#Eighty spider beasts | Explore Tumblr posts and blogs

throwingbread · 11 months ago

Text

10 fic for International Fanworks Day. Here are some fics from my bookmarks that need more love, in no particular order.

Those Who Come Closest (30325 words) by dagas isa Chapters: 11/11 Fandom: Final Fantasy X Summary: How do ordinary people become Fayth? It takes a certain amount of desire, dedication and desperation. These are their stories. Propaganda: You want worldbuilding? This fic has got worldbuilding out the wazoo.

Apprentice of the Beast (1651 words) by JetBlackKobold Fandom: Final Fantasy XV Summary: On their journey to the Disk of Cauthess, five men stop to rest and, bound in each other's company, talk a little. Ardyn is a strange man with a fondness for old stories, poems, songs, and rhymes. With a little prompting, he shares a story about a Beast and a Soldier whose good intentions are corrupted by power. Propaganda: Backstory, in Ardyn’s own words.

The Endlings (664 words) by TheBrightestNight Fandom: The Sandman (TV 2022), The Sandman (Comics) Summary: end∙ling /εndlŋg/ n 1 the last known individual of a species or subspecies. Once the endling dies, the species becomes extinct. Propaganda: Extinct animal feels.

at the last trumpet (9830 words) by liesmyth Fandom: The Locked Tomb Series | Gideon the Ninth Series - Tamsyn Muir Summary: the line of the Tomb-keepers demands an heir, no matter the cost. Featuring a small-scale genocide, the breakdown of a marriage, an angry ghost of the MILF persuasion, and a normal amount of bones. Propaganda: Yes more worldbuilding. Glorious cursed necromantic worldbuilding.

freedom so liberating that we call it magic (2566 words) by EtchJetty, FlaringK Chapters: 2/2 Fandom: The Legend of Zelda: The Ocarina of Time, The Legend of Zelda & Related Fandoms, The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild Summary: People don’t talk about Sheik that much. It must have been hell for Zelda, to pretend to be a gender she wasn’t. Especially if she had done it before. (or: what if zelda was a girl?

Propaganda: TRANS GIRL ZELDA

setting sail, coming home (5989 words) by beaufort12 Chapters: 2/2 Fandom: Hades (Video Game 2018) Summary: In which Zagreus escapes the underworld, keeps running, and never looks back. Propaganda: Shameless fix-it fic.

The Moonstone (21266 words) by Vriah, gisho Fandom: The Sandman (TV 2022)

Summary: Morpheus finds a way to avoid killing a vortex - he gives Rose his own heart, forcing her to take his place as Dream. The new Dream has to deal with a life she never expected and try not to repeat her predessor's mistakes. In the waking world, the people she left behind grieve and wonder. And when Roses's little brother Jed is offered the chance to switch from superhero to questing knight, with some help from an old friend, he leaps at the opportunity. Propaganda: My boy Jed!

Lampshades on Fire (5739 words) by ostreatus, stellarators Fandom: Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse (2018) Summary: Or, How Dr. Olivia Octavius Stopped Worrying and Learned to Love the Morally Unambiguous Nature of her Violent Actions. Summary A review of the scientist-to-supervillian pipeline, based on a longitudinal case study.

Propaganda: The villain origin story we were so cruelly deprived of in canon.

built a lot of castles (12055 words) by basketofnovas Fandom: The Old Guard (Movie 2020) Summary: In the eighties, Quynh is rescued by a marine archaeologist, and finds herself in an alien world with no easy way to contact Andromache - or even know she's alive. Propaganda: In which Quynh receives some much-needed comfort in the form of random human kindness.

Inferno Seized (14726 words) by MuseofWriting Fandom: Hades (Video Game 2018)Relationships: Asterius | The Minotaur/Theseus ( Hades Video Game) Summary: The monster went to Tartarus. The hero went to Elysium. Or, depending which storytellers you asked, and which songs you heard, maybe the Underworld got it backwards. Or maybe neither of them were monsters or heroes. Maybe they were just imperfect beings, tied together, messily, terribly, inescapably. This is the story of how they found each other. Propaganda: Look its the most eloquent Minotaur/Theseus fic I’ve ever seen.

#fic recs #IFD2024 #Final Fantasy X #Final Fantasy XV #The Sandman #The Locked Tomb #The Legend of Zelda #Hades Supergiant #spider man: into the spider verse #The Old Guard

21 notes · View notes

smokeybrandreviews · 9 months ago

Text

Riding the Eye of the Storm

I am an unapologetic shill for Transformers, specifically Generation One. It was a pillar of my childhood. I’ve spoken about this at length because, like Spider-Man and Godzilla, this franchise shaped my taste in media for years to come. It was my love for transforming robots which lead me to Voltron, which spring boarded me to Robotech, that caused me to stumble down the cyberpunk rabbit hole and come to rest at the foot of Evangelion. Without Transformers, I wouldn’t have given Voltron a second look and probably missed out on my all-time favorite anime. Obviously, that’s hyperbole, kind of. I would have found EVA eventually, especially how saturated that franchise has become, but I would like to think my openness to it stemmed from my love for Optimus and his rag-tag bunch of freedom fighters. I’ve defended my little long form toy commercial for years, knowing that, as an Eighties product to move re-branded Diaclone and Micro Man content here in the States, there was no lore or cohesive story content to be had. I mean, there was, broad strokes of a eons long war, dead planets, Unicron, and whatever else, but not enough to really sink your teeth into. This was a kids show. No one needs character development or world building. Kids are dumb and won’t appreciate any of that. And then BtaS happened and all that sh*t changed. Transformers saw the value of narrative and gave us Beast Wars. From that point on, story and character finally took precedence. Every US developed Transformers show going forward, made it a point to build a lore around their core characters and, for a time, it was glorious. Animated and Prime gave us something really special. The War for Cybertron, with all of their faults, really put in the effort to build out that world. Even Cyberverse and Earthspark are out here, shining way more bright than they have any right to be. Hasbro has finally given proper due to the Transformers on the small screen and I am living for it. That said, theatrically? Theatrically, it’s been rough.

I hate Bayformers. Hate. Viscerally. Michael Bay is a terrible director. He’s great at action set pieces and has a brilliant eye for visual effects, but the man has no idea how to develop a character to save his life. He makes movies from the effects out. The spectacle is the point of his films, not the narrative content. So, for me, as a fan of this franchise for almost four goddamn decades, it was rough seeing the stark decline from the first to the last. Let’s be real right now, the Marky Mark Bayformers films are absolute nonsense. One of them didn’t even have the f*cking Decepticons transform, just explode into amorphous squares and sh*t. Bro, how you have a Transformers film without and transforming? Plus, they replaced the only actual character with an arc in the entire franchise, because Spielberg was offended she likened working for Mike Bay to serving under Hitler. Yo, if you knew how Megan Fox was treated on those sets, you’d know exactly why she said what she said. Ma got stories of the sexist bullsh*t she had to suffer through, going back to Bad Boys 2, when she was an extra on set at sixteen years old. The f*ck? And the way they wrote her out is just lazy. That chick Carly in the third? That was Mikaela, all day. Legitimately that’s the resolution to HER arc. After Fox got released in the off-season, Bay and his braintrust of writers just did a search-and-replace for anything that said Mikaela with Carly, and printed “revised” scripts. Lazy. Just f*cking lazy. I hate the Bayformers films so much, especially because they started with so much potential.

After The Last Knight deservedly flopped (Knights? In my Transformers movie? Really?), we got Bumblebee, which was basically the Iron Giant with our adorable, slug bug, mascot. And it was good. Travis Knight got a shot at this one and you can tell he wanted to do right by G1 and he did. I loved Bumblebee. Obviously, it wasn’t perfect. The aforementioned Iron Giant narrative is a thing but is that terrible? I loved the Iron Giant. It was dope. If you’re going to crib notes from something, make it a proven narrative, right? Avatar stole it’s entire goddamn identity from Dances with Wolves. Skyfall, my favorite Bond film, is just The Dark Knight. I can forgive Bumblebee basically lifting its entire vibe from The Iron Giant, especially with those opening scene on Cybertron. Believe me when I tell you, seeing my G1 inspired designs, mixed with the photo realism of that Bayformers aesthetic, I shrieked aloud. That one scene, was everything I wanted in my Transformers film. That was more than enough to satiate my very bias, very nostalgic, Millennial heart. I saw that sh*t three times in theaters and loved every second. I thought Bumblebee was a strong step forward in the right direction. That is until Rise of the Beasts dropped. Believe me when I say, RotB, was such a letdown after the high of Bumblebee. That sh*t was basically just a Bayformers entry without the goddamn Bayhem. The Bayhem is the point! You can’t make Bayformers with the Bayhem. Trying to imitate that sh*t halfheartedly, especially trying your best to bring in the Beast Wars fans and not alienate the goodwill you garnered from the excellent Bumblebee, was a goddamn mistake. I hate Bayformers because it’s a loud, disjointed, mess of admittedly beautiful visuals. The stories sucked, the Transformers designs are the worst in the franchise, and there story is so f*cking convoluted, it makes X-Men comics look like Emerson, but I was never bored watching them. Rise of the Beasts is boring. It takes the worst aspects of Bayformers and Bumblebee, mashes them together, and sh*ts out a very corpo curated product, with an eye toward a future cinematic universe. You can’t do that. You have to make sure your first entry is strong enough to stand on its own. That’s how the MCU did it. That’s how the Monsterverse did. That’s how it’s done. Which brings me to the point of this essay, Transformers One looks like that entry point.

When I heard we were getting an origin story for Transformers, roughly following the IDW and Prime origin of the Megs-Prime conflict, I was hesitant. That story is so good, and has been told excellently several times, but never in the theater, never in “serious” media. Then the cast was announced. Chris Hemsworth as Orion Pax? Bryan Tyree Hill as pre-despot Megatron? Word? The only one that made any sense to me was Scarlett Johansson as Elite-1 because of course. I figured Hasbro f*ckded up again but then something happened. I saw the character designs. They reminded me of that first five minutes from Bumblebee. Then a trailer dropped. It WAS the first five minutes of Bumblebee, mixed with a little bit of Beast Machines, and a whole lot of Transformers Prime. There was humor. There was levity. There was pathos and characterization. You can tell there is strong chemistry within the cast, something that wasn’t necessarily a thing in Bayformers, RotB, but was definitely there in Bumblebee. There was color, life, enthusiasm, and genuine warmth. That short three minutes, sold me immediately on this film and I need so much more. It felt authentic to Transforms, an extension of the very best the franchise has to offer, and really hammered home how this theatrical franchise should have been full CG from the very beginning. I mean, the theatrical continuity for Transformers is an absolute mess now, but this origin film has the potential to clean that up. As long as it’s good. So far, I am loving what I’ve seen. So far, I have hope. It’s weird to say, but I have optimism for a good theatrical Transformers film again.

#Transformers #Hasbro #Transformers One

3 notes · View notes

flowergirlmiwa · 1 year ago

Text

there's a small joke in a scott the woz video rhetorically asking if you can name eighty non-sonic sega mega drive / genesis games off the top of your head and I wanted to see how many I could do

1 virtua racing 2. Virtua fighter 2 3. Fatal labyrinth 3. Toy story 4. Aladdin 5. The lion king 6. The jungle book 7. Ms pac man 8. Gain ground 9. Madden NFL 10. NHL 95

11. World series baseball 12. Earthworm Jim 13. Earthworm Jim 2 14. Comic zone 15. The ooze 16. Altered beast 17. Golden axe 18. Golden axe 2 19. Shining force 20. Phantasy star 2

21. Phantasy star 3 22. Bubsy 23. Bubsy 2 24. Ghostbusters 25. Ristar 26. Dynamite headdy 27. Tommy lasorda baseball 28. Joe Montana football 29. Michael Jackson's moonwalker 30. Beavis and butthead

31. Streets of rage 32. Streets of rage 2 33. Streets of rage 3 34. That prerendered looney tunes game released really late 35. Kid chameleon 36. Alien soldier 37. Garfield caught in the act 38. Mega Man the Wily wars 39. Columns 40. Hang on

41. Space harrier 42. Fantasy zone 2 43. Super Monaco gp 44. Road rash 45. Frogger 46. Ren and stimpy stimpys invention 47. Theme Park 48. Batman revenge of the joker 49. Batman returns 50. Spider-Man vs The kingpin

51. Lightening force 52. Zero wing 53. Street fighter 2 champion edition 54. Super street fighter 2 55. Mortal Kombat 56. Mortal Kombat 2 57 mortal Kombat 3 58 ultimate mortal Kombat 3 59 clay fighters 60. There's a dragon ball z fighting game but like only one

61. Hook 62. Shanghai 63. Rocket knight adventures 64. Frank Thomas big hurt baseball 65. X-Men 66. X-Men 2 67. That Ronald McDonald treasure game 68. Ninja gaiden 69. Shinobi 3 70. Shadow dancer

71. Shinobi 2 72. That pitfall! reboot game 73. WWF raw 74. WWF WrestleMania the arcade game 75. WWF royal rumble 76. outrun 77. ESWAT 78. Ecco the dolphin 79. Ecco 2 80. Ecco jr!!

#my post #sega genesis

4 notes · View notes

smokeybrand · 9 months ago

Text

Riding the Eye of the Storm

1 note · View note

taebeast · 8 years ago

Text

Shredded Threads: Capturing Fier

“Coerthas it is then.”

Once more the Agents gathered at the home of Yoshirou Takara, a much shorter briefing this time, merely sharing any extra information that had been gathered. Aiouxdaux had sought Fier out in an attempt to get as much information as he could from the Doman- and his efforts showed that there was little time, very little time. The concern for their companion was voiced by many in attendance, but this also brought up more questions as the Agents attempted to formulate some sort of plan of action.Sterrbahr spoke up with confirmation to some of what Aiouxdaux had said: Fier was in Ishgard, more importantly Coerthas.

Compiled the information revealed that the Jorogumo fed upon victims with larger amounts of aether, kept their bodies to allow her clutch to take hold of and use as puppets, Fier was more than likely on his last leg in regards to his own health. Time was of the essence, but Nocturne stepped forward with a question for everyone gathered.

"I have a question for everyone gathered here."

All of the room went silent as their eyes turned to the tattooed Doman.

"Who among you have been bitten by the spider. And do you know of anyone outside of this room that may have suffered a bite?"

This seemed to cause the room quite the fluster, a few checking themselves, others questioning the importance of such a question. Inevitably there was a resounding No from the group, minus Aiouxdaux mentioning that he may believe Fier’s brother and ex-lover Brice may have both been bitten. Though he had no way of backing up such a claim. Nocturne claimed that upon approaching the Jorogumo’s nest at Fier’s apartment he began overwhelmed with violent illness.

"We found her nest, as some of you know, beneath Fier's apartment. It held victims and trophies from those victims. It also held one other secret. Arukena has children--and I would imagine, she is not against using them to extend her reach further into mortal flesh."

Again, mixed reactions filled the room, but all were informed and armed with the knowledge they needed to proceed. Yoshirou took it upon himself to hand out scrolls of binding to those who could use them, everyone setting off to gather their gear and needed items for this portion of their task. They gathered in Fallgourd Float in Gridania, walking to the border of Coerthas.

The weather of Coerthas was unkind, a blizzard was either beginning or just ending as the ground was being covered with a fresh blanket of snow upon their arrival. It made things difficult for J’azhar and Mikha, who were the technical scouts of the group, to see more than a few fulms before them. Those who could sense aether seemed to be having issues as well, seeing as how they were near the darkhold, it may have interfered with their ability to track correctly. But it wasn’t long before a form in the shadows revealed itself, watching the group as they approached- a bright pink string laid across their path, stopping them in their movements. A giggle sounded through the area around them, something Fier was known to do when he hid- throw his voice around to keep himself well hidden from any eyes that might see him. To the groups dismay the form they thought was Fier split into two more parts, all bearing his aetheric mark, but face and form unable to be seen by their eyes at all. The fight began, revealing that the three shadows were not their intended target, but thralls under the control of Arukena’s clutch.

Cutting the thralls down proved easy, but locating the spiders burrowed beneath the skin showed that it was not merely behind the neck, but anywhere on the body- this proved a tad more tedious than they’d anticipated. Fier’s appearance on the field was immediately noticed, though he didn’t expose himself outright, it was Sterrbahr, Aiouxdaux, Yoshriou, and N’hara whom saw him and announced it to the group. He’d appeared next to Mikha’s fallen form on the road, and no sooner had Aiouxdaux closed in did he find himself wrapped in familiar threads, trying to keep him pinned to the ground.

N’hara was the first to go charging after Fier, who took off as soon as he was noticed, making a rush towards one of the nearby caves. It wasn’t long before the rest of the group followed- many being well aware that this could have been some form of trap. And it was.

"She said you would come, but I did not believe her."

"She is...always right."

"She is mine."

"I will not...let you have her!"

Webbing spread out over the cave, covering the walls and the floor, lighting up a bright pink and exposing well over eighty corpses, all of which sprang to life once the webbing touched them. Shrieks and hisses filled the cavern as the dead moved their bodies snapping and breaking as they began to transform. Jaws unhinged with resounding snaps, the tearing of flesh and more breaking of bones as extra limbs and bodies contorted into different shapes; the spray of gore and viscera accompanied the quickly altering bodies. And soon the Agents found themselves at the end of a charge- but they did not stand down.

A quick act from J’azhar and Sterrbahr began a blaze of fire along the cave floor, the decomposing bodies were quick to catch on fire, flesh sizzling and scorching as roars began shrieks of pain and agony. Another blaze was lit, and another, cutting down the enemies quickly, blades of wind and swords were drawn to assist in the onslaught. They’d come this far, they were hellbent on getting to Fier and Arukena.

It was a futile attempt at escape, but Fier appeared behind the group, using the shadows to his advantage to get out of the cave while all were busy cutting down the abominations. Yoshirou was quick to spin and attack the fleeing Doman, while Sterrbahr quickly concealed him in ice, the final act of a sealing scroll from N’hara assured Fier’s escape was not going to happen. In the hasty retreat, and the realization that he was not getting away...he threw the jar that had once contained his beloved spider. He’d kept his promise.

They would not have her this day.

@astralagents

#Fier Rhassava #Shredded Threads #IC Story #recap #Mission #Astral Agents #Balmung #FFXIV #Role play #RP #Spider #Jorogumo #Coerthas #Ya'll are crazy #Eighty spider beasts #and you decide to STAY #Had to rethink my stuff like five times that night

12 notes · View notes

kjissexy1994 · 3 years ago

Text

Words of Shakespeare: Happy 20th Anniversary Supanova!

On the weekend of the 18th and 19th of June 2022, I went with six friends and two support workers (and of course my old friend Richard and other friends Sam and Hayden) went to the Supanova Comic and Gaming convention at The Dome at Sydney Olympic Park (my favourite entertainment fortress of solitude!).

Throughout the weekend, we saw a variety of cosplayers from Anime such as My Hero Academia and JoJo’s Bizarre Adventure, video games from my childhood such as Pokémon, Crash Bandicoot, Spyro the Dragon and Games from the previous decade including Undertale and Deltarune, cartoons and animated movies such as Steven Universe, the popular Disney adventure cartoon The Owl House and classics such as Beauty and the Beast and Mulan, web cartoons such as Vivienne Medrano’s Hazbin Hotel and Helluva Boss and Rooster Teeth’s RWBY, childhood animations such as Pingu, Characters from cult shows such as Monkey from the British gag dub of the same name that aired on ABC in the early eighties and of course cosplay from sci-fi movies and tv shows such as Star Wars, Star Trek, Doctor Who and Marvel and DC comic books and movies including classic heroes and villains such as Spider-Man, Captain America, Iron Man, Thor, Loki, Superman, Batman, The Joker, Harley Quinn and the rest.

A majority of the well designed displays of the cosplayers were also shown at the Cosplay Showcase at the Cosplay Theatre across from The Dome at Hall 5.

I was also amazed by how many male cosplayers can cosplay as female characters like for example, when I saw a male Tawna Bandicoot cosplayer and females cosplaying as Deku from My Hero.

At Supanova when I first entered The Dome, there was a wall of Supanova Posters from the past 20 years starting with 2002 up until this year, my much loved Convention has hosted a plethora of well known guests from movies, tv shows, anime and cartoons including Sean Schemmel (voice of Goku from the Dragon Ball anime), Dan Green (voice of Yugi Mutou/ Pharaoh from Yu-Gi-Oh! Classic and Knuckles the Echidna from Sonic X and the various Sonic games from 2003-2009), Barbara Eden (From I Dream of Jeannie), John Barrowman (From Doctor Who) David Hasselhoff (from Baywatch) The late Verne Troyer (Mini Me from the Austin Powers movie franchise) and Carrie Fisher (Princess Leia Organa of Star Wars) , Richard Horvitz (voice of Invader Zim and Alpha 5 from the earlier Power Rangers seasons Mighty Morphin to Turbo and currently the voice of Moxxie from Helluva Boss), Jeremy Shada, John DiMaggio, Olivia Olson and Jessica DiCicco, the Adventure Time cast of Finn, Jake, Marceline and Flame Princess/Phoebe respectively, Mighty Morphin Power Rangers cast members Jason David Frank (Tommy), Austin St John (Jason), Walter Emmanuel Jones (Zack), Johnny Yong Bosch (Adam), David Yost (Billy), Karan Ashley (Aisha) and of course the late legendary godfather of Marvel Comic Book superheroes Stan Lee who appeared in the 2014 edition of Supanova in Sydney. I have been attending Supanova Comic Cons since 2011 with the exception of 2015 when I was experiencing financial and physical burnout from my Melbourne trip and 2020 which was unable to be held due to well…horrid stuff and seeing those old posters of previous cons made me feel very nostalgic.

Supanova had a variety of stalls which you could buy various merchandise such as comics, pop vinyl figures, statues, trading cards, plush dolls of anime characters and video game characters and vintage merchandise such as action figures from tv show and cartoon franchises including Transformers, Power Rangers, He-Man, Batman the animated series, Star Wars, Star Trek and older comics from the eighties and nineties. Supanova also had a stall where you could buy autographs from previous years conventions.

For those who want some physical enjoyment, there was the archery target course and of course, my new favourite from last year, the Battlecry LARP sword fights. Richard and I had a great time taking down a burly ax wielding knight with rubber swords as you get a lot of exercise out of it as well!

There was also Star Wars Lightsaber demonstrations and testing your might as you try to lift Thor’s Hammer Mjölnir!

For those who love gaming, there were gaming areas where you could play Rocket League, Super Smash Bros and Ubisoft’s Just Dance whilst there was also gaming tournaments and demonstrations as well and of course board and dice games such as Dungeons and Dragons!

Looking through The Alley seeing all the prints of artwork and comic books by independent artists made me feel amazed inside, I bought a print of Spyro the Dragon and stickers of Stolas and Blitzø of Helluva Boss from Bunsanity and a commission of the character Wizarmon/Wizardmon from Bandai’s Digimon virtual pet, anime and video game franchise from art by Cyanide. I really loved how well designed Wizarmon looked even though if the artists never got into the Digimon franchise.

I even had my fortune told via Pokémon trading cards by a Mimikyu cosplayer!

There was also comic book artists from Australia such as Alex T. Trip who did illustrations for The Phantom, Jamie Johnson who did illustrations for IDW’s Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles comics and Dean Rankine who did illustrations for Simpsons Comics and Oggy and the Cockroaches (France’s answer to Tom and Jerry). One of the comic books I bought was by independent comic book artist Bad Harvie and his Ozploitation anthology comic book series modelled after Grindhouse low budget horror movies from the seventies and eighties. Definitely not for those with a weak stomach if I say so myself.

I was also happy that there wasn’t any offending stalls at the Alley unlike last year when Supanova was embroiled in controversy where there was a stall selling right wing extremist and Neo Nazi merchandise as conventions are a place of celebrating who we are and we do not condone any hate here.

For the con-goers who were looking for an appetite, Dominos Pizza was serving up pizzas, garlic bread and Pepsi drinks as usual and the cafés inside the Dome sold Pies, burgers and Bagels. Outside the dome had stalls such as Chips on a Stick, Wally’s Hot Dogs, Hot Dog on a Stick, Cheese on a Stick (who would usually be there at the Sydney Royal Easter Show) and Ian’s Ice Creams.

Now it was time for the main attraction and a mainstay for Supanova since the beginning, the guests! This year’s Sydney Supanova was the first edition with overseas stars in three years caused by well…again…bad stuff and the guests included Tom Welling and Michael Rosenbaum aka Clark Kent and Lex Luthor from Smallville, Michael Biehn from The Terminator and The Mandalorian, Mark Shepperd from Supernatural, Emile De Ravine from Once Upon a Time, James and Oliver Phelps aka the Weasley Twins from the Harry Potter films, the part of the Supanova furniture, John Jarratt who is a very friendly fellow despite playing one of the most infamous horror characters in Australian film history which is Mick Taylor from the Wolf Creek movies (which gave me uncontrollable bowel movement when I was younger and Jarratt never appeared on an episode of Play School in the eighties for those who are a victim of the “Mandela Effect!”), and of course, one of the first few guests from Supanova’s inaugural convention in 2002, Veronica Taylor, the original voice of Ash Ketchum from the 4Kids English dub of the Pokémon anime series and movies from 1998 to 2006.

Even though I was very determined to wait two and a half hours to obtain Taylor’s autograph and photo with her (and a much needed interval to use the restroom and chow down on a hot dog on a stick!), it was definitely worth the $60 to greet Taylor and to acknowledge her as one of the voices of my childhood growing up watching the Pokémon anime in the late nineties and early 2000’s on Cheez TV hosted by Jade and Ryan (who also appeared at the 2016 Edition of Supanova).

Taylor was also a very lovely person to talk to as well as I discussed all those precious memories!

I also attended a seminar at the Cosplay theatre where the Phelps Twins discussed their time playing as the Weasleys in the Harry Potter films with a number of funny stories to tell too!

This year’s Supanova was a roaring return to form and without any controversies or kerfuffles after what happened last year in the artist’s alley. Supanova is such a great way to dress up as your favourite character, meet new friends, join and explore new fandoms, be involved in activities, meeting your favourite celebrities and of course, reliving your childhood in the process (like I did when I met Veronica)!

My only negatives for this year’s convention was the long waiting time in groups to see big name celebrities and only a minuscule number of voice actors appearing. After all, we are still in a dwindling health crisis and we should get to see more well known voice actors from cartoons and anime next year (Still praying for Richard Horvitz!) and of course, more well known guests from movies and tv shows!

I give this year’s Supanova an 8 out of 10!

This has been another Supa review of Words of Shakespeare!

Stay Amazing and Happy Trails!

#words of shakespeare #supanova #sydney supanova #supanova 2022

2 notes · View notes

leam1983 · 3 years ago

Text

On Character Design

I sort of feel like the general "Boardroom Lizard" visual concept that's given us everything from Wilson Fisk to Mammoth Mogul or Lawrence Limburger has a bit of a limiting influence on pencilers, colorists and inkers.

In most cases, what you get is dark, flat colors with a few warm accents. A single-breasted suit for more casual sorts, double-breasted for fans of the eighties' Corporate Chic and for silhouettes in need of a more square frame, and the usual panoply of masculine accessories most suit-wearers wouldn't so much as consider, nowadays. It's hard not to shake the impression that some designers just hit up YouTube channels like Alpha M. or The Gentleman's Gazette and try and unrealistically cram everything into a single rendition of the Legtimate Businessman.

Then, there's 1986's Daredevil: Love & War. The story as penned by Frank Miller tries to underline both Murdock and Fisk's obsessive tendencies - one for justice rendered at nearly any cost, and the other for control also obtained through whatever means necessary. Both men are grasping for a certain illusion of safety and are coming at it from opposite ends of the same moral spectrum. As the title suggests, love interests also figure as propelling instances.

The thing is, what drew me to the story wasn't Miller's honestly occasionally po-faced Noir diatribes, so much as Bill Sienkiewicz's penmanship. Murdock looks more or less like he usually does, both in and out of costume - but Sienkiewicz's design for Fisk was later pulled out of the mothballs for Liev Schreiber's own rendition of Fisk, as seen in Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse. This is an almost Beast-like design (in reference to The Beauty and the Beast), contrasted by Vanessa's frail and diaphanous presence throughout the book. While she's basically a ghost ensconced in bedsheets, basically a reminder of her husband's precious few remaining shards of innocence, the Kingpin barely looks human.

When I think of similar concepts, names like Lex Luthor come to mind. Most modern renditions of Luthor never explicitly depict him as musclebound. Then there's other stylistic cousins of Fisk's, like the slightly more grounded design of Biker Mice from Mars' Lawrence Limburger, or others that depend entirely on the acting choices of those depicting them, like Ronny Cox's Dick Jones, in the original RoboCop. Cox, if found wearing anything other than his set of three-pieces, wouldn't have come across anywhere close as menacing. It's a bit of an interesting note to make, seeing as Kurtwood Smith desperately wanted out of his squeaky-clean typecasting. All he needed was Low-Grade Cyberpunk Slackwear and a set of Dad specs - and Clarence Boddicker was born.

Back to Sienkiewicz's concept. The era was one of, as I mentioned, flat colors. Back in 1986, layering in patterns in a page layout was a time-consuming process and a bit of a nightmare for your average bulk printing contractor. I still adore the watercolor finish of Love & War, and I have a hard time not imagining this particular Fisk as someone who looks at the era's army of Patrick Bateman clones and says something to the tone of "Screw them, I'm wearing so much paisley and herringbone over my unrealistic 500-plus-pounds of granite-slab comic-book flesh they'll either barf or wolf-whistle before drawing a gun in front of me."

The only thing missing to the portrait is a constant Dry Martini glass, or the revelation that Willie's not just a beast at Hapkido but that he also could lead Vanessa into a few Bossa Nova rounds, back when her health was steadier.

I mean, seriously. Look at this gorgeousness:

This big, sad man has absolutely zero self-esteem issues and probably push-kicks doors open with a hungry snarl, whenever he's not looming over his wife like an overprotective silverback gorilla with a pronounced thing for male haberdashery. Also, the mid-eighties' first few cell phone models probably looked ridiculously small in his hands. Dude was toting around something that felt like your average Nokia 3310 in his hand back when what you could expect out of mobile tech was 1987's massive Nokia Cityman!

I'd hug him, tell him to make sure Wifey gets plenty of fluids and sunshine, and maybe comment on him not necessarily needing to take all that latent grief and anxiety out on poor, superpowered blind people...

It's a bit amusing, considering how today's idea of the Unpredictable Boardroom Titan would probably have to go back to three-pieces and flat colors, to stand out amidst my last two workplaces' worth of loose blazers, graphic tees, skinny jeans and bright colors. Maybe 2022's idea of the Corporate Loose Cannon in Pop Culture should just mark a return to Italian graybeards pulling out designs from the Annie Lennox school and casually pushing for the legalization of cocaine...

#comic books #daredevil #daredevil:love and war #kingpin #wilson fisk #dick jones #robocop #clarence boddicker #character design #characters #bill sienkiewicz #frank miller #marvel #graphic novel

10 notes · View notes

hale-13 · 4 years ago

Text

Strangulated

By Hale13

For the Summer of Whump Day 26 Prompt - Asphyxiation

“That’s pretty new,” Peter muttered aloud, perched on the side of a building in Midtown and staring intently at the man in a full on metal rhino costume destroying the front of a Well’s Fargo. The police that had responded to the call had drawn their weapons and were perched behind their cars, clearly just as baffled and making no attempts to stop or prevent the crime.

Words: 1754, Chapters: 1/1 (Complete), Language: English

Fandoms: Spider-Man (Tom Holland Movies)

Rating: Gen

Relationships: Peter Parker & Tony Stark

Characters: Peter Parker, Tony Stark, Rhino

TW: Strangulation

Read on AO3 or below the line break.

“It is new Peter,” Karen’s voice chirped happily from his mask. “You have not faced this criminal before. Would you like me to activate instant kill?” She sounded far too hopeful for Peter’s liking and he sighed, dodging the small chunk of concrete that flew his way.

“Karen, darling, love of my life. We’ve talked about this,” he told her gently, swinging closer and dropping down behind the line of cop cars. “Instant kill is not the answer to all lives problems.”

“If you say so,” and she sounded so disappointed. Peter would have to have a conversation with Mr. Stark – he had no idea how he made his AI’s so lifelike but he really wanted to know.

“Ugh,” one of the cops said, rolling his eyes as he noticed Peter. “Scram Spider-Guy, this ain’t any of your business.”

Peter fought an eye roll of his own. “Real nice pal,” he said sarcastically, stepping forward anyway. The guys partner nudged him pointedly in the side.

“Just send in the freak. Might save us the effort.” Peter fought the urge to cringe at the sneer directed at him. He had a pretty thick skin but he wasn’t the biggest fan of being called a ‘freak’. Especially by the people he was trying to help.

“Happy to be of service,” Peter grunted with a two finger salute. “Just stay back and let the professional work.” He fired a web and took off in the direction of the rhino guy before either of the police had the chance to respond. He purposely used their car as a jumping off point just to really rub it in and smirked a little at their grunts of irritation. “Hey big guy!” He called as he landed in the pock-marked and cracked street. Rhino-guy turned around and charged with a roar. “Whoa there!” Peter called as he jumped over his head. “You haven’t even introduced yourself yet!”

“I will squash you like bug!” The man said in a thick Russian accent, scraping one of his feet against the ground like a bull and charging Peter head first again. Peter nimbly dodged again and dangled with one hand from a nearby streetlight.

“You know spiders are arachnids right? Not bugs?” Peter bantered, swinging around the pole and releasing at just the right moment to launch himself across the street the nail Rhino in the face, sending him stumbling back before he corrected himself with a roar. Peter somersaulted out of the way of another charge.

“Stay still so I can kill you,” he roared.

“Tempting,” Peter mused, webbing Rhino’s arms to his sides. “But I’ll pass.”

Rhino roared again in obvious frustration and ripped through Peter’s webs with great effort. “That’s not ideal,” Peter said as he fired more webs in an attempt to slow down Rhino to no avail. Freed once more, Rhino changed forward. This time, however, Peter took a step back into one of the holes in the asphalt and tripped; he was able to right himself quickly but not fast enough to dodge out of the way of Rhino’s hands.

“Oof,” Peter gasped, hands flying up to his throat where Rhino had wrapped his mechanized hands around Peter’s throat, holding him a couple feet above the ground and leaving Peter to flail his legs in an attempt to escape. “Not cool bro,” Peter breathed out with his limited air supply as the Rhino squeezed tighter and backed him up to slam Peter into a nearby brick wall.

“You talk too much,” Rhino grumbled, redoubling his hold on Peter and making him grunt with effort and scrambled to pull the hands from around his throat.

“Peter your pulse ox is dropping rapidly,” Karen said, displaying the number on his HUD and Peter squeezed his eyes shut as it ticked from ninety-three percent to ninety-two. “Calling Mr. Stark.”

“No don’t,” Peter wheezed out a little desperately, his throat feeling raw and swollen and his lungs beginning to burn.

“On my way kid,” Tony’s voice said through his comm as Karen connected his mentor to Peter’s HUD. “Any chance you can break out before you pass out.” Peter just let out a frustrated puff of air and, with intense effort, lifted his legs to press his feet against Rhino’s chest to begin pushing. His vision was tunneling and pulsing around the edges and Peter knew it was only his stubborn pig-headedness and sheer force of will that was keeping him conscious at this point. The pulse ox reading in the corner ticked down to eighty-seven and, with Herculean strength, Peter finally knocked the Rhino away from him and collapsed to the ground.

“‘M good,” Peter croaked tightly, letting his head rest back against the road as he recovered his breath. He didn’t have long through as his Spidey sense tingled violently and he threw himself to the side of the road to dodge out of Rhino’s path. His vision was still a little spotty and he stumbled like he was drunk but Peter was able to pull himself back to his feet and stand without assistance. “Not cool dude,” he said, his throat burning and his words coming out like he had been gargling gravel.

He needed to end this quick. He couldn’t afford to get caught again. With effort, Peter jumped back into the air, firing webs at rapid speed as he did so – attaching Rhino to the ground in a veritable cocoon. Rhino screamed in anger and struggled but Peter’s webs held this time much to his relief. “He’s all yours boys,” he said in the direction of the police, his voice thready and painful and he swallowed down a cough.

It took all the energy he had left to swing away, alighting on a nearby apartment roof and dropping first to his knees and then back to sit cross-legged. His neck hurt and he could feel the swelling starting to constrict his trachea and vocal chords. Tony landed in front of him a few seconds later, stepping out of his suit and squatting down in front of Peter with several cracks and pops of his knees.

“Try not to talk buddy,” Tony told him, lifting his mask up to his nose and pulling the neck down carefully, wincing at whatever he saw and making Peter hunch his shoulders and pull away, fixing his mask back to its usual position. “Helen’s waiting for us back in the MedBay. I’m going to carry you and your not going to bitch about it capiche?” Peter rolled his eyes knowing it would translate to the large white lenses on his mask but didn’t protest when Tony stepped back into the Iron Man armor and picked him up.

The flight back to the Tower was quick since Peter had ventured into Manhattan to patrol today and they were soon landing on the small balcony outside the MedBay doors. Peter still felt a little light-headed and dizzy and swayed a little in place when Tony lowered him back to the ground to stand on his own while the suited disassembled around him and flew off to the armory. “Steady there,” the man said gently, slinging Peter’s arm across his shoulders and helping him walk into the building.

“Hey Peter,” Helen Cho said as she approached them from the nurses station down the hall and ushered them into an open exam room. “Karen sent me your stats so let’s just see the damage yeah?” She said as Peter settled on the exam bed.

Peter smacked his hand into the spider emblem on his chest, letting the suit fall down to rest around his hips, pulling his mask off and tossing it next to him on the bed. Dr. Cho wrinkled her nose and softly palpated Peter’s neck making him grunt and grimace, manfully resisting the urge to pull away from her. “Well you’ve already got some pretty severe swelling,” she said, clipping a pulse oximeter onto his finger and frowning at the result. “And you’re still not oxygenating as well as I’d like.”

“So what’s the plan then,” Tony said, slapping a hand over Peter’s mouth when he opened it to speak and ignoring the glare Peter sent him and the spiteful lick Peter gave his hand in the hopes that Tony would remove his hand.

“Well I’m going to start supplemental oxygen first,” Dr. Cho said, unwinding an oxygen mask from the wall and pushing Peter back until he was reclined on the bed and slipped the mask over his mouth and nose. “I’ll have a nurse come in with something for you to change into and then I want to start IV steroids and pain relief to get the swelling down. With you’re healing,” she said addressing Peter, “you should only be here overnight. I just want to make sure that your airway doesn’t swell closed. You’ll also need to rest your voice since you probably have some damage to your vocal chords.”

Disappointed, Peter nodded. This was not in his plan for the day and he was really looking forward to playing Beast Slayers with Ned tonight but, if he was confined to a MedBay bed and doped up on his pain meds he doubted he would be worth much of anything. Well at least he’d probably catch up on some of his sleep.

A few hours later, floating due to his super strength meds and curled up under a pre-warmed blanket, Peter squeaked out a hoarse ‘thanks’ making Tony, sat beside him and tapping away at a tablet with his feet propped up on the end of Peter’s bed, fix him with a glare. “Aren’t you supposed to be resting your voice?” Peter just gave him a dopey smile and burrowed deeper into the blanket, adjusting the melting ice pack that was wrapped around his still tender throat.

He’d have to do some research of mechanized rhinos in the morning. He had already come up with some fun tweaks for his web fluid that might be beneficial going forward. With chemical equations dancing around in his brain, Peter fell into an deep, easy sleep.

#summerofwhump #summerofwhump26 #Prompt: Asphyxiation #irondad #spider man #Summer of Whump 2021

14 notes · View notes

howlingforapack · 3 years ago

Text

OC Application for Dante Santoro: accepted

Congratulations Tai! Your application for Dante Santoro has been approved. Please take the time to create your account and submit it back to the main RPG.

OOC Information: Name: Tai Age: 26 Timezone: GMT Activity Level (1-10): 8 – I can be active most days, from 10h30PM (GMT), to 2AM (GMT) IC Information: Name: Dante Santoro FC: Mathew Daddario Age: 23 Species: Druid Occupation: History TA Ships: Single (chemistry) Biography: Dante’s parents immigrated from Italy to the United States in the eighties, in search for a new life. Dante always felt a special connection with nature, and his grandmother took notice of this early on. She taught him about herbs, and their properties, rituals and magic. To young Dante, everything his Nona taught him seemed possible. His parents tried to dissuade Nona from teaching Luca these things about a supernatural world, but when they realized she would still teach him in secrecy, they figured it was best to just let them be.

In her deathbed, when Dante was 15, Nona told him that their family had once produced a strong bloodline of Druids, but that they had forgotten their duties as emissaries between the supernatural and the natural world. And thus, their powers had waned and weakened. Until Dante was born. She told him to listen to the call of nature within him, and to never let it die, to bring back purpose to the Santoro bloodline.

In high school, other kids either made fun of Dante’s guarded personality, or just flat out ignored him, so he led a relatively lonely life. He made a few close friends, but he really came out of his shell in college. One of his teachers was a Druid, like himself, and mentored him through the four years Dante attended college. He even managed to fall in love, although the relationship was a bit rocky, and wouldn’t be long lived.

Now, Dante moved to Beacon Hills, as he felt a strange pull, a low humming that guided him towards the town in California. He applied for a job as a teacher’s assistant in Ambrose University, so that he could stay long term, trying to figure out why this place called to him. But if he was to be honest with himself, he was not just running towards something, but also running away from his old live in New York.

Para Sample (2+ Paragraphs): The wind howled like a wolf, ruffling the leaves of the trees, a looming bodiless creature rushing through the woods. The pungent scent of sap curled into his noise, as he breathed in the forest air. With his eyes closed, he could almost see it, beyond his eyelids, a gnarly shape spidering across the forest floor. Power, raw natural power. Luca opened his eyes, and froze. Two golden eyes glowed in the dark, and the moonlight shone upon rows of sharp white teeth, claws like daggers digging into the substrate, ready to pounce. His hand moved instinctively to his pocket, searching for the mountain ash dust, but it wasn’t there. The wolf lurched forward, mouth open, and Luca gasped.

The sheets were drenched in sweat, and his head was swimming, from standing up too fast. Luca searched for the alarm clock. 3 AM. He let out a small sigh. Nona would be able to tell him what these dreams meant. Or maybe she would, as usual, give him a nonchalant and vague opinion of what the dreams meant. They were not premonitions, Luca knew that much. They were a byproduct of that incessant buzzing that beaconed him to the so accurately name Beacon Hills. He pulled the covers off of himself, shuddering as the cold air came in contact with his wet skin. Luca noticed he had one missed call, and as he picked the phone up, he saw his mother’s contact popping up. He smiled softly, and picked up.

“Mama, do you know what time it is?” He asked her, fondness underlying his voice.

“I just have a bad feeling about this whole moving away thing…” One could wonder if the Druidic blood ran in Maria’s blood, just a little bit. But she was simply a mother hen. His spark came from his father’s side of the family.

“Si, I know. But I need to rest, it’s my first day tomorrow.” He ran a hand down his face. “Look, Mamma, I promise I’ll call you every day, if it will make you feel better. But right now, I have about two hours of sleep left, before I have to get ready for work.”

There was a long pause from the other side, and then she let out a defeated sigh. “Si. Alright. Ti amo.”

“Ti amo.” He said, hanging up. He placed the phone down on his bedside table, and froze as two golden orbs stared at him from outside his window, three floors down. Luca swallowed, and held his gaze with the beast. Any trace of sleep escaped him as he sensed another pair of golden eyes just on the edge of the woods.

Second Choice:

Anything else? Wolfsbane

#submission #accepted #plotless rp

1 note · View note

looky-here-imma-reading · 5 years ago

Photo

King Kong - Story by Edgar Wallace and Merian C. Cooper, Novelization by Delos W. Lovelace, Introduction by Jack Thorne and Greg Bear, Forward by Mark Cotta Vaz

4 out of 5 stars ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Synopsis:

The giant prehistoric gorilla King Kong is one of the most recognized images in our culture. So great is the mighty Kong’s hold on the popular imagination that his story–a gripping yarn of man versus nature, coupled with a fantastical update of the Beauty and the Beast legend–has been thrice made into a motion picture (most recently in 2005) and referenced endlessly in every medium, from books to prime-time sitcoms. Beneath King Kong’s cultural significance, however, is a tense and surprisingly tender story. One cannot help but be frightened by Kong’s uncontrollable fury, be saddened over the giant’s capture, mistreatment, and exploitation by venal showmen, or sympathize with the beast’s ill-fated affection for the down-on-her-luck starlet Ann Darrow. This Modern Library edition of a true colossus among adventure stories is reprinted from the original 1932 novelization of the movie script, and includes a Preface by Mark Cotta Vaz, the preeminent biographer of Merian C. Cooper, producer of the original 1933 classic film.

My Review:

Prereview Update 1 - "Like the foreword where we get info on how the story of King Kong came about. It’s a nice little bit of Hollywood history thrown in about how the script and novelization came to be."

Prereview Update 2 - "Had to laugh at the introduction, which was written by the guy behind the new broadway show. He basically said King Kong is a great story and has lasted and fascinated people all these years but don’t worry our broadway version is woke. That’s fine."

I love the 1933 film King Kong, it's a fun ride. The film and novelization was filmed and written over eighty years ago so if you're uncomfortable reading, or watching anything that can or is problematic then I'd say skip it.

I finally got around to reading the original King Kong story, after many interruptions, and I loved it. Loved it. The movie novelization was published before the film was released to drum up publicity, and I can only imagine the sensation it was in 1932/33. We start with a bit of backstory on how the idea came about for the film, and the process behind making the film and writing this novelization. It's a nice look into the Hollywood history behind this film. The story is jam packed with adventure, folks getting eaten and killed left and right, a glamours blonde damsel in distress, a grumpy hero, a love story that started with a punch to the face, dinosaurs, giant spiders, not woke stuff, questionable actions, and pure manly adventures of the era. A throwback to a bygone era indeed. The iconic climatic end is just as vivid on the page as it was on the screen. As soon as I was done reading I wanted to go watch the film immediately. It's a breezy read, the adventure does not let up, and you can't help but see images of the film play out in your mind while reading. This story has plenty of issues, and it hasn't aged well in terms of sensitivity to women and other cultures. I'm sure countless people have pointed that out and written about it much better than I could. I knew that going in, but the adventure of it all was still fun too read.

#king kong #edgar wallace #merian c. cooper #delos w. lovelace #movie novelization #classics #fiction #adventure #fantasy #horror #science fiction #roaring twenties #kindle #my reviews

4 notes · View notes

hoopsies · 6 years ago

Photo

- Mmh mh, two runestone, a charged tungsten and even some parts of coppercoil spiders, impressive! And you only did that in one go? Must have been pretty tiresome!

A jovial spiral was furiously typing on her keyboard, logging information at lightning speed. She seemed to be entering data regarding Boltshaft’s hoard. Boltshaft was a small company, one of the many that was operating in the Shifting Expanse. The narrow room was barren, save from the accountant’s office and her small, fake green plant.

- Well we’ll pay you twelve thousands treasure for this! - Excuse-me? Have you lowered the price again?

The wildclaw couldn’t help but grind his teeth, his fatigued eyes squinted at the new employee. She responded with a smile.

- Yes, it looks like we did. - Urgh… The dragon paused for a second and heaved a sigh. Whatever.

The tired wildclaw got tossed a small purse of golden coins and grabbed it before leaving the room with heavy steps.

- Number 615! The spiral shouted, ringing a bell.

Crossing path with the other dragon, a huge ridgeback entered the room. The worn out bag she carried sloppily on her back was at least three time the size of the wildclaw’s, and the sound it made when she put it on the ground resonated in the area for many seconds. Seemingly unimpressed, the spiral opened her mouth :

- So what do y- - Four charged rinohide, twelve vibrant savannah pelt, two buckets of livewire endlers, 7 kilos of charged lemmings and scarab - still alive. Cogs and scraps. She answered sharply.

The accountant quickly checked the prices and looked at the barbaric-looking ridgeback with a smile.

- Boltshaft will offer you forty-five thousand treasures for- - Too low.

She had blue, intense, electric eyes and her gaze was locked into the spiral’s one. She cleared her throat before answering :

- Madam, you have no right to deba- - Everything I got came from the Savannah, the wildlife was only discovered recently and many avoid the place because of the lack of information we have. Thunderstomp’s material is the current local trend, the market is empty of it and this beast is not a cakewalk. Too low. She repeated.

The spiral considered the ridgeback for a second, her natural expression seemed to be one of fury and austereness. She sighed and looked at the prices she had been assigned to use, her eyes swinged back and forth between the huge bag of goods and the treasury. Finally, she joined her hands.

- Alright, let’s make it seventy-five thousands. - Ninety. - Eighty? - Ninety. - Fine.

This dragon was slowing her down in her work, she was not going to talk to this wall any longer. She cracked her finger before giving the dragon one final glance.

- Your name? - Aella.

While the spiral started entering information on her device, Aella snatched the bag of gold and turned around, leaving in her naturally heavy manner.

- Ugh. - Already bored on your first day?

From a door on the back entered another ridgeback, he looked at his colleague with amused eyes. She answered only with a bothered look.

- First time I see a ridgeback that looks and acts so much… unlike one. I mean, she’s from lightning! You guys usually work for the Stormcatcher’s right? Was she born in a cave during a thunderstorm? - Wait, are you talking about Aella? Hey, don’t say such things about her, she used to work here! - Excuse-me?

Her interlocutor shot a smile at the confused spiral.

- Yeah, she’s a super hard worker, great friend with all of us, and the company’s boss too! Used to be the chief operating officer, she was effective and fair to everyone. But she’d always talk about hunting and stuff.

He scratched his chin for a few seconds before continuing while the Spiral was looking at him with curiosity.

- We warned her it was super hard and not seen with a good eye. Lower class stuff. But hey, she’s doing great! I’d say she puts even more energy than she used to, looks happier too! - Happier?

She pictured in her mind the image of this incarnation of work and sternness, and shuddered.

- You should check your eyes. She finally answered.

#lorelocke #2018/12/31 #flight rising #fr #aella #ridgeback #lore #art #she's nice i swear

65 notes · View notes

ao3-spideypool · 6 years ago

Text

Love, At First

read it on the AO3 at https://ift.tt/2FKV00d

by magniloquentChanteuse

Once Upon a time, there was a beauty and a beast. Or would Cinderella be closer? Once upon a time there was a little mermaid?

None of the fairy tales really seemed to fit their situation: one was a hero, and one was a merc paid eighty thousand bucks to take him out. Wade was confident, though, that he'd work it out: love at first sight was straight out of a storybook, and he would get a happy ending out of this if it killed him.

As long as he could keep Spider-Man from ending up dead in the meantime, everything should be fine.

Words: 2869, Chapters: 1/?, Language: English

Fandoms: Spider-Man - All Media Types, Deadpool - All Media Types

Rating: Teen And Up Audiences

Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence

Categories: M/M

Characters: Wade Wilson, Peter Parker, Weasel (Deadpool), Other Character Tags to Be Added

Relationships: Peter Parker/Wade Wilson

Additional Tags: Love at First Sight, Eventual Romance, Enemies to Friends to Lovers, They aren't starting off on the best foot, Slow Burn, Pining, One-Sided Attraction, at first

read it on the AO3 at https://ift.tt/2FKV00d

#IFTTT #ao3feed #fanfic #spideypool

24 notes · View notes

britesparc · 4 years ago

Text

Weekend Top Ten #480

Top Ten Videogame Logos

I like games. I’ve been playing them for a long time; since the 1980s, which was over seven years ago. In that time I’ve seen many ages of gaming come and go – remember full motion video? – but one thing I have noticed is that game packaging has shrunk and shrunk and shrunk. From large sturdy cardboard boxes the size of two hardback books back in the early nineties, to slim ‘n sexy DVD cases around the turn of the millennium, to – well – absolutely nothing these days as we oxidise games from the air. And one of the things that used to – and, I guess, still can do – make a game’s box art really pop was a sexy, elaborate, or otherwise just really frickin’ cool logo.

Now, by “logo” I’m basically talking about the design and typeface of the title itself. I don’t really mean the lambda sign from Half-Life, or – to step outside specific games for a second – the famous Ghostbusters symbol. Some games do actually end up with iconography incorporated into their title design, and you might see a little bit of it here; but for the sake of argument, I’m using “logo” to mean “title”, and how pretty that title is.

And I gotta say, some games had very, very pretty titles.

Now, I know, from research, that 8-bit games released in the eighties often had wild and wacky logos. However, there’s precious little of that on my list, because I didn’t really notice it at the time. I can appreciate it now, looking back, but it meant nothing to me forty years ago because, well, I wasn’t born or was simply far too young to notice. I didn’t really pay attention to box art until I had my Amiga, and that was about 1990. So there’s precious little here that’s genuinely old. That being said, I do seriously think that the golden age of logo design was that late eighties/early nineties period, as we transitioned from 8-bit to 16-bit home computers, with a legacy that continued into the PC dominance years of the mid-to-late-nineties. I think at this point the industry benefited from beginning to have certain established patterns and artists, but was still loose enough to allow a huge deal of experimentation and a feel of general lawlessness. It was in this era that Roger Dean reigned supreme, a vastly talented artist whose airbrush style defined the Amiga 500 for me. His work can be seen on this list, and – surprise – it’s at number one. Dean was so good that not only did his artwork grace dozens of boxes, but he also designed the greatest logo for a game developer of all time.

(Just as an aside: I had a lot of Psygnosis games for the Amiga. I remember vividly my cousin and I would desperately try to parse the wording of that logo – “Is it a P-S-V? P-S-V-C?” – during the brief time it appeared on screen whilst the game loaded. Ah, those exotic early years, full of wonder and possibility… but I digress)

Anyway, there were loads of bright, bold, colourful logos in those days. I think they mostly wanted box art that leaped out from a crowded computer shop shelf, and generally there was probably an assumption that the audience would be either young or nerdy, so there was no outward desire to be elegant or minimalist. Huge, chunky logos were popular; large text, airbrushed artwork, characters incorporated into the logo itself; plenty of shading and embossing effects were used to make a logo stand out proud on the box.

As time wore on, and the target audience aged and maybe wanted to appear a bit cooler, logos seemed to grow smaller. 3D extruded block text was replaced with simple white font work and elegant design. As such, into this new millennium, there are very few really exciting logos nowadays. Even my beloved Half-Life has a really minimalist design, which works, yeah, but it’s not exactly an all-timer. We do still get some very good logos now and again; I’ll go to bat for Halo any day of the week, but even that is twenty years old now. BioShock’s was pretty cool, too, with its rusted brass façade, but even that’s, what, 14 at this point? Blimey.

I think the evolution of the game logo can best be illustrated by comparing the original Doom logo to the one used in the 2016 remake. Vibrant colour versus flat white. I know which I prefer.

So there we are; my ten favourite game logos. And as these are game logos, I’ve banned anything that’s adapted from external media, whether it’s a Star War or Spider-Man or even Cyberpunk 2077 (which does have a cracking logo but is more or less a version of the one used in the original role-playing game). Anyway. Let’s have at it.

Shadow of the Beast (1989): not the first Roger Dean box art, but arguably the most famous, and certainly the one that caught my attention. Well, actually, it was Beast II in 1990 that I saw, but I’m picking this original logo as it’s a bit cleaner without the “II”. Anyway, what’s not to like? Dean’s fantasy-metal style is evident, with a logo that’s kind of threatening to look at, the pointed curls descending from the letters connoting teeth or claws, but the brushed, metallic detailing giving it a technological bent. Supremely cool, freakish, and a style carried very strongly into the game (and moreso the sequel).

Elite (1984): a rare example of a relatively minimalist piece of box art for the eighties, but all the same this logo is something else. Huge and bold, carved out of solid gold, its eagle wings suggesting the power of flight whilst the strangely-crowned head suggests something almost majestic or godlike. It’s the perfect logo for a game about space exploration, yet it also has echoes of Nazi symbolism or even Judge Dredd, giving the game a subtle sense of menace.

Lemmings (1991): unlike the other two, this was a fun, bouncy game, whose childish, cartoony stylings hid a dark and fierce puzzling heart (and also supremely distressing scenes of Lemmings getting mutilated). But this logo is beautiful, its jolly, chunky green typeface reflecting both pastoral beauty and the hair of the little critters; the misaligned letters reminiscent of the undulating hills the levels hint at (but don’t actually contain, particularly). And we get the heads of the Lemming poking out, squarely cementing them as an important part of the experience, their character the defining characteristic of the game itself and all its associated art.

Doom (1993): a seminal moment in gaming, and a seminal logo too. Surprisingly colourful for a game about the ravages of hell, this is a bold and bright bit of typography, the extruded letters suggestive of the 3D nature of the game itself; the almost terracotta tiles meshing with the complex mechanical geometry on the letters reminiscent of the game’s merging of the supernatural with the highly technological. And there’s the pointed extremities of the word, directed down like fangs, hinting at the horrors and dangers to come. Quite simply brilliant.

Minecraft (2009): the most recent game on the list, but its logo is almost a throwback. Thick, square, blocky letters reflect the cuboid nature of the gameworld; the angle away from the camera suggests height and importance, subtly hinting at the scale of the game itself. This is an iconic piece of iconography, instantly recognisable by children – to the extent that trying to draw a logo like Minecraft, or recreate the Minecraft logo itself, is fairly common in our house. I also like that one of the letters appears to be a Creeper.

Pac-Man (1980): and here we have the oldest logo! But so iconic. The chunky font, with letters comprised of thick shapes, devoid of some of their detailing, is cool enough; despite being released at the beginning of the eighties it has an almost sixties vibe. The “C”, of course, looks like Pac-Man himself. But what really makes it art is the offset colours, giving it the air of a misprint or of looking at 3D without glasses. It’s a deeply cool effect and helps make the logo feel timeless.

Dizzy (1987): another oldie, making its first appearance in ‘87’s Dizzy: The Ultimate Cartoon Adventure, although the logo design was very slightly tweaked and refined by the follow year’s Treasure Island Dizzy. Simplistic 3D block letters, but what makes it sing is that they’re dizzy; linework suggests them spinning, but it’s how the perspective differs from letter to letter, giving them a confused and discordant feel, that gives it just that little bit extra.

Zool (1992): perhaps a lesser-known and less iconic logo, unless you were a huge Amiga game in the early nineties. The airbrushing to give it a metallic, embossed effect is very of the moment, but what I love is the eyes. The double-O is rendered as Zool’s cross-looking eyes in his ninja bandana. On one hand, making the Os eyes is rather first-base, but partly it’s how they’re executed that I like; it’s also just because the big angry eyes are rather funny.

Pokémon (1996): first appearing on the cover of Pokémon Red and Green in ’96, the general Pokémon logo is a beaut. Again, it gives the appearance of simplicity, but the execution is complex. Chunky, friendly lettering, yellow like kid favourite Pikachu; kids’ll love that. The blue outline and drop shadow help it pop and give it a subtle, almost 3D effect. And the letters are discordant; rather than a regimented logo, it’s all over the shop, different sizes and weights of letter, all jostling for position on the page. It perfectly encapsulates the tone of the game.

Deus Ex (2000): I’ve more-or-less steered clear of the sci-fi design of “metallic logo that’s otherwise just the title”. I like logos with a bit of something extra; hence no Perfect Dark or Halo, despite those being great in and of themselves. Deus Ex takes the spot, though, partly because the letters seem built out of something, cobbled together in a dystopic, cyberpunk-y way. As you play a cyborg, this feels apt. And then there’s the logo itself, a towering corporate-looking edifice, a brilliant juxtaposition of two shapes that together suggest a D and an X. It’s slick and shiny, and is present in the game itself as a gently rotating loading screen, reflective of the advanced 3D graphics the game possessed.

Honourable mentions go to Theme Park, with a logo that’s suitably corporate and also reflective of a roller coaster, and Quake, just for that really cool nail-through-the-Q effect.

#top ten #games #gaming #logos #artwork #titles #box art #retro games

0 notes

mst3kproject · 7 years ago

Photo

208: Lost Continent

I honestly don't remember hating Lost Continent this much when I first saw the episode. It was just a dull and stupid film that didn't make much of an impression. About the only thing I could recall was Frank and Dr. Forrester gloating over 'rock climbing'. I've now watched the fucking movie four times in the effort to find something to say about it, and I've hated it more every time. Everybody who made this movie needs to be dropped off a cliff. Lost Continent is the equivalent of writing an essay on Hamlet and spending most of it droning about the anatomy of facial bones, because you haven't actually read Hamlet but you know there's a skull in it somewhere.

An experimental rocket comes down on an island in the Pacific, and a crack team of soldiers and scientists are sent to find it and retrieve its top-secret innards. A mysterious phenomenon – which later turns out to be the radiation from an immense uranium deposit – causes their plane to crash on the same island, where the natives tell them that the rocket landed atop the local Sacred Mountain. Despite warnings that nobody who tries to climb the mountain ever comes back, they scale its steep cliffs at great length, and at the top discover a prehistoric world of jungles and dinosaurs!

Exactly how much area this plateau covers is never discussed, but I think I'm safe in saying that it does not qualify as a 'continent'. I'm guessing they called the movie Lost Continent because they wanted to invoke The Lost World without inviting litigation from the estate of Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, who were evidently just as lawyer-happy seventy years ago as they are today. It's still not a good title, and not even a good bad title. A good bad movie title is something like Night of the Blood Beast or The Horrors of Spider Island, inviting all sorts of lurid mental pictures that may or may not be relevant to the actual story. Lost Continent, as a title, is pretty bland. What about Dinosaur Mountain? Or The Land Above the Clouds? Or Radioactive Island? Those are just the first three I came up with off the top of my head!

The title may be dull, but when you describe the movie itself, it actually sounds pretty exciting. A lost prehistoric land at the top of a mountain! Surely we'll get to see dinosaur fights and atomic mutants and beautiful island women! And... well... we do get some of those things (despite the constant talk of radioactivity, there are regrettably no atomic mutants), but they're expensive, so the movie uses as few of them as possible. Instead, it fills eighty minutes mostly by wasting our time.

The movie starts out the way a movie should, by introducing the characters and setting up the rest of the story. We learn about the rocket, about the crash, and that they have to get the instruments back. A lot of movies would rush through this stuff to get to the action, so at this point it's actually kind of nice that Lost Continent lingers and lets us meet everybody. The novelty soon wears off, though, and the movie begins to drag as we move on to a lengthy scene of Cesar Romero's character bragging to a woman about how cool the air force is. There's an awkward moment when he realizes he's already told her this story, and then he's whisked away on the mission. This wouldn't be so bad if it served some kind of purpose in the plot. In a normal movie the girlfriend, and her suspicion that she's not Romero's only girlfriend, would reappear later. In Lost Continent, she's only there to kill time.

Likewise just about everything else we learned in this opening sequence or in most of the sequences that follow it. There's the suspicion that Dr. Rostov might be a spy. In a normal movie, either he would be or else somebody else in the party would be, endangering the whole project – in Lost Continent, there is no spy. There's the boy and girl on the island who point them towards the crash site. In a normal movie these characters would continue to help them, or at least be rescued from the volcanic eruption at the end – in Lost Continent, they are never seen or heard from again. There's the mechanic who talks to his plane like it's his girlfriend. In a normal movie, he'd be able to save them all by repairing it despite impossible odds – in Lost Continent he's just pointless comic relief.

Despite all the time we spend meeting these characters, we never really feel like we know any of them. I certainly don't remember most of their names. I think Cesar Romero's character was called Nolan, but the only one I'm sure of is Dr. Rostov, and only because he's The Russian. The rest of them all kind of look alike, as guys in fifties movies tend to do, and I don't even recall which one was Hugh Beaumont. For all the emphasis on them, this is not a character-driven movie, and so the time spent on them, like the time spent on the island kids or Romero's girlfriend, is just wasted.

Then we get into the rock climbing.

I don't know if anything needs to be said about the rock climbing. Joel pretty much said it all in his little speech on the history of padding: the rock climbing sequence is there to push the movie up to feature length, and while it's actually about fifteen minutes long it feels like it takes four days. Even when one of the identical cast members falls to his death we don't care, because we as the audience know damned well that there are dinosaurs on the top of that mountain and the movie is deliberately putting off showing them to us! It's as if your mom decided on Christmas Eve that you can't open presents until New Years.

Anyone who can wade through the rock climbing sequence without falling asleep or turning the movie off is rewarded by finally arriving at the titular Lost Continent. There are two basic types of prehistoric lands in movies – islands, which come from Edgar Rice Burrough's The Land that Time Forgot, and mountain plateaux, which come from Sir Arthur Conan Doyle's The Lost World. Islands are more common in fiction, perhaps because they seem more plausibly isolated to us, and ironically Doyle's term lost world is often used to refer to them, as in The Lost World: Jurassic Park. As an example of a mountain plateau 'lost world', Lost Continent is actually pretty rare, and it's interesting that they added the layer of toxic smog around the mountain. This seems to tie into the plausibility thing. In somebody's mind, the steep cliffs just weren't enough to keep this ecosystem from interacting with the outside world, so this extra barrier was needed. Too bad that's the only interesting thing in the movie.

As in the Hamlet metaphor in the opening paragraph, the fact that the film-makers appear to have drawn inspiration from The Lost World doesn't mean they actually read it. I think they may have seen the 1925 film when it was new, and based their movie on dim recollections of that. They knew there was a scientific expedition and dinosaurs, and they sure as shit knew there was a mountain, but that seems to be about it. Like Yorick's skull in Hamlet, the mountain in The Lost World is a fairly iconic image, but not really part of what the story is about.

When we do get to the dinosaurs... well, let's say they're not exactly worth waiting for. They're realized through cheap, plasticine-y stop motion, and have amusing cartoonish faces. The two triceratops have parrot-like smiles and while the brontosaurus never snarls like its counterpart in the 1925 Lost World it's still pretty damn silly. Despite there being a T-rex on the poster, we never see one in the movie. And this probably doesn't bother anybody but me, but almost nobody who writes 'land of isolated prehistoric creatures' stories ever seems to realize that creatures in such an environment would continue to evolve. Even if there were recognizable ceratopsians on the mountain, there shouldn't be recognizable sauropods, because those were extinct long before triceratops came along! The only movies that have an excuse for mixing geological eras like that are the aforementioned Jurassic Park franchise.

And of course, there's the ending where the whole island blows up in a conveniently-timed volcanic eruption, so that there will never be any consequences for any of this. If the characters went home and said holy shit everybody, we found a mountain with dinosaurs! the entire world would show up to see, leading to lots of science and dinosaurs being put in zoos and a bunch of other things that could make for much better movies than Lost Continent. We can't have that! Instead we get our heroes in the same position as the guys in The Mole People or the dude from Phantom Planet, where they can't tell anybody about this amazing thing they found because the evidence is gone and they'll be considered liars or madmen. I hate those endings.

Lost Continent is a nasty joke of a movie, one that delivers what it promised but in a way that seems calculated to leave the audience feeling cheated. The dinosaur footage in the trailer is a cynical trick to part people from their money for as little as possible in return. There's almost nothing in the movie, and everything that is in it sucks. Yet somehow, it still doesn't leave as bad a taste in my mouth as shit like Hobgoblins or Attack of the The Eye Creatures. Maybe because Frank and Dr. Forrester warned me about the rock climbing interlude. Or maybe because by the time we got to the dinosaur footage, my expectations had dipped so low that the shitty plateau sequence actually met them. Or maybe the movie is just so forgettable that I'm able to repress it without pain.

If you're interested in an adventure story about a 'lost island' where evolution has continued, try Warren Fahy's Fragment. If you want one that explores what happens later in a world where somebody found a lost land of prehistoric life, there's Greg Bear's Dinosaur Summer. I'm still waiting for somebody to make a movie out of either.

#mst3k #reviews #lost continent #50s #rock climbing #dinosaurs make everything better #non hamlet reviews that mention hamlet #cryptid cinema

32 notes · View notes

actionbookz-blog · 5 years ago

Photo

Get 'If Nuns Ruled the World' on OFFER for a Limited Time Only!

Here: https://www.bookzio.com/if-nuns-ruled-the-world-ten-sisters-on-a-mission/

“Fascinating profiles” of remarkable nuns, from an eighty-three-year-old Ironman champion to a crusader against human trafficking (Daily News [New York]). “In an age of villainy, war and inequality, it makes sense that we need superheroes,” writes Nicholas Kristof of The New York Times. “And after trying Superman, Batman and Spider-Man, we may have found the best superheroes yet: Nuns.” In If Nuns Ruled the World, veteran reporter Jo Piazza overthrows the popular perception of nuns as killjoy schoolmarms, instead revealing them as the most vigorous catalysts of change in an otherwise repressive society. Meet Sister Simone Campbell, who traversed the United States challenging a Congressional budget that threatened to severely undermine the well-being of poor Americans; Sister Megan Rice, who is willing to spend the rest of her life in prison if it helps eliminate nuclear weapons; and the inimitable Sister Jeannine Gramick, who is fighting for acceptance of gays and lesbians in the Catholic Church. During a time when American nuns are often under attack from the very institution to which they devote their lives — and the values of the institution itself are hotly debated — these sisters offer thought-provoking and inspiring stories. As the Daily Beast put it, “Anybody looking to argue there is a place for Catholicism in the modern world should just stand on a street corner handing out Piazza’s book.”

Free and Bargain-Priced Action Books Daily

#LGBT

0 notes

puddeneen · 8 years ago

Text

fandom fic rec days, post the second

(previous post)

just hobbit stuff in this rec, i’m afraid, bar one! but i make up for it with quantity?

Heart of the Mountain by esama (post-botfa, everyone lives, gen, kiliel; drama, friendship, political) neat as heck (unfinished, but still neat as heck) aftermath-of-the-everyone-lives-outcome piece, following bilbo and the dwarves’ efforts to piece things back together post-betrayal and bloodshed and all that unpleasantness

The Winter of Discontent by Brass_Brassicas (universe alteration, bagginshield; drama, hurt/comfort, slow burn) wonderfully characterized universe alteration wherein bilbo reluctantly plays host to a pair of displaced young dwarves and ends up with far more on his plate than he knows how to handle

The Haunting of Bilbo by EinahSirro (post-botfa, canon compliant, bagginshield; supernatural, angst, drama) because you can’t go wrong with ghost!thorin, let’s be real

I’m Not Sure This is Actually a Coffee Shop by bendingsignpost (alternate universe, gen; drama, humour) aka this is not the trope you were looking for

Light in the Window by wonderwhatthisbuttondoes (post-botfa, reshirement, bagginshield; depression, grief, recovery) in which thorin outlives his nephews, and he and bilbo cope as best they can, in the aftermath

The Service by rutobuka (alternate universe, modernized middle earth, cis-swap, fem!bagginshield; sex work, drama, intimacy, porn with feelings, romance) thorin oakenshield may harbour a slight crush on the hobbit she’s paying for sex. just a small one. absolutely no pining here.

Light Words about Nothing, and Other Rare Pleasures of Life by Margo_Kim (pre-hobbit, dis-centric; humour, fluff, friendship) in which dis travels to rivendell and makes a friend

A Little Privacy by keelywolfe (post-botfa, everyone lives, bagginshield; romance, humour, pwp) wherein thorin just vants to be alone (but fat chance of that)

Never Let Me Go by alkjira (post-botfa, everyone lives, bagginshield; mutual pining, angst, humour, romance) idiots in love, basically

The Nine Lives of Bilbo Baggins by captain (theoddoodisnude) (alternate universe, bagginshield; supernatural, angst, action/adventure, horror, romance) belladonna baggins saves a fairy’s life in her youth, and that fairy grants her first-born child a boon: nine resurrections, each marked by the daisies on his chest. sadly, as far as the quest for erebor is concerned, this makes things only marginally easier

On Wing’d Beast does Fortune Fly by TheIndianWinter (universe alteration, bagginshield; fairytale elements, animal transformation, drama, romance) wherein prince thorin receives a gift from the elvenking and the gift is Not Amused

They Call Kids Like Us Vicious by Lapin (post-auj, bagginshield, filiori; drama, romance, angst) getting better acquainted at beorn’s, and then Getting Better Acquainted at beorn’s

The paradox of now or never by Astardanced77 (post-botfa, everyone lives, bagginshield; angst, mutual pining, romance) misunderstandings and some sorely-needed clarification in the aftermath of thorin’s coronation

People You’ve Been Before by Irrealia (post-botfa, everyone lives, bagginshield; angst, romance) nipping some unhappy memories in the bud through creative means, or: doing the do on the battlements. nice

Warm Up by paranoid_fridge (post-botfa, everyone lives, bagginshield; reshirement, fluff, pwp) bilbo falls into a stream while out for a stroll, and thorin takes it upon himself to warm him up

Northern Downpour by songs_of_the_moon (post-botfa, canon compliant, bagginshield; supernatural, drama, angst, romance) in which bilbo is either losing his mind, or the ghost of thorin ii oakenshield is trying (very earnestly, all credit due) to court him

Plain Gold Ring’s Got a Story to Tell by Irrealia (post-auj, bagginshield; porn with feelings, friendship, first time) alone time is hard to come by on a quest to reclaim a homeland, but then alone time can in fact be Better Together

Quest’s End by Margo_Kim (post-dos, universe alteration, bagginshield; humour, romance) this fic>>>>>>>>the entire first thirty minutes of botfa (and a great deal of the remaining minutes) honestly

Purls Beyond Measure by toastfic (pre-dos, ori-centric, pre-bagginshield; friendship, hurt/comfort, knitting) ori helps bilbo out with a problem or two in the latter half of their journey east

Raise your voice. by grimdark_cake (post-botfa, everyone lives, illustrated, bagginshield; fix-it, slice of life, drama, humour, romance) a story narrated to the tune of erebor’s slow and steady restoration

Respectability Is For The Weak by grimcognito (post-botfa, everyone lives, bagginshield; reshirement, humour, romance) ridiculous husbands being domestic (and ridiculous)

Returned by StrivingArtist (post-botfa, everyone lives, bagginshield; drama, angst, mutual pining, romance) wherein bilbo finds out the worth of his mithril corselet, and has no idea what to do with that knowledge

The Road goes ever on and on by paranoid_fridge (post-botfa, everyone lives, travelogue, bagginshield; action/adventure, romance, drama) an eventful retirement for thorin oakenshield and his consort-hobbit

Roses are red, forget-me-nots are blue by alkjira (post-botfa, everyone lives, bagginshield; angst, pining, romance) in which bilbo jumps to unfortunate conclusions while thorin is enamoured and oblivious

Slow Burn by rachel4revenge (post-botfa, everyone lives, bagginshield, kiliori; angst, pining, romance) bilbo returns to the shire after the quest, heartsore and very much a changed hobbit. he takes up bee-keeping, adopts an orphaned relative, and does his best to settle with his unrequited feelings. and then, years later, a dwarf knocks at his door.

Smoke In the Night by authoressjean (time-travel, bagginshield; angst, grief, hope, romance) bilbo wakes up in the shire after his death, eighty years younger and none-the-wiser with regards to the whys or the hows. he is aware, however, that he may very well have to opportunity to change the outcome of the quest for erebor. but taking that chance may be the furthest thing from easy

So Crowned by baggvinshield (post-botfa, everyone lives, bagginshield; romance, humour) in a happier aftermath, bilbo and thorin begin the transition from old idiots in love to coronated old idiots in love

So Ends This Day by tirsynni (fix-it, everyone lives, bagginshield, kiliel; drama, action/adventure) because fuck ravenhill and fuck those wasted moments that might have made for a happier outcome fuck it fuCK EVERYTHIGN

The Spiders of Erebor by KaavyaWriting (post-botfa, everyone lives, bagginshield; humour, seasonal, romance) bilbo introduces his husband and cohorts to the grand old shire tradition of all hallow’s eve

Splinters and Bruises by Mithen (post-auj, bagginshield; angst, hurt/comfort) gorgeous carrock-aftermath piece wherein thorin helps patch bilbo up after their misadventures in the misty mountains

The Satyr by rutobuka & yubiwamonogatari (alternate universe, illustrated, bagginshield; drama, humour, magical realism, romance) Bilbo Baggins encounters something strange in the Old Forest - something which very well may need his help

The Subways of Men by bendingsignpost (alternate universe, modernized middle earth, bagginshield; first meetings, romance) very possibly the meet cute to end all meet cutes

Summer by alkjira (post-botfa, everyone lives, bagginshield; humour, romance) wherein bilbo makes a raspberry pie, gets drunk before midday, and feels up his husband in the middle of a field. good times for all, really

A Tactful Solution by Ias (post-botfa, everyone lives, bagginshield; humour, domesticity, romance) king thorin gets his feelings hurt, and his consort gets a laugh

Third Time’s The Charm by alkjira (post-auj, bagginshield; crack, fluff, supernatural) in which a love spell goes awry, or, well, a truth spell, or some kind of lowering-the-inhibitions spell, radagast has no idea and it wasn’t his fault anyway, he swears

Thorin Comes for Bilbo by sunryder (post-botfa, everyone lives, bagginshield; drama, angst, humour, romance) a letter arrives in erebor bearing startling news, and thorin has a decision to make

This is How it Starts by lily_winterwood (alternate universe, modernized middle earth, bagginshield; romance, drama) wherein bilbo gets to talking with a fellow passenger on his and frodo’s morning tram-ride

Though far away we’re still the same by lloydsglasses (post-botfa, everyone lives, bagginshield; asexuality, marriage of convenience, angst, friendship, drama) bilbo and thorin are wed in the aftermath of the battle of five armies, and struggle to repair their relationship alongside the demands and expectations of their union

A Thousand Miles From Comfort by perkynurples (post-auj, bagginshield; angst, humour, porn with feelings) in which bilbo is a power bottom and thorin doesn’t stand a chance, really

Through Shadow and Flame by Cinderstrato (universe alteration, bagginshield; supernatural, action/adventure, friendship, romance, angst, hurt/comfort) beautiful and brilliant universe alteration in which erebor never fell, but the arkenstone of thrain heralds trouble all the same

three words on the tip of my tongue (not to be spoken or sung, or whispered to anyone) by KaavyaWriting (post-auj, bagginshield; friendship, drama, angst, romance) wherein thorin and bilbo draw ever closer in the aftermath of their flight from the misty mountains

To the Ends of the Earth by comeswithaprice (universe alteration, time travel, bagginshield; drama, friendship, romance, angst) thorin oakenshield inherits the fabled gift of durin’s line, stumbling in and out of time at various points throughout his life and always, always coming back to one singular fixed point: a halfling named bilbo baggins

To You I Bestow by Emelye (post-botfa, thorin lives, bagginshield; friendship, pre-slash, internalized homophobia, pining) wherein the weight of a realized kingship proves too heavy for thorin to bear, and he and bilbo eventually depart for the shire together

Together by HildyJ (post-botfa, everyone lives, reshirement, bagginshield; domesticity, fluff, slice of life) naked slobs in bed aka perfection

Trauma Colours by spinnd (post-botfa, everyone lives, bagginshield; ptsd, chronic illness, recouping, angst, romance) wherein thorin takes the fight with his demons to the shire after the battle of five armies, and bilbo helps where he can

trouvaille by northerntrash (alternate universe, bagginshield; retirement, property restoration, slice of life, angst, romance) old idiots in love bickering, slaving, and reconnecting over the course of a summer spent restoring a beloved place gone to seed

In which the Dwarves are Satyrs, because Reasons by HiddenKitty (alternate universe, bagginshield, bungodonna; coming-of-age, friendship, angst, romance) pretty much does what it says on the tin, albeit gorgeously

(Un)Familiar Ground by The Feels Whale (miscellea) (time-travel, fix-it, bagginshield; drama, action/adventure, humour, angst) fav bilbo-relives-the-quest fic ever, even unfinished as it is; inventive, wonderfully characterized, and all that with minimal retreading-events-by-rote type filler! a gem

Unanticipated offerings by Astardanced77 (post-botfa, everyone lives, bagginshield; friendship, gifting, anniversaries, romance) a year to the day after the company comes knocking on bag end’s front door, bilbo is surprised with gifts from each of his friends, the last of which is not nearly the least

Uncle Bilbo Is Not Going On Your Adventure by Erisah_May (universe alteration, gen; humour, drama, shire politics) wherein gandalf makes assumptions with regards to bilbo’s willingness/availability to take on a quest that he probably shouldn’t

An Unexpected Predicament by paranoid_fridge (post-botfa, everyone lives, bagginshield; action/adventure, abduction, torture, drama, hurt/comfort) thorin and bilbo fall foul of a kidnapping plot and must do their best to outwit their captors until they can be rescued

Want by Comedia (post-auj, bagginshield; drama, first time, romance) bilbo and thorin give each other what they can, with a dragon waiting at the end of their journey and the future all uncertain

We Shall Be Monsters by Erinye (alternate universe, frankenstein fusion, bagginshield; supernatural, horror, drama) wherein doctor thorin eijkenskiadi’s dark labours finally bear fruit, one dark and stormy night, and he could never be prepared for the consequences

What was promised by paranoid_fridge (post-dos, everyone lives, bagginshield; dubious morality, gold-sickness, angst, romance, happy ending) in erebor, bilbo agrees to marry thorin after smaug’s death, despite the arkenstone still concealed in his effects and the noose of the gold-sickness tightening around them. it doesn’t make things easier

When You’re Ready by Irrealia (post-botfa, everyone lives, bagginshield; regret, ptsd, emotional hurt/comfort, romance) the uphill struggle that is thorin’s learning to live with himself in the aftermath of the battle of five armies is a steep and slow climb. he gets there eventually

where moments turn into forever by alkjira (post-botfa, everyone lives, bagginshield, filibofur, kiliel; humour, romance) not so much a quiet reshirement, but a good one, all the same

A Willing Heart by impossiblewanderings (post-auj, bofur-centric, slight bagginshield; friendship, angst, action/adventure, hurt/comfort) wherein a pack of wargs ambush the company on the way to beorn’s, and one of their number is lost

Winterfilth by Irrealia (post-botfa, everyone lives, bagginshield; seasonal, gardening, humour, fluff) in which erebor’s climate is not ideally suited to certain hobbitish traditions, but bilbo makes do (with a little help)

Yuletide traditions by Astardanced77 (post-botfa, everyone lives, bagginshield; seasonal, reshirement, hobbit traditions, friendship, romance) intent on acquiring the perfect yule gift, thorin turns to bilbo’s relatives for aid

Yours for the Having by katajainen 8872450 (post-auj, bagginshield; romance, fluff, porn with feelings) in which bilbo and thorin share a bath in lake-town and Stuff Happens

The Time for Home by Drenagon (universe alteration, bagginshield; drama, friendship, humour, action/adventure) in dire straits, the dwarves of ered luin turn to the hobbits of the shire for aid, an undertaking which eventually bears fruit after a somewhat rocky start. in recompense, the twelve-strong envoy of dwarves agree to help their host, bilbo baggins, with a problem he claims threatens the very security of his home - only, as it turns out, the problem may yet be further reaching

The Selkie by HiddenKitty (alternate universe, cis-swap, fem!bagginshield; supernatural, romance, drama) a trapper has a strange encounter on the ice fields that turns her world upside down

Put Me In The Ground by Lapin (post-hobbit, canon compliant, bagginshield; grief, drama) with regards to the matter of bilbo baggins’ bachelorhood

A Royal Guardianship by ladyoakenshields (post-botfa, everyone lives, bagginshield; reshirement, adoption, familial relationships, drama) wherein bilbo, thorin, and frodo begin the process of becoming a family

Set Your Heart On This Far Shore by one_go_alone (alternate universe, moderized middle earth, bagginshield; mutual pining, misunderstandings, cultural differences, social media, romance) in which king thorin ii of erebor runs into someone he thought quite lost to him

Down the Road and Back Again by seashadows (alternate universe, modernized middle earth, bagginshield, noridwalin, etc; modern royalty, legal problems, humour, drama, familial relationships, romance) wherein erebor’s king enlists the aid of lawyer bilbo baggins with regards to a matter of some … delicacy

What Tradition Told You by Lapin (alternate universe, bagginshield, filiori, gigolas, kiliel; drama, angst, familial relationships, workers unions, rivalries, romance) the ups and downs of life for union leader thorin oakenshield and his cohorts

A Dwarven Companion by SailorBryant (post-botfa, everyone lives, bagginshield; cultural differences, internalized homophobia, pining, angst, romance) with the mountain reclaimed, and every member of thorin’s company safe and accounted for, you’d be forgiven for thinking bilbo’s troubles quite finished. it turns out, however, that that’s not the case - but they’re on the scale of marauding dragons or orc hordes this time around, at least

Five Blankets by mcmanatea & rutobuka (alternate universe, modernized middle earth, cis-swap, fem!bagginshield; drama, humour, romance) wherein an offensive article written by her cousin lobelia lands bilbo baggins in hot water with some of her customers

Where Have All The Flowers Gone by perkynurples (alternate universe, wartime era, bagginshield; epistolary, drama, angst, slow burn, romance) youngsters kili and fili are shipped off to the countryside on the behest of their uncle, a lieutenant colonel very much preoccupied with his nephews’ safety in the wake of world war ii’s outbreak. as the months elapse, and over the course of letters and sparse gifts, a dialogue opens up between the soldier and the boys’ host, and both men become dearer to each other than they know

What’s Behind and What’s Before by KaavyaWriting (time travel, fix-it, universe alteration, pre-hobbit, bagginshield; angst, drama, friendship, ptsd, slow burn) wherein bilbo relives the events of the quest - or he will do, eventually, once he’s finished reliving his childhood. and his tween years. and everything else up to the point’s where he’s fully grown and quite tired of the waiting about, and sets off for ered luin to see his dearly-missed dwarves

away ere break of day by lilithiumwords (universe alteration, canon divergence, bagginshield; action/adventure, drama, angst, what-if) thorin and bilbo are captured on ravenhill and must fight together for their lives and their freedom, and then for their friendship (or whatever else might once have been between them)

13 Dwarfs And A Hobbit Walk Into A Bar by alkjira (canon divergence, 5 + 1 things, everyone lives, bagginshield; drinking, friendship, humour, fluff) bilbo baggins, in and out of his cups at various points throughout the quest for erebor

aaand for anyone else who’s still laughing, post-s4 and its various inanities:

same as it ever was by theonlytwin (sherlock, au post-s2; john watson/sebastian moran-as-played-by-richard-armitage, like-specifically-by-richard-armitage) i recc this constantly and i’m probably never gonna stop. but with good reason! shhh just trust me, you’ll see

#ficrecdays #fic rec #the hobbit #sherlock #bagginshield #mostly bagginshield anyway (there's some gen)#johnbastian #that's also a thing here #altho yr absolutely free to interpret it as reincarnate!bagginshield (i have and will)

375 notes · View notes