#I keep forgetting that Disney sequels are actually great and perfect and I love them sm

[princecoolkid]

Listening to the TLK2 ost has given me a new appreciation of the song "Upendi." I've never hated it but it's always been my least favorite with the best I could say for it is "it's cute (not very affectionate)"

But hearing Kiara join in and later Kovu at the end 🥺 Like oh no they're so FRIGGIN. CUUUUTE

[lil-tachyon]

Hey logan, i'm trying to get into sci fi more, do you have any media, movies or otherwise you'd say it's a must watch for someone starting to get into it? Thanks

Super broad question! And precisely the thing I love to talk about. Although unfortunately I really don’t watch a lot of movies or TV so the best I can do for you is list some stuff I like and hope that you find something you enjoy. If we were talking sci-fi literature, that’s something I would probably write a full essay on- if anyone’s interested in reading my thoughts on that and getting my really long list of recommendations, just let me know. I might even do it on my own anyway, just for fun…

I guess if we’re going to talk about “must-watch” sci-fi movies then we have to talk about Star Wars first just to get it out of the way. I’ll keep it brief, far too much ink has been spilt regarding this franchise and you can find more in-depth opinions somewhere else. The original trilogy is great- there’s a reason it launched one of the biggest media franchises of the past 45 years. Endlessly rewatchable, somehow still looks better than basically any other big budget SFF popcorn movie and just plain fun. If you somehow haven’t seen the OT yet, get to it. 

You don’t really need to watch any other Star Wars stuff aside from the OT. The prequels aren’t exactly essential and they’re unquestionably worse in terms of dialog, acting, pacing (i.e. the nuts and bolts of storytelling.) If you’ve never watched Star Wars before you won’t have any nostalgia for them so you can skip them. Don’t even bother with the Disney sequels- pointless and incoherent. If you DO for some reason want more Star Wars in your life I can give you two recommendations: 

First is the masterpiece that is Genndy Tartakovsky’s (creator of Samurai Jack) Star Wars: Clone Wars (2003) (no, not the CGI Clone Wars show you’re probably thinking of). Split into 25 episodes ranging in length from two to twelve minutes, the whole show is only about two hours long but boy is it sweet. There are no main characters and not much in the way of an overarching plot. Instead the show is composed of a series of rapid-fire vignettes that take place across the entire Star Wars galaxy and tell dozens of unique microstories. It’s pulpy and fun and never takes itself too seriously and the whole thing is on YouTube because for some reason Disney actually hates everything that made Star Wars good and hasn’t taken the time to copyright strike it.

Second recommendation is the Mandalorian. I didn’t believe it when people started raving about it, but it really is great and tells a poignant, self-contained, original story. It’s not perfect and it definitely suffers from the Disneywars curse of really obnoxious references to the OT, but it’s absolutely worth the watch.

Damn that’s so much more time than I wanted to spend on Star Wars. I always forget how much of a SW geek I am until I start talking about it…

Quick list of the other big “essentials” that I’ve seen and can recommend before I get into more personal stuff (in no particular order):

Alien (1979) - Weird and creepy and gross and with impeccable visual design in every single frame. I need to rewatch it, only seen it once.

Akira (1988) - Massive, groundbreaking, unsettling, beautiful. Brought cyberpunk into the visual realm, brought anime to the West in a whole new way. I could rewatch it a hundred times. 

2001: A Space Odyssey (1968) - A foundational film that moves at a foreboding crawl and leaves you feeling unsafe and unsure of what you just watched. (Also my dad’s band referenced the monkey scene in their big-label debut music video, so that should be reason enough to watch it)

Close Encounters of the Third Kind (1977) - UFOs, the American West, and the most 70s-looking cast imaginable. It feels more a product of its time than most of the others on this list, but I love it for that and it does nothing to make it any less impactful or engrossing.

The Terminator (1984) and Terminator 2: Judgement Day (1991) - I waited waaaaaay too long to watch these. I only got around to seeing them this past year in fact. I had always just written them off in my head as nothing more than cheesy 80s action flicks but my God are they good and so much different from what I expected. The first one is basically a sci-fi slasher film and the second is probably the best sequel film I’ve ever seen and takes everything in a totally different direction that still manages to build on all the groundwork laid by the first. Please watch, don’t be like me and wait until you’re twenty-six. 

Nausicaä of the Valley of the Wind (1984) - My favorite Ghibli movie. For being a film about people flying airships and fighting bugs in a giant toxic jungle, it really has a lot of important stuff to say and says it very well.

Castle in the Sky (1988) - Hits a lot of the same plot beats as Nausicaä and, imo, suffers a little bit in comparison but still a great anime sci-fantasy romp. 

The Thing (1982) - Disgusting sci-fi horror in the glacial Antarctic wastes

The Twilight Zone (1959-1964) - The first, the best. Sure, it’s inconsistent in terms of quality, but it’s at least consistently weird and inventive and the good episodes are really damn good. Also something I love about it is the acting- it’s very over-the-top expressive and exaggerated. Feels more like it’s meant for the stage than for the small screen. You don’t see a lot of TV like that these days. 

The X-Files (1993-2002, 2016-2018) - Absolutely in my top 5 TV shows. It was great to watch as a 14-year-old because I was still young enough to find it scary, and it’s great on every re-watch because I can really appreciate how much chemistry Gillian Anderson and David Duchovny have and how fun, goofy, and overall weird it is. As I recall it starts to decline noticeably in season 8. Season 9 you’ll have to grit your teeth to get through. The 2016-2018 revival is half composed of unwatcheable “storyline” episodes and half surprisingly good-to-great “monster of the week” episodes.

Cowboy Bebop (1998-1999) - My number one favorite anime, I love everything about it. So much effort goes into small background details and characters that only appear for a few seconds and it really goes a long way to making the whole universe of the show feel so real that you could see yourself living in it. Also the soundtrack is top-notch, I listen to it regularly. 

Neon Genesis Evangelion (1995-1996) and End of Evangelion (1997) - Another one that I took too long to get to and to be honest I probably would’ve been more into it had I watched it when I was younger, but it’s still great and I recommend it. Features a classic “inflation suit” episode

Stuff that’s less “essential” but I really like it:

Planetes (2003-2004) - My second favorite anime. Starts off as a workplace slice-of-life and slowly builds into a really, really emotional conclusion. Can’t recommend it enough.

Forbidden Planet (1956) - A sci-fi adaptation of Shakespeare’s The Tempest (I’m an illiterate piece of shit so I can’t tell you how good an adaptation it is). It’s slow-paced and eerie, and way more atmospheric than its decidedly 1950s visuals would lead you to believe.

Digimon: The Movie (2000) / Summer Wars (2009) - A short story: as a kid I probably watched the Digmon Movie about a million times. It was huge with kids my age and was probably an entire generation’s first introduction to ska-punk. It’s a great movie. Anyway, fast forward about a decade and a half and at some point I sit down to watch Summer Wars with my brother on no other information than that we heard it’s good. And it is! But pretty soon into the movie we both notice something odd- it seems to feature almost the exact same plot as the Digmon Movie. After a bit of digging we find out that they were both directed by the same guy and it seems he just had this idea in his head for a story that he really wanted to make for over a decade because Summer Wars is basically a more mature and less merchandisable remake. Watch them both!

Samurai Jack (2001-2004, 2017) - the first cartoon I saw as a kid that really made me say “finally, something for me!” I wouldn’t get another TV show aimed at me that was “cool” and “epic” and “badass” until ATLA came out. Nothing beats watching a samurai fight a million robots and bounty-hunters on an endless quest to go back to the past. Also the season 5 revival is great and I genuinely don’t get why a lot of people seemed to really hate on it. 

Moon (2009) - It’s been a LONG time since I watched it, but I liked it quite a bit. A lonely lunar miner runs into what seems to be his double and things get spooky…

Prospect (2018) - More space miners running into trouble! Really great costume and prop design on a super small budget (but you wouldn’t know it from how good it looks). 

Mobile Suit Gundam 0080: War in the Pocket (1989) - Listen- I’m not a gundam guy. I don’t care about all the different robots and I��m not about to watch 40 years of TV to try and figure out the story. Which is why War in the Pocket is great because it’s six episodes long and it just tells a really touching story punctuated by cool robot battles and you don’t need to know anything about Gundam to enjoy it.

Royal Space Force: The Wings of Honnêamise (1987) - A story about a space race set on an alternate world. What really sets it apart is the visual design- every detail from books, to currency, to texts to vehicles, to architecture is unique enough to feel totally alien but also grounded enough to somehow feel familiar. It’s quite an achievement. Trigger Warning: there’s a very uncomfortable rape scene in the middle of the film that seems to come out of nowhere. I’m still not sure why they chose to include it.

Jin-Roh: The Wolf Brigade (1999) - Military police get up to some real nasty stuff in alternate history fashy 1950s Japan. Very depressing, all my friends complained to me about how sad it was even though they went into it knowing what it was about and agreeing to watch it with me. You just can’t win sometimes!

That’s about all I have for now. I know it’s all kind of basic bitch stuff but like I said, I don’t often watch movies/TV. Hope it helps and thanks for the great question!

[chocolateslatte]

🚨The Rise of Skywalker Detailed Review and Spoilers Ahead🚨

George Lucas: “If the boy and girl walk off into the sunset hand-in-hand in the last scene, it adds 10 million to the box office”

The “fairytale” we got: A long long time ago in a galaxy far far away, there was a curse of pain and death in a family that just went on and on.  They were never able to break it and they all die, the end. 

Well, you did it JJ, you little punk...you ruined 40 years of cinema. Kids are coming out of theatres crying, they can’t understand. I guess this was the “fun and hopeful ending” you were speaking of during the press tours.  Are you on crack or something, or just sadistic....why would you promote it like that!? Did you forget Star Wars at its core is a story of hope, light, a fairytale in space for children? They did it...they united Reylo’s and Fanboys through hate. 

JJ you do realize tragical romances are only tragically romantic if there was romantic buildup? Romeo and Juliet married in secret, Anidala did as well and flirted in the fields. How was this supposed to be satisfying? A five-second beginning, middle, and end. How this went through multiple execs is beyond me.... I would have understood if Reylo was Rian’s creation. BUT JJ LITERALLY was the one who told Rian to go forth with it...he created Reylo so you can’t say the last Jedi derailed things on that front. JJ wasn’t brave enough for his own vision. This movie was like “the crimes of Grindlewald”, a lot of stuff happening that made me feel nothing. 

Okay, first things first. The OG trilogy was necessary, the prequels were necessary to set up that Vader did not start off bad. What was necessary about the sequels? They just dismantled everything the Skywalker family worked for. Why did we have to see ALL of our favorite characters die? Was the aim that a villain can only be redeemed through death? How original. I’m convinced what they were planning for since force awakens was a journey from villain to hero...but instead we got this a 10min redemption resulting in death a la Vader. Why call Adam Driver’s character a “Disney Prince”?When did Happy endings become so controversial? We go to the movies to feel hope, to escape reality...George Lucas understood that. JJ’s trilogy is uninspired, bland and contributes nothing to the saga. JJ went as far as to recon his own “The Force Awakens”.It had the chance to define generations but no. Literal and utter garbage. Rian made some odd choices but he was bold, unafraid and had the vision. HE knew emotion was at the heart of Star Wars.

WHERE DID THE SKYWALKERS RISE? MORE LIKE RISE OF PALPATINE,  HE BLOODY WON

BUT my problem is not with the ending, it’s the bloody entire movie. This movie made me realize that it's not Reylo that I am a fan of, it was Ben, Leia, Han, Ani, Padme, and all those other characters. I’m upset because this movie is not my Star Wars: of family, love and above all else hope. This is just a 2.5-hour video game with no emotions. This trilogy was all angst with NO payoff.

Okay, you will never ever convince me Palpatine was planned the whole time. This whole movie was retcon for the Last Jedi that pissed off the fanboys. Lucas films did not have an outline for the three films and Rian derailed whatever they wanted to do....except they didn’t even tell him what they wanted! This should be a cautionary tale of why you need to plan. Kylo ain’t bad, Snoke is gone....well pull out Palpatine I guess. This whole film is JJ’s mad scrambling.  Alright, I will humor you, tell me how Palpatine came back when he fell down a shaft and exploded....not *boom boom because of force*. The force in this movie is not canon George Lucas force, it’s just an easy out whenever JJ wants one. 

1. Opening Crawl: As soon as I saw this I knew all the leaks were true, I wanted to bolt from the theatre. When I saw them in August I laughed cause it was so ridiculous it couldn’t be true. How could Disney let a whole movie leak? The plot seemed like a bad fan-fiction. Actually, fanfics are way more true to lore. Anyway, so Palpatine “announces” that he’s back. Is this the shrewd Chancellor Palpatine we know? Certainly, not...why in the world would he announce it rather than keep on the DL and just attack. Yo Palps ain’t this dumb why would you let them (the resistance) prepare?? Because of plot...well okay. 

2. Did Last Jedi even happen:  this film is the sequel to the force awakens, like TLJ never happened...except it’s acting like there was some movie in between that JJ made. Okay, so why is Kylo trying to run Rey over with his tie fighter...he doesn’t really want to kill her. It’s just meaningless action shots.  And don’t get me started on exposition, the dialogue: “hey look its the Knights of Ren”. Except they do nothing. Cool cool.  Kylo’s character goes back to Force awakens era like no development had occurred...except he’s not even there he’s just messing around not even being a real villain.  JJ’s specialty is set-up and he does this beautifully....but he can not wrap up and follow through. 

3. Rose Tico: yup last Jedi never happened, she has nothing to do. She and Finn are irrelevant. Finn has reverted to being obsessed with Rey. Cool Cool.  I honestly feel so bad for the lovely Kelly Marie Tran. How did you relegate a relatively big character into the sidelines?? Why introduce two new characters this late. Rose could have filmed in for them...but alas we must snub Rian at every turn because that’s just how petty JJ Abrams is. ( don’t get me wrong Jannah was cool)

4. The Rise Of Poe Dameron: Finn has been relegated to a side character who does nothing and just yells “REY!”. It was a great setup, a stormtrooper who was force sensitive but doesn’t want his life to be fighting for nothing. You could have explored trauma, the discovery of the light but nope nada. Tell me the point of his character journey. So flat and static. And with Jannah and the ex stormtroopers they could have gone with the arc of these lost, sad kids coming together to find family. 

5. Leia:  Okay you’re telling me our Princess would give up on her son before he was born, just throw away her lightsaber and accept Ben’s fate? Cool alright. And she knew about Rey Palpatine and didn’t say anything...my princess would never.

6. Mary Sue Rey: Ahh Rey this girl feels no emotion in this movie...just like the audience. Sure she’s trained but she can just do stuff with the “force” that even Jedi masters can’t. Stopping a whole starship, something even Yoda could barely do...yup she can do it. Beat Kylo all the time except one, yup she can. Manipulate the force in mind-boggling ways, heal people...sure Luke couldn’t but Rey certainly can.  Cause she is the chosen one...hell even Ani wasn’t this talented and he had years of training. Poe and Finn have a genuine connection, Rey just seems disjointed (totally understandable why)...but if so the ending is even worse. She doesn’t even find peace with her friends. She’s not realistic and human like Luke and Leia were. 

 Force sensitivity in the galaxy:  What a perfect setup, the boy with the broom at the end of TLJ that was force sensitive. The message is that the power to use the force was spreading through the galaxy. No longer confined to the elite. People were hearing of Luke’s battle of Crate and rising.

7. Kylo/Ben: I still maintain that he, other than Ani was the most nuanced character in the whole saga. His arc from Force Awakens to Last Jedi had progressed. How great that even someone from the legendary line of skywalker and solo could fall to the dark again. He wasn’t flat, he was a tortured boy that was conflicted since the first movie. How great would it have been to see him as a conflicted supreme leader, which was set up in TLJ. But *gasps* a plot of his very own, no can do, this is the nature of JJ’s crush on Rey and Daisy. 

Disney released comics that made us sympathize with him, to see that all along he was manipulated by Snoke, and Palpatine the voices in his head. Neglected by those who were supposed to love him. Adam Driver was cast perfectly, he had almost no lines that weren’t related to Rey’s charcater arc. If he were a woman I’m sure everyone would be offended. That single line’s delivery “Dad-”

Come on Poe had more lines than him, and Driver according to JJ was half of the protagonist. He was pitched an arc opposite that of Darth Vader that’s why he signed. Man JJ really did do everyone dirty. 

8. Ben had no lines while redeemed other than “ow”...I am so sorry ADAM that this nasty ass JJ did this to you...this part was 100% improv by Adam, I am willing to bet my life on it. You know why “ow” was brilliant? Cause it meant he felt pain and emotion, he was no longer hiding behind the hardness of Kylo REN. Adam’s performance as Ben left me speechless, he was convincing as Kylo, intimidating...but as BEN he shines in the way only Solo’s can. The way his eyes become determined once he accepts he must give his life, and he does so happily for the love of his life. His soulmate. Star Wars and JJ never deserved the talent that is Adam Driver.

9. They are supposed to be equals in the force yet they missed the opportunity to fight Snoke together. Tell me how they are equals. He existed only to further Rey’s plotline. 

Oh and the other Jedi including Anakin whisper and help Rey...when his own grandson has been asking for help in distress for like 30years. Nice real nice.

10. Finally Reylo:  it felt unearned cause there was no buildup, JJ just threw it in for kicks forgetting all the P&P parallels he was shooting for. An afterthought. Driver and Ridley’s acting saved the day, they had no lines.  Adam Driver is truly one of the finest actors. You could see the difference between Ben and Kylo in his subtle gestures...the sass was pure Han Solo.  

11. And then the death: I wouldn’t even say we won, but at what cost. We won in no way. Had he died fighting I would have understood, but this death was so unnecessary and put in just for the fanboys. Let me say again I would have been okay with death had it been justified.  How is this any different than Vader x Luke. JJ can only copy not create. How crazy that you can just bring people back from the dead...Anakin is here like, am I joke to you? I could have brought Padme back say what???? What was the point of his whole fall to the dark. The force is infinite, that’s the whole point...once you know how to use it you can’t run out of it like juice. Oh, and Ben did not become one with Rey but rather the Force according to the Disney website. So why pray tell did he not appear as a force ghost? I’m convinced JJ was on crack.  

12. No Mourning BEN no acknowledgment:  5 seconds! And then she moves on from losing her soulmate, half of her soul. She loses it over Chewie but nothing, no emotion not even a second over her other half. Seriously? No one ever knows Ben came back...nada. JJ set up Reylo, time and time again he has said that he crafted the story around the romance. He was left scrambling after Last Jedi and this was a last-ditch shock ending. No Reylo theme song, no across the stars

13. Last Jedi told us you don’t have to come from a powerful family to be important. THE WHOLE thing was that you could be force-sensitive and be a nobody. Nobodies can become somebody. A Hero is not born but made. The force lives in all beings, not just powerful families. It inspired me, what a great message to young guys and gals. Kylo’s line, “you come from nothing, you are nothing...you have no place in this story” finally turns out true. You have to come from something to have a part in the Star Wars story. And Rey had darkness inside her cause she was human. Because none of us are pure, we are shades of grey. But no, it’s cause darkness only runs in families. In the Last Jedi when she wants to see her family all she sees is herself and a shadow (Ben) who joins with her. Please do explain this JJ. And if this granddaughter thing was set up I would have had no problem...but they pulled it from their asses. You can have nothing but mean something. But no pander to the fanboys. In the end, a Palpatine lived and all the skywalkers ended....and we are supposed to have hope. Palpatine really did win. 

14. Rey’s biggest fear was ending up in the desert alone, we were told “the belonging she seeks is ahead not behind” and “there’s someone who could still come back”. They mentioned she felt just as alone with the resistance. Only the other half of her soul understood her. This is truly tragic and sad...I am so heartbroken for her. And don’t tell me she isn’t there to stay...the soundtrack is called “a new home”. Enjoy the rest of your days being exactly where you started Rey....but hey at least you got a droid boo. I’m convinced this is not the balance JJ envisioned in the first movie. At one point in TFA Rey looks up sees an old woman alone, scavenging in the desert. This rattles her to the core and it starts her journey of wanting a better, different life. I am so sorry Rey. Okay so you may say she has the resistance and her friends...but let’s consult the last Jedi. In the end when everyone is on the ship...Rey is surrounded by friends yet looks more alone than ever. No one but Ben, maybe Luke, Leia, and Han understood her pull to the dark.

How sad that these two hopeless souls who had never known a moment of belonging and true love, found it for all but a few seconds.

I will quote: “preventing female characters with strong, compelling narratives from experiencing love, intimacy, and affection is just as regressive as reducing them down to sexual accessories. Assumes that women must choose between a romantic interest and depth of character”

Men really can not write good female characters, can they? A woman really can’t be a badass and end up with the love of her life

15. The Skywalker’s and Redemption: How truly truly sad that Han and Leia gave their life for their son who also died at a young age. ALL the Skywalkers and Solo’s have a tragic end. This is not what George Lucas wanted. What a tragic way to end this saga...they weren't able to break the curse. AND to all those troubled kids out there that lashed out and made terrible mistakes in their youth....doesn’t matter what you do dying is the only way out. You could have exiled him, made him pay in other ways. Nothing can be done to make up for your sins but death, no amount of good means that you can come home. To the young boys that get wrapped up in terror organizations, sorry the only way you can be redeemed is death...don’t bother changing and coming back. They could have exiled him, had him start an academy with Rey for Jedi kids. He could have spent the rest of his days redeeming himself. Why tell us he was literally preyed upon, haunted, and manipulated as a child. Even in a fantasy world, a victim of mental illness and abuse can not catch a break. Ben as a child could not fall asleep due to the demon-like voices in his mind. Everyone abandoned him in his time of need. Ben never desired power like Anakin, he went over to the dark because “the voice” of his grandfather promised belonging. I am shocked that this is the message Disney sends us. Oh and yeah you can totally take on the Skywalker name for kicks...the disrespect I swear

16. The worst bit is that I am 90% sure there was another ending that was scrapped.  There was a promo shot of Jannah in a field, soft lighting, lush planet. It was exactly like P&P. Daisy Ridley said the lasts scene was known to only Her, Jannah on that panel (Driver was away). Convinced Jannah was looking at Rey and Ben starting a new life away from the desert which she and Luke hate so much. Hence the production of “A New Home” soundtrack. Hence why the “Farewell” song played behind Reylo kiss was hopeful. Why Luke’s soundtrack when he became part of the force was not triumphant. Why the death scene was sudden and cut weird and no sorrow from Rey. CAUSE THEY SCRAPPED THE ORIGINAL ENDING LAST MINUTE.  Everyone knows JJ was still editing one month before. The concept art which was supposed to be released this month has been pushed to March. Why you ask? They need to remove the pages with a happy ending. He just didn’t have the guts, pandered to everyone and yet no one. He was successful in creating a beautifully filmed action-filled movie with none of the heart of Star Wars.

And then she goes and buries Anakin’s saber on freaking TATOOINE. He HATES Sand and Luke wanted to get away from there as soon as possible. Of course, a Palpatine would torture them that way. But nostalgia is the cash cow so. JJ can only generate nostalgia, not create original stories. IF he had any creativity she would have buried it at Padme’s grave.

The fanboys say “leave the romance for the romance movies”....have you seen the original trilogy or the prequels? Star Wars has always had hope and romance entwined with it. 

SO AFTER 40 YEARS...PALPATINE WINS...HIS BLOODLINE LIVES ON

...and people thought the prequels were bad 

JJ you also said that your goal was for people to come out of the movie feeling more hopeful and happy then they went in...yet here I am. My roommate literally had to console me and buy me ice cream. I am just so numb. I am sure the casual fan will enjoy this, as seen from the rotten tomatoes ratings. I think the critics were too generous with this one, 

Star Wars is very simple at its core, Good vs Bad and Dark vs Light. The kids are expected to understand that a Palpatine being the only one who lives is hopeful? That is the conclusion of three generations of Skywalker sacrifice...

This is how the Skywalkers are remembered...In Tragedy and Curse??

[chameshida]

Your idea of a LN musical is great! It inspired me and now I’ve got some ideas for the little nightmares musical au/concept you were talking about .

Like I have some ideas for the types of songs Mono and The thin man could sing and I think Six would mostly hum her music box song (maybe before/during the first time she meets Mono) and she would probably accompany/sing along with some of Mono’s songs as they become friends, while the Thin man could sing the opening of the musical with songs similar to “Into the unknown”. “Lullaby in frog land” and “wayward souls” from Over the garden wall.

I imagine Thin man’s songs would get transmitted mostly by and through the TVs and initially his songs would have a very comforting, warm and alluring tone to them at least till the Thin man gets Mono to free him and takes Six, then when he starts chasing Mono then The thin man could sing a more villain-like and/or sinister song until Mono is able to defeats him (something similar to “wayward souls”) and because the mechanic of the game has us/Mono copy the Thin man’s movements during his fight maybe in the musical they could have Mono need to echo/recite the song The thin man is singing for him to be able to defeat him/until he is able to defeat him.

Now with Six I don’t personally think she should get a villain song, I imagine she wouldn’t sing that much on her own except as a support or accompaniment of Mono’s songs who would mostly take the Lead till the end of the musical. Although I’d like to imagine she would be the one to initiate the song they sing when they both meet for the very first time.

Maybe Mono would try to sing a song similar to the one they sang when they first met after rescuing Six from the city tower (maybe about how glad he is that she is Ok and that now everything will get back to normal) yet Six does not follow his song’s lead this time and/or doesn’t respond nor echoes his melody, she would only do that when they are about to reach the exit when she turns back to catch Mono’s hand just like she does the game, then she stops singing and then the betrayal happens and that’s when Six starts humming (just the melody) of her music box once again.

Mono could sing a lament song about the loss of his friend maybe regretting and thinking it was somehow his fault and wondering what he did wrong, then the melody could start taking a darker tone and start sounding like the “villain song” or the “Intro” of the Thin man, till Mono starts to grow up into the Thin man and the last song he sings could be something like “Into the unknown” finishing the song that was featured at the start of the musical to show that all this time they were either the same person and that the story is repeating or that Mono was always meant to take The thin man’s mantle (just like in the game)

If dreams can't come true, then why not pretend?

Oh how the gentle wind

Beckons through the leaves

As autumn colors fall

Dancing in a swirl

Of golden memories

The loveliest lies of all

The loveliest lies of all

I can imagine the musical playing with concepts of the TVs, old nostalgic memories and with the music as a form of escapism, by illustrating how the melodies/songs have a great power behind them which are able to affect the people surrounding them, just like in the game in which the TVs and the programs/music were able to hypnotize the viewers.

And because many theorize that the game is a loop, I think the musical could play with this concept by starting the musical with a song similar to “into the unknown” from over the garden wall and then at the end of the musical they could close it by having the intro being completed and/or repeated.

This concept was done with musical of Hadestown in which the story in universe is said to be a very old song/story which is being implied to be sang/repeated over and over with the last notes of the musical being the intro implying it’s gonna start/going to be sung over again.

I really want to try to develop this concept. (It seems great and I like it a lot!) it also seems fun to try to interpret a mostly silent game through other medium.

From my LN musical post

Oh wow that's the long one! It gets me really happy when I get long response like these for my ideas! Sorry it took me a while before I response

Yeah! LN (2 especially) did really remind me of OTGW too!

Having Thin man sing the opening song is the interesting idea, something I haven't considered. It works well if you want the musical to be the perfect loop. Although if it's to capture the OTGW feels of it I also feel like the Eyes would be the good candidate. Regardless, whoever singing the opening number is going to give off the very difference feels. I also kinda still want the kids singing. Maybe like Beauty and the Beast it can happening all at once, The town folks(Kid, establishing the universe) Belle (Mono, I want song) Gaston (Thin man, Villain song)...not as in having the eye/thinman singing like Gaston but as in part of their song being feature in the opening number. Maybe they could be the one to start, the kids being the chorus, Mono juxposition the mood.

I agree that Six wouldn't sing a lot or have her stand alone song in any of the LN2 duration. I can even imagine her voice to not like...how should I put it,...doesn't sound like a singer. She'd only sing along with Mono and it mostly sound more like a talk than a singing (at least at the start. She will get more into it as the story progress) so when she does eventually have her own stand alone song it feels special and people'd grew on her voice. As for the humming, I'd have her hum the same way in game with the scene she's only shown humming in(with exception for the last scene) as in it's isn't really the add in musical element as it is just happen organicly....FOR THE SEQUEL/LN1 however. Imagine if her song has that humming we're so familar as part of it.

(I also should clarify for my original post that Six doesn't have the villain song. at least not in LN2 and even if it's for LN1 it's still arguable if it counts as villain song since she’s the main protagonist in that one. Her last song (or her I want song as I put it) is still being sung together with Mono. I don’t know what’s the musical term for it but it’s kinda like they’re screaming on top of each other until eventually Six’s winning. Kinda like for the first time in forever reprise or Evelyn Evelyn. In this musical version Six would be explicite about the reason of why she drops Mono, a major changes in adaptation)

There are some scene I wasn't sure about like how the musical element is incoperate into the scene I wasn't sure if it should be musical , like when Six and Mono first met. I think for my version I'd like to keep it as it is with them not singing like how it happens in game but the imaginary of Mono bursting into Song at hopes of finding friend then get shove aside by Six is pretty funny to me. I think most of my song, with some exception like the letting go scene all happening in the period that can be extend/expane upon or has extra scene to it like Mono and Six first together song wbeing sing on the raft. Thin man and Mono song though I wasn't sure myself. I think they should have a sing off or song together like you mention but will it happening as Mono is killing Thin man or seperately I wasn't sure. (They could sing right before they fight maybe but the fight itself is mostly action)

(For me the song that most similar to Like ship happens similary to Like ship; the love song happens in the middle of the story)

Oh  and now that you point it out For some reason in my version I completely forgot that Mono turned into the Thin man--I mean I didn’t forget that he is thin man but my version it just end without showing him turning into Thin man XD. Maybe that’s why I haven’t consider having him singing the opening number. If we follow the game and keep the scene and play fully into the concept of the loop then yeah your idea is really spot on. I think for mine since it end with him as the kid, the song is only hint in similarity of thin man without the song fully turn into his song. and the concept of loop is more of the musical element of First song and last song being the same song more than he play of actual loop.

But we do have similar idea of having the repeat song even if it happens differently XD Mono singing to Monster Six call back to their early song and Six song as she letting go is the twisted version of that same song too...Mono last song call back to his first song etc.

But yeah our version could be seperate and totally different! That’d be fun to have various intrepetation of how the musical would turn out to be. Mine is very disney-esque  and steven universe-y lightheart compare to the original material but yours would be closer to that and Over the garden wall. One thing to keep in mind though is that Animated (movie? series?) with musical element in it and Musical theather is also a very different meduim and my idea is made with animated musical in mind since why I do still want a lot of scene without song in it. If it’s for musical theather then I can totally see Six and Mono sing as they meet or Mono and Thin man sing as they fight. Mybe your idea and my idea will be like the total different version/take on this

You (and anyone else who’d interest) are allow to play and tinker with this concept however you like! I’d love to see it!

[prisonhannibal]

Do you have any cablepool fanfic recommendations bc I suffer daily trying to find good ones (especially comic based, but movie is fine too)

I think you might be a long distance telepath because I got an ask like this a while ago and didn’t answer it bc I needed time to think. and then I couldn’t find it in my inbox so I decided to just write a regular post, and while I was writing that post I got this ask!

ok these are in no particular order and I’m not using the actual plot summaries the authors used on ao3, just making stuff up or using quotes from the fic

one-shots

Landing on both broken hearted knees by rayguntomyhead (1.6k words, rated M)

Post Deadpool 2. Wade and Nate share a hotel room. I know what you’re thinking, it’s not that kind of fic. Nothing is going on with them yet.

Tropes by quakey (2.2k words, rated T)

Wade’s been reading TVtropes, and if Nate is fucking with him right now, Wade is gonna gut him like a fish and throw his bloody corpse in the sea for the sharks.

These days are great and so are you by bankrobbery (3k words, rated T)

Movie based. Wade gets kinkshamed by Weasel and hawaiian-shirt-shamed by Cable. They’re at the bar, basically

Motormouth by pavonine (13k words, rated T)

Wade can’t shut the fuck up, and this time it’s not even his fault! Wade’s been cursed to never be able to stop talking, which is really fucking inconvenient if you’ve got stuff you’re trying to not say.

also the norwegian prime minister is in it very briefly, and it was posted in 2013, when jens stoltenberg was the PM so I’m just gonna assume it’s him and bring your attention to this picture of him which I think is hilarious

Pressure points by denims (2k words, rated M)

Cable keeps casually touching him, which probably doesn’t mean anything (don’t listen to domino, she doesn’t know what she’s talking about), but it makes Wade feel weird. So, so weird.

Multi-chapter

Wade will f*** shit up for you by Quakey @withoutaconscienceorafilter (48k words, rated E, so minors stay away from this one, it’s the only thing on the list with actually NSFW scenes.)

The craigslist ad said “My name’s Wade and I fuck shit up professionally. So your ex getting married? I’ll crash that shit. Your job fire before their company picnick? I’ll show up with tequila and throw hands. Got some one one you hate an just wanna fuck their day up? I’m all over that shit. Serving all situations where we customize your service to your liking email me for pricing. Services guaranteed with video.” Maybe this is a horrible idea, and maybe he shouldn’t have, but Nate did answer it, so things are definitely about to get weird

I’m biased on this one because it was based on a post I made but it seriously is really good it’s super funny (almost choked to death trying not to laugh on the bus at one point) and in character and some of the scenes are so so so cute. Not sold yet? Hope is in it. AND Ellie. Hell yeah! This one is movie based, and I really like that it’s a regular non powered AU, but Nate’s arm+eye and Wade’s scars are still included. Like Nate has a prosthetic arm and Wade actually looks like Wade.

Fistful of shovels by surefall (28.6k words, rated T)

Now, you might be thinking, ms. Mutantapologist, this is tagged spideypool?? It is, but just trust me okay

Wade’s best friend, bromanciest of bros to ever bro, Nathan Summers is back in his life, and he’s really starting to get under Peter’s skin. They’re just too close, and Nathan is there all the damn time. List of things Wade’s weird time traveling BFF would look good in: 1. his own damn home. Nate and Peter get passive aggressive and competitive, Nate’s manipulative tendencies make an appearance, Peter is kind of a dick, and Wade’s honestly just happy to have his BFF back.

this is one of my favorite portrayals of their relationship dynamic tbh. just...their unbreakable bond...the way they keep coming back to each other through time and dimensions...that shit makes me cryyyy. and how well they know each other..the trust...the casual intimacy....how comfortable they’re with each other...also the dialogue in this is perfect, love their banter. This one is “screenshotting quotes and sending them to your friends” level funny. they also play mario kart and I think that’s nice.

Read Omake: Fistful of shovels for the Deleted Scenes Edition that has stuff that didn’t make it into the final fic or alternate versions of scenes. includes: Nate sending a shirtless selfie with ulterior motives, Nate being sort of a home wrecker (but at least he’s more honest about it!), aunt May, Nate being accused of being a bottom, etc.

Strangers by totallynotremus @totallynotremus (31k, rated T)

Nate plays games. Not weird manipulative mind games this time. Actual games. Online. With Wade and his friends. Wade feels targeted because come on, you behave mildly flirtatiously with the guy your friend group is gaming with online a lot acouple of times and suddenly your so called “friends” won’t stop harassing you about it. unbelievable. this one is also super funny

Motion Practice Universe: Cablepool Edition

I couldn’t put these in either category because they need to be in order and there’s one-shots AND a multi chapter fic so i’d have to separate them and that wouldn’t work. These are part of the (as of august 2020) 1,405,078 words long Motion Practice Universe, but you don’t need to read the rest of it to know what’s going on, I didn’t and it works 100% fine as a stand-alone storyline

Wade Wilson explains it all (or at least, how Clint’s keeping his job. Mostly keeping his job. It’s complicated.) by the_wordbutler (3.3k words, rated T)

Wade is trying to put together a fruit basket for Clint, because he’s a thoughtful friend (who does not get enough credit, hello?), unlike some other people. Example: his coworkers, who won’t let him focus on his super special important project (fruit basket!). And Nate, who’s eating an orange (from the fruit basket!😡) which has no business being that distracting.

it’s sort of an introduction to the next thing in the list, and I highly recommend reading it first. Definitely does a great job at showing what you’re gonna get from the full fic. Also, it’s cute and funny.

Admissions, Interrogatories, and other discoveries by the_wordbutler (150k words, rated M)

No, that wasn’t a typo, it really is 150k words. And I read it. Twice.

Basically, Wade is a criminal defense attorney, good job, you get to defend goat fuckers and other weirdos. Fun times. Nate’s a coworker, works in immigration and civil rights law, they do projects together. Just a bro he jokes around with, who sometimes brings Wade lunch, and whose arms Wade really likes to stare at, but that doesn’t mean anything, right?

this one is REAL slowburn (never in my LIFE have i experienced slow burn like this one holy FUCK), great relationship development and I just love their dynamic and banter in this one. Perfect dialogue and it’s really fucking funny, made me laugh out loud at several points! AND!! Hope is in it<3

What I learned on my summer vacation, an essay by Hope Summers by the_wordbutler (4.5k words, rated T)

Sequel to Admissions, interrogatories and other m discoveries. Wade, Nate, and ten year old Hope go to Disney World, and the beach. A lot of love and family<3 Wade took 3 sign language classes to talk to Hope (who’s deaf)

I’m sure I’m forgetting a lot of great ones but here’s what I could think of rn!!

[the-irrelevant-trumpeter]

My Ranking of StarKid shows

Okay, so I haven’t posted any original content for a while, so I’m gonna do some ranking. Note: I don’t dislike any of the shows, they’re all amazing and just because a show is low on my list doesn’t mean I don’t like it. 

Also, spoiler warning for all of them (duh)

So here we gooooo

12) Holy Musical B@man

I don’t know, to be honest... the humour just didn’t click with me as much as the other shows did. I’ve never seen or read any Batman or DC stuff, so that doesn’t help, but it just really didn’t stick out to me. However, it’s still amazing. The soundtrack is great (Rogues are We is my 3rd favourite StarKid song), Brian Holden as Superman is iconic, and it was overall very sweet and fun. 

11) Me and My Dick

This is mostly because I don’t like sex, but the other parts are really sweet! Joey/Sally is such an underrated ship (so is Tiffanessa... yeah I’m still thinking about them...) and it had a lot of good songs and funny scenes (AJ as Joey’s Heart was the best thing ever). It was made in 2009, so some of the jokes are outdated, but the good parts are great. 

10) A Very Potter Senior Year

This is mainly so low because of some personal reasons (that I’m not going to go into). But it was really sweet and made me cry, had some great songs (looking at you Sidekick...) and was amazing when you take into account that they barely had any rehearsal time. 

9) Ani: A Parody

I’m actually really sad about putting this so low. Ani is so good and is severely underrated. Chris Allen was amazing, and JJ’s death was, in my opinion, one of the saddest deaths in a StarKid musical. My only criticism is Tarkin and Emily’s relationship, which has got to be one of my least favourite ships, but it did provide some funny moments, and Joe and Julia were amazing. Nick’s Obi-Wan was hilarious. Also, the music slaps and anyone who says it isn’t a real musical because the cast doesn’t sing can fight me, because Clark and Pierce went too hard for us to say that it doesn’t count. Also, despite what a lot of people say, I have watched like 2 Star Wars movies and still understood most of the jokes. They actually did a really good job of making it funny for everyone, and the point of most of the jokes were that you didn’t have to understand them. I think that if I hadn’t seen or read Harry Potter, or watched Aladdin or Disney, I would have enjoyed Ani more than the AVP Trilogy and Twisted. 

Wow, went on a rant there. Okay...

8) Twisted

This is going to be unpopularly low... I do love it, I just don’t vibe with it as much. It was really great, it was constantly making me laugh, the soundtrack was amazing, and I loved how it kind of had a moral to the story. I just don’t really care, y’know. It was great, but just didn’t capture my attention like some of them. I don’t really have any more to say on it. 

7) A Very Potter Musical

Ah, the OG musical. AVPM has so much nostalgic value. I think it really holds a special place in all of our hearts. It was the first StarKid musical I watched, and I just have a lot of fond memories from it. Actual quality wise, it’s probably not as good as a lot of them, but it’s what started this whole thing, and it’s gotta go up higher. 

6) Black Friday

I’ve seen a lot of dislike for this one, which I think isn’t really fair? My only real criticism is that it’s very busy and has got a lot going on, but so do a lot of the others. I think it has one of the strongest soundtracks, Jeff did an amazing job. All of the cast was great, and the filming was outstanding. I think a lot of people don’t like it because it was the most serious, but honestly, I like that StarKid is trying something new (AND it still had so many funny moments as well). Yeah, I just think it is amazing. 

5) A Very Potter Sequel

In my opinion, this is definitely the best of the AVP Trilogy. It was the funniest for me, had the best soundtrack (Days of Summer, The Coolest Girl, Harry Freakin’ Potter, I could keep on going for ages). Obviously there’s the problem with the portrayal of Umbridge. I’m not the best with words, so I won’t go into it, but a lot of other people have put it really well. But apart from that, it’s really great. 

Okay, the next two are basically tied. I usually choose them based on which one I’m vibing with at the moment, but just consider them the same. 

4) Firebringer

I’ll admit, I originally didn’t like this one, but then I rewatched it and was amazed that I’d slept on it for so long. It’s very funny, the soundtrack is amazing, the choreography is amazing (thank you Denise Donovan), and let’s not forget, THE COSTUMES. HAVE YOU SEEN HOW GREAT THE COSTUMES ARE. JUNE SAITO IS A QUEEN. Anyway, yeah, it’s really well written, and i super sweet and fun to watch (also Jazzalil was not rushed and I can and will write a whole essay on it). 

3) Trail to Oregon

I just love how dumb it is. It’s so silly and immature, and it’s great to watch. It is, in my opinion, the funniest StarKid show. It has the perfect small ensemble cast (also let’s take a moment to appreciate Joey Richter. Thank you, you may continue) and it has CHARACTER DEVELOPMENT! WE LOVE CHARACTER DEVELOPMENT! The music is amazing (even You Gotta Go, which everyone seems to hate because of the fart noises). I just love it heaps. Also, it has my ALL TIME FAVOURITE STARKID SONG EVER! WAGON ON FIRE ROCKS! 

2) Starship

I feel like most people assume this is my favourite because of my username, which is valid and I can understand why. Starship is my comfort musical. It’s my emotional support musical. It’s just... so cute? It’s silly and a bit of fun, and is just kind of a feel-good show. I don’t mind how busy it is, it keeps me entertained all the way through and makes me want to come back and watch it again. It is also the home of my OTP (Tootsie/Megagirl is the cutest thing ever and I will die with that opinion). It also has some of the best characters. Also, in my opinion, it has the best soundtrack, despite only having 10 songs - it’s got 2 songs in my Top 5 (The Way I Do at no. 2 and Kick it up a Notch at no. 4), and there’s not a single song I dislike. The puppets were freaking amazing! I just love it A LOT and I think all of the StarKid’s are really sleeping on it (looking at you Nick...)

1) The Guy Who Didn’t Like Musicals

Yes, I know, I’m very boring and stereotypical. I’m sorry I couldn’t have a more interesting opinion. 

I really don’t think there’s much denying that TGWDLM has the best plot/storyline. It gives me big Dr. Who vibes, which I love. I’m usually not a big fan of horror, but this was the perfect mix of seriousness and comedy. It’s very engaging and keeps you wondering what happens next. I’ll admit, I’m a sucker for angsty endings, which TGWDLM definitely provides. I just really love sci-fi stuff. It has a really strong soundtrack, top notch dancing, and was just overall the best StarKid show. 

So yeah, that’s my ranking. Tell me what you thought! I’ll probably do some song rankings for each show. Also don’t be too angry at me please. 

[minaminokyoko]

Toy Story 4: A Spoilertastic Review

*huge sigh of relief* Disney/Pixar, y'all had me worried.

Truly. Honestly. Not that you guys aren't amazing, but the Toy Story films have a legacy that almost no other franchise period has: three perfect movies, and movies that improved with each sequel. Most of the time, trilogies can't pull that off. Sometimes you get three that are good, but there's a straggler in the bunch, like the original Star Wars trilogy or The Dark Knight saga. Like a lot of folks, I was sweating bullets when they announced TS4 because this is one of the only trilogies where each sequel was friggin' better than the last, and TS3, imo, might be the best Disney/Pixar film period. Honestly, it stands at the top of just animated films period, and so I was very nervous to think about trying for a fourth one.

I am very pleased to say TS4 is a worthy sequel. It's not empty, it's not lazy, it's great. I personally put it on the same level as the first movie. I do consider TS2 and TS3 to be better than this one, but not for a bad reason, simply because it's attempting something different from the previous films. This is another all-positive review for me; all I've got are nitpicks, no cons at all. Disney/Pixar did a great job creating what a friend of mine referred to as an epilogue story. That sounds about right to me. It's like there's a trilogy and an epilogue now to the Toy Story saga.

Overall Grade: A

Spoilers ahead.

-I really want to dive in to talk about the fact that while it might upset some people, this movie is about Woody, almost exclusively, and I actually like that a lot. I don't mind at all that this is a snapshot of dealing with change through Woody's perspective, and you know why? Man. Woody is a fucking great character. Really. To his core, he's a phenomenal, landmark, memorable character. I think as the years pass and people reevaluate what films will stand the test of time, animated or otherwise, people will realize that Woody is such a well-written, well-acted character. One of the things that I think got everyone ugly sobbing in TS3 was the way that Andy described Woody: "He'll never give up on you." That's it. That's why Woody is just such a charming character. He will do whatever it takes to do the right thing for the kids. Every time. No matter what it costs him. And that's why this movie took a big risk in breaking up the Toy Story family, but at the same time, it's giving Woody a path that allows him to do something he loves and that is important to him, and for him to be happy in the process. It's a very surprising and unique but realistic idea that Bonnie, while a great kid, wasn't the kid for Woody. But he cared so much for her that he wanted to make sure she got the right toy that will help her learn and grow. That's...fucking amazing, man. I got choked up. I really did. Woody's heart is so huge. And I love that this movie showed that he's been through some rough stuff and that it was time for him to be able to find his own happiness while still being able to help kids, because that's who he is. He's a leader. He cares to a fault. Woody is such a rich character and I'm really glad they got to focus on him and gave him a good send off. It's quite touching. I hate the idea of the gang breaking up, but the movie does an excellent job of explaining change. I like this motif. Things change. Something you always dreamt of might be different. Or things end and you have to move on and try something else. It's a great lesson for all of us to learn, and it took some serious courage to do that in a franchise so known for its ensemble cast and family. I dig it. I truly do.

-Bo and Woody had me all up in my feels. Oh, man. When she was taken...my fucking heart...oh, that hit me right in the feels. I love how they filmed the reunion, too, that the first time he saw her again they were both having to be inert at the time. That was so cleverly done, and it's so apparent how soft they are for each other. It's really sweet. I enjoyed getting to see their dynamic, even with things being strained between them. The hat thing gets me every time. I love nuance, and Bo pulling down his hat is just the cutest little gesture that sells the entire relationship. I enjoyed Bo getting to be active and frankly badass, because it's super cool to see a girl's toy everyone would think is too delicate to be played with be at the forefront of the action.

-I enjoyed Gabby being a sympathetic antagonist. That's awesome. I always applaud movies that can pull it off. It's easy to write a one note villain. It's much, much harder to write one who has a story and who has something that they want, and that the hero is standing in their way. I also think it's a GREAT lesson for kids growing up. Sometimes the thing you think you want isn't what it seems. There are going to be SO many moments in a kid's life where they've been dying to get something, and it's a big disappointment in the end, or they don't get it at all. Wow. Powerfully done. And the scene with the little lost girl damn near made me shed actual tears. That was nothing short of beautiful. Because that is what it's like for kids. Kids get scared, and sometimes the smallest thing encourages them. It hearkens back to what Woody did on Bonnie's first day, getting her the supplies to make Forky and getting her confidence and creativity up. Fuck, that melted my heart. Gabby's story was fantastic, and touching, and a really good use of an antagonist. I was very, very satisfied with how they handled it.

-Centering everything as one big chase scene, kind of Mad Max: Fury Road in a weird way, was a lot of fun. It kept you guessing and it kept things fresh. I also am really impressed that they managed to unnerve the unholy hell out of me with Gabbie and the puppets. I'm actually not scared of puppets, but the way that they moved was very, very creepy, and I would never have expected it from Toy Story. Nice job, guys.

-Forky is the right balance of being a naive, hapless character without being annoying. I was worried his antics would get old, but actually, no. I didn't hate him. I like that Woody was frustrated, but he didn't hate the little guy and he wasn't jealous of him. He did the right thing and he helped Forky understand what toys are all about, and it's very heartwarming.

-Duke Kaboom was such a treat. I'm really happy everyone is now on the Keanu boat, because I've been a stan for that man since the fucking 90's and it's so satisfying to see others join me. He really is a fun, sweet human being, and his character is delightfully over the top. I loved him. It worked really well with the rest of the film, and I am all about the Keanussance/Reevessance that's going on right now. Keep it up. You're breathtaking.

-Goodness me, I just need to note how gorgeous the effects are. I mean, it's Disney/Pixar, it's always gorgeous, but for instance, the rain sequence in the beginning was incredible. That water...man...they are so exceptional at details and realism all while still creating their own look. Bravo, man.

-The payoff of the little guy getting his high five finally was fucking adorable. This is what makes me love Disney/Pixar so much, too. It's the little things that put a smile on your face. How cute.

Nitpicks:

-Key and Peele were annoying. There. I said it. I fucking hate them both, and they were annoying. But thank God, they were more cameo characters than main leads. Throw them both in the trash, though. Ugh.

-I don't like that Gabby needing to switch out the voice box had zero consequences. That was...odd. And kind of like cheating. I got really excited when Woody allowed it to happen so he could get Forky back, but then nothing bad happened. I thought that maybe Woody's voice would be damaged, go in and out, or he'd be mute, and it would show what a sacrifice he made for Bonnie. Nope. It had no negative consequences, so it almost makes me wonder why they did that. It ended up a moot point, and invalidated the conflict.

-I'm waffling on how I feel about Bonnie just forgetting about Woody entirely. Mind you, this is realistic. This is how small kids work. They move abruptly and often without explanation. But thematically, I sort of wanted her to notice him gone, if only to tie off how I felt about how far Woody was willing to go to make her happy. But at the same time, that's kids for you. Things happen fast. She's going to be happy, and so will the rest of the toys, and that's the most important thing in the end.

-I did actually want a longer scene of just Woody and Bo together, catching up. I don't feel robbed, but I was letdown because I wanted to know more about them since they seem to truly click and feel strongly for one another. I'd have liked to see them just sit and talk for a moment, but the film had too much urgency, so unfortunately we had to keep moving.

I only just got home, so I don't know if other reviews are out, but let me go ahead and say that if anyone is shitting on this film, I guarantee you it's people who don't like change. This film is different and it takes risks and in the end, it is about Woody and not the rest of the toys, so it is going to step on some toes. However, it has earned a spot on the shelf next to the other movies. Trust me, its heart is in the right place and it's still keeping our legacy of films on par with each other. I don't feel that it takes anything away from them, and is simply a send off to a character I think will stand the test of time as one of the greats. I'm glad it was just as worthy as I hoped it would be.

[residentanchor]

Practicality/Theorem Fun Facts!

I wrote this a while ago but I forgot to save it when I moved blogs. So! Before the sequel goes up, I’m re-writing it to give you all a refresher! It has been 2 months! Edit: Chapter 1 of the sequel is now up!

Logan

Abilities: Telekinesis/mind reader

Stereotypical sweater vest nerd with telekinesis 

Brown hair and hazel eyes that almost glow gold when he uses abilities (Sometimes, very rarely blue??? Why???)

He tries hiding it through his glasses

“No, that was probably just the sun on my glasses.”

He doesn’t talk about his past much but has let it slip his parents were very supportive of his abilities

was very open about using them when he was younger

He tries not using them AT ALL if he can help it

The others convinced him to be a bit more laid back about it

He’s found himself at least moving or catching things from time to time

Has a bachelor’s degree but doesn’t use it anymore

He used to do online work and work from home but now just works at a bookstore with another job at a bakery (he’s worked there before)

He wears a plain black shirt with a tie when he goes to work--it makes him look nice but not too formal

Patton thinks he looks like a school teacher when he does

I always hinted he was probably on the ace spectrum--he’s Biromantic

It took forever to recognize and admit his feelings for Patton

He’s a hopeless nerd sometimes

Totally doesn’t have a tragic backstory

Patton

Abilities: Multiply(he can make near perfect copies of himself)/Empath

Patton has a love for terrible graphic tees/sweaters with puns and Argyle patterns

 Like he even has argyle socks he wears sometimes

It’s mostly just comfy sweaters/shirts 

He’s actually the shortest of the group, just barely shorter than Logan

He’s 5′7 and Logan’s 5′9

Despite that, he is the oldest of the group

He has blue eyes and his hair is wavy/almost curly and he just lets it do what it wants

He does have some light freckles on his face and arms you wouldn’t notice at first

He’s an only child and his parents baby him a bit too much sometimes

His mom doesn’t like his powers and tells him he can be ‘normal’ if he wants

Honestly it’s because she’s a bit of a worrywart and just wants to keep Patton safe

He likes his pals though and would never give them up!

He’s very overprotective of 3 since an incident...

his dad is a bit more laid back but stopped getting in between the two

Works in a library as a tech

literally everyone knows him because he’s so friendly

I’ve mentioned he ‘doesn’t care to find where he is LGBT+’ wise. He just ‘loves everyone equally’

Logan is pretty sure he’s Pansexual but doesn’t question it further. You don’t need a label!

Virgil

Abilities: Time control (Can freeze and break away from time)/Time travel (Creates portals when he does so)

Virgil buys his clothes almost exclusively at thrift stores

His NASA hoodie he wears sometimes isn’t vintage by choice, it’s just really that old

He loves buying old clothes and adding his own touches to them

Like this black hoodie he added purple plaid patches to he loves and wears the most

most of his style involves hoodies

He got into makeup when his Ex took him to the ren faire and he dressed up like an evil warlock but keeps it very laid back

Working at a craft store has taught him a lot too

He learned how to knit simply because an old lady made a joke about how the needles make great self-defense weapons

also he learned it’s good for his anxiety

he doesn’t share any of that though

He looks to be almost as tall as Roman but is actually sliiightly taller

He slouches a lot so he seems shorter than he is

His brown hair is so dark it looks black, same as his brown eyes

Obviously the palest of everyone 

Has always had weird odds and ends jobs at local mom and pop stores (That’s how he sticks it to the man)

currently has been working at this one for a while, his longest lasting job

He loves his bosses because they keep people away from him as long as he gets his work done

Also the wife also suffers from anxiety so they accommodate him very well

Has dated mostly men in the past but is bisexual

His dad was a little freaked out about his powers but has come to just accept it

His mother died when he was younger and he still wishes he could have done more to help her

Hates his powers but mostly uses them to get through panic attacks and other issues alone(and naps)

Not the best coping mechanism and he knows it, but he’d rather suffer silently alone then look like a mess in front of someone else

Definitely perfectly okay after the ending of Practicality

Roman

Abilities: Electromagnetic Manipulation/Pretty much a walking battery/magnet

When he decides to dress casual, most of his clothes seem to come from the Disney store

Other than that, you will always find him dressed semi-formal

Button down shirts, dress pants and open jacket are staple Roman attire most days(jacket optional)

Roman has spent more and more of his time outside and running around dressed up in a Prince costume trying to ‘be a hero’ and ‘save the world from evil’

His first costume was from one of his theater shows

He’s very much into dressing up and costumes and makeup and acting though he doesn’t let it slip into his normal life ‘much’ 

Everyone knows he's in denial about that though

His hair is light brown and his eyes are brown/hazel

He’s also a bit tan. (I always imagined him hispanic)

He makes up for the blandness in appearance in everything else he does

His prince’s outfit comes with a masquerade mask and his hair is usually slicked back

His parents and friends growing up all knew about his abilities

he described it as that ‘one character trait everyone has’ like wearing glasses so they thought nothing of it

He never formally came out as gay, his parents just accepted it and kinda had a feeling

He is the only one with another sibling--a little sister named Julie

She has no powers but always thought her brother would be taken away to become an X-Men when she was younger

They bicker and fight but she looks up to him a lot and while fulfilling her sisterly duties of being annoying, she would do anything for Ro.

His parents have and I quote “the best romance love story in history” which is why they named their kids Roman and Julie. (*cough Romeo and Juliet cough*)

He has a fan club, did you know about it?

He’s totally a real superhero with an actual fan club and it’s awesome

Went to college to get the degree his parents wanted and got a desk job

lost it shortly before moving in with the others

Life has been a roller coaster since then

Thomas

Abilities: Power absorption (Hmm, guess there is no second one, huh? ;) Strange...) EDIT: Power amplification! Surprise!

Totally didn’t have powers until he was greeted by this guy one day

Tried telling him he had abilities and just kind of freaked him out

Something weird happened and the guy kind of walked away and he tried to forget the whole thing

Met him months later and learned he copied abilities??? 

He told his closest friend Joan about the whole weird situation and gave him the address he was going to for answers when he left

Turns out he DOES have powers, who knew?

These guys just made his life a whole lot more interesting and stressful

You know the story, it’s Thomas, guys!

Life after the whole mess has been weird for him

Logan keeps looking at him weird but pretty much all his memories have returned

He gets random facts wrong he swore he knew

Someone will ask him a question and he will freeze, drawing a blank

Patton keeps in contact a lot and lets him know whats going on

While he doesn’t hang out with the group often since they all moved, he keeps in contact with all of the others in some way

He’s already invited to movie night at the new place

Secretly follows ‘Princey’s’ actions throughout the city to make sure Roman isn’t doing anything too stupid

Visits Virgil sometimes when Talyn needs stuff for some random thing they’re making

He tries to catch Logan at work and gets a new book when he can

Has grown closer to Logan who has a strange interest in his powers...

Hope you’re all ready for the sequel because I’m not haha but maybe I’ll make a newer updated one of this?

[that-shamrock-vibe]

Superhero Spotlight: MCU Post Phase 3

With all this talk about ideas and hopes for the Marvel Cinematic Universe after Avengers 4 wraps up the first 11 years of said universe, I am slightly concerned as to whether or not anyone has actually sat down with Kevin Feige and said “Seriously, what are we doing after 2019?” because so far the talk is about how Avengers 4 is going to be the last hurrah for our original Avengers from Phase 1, with a possible exception, and also the arrival of the X-Men and Fantastic 4 now Disney has bought Fox.

So I thought i would offer some realistic suggestions for where the MCU can go post Phase 3 and where I think it should go both to keep the universe fresh after it potentially rotates the Avengers team roster and also now Feige has double if not triple the toys.

What’s Coming:

So what we know as confirmed movies for the MCU going forward is that hotly anticipated Captain Marvel movie, Avengers 4 which will end Phase 3 and potentially an era of the MCU and the start of Phase 4 which will be Spider-Man: Far From Home all scheduled for release in 2019.

I have to say just that year of movies itself makes me excited both as a Marvel fan and movie goer because people are buzzing over finally seeing Carol Danvers join the MCU, obviously everyone wants to know the final fates of most of the MCU characters post-Infinity War which includes Peter Parker and also his sequel will introduce Jake Gyllenhall as Mysterio.

However, after 2019, due to problems that have faced Disney this summer with firing James Gunn, no confirmed dates are on the cards post-2019. Guardians 3 is still on the table but its release date has been pushed back. This means that, unless Feige pulls an ace out of his sleeve rather quickly with either a surprise announcement or a distraction, the Marvel Cinematic Universe will not have any slots in 2020 which will be a huge loss for Disney considering they’ve striven to have up to 3 Marvel movies a year for years, that’s been their formula for practically the 10 years.

What’s Most Likely:

Now as fans of the MCU have come to realise, Kevin Feige likes to keep things simple...even if it means not faithful to the source material. This hit home for me with Ultron and how he was created by Tony Stark rather than Hank Pym. Simple because they already had Tony Stark established, not faithful because Ultron is possibly one of Hank Pym’s greatest storylines and they gave it to RDJ.

The other thing to consider when understanding Feige’s mindset at the moment, is that he is in the centre of a major s&*tstorm right now. Not only with the fact he has had to put Guardians of the Galaxy 3 on hold until he can find a new director due to this past summer of trouble with James Gunn, but also with the fact one or two vocal members of the Guardians cast, Bautista especially, are being brutally honest about not trusting Feige or Disney anymore. So Feige I imagine will strive to keep his creative decisions as simple as possible while also pulling some major damage control to try and keep both actors and fans happy.

I did an entire post on how I think he could fix his Guardians problem with introducing the Asgardians of the Galaxy, however if he doesn’t choose to go down that route and they do bring out Guardians 3 as scheduled, then I have a way to create a positive media buzz around the film.

A b-storyline in Guardians 3 could be rebuilding the Nova Corps, which was destroyed along with Xandar in Avengers: Infinity War by Thanos in order to acquire the Power Stone. So to recreate the Corps, how about bringing in the original Nova - Richard Rider  Now just listen to this set up: “When the last surviving member of the planet Xandar's elite Nova Corps, Rhomann Dey, is dying, he selects New York high school student Richard Rider to replace him.” Firstly, Rhomann Dey has already been introduced in the first Guardians of the Galaxy portrayed by John C. Reilly, he only needs to appear as a cameo or flashback on how Nova was chosen. Not forgetting Thanos, off-screen, ravaged Xandar to acquire the Power Stone leaving the fates of the Nova Corps unknown, so what a perfect set-up for Guardians 3 or even Avengers 4 to introduce a young Richard Rider. If they wanted to retcon him slightly he could even go to the same high school as Peter Parker. But to be contemporaries with the other Guardians I think Feige will be best to cast in a similar age to Pratt and maybe show his origin in a Nova movie.

Bringing in the Mutants:

Another suggestion and possibly a more realistic option for Feige is to introduce the X-Men. They have of course been hotly anticipated to join the big leagues for years, and now they are owned by the Mouse House it’s just a question of when and how they’ll debut.

I have doe a Fan-Casting Frenzy post where I make suggestions for the MCU’s version of the Brotherhood of Mutants because a YouTube channel I watch has already appropriately cast the MCU’s X-Men team. But while I think an X-Men team movie potentially with the Brotherhood as the villains is inevitable, I do believe introducing individual X-Men members first to tease the movie is the way to go. Not only will it save us as fans having to meet an entire team of characters at once but, as Feige is known for, it’s a great way for fans to have their favourites going in.

I personally feel, like most, that Storm should definitely appear in a Black Panther sequel. It’s just too perfect to not happen! Not only is Ororo Munroe the wife of King T’Challa in the comics but also it would create hopefully an interesting love-triangle between the already established T’Challa and Nakia. Lupita N’yongo is someone everyone wanted to see play Storm and I still feel she would have been perfect for the role, but now she’s settled for the girl that needs a copy of He’s Just Not That Into You when Storm flies onto the scene, also yes make the Weather Witch fly for goodness sake! Two simple character traits; she has to fly and actually be African, and Ryan Coogler did a spectacular job honoring African culture with the first Black Panther movie, so surely he is the right person to bring Storm into the MCU.

Another place to introduce more X-Men members is in that hopeful Doctor Strange sequel. Both T’Challa and Stephen Strange are hot commodities for the MCU currently not only being part of the new wave of heroes to take centre stage after Phase 3, but also starring in solo movies that were highly successful with both critics and fans. Also with a Doctor Strange sequel, the two most logical ways to go with the story are either a House of M retelling which would see Scarlet Witch appear in the sequel, but the other way is Doctor Strange: Illuminati which could see him become one of the founding members of the secret government that works behind the scenes. The team also includes Iron Man as well as Professor X, Mister Fantastic and Namor. The latter three of which are now owned by Disney from Fox.

I am not saying a Doctor Strange sequel is the best place to introduce three characters, but if they don’t focus on them in terms of major character development and simply focus on the fact they are in the MCU and will be developed in future movies it could be a great introduction.

Fantastic Four:

Speaking of Mister Fantastic, introducing Marvel’s First Family would be a logical suggestion for the MCU due to the fact Disney has found storming success with Pixar’s Incredibles franchise. Yes they have co-morbidity in their powers but the Fantastic 4 did come first.

There however lies the problem Feige may face, being compared to the Incredibles. Yes there is a different family dynamic with the Richards-Storm-Grimm set-up to the Parrs, but there is no reason to say that a CGI and live-action version cannot co-exist. If anything I think the Fantastic 4 can learn from the Incredibles particularly with what to do with Mister Fantastic. The trick is not falling into the same trap as what has come before in attempts.

A-Force:

An idea that has been batted around a lot recently is an all female Avengers movie, logically speaking this would mean A-Force. While every female hero in Marvel seems to have been a part of the team in the comics. It makes sense in the MCU to have a team comprised of the already established female heroes, along with Captain Marvel who could easily lead the team. We’re talking Scarlet Witch, Black Widow, The Wasp, Nebula, Captain Marvel, potentially Gamora and maybe Okoye & Valkyrie. That’s eight female members already established. With the potential additions of Storm, Jean Grey and Rogue from the X-Men and even Sue Storm from the Fantastic Four and you have a full roster. I do not think Jessica Jones, Elektra and Quake will be elevated from their TV serials but to be fair I think those 12 are more than enough.

Young Avengers:

One suggestion I will always favour is the teenage “sidekicks” to the Avengers. This team would either make a great movie or Netflix series and definitely show up DC’s upcoming Titans series.

As a purist obviously I want to keep to the founding members, as such the team should be comprised of Nate Richards aka Iron Lad, Eli Bradley aka Patriot, Billy Kaplan & Teddy Altman aka Wiccan and Hulkling, Kate Bishop aka Hawkeye, Cassie Lang aka Stature, Vision 2.0. and Tommy Shepherd aka Speed. That is the main line-up of the original team.

Now I would say to stick with the original team because the current team does not have Cassie Lang and so far she is the only member established in the MCU. However, the later incarnation of the team is more racially diverse so maybe they can be brought in at a later date.

Wiccan and Speed are the twin sons created by Scarlet Witch, Hulkling is the son of Mar-Vell and a Skrull princess both of whom will most likely appear in the upcoming Captain Marvel. Others can easily be introduced either in a film or TV series.

But when thinking about the storylines; you have Wiccan and Hulking who would be the first openly LGBT characters the MCU has but also teenage gay characters hopefully in a realistic portrayal of a homosexual relationship, Patriot does kind of represent teenage substance abuse, there’s the family dramas with both Wiccan & Speed but also Stature and how Scott Lang feels about his daughter being a superhero not to mention Hulkling discovering his true heritage and maybe contributing to the Kree-Skull war that could be shown starting in Captain Marvel. Not to mention the first Young Avengers story which sees them face off against Kang the Conqueror who in the comics is most likely a descendant of Reed Richards. Numerous possibilities.

Nuhumans:

My final suggestion is a way to firmly solidify the connection between the Movies and TV Shows by introducing the newest generation of Inhumans, known as Nuhumans, in a movie and then giving them their own TV series possibly on Netflix or on Disney’s new streaming service.

Firstly the Nuhumans are mostly credited for introducing the new Ms. Marvel, who not only has gone on to join the Avengers but also could very easily become the new heart of the MCU.

Now the team could easily be led by Daisy Johnson aka Quake and would be a way to keep Chloe Bennett around or get her away from Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. as I do not see much more longevity in that series. But because she is a TV actress primarily, it could work for her to appear in one movie and then go back to television just with a bigger budget for her Quake powers and costuming.

The movie could introduce Ms. Marvel, Inferno, Moon Girl, Blizzard and Ana Kravinoff to the movies. In essence they are all teenagers and yes I do have a preference for bringing in a younger generation of heroes to the MCU post Phase 3 but I do think this opening line-up could not only form a good team but also a solid fanbase.

Some die-hard comic book fans may notice that Blizzard has already been introduced in Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. portrayed by Dylan Minnette...well yes he has but has since gone on to form his own fan-base in both 13 Reasons Why and 2015′s Goosebumps as well as being in an Indie Rock band. Blizzard aka Donnie Gill was treated more as a mutate than an Inhuman but after his final fate in the TV series saw him frozen in the water leaving his ultimate fate unknown and these Nuhumans emerged from a water contaminate outbreak, it makes sense that Quake, who has a history with Donnie, either finds him or he finds her and becomes the troubled student of the team maybe along with Ana who is Kraven the Hunter’s daughter.

All the characters suggested would be great to see portrayed but my hotly anticipated pick is Moon Girl for the pure and simple reason that I feel she’d be a great start for an up and coming child actress considering in the comics she is supposed to be 9 years old. She should also be accompanied by her dino sidekick Devil Dinosaur.

It could also be a wonderfully diverse cast of characters if cast regionally appropriate; we already have Quake portrayed by Chloe Bennet both of whom are of Chinese descent. Kamala Khan aka Ms. Marvel is Pakistani American so finding a teenager or young adult actress of that heritage would be brilliant, Ana Kravinoff, like her father Kraven, is Russian, Moon Girl is African-American and Inferno is Latino-American.

In case anyone is wondering why I’m not trying to introduce the Inhuman Royal Family into the movies, Marvel already tried that and the result was a rather horrendous TV series whose cancellation was dragged out unintentionally. Yes Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. introduced Inhumans into the MCU in their Season 2, but to get the real experience of Inhuman powers you need a higher budget that a movie or maybe this new streaming service can provide.

I am not saying the Royals can’t be in this film/series, in fact if they want to either retcon or recast the series I would be happy with that. I would love to see Medusa done right and who doesn’t love Lockjaw? But in terms of where the MCU is going I feel a younger more current generation is the key.

So those are my suggestions for where the MCU should be headed post Phase 3, what do you guys think? Are you wanting to see the Inhumans done right? Do you think Chloe Bennet should make the jump from TV to film? Is a younger generation of heroes the way to go? Are the former Fox-owned properties the MCU’s best hope? How would you feel if Guardians of the Galaxy 3 did not focus on the current team we have?

Post your comments and check out more Superhero Spotlights as well as other Movie Reviews and posts.

[tumblunni]

OH FUCK U GUYS SHOULD I BUY ALL THE KINDGOM HEARTS IN A ONCENESS???

Holy jesus i knew they did hd ps4 ports of the playstation games but they ALSO added all the final mix content that engkishspeaking fans never got during my childhood? And they ALSO remade chain of memories entireky in 3d with Very Animated Ice Dad?? And they ALSO remade BBS despite it not needing it nearly as much as the old games and thet ALSO remade friggin dream drop distance which came out on a goddamn current gen console?? Like they seriously just made a non portable version?? Now all the spinoffs are on the same console at last?? Why did you not just do this in the first place?? I mean the psp and 3ds games were basically ps2 equivelant graphics and disc space anyway...

Oh and fuckin ALLLLSOOOOO

Also the final mixes of all of those! Also a movie version of the plot of khux! And also Coded and Days, which is a really big shame cos Coded is indeed sparse enough on content to deserve it but Days was my FAVOURITE GAME and it sucks its the only one that didnt get remade! I mean its in the same spinoff category as bbs and com, its not a cheapo mess like coded. Nothing else in the series deserves to be shoved in the Coded bin, even khux at least has better plot even if the backtracking and lootbox shit makes it harder to get to it...

Anyway ALSO a random new sidestory with Aqua going thru like one dungeon or somethin?? I dunno?? Its like a glorified tech demo for kh3, its just 'hey fuckin look what we can do visually on a proper ps4 game' and wow how have i never fuckin heard of this it looks so pretty!! I mean i dont know if its even more than 5 hours or somethin but.. Pretty!! And apparantly you get unlockable costumes for her or somethin? I hope they keep that feature in kh3! Itd rock if it wasnt just the main character too, and we could dress up riku and kairi and goofy and donald and roxas and axel and every the friends :3 new secret to how they defeat xehanort: slap a bow on his damn head

ALSO ALSO

All of this is available in one big bundle pack for £90 which ALSO contains literally kh3. THIS IS HOW THEYRE HANDLING PREORDERS?? THATS SUCH A GOOD WAY TO HANDLE PREORDERS!! Get a discounted price on this new game but while youre waiting for it you get to enjoy an (also discounted) giant fuckin 300 hours memory lane compilation of every damn thing from the last 15 years in one beautiful updated package. Holy fuck its like they made this for ME SPECIFICALLY!this is the perfect way to get people back into the franchise who dropped off in The Great KH3 Wait cos they couldnt afford all the damn million portables needed to gather that Dank Lore. God fuckin hell it cost more than the price of this bundle just to play any one of those games individually on some stupid retro machine i bought exclusively for that one damn game. THAT PSP STILL ROTS IN MY KITCHEN CUPBOARD YO

So

So so so so so

Guys

Please give me permission to buy this

Or like please convince me not to waste my money if you think i'd waste my money??

I really just DONT KNOW! ive been out of the fandom for so long and my last experience was really hatting BBS and feeling horribly out of place as everyone else raved about it being the best thing ever. And i know NOTHING about what kh3 is gonna be or whether its even possible for me to get back into the fandom and like.. Care about it at all again. I just got fuckin fatigued with it and my teenage years were like me clinging on to the edge of a cliff by my fingernails begging everyone to believe me that Its Still Good, Honestly, Its Worth It while square enix is up there all LONG LIVE THE KING and they push me off. Into a stampede of PSPs. Somehow.

And then aaargh i know i literally only came back to the fandom because organization xiii fuckin eternally holds my heart in their lil grabby hands. It was indeed a good nostalgic moment remembering how i loved them! And getting a new appreciation for Vexen and being blown away by how much he should have been my favourite but i just never got to play COM as a kid and then when i played it as an adult all the way after bbs i ended up quitting before even getting to meet half the org cos this one stupid 'defeat 99 shadows jn 99 seconds' mission kicked my ass. I'M JUST NOT GOOD AT ACTION RPGS OKAY!

Aaaagh thats another Big Worry, yknow? Like asa kid i was Bad, as an adult i'm Barely Better , and as a both i never enjoyed beat em up thingies of any kind at all. And on top of that i was never big into disney, i never saw them as any sort of 'childhood magic' but just some naff cliche shit retelling public domain fairy tales in the safest way possible with a bunch of obnoxious celebrity cameos. Also lion king and snow white terrified me as a kid. Also i associated robin hood with my dead grandma. Also as a kid i couldnt appreciate good artistic ability or voiceacting, i was all about the story, yknow? And most of kh's adaptations are really rushed and barebones versions of an already shoddy story, without any of the visual splendor. ALSO i never saw any of the darker or more emotionally focused stuff like Hunchback and Beauty and the Beast until way after i quit playing kingdom hearts, oddly enough. Wtf beauty and thebeast is actually real good and looks so far beyond its time!! Wtf hunchback has my goddamn evil dad in it!! Why did i miss the only good didneys!! Why did snow white traumatize me and those didnt!!

ANYWAY the point im getting at is that im not inherantly predisposed to like.. Any of kingdom hearts's appeal at all. I didnt know half the disneys and i didnt have any hype for the others. None of my fave final fantasy games made it into it until the sequel and then never again after that. CMON I CANT JUST DEAL WITH ONE VIVI CAMEO Y'ALL! And i haaaate the genre and its an uphill struggle to play a game like that with my stupid inelegant sausage hands. So i just came for the story and then everything after the first game has been conspiring to ruin it for me, sheesh! I felt so much for that short concise self contained first episode and then i fall more and more out of love as they establish this status quo of everything being retconnable so dont bother get attatched to it. Blablabla the entire worldbuilding is different now and everyone was secretly someone else and please memorize a bunch of shit from fifty fuckin spinoffs and also time travel and cloning suddenly exist and ALSO Grandpa Onlyblackmanintheworld is generic motiveless evil and everything was him even of it looked like it was actually a sympathetic villain. *insert dio meme face*

So yeah now im just.. In it for the characters?? And the cute art style and monsters and lovely animations and big fanfic oc potentials stuff. But man even tho i had Big Feel for those things i was able to completely drop it all and forget about the series for years, that was just HOW BAD the kh3 drought was. Steven universe hiatus eat your heart out...

So ffff i dont even KNOW if i'll be able to get feels'd for these characters again or if they actually hold up to modern bunni standards of huggable. And i know all the ones i want to hug the most got like zero sympathy and all died horribly and were also retroactively revealed to be clone oldmanvirus somethingy and aaaaaagh. But also something something people say they all came back and got cured?? And this is why?? I am here?? Again?? And buying?? The thing??

Like man fuck i am already building it up so much in my head aaaa what if i dont actually love axel as much as i used to love axel and i dont love Grumply Science as much as i always love That Character Archetype seriously MAN how was he like THE ONLY ONE I DIDNT GET TO SEE AS A KID

Aaauuuuaggh gahhh like maybe this will reignite my passion for the series or maybe i'll just be all critical and dumb and waste all my moneys

Guys... What do??

[wonderfulworldofmichaelford]

Michael After Midnight - Atlantis: The Lost Empire

Disney is not a company that really has a lot of cult classics; almost every animated film in their canon is pretty mainstream, critically acclaimed, and all that. However, there are a few bona fide cult classics among the canon, most notably the dark fantasy The Black Cauldron, the sci-fi reimagining that is Treasure Planet, and of course this movie, Atlantis: The Lost Empire, a pulpy sci-fi/fantasy adventure story about a team comprised of mercenaries and a geeky, charming nerd venturing forth to discover the legendary lost city. This film is known for underperforming at the box office, being generally ignored by Disney in pretty much all facets, and helped usher in Disney’s Dork Age in the 2000s. And yet, over time, the film has amassed quite a following… does it deserve it, is the real question?

Well, let’s start by looking at the story… in the early 20th century, linguist Milo Thatch has supposedly uncovered evidence of the lost civilization of Atlantis, the mythical, hyper-advanced civilization that disappeared beneath the sea ages ago. Of course, his theories are outright rejected by his peers… but not by Mr. Whitmore, a rich man who knew Milo’s grandfather and who agreed years earlier to fund such an expedition if ever something like this came to light. Soon, a ragtag team of colorful characters is assembled, and the search for Atlantis begins! Can they possibly find the lost city, or are their hopes more sunk than the city supposedly is?

Now, this movie has two big things going for it. The first is the fucking GORGEOUS animation. The characters themselves have really sweet designs and styles, very comic book-esque, which is no shock since Mike Mignola of Hellboy fame worked on the movie. Then there’s stuff like the crystals and the Leviathan, which are just breathtaking and incredible. This movie is a work of art, a true work of visual genius; there is very little to find in this film that is unpleasant to look at. Even characters the others may find unpleasant like Moliere and Cookie are still not bad to look at. In a lot of respects, this is one of the best-looking films Disney has ever made.

The other big thing going for it is the crazy cast of characters. Now, Milo, our protagonist, is not all too interesting himself; this is not to say he’s bad, far from it! No character voiced by Michael J. Fox can be bad or unlikable! The problem is he’s kind of a sweet, charming, and ultimately vanilla nerd character. The real fun comes with seeing him interact with the rest of the colorful cast. Highlights among the band of mercs are Mrs. Packard, an elderly woman who does nothing but constantly snark at everything with the most deadpan expression imaginable, Audrey, the feisty young mechanic, and Vinny, the stoic, trollish demolition expert. There’s plenty of other characters, and it’s a multinational, diverse cast, with people of all backgrounds, ages, and body types. What’s more, while there isn’t a huge amount of time devoted to it, we do get a pretty good scene where the characters discuss their motivations and a bit of their backgrounds, helping flesh them out a bit. Honestly, if this had continued to get the planned TV series and sequel, I think it could have ended up being one of the best adventure series ever. There really is a lot to love here in terms of the mercs.

Of course, those aren’t the only beloved characters; I would be absolutely remiss to not mention King Kashekim and his daughter, Kida. Both of them are memorable and worthwhile based on their voices alone; King Kashekim is voiced by none other than the late, great Leonard Nimoy (as Kingdom Hearts would show, this would not be the last time he played a dark skinned leader in a Disney-related  property… Master Xehanort is a bit less kind than Kashekim, to say the least), who as far as I have seen is a man who was incapable of turning in a bad performance, while Kida is voiced by the always-awesome voice actress extraordinaire that is Cree Summers. I gotta say, it’s really nice when an actual professional voice actor lands a major role in a big animated film rather than a celebrity who seems to be there solely for brand recognition (I’m looking at YOU, Shark Tale). And to round out the memorable Atlantean characters, we have the Leviathan. The Leviathan is a one-scene wonder, but it is one scene you will likely never forget. It is a monstrous, ancient artificial sea beast that resembles a lobster and fires lasers, and in its solitary scene SLAUGHTERS HUNDREDS OF EXPEDITION MEMBERS. There was a lot of people on the sub who didn’t make it out, and who were struck down in the escape. Remember, this is a Disney movie; there’s been death before, sure, but this is just an unprecedented death toll in their canon to this point.

There’s a few problems here and there, namely with the villains, though the problem isn’t exactly that they’re bad or anything. Rourke and Helga are both solid in their own right, and their action sequences in the finale are really good and lead to some great moments and visuals, but their motivations are… wonky. Clearly they’re motivated by greed, Rourke in particular, but… I feel like it would have been a bit more cost effective and make you richer in the long term to, you know, NOT go to the lengths he did. He just helped discover an ancient civilization that has welcomed him with open arms and that would make him insanely rich if he alerted the rest of the world, but… nah, plundering, killing, and kidnapping is the way to go! Helga’s just going along for the ride and is an enjoyable badass femme fatale, so I give her a bit more slack here, but Rourke just seems to be being a dick for being a dick’s sake. I guess he’s not really an awful or boring villain like, say, Ratcliffe in the original Pocahontas, but he’s really not up there with the greats. He comes off as Diet McLeach, which is a shame; if he had a bit more of McLeach’s hamminess he might have been a bit easier to fully embrace as a good villain.

Aside from that, you can probably pick apart some flaws in the story; it’s not exactly free of the cliches and tropes of adventure stories. But the fact remains that, for all its faults, Atlantis is still a hell of a lot of fun and just such a treat for the eyes. The characters are charming, the visuals are stunning, the story, while not perfect, hits all the right beats and there’s plenty of excitement… so to answer the question posed at the start, hell yeah does this movie deserve its cult following! This is a great movie. I’ve loved it since I was a kid, and I still love it today. Is it the greatest Disney film ever made? No, of course not, but it doesn’t need to be. It just needs to be the fun, exciting adventure full of awesome characters that it is. I definitely recommend this one, because it’s just such an oddity in Disney’s animated canon, and a really good oddity at that.

Now, normally this is where I’d wrap things up… But I think I want to touch on the ‘sequel,’ Milo’s Return here instead, namely because I fucking hate it so much I don’t think it deserves its own review. But WHY do I hate it? Remember how I briefly mentioned there was going to be a sequel and TV series based on the first movie? Well, the underperformance of it at the box office led to three episodes of the aborted TV series strung together into a narrative that doesn’t exist at all. Now, poorly-disguised pilot films don’t have to suck; The Return of Jafar, despite its crappy animation, is actually pretty solid as a setup for the Aladdin show and tells a good story centered around Iago. But the problem in this is that… there’s no connection. It’s three separate stories sloppily smashed together despite not having any overarching narrative. The gang reunites and investigates a kraken, coyote spirits, and some crazy asshole who thinks he’s a Norse god. None of it is good, none of it makes sense, and it’s honestly pretty sloppy and insulting and features one of the most egregious, obnoxious happy endings  ever seen. It’s pretty easy to just ignore this as non-canon. To think, we could have had an actual TV show that crossed over with Gargoyles…

Also, I gotta say, I hate how Disney ignores Kida in their princess line. Like come the fuck on. She’s an actual princess, a BLACK princess at that, predating Tiana by several years. Seriously, this movie is one of the most criminally ignored and shafted animated films I’ve ever seen… and considering how Disney has treated other movies like Strange Magic I’d say they never learned their lesson. The cult status of Atlantis just goes to show no matter how much you try and bury something, you just can’t keep a good movie down.

[volleyballbabes-blog1]

Can I have a Scenario where bokuto has a gf that is childish and loves all Disney movies and he surprises her with tickets to Disney

Thank you so much for requesting this!!!!! This was soooooo much fun to write!!! I love getting Disney requests, so anyone who has any more, you’re more than welcome to submit them! Enjoy!!

~ Wendy!

You and Bokuto hadgrown up together. Nineties Disney movies were your go-to on a rainy day… orany day, for that matter. Whether it was Aladdin, Mulan, The Lion King, Tarzan,or Toy Story, it didn’t matter. The two of you got super pumped when The Incredibles,Beauty and the Beast, and other Disney movies got sequels or live actionremakes. In fact, when you found out about Toy Story 4, you screamed. Not justinternally, but externally. And then you told your entire family and every oneof your friends. Bokuto was your Disney buddy first, and became your boyfriendlater on.

A couple of monthsafter you and Bokuto started dating, he suggested you two celebrate graduatinghigh school with a fun trip or event of some kind. As soon as you agreed, hebought tickets to Disney. But, he told you that you two were visiting his familyin America. 

“How excitedare you!? I’m so excited!” Bokuto exclaimed, running circled around youwith his suitcase.

“I’m prettyexcited.” You laughed, loving his enthusiasm. “I take it you haven’tbeen to America much?”

“Nope, notoften! But this’ll be a great trip! We’re going to have a blast!”

“I know wewill.” You smile.

“You’re quieterthan usual. Everything okay?”

“I’m a littlenervous. I’ve known your family back home since we were kids. This is the firsttime I’m meeting new family. I just hope it goes well.”

“Don’t worry,it will!” He assured you. “Trust me, when we land, all your worrieswill be gone. C'mon, y/n-chan, Hakuna Matata! We’re going to D– We’re going onvacation!”

You weren’t surewhat he was going to say, but you knew he was hiding something. It was odd thathe hadn’t mentioned family in America before that year. It was also odd howexcited he was, and that he wasn’t at all nervous about leaving the country andhaving to speak English. Something was up, and you had to get to the bottom ofit.

You boarded theflight to Orlando, trying to think up subtle ways to get the truth out of him.

“So,Bokuto–” You asked. “Who’s family is this? Mom’s side or Dad’sside?”

“It’s Dad’ssister.”

“What’s hername.”

“Aunt…Hikari.”

“AuntHikari?”

“Yep, AuntHikari. She met Uncle… John… when she was studying abroad. But they didn’t havekids.”

“Studyingabroad is something I’ve always wanted to do, too!” I smiled. He was lyingabout everything, that you knew. He was too good and honest of a person to lieconvincingly in person. The question was, what were you really getting yourselfinto.

You landed inOrlando, and went through baggage claim. Once you had your stuff, you headedfor pick-up. But Bokuto walked right past it.

“Bokuto? Isn’tthis where your family will get us?”

“Nope, just alittle farther.” He said, continuing to walk. You saw the Disney’s MagicalExpress station at the end of the hall. There was nothing else left. But therewas no way he could actually be taking you to Walt Disney World, was there? It’sso expensive, and you only have him half the amount of money as it would taketo stay there as your part of the vacation fund. Bokuto’s smile was as brightas ever, he wasn’t even trying to act anymore. He turned around excitedly toannounce “Y/n-chan, we’re going to Disney World!”

“You’rekidding!???!!!!” You squealed. “There’s no actual way weare!!!!!!”

“Nope, we are!I have our tickets and our Disney’s Magical Express stuff right here!!! We’restaying at Disney’s Wilderness Lodge, and we’ll get our Magic Bands when wecheck in!!! We’re here six nights, seven days! I have no family in Americawhatsoever!”

“Oh mygosh!!!!!!!!!!! How long did you keep it a secret for!??!!? And HOW did youkeep it a secret!?!!!??! I would’ve leaked it months ago!!!!!”

“I startedplanning this the day I asked you if you wanted a grad trip and you saidyes!”

You jumped intoBokuto’s arms, and he twirled you around like the Disney Princess you both knewyou were. 

You were extremelyrestless in the bus. Bokuto was finally getting to talk to you about howexcited he, too, was for this trip. He planned the whole thing perfectly, usingyour last trip with your family as a template. The fast passes, diningreservations, extra magic hours, everything was perfect, just as you would haveplanned it!

Your first day at apark was, of course, Magic Kingdom!

“Okay, so firstSpace Mountain! Then we’ll head to Fronteirland for the mountains there. Then,Space Mountain! Then we’ll see what’s in Fantasyland. Then, Space mountain!Then it’s about time for lunch, followed by a parade. And then, Space Mountain!Then we should greet some characters, I gotta get a picture with Donald Duck!Then, –”

“SpaceMountain, I get it!” Bokuto laughed, loving how excited you were.“We’ll do everything, including ten times the amount of Space Mountainanyone else would.”

“Perfect! Butyou’re forgetting the nighttime dance before fireworks!”

“Of course Iam.” He chuckled. “Let’s get a move on! We’re burning daylight, andwe only have fifty minutes left of our extra magic hour!”

“Race yathere!” You bolted toward Tomorrowland, Bokuto quickly overtaking yousince he was in peak shape thanks to volleyball. You were both out of breathlining up. Losing the race made you extra determined to win the mini-game inthe Space Mountain line.

“Sucker! IceCream is on you, as promised!”

“I demand arematch!”

“Double ornothing?”

"Double ornothing!”

You battled againthe next time you rode space mountain, and now Bokuto owed you two Mickey IceCream bars.

Bokuto had alwayswanted to kiss his girlfriend when fireworks were going on. That night, duringthe grand finale of Wishes, he wrapped his arm around you, and then kissed you.It was perfect, and gave you goose bumps.

Throughout the day,you took selfies in front of everything. The castle, Space Mountain and otherrides, the entrance, your restaurants, and with characters. It was the best dayof your life, by far.

The next day, youhit up Hollywood Studios.

“Okay, so,first stop, Tower of Terror!” Bokuto exclaimed.

“Oh, comeon…” You sighed. “First thing?”

“First thing!You said you wanted to conquer it, right? If you wait, you’ll just be anxiousabout it all day. If we get it over with now, then boom! You can enjoy the restof your day.”

“You have apoint……” You reluctantly admitted he was right

“Don’t worry.I’ll be right there. And remember, it doesn’t go down the entire tower atonce." 

"Alsotrue….”

He was successfullyconvincing you.

“Picture this:You, coming off the ride, with a big smile on your face. Us, looking at the MyDisney Experience app, and buying the picture of your first ever Tower ofTerror ride. You, having finally conquered every ride Disney has tooffer!”

“Okay, let’s doit.” You put on a smile, even though you were definitely going to cry atsome point from nerves. You worked yourself up all through the ride. EvenBokuto was quiet in line, trying to find a new way to encourage you and comfortyou, since he’d used up all his tricks. When you finally were seated on theride, he took your hand, and you closed your eyes. After a deep breath, youopened them, and the ride stopped.

All you could thinkwas ‘I can’t do this. I want off. I can’t do this. I want off’ on repeat.

“We’re going toconquer this together.” Bokuto squeezed your hand as the elevator enteredthe shaft. It shot up, then down, then up, then down, then up, then down, thenup, then down, then up, then down, and then it was over. It was quick, and painless,thanks to the secret trick of clenching your gut and holding your breath thatkept you from feeling too many butterflies.

Just as Bokuto hadpredicted, you were jumping around, excited.

“I can’tbelieve I just did that!” You looked back at the tower, amazed by it’sheight. “After so many years of not even trying, I just conquered it! Andit wasn’t even that bad! I did it! I can’t believe I did it!”

“I knew you hadit in you.” He smiled, whipping out his phone. “Would you like tosee?” 

You snatched thephone from his hand and loaded the app quickly, anticipating the look on yourfaces when the camera snapped its photo. You had your eyes closed, clutchingBokuto’s arm for dear life. He had his arms up, enjoying the ride. He wasfacing you, though, making sure you were okay. That picture was worth framing,so you bought it.

"Thanks,Bokuto.” You smiled, giving him a kiss.

“Anytime.” He blushed.

Next was the Beautyand the Beast play.

“They’re sobig.” You laughed. Lumiere, Cogsworth, they were all human sized. It waslaughable. But the music made up for it.

“I know, it’scompletely different from the movie. But that’s not what we’re here for, isit?”

“No, no it’snot.” You smiled, hearing the tune beginning. “Madame Gaston, oh canyou see it?” You sang along.

“Madame Gaston,his little wife. No sir, not me, I guarantee it!” Bokuto took his turnnext, with an extremely sassy face on.

“I want so muchmore than this provincial life!”

The next song youtwo belted out was Be Our Guest. Bokuto even tried a French accent, which onlymade it funnier.

Obviously, you hadto hit up Star Tours. They included the characters from The Force Awakens now,which was so cool!

“I wonder howmany versions of that ride they are? Each one has a different story,right?” You wondered.

“Well, we havetime before our Rockin’ Rollercoaster fastpass. Wanna see if we can get everyversion of the ride in the same day!?”

“Um,yeah!” You agreed, without thinking twice. You probably did that ridearound six times, asking the crew members how many times you’d have to do it tosee all possible storylines. Every time you went through the store at the exitof the ride, you looked at a different item. When Bokuto jump-scared you with aChewbacca mask on, you responded by grabbing a light saber and smacking himwith it jokingly 

After that, you bothscreamed your heads off at the takeoff of Rockin Rollercoaster.

“One of thebest things about this ride is the before scene. It’s less time to wait inline, and it’s kind of funny.” You smiled.

“Yeah, I loveseeing Aerosmith! Even if it’s only for a second.”

In the line, youplayed lots of games. Truth or Dare, Would you Rather, Eye Spy, and otherthings. You learned a lot about each other through those talks. It was nicebonding time.

After a few roundsof Rockin Rollercoaster, you headed to Toy Story Mania.

“Okay, we’regoing to do this an odd number of times. Whoever wins the most rounds winsoverall. Deal?” Bokuto suggested.

“You’re on.This ride is new since you’ve been here, you’ve never played it. I’m anexperienced gamer.”

“How about wemake this interesting? The loser buys popcorn for Fantasmic!”

“You’reon!” You smiled. Then, you entered the line. It was so cool to see all thegiant toys. Disney always put so much work into everything they did, even thewaiting lines for their rides. It meant everything was more expensive, andwaits for new lines to be built were longer, but it was totally worth it 

“No, no, no,no, no!” Bokuto exclaimed as you ended the fifth round of Toy Story Mania.

“I like mypopcorn with extra butter.” You joked, nudging him with your elbow.

“Okay, butwe’re having a rematch at Space Mountain on the last day! Loser buys popcornagain, but for fireworks. 

"I won thatone, too. You really want to challenge me again?”

“I don’t backdown when I’m beaten. I compete and improve until I win. So don’t be so sureyou’ll hold your crown forever.” He teased you 

“We’ll seeabout that.” You smiled back.

Finally, it was timefor Fantasmic. It was dark, and the lights were beautiful. You brought alongthe glowstick you had bought at Fantasmic last time you were here. The sticklit up the same colour as the show’s set did. Fantasmic’s most beautiful featurethough was not its lights, in your opinion. It was its music 

You were exhaustedby the time you got back to your room. You crashed with your head usingBokuto’s chest as a pillow. The next morning, you were well rested, ready totake on Animal Kingdom.

Kilimanjaro Safariwas always one of your favourite rides. It made you want to fly to Africa andsee everything that was there in its truly natural habitat. You had no doubtthat Bokuto could do a lot of the acrobatic stunts in Festival of the LionKing. And finally, you went on Kali River Rapids as many times as it took foryou to be in the position where you got the biggest splash.

When lunch hit, youwere soaking wet, and freezing cold, since the Tusker House restaurant seemedto be even cooler than the other air conditioned places.

“Do you want mysweater, y/n-chan?” 

"Oh, no, it’sokay, you keep it.” You smiled. “I’ll get some warm food, that’llhelp! Plus, once we get back out in the sun, I’ll dry off.” 

"I asked, but Iwasn’t really asking.” Bokuto chuckled as he wrapped his sweater aroundyour shoulders” 

It was really sweet,something straight out of a movie. You couldn’t help but blush. 

After that, youheaded to Dinosaur. You told Bokuto all about the dinosaur facts you knew, andhow the original Jurassic Park scarred you for life because you watched it tooyoung. Even though you knew the dinosaur was coming, you still screamed when itcame out at you, thanks to the suspense the ride built up.

“That wasawesome! We’ve gotta do it again!” Bokuto beamed. “He almost had meconvinced we weren’t going to make it out of there!”

“Me, too!”You laughed. “How cool would it be to really go back in time like that?And to see the  planet millions of yearsago? I wonder just how much has changed, and just how cool the dinosaurs reallylooked in person.”

“It’d beamazing! Which one would you want to see?”

“A triceratops!That would be the best!”

“T-Rex forme!” 

You two weredaydreamers. When some people saw no point in the conversations you sometimeshad, you knew that any conversation you enjoyed wasn’t wasted just because itwasn’t about something real. That was a side of you Bokuto really got, and youtruly appreciated that.

After a visit toIt’s Tough To Be A Bug, in which you avoided the stink bug smell, the beestings, and the larvae bumps, you headed to see the Yeti 

"So, how comeyou aren’t scared of this ride? It has a drop?”

“Yeah, but it’snothing compared to The Tower of Terror. Plus, going backwards is too much funto miss because of a drop!”

The both of youthrew your hands in the air for the Everest drop, and when you went backwards.You even asked for the front row seat the next time you did it.

You ended the nightwith Rivers of Light. It was peaceful, screen, and beautiful in the dark. Itwas exactly the calm you needed after another busy Disney day.

The next day, youtackled Epcot! Soarin’ had just been updated, so you were stoked to go on that,as was Bokuto. After taking a stroll through all the pavilions, you hit up morerides. Bokuto was obsessed with making the cars in Test Track that you almostdidn’t finish it in time to move on in the line. Luckily, you did, and Bokutowas ecstatic when his won overall.

You had many moreadventures on that trip. You discovered Bokuto had motion sickness and wasn’tthe biggest fan of Mission Space. You heard him scream for the first time inthe Haunted Mansion. Bokuto suggested you make funny faces during the photo.Naturally, the two of you purchased every ride picture you got throughout theweek.

As for souvenirs,you bought a matching set of Mickey and Minnie mugs, as well as some pins fortrading. Bokuto also bought you a stuffed Winnie the Pooh bear. 

And, on the lastday, when you thought the week couldn’t get any better, Bokuto had boughttickets to the dessert party on the boat. You were ecstatic, having alwayswanted to do that. The fireworks show was absolutely beautiful!

“See? I toldyou it would be better than ever!”

“It reallyis!” You exclaimed. “I was a little sad that Wishes was gone, butHappily Ever After is really, really good!”

"Where’s my five bucks? C'mon, I won the bet that you’d love this oneeven more." 

"Okay, okay.Here you go.” You chuckled, handing over the bill.

You flew home thenext day, reading over the journal you’d written about the trip. It had everdetail, from the food you ordered at the restaurants, to the scores you eachearned in Toy Story Mania. You looked over at your sleeping boyfriend on theplane ride home, wondering how you could’ve been so lucky as to land someonelike him. 

“I’m going to marry him someday. I can say thatfor certain now. ”

Those were the lastwords you wrote in the journal for that trip. And you two lived Happily EverAfter.

[2djdanger]

RAMBLINGS OF AN ANIMATION STUDENT ON THE BOSS BABY AND THE INDUSTRY ITSELF AND WHY I LOVE THE BOSS BABY WITH ALL MY HEART AND SOUL:

Words cannot describe the love I have for The Boss Baby. I saw an advanced screening of it a few weeks back with the director there & it blew my mind it’s like 3D animation meets 2D along with gorgeous art & so many opposites attract motifs like the baby acting like an adult & the graphic bold bright comic book feel type scenes that also meet this almost soft pastel 1950s/1960s vibe going on. AND THE EMOTION IN EVERYONES FACES AGH IT MAKES ME SO HAPPY AS AN ANIMATOR!!! It’s such a fast paced movie & everything happening at once & throughout all this everyone’s showing a variety of different emotions in a few seconds & the writing is amazing like not many animated films these days go back to the roots of traditional animation & just making it for a wide variety of an audience from all walks of life instead of making the same movie over & over again with great animation but a story line that seems rushed & choppy & not thought out but they keep making sequels anyways whether we wanted them or not just because m o n e y. I’m looking at u Disney with almost everything & Illumination with Despicable Me. It’s not to say that I don’t like sequels bc those companies have made some I enjoyed but it makes me disappointed when they could be putting their talents towards something fresh & new & original. This movie was o r i g i n a l in every sense of the word. Go take your kids to see it, yourself, your parents (I took mine & im a fully grown adult as are they & we loved it), your grandparents, your grandparent’s grandparents!!! It’s so great!!! It’s literally what the 3D animation community needed. I’m a traditional/2D animator myself & it seems more of the 2D movies out there recently have been trying to keep it original and don’t even get me started on the amount of work the animators do in not only 2D but 3D as well. But like recently 3D animation seems obsessed with the technology realizing they can make anything look more & more realistic nowadays then say when Pixar created Toy Story & their shorts in the 80s. These big companies keep churning out these movies not putting much thought into it & spending everything to make it look as real as possible. But that’s not the point of animation at all! They’re losing touch with why we animate in the first place!!! As my old storyboarding teacher once told our class on why we animate, we animate because it shouldn’t be possible in the real world. When you make anything animated you should stop & think: why am I making this story animated? Does it really need to be animated? Can I do this in live action? If you can make a story in live action then why are you animating it at all in the first place? It doesn’t need to be animated! Literally animation is just beautiful. You can do anything with it. And more & more especially with the technology in 3D films they’re slipping away from those values & ideas & making things that can be replicated in live action. So to see The Boss Baby really utilize the original concept of animation to tell that beautiful crazy impossible story & to top it off tell it through the bright eyes of an over imaginative child make it all the more better because it gives way to these big brilliant imagination sequences with these bold graphic designs that I’d die for. The editing and the animation in this movie is literally perfection it’s one thing flows into another into another into another & it works ANNND THERES EVEN GOOD COMEDIC TIMING!!! Sometimes movies live action & animated just can’t capture that kind of fast paced back to back tension followed by good comedic timing so to the writing team on The Boss Baby I say bravo to you & to the animators as well because God knows how difficult it is to draw out a normal sequence of actions but to follow the writing & get that vision out there in the open & follow it & draw it out so every detail works that’s just insane. This movie just inspires me so much & it’s relatable. My childhood was like Tim’s where everything was perfect & I was happy until my baby sister came along & we went at it for years. Another thing back to the genius writing in the film is this style where it forces you into Tim’s shoes because when they first introduce Boss Baby & for the first half of the film you’re made to hate him & he acts as the villain of the film until about halfway through Boss Baby really comes out of his 1 dimensional evil villain shell & just sees Tim in distress & reveals why it’s not only bad for Tim the current situation but why it’s bad for him too & then proceeds to give Boss Baby this insane narrative & beautifully tragic multidimensional backstory. Tim as the first main character has already been developed as a multidimensional character with different feelings & emotional expressions because he doesn’t know much about the world except for his imagination since he is a kid but by showing this then completely flipping everything on it’s head & giving Boss Baby real flaws & strengths that balance out Tim’s strengths & weaknesses it makes them seem a lot more like real relatable people & more so like siblings who depend on each other. As an older sister I can say some of my weaknesses end up being my sisters strengths & vice versa. Then by the end of the film,Boss Baby is this character you can't help but love & root for hoping he wins & can get out of the bad situations like when his formula was stolen so he kept going baby again it's like you feel panicked because you don't want Boss Baby to be normal you want him to be his crazy quirky self. Also this whole tragic narrative really hit me like it just stuck with me because I’m a sucker for these kinds of dark/sad stories layered in a brighter happier story & they coexist in harmony like that’s when you know a film’s really working. So SPOILERS AHEAD even though if you got this far there have already been some light spoilers I couldn’t avoid talking about but these get right into the grit of it. So the idea that Boss Baby was never really born fascinates me. In this world in the movie it makes sense. It’s also really sad as Tim points out as we’re finding out more about Boss Baby that he never had a childhood & how Boss Baby even says himself he was “born” or more so created (in both the universe of the movie & if he was self aware ((which he isn’t but for the sake of explaining this just humor the thought if he was)) that he was created as a character to work in this movie world realm plane of existence whatever you want to call it) all grown up as an adult in a baby’s body. Just think about that for a minute. What if you were born an adult & never went through childhood, never had a family, no one ever loved you or played with you or anything, all you knew was co-workers & business stuff. You never had fun or imagined things. That’s a really sad life if you ask me personally. He never had a chance to be creative or find himself all he knew was what the cold adult business school taught him from day 1. Most adults these days forgot what it was like to be a child & have fun & I think that’s what they were trying to get at with this backstory especially when Tim’s on the plane to Vegas with Boss Baby & just trying to teach him in small little ways how to use his imagination & just be a kid & not be so serious & black & white all the time. Also, I feel like that’s the issue sometimes with my own parents. As an animator I see animated movies as just another way of telling a story whereas people like my parents who don’t understand much from my line of work see it as a children’s media with no substance & pretty pictures. I want to break that barrier because the first animated pieces were NOT made for kids they were for other adults. I feel like it shouldn’t matter anyways if the movie’s marketed for kids because it could always be a good movie regardless of that & people like my parents forget what it’s like to have fun & see a good kids movie. They were kids once, we all were. As with many animated films before it, The Boss Baby brings subtle tasteful adult humor to the film as well as some just downright outrageous adult humor like Boss Baby running around butt naked with a censor bar over his nether regions. When you can marry adult & child humor together in a movie & make it work nicely it’s always a sign of a good movie. So tonight’s the opening night of The Boss Baby in cinemas everywhere & because I have so much love for this movie after seeing the advanced screening & listening to the director, producer, & designer from the movie speak about it & their own experiences they put into this film, like I stated before I dragged my parents out of the house on a Friday night when they would normally be in bed sleeping really early & shared the joy & beauty of the animated feature film with them. Normally my dad’s the one who will give almost any film a try & watch it & really like it. My mom however is extremely picky & if it doesn’t please her in the first 10 minutes or less she will zone out & fall asleep taking a nap through over half the movie. Both of my parents were on the edge of their seats tonight paying the utmost attention to the movie. It was a really beautiful moment to see my parents actually giving this animated movie a shot & they both ended up loving it as much I did on my second go seeing it. I’m not gonna lie I saw the trailers for this movie late last year & it caught my interest but I had this nagging thought that it wasn’t going to be a fresh new story it would just be typical & only made to make some money & keep Dreamworks in the game another year. I was happily proven wrong & this movie just takes everything about these money making no story movies & flips it on its head entirely. I even bought the art book for The Boss Baby because the artwork alone is enough to inspire me while working on my own projects. And that my friends is why you need to see The Boss Baby

TL;DR: The Boss Baby is an A+ gorgeously animated film with a breath of fresh air new story told in a way that’s really interesting & new & takes you back to the old days of 2D animation classics despite being a 3D film so disregard Rotten Tomato’s obviously wrong ratings & go see it for yourself because as an animator this movie makes me happy & I want to live in it forever ❤️❤️❤️

[recentanimenews]

Crunchyroll Favorites 2017: Everything Else

  Movies, music, comic books, great food, everything goes in this last category. With Part One and Part Two out of the way, here's our final Crunchyroll 2017 Favorites with everything else!

PETER FOBIAN (@PeterFobian)

Blade Runner 2049: I never in my entire life actually scoffed until I came upon news of this movie. On the heels of a few monstrously bad Hollywood adaptations and reboots, I couldn’t imagine this movie being anything but another disappointment. I’m so happy to be wrong. Visually this movie was every bit the cinematic marvel as the original. That’s not to say it’s faultless. The story was perfectly serviceable until the forced shoehorning of Harrison Ford’s character left the plot a mess, but the atmosphere was maintained and it had some great modern takes on the content of the original. If every adaptation were this good I’d welcome them all.

John Wick 2: Another visual marvel that gives me hope for modern movies, John Wick 2 is every bit as good as the first, a combination of novel sequences and set pieces with great cinematography. The unapologetic daisy chain of fight scenes the raise the bar for Hollywood action. Like Blade Runner, the movie suffered a bit for the sake of a cameo, with Reeves and Fishburns' reunion taking up altogether too much screen time, but otherwise the film is a spotlessly choreographed action masterpiece. I can’t wait for the post-apocalyptic part 3, in which John Wick has killed 99.99% of Earth's population.

Atomic Blonde: Capping off my style-over-substance cinematic trilogy for 2017 is Charlize Theron’s rampage through Cold War Germany. I respect this film trying to deliver all the hyper-stylized, tightly-directed action as John Wick while including a compelling story, even if it didn’t quite land. Falling back on a few bored tropes left the later half of this movie feeling narratively stale, but the final sequences were marvelous all the same. I hope this grows into some sort of franchise all its own.

Takeshi Miike’s Blade of the Immortal: Two of the greatest anime disappointments of my anime life were the Blame! OAV series and the Blade of the Immortal anime, which were both made right in 2017. Polygon Pictures provided a Blame! Movie which satisfied (for now) and Blade of the Immortal got perhaps the man most suited in the world to direct its live-action adaptation. This movie is just the kind of bloodbath that the 100-man slayer and the 100-movie director both deserved.

Star Wars VIII: The Last Jedi: It’s honestly cheating putting this movie in this list since it’s 100% anime. I’m pretty sure the middle of this film was just Gunbuster. Unfortunately it did actually sort of feel like two movies, one of them much better than the other. The plot following Rey and Kylo was marvelous from start to finish, as well as its branching conclusion with Luke, but the subplot with Finn dragged on forever and led to some themes that felt confused and left me wondering if they even knew what they want to do with his character (bring back Benicio though). That one scene, you know which one, was inspired (also very anime) and I hope other directors and studios take note.

RENE KAYSER (@kayserlein)

Baby Driver: If you forced me to pin down my single favorite movie, game or song, I could hardly come up with an answer. When it comes to my favorite director, this one’s a lot easier, though: It’s Edgar Wright, hands-down. No other director manages to reinvent himself every single movie while also staying true to what his fans love about him, and Baby Driver is his first “Big Budget Movie�� (it does star several big Hollywood actors but only cost $34 million!). It not only combines its visuals with its soundtrack like no other movie but also tells a genuine heart-warming story. While Hot Fuzz will remain my favorite action movie of all time, Baby Driver keeps its distinctive shape in its rearview mirror.

Spider-Man: Homecoming: I’ve enjoyed almost every MCU movie thus far but with me being a lover of great villains, I have also suffered from Marvel’s biggest flaw: Having good antagonists. I couldn’t warm up to Loki like everyone else and had almost given up hope ... but then my third-favorite superhero swung in and gave me a great villain who was also played by a major actor of my favorite one! The rest of the movie may not hold a candle to the first two Raimi movies but I hope that we can keep this momentum with the MCU and may one day see a proper depiction of Dr. Doom.

Wonder Woman: If you were to ask me whether I preferred DC or Marvel, I would easily side with the bat and the man of steel. But even I can’t proclaim the current state of the DCEU as anything but bad while Marvel keeps hitting it out of the park. However, after the two trainwrecks of 2016, Wonder Woman gave us a glimmer of hope and a fantastic movie in which we also finally(!) got a female lead. Justice League was in turn bogged down by its production issues but I sincerely hope that we will start to get a proper representation of all these amazing characters from now on - even if we have to flashpoint it along the way.

Star Wars - Thrawn Trilogy Audioplay: My birds have told me the concept of an audioplay isn’t as common in the US as it is in Germany, so I’ll preface this with a short explanation. An audioplay is basically the same as an audiobook but instead of a single narrator, you have an entire cast of actors who act out the written story which is usually formatted to work with only dialogue and sound effects (though there are ones who use a narrator).

This year I, as a major Star Wars-fan, was delighted to discover a production I had never stumbled upon: An entire audioplay of Timothy Zahn’s famous Thrawn trilogy. While it may seem trivial at first, the people behind this not only got the entire German voice cast of the original movies (who actually dub every movie and even cartoons to this day!) but also paid close attention to absolutely every detail. They licensed John Williams’ famous score and made sure that the listener was able to distinguish each ship by its engine sound, each fighter by their weapon sound and each alien race by their own made-up language. Disney may have eradicated these books from the canon (though they thankfully brought Admiral Thrawn back in the Rebels cartoon) but this production will forever allow German fans to experience this original sequel to Return of the Jedi as close as possible to actual movies - all thanks to some amazing voice work and love from some serious fans.

Star Wars Episode VIII: The Last Jedi: As I’m writing this, less than a day has passed since me attending its premiere. So while I may be still blinded by the early “Honeymoon Phase” of still getting my emotions sorted and not having contemplated everything a thousand times, I am currently convinced that this is the best Star Wars movie I have ever seen. Rian Johnson mixed up the characters we love in a tale that’s both completely and yet faithful to the franchise and it almost disappoints me that Disney gave him “only” one additional trilogy to handle. This movie not only changes up Star Wars completely and for the best, but it also serves as a perfect capping stone for 2017 itself. A lot of bad things happened over these past twelve months but the final shot of this movie serves as a reminder that no matter how bad things get, we can still change the world for the better - no matter who we are and where we come from.

Game of Thrones Season 7: Game of Thrones got dumb this year. The time it takes characters to travel doesn’t match up in the slightest, we got a lot of scenes the audience was clearly intended to not think too hard about and a lot of it devolved into fanservice … but I completely loved it! After six years of buildup, we got an entire season with payoffs and while they didn’t always make perfect sense, they certainly were satisfying. I hope that the writing will improve a little for the final season  but I’m definitely looking forward to seeing it.

Female Doctor Who & other awesome ladies: This year has truly been great for awesome female leads in popular media. I already mentioned Wonder Woman and Star Wars: The Last Jedi who both have amazing female leads not to forget Aloy from Horizon Zero Dawn!) but one of the oldest British TV series also finally made the jump to change things up. At the time of writing, I haven’t seen Jodie Whittaker’s take on the Doctor but I can’t wait to see that Christmas special and what fresh air she will bring to the show!

KARA DENNISON (@rubycosmos)

Mystery Science Theater 3000: The Return: If you’re a fan of the original series, you’ll know within the first half hour that the show is back for real. And if you’re unfamiliar with it, the new series is a great jumping-off point. The new selection of movies is impressive, as is the new selection of cameos. Season 12 promises to be amazing!

Doctor Who Series 10: “Extremis”: “Extremis” is one of the riskiest episodes of Doctor Who ever made, and that’s saying something. I’ve been enjoying the Twelfth Doctor’s run immensely, but the fearful and challenging nature of this story makes it stand out for me. The gut drop of the big reveal still hasn’t left me.

A Series of Unfortunate Events: As a fan of Lemony Snicket’s dire children’s book series and all the puzzle-solving that went with it, I was thrilled with the new iteration of the story. Neil Patrick Harris is a perfect Count Olaf, and it’s just the right mix of dire and hilarious. There will be new mysteries to unravel whether you’re a casual reader, a hardcore fan, or a newcomer.

Night Mind: Halloween 2017: I get all my nightmare fuel analysis from Nick Nocturne, the host of the YouTube channel Night Mind. And this year he pulled out all the stops for Halloween. The latest SCP Vault imagines how certain entries might be interpreted by the public, Monster Hunt explores local legends, and his Candy Bowl vid combines an “Internet Ghost Tour” with world-premiere horror shorts. Lovers of the macabre need Nick in their lives at Halloween and year-round!

NICK CREAMER (@b0bduh)

Sick Scenes - Los Campesinos!: For my “the rest” this year, I’m just gonna go with a couple albums that have been circling my brain. And in this tumultuous year of 2017, Los Campesinos!’s Sick Scenes feels like the most urgent of releases. Marrying the band’s consistent indie rock hooks to tortured reflections on surviving in the age of Brexit and Trump, Sick Scenes is simultaneously a symbol of artistic maturation and a redoubling of youthful intent, a resounding cry saying even though we’re all very tired, we’re all very tired together.

After the Party - The Menzingers: If Sick Scenes casts its anxious eye outward, The Menzingers’ After the Party feels like a more inward-focused release, a monologue spiraling into a panic attack as the band’s longtime punk rockers face the onset of true adulthood. At twenty-nine-and-three-quarters years old, I must be the ideal mark for a record that opens on “whoa-a-o-o, whoa-o-o, where we gonna go now that our twenties are over.”

THOMAS ZOTH (@ABCBTom)

Blade Runner 2049: When a sequel to Blade Runner was announced, I made fun of it, because Blade Runner didn’t need a sequel. Any time there was an announcement about it, I would retweet it with a snide comment about how the film didn’t need to exist. But then, rumors started to spread that the film was good. I gave in and watched it, and I agree. A fully worthy companion to the original Blade Runner, less an exploration of what makes humans human and more about how people define their identities in Kafkaesque bureaucratic nightmares. I waited years to hate it and couldn’t. I’m looking forward to buying it on Blu-ray.

Get Out: An amazing directorial debut by Jordan Peele, Get Out is an acclaimed and fantastically realized horror movie, of all things. I love horror as a genre, but it’s usually far from respectable. By making a Rosemary’s Baby of race, Peele manages to make a funny, smart, and scary film that has resonated widely with audiences. I had never seen Key and Peele before this, so this was my first exposure to Peele (who also wrote), and I’m now looking forward to his future work.

Twin Peaks: The Return: In a documentary about the original Twin Peaks, David Lynch seemed genuinely sad that the original series ended the way it did and expressed a desire to go back. So when the series was announced, fans of Lynch knew this wasn’t a quick cash in, especially when Lynch seemed to walk away from the table when he wasn’t going to be given complete creative control. But the series arrived, and no one knew what to expect, and what we got was massively different than anyone could have imagined. At 18 hours, Twin Peaks: The Return nearly doubled the amount of Lynch-directed content in existence, itself a delicious treat, but it also updated Twin Peaks for the modern age in uncanny ways. Stunning and important.

Big Mouth: Images of this Netflix series circulated the internet as an example of how unbelievably ugly American cartoon designs are, and those opinions aren’t wrong. But if you can get past the aesthetic, Big Mouth is incredibly funny, starring favorites Nick Kroll and John Mulaney of The Kroll Show and Oh, Hello. It’s the puberty series that everyone needed during puberty, that you couldn’t watch during puberty because no adult would show this series to a kid. But now you can watch it and heal some old wounds.

Lady Bird: Written and directed by Greta Gerwig, who I mostly know as the voice of Pony in China, IL, Lady Bird is an assured debut film about adolescence in a time period very close to my own. It’s funny and charming, but also saves up some really painful emotional arrows in its quiver for the final act. Centering on the relationship of Lady Bird and her mother, it also touches on larger social questions and the common experiences of high school. Support an up and coming director by checking this one out.

JOSEPH LUSTER (@Moldilox)

Baby Driver: I didn’t see nearly as many movies in the theater as I wanted to in 2017, but Edgar Wright’s Baby Driver was one I enjoyed from the first frame to the last. Some of the musical elements were a little too clever for their own good, but the final product is a fast-paced action/chase/comedy flick that’s incredibly fun to watch.

Thor: Ragnarok: Speaking of comedies, Thor: Ragnarok certainly didn’t seem to leave many jokes on the cutting room floor. Thor is the bro-iest Avenger, but it kind of works. If they had focused more on the Planet Hulk storyline and less on the typical world-ending Marvel plot that swirled around Hela, it probably would have gone down as my favorite of the Marvel movies.

Fantasy Sports No. 3: If you’re not reading Sam Bosma’s Fantasy Sports series, you need to get on these comics ASAP. They’re so colorful and full of energy, and all of Bosma’s designs are damn near perfect. The third one came out this year, but I’d happily list every single installment in a best-of year-end list.

ISAAC AKERS (@iblessall)

Shihai Surunoha Kimito Koi No Aji by MOSHIMO: 2017 was the year I discovered you could actually find some J-pop and J-rock on Spotify, which lead to an exploration of all sorts of new discoveries for me. Among the best was a little band called MOSHIMO, which puts out a charming sort of pop rock sound—with a female lead vocalist who actually plays guitar! You can only watch so many idol lives before you start to long for singers who can play instruments. Anyways, MOSHIMO’s 2017 EP is, I’d wager, their best effort yet, showing a level of musical sophistication that’s a step above their previous works.

Baby Driver: The movie that grabbed the hearts of a great number of anime fans (as shown by its presence in other people’s lists here), I adored the film—which was the only movie I saw in theaters all year—primarily for amazing gimmick of writing a whole film to a playlist. I mean, back when I was at university, I’d skip around campus walking to classes much the way Baby does in the movie, so seeing that aspect of my life made into a whole dang film was pretty fun. It gets a bit long in spots, but overall I had a ton of fun with it.

Duolingo’s Japanese Course: Earlier this year, the popular language learning app Duolingo released the beta of their Japanese course, providing me with the convenient tool I needed to start actually learning the language. I’m under no illusions that I’m going to become fluent using Duolingo’s course, but just having something like this available makes it so much easier to fit some beginning learning into my head and busy schedule. If I manage to go on and truly learn Japanese someday, it’ll be because it started with this course. It’s worth checking out!

NATASHA H (@illegenes)

Mr. Robot S3: I’m admittedly biased about this one; Mr. Robot is one of my all time favorite shows, and this year, Sam Esmail took us on a hell of a ride as opposed to last season, which was far more slow paced and Lynchian. While not necessarily reaching the same highs, season 3 remained incredibly consistent, bringing two very different seasons together in full circle as we travel with Elliot to the depths of despair, but also, back into a hopeful and determined future of self awareness, culpability, and responsibility. The show only continues to break TV standards and I can’t wait for next year to raise my stress levels and churn my brain again.

The Expanse S2: Someone once told me The Expanse was like ‘sci fi Game of Thrones’. While I understand that to an extent, this is a form of clickbait, they’re not completely wrong either. Season 2 ramps up from Season 1 as more political factions are introduced and old characters make relationships with new. The show isn’t afraid to take risks, but at the same time, none of its twists or moments of tension feel haphazardly done. Likewise, the character development continues to be stellar, with no clear ‘good’ or ‘bad’ side to root for. One of my favorite things about this show is how firmly committed it is to diversity, featuring one of the most diverse casts I’ve seen in years. Its attention to realistic space physics is also incredibly neat and something I respect.

Blade Runner 2049: When the trailer for this movie first came out, I was half furious, half terrified. How could a movie possibly live up to the groundbreaking Blade Runner, let alone, be a direct sequel? After seeing it however, I can say that Blade Runner 2049 rose to become one of my favorite movies in recent years, surpassing its original with a soul of creativity and respect that few sequels possess. It borrows the best from Blade Runner, reinvents it for the current age, and then adds nuance in ways I’d never expect. It also happens to be, possibly, the most visually stunning thing I have ever seen. Nearly a 3 hour movie? Totally worth it.

The Night is Short, Walk on Girl: I recently watched Tatami Galaxy a year ago, and while it was great, I still felt like I missed watching it at the right time in my life for it to really have an impact on me. The Night is Short, Walk on Girl corrects this by combining many of the show’s strengths into a single feature film while also expanding upon the show’s main themes. Filled with the same charmful designs, warm and wacky adventures (and characters!),  Night is Short is a movie about living life to your fullest, and the need to connect with another human being, even if we can’t fully understand their perspective. It’s one of Yuasa’s strongest works and my favorite animated movie of the year…..

A Silent Voice: …..other than A Silent Voice. Naoko Yamada is a powerhouse in the animation industry, and she brings that talent to this movie based off the manga and one-shot. While many have complained about how the movie fails to mesh the two into a fleshed out and nuanced story, for me, the movie was nearly perfect in its portrayal of topics like miscommunication, depression, anxiety, and self guilt. With stunning animation at every turn along with small but brief details that are rewarding upon rewatch after rewatch, this movie is guaranteed to win you in some way or the other. And make you cry. A lot.

SAM WOLFE (@_Samtaro)

Mystery Science Theater 3000: The Return: I was in the middle of a major MST3K kick when I heard that the Satellite of Love was coming to Netflix. Like anyone, I had my reservations about this new series; with an all new cast, and only some of the original writing staff, how would the new show hold up? As it happens, even with new voices, Crow, Tom Servo, and Gypsy were as great as ever, and Jonah Ray was an excellent addition as the human on board. My only complaints were with the new Mads, Felicia Day and Patton Oswalt; their bits were clearly filmed in bulk, and were host to several odd editing tricks (the liquid technology gag was really only there to cover the jump cuts between takes, wasn’t it?). Despite that, the movie selection was great, the sketches were silly, and I’m hoping we see even more from this crew in the not too distant future.

Twin Peaks: The Return: I watched Twin Peaks for the first time in 2014, and I was still antsy with excitement about the show’s final chapter; I can’t imagine what the wait was like for those who watched it when it first aired back in 1990. Twin Peaks: The Return is a masterful metatextual experiment that is as brilliant as it is polarizing. The show is conscientious that the audiences who hung on this long are thirsty for answers, and provides them in deliberate bites of surreal, disturbing television that David Lynch has both spearheaded and mastered. The Return’s slow windup seems loaded with fanservice and levity at first until it shocks viewers with episode 8 (which is presented completely in black and white, and is almost entirely silent), as if to say “alright fairweather friends, it was fun, but your time being comfortable has come to an end.”

The Return borrows a lot more from Lynch’s cinematic playbook, in many cases resembling Eraserhead more than the Twin Peaks it comes from. The result is a challenging, engaging, and almost paradoxical ending that both resolves the now twenty year long mystery, as well as igniting a spiral of new questions about reality, time, and what exactly is at stake for the characters we’ve come to know and love.

I particularly enjoyed seeing how the show flirted with the metanarrative, teasing the audience by introducing Kyle Mclaughlin’s character early on, but keeping Agent Dale Cooper well out of reach, instead forcing us to spend time with the dull but lucky Dougie Jones.

While Twin Peaks: The Return is a far cry from the show it’s derived from, and it’s certainly not for everyone, I would invite anyone who loves serial storytelling to challenge themselves and give it a try (after watching Twin Peaks seasons one, two, and the movie Twin Peaks: Fire Walk With Me, of course).

Grape-kun: I remember waking up one morning to see the top story on the anime subreddit: an aged Humboldt penguin had fallen in love with a life size standee of penguin-girl Hululu from Kemono Friends placed in his enclosure. I knew I would be making a video about this penguin, but I never could have predicted how much of an impact he would have on my life. Over the next nine months, the story developed, and I made a new video for Crunchyroll as each new chapter unfolded. I know it’s silly, but I really felt an affinity for the little penguin who was enamoured with a piece of cardboard. So much so, that when planning a trip to Japan this fall, I had scheduled a day to visit the Tobu zoo and see Grape-kun for myself. Unfortunately, that visit never happened, as Grape-kun passed away just weeks before my trip.

So what’s the takeaway? When this little penguin made an innocuous decision, he was abruptly elevated to the world’s stage, and people several continents suddenly away had opinions about him. There were responses on all sides of the spectrum (thankfully mostly positive), but none of those responses ever reached Grape-kun. Grape-kun just kept doing what he was doing, and I think that’s what we can learn from him: be yourself no matter what the madding crowd says. Rest in peace little guy. Thank you for sharing your story with us.

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That's it for our three-part series on 2017! Be sure to check out Part One and  Part Two! If you're still in the mood for past CR Favorites, check out the previous years' features here:

  Crunchyroll Favorites 2016 Part One Part Two Part Three

Crunchyroll Favorites 2015 Part One Part Two Part Three

Crunchyroll Favorites 2014 Part One Part Two Part Three

Crunchyroll Favorites 2013 Part One Part Two Part Three

Crunchyroll Favorites 2012 Part One Part Two Part Three

Crunchyroll News' Best of 2011 Part One Part Two

  What were your favorite "everything else" of 2017? Comment below and share with us! Remember, this is a FAVORITES list, not a BEST OF list, so there's no wrong answers!

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Peter Fobian is an Associate Features Editor for Crunchyroll, author of Monthly Mangaka Spotlight, writer for Anime Academy, and contributor at Anime Feminist. You can follow him on Twitter @PeterFobian.

By: news+feed@crunchyroll.com