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nikibogwater · 3 years ago

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What did you think of Nari's characterization in ROTT?

Disliked it, as with most of the other things in the movie.

The short version of it is this: In Wizards, Nari's primary character traits were empathy and compassion for others. In Rise of the Titans, her primary character traits seem to be just a general lack of awareness for what's happening around her, and a tendency to make light of very serious situations.

Now before I get into the long-form answer, I will preface by saying that the writers of RotT were at a severe disadvantage when writing for characters who were introduced in Wizards because Wizards was still in production at the time. So I understand why Nari ended up feeling like a completely different character in the movie, and I am not shaming anyone for it. But the fact of the matter is that I found her characterization in Wizards to be much more appealing, and if that characterization had carried over to Rise of the Titans, I think I would've had slightly warmer feelings towards the movie. But let's get down to brass tacks now, because I've actually been dying to talk about this. This is gonna be a loooooong boi, so I've put everything under the cut to avoid clogging people's queues (I'm just really passionate about this bean goddess, okay? 😅)

When Nari is introduced to us in Wizards, she is quietly watching the arrival of our heroes at the castle. She doesn't make herself known to them, but it is clear she is very interested in what's happening. She does not make any other appearance until the Arcane Order launches their assault on Camelot.

Nari's first spoken words are, "Merlin! This is all my fault!" and as one would expect after hearing this, she is very obviously distressed and feeling guilty for putting everyone in danger. Merlin tells her they need to escape to the past, and that he needs her help in order to do it. Nari's response is to begin charging her magic as she says "I will do what I can."

After our main characters are thrown back in time, we're introduced to Nari as she was in the past. Although she is allied with the Arcane Order in their war against humanity, it's clear that she displays the least amount of malice out of the three. In fact, it's revealed that Nari has always been rather fond of humans, and has even reached out to them in friendship a number of times. After resurrecting Morgana, Nari is the one who does most of the explaining and introductions, showing a bit of a playful/mischievous side as she pokes fun at Bellroc and Skrael. ("I told you she would, Skrael! So old, and they still haven't learned manners.")

During the Battle of Killahead, we see Nari watching the war from a distance, and it's clear from the expression on her face that she is not liking any of this. Though she does briefly aid her siblings when they join in the battle, she reveals afterwards that she can sense the pain and suffering they have inflicted on others--and she doesn't believe the Order's ambitions are worth that. She abandons the Order, presumably spending the next 900 years in hiding, before seeking Merlin's protection.

Once our heroes have returned to the present, Nari becomes a bit more involved in the plot. She expresses genuine sorrow over the destruction of Arcadia Oaks High ("Your beautiful school-home was crushed!") and is clearly distressed by Jim's agony as the shard in his chest begins to work its dark magic. ("Poor soul! Your corruption...I feel it worsening.") After Jim is taken by the Order, we can see her comforting Toby in the background. She continues to show great concern and empathy for the people around her, and is still eager to help wherever she can, though her magic doesn't seem to be combat-oriented. She is also shown to be somewhat timid, hiding behind Merlin or Claire during confrontations with the Order--she is very clearly terrified of her old allies, and seems to want to avoid direct contact with them. When Douxie is struck down by the Order and is falling to his death, it is Nari who runs to try to save him before anyone else--apparently, if someone is in need, Nari's first instinct is to rush to their aid.

So, from all of that, we can gather that Nari, as she was characterized in Wizards, is intelligent, curious, cautious, gentle, empathetic, and very aware of what's going on around her. She is also a little playful and wild, but never to the point of disregarding what's happening or how others are feeling.

In Rise of the Titans, Nari remains consistent with this characterization for all of...seven minutes.

Initially, Nari is still very much herself in this scene (though I wish we could've been told what exactly made her want to stop running and face the Order head-on. Again, in Wizards, it was abundantly clear that that was the one thing she did NOT want to do). When Douxie expresses his anxiety about the situation, she takes him by the hand, offers him a reassuring smile, and says, gently but firmly, "No. No more running, Douxie." Excellent interaction. 10/10. Five stars. That's also the only time in the movie where Nari displays any level of awareness regarding Douxie's (or anyone's) feelings/wellbeing.

The body-swap scene is when Nari's character just completely swings in the opposite direction, and she becomes near-unrecognizable as being the same character from Wizards. Douxie, being our favorite Self-Sacrificing Idiot, swaps bodies with her at the last possible second, causing the Order to take him instead. Nari, now stuck inside Douxie's body, seemingly doesn't think much of this development at all. In fact, her first response is to giggle playfully. UM, NARI. NARI, SWEETIE, YOUR BIG BROTHER IS IN THE CLUTCHES THE MOST EVIL BEINGS KNOWN TO MANKIND. LIKE, THEY LITERALLY KILLED HIM THE LAST TIME HE RESCUED YOU FROM THEM, WHY ARE YOU NOT MORE WORRIED ABOUT THIS?! Up until this point, Nari has never been shown to underestimate the Arcane Order--she seems all too aware of the kind of violence and destruction they are capable of, which explains why she was so terrified of them in Wizards. But in Rise of the Titans she seems to just....not really care anymore? The entire time she is in Douxie's body, she doesn't express the slightest amount of concern for him, or for anyone around her. She just keeps doing...cutesy forest gremlin things, like singing to her flower, batting at a light fixture, and antagonizing Archie (she's definitely not the only character who was severely lacking in empathy in this movie, but this is an essay about Nari, so I'm not going to bother touching on everyone else). This is a direct contradiction to her characterization in Wizards, where she was shown to care deeply for the people around her, and displayed genuine distress whenever they were in danger or suffering.

Nari also persists in being pointlessly cryptic for the entirety of the movie because....reasons. Before the Order breaks Douxie's body-swap spell, she tells Jim, "Trollhunter make ninth configuration--the Kronosphere will make right." Which, of course, doesn't help him in the slightest. And when they finally succeed in rescuing Nari, she doesn't elaborate or explain this at all. She just says it again. Listen, I can get behind Nari being Insanely Ancient, and maybe a little out of touch with modern trends, but I'm fairly certain that Wizards Nari at least knew how to communicate. She never showed any inclination towards being cryptic or mysterious on purpose, at least. We're never given any explanation for Nari's sudden lack of clarity, so I guess it was just there for plot reasons. Which makes it that much more infuriating.

Also I don't know why, but the little "Hehe!" Nari does when Douxie pulls her into a hug kind of grinds my gears, because Nari, love, this is a really serious moment, you were just snapped out of mind control and your siblings are currently rampaging across globe in giant magical mechs, why are you giggling like a four-year-old and not, idk, SOBBING IN A MIXTURE OF RELIEF AND HORROR BECAUSE YOU WERE ALMOST PART OF WHAT DESTROYS THE EARTH?! AS THAT WOULD BE A MORE APPROPRIATE RESPONSE TO WHAT JUST HAPPENED????!!!!! But that's just a stupid little nitpick.

Now this is not me saying that Nari's characterization in the movie is objectively bad. Actually, it's kind of fitting for the Tales of Arcadia brand of humor--Super ancient demigoddess who houses the power to completely destroy the earth is also kind of a clueless ditz and needs to be babysat like a toddler. If she had not been introduced in Wizards, I would've been fine with this. But, much like the rest of the movie, Nari's vastly different characterization felt a tiny bit like a betrayal, and it consistently bothered me in every single one of her scenes. It also kept me from feeling the full impact of her death--seriously, I didn't cry at all when she was killed. Which....yeah, I'm just as surprised as you are.

So anyways, if you've made it this far, thank you so much for the ask, Non! Normally I have a bit more self control than to just....essay-dump like this, but honestly I've been thinking about this for way too long, and I had to get it out of my system. 🥴 And to anyone who really liked Nari's characterization in RotT--that's totally valid! Again, I don't think it was a bad characterization. It was just very inconsistent with her character as she was introduced to us in Wizards. And I just happen to prefer Wizards Nari over RotT Nari. 🌿✨

#tales of arcadia #toa #rise of the titans #rott spoilers #toa nari #niki answers #long post

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terra-fatalis · 4 years ago

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Aerith & Marlene: a special bond

Marlene Wallace is a little sweet 4 years old child and Barret’s adoptive daughter.

The strange interaction between Aerith and Marlene in Chapter 12 of the Remake raises the mistery: what kind of information did Aerith share with this kid? And, more importantly, why?

This scene brought up a longstanding question too: is Marlene a Cetra?

I don't presume to have an answer! I have no idea about what the devs have in mind for this character. With this post I'll just try to highlight all the elements that showed the bond between Aerith and Marlene in the FFVII compilation.

Key Art

Since the early concepts of this character, Marlene’s been represented holding a flower. Nothing really strange, if it were not for the fact that flowers in Midgar are true rarety and are mainly related to Aerith.

Marlene is in Barret’s key art. The picture is more or less the same both for the OG and for the Remake and it depicts Barret and Marlene staring at the flower bed in Aerith’s church, even if this specific scene has never been showed in any entry.

Final Fantasy VII

In the OG Tifa asked Aerith to rescue Marlene from Seventh Heaven before the collapse of Sector 7 plate. They spent a relatively short time together, but Marlene became immediately very fond of Aerith and never forgot her.

The player could find again Marlene with Elmyra, while Aerith had been kidnapped by Shinra. Marlene told Cloud that Aerith liked him and she got really angry if he didn't answer in an interested way (”Stupid!”). But if he answered in a positive way she was also aware that it was the kind of information that could hurt Tifa (”I won’t tell Tifa”).

If the player had the date with Aerith, Marlene recognized her voice and, later, Cait Sith said she got really sad when she came to know about Aerith's death.

Marlene appeared again at the very end of the game where she perceived Aerith's presence when the Lifestream started to erupt from the surface of earth to reject Meteor.

On the Way to a Smile

Marlene appears also in the novel On the way to a smile, especially in Case of Tifa. She is described to be a very sensitive and mature child:

It was Marlene who noticed the changes in Cloud (...) Marlene was an observant child, sensitive to the grown-ups’ moods.

Maybe Marlene thought Tifa wasn’t listening when she said in a small, lonely voice, “Cloud and Tifa aren’t getting along”.

This would mean nothing if taken out of context but I think it fits the continuity of her character development until Advent Children, the entry where she is openly depicted to be a little copy of Aerith.

Advent Children

At the beginning of the movie Marlene is the narrator that resumes the events concerning Meteorfall, the Lifestream and the battle against Sephiroth.

She has the same hairstyle and pink ribbon as Aerith, and her white outfit slightly recalls Aerith’s dress from Crisis Core. Her skirt and socks are decorated with floral motives.

She behaves like Aerith: she is blunt, encouraging and she always sais what she thinks

Her room is full of interesting elements:

There’s a pink sleeveless dress in a corner

There are various pictures of flowers hung on the walls and a vase of Aerith’s flowers on the windowsill

There’s a picture of a church and the photo of the flower bed in Aerith’s church

(Yes I know, the quality of the images is really bad. I’m looking forward for the 4K version of the movie in June).

Marlene has sort of a healing role toward Denzel, since she takes care of him when he has Gestigma symptoms (in the movie and the novels) and she is the only child who has no Geostigma. The Remnants seem to understand that she’s different from the other children and they keep a close watch on her

When she arrives at the church she tends the flowers like Aerith used to

When Loz’s going to kill Tifa she distracts him throwing a globe of Materia that looks exactly like White materia

She senses where Cloud has Geostigma (he has a puzzled look when she askes if it hurts, as if she wasn’t supposed to know it)

When Aerith intervenes in the battle she can feel her presence (in the Japanese version she sais お姉ちゃん, which means “older sister”).

Final Fantasy VII Remake

In the Remake Aerith meets Marlene in the same way as she did in the OG but this time Tseng finds them immediately at Seventh Heaven (I’m not sure if this is meant to be a relevant change or just a revised and more realistic way to show the scene, all we know is that the Whispers didn’t intervene). Despite this change something “strange” happens between them anyway...

Marlene, who was crying frightened, immediately calms down and hugs Aerith again. She notices that she smells like “their flower”, to which Aerith answers:

as if she already knew they won’t spend much time together in the future.

Before Barret and the others leave to save Aerith from Shinra, Marlene tries to warn her father saying he should help Aerith but she can’t explain the real reason.

And dulcis in fundo, at the end of the game, Marlene, once again, can perceive the “presence” of someone. In this case it’s her daddy calling her name.

And that’s all for now!

I have no idea how the story is going to develop in the next entries of the Remake, but maybe it is not so wrong to think that this young character will have a more important role in the future!

#FFVII #FFVII Remake #Marlene Wallace #barret wallace #Aerith Gainsborough #Is Marlene a cetra?#advent children

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ticklikeabomb · 4 years ago

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Grouch - Part 8 (Finale)

Pairing : Steve Rogers x Plus Size Reader ; Avengers x Plus Size Reader

Warning : Language ; Angst ; Death of Characters ; Fluff

Word Count : 1.9k

Disclaimer : I do not own the characters, nor the universe where they were created and interact in. This series/fiction is only for entertainment purposes.

He cleared his throat before declaring, “I talked to Wanda. She’s in.” “Bucky?”, you ask and he nods.

The room stays silent for what feels like an eternity, the only sound being your breathing. Not taking it anymore, Steve reduces the distance between you and crashes his lips with yours in a painful kiss, the warmth of your mouths consuming each other. “Fuck I missed you so much”, he breaths in your face, his hands squeezing your waist against yours. “I missed you too”, you breath out before claiming his lips in a feverish kiss. Your hands cup his face, your eyes on each other, “I hate this secret”, you whisper. “We’ll be free soon sweetheart. Just one more mission”, he says. You nod and declare, “Kill the Avengers!” He nods, lifts you up and lays you on the bed, his lips and hands claiming your body and soul the way only he knows how to do.

“We have a code red”, F.R.I.D.A.Y’s voice and alarm echoed in the compound. The Avengers stood immediately up from the couch where you were previously relaxing in front of a movie, to join their respective rooms and change. You stood up, a little lost, not knowing what to do. “Follow me”, exclaimed Tony. You did as such and before you could argue if it was a good idea of you joining them, Tony handed you a revised version of your suit. “Suit up”, he declared and addressed a wink your way. “Thanks”, the whisper leaving your lips. You were in the middle of zipping your jacket and marching towards the main room, Iron Man at your side, when he covered your body with his body before the the windows blew, the explosion propulse both of you back.

“Hydra managed to break in, Sir”, you faintly heard F.R.I.D.A.Y’s voice echo in the room. “Yeah we noticed”, sarcastically replied Tony, adjusting his hand propulsors. “You okay”, he quickly turned towards you and immediately flew out the pulverized windows after you nodded. Activating the earpiece, you hear Steve inquire if everyone was alright. “Yup”, you replied, running towards the Hydra men coming your way and engaging the fight. After taking them down, you made your way to the main hall were the Avengers were fighting the equivalent of a hundred men. “How the hell did they enter?”, shouted Natasha with greeted teeth. From the corner of your eyes, you saw Barnes simultaneously being manhandled by four Hydra agents. You ran and kick one of them so hard against the wall that he immediately lost consciousness, creating an enough surprise for Bucky to retake control of the situation.

The fight continued until her voice was heard shouting, “ENOUGH.” The Hydra agents stopped their movements like the obedient little dogs they were. Madame Hydra made her entrance like she just descended from Olympus itself. “I got to admit you’ve got some balls just bursting in the Avengers’s compound like it was no biggie”, Stark said before landing in the middle, the rest of team dispersed at every corner of the room. “It wasn’t difficult”, Madame Hydra replied with venom and confidence. She advanced at Stark’s level who took his helmet down, looking him up and down. “No need for more fuss. I just passed by getting to get back my pets”, she said her eyes switching from you to Barnes. “Not gonna happen”, replied Natasha. Madame Hydra’s laugh coldly echoed around the room, “Are you sure about that?”, she challenged the Black Widow.

Stepping back to where she previously was, she said “Well, I’m sorry my visit must be cut short. We have a world to blow up.” Turning around at the Avengers, she firmly declared, “Kill them!” As soon as her words fell from her mouth, you pointed your gun towards Natasha, while Bucky pointed his towards Sam. Tony was about to activate his armor in defense, when Wanda advised him otherwise, her hands glowing towards Vision and Hulk. Shocked he faced back to Madame Hydra when he was met with Steve pointing a gun at him. “What the hell Rogers?”, he whisper-yelled angrily. “Sorry Tony. Looks like you’re not such a genius after all if you didn’t see it coming. We needed to infiltrate the team, make you think we were with you, gain your trust and man how easy was that.”

“Why are you doing this?”, spat Natasha towards you. “You used to be a double agent, you know how it works. Plus, I don’t like the way you look at my man”, you responded. Her eyes flicked to Bucky but you chuckled, “Not him.” Her eyes widened, finally realizing you were talking about Steve. Sam’s rage was painted on his eyes, “I hate you”, he mumbled at Bucky who smirked amused. “Wanda, love, you don’t want to do this”, Vision’s voice filled the room, everyone’s antics making Madame Hydra roll her eyes. “You have no idea what I want”, Wanda commented her eyes glowing more and more.

She concentrated her strength, managed to use Vision’s stone power and project it at Hulk. The combination of hers and the soul stone’s power were what got to be the Hulk’s end. When the strongest of the Avengers was down, Wanda used her powers to destroy Vision’s stone and him along. You and Bucky pressed your triggers, ending two more Avengers. “I thought we were friends Steve”, Tony’s voice trembling. “Hail Hydra”, chanted Steve before pressing the trigger, killing the most famous man on the planet.

The silence in the room was broken by Madame Hydra’s applause and laugh, while all four of you harbored stern expressions. “Wow, you really did it. I’m so proud of you”, she nodded yours and Steve’s way. “And look at you Soldat, back home”, she smiled at him. Her gaze then landed to Wanda. “You. You are the surprise. I didn’t think you would join.” Wanda simply shrugged, “Stark killed my family, so I killed his.”

“Good, good”, the boss exclaimed content. “Let’s go back to work.” “There’s one left”, you declared. She looked at you perplexed and that’s when Steve took the opportunity and shot her. The other Hydra agents reached out to their guns but Wanda stopped them. “I’m your new leader now”, declared Steve firmly. You and Bucky took place next to him. “Either you follow Captain Hydra’s command or you can join Viper”, exclaimed Bucky while pointing at their former leader. No one opposing to the change of leadership, the four of you left without looking back at the carnage inside, your mission fulfilled.

At Steve’s command, Hydra was prospering, the organization’s plans taking form. You and Steve could finally be together without hiding yourselves. Proving your loyalty, the high placed trusted Steve and your team with the placement of all Hydra bases, requiring the four of you to personally train the new recruits, since you knew all the opponent’s tactics.

Everything was going perfectly fine until one day all Hydra bases were targeted at the same time across the globe. Steve, Bucky, Wanda and you were in the middle of a meeting with the organization’s high bosses when the building’s alarm echoed. You managed to take them safely outside, leading them to a secret panic room but were stopped by them.

Standing in front of you were the Avengers in all their glory. “Well well well, look who we found”, exclaimed Tony with a large smile. Passing the initial shook, one of Hydra’s leaders looked at Steve and cursed him, “You lying bastard. You played us. And you! You –“, “I what? Come on spill it”, you encouraged him menacingly, the vibranium plates whirring. “I think they should know, don’t you”, interrupted Tony.

“Your little leader and Assets here have been double, triple crossing? I lost count but the important information here is that they made you think that they were Hydra, pretty good I might add. Almost too good”, said Tony. Natasha took the rest of the explanation in hand, “Anyway, they tricked you into believing that they were Hydra and infiltrated the Avengers in order to kill us but of course they’ve always been on our side. They fake killed us, infiltrated you and gathered all the intel they needed to locate ALL the bases and destroy them from within.”

“The real question here is when in the hell did you two become a couple”, Stark turned towards you and Steve. You both declared at the same time with a smile at the corner of your lips, “2014″. “How?”, counterattacked Sam. “Fury”, you both mumbled. “After Shield fell and I lost Bucky’s track, I knew that the only way I could be a step ahead was to infiltrate Hydra. That’s when Fury introduced me to Y/N who was already infiltrated. She told me the do’s and don’ts and yeah”, explained Steve.

“Returning to out little revelation. How are we alive? Easy, thanks to my super genius brain and Stark hologram system who molded us and who were the ‘real victims’. Tadaaa”, finished Stark. “You’re fools if you think that you extinguish Hydra that easily. Cut one head and two more wi-“, “Yeah yeah we know the song”, you cut him off. “What’s the status?”, Bucky nodded at the Avengers. “All the bases have been hit”, replied Sam. “Good”, you exclaimed before shooting the remaining Hydra leaders.

There was a tension in the air, the silence finally being cut by Natasha’s comment, “You really shot me in the tit? Not cool.” You chuckled and made your way, engulfing her in a hug. “Sorry.” Everyone greeted each other after spending weeks apart, ones pretending being dead and the others being part of a not so secret evil organization. You went all home to the compound, enjoying being back with the team again. After a well-deserved shower, everyone joined in the living room, a drink in hand. “So, there’s a question that keeps coming back in my mind. I finally want to know what the hell was going on between you and Bucky?”, asked Sam confused.

You chuckled and looked at Bucky who encouraged you to explain. “Well, we never hated each other, just pretended it to keep mine and Steve’s a secret. Even though I have to admit that sometimes you pushed it bro”, you said and looked at Bucky. “Excuse me, you literally put a gun in my hand and obliged me to shoot you.” “Yeah yeah, you still crying about that”, you joked. “No but we’re actually pretty good friends. Bucky saved me when I was a child. I could never thank him enough for it and for keeping Steve and my cover intact”, you continued. “You have nothing to thank me for, I did what I had to do. Also sorry for you know, all the horrible things that were said, I absolutely didn’t mean it.”

The rest of the night continued of you explaining your infiltration more in detail. At some point, Steve stood up to grab himself another glass of mead. Tony plastered himself next to him. “So, what now?”, he asked the blond. He turned towards the scene, looking at you. “I guess now that I’ve found the right partner, I’m finally ready to settle down. Haven’t decided where yet. A farm, cottage or in a small island, maybe.” “You’re retiring on me old man?” Steve chuckled and nodded, “That’s exactly what I’m doing.” Stark nodded, “Alright, we’ll handle the paperwork tomorrow. Enjoy your final night with us then.”

Steve sat down next to you, your eyes looking up at him. He leaned and whispered “I love you” in your ear. “Love you too”, you whispered back and felt his lips leave a peck on your forehead. You pressed against his warmth, glad to have this whole Hydra episode behind you and finally be able to love him fully and openly.

*credit of gifs and picture to owners*

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twoblueheartslocked · 4 years ago

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Para: December/January Flashback.

Rating: PG.

Pairing: Seblaine. (And Seblaine is still very much the endgame.)

Sebastian: @colorsicantsee

Blaine: @twoblueheartslocked

Time: Four years before the events of ( Hold On To The Memories, They Will Hold On To You ) Events taking place in December/January of Blaine’s Senior Year and Sebastian’s Junior Year. Blaine (17) Seb(16).

Location: Sebastian’s House. Westerville, Ohio

Info: Blaine’s parents are tragically killed in an icy car accident on Sunday, December 28, the day after Blaine and Sebastian spend their incredible night together. A devastated Blaine deals with the aftermath of his parents death in the only way he knows how which results in two very broken hearted teenage boys.

Warnings(PLEASE READ THIS): This para includes mentions of parental death(Both) and a whole bunch of self loathing. There’s a break up and it does not have a happy ending for our boys. This was not fun to write at all, but remember they’re very much endgame- soulmates.

Extra Warnings: (This RP is not Kurt Hummel friendly. You’ve all been warned.)

Notes: Some canon events remain in place while others have been changed. Some things may even be out of order. You can consider this sort of canon divergent AU. A few changes are that Blaine’s parents are different from the show (His mother is Filipina), he didn’t cheat on Kurt or date Dave and Sebastian is younger than Blaine. Feel free to send a message if you have any questions!

Blaine’s POV:

“There was ice on the r-road. God, they’re gone, Blaine. I-I don’t know how else to say it. Mom and dad are gone…”

He could still hear his brother’s panicked, weepy voice ringing in his ear. Could still feel the icy chill run through his body as the words sunk into him, pulling him down into a darkness that he’d never felt before. That Sunday, after having the most incredible night, Blaine went from feeling the best he’d ever felt to feeling like he was suffocating in despair. It felt like someone had thrown him into the Arctic with nothing but the clothes on his back. He remembered waiting for Cooper to come home, remembered how quiet and too big the house had felt, how the silence had pushed into his brain and it was maddening...that fucking quiet. But, on the inside his thoughts felt loud and chaotic and he was screaming, screaming, screaming. But if you walked by and saw him you just see a teenager, small and lost just standing there numbly as people in uniforms and nice suits talked at him about what would happen to him next.

That had been two weeks ago. Will and Imelda Anderson had been laid to rest and Cooper had moved from California to Ohio while Blaine finished out his Senior year. All the therapists and people in charge had told Cooper it wouldn’t be fitting to take him out of school to move across the country at a time like this. So, against everything he wanted, Cooper was back in Ohio, miserable and trying to figure out how to be a parental figure while in mourning and in a house with nothing but ghosts and memories that were still too fresh- so fresh that they cut like knives to think about.

The weeks had gone by in a blur, he hadn’t been back to school yet, and was dreading the day that he’d have to. He wasn’t sure how he was supposed to function as a person when his whole world had been shattered. The only thing he’d been able to bring himself to do was see Sebastian, and even that hurt him because he couldn’t even smile for him. He’d been at the Smythe’s almost every single day since it happened, he’d tried to go see Sam but all he got was pitying looks from Sam's parents and he couldn’t handle it. Sabine, Seb’s mom, had simply pulled him into a hug and in her soothing lilt told him she was there for him and that was that.

Today was the fourteen day since they’d been killed, and it had been fifteen days since Blaine had last gotten to hug them, or speak to them in person, and it was the twelfth day since his parents had been put in the ground . He wasn’t doing well at all. He was wrapped up in Sebastian’s arms on their couch in his basement, his back to the room, his face turned and pressed into Seb’s chest, his arms wrapped tightly around Seb’s slender frame, as he fought his hardest not to fucking cry again as the mumblings from some movie played in the background. Going to Seb’s house was the only place he felt a fraction of okay, but he also felt like absolute shit everytime he went there.

He always started out his trips promising himself he would find a balance and every time he went over there he’d tell himself today would be the day he’d smile for Sebastian, and today would be the day that he’d give him a real kiss, not just a peck, but a real one with that showed all the pent up feelings he still had for him- they had just been pushed down because Blaine didn’t know if he had anymore room for anything other than pain. He wanted to follow through, wanted to smile for Seb and kiss him properly because Seb deserved that. He’d been nothing but supportive and sympathetic, and had stood by him like a dutiful boyfriend (even though they didn’t say that outloud) throughout everything and Blaine was the worst kind of person because he couldn’t even muster a half smile for his person.

It occurred to him right then that he may never be able to smile again. He may never be able to properly kiss Sebastian the same way he had two weeks ago when everything was as perfect as a winter snow globe scene. Sure, Seb didn’t seem to mind and also seemed content to hold Blaine close and talked to him like a person instead of a ticking bomb, but it killed Blaine that Seb’s life was just put on hold because of him. Blaine’s broken heart ached impossibly more at the thought and he felt like the most selfish person in the world for dragging the other boy around. And all at once he found himself sobbing again, big, loud, wailing and snotty sobs that sounded so raw and the front of Seb’s shirt would be wet again. Fuck, Sebastian didn’t fucking deserve this. He deserved so much better than this version of Blaine. This broken carbon copy. He felt like the old version of himself died with his parents, leaving his friends and person with a hollowed out, crybaby version of himself.

He cried, and struggled to catch his breath, and clung so tightly to Seb that when he finally stopped there were black spots in his vision and he felt weak. Possibly because he’d hardly eaten, but mostly because crying was exhausting and that’s all he did lately. Everything hurt, mentally and physically. His voice was high pitched and pathetic when he finally found it.

“God damnit, I’m so sorry, Seb.”

Sebastian’s POV:

Sebastian hoped he was being helpful. He had never had to console somebody, had never even attended a funeral before. Never had to stand in the back of a stuffy room full of too many black ties and random casseroles and the scent of carnations heavy in the air. He did it all, though. Sebastian picked out his best suit and hung back until Blaine needed him, squeezed his hand during the procession to the graveyard, sent flowers by instruction of his mother and took a prayer card home and brought Blaine water and crackers when he cried so hard he started to heave. He did it all quietly and patiently and spoke his condolences in hugs and kisses on the cheek. Sebastian knew that saying sorry wasn’t enough and that Blaine needed time, which nobody could give him.

Sabine had made it clear that their home was open and that the other boy was welcome. Sebastian spent so many nights holding Blaine as random movie credits rolled in the background, his boyfriend sobbing until he fell asleep. He was thankful for the little slices of peace sleep brought to Blaine. Eating was pretty much out of the question but Sebastian always offered granola bars and fruit snacks. He never minded when his shirts got soggy with tears or sweat from a nightmare that Blaine had. He just wanted Blaine to feel better, just wanted him to survive this.

Seb clung tight to Blaine as he sobbed. He wished his hands could force the broken puzzle pieces of his boy back together again. He rubbed circles in Blaine’s back and kept quiet, just let him cry it all out as he stared at the flashing tv screen. Sebastian watched as Snow White ran through a haunted forest and thought to himself that it seemed like Blaine was stuck in the same place but instead of trees, it was all ice and crashing metal and broken glass.

“Hey, don’t be sorry,” Sebastian shook his head. “I have plenty of shirts.”

Blaine’s POV:

Blaine forced himself to sit up on the couch, he held onto Seb for leverage, his body swaying a bit as the dizziness took over him. He knew he needed to eat something soon, knew that he needed to take care of himself if he ever hoped to feel better at all. The thought of food made him feel nauseated, everything he’d eaten in the last two weeks had tasted like dust on his tongue and had been even harder to swallow. How long was he going to feel like this? A hopeless pit of despair that pulled him under more and more each day. Would he ever feel better? He looked over at Seb, embarrassment and pain evident on his face and the fact that his first thought wasn’t how happy the other boy made him feel anymore, but rather how miserable Seb must be sitting here with him day after day, all the hours blurring into one never-ending session of comforting Blaine as he cried or asked why over and over again knowing there wasn’t answer- was devastating to Blaine and he didn’t know what the fuck to do about it.

They’d been following this pattern for two weeks, Seb had come as soon as Blaine called him that day and had been by his side every single day since. Sure, Blaine knew this is what couples did, know that when you cared about someone you were there for them, you held them close and kissed their head and told them that you’ve got them the way Seb had been doing. But, Seb was a sixteen year old kid and his junior year was slowly slipping by him while he put everything on hold for Blaine. Lacrosse would be starting up soon, how could Blaine ask Seb to miss it? How could Blaine be so selfish to keep him here when he had no clue when he’d feel better. Seb was going to hate him for this eventually. He just fucking knew it.

Still, the thought of being without him. The thought of not getting to touch him, kiss him, or press close to him under the covers, or to eventually tell him that he loved him- Blaine still hadn’t gotten to tell him, made him want to throw up and again, he didn’t know what to do. He swallowed hard, his mind running wild with the thought that Sebastian was secretly sick of him and his breath hitched and another little sob escaped which turned into another one. It didn’t occur to Blaine to take a deep breath, and maybe tell Seb that he loved him now, or that Seb might say it back. Blaine couldn’t convince himself that Seb was okay just holding him, that Seb was happy to be there for him while he mourned. Blaine had been slowly convincing himself since the first time he sobbed into his shirt that Seb was miserable. And that he was just being selfish by keeping him around. He sniffled, Seb’s words making his bottom lip wobble in their sweetness.

“God, you’re perfect.” He sobbed out, not able to keep the control over his words like he needed. “I lo-” He wanted to say I love you so much, you’ve been amazing, I just don’t know what to do right now, you need to live your life…And his mouth wouldn’t let him say it, and all over again he felt sick, like he was actually going to throw up even though the only thing he had in his body were a few crackers and some water from hours ago.

“I can’t. God, I don’t know what to do.”

Sebastian’s POV:

Sebastian wished he could read Blaine’s mind. He couldn’t decipher anything on his tear stained face except for pain. He just nodded as the other boy struggled for words, rubbed his back in what he hoped was soothing circles.

“You don’t have to know what to do, B.” He knew his words were never going to be enough but he couldn’t let Blaine’s hurt hang in the air ignored. Seb was okay pushing his homework off until Blaine left, was okay with driving to Blaine’s directly after Warbler rehearsal, could tolerate watching one million Katy Perry videos and old movies in an effort to cheer the other boy up. He was down for anything even if it meant sitting in silence. Sure, he missed how Blaine was just a few short weeks ago. But, he knew he’d never get him back unless they dealt with the monstrous tragedy that clung to his guy. If that meant tear soaked hoodies and half drunk water bottles and cracker crumbs then so be it.

“Do you want me to go get you anything?” Sebastian hated forcing Blaine to eat but he knew he probably needed something soon, he could feel him shake. “I’ll get you whatever you want.”

Blaine’s POV:

Blaine could feel his breathing pick up, he was balancing on the edge of a full on panic attack and he didn’t know how to reel it all back in. He teetered there, and he knew in his hearts of hearts all he had to do was reach out and ask Sebastian to help him through it. All he had to do was lean on him for a little bit longer and eventually he’d be there, he’d get through all of this but… his brain seemed to be blocking him from accepting that. He’ll wake up one day and he’ll find that he hates you for ruining what’s left of his junior year. He could have been out having fun, but he stayed cooped up in a basement for god knows how long you feel like this and he missed out on everything good. He won’t be able to concentrate on Lacrosse or the Warblers because of you. He’ll miss out on dances and prom and touching and sex all because you’re sad, Blaine. You've got to let him go.

He looked at Seb, really looked at him- Taking his beautiful face, his green eyes wide and eager to please him, ready to help him however he could. And Blaine had never loved another person besides his parents as much as he loved Sebastian Smythe in this moment. Tears slipped quietly down his face as he cupped Seb’s in between his hands and leaned forward to press a kiss against familiar lips. The kiss tasted salty from his tears and Blaine wondered if he’d ever get to do it again.

“You, god Seb, you’ve been so perfect.” His words were choppy and his breath hitched and he felt so sick to his stomach. How was he supposed to do this? How was he supposed to be unselfish when all he wanted was to cuddle back up and let Sebastian take care of him? “I-I think we-” his words felt heavy and wrong and he stood up, wrapping his arms around himself and he felt so small and if only his mother were here, she’d help him understand why he was about to break his own fucking heart. She’d tell him how to deal with his feelings and keep what he loved in the process.

A little voice in his head that sounded very much like himself, only weaker spoke up, pleading with this new, sorrowful version of Blaine. You don’t want this, Blaine. He’s the best person for you to be around, he’s the only one that makes you feel halfway okay. Just fucking tell him that you love him finally and that you’ll feel better one day and thank him for being there for you. But, Blaine’s mouth said something different and what was left of his tattered heart broke right in two as he spoke and he sounded like a stranger to himself.

“I think we should maybe take a break for a bit.” He could hardly look at Seb, his person's handsome face went from confused to shocked, like he had been slapped, in a split second. “I want to be with you, I just don’t know how to be right now, Seb and it’s not fucking fair to you and I think maybe if I could just try to figure how to breathe maybe I could be better for you and I think the only way I can do that is if I-I do it alone.” You’re so stupid, Blaine. You’re so wrong. Don’t do this to him. Don’t do this to yourself… More miserable tears fell, this time wetting his own shirt and not Seb’s. “I’m so sorry, I don’t know how else to do this…”

Sebastian’s POV:

Sebastian kissed Blaine back but it didn’t feel like the kisses they usually shared. It felt too slow, tasted like salt instead of cherry, and it felt like the last one they’d share. He blinked a few times and tried to shake the empty, sunken feeling that started to fall through his body. Suddenly Blaine was speaking but he didn’t sound like himself and Seb felt like he was having an out of body experience. Was he being broken up with? What had he done wrong? Blaine constantly told him how good he was but now it felt like he wasn’t good enough and that was too familiar of a feeling for him.

He swallowed the thick lump in his throat and closed his eyes for a moment, Sebastian really didn’t want to burst into tears, the thought made a swirl of anxiety rush through his head. He also didn’t want to beg but everything in him was screaming for another chance. Sebastian put his hands up in an effort to stop Blaine from speaking. He suddenly felt so pissed off his hands trembled.

“You don’t get to decide what I need or want. Nobody gets to decide any of that except for me!” His voice was higher than he had intended and he hoped Blaine didn’t notice the warble of tears trapped in his throat. Sebastian stood up from the couch. He wanted to punch the wall, wanted to knock the tv over, wanted to run to his room and burrow into the covers, wanted to scream and cry into his pillows.

“This makes no sense. I thought I was helping you. You….you said I was good. You just….get to throw me away like everybody else.”

The tears finally fell down his face and he felt like he couldn’t breathe. He was so mad at himself for giving into crying, for looking weak in front of the only person he wanted to impress,

“Get. Out. Get out! I don’t fucking want you here anymore.”

The words were out of his mouth before he could take them back and his feet stomped up the basement stairs, past his mother in the kitchen, his back was pressed to his bedroom door before he let himself take a deep breath that ended in a sob.

Blaine’s POV:

Blaine watched as Sebastian struggled through what he’d said, the other boys face breaking his heart just that little bit more and Blaine wanted to reach out to him and pull him close and tell him that he didn’t mean it. Because he really didn’t mean it, he didn’t want to do this. He knew that with his whole heart that he shouldn’t have done this, that there had to be a better way to deal with his hopelessness, but he didn’t know what it was. He was just trying to save Seb from the inevitable catastrophe of being stuck with someone that was only half living. He wanted more than anything, except maybe to have his parents back, to stay right here and let Seb bring him back to life one day. But, he knew it was selfish, even if Sebastian couldn’t see it right now.

“Seb you are good, please, that’s not what this is about. You did everything right! I’ m not doing this beca-” The rise in Sebastian’s voice cut him off and his breath hitched at his angry words and Blaine tried to reach for him as he pushed past him and took off up the stairs, but Seb was fast and his words were still echoing in his ears minutes after he had left. The space where he’d been still felt charged and full and Blaine wondered if he’d always feel him there.

The air around him felt suffocating and and the room was so still, so quiet that the voice in his head was screaming desperately at him to go up the stairs and to find Seb and tell him that he’d been wrong to say that, that his head was just messed up and that he needed him by his side while he figured everything out. But, his self hatred had already started to settle and he had already convinced himself that he didn’t deserve that comfort. If he could make that wonderful, beautiful boy sob like that how could he ever think he deserved to keep him around? His body ached as he forced himself to put his coat on and then his shoes and each step up into the main part of the house felt like glass on bare skin and he prayed to a god he didn’t know if he believed in that Sabine wasn’t still in the kitchen. He hoped she’d gone to Seb, hoped that he wouldn’t have to see her disappointed face. Though a tiny little part of him hoped she might hug him like mother’s do but he knew he didn’t deserve that and that it was selfish to want it.

He managed to get himself out of the house without running into anyone and without looking at anything, lest the memories grab hold of him and pull him under. It didn’t occur to him until he was outside in the cold January air that he hadn’t driven here. He’d been too nervous to drive since his parents' accident, so afraid that he’d slide off the road too so Seb had been picking him up and bringing him to his house. Blaine’s bottom lip quivered at the thought, how sweet it was that Seb would go out of his way like that so he wouldn’t have to think further about his mom and dad. He pressed a hand over his mouth as he pulled his phone out of his pocket and tried to ignore the background photo of him and Seb smiling up at the camera. He thought about calling Sam to get him, but Sam was in Lima and it would take him too long. Instead he was forced to call Cooper. His big brother made it known that Blaine was being an dumb and that he wasn’t thinking clearly and why would he do this, but something in Blaine’s face maybe told him that he knew all of that and Coop shut up for the rest of the ride home.

He’d managed to make it into his bedroom before bursting into a new wave of tears. This time with an added loss, one of his own making. He cried so fucking hard he threw up, he’d only eaten crackers and water so it hurt and he thought maybe he deserved it. And as he pressed his forehead to the cold toilet seat it hit him how much he didn’t want this. He knew he’d fucked up. He knew it without a doubt and regret and self loathing filled him up and he threw up once again. Finally he managed to pull himself up and he put himself into pajamas and cleaned his teeth and face before curling up on his bed. It had been four hours since he’d left Seb and each hour hurt so badly he thought he might die. He’d never experience this kind of thing before and he wondered if he’d ever feel good again. With shaking hands he tried to reach Sebastian, one last plea for understanding or maybe forgiveness.

Blaine(8:02 pm): I know you don’t want to hear from me right now, but please give me this chance… Blaine(8:07pm): I’m not throwing you away, you’re not something anyone could do that to, you are so much more than that. You’re an amazing person that deserves so much more than I can give you right now. I’m trying to keep you from hating me in the long run. Why would you want to spend your time trying to fix someone that may not be able to be fixed? I don't know if I’ll ever feel right again and god… Blaine(8:13pm): You’ve done everything right. I need you to know that. You’re perfect. The best thing that’s ever happened to me, you mean so fucking much to me. I didn’t do this because I don’t want to be with you. I want to be with you more than anything... I just don’t know when I’ll ever feel like me again and that’s not fair to you. Please, don’t think it’s because of you. I’m the messed up one and you deserve better. Blaine(9:15pm): Please, Seb. Talk to me. I’m begging you. Anything, I’ll take anything. I miss you so much already.

He curled into himself, his phone clutched in his fingers like a life line and while he thought he might not be able to cry anymore he managed to cry himself into a fitful sleep. When he woke up the next afternoon, the only messages he had were from Cooper and Sam and he cried all over again. He’d broken his own heart into tiny little pieces and now he was sure he’d done the same to Sebastian, he regretted it more than anything he’d ever done and probably anything he would ever do again. He stayed in bed and ignored everyone for the rest of the day. His heart aching with each beat as if it could also feel the three giant holes December and January had left in him. He’d not only lost his parents, but he’d lost his person, someone he was sure he was meant to be with and he’d done it to himself all because he couldn’t figure out how to exist anymore.

He’d give anything for his dad to tell him he’d be okay and to feel the squeeze of his hand on his shoulder, or to feel his mothers arms around him again, whispering how much she loved him, or to see Seb’s for Blaine only smile light up the room and take his breath away. None of these things were possible. He felt worthless and alone, and still so very much in love and he knew, without a shadow of doubt, that he’d feel this way forever.

Sebastian’s POV:

Sebastian didn’t know when he fell asleep. It was somewhere between his mother softly knocking on his bedroom door and the snow beginning to fall outside his bedroom window. His entire body felt tired and heavy in a way he had never experienced, not even after Lacrosse games or Warbler rehearsal. Sebastian reached for his phone in the tangle of blankets out of habit and saw the splash of texts across his screen. Seeing Blaine’s name brought up another surge of confusing emotions- sadness, anger, loss. He didn’t want to respond. He wasn’t sure how to articulate how he felt and his gut reaction was to say something mean. Seb decided to not say anything at all and deleted all of the messages. Maybe it wasn’t fair but was it fair that Blaine was already saying he missed him?

In the back of his head, behind all of the stubbornness, Sebastian knew that Blaine was going through a lot and this was all a part of his mourning. He just couldn’t let go of the hurt or the embarrassment or the fact that the other boy decided to make the decision for the both of them. Sebastian threw his phone across the room, he didn’t want to hear from anybody for the rest of the night or maybe even the rest of the week. He wondered if his mother would let him skip class tomorrow or if his father would let him move onto campus during the week (it might help in avoiding Blaine).

Sebastian stared at his dark bedroom ceiling and a million feelings and thoughts infiltrated his mind and body. He took a deep breath but it wavered with the threat of tears. He wanted this to be over, wanted to numb how sad his heart felt and how unwanted he was. How terrible was love anyway? You give everything for another person, you let them see every ugly part of you and you give up all of your time for them and you still end up thrown away like old newspapers. Was it ever enough? Everybody reminded him all of the time he wasn’t worth it and Blaine had solidified that for him. Sebastian decided he’d never fucking do it again.

Seb snuck into his father’s study, stole a bottle of whiskey and made it back into his bedroom without being seen. He drank until he didn’t feel anything but the floaty, dizzy spin of too much alcohol. The whiskey lulled him to sleep but he dreamt of Blaine the entire night.

/fin.

#seblaine angst #seblaine #seblaine para #seblaine canon divergence #Para: December/January Flashback #colorsicantsee #twobluehearts locked

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shannaraisles · 7 years ago

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11 Questions Meme

Good grief ... I’ve been tagged by @a-shakespearean-in-paris, @enchantment1385, @isharaytaoshay, AND @sassylavellen! Guys! ~laughs~ 44 questions! Under the cut, though, it’s long!

So, from @a-shakespearean-in-paris ...

What’s your favorite Disney Movie? Sleeping Beauty, always.

If you are limited to read one book for the rest of your life, what do you pick? Oh, crap. Um ... To Kill A Mockingbird. But I can’t just have one!

What is your favorite play by Shakespeare? Twelfth Night.

Do you watch the Oscars or Golden Globes? Neither, I’m not that fussed.

What is the animal that represents the inner you? (Patrononus, if you’re into Harry Potter.) The inner me is definitely a very lazy domestic kitten.

favorite historical period? Medieval, Tudor, or Regency. I refuse to choose!

favorite artist? (As in like Van Gough, Picasso, Renoir, etc.) Or favorite period in art history? Torn between Van Gogh (Starry Night is one of my favorites), Leonardo da Vinci, and Edmund Leighton.

Do you like the Marvel movie franchise, hate it, or are you indifferent to it? What’s your opinion on the superhero genre in general? (can talk about DC too if you like) Oh, that’s tough. I generally like the Marvel movies, the casting is amazingly good. But I have a basic problem with the superhero genre - I’m British, we don’t have a culture of superheroes over here. Seriously, the superheroes from my childhood were Bananaman and Super Ted. My problem is with the increasing emphasis on lengthy action sequences (which bore me to tears), and the distinct lack of plausible consequences. I know both DC and Marvel have tried to get the consequences in there, but seriously ... the “heroes” do more harm than good with their flashy tactics. It just annoys me.

Did you ever have an embarrassing celebrity/fictional character crush? Yes. ~grins~ Okay ... Gaston from Beauty & The Beast. And it got worse when they did the live action version, because I lurve Luke Evans!

Guilty pleasure movie? The Chronicles of Riddick, or Seven Brides for Seven Brothers. Depends on my mood.

And the most important question of all…you go to a bar. What’s your go to drink? (if you’re into drinking?) JD & Coke. Without fail. :)

From @isharaytaoshay ...

1) Place you want to travel? I’d love to be able to meet the lovely people I’ve made friends with here on tumblr! So ... kind of everywhere?

2) Favourite time of the day/night? I like the hours after midnight and before dawn. I’m pretty much an insomniac, so I spend a lot of time awake then, and there’s just something about the way the world feels that appeals to me

3) Weirdest accident you’ve ever had happen? Weirdest would be the time I fell over a mop and broke my clavicle. Cannot, for the life of me, work out why the mop was there, or how I fell over it.

4) Favourite comfort meal? Hmm ... fried egg and chips (fries).

5) How many places have you traveled in? Let’s see ... Ireland, Scotland, Wales, France, Spain, Italy, Germany, Austria. Eight! All when I was under 18; I haven’t been anywhere since then!

6) Favourite scar? I have a small scar on my inner left forearm that shows up under fluorescent lighting and freaks out therapists when I first meet them. Nothing sinister - Beni, my first cat, scratched me accidentally with dirty claws when he was a kitten, and it took forever to heal!

7) Favourite historical era? Tudor, Medieval, or Regency. ~grins~

8) One blog you’ve followed forever and always admired but been too scared to approach? Um ... all of them? ~laughs~ I am getting better at putting in asks and things, but I have yet to be brave and just outright drop into anyone’s messenger uninvited.

9) Your idea of a perfect day? A perfect day ... would be any day in which I don’t have to talk myself either down from a panic attack or up from a depressive moment, unfortunately. I have small ambitions.

10) Favourite meme? Um ... Why Weren’t You At Elf Practice?

11) Which fictional language would you learn? Given the choice, I’d learn Entish, or Discworld Dwarven. ~grins~

From @sassylavellen ...

1. Do you have a favorite soundtrack from a movie or a video game? I tend not to focus on complete soundtracks; I have favourites from several soundtracks, but they tend to be the sweeping scores, like DAI and LotR. Big music for big moods!

2. What was the first video game you remember playing? Lands of Lore; The Throne of Chaos. Well, I didn’t exactly play it - I sat behind my brother and watched him play it. I still can’t finish that game, but I love replaying it.

3. If you could have any kind of food right now, what would it be? Right now? I want chili and macaroni cheese, but that requires money to buy ingredients with and the motivation to cook it. ~laughs~

4. Are you a good cook? I am a passable cook. I have not, to date, poisoned anyone, and my last disaster was only a disaster because the rice was disgusting. But I always have a back up plan!

5. Do you have/want any exotic pets? I would love to have an African Grey parrot, but sadly, my slightly feral cat would not have it in the house unless it was dinner.

6. What fictional character would you love to be friends with? Torn between Nanny Ogg and Cassandra Pentaghast. Nanny, because she’s just a comfortable person to be around; Cassandra, because I think she needs a friend.

7. if you could have any superpower, what would it be? Um ... being able to understand maths and science seems like a pretty good superpower to. Neither of which make a lick of sense to me, I should add.

8. What movie could you watch and enjoy every single time? Labyrinth. And have done, on many, many occasions.

9. Favorite color combinations? Brown and gold, blue and silver, purple and teal.

10. when you play games (Dragon Age or like games) do you use armor sets that have good stats but looks bad, or armor that looks good but has bad stats? When I can cheat (and I do), I go with armor that looks good and is crap. When I can’t cheat, my characters tend to look like they’ve just climbed out of a Lost Property box.

11. Favorite genre of music? That is a hard one to answer. It all depends on my mood - sometimes it’s 80′s pop, sometimes it’s classical, sometimes it’s musicals. Never ever jazz, though.

From @enchantment1385 ...

1. What is your favorite fandom, and why? The Dragon Age fandom wins by a narrow margin. Why? Because, while I was extremely late to the party and have seen a fair amount of harshness in the community, I have been made to feel very welcome by everyone I’ve encountered and spoken to. As an anxious person, just interacting is enough to send me into a downward spiral, but you’ve all been just lovely to me. 2. What’s your Pokemon team? I have never played or watched Pokemon, so I have no idea! 3. Favorite ‘Team’ in dragon age or mass effect? Hmm ... Origins, I tend to go for Alistair, Shale, and Morrigan (Demelza’s a rogue); DA2 is Varric, Fenris, and Bethany (Poppy, another rogue); Inquisition finds me with Cassandra, Iron Bull, and Sera (Velen’s a mage). Mass Effect? Tali/Kaidan, or Tali/Samara, hands down. 4. Favorite non Bioware game? Lands of Lore: The Throne of Chaos (showing my age there) 5. OTP? I think this is fairly obvious. ~laughs~ Canon, it’s Cullen/Inquisitor. Personally? I can’t choose between my OCs! 6. What is your Guilty pleasure? Harlequin romance novels! 7. A food you can’t get enough of? You know, I don’t think there’s ... oh, wait. Ben & Jerry’s Minter Wonderland Ice Cream. Yeah, I found it. :) 8. What’s can you see right now? Right now? My cat smugly sitting in between me and the monitor, about four inches from my face as I type. 9. Something I don’t know about you? Um ... I am the youngest of four siblings at the bottom of the biggest gap - 10 years between me and my sister. 10. Mosted loved OC, why? Most loved is probably Rory right now. She was meant to be a self-insert, but she took my best traits and ran off with them! We’ve spent a lot of time together, though. Writing her is like pulling on a comfy sweater. 11. What song is stuck in your head right now? The theme to a gameshow called Blankety-Blank, which I will not link, because I am not that cruel.

#11 questions #sassylavellen #a-shakespearean-in-paris #isharaytaoshay #enchantment1385

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marginalgloss · 7 years ago

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stop blending in

There’s a good line somewhere in the work of Douglas Adams about the eternal value of somebody who knows exactly what they’re doing. Wherever you are in this world, there is nothing more reassuring than to be accompanied by an expert. This is something I think of frequently when playing Hitman.

The hitman is the exemplar of the person who knows exactly what he is doing. He is supremely, unbelievably capable. He is a sinister version of Mr Benn: a dead-eyed killer who, simply by donning a high-vis jacket, or a waiter’s waistcoat, or a chef’s whites, becomes almost indistinguishable from the equivalent professionals in those outfits. And he can do anything just as well as the person he is impersonating. Disguised as a masseur, he knows how to soothe an aching back; with the clothes from a session musician he can play drums like a pro.

Obviously he is also very good at killing people. But in this game, the killing is secondary to the dressing up. It has taken many years, and plenty of mediocre video games and movies, before somebody worked out that Hitman is a game about passing. It is about moving through a world in which you are intensely aware at every moment that you don’t fit in — but doing it anyway.

You can be caught quite easily. Every place is a system of nested regions where you can’t get in if you’re not on the list. Or at least dressed like somebody who should be on the list. Even in the right outfit there’s a handful of staff who, given a moment or two, will recognise you as someone who shouldn’t be there.

We know not to cross certain velvet ropes from the real world, but the tension here comes from knowing you have to do it anyway. You’re not just a stray. You have an intent which is hidden from the rest of the world. (On this note I especially like this comparison, by the cartoonist Carta Monir, of playing the game in relation to the experience of a trans person.) The hitman is guarding a secret that must be taken care of; he must carry it to the heart of where he is going. Other people may try to take it away. It is a feeling that has everything to do with threat and power, and in this case it is the system that is overwhelmingly powerful. Your job is to trick the system into submission.

The question of power is thrown into relief when you consider that the hitman’s chameleonic talent is a kind of joke. It’s a joke which only works because of his overwhelming whiteness: the implication is that only someone who will never stand out because of the colour of their skin could pass with unimpeachable authority in these circumstances. But the punchline is that this particular white man — an unsmiling superhuman, vaguely robotic in his motions — looks like the opposite of an average white guy. He is the most conspicuous looking man possible. He has a barcode on the back of his head. He is the figure of white authority come back to haunt the people who would turn his kind of power loose on the world.

Part of the hitman’s overwhelming sense of capability is expressed through confidence. Everything he does is unshakeably assured. He barely even flinches when being shot. But it helps that the world he moves through has something in common with his manner. For all that the game sells itself on globe-trotting appeal, all the places we visit function in the same way. The world simply dresses itself up in a different outfit according to its needs.

There is nothing ever really very otherworldly about these places. They are hotel worlds. They feel like different zones in a monocultural theme park. You begin as a tourist and end up running the place. None of this should be read as a criticism of the game — the environments are beautifully detailed in spite of this, and no doubt the scope of its development wouldn’t have permitted much more in the way of differentiation. And if it seems familiar, perhaps that’s only because it is increasingly difficult to find anything but hotel worlds as a traveller.

While the visuals are frequently spectacular, spending any amount of time in these worlds reveals them to be as much like giant clockwork machinations. They work in ways much like any other video game. And when provoked, the world responds in a way familiar from games in the past — there are just more moving parts at work, more shades of grey in between keeping the situation under control and everything going to shit.

It is a long way from being real. And yet it is satisfying to think of the world in this way. I see the world in terms of patterns and rituals. When I was young I would sometimes look at an office building at night and wonder what happened up there in all those rooms once everyone had gone home. Dreaming of invisibility wasn’t enough; I wanted to belong, not to disappear. I wanted any possibility of being singled out to be quietly eliminated. Getting through any door seemed like a simple, logical question of pattern recognition. If I didn’t fit a certain type, they wouldn’t let me through the door.

When there’s a person nearby who will see through the hitman’s disguise, a little white dot appears over their heads. If he stays in their line of sight for too long, they’ll get suspicious; they might even call a guard, or pursue him themselves. The thing to do in the game is avoid them, since knocking them out frequently brings its own problems. But you can’t really do either of those things in the real world to people you think are about to see through you. You have to face them, whether or not you think they’re going to chase you down and kill you.

In the game, at least everything works in a predictable way. This is part of the appeal of a game like this: I know that if I throw an object into that corner, it’ll take precisely so many seconds for the white dot guy to go and check it out; he will stand there for a moment or two, facing the wall and mumbling to himself, before returning to his post. And he will do this as many times as is necessary for me to slip past him. The wider world can’t be broken down into those elegant compressions of time.

Looking into Hitman is like examining an intricate mechanical diorama, one whose detail would be impossible to recreate in any other medium. For all its verisimilitude it is never really realistic: but that isn’t the intent. That gardener in Bangkok will always be crouched alongside the hotel veranda, trying to fix the tuk tuk; the chef in Sapienza will forever be stirring his sauce; the supermodels are condemned to tread the catwalk in Paris for eternity. It is a superbly elegant facade.

But a diorama can be a way of thinking about the world. Here it is a way of saying: yes, the world might seem like it is running on fixed rails inexorably towards its end; and it might seem like everything that matters is driven by strange engines known only to themselves, and is entirely out of the control of any individual; but you, the person who thinks they are passing, have the power to make choices. And in the end, perhaps there is no meaningful difference between passing for a person and being that person.

#gaming #hitman

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livinasimminlife · 8 years ago

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Prologue: Meet the Bagleys (Part 2 - MLWC)

In an effort to clean up my blogs, I am moving all MLWC still on my blogs to my Simblr. If you are unfamiliar with this series, you can start HERE to learn more.

*Please excuse the headline effects. This was my very first Sims story, and I didn’t know much about using cheats to turn off the overhead bubbles or plumbob. This story is a spin-off series that follows the life of the Bagley family, particularly the youngest son, Sam Sherman Bagley, Jr. Sam is Gage Briody’s cousin fromThe Krazy Crazy Life of Kassiopeia Fullbright.

Because of my “family relations,” I have always been kind of a loner. It’s not that I don’t like people, but people don’t always understand my family. I’ve always found the world to be a harsh panel of judges. To avoid the critics, you might as well be an isolationist. Pessimistic, you say? Maybe, but I prefer the term realist.

I don’t have many friends, and the one good friend I ever had was Carlotta Lobos₁. Carlotta used to help me with my homework despite being one grade behind me in school. She didn’t seem to care about Rhoda’s merciless teasing of us. Carlotta also seemed to ignore my nefarious family tree. In high school, she was the closest thing I got to a girlfriend.

When Carlotta was nine years old, she and her twin sister, Anita were in a car accident₂. Anita walked away with minor scrapes and bruises, but Carlotta had a permanent scar on her forehead and chin, and she walked with a limp after her fractured ankles didn’t heal properly. Personally I didn’t mind. In fact, I always thought the star-shaped scar above her lip was kinda sexy. Carlotta and I grew close during my senior year, spending week nights studying together and weekends at the movies. I know, cliché, but what else are teenagers to do?

Last summer was probably one of the worst nights of my life. I wanted to ask her to marry me. Yeah, what was I thinking? I don’t know. She was the only girl who had given me the time of day. I was willing to wait for a long engagement, for her to turn eighteen, for me to get a job and find us a house. But something deep down inside was afraid… afraid I’d lose the only friend who ever meant something to me. I met her at our favorite park bench outside the movies. We planned to see Casimblanca₃, her favorite movie, which was showing again for the millionth time. I was gulping back my fears and squeezed out a tentative “Carlotta?”

That’s when she broke the news that she was going to Al Simhara. She had been granted early acceptance to a university there to study anthropology. She was going to pursue becoming an archeologist. I was crushed. She was getting to live her dream and I was stuck in Riverview.

Of course, I told her I was happy for her. She promised to write. I got several letters from her in the past year, each one telling of more exciting adventures. I never wrote or called Carlotta back. I just couldn’t risk spilling my guts over the phone about my puppy dog love for her… or allow the green-eyed monster to come out and ruin our friendship… whatever was left of it. But enough about Carlotta.

When I was thirteen, I moved out to the barn₅ and I don’t regret my decision. It also gives the women their space over in the main house. The barn’s as good a place as any to get some peace and quiet… away from the bickering of my mother and sister. Dad once used the space above the barn as a workshop. I think this is where he painted a lot of his forgeries. No mind. Ma sold all his paintings after he died to pay for funeral and burial expenses.

I took a job as a latrine cleaner over on the military base, and within a year, I’ve been promoted to mess hall server. What a promotion right? At least it’s an honest living. I bought myself a bike so I could get to work. I keep it on the bike rake behind the barn. I always worried Rhoda would steal it and sell it if she got mad enough at me, but no matter how many times she’s threatened to do so, she never has.

Ma sleeps on the main floor. Our plumbing could use some upgrading in addition to our kitchen and bathroom. I’d like to try my hand at fixing some of the problems myself. However, we do have a juice bar and a fireplace. Home sweet home, I guess.

Lately, Ma and Rhoda have taken to storing their stuff in the barn – the lifted stereos, expensive lamps, televisions, gaming sets, a guitar, and even exercise equipment. I don’t know what they plan to do with it. Dad’s Margaret Vaugester still sits unused. I’m not sure what Ma’s going to do with it.

My old bedroom was on the second floor of the house. It has turned into a ‘storage room’ of sorts for Ma and Rhoda’s ‘goodies.’ I still have to come over to the main house for the bathroom. Rhoda has on many occasions locked me out of the ‘storage room’ to keep me from getting to the bathroom. Of course, her room is completely off limits also. It’s actually an embarrassing story that prompted my move to the barn.

When I was thirteen, I sneaked into Rhoda’s room so I could have a better view of the river. It was a snowy day so I couldn’t see much.

Rhoda slapped me so hard and scared me so badly, I peed my pants. She told me if I ever came into her room again, she’d kill me.

I was so humiliated, angry, offended, and terrified, I ran away and never tried to enter her room again. I vowed I would never ever let myself feel that way again.

My loft above the barn is simple, but cozy. It works for me. The bookshelf, desk, and dresser I inherited from my father who says he inherited it from his dad. I’m not sure I believe him because there’s a carving underneath the desk that reads “To Marigold, love Max.(5)” I don’t think there are any relatives in my family named Marigold and Max. But I chose to believe my dad, mostly because I just don’t want to think badly of him.

The nightstands I fished out of a dumpster. I used my hard-earned grocery store money to buy the brass bed at an estate sale along with the matching lamps. The chair I bought at a yard sale as it was missing its set – which I later discovered was because Rhoda stole the other chairs in the set. I won the telescope at my junior year science fair. The globe was a graduation present from Carlotta to never stop dreaming. I wanted to pitch it but I didn’t. I guess it helps me feel closer to her. Most of the books I’ve collected over my lifetime. My books are priceless treasures to me.

My view from the barn isn’t terrible. Those green hills still beckon to me. Maybe someday I’ll travel over them into Simnadia₄ or west to Hidden Springs or even farther west to Moonlight Falls. For now, I live in Riverview, Illinoisim at 680 Old Farm Road. My name is Sam Bagley, Jr. This is my story.

—

Story Extras:

Carlotta Lobos is an actual Sim character in The Sims 3 Riverview. In the game, she is a young girl. In my SimWorld, I aged her up for the purposes of providing a pseudo-love interest for Sam.

When I went to age-up Carlotta in game, she was badly morphed. She had scarring on her face and ankles. Thus this provided the perfect lead-in to her accident story. Unfortunately, I couldn’t get any screenshots of warped Carlotta.

Casimblanca (Casablanca) seemed like a logical choice and also fit the image of the movie poster behind Sam and Carlotta.

Simandia is my SimWorld version of Canada.

Yes, folks, Marigold and Max are the very same Marigold and Max Racket (featured in my Colt Family Traitacy). Interesting right...

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theheavymetalmama · 8 years ago

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Justice League Dark Review (for real this time)

So the DCEU at this point in time is a shitshow-shut up, yes it is-and is well on its’ way to becoming a franchise worse than the Bayformers movies. Still, DC shines in animation, and their great cartoons and animated movies help to serve as consolation prizes for those of us who feel shafted seeing a character who’s supposed to embody all things given hardly any speaking lines or screen time and spending the majority of what little presence he has looking mopey and dopey. When it comes to animation, DC is untouchable.

Or at least they were!

Sadly it would appear that whatever virus has infected the DCEU has now spread to their animation department. In 2013, Warner and DC completely overhauled their animation studio and produced a movie based on the Flashpoint comics that led to the creation of the New 52. Since then, the animated movies they’ve produced with a few exceptions have shared continuity and take place in the New 52 universe…a universe that’s now defunct thanks the Rebirth, but for whatever reason they’re still making movies based in that continuity. Seriously, at the rate they’re going DC will see another reboot before we see a Rebirth movie.

But I’m getting sidetracked. Kicking off the post-Flashpoint movies was Justice League War, and boy howdy did it SUCK. It was way too fast paced, Wonder Woman was an idiot, Superman was a condescending jerk, Green Lantern was a jackass, Cyborg was boring, Batman was an asshole no-it-all, and Shazam…was the only decent character, but it was nowhere near enough to make up for the rest of the movie. The only good part of the whole movie (besides Shazam) is when Batman and Superman meet and, of course, they fight. The fight itself is basically a big giant middle-finger toward the fight in The Dark Knight Returns and the whole “Batman beats everyone always BECAUSE HE’S BATMAN” thing in general.

After JL War, things didn’t get any prettier. Son of Batman was as obnoxious as the title character, Throne of Atlantis was a snooze fest, Batman vs Robin was stupid, Batman Bad Blood had a good movie in it that was strangled to death by Dick and Damien’s dick measuring contest, and Justice League vs Teen Titans was good when it actually focused on the Titans themselves but the vast majority of the movie didn’t and opted to put Batman and Damien (see a pattern here?) in the spotlight. Never mind the fact that the comic book the movie is based on had almost nothing to do with Batman and Damien Wayne didn’t even fucking exist at the time, but you know, god forbid DC make anything these days that doesn’t heavily involve Batman in some way.

That’s not to say that everything they did was bad. Assault on Arkham was good, and a better Suicide Squad movie than Suicide Squad. The other was Justice League: Gods and Monsters, an AU where Wonder Woman is from space, Batman’s a vampire because science, and Superman is the son of General Zod and his capsule lands somewhere on the US/Mexico border instead of Kansas. I won’t rule out that a big reason these were good was because they had nothing to do with the New 52 lineup, though that certainly didn’t help The Killing Joke. Yeah, the less said about that movie, the better.

And that brings us to their most recent animated entry, Justice League Dark.

Justice League Dark…is the worst movie DC has produced so far. Yes, you heard me right. Worse than Justice League War, worse than Son of Batman, and worse than Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice. Yes, you read that right. I don’t know how they did it, but they somehow managed to produce a movie that’s worse than the movie where Superman is morose and utterly devoid of joy, Batman is a murderous hypocritical asshole, both characters having the same name was treated like some big god damn revelation, and where Superman dies in the most wasteful display this side of Venom being sidelined in Spider-Man 3.

So…what’s wrong with this movie? Yeah, what’s RIGHT with this movie is the shorter answer! I usually watch a movie at least twice before reviewing it, but this is such a disjointed mess that I had to watch it FOUR TIMES to make sure I didn’t miss anything, and despite being just over an hour long it feels like a fucking eternity. In any case, the plot of The Misadventures of Batman and John Constantine ft. Batman goes a little something like this…

Strange deaths and murders are occurring all over the globe. The pattern is erratic but the cases are all the same. Some people start hallucinating and seeing their fellow humans as monsters and demons and either run away or try to kill them. Wonder Woman stops a crazed driver after said driver ran down a bunch of innocents, Superman stops a drunk from killing his own wife and kids and then finds over a dozen mangled bodies in the backyard shed in which he opens the door by blasting it to splinters with his heat vision instead of just pulling it off its’ hinges or something, and Batman saves a baby that the crazed mother dropped off a building only for said mother to take the plunge herself.

Grim, but it’s not a bad start…but it’s all downhill from there.

The Justice League discuss these strange murders and deduce that it’s the work of magic…in which Batman gives a snarky response about how that’s crazy and tells the other Leaguers that they’re crazy and they need to spend more time on the streets and less time above them.

Ugh. Have I ever mentioned that this particular incarnation of Batman just sucks and sucks hard? For starters, he’s a know-it-all asshole who treats everyone like they’re idiots, especially his teammates. On top of that, he’s a god damned hypocrite. Here’s a guy who’s been possessed and seen the supernatural with his own eyes, and here he is talking down to his own teammates and dismissing the whole thing as childish nonsense. Seriously, Severus Snape was less of a patronizing dickhead than this version of Batman. Oh, and what does he do afterwards? He visits Zatana, a magic user, to help him look into the murders, but only after he finds some magic graffiti left by the ghost, Deadman. Oh yeah, SUCH a ridiculous notion, right?

Anyway, after meeting up with Zatana and Deadman, the three travel to meet up with John Constantine at the House of Mysteries. Constantine, meanwhile, is playing poker with Jason Blood and three Doom rejects and that goes about as well as you would expect. And speaking of which, John Constantine plays an integral role in this movie….and as the Brits would say, he’s a tory little cunt. This fucking guy could very well be the most unlikabe and insufferably smug asshat in DC’s animated lineup to date. A pretty dubious title at that, considering he exists in the same universe as Batdick, Superjerk, and the biggest bitchiest boneheaded brat this side of Veruca Salt that is Damien Wayne. Like Batman, Constantine treats everyone around him like idiots and goes on and on about how the Justice League won’t be any help in this endeavor because…….magic (more on that later,) and all the while berates and belittles anyone who dares suggest that he should maybe treat his teammates like human fucking beings.

Moving on, after a brief dick-measuring contest the four then set off to meet with someone who might have an idea of what’s going on. That someone is Richie, an old friend of John and Zatana who happens to be dying of some weird magic cancer. They have a bit of a scuffle and get some magic doohickey they need, and we find out the reason Richie has said magic cancer was because of something Constantine did…in which Constantine doesn’t even attempt to make things right between them. Now that’s shady on its’ own, but later it gets even worse, rendering Constantine not just unlikable but irredeemable. So they get the magic thing they needed and Richie shows them the door, in which the four of them head to the hospital so Constantine and Zatana can mind-dip into one of the killers from before. And while Z and C have their little lover’s quarrel (because Odin fucking forbid we don’t have some stupid romantic subplot) Batman and Deadman stand guard and then……this happens.

…no, seriously. Yeah, the monster looks different and doesn’t say anything, but it’s still the fucking shit demon from Dogma. It even comes out of the toilet and wreaks havoc on the hospital. And unlike in Dogma where it’s treated as a joke, it’s played totally straight faced and serious as if Jason Voorhees on Injustice Steroids had showed up. This just….baffles me. I mean, seriously? THAT was the best the writers could come up with? I guess it would make sense if they were in a dingy subway station or a sewage treatment facility or something like that…but they were in a hospital! Hospitals have been a staple in horror tropes for over a century! Of all the fucking things that could have attacked them; medical poltergeists, possessed doctors, demon nurses, hostile spirits who died there, the fucking cadavers in the meat locker coming to life, all SORTS of cool things that would make an awesome Batman fight………and they go with a monster comprised of human crap. There’s a metaphor somewhere in there for DC’s movies as of late, but I’m too grossed out to find it.

So they defeat the shit demon and head back to Richie’s place to find the place sacked and Jason Blood standing over his unconscious form. They have a scuffle, they sort things out, and Richie reveals that it was Felix Faust that attacked him. Who the hell is Felix Faust? I don’t know and this movie doesn’t really bother to explain. He’s a bad guy and they need to find him, so they go and find Swamp Thing because he knows where Faust is and he takes them there. Also, why does Constantine seek Swamp Thing’s help? Don’t get me wrong, Swamp Thing’s awesome, but he was created in a lab accident. He has about as much to do with magic as James Bond. But whatever, he takes them to Faust’s hideout and Jason Blood summons Etrigan to kick the fight off. Zatana readies a spell but finds herself without a voice, in which Faust reveals that he cast a spell on his home that allows no woman to speak while inside.

…yeah. No woman can speak in his home. Not just Zatana, but all women. Why? Did he get stood up for a date and is still hung up about it? And speaking of weird hang ups about women, Black Orchid is in this movie. She serves no purpose other than to be naked because reasons, fight and fail miserably against the big bad’s puppet, burns herself alive because of some magic loophole bullshit, and makes goo-goo eyes at Deadman. See, skimpy and impractical costumes don’t help, but shit like this is why people who write and read comic books are often dismissed as sexist anti-social weirdos. But that’s another topic, back to this shitty movie! Long story short, they find out that Faust had nothing to do with the attacks and that the real bad guy is an ancient sorcerer called….ugh….Destiny, who struck a pact with Richie and that it was him pulling the strings all along.

And that brings us to the biggest reason why Constantine can go piss up a rope. See, Richie struck a deal with Destiny in order to gain immortality. Why? Because he’s dying. He’s dying because he has magic cancer, he has magic cancer because of Constantine, he hates Constantine because when he got magic cancer Constantine did…nothing. Didn’t try to cure him, didn’t try to make amends, didn’t even say he was sorry. Basically what I’m saying is that this whole fucking debacle is because Constantine was a dick to his friend. Why are we rooting for this guy again? He’s an asshole! I don’t want to see him save the day, I want to see Etrigan cave his fucking head in!

So Destiny, of course, tricked Richie so he could return to the world and destroy it because…bad guy. Batman calls the Justice League and we get to where the movie just completely falls apart. Look, I could spend all day listing and analyzing this movie’s many plotholes, but this is the one that takes the narrative and breaks it over its’ knee. Constantine goes on and on about how the capes are useless against dark magic…but for whatever reason Batman and Swamp Thing are completely immune to the thing that makes everyone see demons and go completely blood hungry. Why? We don’t know! They never explain it! Did that spell Constantine cast that let Batman see and hear Deadman make him immune to the murder spell? If so then why doesn’t Constantine cast it on the rest of the Leaguers?

Oh, it gets worse. Green Lantern, the John Stewart version, shows up with the rest of the League and almost immediately goes nuts and attacks Batman. Of course, Batman ninjas the ring off Lantern and then subdues him while powerless. How does he do that? Does he tie him up? Knock him out? Tranquilize him? No, he fucking stun guns him. Yeah. The only semi-prominent black guy in the whole damn movie, and he gets taken out via stun gun. DC, you do know there’s a bit of an ongoing problem with excessive police force against minorities, right? I doubt this was your intention, but you must at least have an inkling of an idea that it looks somewhat shady when you have Batman taze the only black guy in the movie. Did anybody proof-read this fucking thing before giving it the green light!?

So the magic guys plus Batman and Swamp Thing fight Destiny, and…Swamp Thing dies. Yeah, he’s on the damn cover yet barely in the movie and goes out like a complete bitch. Jason Blood and Etrigan get separated, and then Destiny is promptly killed via magical sucker punch just before Jason croaks as well, and then the movie ends with Constantine and Zatana having a beer and some implied ghost sex between Deadman and a revived Black Orchid. Oh, and Richie? He gets dragged to Hell and, once again, Constantine does fuck all to help the guy despite the whole shitstorm being his fault and fuck this movie right in its’ ass!

So, yeah. Can you see why this movie sucks?

To be fair, there is a good movie in Justice League Dark waiting to break out, but it’s bogged down by bad writing, obnoxious characters, and needless Bat-fan service. Seriously, Batman has no reason whatsoever to be in this movie other than he’s DC’s biggest seller at the moment and his presence would mean more copies sold. All movies have problems, but those can be overlooked and forgiven if the movie itself is good…which Justice League Dark isn’t. How could it be made good? For starters, make Constantine less of an unlikable assclown. Not that I expect him to crack jokes and grin all the time, but treating his team mates like actual human fucking beings would be a good place to start. Second, proof-read the fucking thing. Third, don’t put Batman on the forefront. Seriously, every other movie in the DCAU as of late focused or heavily involved him in some form since Flashpoint and his overexposure is pretty damn annoying.

Now I know what you’re thinking. The members of Justice League Dark are hardly big names and they need a draw to sell copies. I get that. So who would I put in the team?

For many reasons, but here are some big ones. For starters, there have been ten, count ‘em, TEN animated movies from DC lately, and the only one where Superman had anything resembling a lead role was in Gods and Monsters…the alternate universe with no connection to the ongoing New 52 movies that for some ungodly reason DC is still making. In any case, his character has barely been defined in this particular continuity. I speak no hyperbole when I say that the most we’ve got of his character in these movies is that he has the hots for Wonder Woman and he’s pretty much the only one who doesn’t want to rip Damien Wayne’s head off. That’s it. Not only would this give him a chance to shine, but also see him juxtaposed to world-weary cynics such as Jason Blood and John Constantine.

Two, magic is one of the few things that can genuinely harm Superman, so this would be a case where he can’t just speed-blitz or punch his way out of the situation. Also, it would be way more interesting seeing Superman in the fight against Felix Faust and Destiny than it was to see Batman hide behind stuff, run from monsters, and occasionally throw a batarang or shoot his grappling hook at shit. Seriously, that’s about the extent of Batman’s action scenes in this thing.

And third…let’s not beat around the bush. DC can’t make movies based on the now defunct New 52 universe forever. Sooner or later they’ll make a movie based on Convergence, the event that leads into ‘DC Rebirth.’ Spoilers; it doesn’t end well for New 52 Supes, as he loses his power, dies in a fight, and is immediately replaced with the Pre-52 Superman who, along with Pre-52 Lois Lane, survived the Flashpoint event…somehow…and was living among the New 52 world in secret with their son, Jon. The New 52 Superman was polarizing to say the least, but he had his fans so his death wasn’t entirely pointless. His animated counterpart? We’ve seen more of fucking Alfred than we’ve seen of Superman. That’s not a good thing. I mean, we all remember what happened last time DC killed off Superman before audiences had a chance to care about him, right?

Maybe we’ll get that movie somewhere down the line, but it sure as shit isn’t this one. Fuck this movie and everyone who made it, don’t waste your money.

#DC #DCAU #Justice League #Justice League Dark #Batman #Superman

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cjgw312 · 8 years ago

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Random Musings

Yeah, yeah, I watched Allegiant again. Theo is hot, so sue me. And once again, I got an idea for a new scene in my post movie potential story.

“Tobias, please, come in.” Phillip said as he opened the door. He gestured to the couch and chairs in the room behind him. “Have a seat.”

Tobias cautiously made his way into the room, dropping on the couch. Phillip sat in a chair opposite him, a table between them.

“Tea?” Phillip asked, pouring the dark liquid into cups without waiting for approval. He looked up, noted the suspicious look on Tobias’ face and chuckled. “It’s just tea, I swear.” He sat back, sipping the cup as if to prove it.

Tobias reached out for the other cup and sipped. As much as he hated to admit it, he had grown fond of the intensely dark blend of tea commonly served in Providence. It was much more intense than the light green version they had in Chicago. “What do you want, Phillip?” He asked bluntly.

Phillip approved of the young man’s blunt approach. There was much to admire in him, despite his genetic damage. “I want to know why we should help you break from the Bureau?”

“Why are you asking me? Why isn’t Tris here?”

Emptying his cup, Phillip set it back on the table. “Honestly?”

Tobias shrugged. “Sure, why the hell not?” he asked sarcastically.

Phillip’s lips quirked in a small smile. “I can’t be sure about Tris. She had a strong connection to David when she was here last.”

Tobias set the cup down on the table with a bit of force. “Tris isn’t loyal to David. Her loyalties lie with Chicago,” he said tightly. He’d forgiven Tris for her lack of judgment where David was concerned but for Tobias, it was still a slightly sore subject. He’d never be able to fully forget that at one point, he hadn’t been enough for Tris.

Phillip shook his head. “I have no doubt that she wants to help Chicago but if push came to shove, would she support the Council if we decide David should be killed?”

Tobias shifted a little in his seat. “Is that a possibility?” he asked, sidestepping the question.

The older man shrugged. “Perhaps. David has strong allies on the Council,” he admitted, “but we take his attempts to wipe everyone’s memory seriously. Reestablishing the experiment would be a great expense and there are those among us who would prefer to spend our money on discovering if there are other pockets of humanity that have survived across the globe.”

The logic made sense, Tobias admitted. “David had been lying to you about the experiment so you have to know that any so-called science he’s provided is suspect. As you’ve said, you’re wasting your money; money that could be better spent by creating an alliance with us, exploring the rest of the planet. We can be made self-sustaining very easily. We’ve made alliances with other Fringe camps which could help reestablish new cities, new bases from which you can launch those exploration teams. We have experience with being on our own so we could act as liaison to Fringe settlements wanting to join in. An expedition of that nature will require people, which we can provide.” Tobias sat back, warming to his argument. “And supporting us has another benefit. I’ve spoken with some of our scientists at Erudite. They are giving fresh eyes to the research to determine if there ever was any viability in the experiment.” Tobias stared at the older man. “I think you also know that the division of genetically pure and genetically damaged is unsustainable if you really want to expand Providence’s reach.”

Phillip smiled. Yes, he’d chosen well in deciding to speak to Tobias. The young man was astute. “I admit, there is some truth to the need for cannon fodder.” He laughed as Tobias bristled. “You know that any future exploration into the depths of the wasteland would include an aspect of risk. Why should we do it? The way I see it, you GD have nothing to lose.”

Tamping down on his temper, Tobias took a deep breath. The arrogance of these people was unbelievable but Chicago was not able to fend off David alone. If he had to swallow his pride to provide resources for his city, he’d do it. At least at first. “At least you’re honest.”

“There’s no point in prevaricating,” Phillip shrugged. His eyes turned sly. “So, you are willing to help us set up new settlements, to provide bodies for our exploration teams?”

“I’m willing to take that back to my people in Chicago and I’m willing to talk to other settlement leaders. But only after you provide us with the support we need.” Tobias’ voice was firm. He had no more reason to trust Phillip than he had David. He’d never ascribed to the enemy of my enemy philosophy.

Phillip stared at him quietly for a moment. “All right. You work on Chicago and the Fringe leaders you know, I’ll secure an agreement from the Council. But be aware,” he warned, “you’ll need to sweeten the pot for them with something. There are powerful interests on the Council who have a vested interest in the experiment. You’ll have to prove to them that their money has not all been a waste.”

Tobias gave one sharp nod and stood. “Do I have your word?”

Standing, Phillip held out his hand. “I’m sure you’re smart enough to have recorded this conversation so you have enough to blackmail me, don’t you?” His eyes twinkled at Tobias’ stoic expression.

Taking Phillip’s hand, Tobias gave it a firm shake. “How did you know?”

Phillip laughed as he came around the table and clapped Tobias on the shoulder. “Because it’s what I would have done.”

#fanfic

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lightshade393 · 5 years ago

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Now we come to the Best Director category. Like quite a few categories that year, the Academy still seemed to be finding their feet. They divided up Best Director into two categories, one for Best Dramatic Picture and one for Best Comedy Picture, not unlike how the Golden Globes eventually ended up dividing some of their categories. I’m sure they soon realized that some years this wouldn’t have ended up feasible, for while there’s always a ton of great dramatic films each year, it’s much harder to find good comedies. It’s much harder to make someone laugh then make someone cry. I will stand by this no matter what anyone says.

The first picture nominated in the category was Sorrell and Son, directed by Herbert Brenon. Maddeningly, as much as I scoured the internet, I was unable to find a copy of it anywhere, though the Academy Film Archive is said to have a partially restored print. Someone tell them to get that out on a DVD and for download toot-sweet!

So that takes us to the other picture nominated that year: The Crowd. As finding a copy of this film on the net is an exercise in maddeningly ever getting closer to the edge of the abyss while you tear your hair out, I’ve included a link for it above. Now, I am all for paying money to watch films in a legal format and supporting good films that way, but that’s only if they’re actually available. But TCM, who runs this movie occasionally, has not done so, so I was forced to watch the pirated version. I feel no shame in telling you to do the same.

The Crowd is an All-American tale of a young man named John who moves to the big city with the intent of making it big. He wants to be a somebody that people will remember as his late father always wanted him to be. Rather hard in New York City, where there’s millions of people right along side you who want the same thing. Now, The Crowd managed to make this picture feel larger-then-life by filming right on the streets of NYC, sometimes covertly for crowd scenes. You get a sense of just how massive the place is as people stream about going from place to place. The camera has large, sweeping shots all over the place, as well as a lot of tracking shots, a style which would be lost for quite some time due to the limitations that sound pictures would soon present.

Now, just to get the elephant out of the room right away, there are a few moments in the picture where black actors are portrayed in the title cards to have the “black minstrel accent”, examples like ‘Did I hear you-all speakin’ ’bout havin’ yo’ bed made up?’ and ‘I detend to be a preacher man! Hallelujah!’ There’s also a moment you might cringe as the token black boy in John’s childhood town is nicknamed Whitey. So if you’re a bit sensitive to these things, which are somewhat common in this silent era, turn it off or fast-forward a bit. Remember, not everything in the past conforms to today’s standards. To be fair, in a nice bit of solidarity, Whitey is shown to be playing with the white children of the neighborhood without being ostracized or shown to be anymore comical then any of the other little boys, a scene that would begin to be lost as films progressed. Alright, with that out of the way, time to move onto the rest of the picture.

As usually happens in these kinds of pictures, he finds a nice girl named Mary, and they soon marry, with his best friend cynically saying it’ll last maybe a year. Despite her disapproving brothers and mother, and a few small squabbles, the two weather the storm together, and soon Mary is pregnant. They have a boy and then soon a little girl some time later. The picture skips ahead five years and everything is going along alright.

The family is at the beach on a picnic and their characters are laid out nicely for us: Mary is trying her best to make the picnic nice while John sits there lackadaisically playing a ukulele instead of contributing any help at all. When Mary asks him why he hasn’t gotten anywhere in his company, he protests it takes time. But based on what we’ve seen thus far between young John blowing off his studies to go on a date with Mary, then blowing off spending time with Mary’s family to get drunk with Bert, and this idea of letting his wife do all the work while he futzes around, it comes off more like he’s just lazy. She points out his best friend Bert has gotten somewhere and again he protests that rubbing elbows with the big bosses will get you anywhere. Well…yeah, and what’s wrong with that? A little hard work plus kissing up to the bosses never hurt anyone in my opinion.

But things seem to be turning around for the family as John, who keeps sending in slogan after slogan to contests that will select them as the new one for their brand finally wins a bit of money in the form of $500. ( That’s $7,345.99 in today’s money, people!) They happily pay off debts, buy a new dress for Mary, and buy new toys for their children. They excitedly tell them to come inside and that’s when tragedy strikes. In a masterful series of shots that hype up the tension by never showing us the actual moment of impact, their little girl is struck and badly injured by a truck.

The scene fades to a sad one as the little girl starts to slip away. Small wonder that John seems to lose it a little bit, hyperfixating on the idea that if it’s just quiet enough, she’ll get well. He goes all the way to running into the crowded streets of the city, battling against the crowd and futilely trying to get them and the fire trucks to be quiet. There’s a wonderful parallel here as the crowd which was once a source of inspiration and happiness has now turned cold and unfeeling, with a policeman flat-out telling him that the world isn’t going to stop just because his baby is sick.

The little girl dies, and in a scene full of pathos that never goes over the top, we see Mary and John in the throes of grief, both trying to be comforted by their family and failing. What happens next is best summed up by the title card: “The crowd laughs with you always… but it will cry with you for only a day.” John can’t focus on his work anymore and quits his job. This proves to be a dumb mistake as he then spends his time getting jobs and losing them just as quickly. This would be eerily prescient for the Americans watching this film, soon to be plunged into the Great Depression. By the time the story picks back up, they’ve moved to a small, dingy house, Mary is forced to take in sewing to make ends meet in addition to all her other work, and their poor firstborn son Junior is completely neglected.

Mary’s brothers sum it up nicely when they bitingly ask John if he plans to go on a vacation from life for the rest of his life. At this point, I started to lose my sympathies for John a bit. He just sits around in a daze, which is understandable, but in the meantime, his wife is holding the family together by taking on the lion’s share of the work. To contrast, while he’s throwing a fit and impulsively quitting his job, she’s busy making a feast for the company picnic while still in the throes of her own grief. As I’m sure all of you well know who have lost any beloved family member, life doesn’t stop just to let you spend your days grieving. Eventually, you have to get back out there and try.

Then comes the part in the picture where I wanted to smack him. Mary’s brothers say they’ll give him a job, but he refuses, saying it’s a “charity job.” This comes from a 2019 perspective, and I’m sure things were different ninety-one years ago, but this seems to me to stink with a bit of toxic masculinity. So it’s “charity” to take a job from relatives because of your stinking pride but sitting on your ass day after day moping is what…heroically supporting your family? Men have their pride, but they also have families that need to eat. Mary rightfully calls him out on this stupid line of thinking and slaps him, saying she almost wishes he were dead.

Junior follows his father as he walks around town depressed. He considers killing himself by jumping off a bridge but then reconsiders. After all, what’s the point? The shots here of the train and bridge are beautifully done. Junior, the poor little neglected son, finally breaks through to his father by telling him he believes in him. This finally snaps John back into action. He looks all over town for a job, eventually finding one as a clown wearing a sandwich board who juggles. It’s a contrast to the start of the picture when he made fun of just such a man with the same job when they were on a date.

But it appears to be too late, as when he returns, Mary seems set on departing with her brothers and taking Junior with her, even after he reveals he’s gotten a job. It’s a very tender scene, and at the end of it, Mary can’t do it. She stays with her husband and her brothers exasperatedly toss her luggage onto the porch when it becomes clear she’s not coming. The picture ends with the family attending a vaudeville show and seeing John’s winning slogan from earlier in the program. The shot fades out into a masterfully done tracking shot, pulling back from the little family we’ve followed until once again, they are lost in the crowd of people that make up the audience.

Now with such a good picture done about ordinary people, it is a bit of a headscratcher as to how it didn’t win a single award that year at the Oscars, though even I will admit the eventual winner was a smidge better. However, it makes a little more sense when you discover Louis B. Mayer, head of MGM, hated the picture and vocally urged his fellow members at the Academy not to vote for it, which honestly might have caused it to lose in both categories that it was nominated in. Small wonder, with the country going into the Depression five months after the awards ceremony, that people didn’t want to see movies with downer endings. Honestly, by today’s standards, it seems pretty optimistic, but back then, it was a bit of a bummer to see the family still struggling.

King Vidor was actually forced to shoot anywhere between reportedly seven to nine alternate different endings so that theaters could choose which one they wanted to show. To quote IMDB, one of the alternate endings was “set in a mansion showing John and Mary by a glittering Christmas tree. John has become a success at writing ad slogans. Mary’s new dialogue title was to read: ‘Honest, Johnny, way down deep in my heart, I never lost faith in you for a minute.'” Overwhelmingly, the theaters still showed the original ending, which says something about how people viewed it despite the negativity the ending might have stirred up.

Best Director, Dramatic Picture 1929: King Vidor for The Crowd and Herbert Brenon for Sorrell and Son Now we come to the Best Director category. Like quite a few categories that year, the Academy still seemed to be finding their feet.

#1929 #Best Director #Sorrell & Son #The Crowd

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back-and-totheleft · 6 years ago

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The political, the personal

You ask Oliver Stone if his films are political and he looks you square in the eye and says, "No sir." He says, "The political Oliver Stone has been the one talking between films. My politics have always been off camera."

Whoa. Didn't "JFK," his incendiary take on the assassination of John Kennedy, all but name Lyndon Johnson and a shadowy cabal within the federal government as the culprits?

"That's a lie that's been spread," Stone snaps. "They say that the movie proposes there were 20 agencies in the government, unified to kill Kennedy, and that Lyndon Johnson was part of it. If you look at the movie, it's clearly not that."

So what is it? "What I said about 'JFK' is that It's a counter-myth to the myth of the Warren Commission," he says. Oh.

That his films become political, he maintains, is neither his intention nor fault. "I don't want my movies to be political or divisive. I really don't," he says with a straight face.

Horsefeathers. "JFK" is political to its core, along with the likes of "Born on the Fourth of July," "Salvador" and "Comandante," his film about Fidel Castro that HBO pulled because of its fawning portrait of the dictator. "Natural Born Killers" wallows in gore stunning even by Stone's standards. (He calls it "cartoon violence" and professes shock and amazement at the thrashing it took.)

So it is with an admixture of surprise, relief, and disappointment we learn that his new movie that opened Wednesday is utterly un-Stone-like. "World Trade Center" is a solid, safe effort stripped of politics, conspiracy, and attendant existential funk.

What it is is a small tale, tightly wrapped, about two Port Authority police officers who are trapped in the rubble of 9/11 before being rescued. True story. No spin. Serious verisimilitude. A well-made Hollywood offering that brings a message of hope and heroism. Oliver Stone?

9/11 is a hanging curve ball of a topic for a gifted propagandist like Stone that, one assumed, would stir his political juices. Wrong. "This movie had no call for politics. It was a 24-hour period in these five people's lives," he says about the police, their wives, and one rescuer. [...]

All of this has made Stone — are you sitting down? — a new darling of the right. His storied leftist bent has infuriated the right for ages. "Stone has delivered one left-wing screed after another specifically intended, I'm convinced, to bring my blood to the boiling point," wrote right-wing bloviator Brent Bozell after seeing "World Trade Center."

He continued, "Let me be unequivocal, Oliver Stone has delivered a masterpiece."

So where, for the record, does Stone put his politics?

"I would describe myself as an independent centrist," he says. "I admire slower change in society. I believe conservatism is a good thing in many ways. Change is a big thing. The '60s shook me. I went from very conservative to exploding war veteran."

Speaking of masterpieces, Stone, now 59, could use one, or at a bare minimum, a hit. He's coming off of "Alexander," a critical and commercial disaster of leviathan proportions. Any number of directors would be on a suicide watch in a locked ward after the experience, but not Stone. Part of his charm is his refusal to quit. He is hard at work confecting a longer version of "Alexander," a capacious three hours and 40 minutes, complete with intermission, for our viewing pleasure.

"It's my Cecil B. DeMille version," he says, gap-toothed grin ascendant. "It's going to be glorious."

Stone is not particularly surprised that Hollywood allowed him back in the ring after the "Alexander" debacle. To the contrary, he utters this arresting statement: "Hollywood is very forgiving."

"Certainly after 'Alexander,' it was cold," he says about Tinseltown's treatment of him. "After 'Nixon' it was cold. After 'Heaven & Earth' — which I put a lot of energy into — it was cold. And after 'The Hand,' the horror film I did after 'Midnight Express,' it was cold.

"So I've been in at least four cold periods in Hollywood. When I say 'forgiving,' I mean if you somehow get it together and make the movie they like, it moves on. The memory is short."

The Stone experience astonished and exhausted [writer Andrea] Berloff. "There was not a word in the script we didn't spend time discussing, over and over again," she says. "He was incredibly demanding. He makes you work to your limit — not just me, everyone around him. His attention to detail is unlike anything I've seen."

Stone antagonists will be crestfallen to learn that he was not a maniac on the set. "Nobody was out of control. It was focused from the top down," recalls Berloff. "It was a quiet set. Very civilized. Oliver's not a yeller."

Nor, she was relieved to learn, a script killer. "I thought he'd just fire me," she says. Instead, he gave her mountains of notes: "We did it together. Ninety-eight percent of the content stayed the same. People who saw my first draft and then the movie said they saw no difference.

"The most interesting thing to me was his embodiment of the project. He lived for months as if he was buried in the rubble." [...]

Oliver Stone has been wrestling with demons since his parents divorced when he was 14. He dropped out of Yale twice: first to teach English in Vietnam and then to fight there.

One thing to remember is that he volunteered for infantry. No one in his right mind volunteered for infantry. "It was a form of suicide to go in and ask for infantry," he says. "I just didn't know if life was worth the candle.

"I was the only child. I had no family. There was no place to go," he says of his parents' divorce. "I basically said, 'Let's let God sort this out. I'm confused, I don't know if I want to stay alive.' "

He did 15 months as a grunt with the 25th Infantry and the 1st Cavalry. Saw a lot of combat. Won a Bronze Star and a Purple Heart. Returned home a very different puppy. Which may account for the personal and professional mayhem — the drugs, the booze, the women, the rage — that infused his subsequent life.

He may have finally calmed down. After two failed marriages, he now lives with his third wife and plays father to three kids. That said, he mounts a robust defense of his past use of psychedelics and does not deny reports that he still adores an hallucinogenic tea called ayahuasca. Reports of a volcanic temper pop up, so you make Ozzie Nelson comparisons about this guy at your peril.

And Vietnam? "My feeling was we all came out of there stained, darkened forever," he says. "It changed me forever. I was never going to be like the other filmmakers.

"It was like, once you've seen that, you've got to say to yourself, 'This is political.' If George Bush had spent two months in the bush in Vietnam, he would never have gone to war so easily. Nor would Rumsfeld or Cheney, and that's what makes the military sometimes the best leaders. They've experienced the pain."

I ask him to compare the truths of three major Vietnam films — "Platoon," Francis Ford Coppola's "Apocalypse Now" and Stanley Kubrick's "Full Metal Jacket."

"I would look at 'Platoon' as a tunneler," he says. "Both other movies were made with a lot of money and they're beautiful. 'Platoon' was made for $6 million. We shot it in 55 days in the Philippines. When I say 'tunneler,' it was a realism movie. 'Full Metal' was a great movie but it's Stanley at his metaphorical self and 'Apocalypse' is Francis at full operatic mode. 'Platoon' was an attempt by me to go underneath and find out what it was like at ground zero. Much like 'World Trade Center.' "

The message of Vietnam, he maintains, resurfaces in "World Trade Center": "At the end of 'Platoon,' if you remember, Charlie Sheen in the voiceover says something to the effect that we the survivors have an obligation to those who didn't make it, to bring with what's left of our lives a goodness and meaning to this life."

-Sam Allis, "Stone's 9/11 film solid, true story," The Boston Globe, August 11 2006 [x]

#oliver stone #platoon #World Trade Center #the vietnam war #ptsd

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sheminecrafts · 6 years ago

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Inside Facebook Stories’ quest for originality amidst 300M users

There’s a secret Facebook app called Blink. Built for employees only, it’s how the company tests new video formats it’s hoping will become the next Boomerang or SuperZoom. They range from artsy Blur effects to a way even old Android phones can use Slo-Mo. One exciting format in development offers audio beat detection that syncs visual embellishments to songs playing in the background or added via the Music feature for adding licensed songs as soundtracks that is coming to Facebook Stories after debuting on Instagram.

“When we first formed the team . . . we brought in film makers and cinematographers to help the broader team understand the tropes around storytelling and film making,” says Dantley Davis, Facebook Stories’ director of design. He knows those tropes himself, having spent seven years at Netflix leading the design of its apps and absorbing creative tricks from countless movies. He wants to democratize those effects once trapped inside expensive desktop editing software. “We’re working on formats to enable people to take the video they have and turn it into something special.”

For all the jabs about Facebook stealing Stories from Snapchat, it’s working hard to differentiate. That’s in part because there’s not much left to copy, and because it’s largely succeeded in conquering the prodigal startup that refused to be acquired. Snapchat’s user count shrank last quarter to 188 million daily users.

Meanwhile, Facebook’s versions continue to grow. The Messenger Day brand was retired a year ago and now Stories posts to either the chat app or Facebook sync to both. After announcing in May that Facebook Stories had 150 million users, with Messenger citing 70 million last September, today the company revealed they have a combined 300 million daily users. The Middle East, Central Latin America and Southeast Asia, where people already use Facebook and Messenger most, are driving that rapid growth.

With the success of any product comes the mandate to monetize it. That push ended up pushing out the founders of Facebook acquisition WhatsApp, and encroachment on product decision-making did the same to Instagram’s founders who this week announced they were resigning.

Now the mandate has reached Facebook Stories, which today opened up to advertisers globally, and also started syndicating those ads into Stories within Messenger. Facebook is even running “Stories School” programs to teach ad execs the visual language of ephemerality since all four of its family of apps will monetize Stories with ads. WhatsApp will start to show ads in its Status version of Stories starting next year now that its founders that hated ads have left.

As sharing to Stories is predicted to surpass feed sharing in 2019, Facebook is counting on the ephemeral slideshows to sustain its ad revenue. Fears they wouldn’t lopped $120 billion off Facebook’s market cap this summer.

Facebook Stories ads open to all advertisers today

But to run ads you need viewers, and that will require responses to questions that have dogged Facebook Stories since its debut in early 2017: “Why do I need Stories here too when I already have Instagram Stories and WhatsApp Status?” Many find it annoying that Stories have infected every one of Facebook’s products.

Facebook user experience research manager Liz Keneski

The answer may be creativity. However, Facebook is taking a scientific approach to determining which creative tools to build. Liz Keneski is a user experience research manager at Facebook. She leads the investigative trips, internal testing and focus groups that shape Facebook’s products. Keneski laid out the different types of research Facebook employs to go from vague idea to polished launch:

Foundational Research – “This is the really future-looking research. It’s not necessarily about any specific products but trying to understand people’s needs.”

Contextual Inquiry – “People are kind enough to invite us into their homes and talk with us about how they use technology.” Sometimes Facebook does “street intercepts” where they find people in public and spend five minutes watching and discussing how they use their phone. It also conducts “diary studies” where people journal about how they spend their time with tech.

Descriptive Research – “When we’re exploring a defined product space,” this lets Facebook get feedback on exactly what users would want a new feature to do.

Participatory Design – “It’s kind of like research arts and crafts. We give people different artifacts and design elements and actually ask them to a deign what an experience that would be ideal for them might look like.”

Product Research – “Seeing how people interact with a specific product, the things they’re like or don’t like, the things they might want to change” lets Facebook figure out how to tweak features it’s built so they’re ready to launch.

Last year Facebook went on a foundational research expedition to India. Devanshi Bhandari, who works on the globalization, discovered that even in emerging markets where Snapchat never got popular, people already knew how to use Stories. “We’ve been kind of surprised to learn . . . Ephemeral sharing wasn’t as new to some people as we expected,” she tells me. It turns out there are regional Stories copycats around the globe.

To make Stories global, Facebook adds Archive and audio posts

As Bhandari dug deeper, she found that people wanted more creative tools, but not at the cost of speed. So Facebook began caching the Stories tray from your last visit so it’d still appear when you open Facebook Lite without having to wait for it to load. This week, Facebook will start offering creative tools like filters inside Facebook Lite Stories by enabling them server-side so users can do more than just upload unedited videos.

That trip to India ended up spawning whole new products. Bhandari noticed some users, especially women, weren’t comfortable showing their face in Stories. “People would sometimes put their thumb over the video camera but share the audio content,” she tells me. That led Facebook to build Audio Stories.

Facebook now lets U.S. users add music to Stories just like Instagram

Dantley Davis, Facebook Stories’ director of design

Back at Facebook headquarters in California, the design team runs exercises to distill their own visions of creative. “We have a phase of our design cycle where we ask the designers . . . to bring in their inspiration,” says Davis. That means everything from apps to movie clips to physical objects. Facebook determined that users needed better ways to express emotion through text. While it offers different fonts, from billboard to typewriter motifs, they couldn’t convey if someone is happy or sad. So now Davis reveals Facebook is building “kinetic text.” Users can select if they want to convey if text is supposed to be funny or happy or sad, and their words will appear stylized with movement to get that concept across.

But to make Stories truly Facebook-y, the team had to build them into all its products while solving problems rather than creating them. For example, birthday wall posts are one of the longest running emerging behaviors on the social network. But most people just post a thin, generic “happy birthday!” or “HBD” post, which can feel impersonal, even dystopic. So after announcing the idea in May, Facebook is now running Birthday Stories that encourage friends to submit a short video clip of well wishes instead of bland text.

Facebook recently launched Group and Event Stories, where members can collaborate by all contributing clips that show up in the Stories tray atop the News Feed. Now Facebook is going to start building its own version of Snapchat’s Our Stories. Facebook is now testing holiday-based collaborative Stories, starting with the Mid-Autumn Festival in Vietnam. Users can opt to post to this themed Story, and friends (but not the public) will see those clips combined.

This is the final step of Facebook’s three-part plan to get people hooked on Stories, according to Facebook’s head of Stories, Rushabh Doshi. The idea is that first, Facebook has to get people a taste of Stories by spotlighting them atop the app as well as amidst the feed. Then it makes it easy for people to post their own Stories by offering simple creative tools. And finally, it wants to “Build Stories for what people expect out of Facebook.” That encompasses all the integrations of Stories across the product.

Rushabh Doshi, Facebook’s head of Stories

Still, the toughest nut to crack won’t be helping users figure out what to share but who to share to. Facebook Stories’ biggest disadvantage is that it’s built around an extremely broad social graph that includes not only friends but family, work colleagues and distant acquaintances. That can apply a chilling effect to sharing as people don’t feel comfortable posting silly, off-the-cuff or vulnerable Stories to such a wide audience.

Facebook has struggled with this problem in News Feed for over a decade. It ended up killing off its Friend List Feeds that let people select a subset of their friends and view a feed of just their posts because so few people were using them. Yet the problem remains rampant, and the invasion of parents and bosses has pushed users to Instagram, Snapchat and other younger apps. Unfortunately for now, Doshi says there are no Friend Lists or specific ways to keep Facebook Stories more private amongst friends. “To help people keep up with smaller groups, we’re focused on ways people are already connecting on Facebook, such as Group Stories and Event Stories” Doshi tells me. At least he says “We’re also looking at new ways people could share their stories with select groups of people.”

At 300 million daily users, Facebook Stories doesn’t deserve the “ghost town” label any more. People who were already accustomed to Stories elsewhere still see the feature as intrusive, interruptive and somewhat desperate. But with 2.2 billion total Facebookers, the company can be forced to focus on one-size-fits-all solutions. Yet if Facebook’s Blink testing app can produce must-use filters and effects, and collaborative Stories can unlock new forms of sharing, Facebook Stories could find its purpose.

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#IFTTT #iraidajzsmmwtv

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technicalsolutions88 · 6 years ago

Link

There’s a secret Facebook app called Blink. Built for employees only, it’s how the company tests out new video formats its hoping will become the next Boomerang or SuperZoom. They range from artsy Blur effects to a way even old Android phones can use Slo-Mo. One exciting format in development offers audio beat detection that syncs visual embellishments to songs playing in the background or added via the Music feature for adding licensed songs as soundtracks that is coming to Facebook Stories after debuting on Instagram.

“When we first formed the team . . . we brought in film makers and cinematographers to help the broader team understand the tropes around storytelling and filmmaking” says Dantley Davis, Facebook Stories’ Director Of Design. He knows those tropes himself, having spent seven years at Netflix leading the design of its apps and absorbing creative tricks from countless movies. He wants to democratize those effects once trapped inside expensive desktop editing software. “We’re working on formats to enable people to take the video they have and turn it into something special.”

Facebook’s versions continue to grow. The Messenger Day brand was retired a year ago and now Stories posts to either the chat app or Facebook sync to both. After announcing in May that Facebook Stories had 150 million users, with Messenger citing 70 million last September, today the company revealed they have a combined 300 million daily users.

Facebook now lets US users add music to Stories just like Instagram

Now the mandate has reached Facebook Stories which today opened up to advertisers globally, and also started syndicating those ads into Stories within Messenger. Facebook is even running “Stories School” programs to teach ad execs the visual language of ephemerality now that all four of its family of apps including Instagram and WhatsApp monetize with Stories ads. As sharing to Stories is predicted to surpass feed sharing in 2019, Facebook is counting on the ephemeral slideshows to sustain its ad revenue. Fears they wouldn’t lopped $120 billion off Facebook’s market cap this summer.

But to run ads you need viewers and that will require responses to questions that have dogged Facebook Stories since its debut in early 2017: Why do I need Stories here too when I already have Instagram Stories and WhatsApp Status.

Facebook user experience research manager Liz Keneski

The answer may be creativity, but Facebook is taking a scientific approach to determining which creative tools to build. Liz Keneski is a user experience research manager at Facebook. She leads the investigative trips, internal testing, and focus groups that shape Facebook’s products. Keneski laid out the different types of research Facebook employs to go from vague idea to po lished launch.

Foundational Research – “This is the really future looking research. It’s not necessarily about any specific products but trying to understand people’s needs.”

Descriptive Research – “When we’re exploring a defined product space”, this lets Facebook get feedback on exactly what users would want a new feature to do.

Last year Facebook went on a foundational research expedition to India. Devanshi Bhandari who works on the globalization. She discovered that even in emerging markets where Snapchat never got popular, people already knew how to use Stories. “We’ve been kind of surprised to learn . . . Ephemeral sharing wasn’t as new to some people as we expected” she tells me. It turns out there are regional Stories copycats around the globe.

As Bhandari dug deeper she found that people wanted more creative tools, but not at the cost of speed. So Facebook began caching the Stories tray from your last visit so it’d still appear when you open Facebook Lite without having to wait for it to load. This week, Facebook will start offering creative tools like filters inside Facebook Lite Stories by enabling them server-side so users can do more than just upload unedited videos.

To make Stories global, Facebook adds Archive and audio posts

That trip to India ended up spawning whole new products. Bhandari noticed some users, especially women, weren’t comfortable showing their face in Stories. “People would sometimes put their thumb over the video camera but share the audio content” she tells me. That led Facebook to build Audio Stories.

Dantley Davis, Facebook Stories’ Director Of Design

Back at Facebook headquarters in California, the design runs exercises to distill their own visions of creative. “We have a phase of our design cycle where we ask the designers . . . to bring in their inspiration” says Davis. That means everything from apps to movie clips to physical objects. Facebook determined that users needed better ways to express emotion through text. While it offers different fonts from billboard to typewriter motifs, they couldn’t convey if someone is happy or sad. So now Davis reveals Facebook is building “kinetic text”. Users can select if they want to convey if text is supposed to be funny or happy or sad, and their words will appear stylized with movement to get that concept across.

But to make Stories truly Facebook-y, the team had to build them into all its products while solving problems rather than creating them. For example, birthday wall posts are one of the longest running emerging behaviors on the social network. But most people just post a thin, generic “happy birthday!” or “HBD” post which can feel impersonal, even dystopic. So after announcing the idea in May, Facebook is now running Birthday Stories that encourage friends to submit a short video clip of well wishes instead of bland text.

This is the final step of Facebook’s three-part plan to get people hooked on Stories, according to Facebook engineering director Rushabh Doshi who leads the product. The idea is that first, Facebook has to get people a taste of Stories by spotlighting them atop the app as well as amidst the feed. Then it makes it easy for people to post their own Stories by offering simple creative tools. And finally, it wants to “Build Stories for what people expect out of Facebook.” That encompasses all the integrations of Stories across the product.

Rushabh Doshi, Facebook’s engineering manager who oversees Stories

Still, the toughest nut to crack won’t be helping users figure out what to share but who to share to. Facebook Stories’ biggest disadvantage is that it’s built around an extremely broad social graph that includes not only friends but family, work colleagues, and distant acquaintances. That can apply a chilling effect to sharing as people don’t feel comfortable posting silly, off-the-cuff, or vulnerable Stories to such a wide audience.

At 300 million daily users, Facebook Stories doesn’t deserve the “ghost town” label any more. People who were already accustomed to Stories elsewhere still see the feature as intrusive, interruptive, and somewhat desperate. But with 2.2 billion total Facebookers, the company can be forced to focus on one-size-fits-all solutions. Yet if Facebook’s Blink testing app can produce must-use filters and effects, and collaborative Stories can unlock new forms of sharing, Facebook Stories could find its purpose.

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thegloober · 6 years ago

Text

Inside Facebook Stories’ quest for originality amidst 300M users

Facebook now lets US users add music to Stories just like Instagram

Facebook user experience research manager Liz Keneski

Foundational Research – “This is the really future looking research. It’s not necessarily about any specific products but trying to understand people’s needs.”

Descriptive Research – “When we’re exploring a defined product space”, this lets Facebook get feedback on exactly what users would want a new feature to do.

That trip to India ended up spawning whole new products. Bhandari noticed some users, especially women, weren’t comfortable showing their face in Stories. “People would sometimes put their thumb over the video camera but share the audio content” she tells me. That led Facebook to build Audio Stories.

Dantley Davis, Facebook Stories’ Director Of Design

But to make Stories truly Facebook-y, the team had to build them into all its products while solving problems rather than creating them. For example, birthday wall posts are one of the longest running emerging behaviors on the social network. But most people just post a thin, generic “happy birthday!” or “HBD” post which can feel impersonal, even dystopic. So after announcing the idea in May, Facebook is now running Birthday Stories that encourage friends to submit a short video clip of well wishes instead of bland text.

Rushabh Doshi, Facebook’s engineering manager who oversees Stories

Still, the toughest nut to crack won’t be helping users figure out what to share but who to share to. Facebook Stories’ biggest disadvantage is that it’s built around an extremely broad social graph that includes not only friends but family, work colleagues, and distant acquaintances. That can apply a chilling effect to sharing as people don’t feel comfortable posting silly, off-the-cuff, or vulnerable Stories to such a wide audience.

At 300 million daily users, Facebook Stories doesn’t deserve the “ghost town” label any more. People who were already accustomed to Stories elsewhere still see the feature as intrusive, interruptive, and somewhat desperate. But with 2.2 billion total Facebookers, the company can be forced to focus on one-size-fits-all solutions. Yet if Facebook’s Blink testing app can produce must-use filters and effects, and collaborative Stories can unlock new forms of sharing, Facebook Stories could find its purpose.

Source: https://bloghyped.com/inside-facebook-stories-quest-for-originality-amidst-300m-users/

0 notes