#and I really liked this sequence with Elis

[disenchantedif]

And now, staring death in the face, you’re forced to accept what this means.

Not once in your life have you ever really had a choice. You’re just a pawn for fate to string along, a joke that destiny can laugh at. Perhaps your thread had been cut awhile ago and you were just living on borrowed time.

You get the sense that it’s over now, one way or another. Time to face the music, though this composition isn’t one of your own creation. It was written a long time ago, and you’ve merely inherited the burden.

“Well?” They ask, voice sharp, “Are you going to get up?”

You stand, like a puppet pulled upright.

#an excerpt #because MC is going through it massively #and I really liked this sequence with Elis #🔜

[amulet-or-not]

Ok so I watched rise of the titans and it was... An experience...

The things I loved/liked:

Children of the sun summoning the amulet sequence. It was pretty cool. But it's funny this is one of the things in this category since it was basically ripped straight out of the scene in 1x12. But I don't mind a little self plagiarism if it's satisfying

Toby actually being smart and having a part in the defeat of bellroc

Toby's last moments with Jim. Not to say I liked Toby dying that was fucking horrible but seeing Toby and Jim be close again was something that had been desperately absent for a few seasons. And the idea that Jim even after winning would sacrifice the entire world and take on the burden of going back into the past himself, just to save Toby is kinda sweet even if this movie didn't go in that direction. Cuz it just proves this boy would give up anything for his friends and that's one of his core qualities and why we all love him

The opening sequence on the subway. That was pretty excellent and raised the hype and allowed everyone an equal chance to shine

Aarrrgghh going batshit when Toby dies cuz mood

The taco truck with the little tune entering arcadia and all the government are like 'remove the barricades, let them through!!'

Jlaire was pretty cute in this movie, not the best it's ever been but y'know.

Douxie was pretty good throughout

The things I was ok/unsure about:

Ajas characterisation. I know a lot of people hated it in this movie but it wasn't the worst. She acted like a leader trying to protect two worlds of people, and that's entirely fair tbh. I didn't like how she doubted Jim but as she didn't know him that well especially as neither of them remember the events of d'aja vu it was kinda understandable. And I agreed that they did need a contingency evacuation plan

Krel. He was consistently good in this movie as usual but didn't get enough time to shine individually, same goes for blinky and aarrrgghh

Stricklake getting married was cute, however I didn't like how Barbara was used as a mouthpiece to mediate all of Jim's relationships with the older men in his life, i.e. when her and Jim talked it was either about strickler or James SR. and honestly that's just a disservice to Barbara's own character (and makes me realize that I doubt this movie passes the bechdel test)

The things I disliked:

Eli basically doing nothing all movie and being useless

Having Eli come back after a glow up for the sole purpose of having a moment where Steve is jealous and distrusting of his girlfriend. Actually no this can go in the hate category too ❤️

Jim saying 'i always wondered about dad' to his mom. The only reason this isn't in the hate category is bc it meant we actually spent time on the relationship between Jim and Barbara which is something that was sorely lacking in wizards tbh, and something that really made trollhunters shine. But what happened to 1x17's 'you know I don't care about my father'? Like what is this bfr

Toby being used as comic relief didn't bother me in this as much as in wizards cuz at least he got that important moment at the end but him saying 'moral support is the lamest superpower' what happened to the Toby that cherished supporting his friends and knew that his support was the greatest gift he could give to Jim and Claire just as their support was his greatest gift. Cuz that seemed like a key factor in earlier seasons imo. Also what happened to the Toby that started becoming confident in his abilities in earlier seasons of trollhunters?

The blatant Hollywood stereotyping. The kids kicking the football in Brazil and the fishermen in the South China sea, and then the bright neon lights of anywhere in east Asia at nighttime visual. It's not the worst but I'm tired tbh

The things that I absolutely fucking hated:

This shouldn't matter to me so much, but why when Jim went back into the past, did he wake up at 8.00 instead of 6.00? You could claim it was because it was cuz he was disoriented, but the time of his alarm should never have changed. If I remember that it said 6.00 on the alarm, and I haven't watched the first episode since probably 2018, the screenwriters should've too. It's just lazy. Or maybe it's symbolic of the fact that Jim only used to wake up at 6.00 to make his mom breakfast and all of them lunch, something which was a key part of his characterisation and clearly showed how much he cared for and loved the people around him - something which is very obviously no longer a part of his character since he allowed Steve to bully Eli and manipulated Toby into becoming the trollhunter. But idk. You choose

Nomura's characterisation?? First of all she just seemed ooc, like a stereotype version of herself for some reason. Secondly, her death. She died. In the sun. She's a changeling. The sloppiness of the writing team in keeping their facts straight is fucking astounding.

Stricklers death. Just for shock value and a play on emotions cuz it contributed nothing to the story. Same with nomuras. All it showed me is that the writing team were sitting around a table and someone goes 'you know we should kill off a few characters early on in the movie just to show this is a serious level threat'.

Pregnancy being used as a fucking joke. I wouldn't have necessarily minded the mpreg concept happening but the execution was just. Ugh. Steve being pregnant was treated as a joke and gross and just something to fill in time as comic relief, rather than what pregnancy actually is which is fucking hard work. It just seems like another extended misogyny-as-comic-relief trope again and Steve's character and everything was thrown down the drain

Toby Jim and Claire not having a group moment together. There was a scene somewhere in the movie where Claire was comforting Jim and I was wishing Toby was there too. If they're going to play the moral support joke with him at least have him be there when morals are at the lowest

Toby being stuck to the van. The treatment of his character in general throughout the last half of the franchise, he should've been given proper development as a character since trollhunters ended but fuck that I guess

Getting human Jim back was WASTED. Utterly wasted on this poor excuse for a movie. The peak of Jim's character arc was accepting himself in every form even when his humanity was stolen from him. The 'am I a hero without the amulet' in this and even the corruption storyline in wizards were both forced, particularly the former, as we'd already gone through that part of his arc in s2 (and it was one of the best arcs this franchise has produced frankly). It was really really apparent they couldn't think of anywhere to go with his character but still wanted to use him bc he remained the most popular. Fanfiction writers can and have done better. Fuck this movie

The lack of emotional maturity and depth between a lot of the characters honestly?? I really don't know how to explain this other than anytime this movie paused to have an emotional conversation or moment between two characters it seemed hollow and worthless because none of them were going through true important character arcs

I'm sure I have more things in this category but for now this is all I can think of. Might rb later with more if I can think of more things that really annoyed me :)) time to rewatch trollhunters s1 and remember how good this franchise used to be :))

#trollhunters #toa #tales of arcadia #jim lake jr #3 below #3below #wizards #trollhunters rise of the titans #rise of the titans #toby domzalski #claire nuñez #aja tarron #krel tarron #douxie casperan

[myuiis]

sally park: a missed opportunity

this is probably going to rot in drafts for a WHILE but i needed to scream into the void about this so let me rant to YOU (yes, you) about how ptj fucked up sally park's writing and purpose in the story so much that she is now just a bundle of missed opportunities. the same could also be said about other characters like crystal choi, luah lim, etc. but i just reread hunt for hostel and i have a lot of insane thoughts that need to be screamed about.

as a character who was the center of attention during her introduction arc, she has been reduced to simply an eli enabler and warren's love interest, who gets about 3 panels to really shine, and then is demoted back into window dressing.

warning: mild eli hate ahead but i do NOT hate eli, i just hate ptj for making everything hostel related eli-centric, when sally is arguably just as important.

so. lets start at the beginning.

from the very beginning, the eli jang arc was told from sally's perspective especially based off the narration, and her character during the majority of the eli jang arc BANGED. initially introduced as a classic demure, feminine savior figure for bad boy warren in the first chapter of the eli jang arc, it's then shown that she isn't as naive or one-dimensional as she may seem.

in fact, shes shown to be fiercely independent and self-sufficient, learning to live by herself and deal with her own problems without anyone helping her, while simultaneously grappling with her grandmother blaming her over her dad's death (side note this plotline, which could've added so much depth to her story was NEVER picked up again)

on my first read of the eli jang arc, this sequence actually punched me in the gut and sally became an instant fav

but i digress. continuing back to the main point, sally was a tremendously well written character (or as good as we're gonna' get when it comes to female characters by ptj) in the eli jang arc, whether it be her narration (scenes like "sometimes i think if i hadn't introduced them to eli back then, our story wouldn't have been such a tragedy"), or her actual actions in the story.

she was integral to the story. in fact, i would say that she was MORE central to the heart and soul of hostel than eli jang was (at first, before she got butchered by ptj and forgotten about) because it was HER that was providing for her family with HER own money, until eli stepped in months later. she was the one that everyone wanted to assist and protect because she was who was holding everyone together through her sacrifice and love.

LOOK AT HER!!! just LOOK AT HER!!! she is so noble and tragic and she does everything for the sake of her family, including starving herself! she is so tremendously loving and sacrifices so much for her family, which is why everyone unites around her to help her!

in fact, the reason warren, eli, and others devolve into crime and stealing is to help her get more money for food, as they can't bear to see her starve herself. while this does come off a little bit white knight-ey (oh a big strong man has to save the sweet damsel), the point is that she has this kind of power over the people around her through her genuine leadership skills

not only that, but she was actually also the one who came up with the idea of using their old building to provide for more homeless kids, showing that she really should be credited with the creation and management of the runaway fams, far more than she is in the story.

even though, immediately after, its shown that she didn't think enough about the financials of the situation, and eli gets his time to shine by coming up with the point organization stuff, the way its framed portrays both sally's idea and eli's financial proposal of the financial system as equally important things. this scene makes me think that, at the very least, sally and eli's importance should be on equal footing: sally is the passion, the heart, the core, while eli is the figurehead, the brains, the fighter.

in summary, sally was the person who united the original hostel A through her leadership, kindness, and sacrifice, and had so much soft power over everyone that the entirety of her family would do anything to help her. she also came up with the idea of helping runaway families, demonstrating her kindness and generosity.

not only that, she was still actively managing the runaway families and making money while eli fucked off to j high to become a barber, allowing her to get closer to the runaway fams and inspire them with her leadership.

with all that said, it's clear that sally should be a three-dimensional girlboss who uses her charisma and good personality to gain soft power and lead the people around her as one of the figureheads and hearts of the hostel crew, right?

well. no.

after the eli jang arc, she becomes close to useless.

i dont remember much of 2A outside of the big deal stuff, but what i do remember is that sally does nothing, wins a singular rock-papers-scissors game, and then becomes a damsel in distress again that warren needs to save and gets to show off his cool fighting skills in the process. (this may not be accurate, feel free to correct me if im wrong)

but my BIGGEST gripe is the hunt for hostel arc. the hunt for hostel arc was very much centered around eli, warren, and even jerry, more than it was sally, despite how much of an integral role she played in the formation of hostel. during the entire arc, she does basically nothing but watch on the sidelines

... and then ptj pulls this on us. they all unite because they admire and love eli jang so much? only eli jang? not warren chae, gangdong's mighty? not max and derek, the two uncles? not sally park, THE big mama?

i cannot emphasize how ironic it is that sally, the big mama, quite literally gave birth to the idea of the runaway fams, and yet nobody mentions her again afterwards, and only ever eli jang. like... what did eli ever do for you? give you a shitty haircut?

and when warren and eli leave, i FINALLY thought that ptj was going to give sally a moment to shine and show her by herself again, like she was all that time ago, and how she figures out how to save her family despite being unable to fight...

but no. we get this sick ass panel and then she is completely irrelevant again

the next example of the sally erasure comes when eugene is talking to eli about him joining workers. he tries to convince eli that this is the ONLY thing that he can do to protect his family, and that, now that he's here and so is warren, hostel is weak and helpless because the MEN that get everything done aren't there anymore and "oh no, what can sally park and the girls do?"

like fym "what can they do"?! sally is a LEADER and she has POWER and INFLUENCE (or at least, she should). but no, the narrative doesn't prove him wrong, and sally does next to nothing in the narrative.

i cannot emphasize how much more of a leader figure she is than eli btw. she took all the runaway kids under her wing. it was her idea to build an organization for these kids in the first place. she was the one singlehandedly raising money for all 7 high schoolers in her family before eli stepped in. she STARVED HERSELF and CUT HER OWN FINGERS trying to make food for her family. she was THE big mama. EVERYONE wanted to protect her and respect and love her. and yet ELI is the main character of hostel that is oh so important and that everyone will unite under????

"oh no without you how will anything get done, eli jang?" stfu

and even when she does do things, later on, it's really more of an excuse for vasco to shine. while she was the one to get heather's mom to forgive eli, as well as the one that got vasco to save eli in the first place, 1) her major role in this part of the story is entirely sidelined and given no narrative weight outside of being the reason that eli's healing arc can happen and 2) the only agency we've ever seen her having since hostel arc is in relation to eli. she only ever acts on her own to save eli. she PROBABLY did stuff outside of that to help hostel, but that is entirely offscreen and not focused on at all, so her leadership and agency when it comes to things outside of a MAN are ignored.

in chapter 478, i thought that she was once again given a brief moment to shine when she looked sad and all wondering what they would do once they didn't have the income workers supplied them with, and i was hoping that she'd get a chance to creatively problem solve around it to show a good character moment for her and the rest of hostel... but who am i kidding this is ptj of course he wouldnt do that. nah, it was just a scene so that vasco could introduce jay again and be like "hey guys jay is actually relevant to the story and he's a nice person, just so you guys dont forget that he's still there! and also ignore this deus ex machina ass solution to a conflict that could've been a really interesting character study!!"

so yeah. that's basically it. in conclusion, i think sally park is a HUGE missed opportunity for ptj to finally write a good female character. kind, compassionate, charismatic, smart, sally's got it all. however, just because she is a soft character doesn't mean that she's a pushover and she held tremendous power and authority because of everything she did for her family. however, ptj decides to do nothing with her and turn her into an eli enabler and a warren love interest instead, ignoring her leadership skills and influence.

and once again, no hate to eli, warren, jerry, jay, or any of the other character i just shat on to make a point!! i like all of them, but i just think that sally's character assassination to allow them to shine was an infuriating decision on ptj's part

#lookism #lookism manhwa #eli jang #jang hyun #eli lookism #warren chae #chae wonseok #jerry kwon #kwon jitae #sally park #lookism rant #literature analysis #(?) kinda #hostel #lookism webtoon #jay hong #hong jaeyeol #i hate how ptj treats his female characters #women deserve better

[thatmexisaurusrex]

if we got a second season of tfatws what would you want to be in it 👀

Oh my gosh, such a good question to ask! 😆 A very hard one too Cassie, lemme think on this 🤔

Okay, a few things that would be a must would be:

A "Meanwhile, on the boat..." moment, or perhaps a montage of moments where things are happening throughout the MCU movies that happened post-TFATWS and Sam and Bucky are just 😂 on the boat, hearing about the events after the fact. I keep thinking about the scene in season 7 of Supernatural where they montage Dean commenting on what Castiel does with his new godlike powers while Dean fixes his car, but it doesn't have to be like that (3:16-3:46 here for reference lol).

Sam needs to save Bucky from falling. Sam had someone he couldn't save in the air. Bucky didn't have anyone to save him when he fell. Sam and Bucky both need that catharsis and it's wild that didn't happen in the first season.

Sam flying around as Bucky snipes at things 😂 Again - how did that not happen in the first season?

Sam and Bucky must either be already roommates or looking for an apartment which will be the place they will live in together.

Sarah, AJ, and Cass must be in it as well as other people we've seen like Carlos, Tommy, Isaiah, and Eli.

Another song by Curtis Harding must close the show's next sunset ending (it MUST be a good ending where they look into the sunset again, I'm sorry, I don't make the rules). Perhaps Can't Hide It by Curtis Harding?

Joaquín! There must be more Jay, I refuse to believe there wouldn't be so much more Jay in a season two.

FLASHBACKS. WHERE. WERE. THE. FLASHBACKS. Gimme Sam and Riley flashbacks, flashbacks of Sam with his family, gimme more info on Sam.

Can we???? Get more info on Sarah too???? Like was she married before??? Who are Cass and AJ's dad or dads??? How does she feel about Sam disappearing for a huge chunk of years??? I just want to know more about her.

And GIDEON. GIVE SAM HIS OLDER BROTHER.

Also, GIVE SAM BIRD TELEPATHY, YOU COWARDS, AS WELL AS A FALCON NAMED REDWING.

AYO AND ANEKA VISIT. THEY HAVE TO VISIT. LET AYO AND ANEKA BE BESTIES WITH SAM AND BUCKY.

Acknowledgment that Sam found Bucky in Europe but kept Bucky's secret and visited Bucky. Also that Sam visited Bucky during his time as a goatherder in Wakanda, possibly with a reference to the costco tub of lube 😂

MORE EPISODES. GIVE US MORE EPISODES. GIVE US TEN EPISODES AT LEAST, YOU COWARDS.

Things I can live without but I think would be a waste if they aren't in a hypothetical season two:

A huge and exciting action sequence during a New Orleans Mardi Gras Parade with Sam being the King of that parade.

There's a team of villainous jugglers in the Marvel comics called the Death-Throws. I really want them as secondary comedic villains who may or may not be kind of good people a la Jessie, James, and Meowth from Team Rocket in Pokemon movies. Just let Sam and Bucky have some comedy villains in the background doing their thing, Marvel.

Visiting Steve on the Moon. I just think Sam and Bucky deserve space shenanigans. I will also take a Facetime, if that's too out of budget, though.

Misty Knight cameo where Sam and Misty either imply or outright talk about being exes. Probably amicable, though, it would be funny if Sam's a bit awkward about it, but Misty's chill with him.

Karli resurrection. She deserved more of a redemption arc than Walker. Bring her back to life, Disney, I dare you.

Bucky and Falcon!Redwing don't get along. More because Bucky is jealous than anything else.

A VISIT TO WAKANDA! Do they go to Birnin Zana? Do they visit the town Bucky was living in as a goatherder? Do they go to Ayo and Aneka's home for dinner? Maybe they possibly only let Sam into the country while Ayo is like "I told you to lie low for a while, White Wolf" to Bucky 😂

Baron Zemo can have a cameo, if only because Anthony Mackie was bummed that Daniel Brühl isn't a part of Cap 4.

Wildest Options I Don't Think Would Happen But I Would Love:

SamBucky wedding. It all takes place the days leading up to their wedding. Or, if I'm being more realistic, a wedding. Like, if, say Sarah and Rhodey were getting married or Carol and Valkyrie or perhaps Ayo and Aneka.

SamBucky kiss? Though, again, highly doubt that and I'm really okay with SamBucky not being canon.

Fourth wall break where Feige himself walks into a room, sits down, and apologizes about how he treated Sam Wilson's character in the MCU and promises to do better. He pulls out an entire slide show and the episode is just him talking about how he will be integrating Sam more thoroughly into the MCU. I'm talking how specifically Sam will cameo, where he will cameo, pitches for other projects Sam will be heavily tied to, the works.

#tfatws #sam wilson #bucky barnes #sambucky #oh if there was a season two that would be so fun

[homestuckreplay]

Clown Con Is Serious Business

In a delightful parallel to John's conversations with TT, TG and GG, yesterday we got to see some messages from Dad's friends! I hope that grayslacks66 is okay - Dad might have been able to help him out if John hadn't stolen the PDA! Dad literally makes his son's birthday a part of his screen name, and this is how John repays him. Unbelievable.

Anyway, these names - grayslacks66, 2busy4this, officeurchin1280, wellPressedAttire - as well as the application name and Dad's professional outfit, suggest on the surface that Dad is a boring office guy. BUT WAIT. There's something suspicious about this. grayslacks66 dunked their necktie in the coffee pot while reaching for their hat, presumably as they were leaving the house to go to work, as they then returned for a fresh tie, indicating that they needed to wear a tie for the rest of their day. And this happened at twenty past five?? What kind of office job could this person have that doesn't begin until at least 5:30pm??

It's so clear to me that these people are Dad's clown troupe, and this is all part of their act. I've been reading a book on clowning technique, The Art of Clowning by Eli Simon, and I'm learning about how diverse clown personas can be, and the huge variety in their routines.

[Clowns] also address serious issues such as political assassinations, family strife, and drug wars. (Simon, p.5)

The Strife sequence between John and his dad (Homestuck, p.90-92) is our best example of Dad's clowning technique. It's a short sequence, but it has all the deliberate and emotion-driven physical comedy that is central to clowning.

Dad appears to be a silent clown rather than speaking, and some of his primary persona's characteristics are 'confrontational', 'zany' and 'outgoing' (this last one as we know he tends to initiate interactions). I'd also describe him as an 'in-clown' rather than an 'out-clown', meaning he's confident, commanding, talented, and knows how great he is on stage. As well as being a master of the prankster's gambit and an incredible baker, we can guess he's a talented musician (as the piano is in his study) and knows how to do DIY (the tire swing and Slimer pogo ride), and he might also be good at card tricks, lockpicking (the safe), and/or art (if he painted some of his own harlequins).

Dad clearly uses a lot of cake and food themed props, but with his troupe he probably uses more business themed props, like legal pads, ballpoint pens, telephone receivers, document wallets, printer ink, and so much more. I bet they have incredible routines based on the absurdity of office life, and the incident grayslacks66 describes above is either something that really happened to them as they were leaving the house for clown practice (that they'll now incorporate into their clowning) or an idea they came up with to work into the group's performance. I want to see their show SO badly.

Costume-wise, the only facial feature in Dad's design is a nose. While it's not the bulbous red nose we typically associate with clowns, there's no reason why it couldn't be an oversized prop nose. Dad's hat, pipe and tie - which we see on p.79 are common features of his - could easily be the costume elements that Dad needs in order to get into clown mode.

If, for example, you are offered a piece of cake but refuse it, the potential for cake exploration is squelched and you will have no one to blame but yourself. (Simon, p.18)

I think Dad really wants to give John some clown training - he sees John's interest in amateur magic, a distinct but related field to clowning, and thinks John would be a great clown. I agree with him here, and it's very sweet that Dad wants to pass on his passion. When Dad pies his son in the face, it's not an act of hostility, it's an opportunity for John to get in on the routine and for the two of them to start clowning together. But instead of saying yes - a key rule of clowning - John is constantly saying no, shutting down the opportunity both to connect with his dad and to discover new things about himself through artistic exploration. It would probably be better if Dad just talked to John about this directly, but, 'clowns "think" on an entirely different plane than non-clowns' (Simon, p.33).

The book also talks a lot about direct audience connection, and clowns as performers who break the fourth wall. Given all the meta elements in Homestuck so far, I can see this becoming more relevant as time goes on and Dad (and his friends?) hopefully become bigger characters.

#homestuck #dad egbert #analysis #the phrase 'years of clown therapy' from this book simply will not leave my head

[cowpants147]

I'm watching the Teen Wolf movie and I think I'm a masochist

Liam being in Japan is so fucking random.

Him having the Nogitsune jar is even more random. Why would they trust that to Liam who wasn't in that season.

Why is Mason a deputy?

Eli has my entire fucking heart.

Dylan O'Brien took the Jeep from the set apparently so I love the idea of them having to recreate it for the movie.

Season 3 is a work of art and they're milking it for all it's worth.

"Why is Jackson here" - Scott but also me but then he won me over five seconds later.

Jackson & Ethan are still togeter. I love that so much. All my other ships might be dead but at least they're still standing.

Lydia hugging everyone is so wholesome

Malia and Parrish!! JUMPSCARE!!! I did not need that much nudity from them.

Why is this giving DCOM vibes? Seasons 1 & 2 had better production/effects than this and that is saying something.

Melissa. My Queen. I love you. You are top tier TV mum.

Do you think Derek asks for parenting advice of the Sherriff? Sherrif is giving grandpa vibes.

I would have preffered an entire movie about Coach - I have many suggestions.

Malia's one liners can stay.

Second Jumpscare: Allisons mother. She always scared me the most out of all the villains ngl.

Eli passes out when see's his own fangs. That's it. I'm adopting him.

How the hell does BEacon Hills manage to hire new deputies? Most dangerous job in the world.

Peter was holding in revenge for Derek using a blowtorch on him in season 4. I know Jeff did not think of this but I enjoy this easter egg my own brain has created.

Jackson being worried about his own tail. This man only has one personality trait but ya know what, I love it.

Chris Argent has always been quite level headed and I appreciate that about him.

"I have to try and get through to her" "she's trying to get an arrow, through you" - are we sure this isn't Stiles' kid?

They really replaced Kira but gave this new character literally 0 personality. We only just found out her name.

"I can do this" immediately gets impaled.

The cut to Peter just vigorously sniffing the ground made me snort.

Can't believe I'm saying this but ... Jackson is the high light of this movie for me.

Derek is such a supportive dad. Why couldn't we just have a spin-off of Derek raising his late bloomer werewolf child.

Since when did Beacon Hills have a college. This town has exactly 4 locations: school, hospital, sherrif station, ice-rink.

"How the hell am I supposed to see my eyes they're the things I used to see" followed straight away by "do you like riddles" "nah I'm more of a limeric guy, more rhymey". I love it.

"He kinda looks like our old chemistry teacher" "I was your chemistry teacher JAckson you complete imbocile" I'm sorry I'm dead.

People are gonna die and yet Scott is playing lacrosse.

I zoned out of most of that ending sequence.

I also skipped Derek dying in its entirety because in my mind that did not happen. I do not accept. Moving on.

If I did acknowledge that Derek was dead I'd wonder why the fuck Scott is now raising Eli instead of: Malia, Cora, Peter, Sherrif Stilinksi, literally anyone else.

Anyways. I hated everything besides Eli and JAckson. I'm gonna go read some fanfiction now instead.

#i knew this was gonna be a bad movie when it was announced but yikes #teen wolf movie #derek hale #is not dead #eli hale #he can stay #i am 100% running with the hc that he was created by the nemeton or something and is derek and stiles child #i never even shipped sterek and yet here i am

[sparrowsfallingfromthesky]

As a fellow lover of books and black sails, do you have any book recommendations that give off black sails vibes or just seem like something a person who loves the show would love to read? Thank you either way!

Yes!!!!!

First of all, last year I actually made a whole page/post of exactly this, so definitely check that out! (That's two different links and I suspect you'll have better luck with the first link on desktop than mobile, but it's the same stuff in either place.)

Then here are some books I've been meaning to add to the list since then and hadn't gotten around to:

A Clash of Steel by C.B. Lee – a total reimagining of Treasure Island as a queer romance about Chinese and Vietnamese girls and women. I loved this book! Two particular characters from the original were merged into one character which never would have occurred to me and it was SUCH a good reveal.

The Last Smile in Sunder City by Luke Arnold – It’s by Luke Arnold.

When Women Were Dragons by Kelly Barnhill – About women (especially queer and otherwise nonconforming women) in the 1950s refusing to be silenced and controlled. And they’re dragons.

The Arabian Nights – I recommend the new(ish) version translated by Yasmine Seale and annotated by Paolo Lemos Horta, which is enormous but really interesting. This is a really foundational text that has consciously or unconsciously influenced a lot of other stories over a long time, and I don’t think it’s a leap to guess that Treasure Island, Black Sails, and some of the other books on my list are among them. Plus, here’s a quote from the introduction that might give off some familiar vibes: “Every story in the global canon of fantastical literature is in some way a vessel shipwrecked on the rocks of its misinterpretation… Assessed in these terms, One Thousand and One Nights is perhaps the greatest and most sprawling ruin of them all.”

Cinnamon and Gunpowder by Eli Brown – Some poor bastard finds himself stuck as the cook on a pirate ship, gets his leg amputated, and falls in love with the ruthless captain. Hmm.

A Conspiracy of Truths and A Choir of Lies by Alexandra Rowland – Explores the roles of storytellers in society through the misadventures of really fascinating unreliable narrators.

And the recent reads that prompted the post I think you're responding to were The Drowning Empire trilogy (beginning with The Bone Shard Daughter) - a very compelling fantasy series which I initially picked up primarily because the covers look kind of like the Black Sails intro sequence - and Silver Under Nightfall by Rin Chupeco, which yes! I did look at entirely because it had Silver in the title. It's a vampire book and it has some weaknesses BUT it's a polyamorous romance which counts for a lot. Plus I've been resisting reading Flint and Mirror by John Crowley which. has Flint in the title.

Hope this helps!

#Anonymous #thank you for asking anon!! I want everyone to PLEASE feel free to ask me about books literally any time #Black Sails #books

[naughtygirl286]

So we went to see Eli Roth's Masterpiece Thanksgiving which was adapted from the fake movie trailer Thanksgiving that he did for the film Grindhouse and this marks the 3rd movie that actually became a real thing based off a Fake trailer (the other 2 movies being Machete and Hobo with a Shotgun)

I had to laugh when they said they were actually going to make this an actual movie and hoped it would be as awesome as Machete and well I can say I wasn't disappointed I personally thought this movie was excellent! I really enjoyed it and would have to say it was one of the best Horror/Slasher type movies I've seen in a while.

your basic story is this during a Black Friday riot at a Wal-Mart like store which ended up in people getting killed including ones important to the the person who would become the killer he returns a year later to terrorize the town dressed as the town's pilgrim founder. that is pretty much it.

Now the movie itself is kinda silly but at the same time smartly written and directed there is a awesome mystery about who is the actual killer and it will keep you guessing and on the edge of your seat and not only that but the kills are quite gruesome. They are rather over the top but you'll be all "oh wow" or "eww, lol" like for example the whole Black Friday sequence is totally insane! I mean it is overly exaggerated and all that with people getting into fight fights and getting stabbed or trampled to death by rabid shoppers

Now even thought it is overly exaggerated I do think there is alot of truth in that whole sequence because you seen Black Friday videos of similar stuff on YouTube and heard news stories of people getting killed like that on Black Friday and being someone who is not American I believe that is what it was/can be like on Black Friday in the States.

Also they even tried to recreate some of the scenes from the original trailer and flesh it all out which is great and you could recognize things in the movie from the trailer.

But in the end yes the movie was Fantastic! I feel it was well acted and well done all around and if you like horror movies then I would highly recommend it! you should absolutely give it a watch. I would say it is one of the best Horror movies I seen all year and I think this one will become an instant classic.

#Thanksgiving #Thanksgiving Movie #Thanksgiving Movie 2023 #Thanksgiving 2023 #Grindhouse #Grindhouse Series #NaughtyGirl286 #ShannonJ286 #Horror #Horror Movies #Horror Movies 2023 #Horror2023

[variousqueerthings]

so some overall things that i do take away from s5 (in the sense that im clawing them to me and going “im going to make these have meaning!”)

- the progressively more dishevelled and distraught daniel throughout the first half of the season, up to and including the beat down he gets from silver

- on the opposite side of that the way silver kept popping up like he was a ghost or could read the main characters’ minds, making him unsettle them all further

- the way silver kept comparing cobra kai to stuff like starbucks, really outing the way he filters everything through what can be bought and sold and expanded and expanded and expanded (until he’s swallowed everything that once had meaning whole)

- also the exchange between daniel and silver about the bonsais + anytime silver non-consensually flirted at him

- sam’s dream sequence is! such a spot on way of describing her character and her conflicts! and of course tory whispering “i know who you are, princess”

- tory visiting kreese in prison and the “granddaughter”/”granddad” exchange

- the use of young!kreese during the prison fight -- think it was a neat way of allowing marty not to carry that much movement + there were a couple of blurs between reality and the self this season that i have decided to assign thematic value

- kreese’s therapy session where he’s talking with various people who have affected him in life, especially the segment with terry and the one with johnny (i accept the deep-fake used for the sake of the words! + older johnny) and tory

- the scene where johnny and daniel visit kreese to ask him for help and it seems like daniel’s going to sell out johnny’s feelings about his trauma regarding kreese and offer to give him a lawyer’s nr to get him out of prison in return, but then it just says NO MERCY MOTHERFUCKER on the note

- chozen’s whole personality! the way he trained the kids! the way he effortlessly fit himself into daniel’s side as his protector, and the way he and johnny talked in the most loving terms about their prospective difficult-moving-to-better pasts with daniel! his outfits!

- daniel dressing chozen!

- the initial back-and-forths between chozen and silver when chozen pretends to be a sensei vying for a place at his dojo and the dynamic when silver reveals he knows who chozen is and sics his sensei-hopefuls on him

- chozen and johnny yes-anding each other

- the flashback of chozen training as a kid with sato and the american soldiers

- also, the actual breakup between sam and miguel was a really neat scene, one of a few that had the kids making more adult, thought-through decisions, including the three boys agreeing that hawk should fight, the miyagi-do kids working together to “protect the eggs,” sam staying out of the fighting initially, eli being totally fine with “losing” the rigged fight because he doesn’t feel like he needs to define himself by fights anymore

- xolo cries very prettily

- jessica being amanda’s cousin/the knowledge that she introduced amanda and daniel

- little bits of sibling stuff between sam and anthony

EDIT: fuck forgot daniel limping into miyagi’s old room of course! im always there for daniel getting to talk about miyagi (and amanda describing her pre-wedding conversation with him to daniel)

ANOTHER EDIT (silverlaw edition): the scene in which johnny is all bloodied and on his knees and silver grabs him by the hair and goes off about how he never understood what kreese saw in him and says something like he’s got guts, but not a lot going on upstairs

#cobra kai #daniel larusso #terry silver #john kreese #chozen toguchi #cks5 #sam larusso #tory nichols #cobra kai season 5 #cobra kai spoilers #spoilers #cobra kai s5 #i have mixed feelings about the tory storyline -- elements of it i liked but man... they really do hurt her more than anyone else #there may be more it's getting late #these are what i'll try to build on personally #i may go to sleep now

[animehouse-moe]

Choujin X Volume 2: Awkward Positioning

I'm trying really hard to like this story, I am. There's some parts that I really adore and love to see in the work. But alongside that, there's a lot of Tokyo Ghoul baggage attached to Choujin X, and a handful of questionable choices in how it's presented. So, is it worth holding on to hope?

That's a really hard thing to answer, and I think just because of my fondness for Tokyo Ghoul I'm still here. However, I'm not going to pretend that Choujin X is the second coming of Ishida. With that in mind, I want to dip into the negatives to start (I promise there'll be positives on the other side).

So, I'll start with what's holding it back: Tokyo Ghoul. I understand Ishida's a monster man through and through, and I'll even say that Choujin as a concept is far more broad that Ghouls. But, it's still that meek and underpowered main character, and still pieces that it clings to from those days. Take Yamato Mori, a safe haven for Choujin within the city. Not exactly a concept that sparks the thoughts of originality or "uniqueness" within readers.

Not all of it is very explicit or completely lifted from Ishida's work on Tokyo Ghoul, but I certainly found myself passively comparing Coujin X to it. Simple things like, "hey this feels similar", "oh, didn't TG:Re do something like this?". I don't think it's a deal breaker for everyone, but I for one really wanted to see Ishida break out of his shell with the creative freedom he's got with Choujin X, and it just feels like that's held back by its likeness to his prior work.

In terms of fresh stuff, it feels like Ishida is struggling with striking a solid pacing for his story. Some things are dragged out and taken very slowly (which I can appreciate), and then the next second they skip right over it. Take this, for example, Tokio and Ely are enrolled in a 40 day Choujin course, which comprises most of the volume. After the fight against Shiozaki, they get their Choujin cards. You know, the fight sequence that they weren't supposed to be a part of. I would have at least thought they'd have a follow up evaluation considering the fact that they used full beastification and fought against a Choujin in a chaos state.

Now, you might think, "well, isn't that a little too slow?", and you'd be right. That is, if a solid chunk of this volume wasn't about the little details and interactions coming from their 40 day Choujin course. They watch a video, they do an interview, and a few other small things, but the line is drawn at actually exploring, experiencing, and understanding their powers. It just seems so, odd to me, when in the presence of a professional and private organization that aims to assist and combat violent or chaos state Choujins.

Following this piece up (off the top of my head), Shiozaki and Tokio. I really like a lot of what Shiozaki is putting down, but with Tokio in the mix it gets muddy and rushed. Tokio's watching of Shiozaki's high school highlights feels hamfisted at the point that it's placed in the story, while Ishida had a perfect place to stuff it, that I think would have worked even better. Tokio's awkward discussion with Shiozaki at the bus stop.

Following this scene, Shiozaki goes home to his younger brother and sister, who live in their run down and empty home, before heading out to rob a bank. Spoiler, but Shiozaki's whole point in this story is giving up what he loved doing because of who he'd become, and having to find ways to grow up and make ends meet for his siblings.

I just feel like, alongside sentiment like that, Tokio's moment of innocence and admiration for Shiozaki's talent would come off as more dissonant and natural, than it being shown at a convenient time for the story. Now, I wouldn't go as far as saying there's lots of this kind of jumbled approach, but I also wouldn't say that it's a one off thing with the story. It's slightly disappointing as the content is solid, and just a bit of shuffling around can really bring out the best in it.

Last of the negatives: the scope of the world. A private organization exists for Choujins, and violent and evil Choujins roam the streets and take an active part in crime. If Choujins are an understood piece of society, that people accept, where are they in public settings? Considering the presentation and approach to the existence of Choujins, you'd expect celebrities and heroes, and privately hired defense contractors or security for higher profile places. But they don't seem to be there. It's not something you'll really recognize at first because of the story, but if you take a moment to stop and think, it feels like a rather gaping hole, no?

Anyways, we're finally out the other end of the negative. Time to start with the positive!

I really enjoy that Ishida's endeavoring to tackle poverty and class divides with Choujin X. There's a lot of great moments to it, I just wish that some of them could be a bit more subtle or nuanced in their approach.

In terms of good though, I'll start with Ely. Her simple idea that money will solve all problems is both accurate and a good line to take with someone at that age, and her understanding of it is well suited too.

Later on though, that naivete is washed away by the reality of the world. Money is able to fix almost everything, almost. It's a really solid line to take with a younger and more malleable character, and it's approached in a way that doesn't immediately correlate "money" and "poverty" with one another. It's a really nice and simple appeal that dives deeper than the words that joins it.

Similarly, we've got Shiozaki. A bit more literal, since he's able to understand the importance and value of money as he's directly supporting his siblings. Regardless, this spread of him pitching at Koshien is a really solid personification of his character and desires.

And the last little bit I'll share is of the hand lackeys that drag Shiozaki down. He wants to make an earnest living, he wants to be a good person that can provide for his siblings. It's when the greed of those around him grows to be too much, that he's sucked in. They bring him down, and while it's a bit of a hot topic, it is something that's commented on in poorer communities wherein someone has the ability to make it out and others from within will attempt to drag them down out of jealousy and greed.

Moving forward once more, I think the combat's solid. I wouldn't say it's been anything groundbreaking, or as awe inspiring as from titles like Soloist In A Cage, but it's no slouch and doesn't attempt to give the bare minimum. I will say though, that a lot of the "great" stuff is saved up for specific moments rather than being something that's dispersed throughout.

And lastly, the teasing of the direction of the story is interesting. There's a lot going on for sure, but there's also a good few ideas sticking out of it. How that soot guy gave his powers to Ely, how close he is to whatever that being is, what the tower really is, and so on and so forth.

So, I would say Choujin X is far from terrible, and maybe even bad, but I wouldn't put it all that far on the opposite end of the spectrum. Ishida is Ishida, so the art's gonna be outstanding, but the rest of what can make for a good series seems somewhat up in the air at this point in time. I really want to like, I really do, but it feels like one of those things where I just find more and more holes and points of confusion with. So, here's hoping volume 3 can mark a turning point for Choujin X

#choujin x #tokio kurohara #ely otta #超人X #sui ishida #manga review #anime and manga #manga

[danielstalter]

The Babysitter

The Babysitter remains one of R.L. Stine’s most notorious books outside of his Goosebumps and Fear Street titles, and rightly so. Jenny was a relatable and endearing protagonist. Stine did an excellent job with the pacing, slowly building the tension with some genuinely unnerving scenes. On the downside, I had some problems with the motives of the villain and there was some really shoddy police work that was presented as exceptional. I was also baffled by one particular action of Jenny’s mother, which I’ll save for the full review below because of spoilers. I’ll just say that sometimes it’s hard to distinguish between bad/oblivious parenting and things that were still considered OK in the late 1980s. Overall, I really enjoyed this one in spite of its flaws.

Score: 3.5 Full Review: https://www.danstalter.com/the-babysitter/

The Babysitter II

The Babysitter II was a very middle-of-the-road sequel. The characters were solid and by far the strongest part overall. But for every element I liked, there was something of equal measure that I didn’t. The book had some very dated depictions of mental health, which were hard to look past. I hated Jenny’s psychiatrist from the jump. It was immediately apparent he was a bad fit for a traumatized teenage girl. I suppose he sucked in a believable way, but I can’t help but cringe at unhelpful depictions of therapy. It’s OK to break up with your therapist, folks. Jenny certainly needed to. The dream sequences also got really tiring after the first one. Unless the book is about dreams specifically, they just feel cheap. The kid that Jenny babysits for in this round was presented as a menace to society. Eli Wexner is a child genius, he has mood swings, he likes tarantulas, and he can be straight-up weird. I think he read more as an autistic kid with inexperienced and overwhelmed parents than anything threatening. I don’t know if that’s what Stine was going for, but that’s definitely what I got as the story progressed. The other reason I’m being hard on this one is that I guessed the plot twist way earlier than I usually do. I suppose the book holds up as a competent mystery if you aren’t familiar with any other books R.L. Stine has written. For me, it felt like a partial rehashing of the first book and a mix of things I’ve seen repeatedly in the Fear Street books. The Babysitter II wasn’t the worst, and it wasn’t the best. It’s a mostly competent sequel that just didn’t bring anything particularly new to the table.

Score: 2.5 Full Review: https://www.danstalter.com/the-babysitter-ii/

The Babysitter III

The Babysitter III felt like a sequel in search of a story. I’ll start with the good; at least Jenny wasn’t taking on yet another babysitting job after her experiences in the first two books. It changed the formula by introducing Jenny’s cousin Debra as this book’s titular babysitter. Unfortunately, I still saw the twist ending coming from a mile away. It had too many similarities to other Stine books. Everything he did here, he’s done it before and he’s done it better. There were a bunch of B-plot elements that ultimately served no purpose other than to throw the reader off the real trail. The B-plots are great for this function, but they work best when they also tie back into the main storyline. Almost none of them did. Jenny is also very clearly dealing with PTSD, but no longer appears to be in therapy or have any sort of support system in place. I’m used to dated and problematic depictions of mental health in these books, but this one just felt hard to watch. It was like one long, sad cringe. The book also relied on some characterization changes that I just couldn’t buy into. It made me wish the whole Babysitter series featured a different protagonist in each installment. Because the first Babysitter book was great; I consider it one of Stine’s best. The Babysitter II was less so but not bad. This one just felt phoned in. The ending of The Babysitter III does hold some promise for the fourth and final installment, but I can’t say I have a ton of confidence in that happening.

Score: 1 Full Review: https://www.danstalter.com/the-babysitter-iii/

The Babysitter IV

I did not go into this book with high expectations, so I was very pleasantly surprised when this book took a fresh direction. The Babysitter III had squeezed every last bit out of using Mr. Hagan as a villain, so I was happy to see that he was barely mentioned all in The Babysitter IV. In a lot of ways, this book was about Jenny reclaiming the narrative for herself. The way that Jenny’s past experiences caused her to question her own sanity at every turn made for a unique perspective that a lot of sequels miss out on. I figured out some of the twist ending early on, but I wasn’t bothered by it. What did bother me was how rushed the ending was. There was a whole other story received in the last few pages that deserved its own spotlight. It was a shame because I really liked the story it was telling, I just wanted more than an eleventh-hour info dump. I can’t be more specific without dropping massive spoilers, but almost all of the issues I had with this book stem from how it ended. I still liked The Babysitter IV more than I didn’t, and I was happy to see the final installment in the series end on such a strong note.

Score: 3.5 Full Review: https://www.danstalter.com/the-babysitter-iv/

#books #nostalgia #fits of nostalgia #book review #rl stine #horror #lit #point horror #the babysitter #90s aesthetic #paperbacks from hell #teen horror

[the-arson-author-gamer]

Sometimes you just need to throw your ideas and headcanons that have stayed inside your head for the longest time so you just need to spew it out...

So here is like a mini list of Tales of Arcadia ideas and headcanons that live rent free inside my head:

Douxie's staff can summon his motorcycle if need be, comes from the staff in like a magical anime girl sequence style (almost)

If Douxie were to ever have some sort of code/hero styled name I always go back to the Shepard of Fire

Children of the Sun >>>> Guardians of Arcadia (I heard the song once and never turned back, I just think the name is neat, Guardians is still good though!)

Everybody likes heavy metal/heavy rock music (it suits them)

I'm not over the Mary & Darci Detective AU

My idea for Claire's master wizard staff would be similar to Douxie's in shape, but the top is trident like, with a thin dark purple gem in the middle of two spikes

I think Steve should have magic as a little treat

Eli's mom is actually a changeling, because I saw that headcanon once on here and didn't let it go

I actually really like Trollhunter!Claire. I think if done right it can be really cool (no no I can't start something else that I won't finish)

Aroace Douxie and Krel rights (they are music besties)

Jim and Claire live in bi-ace solidarity

an actual non-crossover superhero au with toa would be super fun to create

#I'm thinking about it all again #I miss the toa fandom when it was in it's pride before the movie #taag talks

[sleepy-cephalopod-studies]

Finished reading The Sisters Brothers after watching the film! I really love DeWitt's writing style and greatly enjoyed the book, even more than the film.

I think it was a good decision on the film's part to have Warm's story interspersed with the brothers hunting him down, as opposed to the book bringing them in only after Eli and Charlie find the journal. But apart from that, I think that the book is better--especially since there are moments in the film where you can see what was blatantly cut for time (seriously, that scene of Eli just talking to the 4th wall and explaining what he just did as opposed to just showing him do it was...WOOF)

I enjoyed the little intermissions/dream sequences, the backstory for Warm and how he tells it to Eli, the little romantic encounter Eli has with the bookkeeper (even if he wasn't in love with her, the tragedy of her dying and only then realizing he didn't feel any real grief was poignant to me), and I really love the Commodore's death scene. The speech he gives to himself in the bath about how the ones who matter in life are those who can make something from nothing, and give nothingness meaning, that just screams like it's the main message of the entire book. Eli and Charlie are out of the murder business (heavily damaged and traumatized), but there's a faint hope that Eli can make something with Charlie out of the destruction and negativity that he and his brother have been involved in.

#bookblr #the sisters brothers #book review

[pastlivesandpurplepuppets]

The opening of director Vincent Grashaw and writer Robert Alan Dilts’s What Josiah Saw (2021) reminded me of The Texas Chainsaw Massacre (1974). Momentarily beautiful and serene in a way but you know deep down something is about to be wrong. By minute three, I thought I was settling in for a movie about the origin of a very specific type of male evil that is pervasive in American society. What breeds it? Well, poverty for one thing. Alcohol and drug addiction don’t help. Total lack of healthcare and rural infrastructure collapse certainly exacerbate it. But who do these men blame? Women. Politics. Cabals of <insert non-white race here> that sex traffic children in basements of pizza parlors. Basically, anyone who isn’t them or the actual people/corporations responsible for decimating their community. Namely, the oil company that shows up by minute ten and wants all the land. There’s just one problem. One of the properties they have their eye on, local legend has it, is haunted. But the setup is a rope-a-dope. The film ultimately turns in something truly surprising about the secrets we keep and the lies we tell ourselves in order to keep them.

I was sold on reviewing this film by the trailer. When I saw Nick Stahl’s name, I literally squee-d. Nick Stahl is one of those actors I’ve always rooted for. I loved him in Carnivale (HBO) and Sin City (2005), just to name a couple, and years back when he was in the news struggling with serious drug addiction, I was honestly worried we would lose him. But here he is as Eli Graham and I hope to everything it means he is happy, healthy, and back to working consistently—and not so much that the character he plays, a wanton, lost, drug addict was an easy role to take. Stahl’s talent has always shined bright and it is on full display in this performance. Not to be outdone, even Robert Patrick’s hair is drunk during his performance as the perpetually inebriated, broken, titular Josiah Graham. Sure, he chews a little scenery, but goddammit, that’s why I love Robert Patrick. Stahl’s competition goes even deeper than that. The supporting cast is so good, it almost seems like it doesn’t belong. Standouts include Tony Hale (Arrested Development) as Ross Milner, Kelli Garner (Godzilla: King of the Monsters) as Mary Milner, and Jake Weber (Dawn of the Dead) as Boone. One I’ll definitely keep my eye on is Ronnie Gene Blevins who is quietly hilarious as Billy.

The film unfolds across three interconnected chapters. It moves and speaks like a well-written novel with the horror elements peppered in—as if Jim Thompson and Daniel Woodrell baked a cake in Stephen King’s oven—the same one that baked Dolores Claiborne (1995). What, to me, were a few cliché compositions and shots were more than made up for in some really unique and creative sequences. A fight scene in Chapter 2 is a personal favorite. Overall, Chapter 3: Mary May I is probably my favorite. It looks, sounds, and feels like a beautiful homage to The Shining (1980) but, like, if Wendy never took anyone’s shit.

Neo-noir is getting to be more and more difficult of a label for me to use. Given the state of the world, the darker, more hopeless and cynical aspects of noir as a genre in film simply feel at this point like Cinema Verité. So, with this film, dare I coin a new film movement, Cinema Amerité: the American answer to the original French movement which is basically filming horror/noir as if it’s documentary because that’s how hollowed out our daily lives have become. All of us pretending we’re not collectively experiencing various levels of PTSD in a seemingly endless cycle of shock, horror, and despair with no room for healing in a barely wage-livable forty plus-hour work week. Smile at dinner parties. Put up a Live, Laugh, Love sign in the living room. Suffer quietly. But what I always hold on to, and I think the film does to, despite its twist and very bleak conclusion, is remembering the connections we have to each other. Family, friends—even if those connections are strained, or broken, you always have the chance to go home—fix them, maybe. Or, at the very least remind yourself why you’re a fighter still fighting and a survivor still surviving. Stick around for the song running under the credits, “Dynamite Mine” by Murder by Death. It’s great.

#love this review #what josiah saw #love his love for nick stahl because- same!!!!!! #and lol at 'even robert patrick's hair is drunk' 😄 #great movie and well worth the praise

[swearingcactus]

fc5 gameplay is ass

(yet another tumblr post bitching about fc5)

i think i finally can pinpoint what annoyed me the most about fc5. it's the way ubisoft tried to make this into a 'you can do whatever you want' kinda story where it doesn't have to be so linear (you get to pick which sibling you take down first, you get to pick which missions you want to do to get the resistance points up), but they didn't hash the story far enough for it to work properly.

i usually do little side missions first to get myself better weapons & get a feel for the surroundings before doing the main storyline and always, ALWAYS, i get too high of a resistance points than i like which just gets me into cutscene after cutscene when i would rather NOT progress the story yet. this wasn't the problem in 3 & 4 because you knew you're gonna progress the story if you choose to go meet certain characters.

it winds up making me feel like i haven't gotten a chance to do the little things i want first and meet all the side characters before i get thrown into the main story again and suddenly im dragged along to a level 3 resistance point and copters are shooting at me from all directions (which is BULLSHIT ASS GAMEPLAY TOO)

i read a comment from someone on youtube who also disliked this system cus they did side missions first and the npc dialogues weren't programmed to account for this. they got spoiled that eli dies because an npc said 'eli's death won't be in vain'. which, considering how big of a plot twist eli's death is supposed to be, is Big Oof. i got an experience with this too when i went with sharky and he said something about faith already being dead when she was Very Much Still Alive at that point of my run.

it just feels like this game was trying to be 'oohh you get to do whatever you want-- but choice has always been an illusion oooohhh'. which i wouldn't mind as much cus i mean. it's far cry. that's like the entire gist of the franchise: that you're stuck and hopeless somewhere. BUT i do think the resistance points and levels is a misstep cus what's the point of allowing 'freedom' when it just takes away the impact of the one story you wanted to tell?

i would also like to add that the way that they also made 'you can pick whichever sibling you want to kill first' thing also ruined the supposed 'family' dynamic imo. aside from joseph's little bitching video call every time you kill one of em, none of the siblings care/ever refer to one another. but then again, this is far cry and villains don't really interact with each other so imma give it a pass (side eyes the 1 (one) phone call between vaas and hoyt... pagan's little lunch with paul and short ass talk with yuma, none with noore...)

idk why i put this in a post cus i think ubisoft also realized this by themselves cus by the time new dawn rolled around they didn't do the same fc5 system and just kept the journal without the points

>> this is obviously just my experience and preference tho and other than that and the fact that easy mode in this game is NOT easy, the game has its moments. i mean it has john seed saying 'delivery free shipping' and jacob's entire only you sequence that even i who's read the storyline and knew what was gonna happen still left me just-- *chef kiss*

#far cry 5 #far cry #far cry analysis

[limetameta]

when i saw that why women kill was a story made by the same person who made desperate housewives i was like, huh, let me see where this goes. and i was delighted at moments, horrified at some, and otherwise entertained.

did not feel like desperate housewives to me. felt like something trying to be more. than that show. which fair enough look at all of these years and decades which have passed.

the closest timeline that felt like desperate housewives and the one i was most invested in was beth ann's timeline in the 60s. the 80s timeline felt like some cheap gabrielle solis marries a gay guy 80s fic i was reading and they were very cute together, but i did not find that end any less offensive than if they had outright had aids kill him. wow, 80s, wow, gay guys, wow it's better to have your wife mercy kill you than to throw you out. it was not a story that fit with the narrative of the 2019 and 60s timelines. karl was a good character, but ultimately i can't help but think that his end felt forced and that STILL in media gay men's deaths and existence is used as a pitying tool. rubbed me the wrong way, and you can camouflage it with so many snappy comebacks and edie britt like charm all you want, i didn't have a fun time with this one.

going into s2 of why women kill was interesting for me because the first thing i noticed when i went into the why women kill tag on tumblr was a lot of people's disappointment with it. that it didn't keep with the 3 timeline frame, that it didn't feel true to the show. which, if you were expecting the continuation of those 3 timelines, if you wanted the same character mold with different names and colours - yes, then that's way too different.

but if you want to watch why women kill - then this falls right in with its purview. we follow alma and we focus on her now because we actually get growth and the descent, and all of the consequences of her actions. you don't have your focus split from her by following two more timelines - or whatever it was they tried to do with the 2019 timeline. good idea, but man it was really boring. just like eva needed more proactivity in eli's script, so, too, did the 2019 characters. they're more reactionary. you can even see it in that sequence where all three timelines meld - taylor is on the reactionary side, she's not the one surging forward and doing things, she's defending and reacting to the situation at hand.

but, back to me praising why women kill s2. and i say this with full honesty: i am heavily being influenced by my love of desperate housewives when i say that this s2 felt more true to DH than s1. I love Alma. Truly feels like one of the characters in Wisteria Lane come to life. Whether this is a good thing for the show itself or not, at least she's entertaining to follow along. At least there's a clear arc. Just like with Beth Ann. That's why I call these the two strongest characters of the series so far.

anyway, these are my thoughts. i don't expect anyone else to agree nor disagree.

season 2? banging. i love it. all of these characters are so awful they're the best.

hoping s3 will be completely different from s1 and s2 and that they'll keep it going, keeping us all on our toes. i would hate for them to come back to the 3 timeline plot device just because it worked in s1, unless they have a story they want to tell in such a device - but just because people are complaining about s2 would be sad.

#why women kill #i havent yet finished s2 i have like 2 eps left but my god i'm having so much fun watching this show