young Tom Holland, but this is a movie he is so good in. Definitely makes you wonder just how far parents are willing to go.

Hubie Halloween (2020)

Despite his devotion to his hometown of Salem (and its Halloween celebration), Hubie Dubois is a figure of mockery for kids and adults alike. But this year, something is going bump in the night, and it's up to Hubie to save Halloween.

Notes: Don't take this one seriously and you're more likely to enjoy it. Definitely more of a comedy than anything scary. Adam Sandler is very polarizing but I enjoyed this.

Hotel Transylvania (2012)

Dracula, who operates a high-end resort away from the human world, goes into overprotective mode when a boy discovers the resort and falls for the count's teenaged daughter.

Notes: a family Halloween movie that really is just a fun time.

Ninjago: Day of the Departed (2016)

On the Ninjago holiday: Day of the Departed, the ninja remeber those who have departed.

Notes: Takes place in between season 6 and 7 and really explores grief as well as the concept of being forgotten. Obviously you have to watch the seasons before to understand this, but it's really interesting to watch for sure.

My Friend Dahmer (2017)

Jeffrey Dahmer murdered 17 men and boys in the Midwest United States between 1978 and 1991 before being captured and incarcerated. He would become one of America's most infamous serial killers. This is the story before that story.

Notes: a fascinating look into an infamous serial killer, both parts fiction and non fiction and suspenseful the whole time.

TV shows

Teen Wolf (2011-2017)

Scott becomes the eponymous teenage werewolf of the series after he is bitten by an alpha werewolf the night before his second year of high school, drastically changing his once-ordinary life.

Notes: one of my absolute favorite TV shows, and perfect for the Halloween season! Especially since the movie is coming out next year!

Only Murders in the Building (2021-)

Only Murders in the Building follows three strangers, played by Steve Martin, Martin Short and Selena Gomez, who share an obsession with a true crime podcast. After a murder in their building, the three neighbors decide to start their own show that covers their investigation of the murder.

Notes: Already fantastic and season 1 is still coming out on Hulu! The blend of comedy and horror is always one of my favorites!

Cruel Summer (2021-)

The series follows two teenage girls in the 1990s and the repercussions on everyone's lives after one disappears and the other seemingly takes her place.

Notes: this has huge triggers for domestic violence, grooming and sexual assault. If you're not triggered by that, I HIGHLY recommend this, and I'm so excited for season 2! It also has some great LGBT+ rep!

Nancy Drew (2019-)

Nancy Drew (Kennedy McMann) is a brilliant teenaged detective whose sense of self had come from solving mysteries in her hometown of Horseshoe Bay, Maine – until her mother’s untimely death derails Nancy’s college plans.

Notes: I've been watching this since it came out and season 3 is about to start airing! The first season is so wonderful and full of twists and turns (season 2 isn't as good, but it's the CW) and I highly recommend!

Ninjago Season 5, Possession (2015)

The spirit of the evil Morro is released from the cursed realm and the Ninjas have to unite in the battle against an evil foe.

Notes: one of my favorite seasons of the show, and definitely one of the darkest ones! Deals with grief, depression and high expectations and it's so good!

Scooby Doo: Mystery Incorporated (2010-2013)

Scooby-Doo and the gang attempt to solve creepy mysteries in the town of Crystal Cove, a place with a history of eerie supernatural events.

Notes: this starts off similar to the original Scooby Doo show from the early 70's, but as the overarching plot gets deeper and deeper, you really spend your time just wondering "what the heck is going on".

I'm not going to put specific episodes of TV shows on here, because that'll get daunting, but part 2 is books and fics!

#susz's halloween recommendations #halloween

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prinz-alexiares · 4 years

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Deputy Blair R. O’Connell

I’ve had this OC since, like, 2018 but I was too lazy to assemble her design together so here she is lol

BASIC INFO

Name: Blair Rhiannon O’Connell

Nickname: Deputy/Dep, Blair, Ree (only by family)

Age: 26

Birthdate: January 19th

Gender: Female

Ethnicity/Nationality: Irish-Welsh-American

Height/Weight: 172 cm / 68 kg

Blood Type: B

Occupation: USAF Marksman (former), Deputy Sheriff of Hope County

Hair Color: Black with red-brown undertone

Eye Color: Grey

Likes:

Winter

Guns ‘N Roses

Rain

Open nature and mountains

Spicy food

Canine animals

Warm bath

.50 cal firearms

Dislikes:

Sweets

Summer

Crowded places

Being teased/played with

Shotgun

Empty desert

Hobbies:

Outdoor related activities such as fishing, hunting, camping, and hiking

Looking at animal memes

Randomly wandering outside or sit somewhere in the forest and do nothing

Reading peculiar books

Petting all the dogs in the ‘hood

Fixing/cleaning/modifying her weapons while blasting classic rock songs on the radio

Soaking herself in a bathtub full of warm water

Personality:

Blair has a bold style and vibe, and she carries a rather thuggish demeanor. She looks and acts more masculine, although she also shows her femininity in a lot of ways as well.

She is somewhat reckless, often acts first before she thinks. She introspectively sees this as her weakness, as she repeatedly made bad decisions in the past that negatively affected people around her. But on a brighter side, she comes out as an ‘action’ person who gets things done. It also makes her seem more courageous and reliable than most people.

She can get very selfish. A lot of decisions she makes would consider her ideals stronger than anything else. But the good side is that she always wants to do the ‘right thing’ by helping others or solve problems, although the result still relies heavily on her own judgement.

She describes herself as ‘childish and mature at the same time’, hinting at her recklessness and self-centered tendencies as being ‘childish’, while her natural leader and calculating nature as the ‘mature’ side. Her service in the USAF had helped her to polish her leadership and logical thinking skills, although they sometimes are hindered by her emotions.

Five Songs in Her Playlist:

Metallica - Nothing Else Matters

Guns ‘N Roses - November Rain

Queens of The Stone Age - Make It Wit Chu

Guns ‘N Roses - Paradise City

Radiohead - High and Dry

‘GET TO KNOW THIS FELLA BETTER’ SECTION

Childhood

Blair was born in Boston, Massachusetts, to a devoted Catholic family as an only child. Her business consultant father was an immigrant from Ireland, and her teacher mother was a Welsh-American. They enrolled her into all-girls Catholic schools throughout her elementary and a half of her junior high-school years. However, that didn’t stop her from developing interest in hobbies more commonly enjoyed by boys. She enjoyed baseball, soccer, wall climbing, skateboarding, and plenty of other outdoor activities. She also made friends with boys around her neighborhood and used to walk her dogs with them as well.

During her school years, she was very competitive at school and very confident with herself. She liked presenting her work, actively asking and answering questions during lessons, and she was becoming more and more critical about her surroundings. Her teachers disliked her boldness, as it was seen as a sign of disobedience. They tried to shut her down by treating her differently than her other peers; giving her more disadvantages and having her voice ignored in the classrooms. Young Blair got discouraged and frustrated that she threw a lot of tantrums and started to become less and less compromising when she was faced with problems. She then began to show her violent tendencies as she repeatedly involved in fistfights and physical bullying. Her parents were mad at her once she was given detention from school, but upon learning the truth, they moved her to a mixed, secular private school.

However, her violent tendencies were never addressed properly thus carried until later in her life.

Before Eden’s Gate

Blair was first introduced to open nature, firearms, and hunting when she celebrated winter holiday at her grandfather’s place in Montana. He was a Vietnam War veteran, and through him she learned about the old M1903 Springfield and Winchester Model 70 for the first time. Blair had been visiting him almost every winter holiday since she was 13, learning all the stuff about guns and hunting. She was very fascinated and inspired by her grandfather that she planned to follow in his footsteps to live as a hunter.

But her metropolitan parents were against her ideas, which disappointed her. They later discussed her future and agreed upon a condition that Blair would return to formal school, taking defense studies, and/or enlisting herself in the military or police department. She did enlist to the USAF, spending about 4-5 years in service. She was in the marksman course and tasked as sniper for an Advanced Designated Marksman team in the Middle-East. She was known to be a formidable marksman with plenty of kill records. Although she didn’t experience much combat, it was enough for her to see how complex and dangerous things were, and killing people because she was told to do so wasn’t a pleasure. She also lost her teammate once; a spotter, shot by an enemy sniper.

Once she got home, she spilled the surprising news to her parents that she quit the military. She tried to seek redemption from the extreme guilt she brought home from the war. She went to Montana and stayed in her late grandfather’s cabin while thinking about what to do next. She then applied to several police and sheriff offices in Montana, wishing she’d make things up by protecting people as a police officer. Not long after, she got accepted in a sheriff office located in a remote county, telling her that they’re in dire need of someone capable of handling civil unrest situations. She wondered why, and chose to go.

PEG Turmoil

Blair tried to make peace with her past, but being involved in PEG turmoil forced her to relive her past instead. At first, seeing no way out, she decided to play along; rescuing resistance members, destroying PEG infrastructures, and becoming the pawn for the local residents’ revenge against the cult. But the more people she killed, the more destruction she created, the more frustrated she became. She started to put the Seeds’ words into her consideration. She also spoke to some of the locals who wished there would be another way to deal with the Peggies instead of going all out civil war.

She is stuck between acknowledging that the cult is probably right, that what she’s done is a severe crime and makes her no different than the cult, but she can’t leave behind the people and everything she has been fighting for.

Relationships:

Joseph Seed: The man just feels unsettling for her. Like there is something about him that makes her guts tell her how he is a trustworthy person. But her brain tells her he’s a psychopath who murders everyone to get his way with the world he resents. She hasn’t figured out whether she can trust his words or not.

John Seed: She thinks of him as a typical upper-class man with enormous wealth and power in possession who likes to exploit those who are more inferior than him. He has a superiority complex, perhaps, and Blair has heard about what happened between him and his adoptive family. She also knows his ‘obsession’ towards her, and she prefers to use it as a weapon to taunt him.

Jacob Seed: The Seed she can relate to the most, but also feels like an intense rival of hers. She has complicated feelings about him; she respects him. His values and views make sense to a certain extent, but she can’t deny that he IS a war criminal and he must be held responsible for all the horrible shit he has done. But after all the destruction she created, she comes into terms that they both are of the same kind after all. However, she won’t be intensely facing him off if not for the brainwashing trials and his hunting rituals.

Faith Seed: She feels nothing but pity towards her. She has heard what Joseph has done to her, and what happened to the previous ‘Faiths’. She treats Faith as nothing more than Joseph’s pawn, who probably has no freedom in making any decision at all.

Trivia:

Her name ‘Blair’ is of Scottish-Gaelic origin. It means ‘plain’, ‘field’, or ‘battlefield’, while her middle name ‘Rhiannon’ is of old Celtic origin which means ‘divine queen’. Her surname ‘O’Connell’ is a common Irish surname which means ‘wolf’ or ‘hound’.

When her hair isn’t tied up, it has medium length that almost reaches her shoulders.

She equips red and grey-checkered MBP .50 with cylinder suppressor, cherry-painted silenced M60, red-painted silenced SMG-11, and a red-painted RPG. When she isn’t in her stealthy mood, she packs Jacob’s rifle and M249.

She has had a smoking habit since high school. She stopped smoking for a while during her service in USAF, but continued after she quit the military. Her favorite cigarette is Lucky Strike.

She is addicted to eyeliner.

She wears her military dog tag as a memorabilia.

Her type of man is someone who can tame and handle her ‘chaotic side’.

Unlike her family, she isn’t religious.

She believes that she is sterile, that’s why she feels like less of a woman.

I want to add some more details but shit isn’t this a freaking long post. I’ll just update them later. Procrastination is the key to better original character design.

#original character #far cry 5 #junior deputy #junior deputy oc #dep blair #my art #my ocs are my children

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welldressedllama · 3 years

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2020 20s Challenge (20 favorite tv shows and 20 movies from the 2010-20 decade!)

I was tagged by @wonderdoves (thank you!). I gotta say, this was much harder than I expected. Like, my brain is literally like “what are movies? Did any come out between 2010-20??” Yeah brain, they did, you stupid bastard.

Neither lists are in any particular order.

TV Shows -

1. All American

2. Shadowhunters: The Mortal Instruments

3. Four Weddings and a Funeral

4. Supergirl

5. Black Lightning

6. Titans

7. Teenage Bounty Hunters

8. Good Trouble

9. Julie and the Phantoms

10. Roswell, New Mexico

11. Schitt's Creek

12. Star Wars: The Clone Wars

13. Lucifer

14. Teen Wolf (So I actually just started this yesterday, but I can already tell I’m going to love it, so.)

15. The Witcher

16. Emily in Paris

17. Timeless

18. Love, Victor

19. Witches of East End

20. Once Upon a Time

******

Movies -

1. Wonder Woman

2. Captain Marvel

3. Avengers: Age of Ultron

4. Captain America: Winter Soldier

5. Captain America: Civil War

6. Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, Pt. II

7. The Old Guard

8. Black Panther

9. Justice League Dark

10. Frozen

11. Frozen 2

12. Thor: Ragnarok

13. Deadpool

14. To All the Boys I've Loved Before

15. The Half of It

16. Let It Snow (Yes, this is the 2013 Hallmark Christmas movie. No, I have no shame.

Okay. Maybe a little bit.)

17. Love Simon

18. The Kissing Booth 2 (The movie itself was actually just eh, but it did introduce me to Taylor Zakhar Perez, and so for that I will forever be grateful.)

19. The Christmas House (Seeing a LGBTQ+ couple in a Hallmark Christmas movie? Honestly would have meant the world to younger Bryce.)

20. Not The Lightning Thief, that’s for damn sure.

I’m tagging @a-lil-bi-furious and @rosaortecho, because honestly I think these things are just fun. But also, no pressure of course. If you follow me and want to do it, please tag me so I can see your opinions!

#what is with me and superheroes #I forgot some of these even existed #but they were such a huge part of my life #taylor zakhar perez #tag games #just ignore me #llama's tagged

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dr-pepper-cherry · 3 years

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The Crimson Rangers

Where would Robin Hood be without the aid of his Merry Men? Or how could Butch Cassidy & The Sundance Kid accomplish their heists without the aid of The Wild Bunch? Neither of them could have gotten as far as they did without the aid of their gangs and the same goes for Deadeye, legendary gunslinger or not. Deadeye's group, The Crimson Rangers are composed of rogues and mercenaries two hundred and fifty strong that bring their own sense of vigilante justice to the lands of Hell. Founded and led by the Ranger In Red, Deadeye, they are infamous for their skills in stealth, accuracy and deadly efficiency. Whether it is to steal from the rich to give to the poor, assassinate the malicious and monstrous or to simply lend their skills as the greatest gunslingers and sharpshooters in Hell, they are the guns for hire when quality is wanted more than quantity.

Wiley “Dust Devil” Jackson

Demon Form: Jackrabbit

Age: 26

Division: Gunslinger

Rank: Sheriff

One of the fastest gunslingers around in both his time and the modern day, Wiley has always been quick on the draw, quick on his feet, and quick to run his mouth. Born as an orphan on the back alley streets of Boston, Massachusetts in 1860, the young outlaw began his path to banditry after he grew tired of the upper classes complete disregard to his existence and stole food from them to feed himself. Overtime, his quick hands and quicker feet would gather more than just food as he stole money, bullets and a gun, which finally got him in trouble after he used said gun to shoot a state marshal dead. With a bounty on his head at the age of 18, he ran off to the west, where he would only continue his life of crime by robbing stagecoaches and shooting strangers with a smile. His time finally came to an end when he entered a quick draw contest and attempted to draw guns against Johnny Harlan, who he discovered too late was just a bit faster.

Even after his death, Wiley refused to slow down his wild ways and continued his life of crime, unaware of all the attention he was drawing. When he crossed guns against a overlord who wanted him dead, he thought he was as good as gone until another gunslinger, cloaked in signature red, saved his life. Between feeling indebted to The Ranger In Red and wanting to be on the stronger side, he joined up with Deadeye's growing gang and was even promoted to the rank of Sheriff after his service in the Black Army Wars. Now in charge of the Crimson Ranger Gunslingers, he always skipping with a smile, running as fast as he talks, and ready to draw on just about anything.

Fun Facts About "Dust Devil"

. He has a tendency to be rather boastful about himself and his skills as a gunslinger. But if he can shut his mouth for two minutes and focus on the task at hand, many demons find out the hard way that he can back up his claims.

. Out of all the Crimson Rangers, he knows the streets of Pentagram City best, having grown up in a similar background.

. He's a pretty big fan of baseball, having spent most of his childhood playing baseball with the other orphans before his turn to gunfighting. Because of his years of practice, he is also the best thrower of the Rangers.

Voice Claim: Jack Marston - Red Dead Redemption

Art Credit: gimmieasmile

Doc "Rip Van Winkle" Friday

Demon Form: Hound Dog

Age: 76

Division: Sharpshooter

Rank: Sheriff

A soldier since adulthood and a sharpshooter since his first rifle, Old Doc may seem lazy, lofty and so paranoid he will never use his real name, but give him a reason to stare down a scope and he'll happily demonstrate why he leads the Crimson Ranger Sharpshooters. Born in Monterrey, Mexico in 1787, Doc joined the army at a young age and fought in many wars over the century, such as the War of 1812, the Texas-Indian Wars and the Mexican-American War, before entering the Civil War for the Union as he believed Mexico would be next, should the Confederates win. Being assigned into the 1st United States Sharpshooters Regiment, he lent his skills with his rifle to the United States and took control of the forces after his former captain, Josiah McGrath, was believed to be killed.

Although he was renowned for his sharpshooting prowess and professionalism, the horrors of both wars past and present began to take a toll on his mind as he began targeting anyone and everyone who even supported the Confederates, soldiers and civilians alike. His last fight would be at The Battle Of The Crater, as he was caught up with trying to shoot down another confederate when he was caught in a blast of cannon fire.

In Hell, Doc slowly began to cool from his soldiering days and often explored the many forests that laid through Hell before stumbling upon The Red Woods and even finding the son of his former captain, Cyrus McGrath who was now known as Deadeye. Helping the McGrath get back on his feet in an attempt to pay back Josiah, Doc was the first of The Crimson Rangers and even led them in the Black Army Wars, leading to his promotion to Sheriff. Even hundreds of years old, Doc doesn't plan to retire any time soon.

Fun Facts About "Rip Van Winkle"

. He's quite skilled with an acoustic guitar and doesn't mind playing the occasional song on his time off.

. Due to his laid-back personality, his years of wisdom and the occasional complaint about his old bones, he is often referred to as Grandpa Doc or Old Man. He doesn't really mind the old man nicknames. He does mind being called McGruff, however.

. His bloodhound form has made him a far better tracker than he was when he was alive. With enhanced senses, including a much stronger sense of smell, he can follow the trail of practically anyone.

Voice Claim: Raul Tejada - Fallout: New Vegas

Art Credit: Juju

Tacitus “Taci” Macello Andronicus, III

Demon Form: Alligator

Age: 44

Division: Stalker

Rank: Sheriff

An quiet and silent enforcer to The Crimson Rangers, one may be surprised to learn that the giant in scales actually leads the Crimson Ranger Stalkers, something that they might find funny until they realized Taci is right behind them. Raised in New Orleans in 1846, Tacitus's human life is a subject he barely likes to touch upon. Aside from his past as a enforcer for a local gang and his death at the hands of a rival gang throwing him to the gators, not much else is touched upon in his tales of his past. But while his past may remain a mystery, his present in Hell is all well known.

After his death, Taci's was quick to rejoin his old gang, making a comfortable living off cracking open skulls and bashing in debtors who tried to swindle them. He grew so comfortable in his position, he would even believe himself unbeatable. But that attitude was all but lost when a new arrival in Hell, a maniacal fox who called herself Viy, sought to take claim over more than just the business. Even though Taci tried to end her reign of terror then and there, he underestimated the warlord's strength and was beaten to unconsciousness. When he next awoke, the hideout was burnt to ruins, the bodies of his allies laid scattered around him and he himself was taken as a prisoner. Enslaved and transferred to Camp Beznadiynyy, Taci was experimented on and tested on with many of the Black Army weapons in an attempt to get him to break to the warlord's will. But even after being a test subject for several years and the torturous process that left numerous unhealable scars all across his body and the lost of his left arm, he would refuse to break, clinging on to a hope that he can escape and crush that warmonger's throat.

While he would never get to deal with Viy personally, his hopes for escape were answered when The Ranger In Red attacked the camp and freed the prisoners inside, Taci included. After Deadeye got him to safety in his woods and even crafted a replacement arm with a hidden cannon from his father's blueprints, Taci felt indebted to the gunslinger and served with Deadeye in the Black Army Wars, even being promoted to Sheriff for his efforts. The gentle giant he may be, he will show no mercy to anyone he hunts.

Fun Facts About "Taci"

. There have been some rumors that Taci manages to keep his assassination targets hidden by eating them, bones and all. It's probably not true. Probably.

. His mechanical arm actually contains a few more nifty gadgets. His fingertips can shoot out .357 Magnum ammunition, his wrist can detach and shoot out with a chain, allowing him to grapple objects or pull targets to him from far away and by detaching his arm, he can fire a last resort cannon blast.

. Due to his crocodilian form and his own swimming skills, Taci does his best work in the water, being practically undetectable in the waves.

Voice Claim: Wrex - Mass Effect

Art Credit: FatForSurvival18

Jessie "Silver" McCoy

Demon Form: Wolf

Age: 19

Division: Gunslinger

Rank: Deputy

While tales of The Reaper in Red struck fear and terror into the hearts of most who hear them, Jessie only found them awe-inspiring and hopeful. Born to a middle class family in Kansas, Jessie had always sought to separate him from the boring deeds of his family. He didn’t want to be known as some random farmer. He wanted his name on wanted posters, to be the next outlaw of legend. Going so far as to begin dressing up like a gunslinger, this wish for fame got him into a bad spot when a greenhorn bounty hunter believed he was the infamous Reaper In Red and forced Jessie to a duel, where he discovered his knack for the quickdraw just in time to shoot the bounty hunter dead. With the bounty hunter's death, Jessie found pride in his actions and left town to continue his life as an outlaw, even though he had no bounty. Despite his lack of experience, his talent for gunslinging was not only keeping him alive, it also brought a good amount of fame to his name. He might have become a legend of the west if not for the bounty hunter's younger brother, who stabbed the "outlaw" to death while his back was turned.

At first an aimless drifter in the afterlife, his actions as a gunfighter soon landed himself an audience with his childhood idol. But instead of greeting the Reaper In Red with the standard hostility, he left Deadeye confused as he went completely starstruck, going on a million miles a minute about Deadeye's past. While Deadeye was confused at the sudden attention, he found Jessie to be a reliable asset to the rangers, not to mention rather enduring that there were some people who actually liked him. So when the ranger offered a spot in his growing gang to the kid, Jessie joined on the spot with a grin on his face. Even after all these years, Jessie may still be as reckless as ever, but his persistence and talent have never once failed The Crimson Rangers.

Fun Facts About "Silver"

. Silver, by his very namesake, is one of the most charming and charismatic members of The Crimson Rangers. Because of his wordsmithing talents, he is often sent as the messenger and communicator to many deals with other demons or those who claim they wish to aid the rangers. And should his wording fail, he's got one hell of a gun hand to back himself up.

. Despite the form of a wolf, Silver is one of the kindest members of The Crimson Rangers, always facing every problem with optimism. However, during the rare times he actually loses his temper, he has a tendency to growl and bear his fangs.

. Having spent most of his childhood pouring through adventure novels and the like, he seems to be a bit genre savvy and tends to anticipates tropes that their targets would use in order to catch them.

Voice Claim: Shinji Ikari - Neon Genesis Evangelion

Art Credit: ✘❝ • 𝕱𝖗𝖊𝖓𝖈𝖍𝖎𝖊 𝕰𝖝𝖙𝖊𝖗𝖒𝖎𝖓𝖆𝖙𝖔𝖗 • ❞✘

Todd "Ranger" Clarkson

Demon Form: Elk

Age: 20

Division: Sharpshooter

Rank: Deputy

Character Owned By: Ranger Todd

Out of the thieves and rouges in the Crimson Rangers, practically no one would expect to encounter a park ranger from the 80's. But don't be so quick as to laugh him off as the eye down the iron sights of his Winchester may be the last thing you never see.

What started as a simple summer job in Beaver Brook National Park quickly spiraled into a mysterious death trap for any poacher who dared to step into those woods. Park Ranger Todd Clarkson, who loved nature and wished to preserve it, often used his rifle to hunt poachers and those who disrespected the forest. While missing posters began to fly up on billboards and milk cartons, his fellow rangers never thought much on it until another park ranger discovered his hideaway shack, filled with evidence of the missing poachers. In his attempt to talk with Todd about the bodies, words were mixed up and a fight broke out. Although Todd managed to win, a fire had broken out in their brawl and gave Todd no time to react as he passed out from both his wounds and the smoke.

Todd would continue to stay near the trees and forests he grew attached to and was even bold enough to camp in the Red Woods, drawing the attention of the Crimson Rangers. While wary of Todd at first, the Crimson Rangers soon found his skills impressive after he aided in securing their home from corporate hands and offered him a place among them. With some refinement from Deadeye and Rip Van Winkle, Todd grew into a valued sharpshooter who now lends his rifle to the cause of The Crimson Rangers.

Fun Facts About "Ranger"

. His hat was given to him by the love of his life just before he died, and it's his most sentimental possession.

. Ranger dosen't keep pistols. He's confident in his ability to nail his target with a repeater at long range or short. And on the rare occasion he misses a point blank shot, he has even more confidence in his hunting knife.

. While a rarity, there’s a chance every now and then where he will cough up smoke. He’s not really sure why.

Voice Claim: MacCready - Fallout 4

Kozō "Kage" Jirokichi

Demon Form: Rat

Age: 41

Division: Stalker

Rank: Deputy

Originally a street rat from the streets of Kyoto, Japan, Kozō had grown to hate the taxes and laws that oppressed his people and sought to fight against the might of the local lords. His attempts to protest against the lords resulted in his branding and banishment, further dragging his name into the dirt. However, he was undeterred in his fight and instead snuck into the palace and ran off with their entire supply of gold. Working on his own, Kozō adopted a Robin Hood like persona, robbing the rich and sharing his wealth to the poor. He grew infamous for his exploits and managed to sneak and steal for fifteen years until he was finally caught and executed. Even though his intentions were for the greater good, thievery is still a sin and so he was dammed to Hell.

Upon arrival, Kozō attempted to fade into obscurity, but his actions had caught the attention of the overlords. They were worried they too would be robbed by the infamous thief and attempted to have him killed once again. But before one attempt almost claimed his afterlife, he was rescued by The Crimson Rangers, who he felt rather grateful towards as they were some of the first few people who showed him kindness since he landed down in Hell. Lending his skills as a thief, he was taken into their fold and has resumed his old life of stealing from the rich and giving to the poor. Just with the aid of more than himself.

Fun Facts About "Kage"

. The blade at his hip is the infamous Juuchi Yosamu, or 10,000 Cold Nights, that he stole from legendary swordsmith, Sengo Muramasa. The blade is so perfectly sharp that it is able to slice through anything as if it was passing through water, be it solid steel to even the air around him. While it is a incredible weapon, he finds it is also an incredible thieving tool since he can practically make his own entrances and exits.

. He is rarely ever far from a bottle of sake. While he usually keeps himself off the bottle until his task is complete, there are times where he will sneak a quick sip if things get too stressful.

. While he primarily speaks in Japanese, he can understand English fairly well and has been teaching some of the rangers Japanese in return. It's a slow process, but a process nonetheless.

Voice Claim: Kazuma Kiryu - Yakuza

Art Credit: Shakers

Rosa "Bullet-Weaver" de la Costa

Demon Form: Fox

Age: 28

Division: Gunslinger

Rank: Deputy

For Rosa de la Costa, life is as wild as you wish to make it. And if you must be the one to make it wild, you better leave a performance that will be remembered. A dashing pistolera from Mexico, Rosa life started out with a dream to see the world and indulge in every pleasure she could achieve through dance and song. But in a time before such things would become popular and where those who reached fame had to twirl guns or be feared, life was often poor for Rosa who had to expand her talents to keep a stable income. Through a combination of dancing, singing and sleeping with anyone who paid every now and then, she had begun to earn a name for herself, short as it was yet enough to live a life of comfort and carefreeness. Of course, this life wouldn’t last forever, much to her dismay. But a richer, more exciting one would be drawing near as one night, she was accosted by three thugs, a gaggle of foul-mouthed morons who were interested in a free performance and were not looking to hear a no. But when they fired upon her after a rather violent refusal, the dancer was miraculously unscathed from the flurry of bullets, leaving her bewildered and amazed. Even more so as she stole a pistol from them and fired three rounds in their heads, despite never even holding a gun before. For Rosa, this was a sign that her life was meant for more, a sign to be something greater. And with three men dead and her being the only witness, she was eager to leave her old life behind anyway. Over the next few years, tales of the Bullet-Weaver were spread far and wide, a queen among gunslingers who no bullet could touch. She was feared for her pistol work, beloved for her beauty and skills, and was proud of the reputation she had earned. But she had attracted more than just looks as she found out too late one night when a handsome stranger she had taken to bed revealed himself to be a bounty hunter. And while no bullet could ever touch her, the hangman's noose certainly could.

She may have known exactly where she was going in the afterlife, but she had no idea it was going to be so alive and vibrant, especially in Pentagram City. Putting her pistols aside for the moment, Rosa spent her early years lavishing in her original dream, finding fame and fortune as a lounge singer. But even though she had found a life of comfort, she found it rather boring and uneventful. Every day was a song she knew and every want was taken care of in tandem. The life of a wandering pistolera had left quite the impression upon her and she ached to return to the life of adventure once more. But with the end of gunslingers approaching and more advanced guns being forged, she felt as if it was a dream she couldn't reach. She felt she was now stuck in her afterlife until one of her fans, a certain jackrabbit who knew about the pistolera, was more interested in her skills with a gun instead and invited her to join The Crimson Rangers. Finding comfort, safety and familiarity in the Crimson Rangers, Rosa has since become a valued member of the gang, even teaching them her ways of evasion. At least to anyone who can keep up.

Fun Facts About "Bullet-Weaver"

. She may no longer practice prostitution, but the attitude for it never left her. She’s not above using her charms to seduce her targets, loves a good dirty joke and tends to flirt with just about anyone and everyone.

. Though her skill with guns is as good as any ranger, she’s also quite skilled in the capoeira marital art, often getting through every fight with flare and grace.

. The red bandana she wears was a gift from the first man she ever grew to love. While his name has now been lost to her, the bandana remains as a treasured possession.

Voice Claim: Isabela - Dragon Age: Inquisition

Art Credit: Sugartooth

Holly "Iron Maiden" Mayberry

Demon Form: Horse

Age: 35

Division: Sharpshooter

Rank: Deputy

While she is now known for her tough-as-nails personality and unwillingness to take anything lying down, There was a time in Holly’s life where her only wants were raising a family and living a life of home and comfort. But that dream has long since died.

Formerly a loving wife to Eric Mason, a local cowboy in Marble Falls, Texas, her former life was taken from her after the recently appointed sheriff took an interest in her. Even though she was married and completely uninterested in such a vain and callous man, he cared not of her concerns and wanted to make her his, no matter how. And when one of his attempts earned him a black eye from Eric, the sheriff twisted his sentence from assault to attempted murder and sentenced him to hang. Seeing her husband hanging from the gallows brought something cold and vengeful in her soul as she used the sheriff’s feelings against him, brought him out to Eric's grave and murdered him with her bare hands before giving one last goodbye to her husband and running out of Marble Falls as fast as she could. Bringing Eric's killer to justice brought a sense of belonging that left an impression on the widow as she decided to pick up a line of work she knew would both be bringing in money and the feeling of vengeance being dealt: bounty hunting. Over the next years, her true talents began to shine through the veil she had once believed she had to be. With either rifle or revolver, her skills as a shootist made her into a force of nature and a fearful sight to any bounty she chose to pursue, even managing to match the best bounty hunters in the west. However, her final target, the infamous Johnny Harlan was never claimed as she was shot and killed by rival bounty hunter and inside man of The Outlaws, Graham McKendrick.

At first, she was a bit distressful where she had ended up. But she knew there was no undoing what was done now and continued her bounty hunting ways. Incidentally, one of her bounties, more specifically the bounty on Doc, led to her recruitment into the Crimson Rangers after finding their ideals appealing to her need to dismantle the corrupt people in power. Finding no reason to doubt her or her excellent sharpshooting skills, she quickly became a welcomed addition. And while she mostly keeps her outlook of stoicism and bluntness, there's been the occasional smile on Holly's face since joining the rangers.

Fun Facts About "Iron Maiden"

. Her eyes are a bit sensitive to light and, as a result, are why she often wears a pair of sunglasses. While she's went through many over the years, her favorite are a pair of aviator shades.

. Her hat and lever-action Winchester rifle, Ol' Hickory, were the last gifts from her husband before they parted long ago. She refuses to let another soul lay so much as a finger on either.

. Holly has a weakness for similarly tough women and tends to get a bit flustered around them.

Voice Claim: Femgineer - DustyOldRoses

Art Credit: 𝕾𝖘𝖘𝖎𝖗 𝕻𝖊𝖓𝖙𝖎𝖔𝖚𝖘𝖘𝕾

Roblyn "Huntress" Valencia

Demon Form: Chicken

Age: 27

Division: Stalker

Rank: Deputy

While many have the choice to become a criminal or not, this wasn’t the case for Robyn Valencia, daughter & heir to the Valencia mafia family. Born between the union of mob boss and leader, Alessio Valencia, and a former mistress of his, Robyn had spent her whole life learning the skills of a criminal and was personally taught by both her father and the members of his growing gang. Despite their infamous reputation, she never saw them as villains as they treated all with the upmost respect, especially her and her father. She grew to carry a great respect for her father and his trade, finding their work powerful and practical, even growing proud how one day it would all be hers. That day came sooner than she would have liked when her father was killed by a shot in the back after he attempted to duel a swindling gambler in white. She wished to avenge her father by tracking his killer, who had fled to the United States, and began a promising start to her family by expanding their work to the San Francisco area. When she learned that her father’s murderer had been killed by a so called “Reaper In Red”, her fury grew restless and disastrously as she attempted to take on The Reaper In Red. But her attempts to kill him ultimately resulted in her end after a risky chase across the city rooftops caused her to miss a step and fall to her death, leaving her gang without a leader.

For the first few years, her afterlife was spent in waiting, doing hit jobs here and there to improve her skills. And when The Reaper in Red finally died, she attempted to try again on Cyrus's life, who had long since calmed from his more murderous days as The Reaper in Red. Even though he had retired from his murderous persona, he managed to win once more but wanted to put away his past and chose to spare her. This left Robyn in a state of disbelief and revaluation of both her afterlife and what had led here. When tales of The Crimson Rangers began to surface around Hell, it was surprising for Deadeye to see her again, especially hearing that she wanted to join them. Her reasonings remain a mystery but she joined the gang and slowly began to move on from her past. Finding a home with the Crimson Rangers, she decided to stay and has stuck with them ever since.

Fun Facts About “Huntress”

. Huntress was one of the first benefactors of The Crimson Rangers as her ties to the Valencia family remain strong and loyal. In exchange for turning a blind eye to her family, she has supplied the rangers with plenty of soldiers, hundreds of weapons and a whole lot of money for whatever else is desired.

. Huntress is prehaps the coldest member of the group, but there is hints that the Crimson Rangers examples of selflessness are starting to rub off on her. Barely, but it's there.

. Do NOT make fun of her sinner form. Taking cracks at her appearance tends to never go well for whoever started it.

Voice Claim: Rose Of Sharon Cassidy - Fallout New Vegas

Art Credit: I just exists

#hazbin hotel oc #hhoc #The Crimson Rangers #Deadeye #Wiley “Dust Devil” Jackson #Doc Rip Van Winkle Friday #Tacitus “Taci” Macello Andronicus III #Jessie Quickdraw McCoy #Todd Ranger Clarkson #Kozō Kage Jirokichi #Rosa Bullet-Weaver de la Costa #Holly Iron Maiden Mayberry #Roblyn Huntress Valencia #hazbin hotel

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tes-trash-blog · 4 years

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So, uh, a while back you mentioned making a post about how Prisoner McNord might affect the player experience/perceptions of the "default" and I would be super interested in reading that

So!

I have a few thoughts already on what is considered “default” in Skyrim to be expanded upon in a future shitstorm rant (it’s on the list, between Almalexia Is Interesting Actually and Even More Crying About Snow Elves Part 17: My Tears Have Become Sentient And Are Also Crying).

And as always, keep in mind that Skyrim is coming up on 9 years old, elements of it have not aged well, and this is in no way, shape, or form meant to be a “If you like Skyrim then you’re Bad” rant. In case you haven’t noticed, I kind of love that game. It has flaws; all games do, and frankly it’s a miracle this game is as solid as it is. The writers are that, writers. They had deadlines to make, hardware limitations to consider, and above all else, worked for a company that wanted to make money.

To keep this relatively short I’ll focus on how your perception of Skyrim is influenced by the first few minutes of the game via Ralof, the Nordiest Nord to Nord since Ysgranord, and how the writers really, really really wanted you to hold on to that perception.

Overanalysis and spoilers (Metal Gear Solid, Borderlands, and Bioshock respectively yes this will all make sense in context) under the cut.

Part 1: How To Make A Perspective In Three Easy Steps

As the saying goes, first impressions are lasting impressions. This is evident in.. well, every bit of media you can find. The first chapters of a book, the first episode of a show, the first 15 minutes of a video game, all as a general rule:

1.) Introduces the setting, a part of the main plot, and with these two, sets the tone of the medium (high fantasy movie, light hearted TV show, mystery series, horror game, etc.). Exceptions exist, especially in horrors, mysteries, and certain visual novels, but even these exceptions rely on setting a tone so they can subvert your expectations later on.

2.) Give you an idea of what is going on. This is normally accomplished with exposition of some sort; Star Wars had its famous screen crawl expositing the dark times in the Galaxy, Borderlands literally begins with “So, you want to hear a story..”, Metal Gear Solid briefs Solid Snake (you, the player character) on a vital mission to save two hostages and end a terrorist threat, so on and so forth. And again, there are exceptions: Bioshock purposefully disorients you with a plane crash in the middle of the ocean so you’re inclined to trust the first person who talks to you.

This all serves to suspend disbelief, immerse you, and earn your trust. This is a new world, you have no idea what’s going on, so you’re gonna take cues from someone who does. Combine points 1 and 2, and that..

3.) Gives you an idea of what is “good” and what is “bad”. Damn near every story has a central conflict, you gotta pick a side, and there’s gonna be a bias as to which one is superior or morally just. Using Bioshock again, this mysterious man named Atlas guides you through the first level, and tells you how to fight and survive in the hostile environment of Rapture; meanwhile, Andrew Ryan taunts and belittles you, and also has a giant golden bust of himself. The shorthand is: Atlas is humble, helpful, and good, while Andrew Ryan is a megalomaniac who wants you dead. Leaning on Borderlands again, the first voice you hear is literally a guardian angel telling you not to be afraid, and that you are destined to do great things. Once more with Metal Gear: Your organization and your commanders are good, you are good because you’re saving innocent people, and FOXHOUND is bad because they’re terrorists who have the means to launch a nuclear warhead.

Keeping all this in mind, let’s do a quick runthrough of the first, let’s call it 15 minutes of Skyrim. No commentary on my end, just a play by play of the beginning of the game.

Part 2: First Impressions In Action

You wake up on a cart. Your vision is hazy, and you are clearly disoriented. You see a man bound and gagged, another man in rags, and several men dressed like soldiers. Everyone on the cart is tied up, and the people driving the cart are wearing a neat, vastly different uniform.

Then comes the famous line: “You! You’re finally awake! You were caught trying to cross the border, got caught in that Imperial ambush same as us, and that thief over there!” The thief bitterly remarks how these damn Stormcloaks had to cook up trouble in a nice and lazy Empire. The Nord who first spoke with you nobly says that we’re all brothers and sisters in these binds.

The presumed Imperial tells you all to shut up. Undeterred, the thief and the Stormcloak provide more exposition: The gagged man is the leader of the resistance, is supposedly the true High King, and since he’s on the cart, it’s clear that everyone on board is bound for the executioner’s block. The thief is terrified; the Nord accepts his fate, but takes a moment to opine on better days when he flirted with girls and “when the Imperial walls made him feel safe.” There is also a remark about General Tulius and the Thalmor agents; the Nord, in a rare bit of anger, damns the Elves and insinuates they had a hand in this capture.

It’s execution time. General Tulius gives a speech about how Ulfric started a civil war and killed the former High King; Ulfric, being gagged, cannot say a word in defense. A Stormcloak is executed to mixed reactions (“You Imperial bastards!” “Justice!”, etc.). The thief runs away; he is shot by Imperial archers, demonstrating the futility of escape. It’s your turn. The Nord in Imperial armor states you’re not on the list; the Imperial captain doesn’t care and orders you to the block anyway.

You see the headsman’s axe rise up when, as if the gods intervene, a dragon appears and interrupts your execution. In the chaos, you run with the Stormcloaks. The game does not give you the option to run away alone, or with the Imperials; until you meet Hadvar again in the fire and death, you take orders from Ulfric.

Part 3: The Crux

A lot happens in the first few minutes of Skyrim. You’re disoriented from being unconscious, and that’s compounded by your two near death experiences (point 2), the first person you meet is a calm, almost reassuring mouthpiece of exposition while the other side, at best, doesn’t care if you die (points 2 and 3), one major aspect of the plot is revealed (point 1, and the tone is that this is a classic Rebellion story).

And people love rebellion stories. Americans especially; we spend billions on the day when a bunch of white guys said “fuck you” to a bunch of other white guys. With the additional layer of when Skyrim was developed, by who, and in what landscape it was written.. Yeah. There may be two ways to go for the Civil War questline, but for most players (myself included!) their first gut instinct is going to be ��side with the guys who didn’t just try to kill me.”

It’s the same song and dance. In Bioshock, your instinct is to trust the Irish guy who wants to help you get out of Rapture alive, but he needs your help first. In Borderlands, your instinct is to trust the woman who is literally called a guardian angel, and she shows her compassion by asking you to help the people of Fyrestone and the poor robot who got hurt in a gunfight. In Metal Gear, your instinct is to shut down the threat because terrorists are evil and these ones are not just terrorists, they’re deserters. Hell, even in other Elder Scrolls games the plot is laid out by helping hands: you’re a prisoner being contacted by your murdered friend, and given the goal to stop Jagar Tharn (Arena), you’re a Blades agent tasked with putting a vengeful spirit to rest that leads you to a weapon that can secure the Empire’s power (Daggerfall), Azura literally tells you not to be afraid, and that you destined to stop an old threat (Morrowind), and a soon-to-be-assassinated Emperor voiced by Actual Grandpa Patrick Stewart recognizes you in a prophetic dream (Oblivion).

Where Skyrim departs from these games, and even the other Elder Scrolls titles, is how much it enforces the first thing you see as solidly good and evil, and how little it tries to subvert that perception. Remember point 2, when the game makes it clear that this person is trustworthy? Therein lies the bread and butter of psychological horror, mysteries, and heart wrenching plot twists: that trust gets tested, and often broken.

The rebel leader Atlas? He’s somehow more evil than Andrew Ryan, and has subtly controlled you the entire time with a command phrase (“Would you kindly..?”). You are unable to stop yourself when you bludgeon Andrew Ryan to death at Ryan’s command. “A man chooses,” he tells you. “A slave obeys.” His final words are him telling you that you are a puppet, only able to obey.

The end of Borderlands reveals that “Angel” was watching you the entire time.. from a Hyperion satellite. You were tricked into opening a Vault holding back a dangerous monster, and you don’t even know why. Borderlands 2 goes further into just what (or rather who) Angel is: a teenage girl and a powerful Siren, used by her own demented, evil, father, Handsome Jack, to manipulate the Vault Hunters and gain more power for himself. Her final mission given to you is simple: she wants you to set her free and end her father’s mad march to power by killing her.

Metal Gear Solid ultimately plays it straight in that you stop the terrorists and disable the nuclear threat, but you don’t emerge from the rubble as an action hero; you’re forced to kill your own brother, the terrorist cell is revealed to be composed almost entirely of people exploited by your organization, and you secretly carry a virus designed to kill the people you were trying to save. War, as it turns out, is not as clear-cut as “we good, they bad”. The people you’ve killed without thinking are your genetic brothers. Sniper Wolf, the assassin who shot your commander’s niece, survived a genocide and has never known a life outside of war. Psycho Mantis’ telepathic gifts were exploited by both the KGB and FBI until he lost his mind. Ocelot is Ocelot.

Oh, but those are other games. What about The Elder Scrolls? Well..

In Daggerfall, your search for hidden correspondence leads you to finding the Mantella, a sort of soul gem that can power the superweapon everyone wants: The Numidium. There are six entities total who want the Mantella, some for their personal gain, one to make a home for his people, and one so he may finally die; the Underking’s soul is in that gem, you see, and he’s been trapped in this misery since the days of Tiber Septim.

In Morrowind, Dagoth Ur recognizes you not as a schlub with a dummy thick journal, but as his oldest and dearest friend. The Empire who guided you for so long? They’ve manipulated you into taking down the Tribunal, destroying the one weapon that could stand against their might, and depending on your interpretation of “then the Nerevarine sailed to Akavir”, have possibly killed you.

And what of everyone’s favorite game in the series to mock? Surprise! Oblivion isn’t even about you, hero! It’s about the actual chosen one, Martin Septim! Sure you can join the Thieves’ Guild and cavort about as Grey Fox, or uncover the traitor of the Dark Brotherhood, or run off and become the Mad God.. but none of those events actually acknowledge you. To be the Grey Fox is to literally be forgotten, by the time the Dark Brotherhood questline is complete there is effectively no more Dark Brotherhood, and to become Sheogorath is to lose yourself entirely. The Hero of Kvatch is one who is ultimately forgotten. Your actions were important, have no doubt, but such is the fate of the unsung hero: they’re not sung about.

Even Arena plays a little bit with your expectations in that the Staff of Chaos alone isn’t enough to stop Jagar Tharn; you need friendship (just kidding it’s a magic gem in the Imperial Palace). Skyrim.. kinda glosses over that. They land a few punches, but for them to stay with you, you have to keep an open mind.

Part 4: Why does that matter?

Because if your expectations are never subverted, your trust never tried in any meaningful way, then your perception of a very specific, spoon-fed worldview is never challenged. The trust you build with a group that is, in essence, a fascist paramilitary cult is never shaken in any way that’s meaningful. You get some lines intended to evoke sadness when you sack Whiterun, but by then it’s too late. Not that it matters; at the end of the Stormcloak questline, there’s not much question about who was in the right. You never lose friends or allies; the Jarls in the holds change, but is there much difference between Idgrod Ravencrone and Sorli the Builder? You might feel a little guilty when you see the Dunmer forced to live in the slums, but then the haughty High Elf says that she didn’t laze around and instead made a name for herself, or the Dark Elf farmer who complains about his snowflake kinsmen harping on about “injustices”. The Argonians seem decent until you meet the skooma addict/thief, and the Khajiit.. let’s just say that even if we disregard the two Khajiit assassins sent to kill you, there exist a lot of extremely harmful stereotypes that none of your friends dispel. They commit no horrific war crimes in your presence, the worst you hear is a Nord (normally a bandit) yell “Skyrim is for the Nords!”, or the clumsy Welcome to Winterhold script where a Dunmer woman is harassed by two Nords; one’s a veteran, by the way. Got run through the chest by an Imperial craven, or so the story goes.

Your only chance to rattle the Nord-driven story is to go against your gut feeling and side with the Imperials (the plotline is pretty weak, not gonna lie), or complete the optional quest No One Escapes Cindha Mine where you see what a Stormcloak sympathizer does to the Forsworn. Even if you complete that quest, the Forsworn still attack you. “They’re savages,” say the Nords, and the game isn’t too inclined to say otherwise.

When it comes to portraying the Nords in any light that’s not negative, Skyrim doesn’t deliver like it did in other games. You saw what life is like in Morrowind under Tribunal rule; it’s not great. The Houses are almost universally awful and they have slaves. You see the destruction in Cyrodiil and hear the rumors on how much the Empire is flailing with the Oblivion Crisis. Hell, even Arena tells you that life in Tamriel kind of sucks, but it’ll suck a little less when Tharn is dead.

That doesn’t happen in Skyrim. You are encouraged to join the sympathetic Stormcloaks, you find out your destiny as Dragonborn, and you set all these things right. Of course you do. You’re a hero, baby. Others have gone on about how storybook the Dragonborn questline is so I won’t go too much in, but that’s it exactly: Storybook. You’re Neutral Good. You’re going to kill the bad dragon that wants to do its job and eat the world.

And that refusal to really examine the nuances and horrors of war, to consider what it means to be a hero that is never morally challenged or forced into a Total Perspective Vortex, to never challenge an extremely biased perspective or even explore its “logical” conclusion?

It leads to extremely dangerous ways of thinking if unchecked.

#lore overanalysis #about my favorite subjects: media studies and skyrim #this is another long one #good god it's long

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buckybarnesbingo · 4 years

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BBB Week 18 Roundup!

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Title: Somewhere, Together Collaborator: grimeysociety Link: AO3 Square Filled: Y3 - Waking up married Ship: Bucky/Darcy Rating: Explicit Major Tags: explicit sexual content Summary: He knew if Bucky was with Darcy and not in the Tower, they wouldn’t have lingered in Manhattan. He had some theories, and he figured Bucky would tell him what happened sometime after he got back, but he was pretty tight-lipped about that girl. Word Count: 2463

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Title: Like I Do - Chapter 2 Collaborator: grimeysociety Link: AO3 Square Filled: C3 - free space Ship: Bucky/Darcy/Natasha Rating: Explicit Major Tags: Infidelity, Revenge Sex, Hate Sex, Heavy Angst, Angry Wall Sex, PTSD Summary: When Natasha fails to confront her past, she sleeps with Bucky for the first time in years. Betrayed and heartbroken, her girlfriend Darcy resorts to destructive ways to move on. Word Count: 3118

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Title: Dawn Will Rise Collaborator: Minka Link: AO3 Square Filled: B4 – Waiting for Extraction Ship: Stucky Rating: Mature Major Tags: identity porn, PTSD Summary: In a rundown yurt on the frozen grasslands of Mongolia, an American soldier and a Soviet spy hatch a plan to save not only themselves, but the whole damn world. Word Count: 6115

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Title: Bucky Barnes Bingo 2020 Headcanons - Chapter 1: Adopting a cat with Bucky Collaborator: ariasfandom Link: AO3 Square Filled: Y5 - cat Ship: Bucky/Reader Rating: Gen Major Tags: none Summary: Various headcanons on how I think Reader and Bucky would adopt and live their lives with a cat Word Count: 336

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Title: Second Draft Collaborator: Artemis_Day (The_Alias) Link: AO3 Square Filled: B4 - Resolve Ship: Bucky/Jane Rating: Teen Major Tags: none Summary: Bucky threw his twelfth rejection letter in the trash. Every single one just made him all the more determined. Word Count: 1638

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Title: The Only Constant Collaborator: ladydarkphoenix Link: AO3 Square Filled: B2 - Secret Relationship Ship: Stucky Rating: Teen Major Tags: Pre-Relationship, Pre-Serum Steve Rogers, Pre-Captain America: The First Avenger, Pre-War, Feelings Realization Summary: Steve and Bucky have been the only constant thing in each other’s lives. Bucky’s received a letter that can change all of that if he lets his small window of opportunity slip away and doesn’t speak up. Word Count: 1130

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Title: Caged Animal Collaborator: arrowsandmixtapes Link: Tumblr Square Filled: U2 - Seeing Red Ship: Bucky/Reader Rating: Teen Major Tags: Canon-typical violence, language. Summary: Bucky and Y/N are captured by a new HYDRA cell. Word Count: 840

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Title: Finders, Keepers. Collaborator: thewaythatwerust Link: Tumblr Square Filled: U3 - Bodyguard Ship: none Rating: Gen Major Tags: none Summary: Bucky found the old bear Steve had tucked away in his closet, and has no intention of giving it back.

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Title: Not Quite a Cat Collaborator: alwaysabrighterdarkness Link: AO3 Square Filled: B2 - Adopting a Pet Ship: Stucky Rating: Teen Major Tags: Cat that’s not just a Cat, Steve makes a Reckless decision, Nat and Bucky let him know it, But the creepy cat is cute Summary: “Of course,” Bucky huffed. “Of-fucking-course. Because only Steve Rogers would go on a coffee run and come home dragging us into a goddamn kid’s book.” Word Count: 4166

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Title: The Other Earth - Chapter 1 Collaborator: Fighting_for_Creativity Link: AO3 Square Filled: K5 - Great Depression Ship: Nat/Bucky/Tony Rating: Mature Major Tags: Amnesia, presumed dead, Family, mystical creatures, slight crack (later), bakery Au elements, mention of alcohol abuse Summary: Bucky had a cat, had a job at a local bakery, and some odd jobs here and there. At night, he would look in the sky, trying to figure out the constellations, seeing the stars differently than he faintly remembered. At the same time on one of those stars far away, a star named Earth, Tony Stark held his baby boy, whispering, “One day, you’ll know you’re the world.[…]” Word Count: 2699

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Title: The Accidental Date Collaborator: Ladydarkphoenix Link: AO3 Square Filled: B1 - Didn’t know they were dating Ship: WinterHawk Rating: Teen Major Tags: Awkward Dates, Alternate Universe - No Powers, Drinking & Talking, Clint Barton’s bad at dates Summary: Clint and Bucky go on a date after time apart but because it’s Clint, the date takes a turn for the unexpected and nothing goes as planned. Word Count: 889

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Title: Of Shadow Realms and Misconceptions Collaborator: kalee60 Link: AO3 Square Filled: K4 - AU: Ancient Civilizations Ship: Stucky Rating: Mature Major Tags: Alternate Universe - Fantasy, POV Steve Rogers, Mutual Pining, Enemies to Friends to Lovers, Sexual Content Summary: Lord Steven, Elder in waiting, Elf, dislikes humans with good reason, and would be quite happy to live out his existence never to converse with one again. But then the elves prized Sceptre is stolen and taken to the Shadow Realm, a place elves cannot tread. Enter James, a hunter, a human, and a man who jumbles all of Steve’s preconceived notions on a race he’d come to abhor. Thrown together on an urgent Quest, will Steve be able to keep up his stoic dislike, or will James break down the barriers hundreds of years in the making, and finally uncover Steve’s true desires. Word Count: 12,650

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Title: Why-Wolf Collaborator: writing-what-writing Link: Tumblr Square Filled: U1 - Accidental Villainy Ship: Bucky/Darcy Rating: Gen Major Tags: Angst because Bucky feels bad, mentions of scratching Darcy Summary: Bucky has to deal with the effects of becoming a werewolf. Thank goodness Darcy is his girlfriend Word Count: 309

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Title: Bon Appétit (Final Warning) Collaborator: newtypeshadow Link: AO3 Square Filled: K3 - Date Night Ship: Stuckony Rating: Explicit Major Tags: explicit sexual content Summary: The strange sex telepathy Tony and Steve were recently hit with allows Tony to feel Steve's every sexual sensation. When Tony refuses to take a break for silly things like self-care, his boyfriends use it against him. Word Count: 2907

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Title: Stop Dragon My Heart Around - Chapter 1 Collaborators: 27dragons, tisfan Link: AO3 Squares Filled: tisfan - K4: Meet Ugly 27dragons: B2 - “Are you even trying?” Ship: WinterIron Rating: Explicit Major Tags: dragon AU, Sacrifice! Bucky, Dragon!Tony, lingerie, crack treated seriously, Steve Rogers is an idiot, found family (with a dragon), it takes a village Summary: Bucky is left as a sacrifice to the great dragon who has invaded Hydra territory. Tony's... not sure what to do with that. Sacrifices are a giant pain in the tail... Word Count: 4860

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Title: To Fall In Love With Your Conscience Collaborator: Purple_ducky00 Link: Tumblr Square Filled: K1 - Angels & Demons AU Ship: Tony/Rhodey/Bucky Rating: Mature Major Tags: none Summary: When it comes to making a decision, who or what do you rely on? Common sense? No. Logic? No. Everyone knows the best way to decide is by talking to your shoulder angel and devil. But what happens when your angel and devil are in love with each other? Bucky Barnes has that problem. He thinks it’s the worst. Word Count: 1305

#buckybarnesbingo2020 #bbb2020 #bbb week 18 roundup #bbb weekly roundup

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akingcalworld · 5 years

Text

Top 10 films of all time!

So I have been wanting to write down my top 10 films of all time, but in all honesty its gonna be hard to nail it down to 10 and most likely I am going to forget some major films but, they can’t be that good if I have forgotten about them. Controversially I am going to place franchises in one spot since I don’t want say, star wars taking up the whole list. So with out further a do here we go. This list as always is subject to change. 09/12/2018.

10) Harry Potter films (including FB)

Harry Potter is a series of fantasy novels written by British author J. K. Rowling. The novels chronicle the lives of a young wizard, Harry Potter, and his friends Hermione Granger and Ron Weasley, all of whom are students at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry.

9) Wolf On Wall Street

In 1987, Jordan Belfort (Leonardo DiCaprio) takes an entry-level job at a Wall Street brokerage firm. By the early 1990s, while still in his 20s, Belfort founds his own firm, Stratton Oakmont. Together with his trusted lieutenant (Jonah Hill) and a merry band of brokers, Belfort makes a huge fortune by defrauding wealthy investors out of millions. However, while Belfort and his cronies partake in a hedonistic brew of sex, drugs and thrills, the SEC and the FBI close in on his empire of excess.

8) Boyhood

The joys and pitfalls of growing up are seen through the eyes of a child named Mason (Ellar Coltrane), his parents (Patricia Arquette, Ethan Hawke) and his sister (Lorelei Linklater). Vignettes, filmed with the same cast over the course of 12 years, capture family meals, road trips, birthday parties, graduations and other important milestones. Songs from Coldplay, Arcade Fire and other artists capture the time period. Directed by Richard Linklater.

7) HER

A sensitive and soulful man earns a living by writing personal letters for other people. Left heartbroken after his marriage ends, Theodore (Joaquin Phoenix) becomes fascinated with a new operating system which reportedly develops into an intuitive and unique entity in its own right. He starts the program and meets "Samantha" (Scarlett Johansson), whose bright voice reveals a sensitive, playful personality. Though "friends" initially, the relationship soon deepens into love.

6) Walk The Line

The rise of country music legend Johnny Cash (Joaquin Phoenix) begins with his days as a boy growing up on the family farm, where he struggles under the scorn of his father (Robert Patrick). As the years pass, Cash ends up in Memphis, with his wife, Vivian (Ginnifer Goodwin), and breaks into the music scene after finding his trademark sound. While on tour, Cash meets the love of his life, singer June Carter (Reese Witherspoon), but Cash's volatile lifestyle threatens to keep them apart.

5) Star Wars Franchise

Star Wars is an American epic space opera franchise, created by George Lucas and centred around a film series that began with the eponymous 1977 movie. The saga quickly became a worldwide pop culture phenomenon.

4) Monsters INC (pretty much all Disney and Pixar movies but this is my favourite)

Monsters Incorporated is the largest scare factory in the monster world, and James P. Sullivan (John Goodman) is one of its top scarers. Sullivan is a huge, intimidating monster with blue fur, large purple spots and horns. His scare assistant, best friend and roommate is Mike Wazowski (Billy Crystal), a green, opinionated, feisty little one-eyed monster. Visiting from the human world is Boo (Mary Gibbs), a tiny girl who goes where no human has ever gone before.

3) La la land

Sebastian (Ryan Gosling) and Mia (Emma Stone) are drawn together by their common desire to do what they love. But as success mounts they are faced with decisions that begin to fray the fragile fabric of their love affair, and the dreams they worked so hard to maintain in each other threaten to rip them apart.

2) Pulp Fiction

Vincent Vega (John Travolta) and Jules Winnfield (Samuel L. Jackson) are hitmen with a penchant for philosophical discussions. In this ultra-hip, multi-strand crime movie, their storyline is interwoven with those of their boss, gangster Marsellus Wallace (Ving Rhames) ; his actress wife, Mia (Uma Thurman) ; struggling boxer Butch Coolidge (Bruce Willis) ; master fixer Winston Wolfe (Harvey Keitel) and a nervous pair of armed robbers, "Pumpkin" (Tim Roth) and "Honey Bunny" (Amanda Plummer).

1) Django Unchained

Two years before the Civil War, Django (Jamie Foxx), a slave, finds himself accompanying an unorthodox German bounty hunter named Dr. King Schultz (Christoph Waltz) on a mission to capture the vicious Brittle brothers. Their mission successful, Schultz frees Django, and together they hunt the South's most-wanted criminals. Their travels take them to the infamous plantation of shady Calvin Candy (Leonardo DiCaprio), where Django's long-lost wife (Kerry Washington) is still a slave.

Boom. There we have it my top 10 Best films ever. I love so many more films but these are just precious to me! They do always change and with new films out all the time there is every possibility that one will break through and steal a spot on the top 10. All the best Callum.

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