#Views from the train

[mansionworld]

[carrie11]

I spy some autumn

[writtenbygrimes]

Train Delay

Welp… Whatcha gonna do?

[briansolomonauthor]

Views from the Keystone

It was fun gliding west on the old Main Line. Kris and I had boarded Amtrak Keystone 665 at 30th Street Station in Philadelphia. I wanted to sit on the northside of the train and check out some of our usual places as we zipped along at 100 plus. As we approached Lancaster, a thunderstorm had darkened the horizon. I made these views from the train using my Z7-II. Old Conrail caboose on display…

[nokkiart]

As a long time httyd fan who has been heavily involved in the fandom since the first movie and who has spent years working in the animation industry, I’d like to share my thoughts on the new httyd movie. Keep in mind, this is just my personal opinion and it's completely fine if you disagree with me. I just want to say a little something about all this that really bothers me.

The core reason that Dreamworks and Universal made this film is that it’s a quick and easy cash grab for them. Thats it. They don’t care about telling a good story or making a “better” version of the original movie for fans or even having an accurate portrayal of the characters/story. It’s purely about money. They know that fans of the original film will go see this movie, whether it’s good or bad. And those guaranteed ticket sales are all that matter to the studios. And with Universal, it has the added bonus of being a cheap promotional and merchandising opportunity for the new HTTYD land in Orlando that opens around the same time that the film is premiering in theaters.

And to help the studios make even more money out of this, they are using non-unionized VFX companies around the world to make this film, so that they can get cheaper labor and push the artists to do more that would be against American union standards. The same thing has probably happened with the costuming and fabrication for the filming, hence why the costumes look un-weathered and the sets look cheap. They don’t want to pay for the extra time and effort that it would take to make the practical bits of the production look good.

On top of all this, Dreamworks has already announced that they’re shutting down all their in-house animation projects in favor of using AI and outsourcing projects to cheaper international non-union studios.

With all this in mind, I just can’t support this film and I will not be seeing it in theaters. And I hope that others will do the same.

The only way to stop all these horrible “live action” remakes (which are actually just realistically animated remakes) is to not buy tickets to see them. Money is all that matters to these studios, and if they don’t make any money off of it, then they will stop and try something different. Maybe they'll even go back to focusing on original stories!

That’s the power that we hold as audiences. Our wallets help drive the decisions that the executives make. So support unique storytelling and gorgeous cinematography in movies. Support indie films. Support animators as they're fighting for fair pay and better contracts. But don't support a mediocre shot-for-shot remake riding on the coattails of an already successful film.

And I just want to wrap all this up by saying I have absolutely no hate towards anyone that has worked on the new film. Toothless looks incredible and I know the artists and creatives involved in this project did the best they could with what they were given.

But I also know that those same artists have so many more brilliant ideas that they would’ve loved to be given the creative freedom to do. I just wish hollywood would be willing to take a chance and let them do it.

[kleinefreiheiten]

01.2022 Würzburg

[azurecoffin]

my reaction to the whole reaction to the news

also here's a chibi goober reed for your enjoyment make him suffer guys

[ukulelegodparent]

Taking the train is so fucking great! I've barely been on it for 30min and I've already seen a bunch of geese and deer and a heron!

[crudlynaturephotos]

[mansionworld]

[dykedvonte]

I dislike takes that Danse would be just as conservative in modernized aus when it's clearly shown his staunch views of things come from his time in the Brotherhood and his deep-rooted desire to belong to something with a greater purpose.

Not to mention lines that show much more open-mindedness that get overlooked for his harsher sentiments when you first meet him. Like the oppurtunity to be a part of something is why Danse fell so far into Brotherhood dogma and it doesn't negate the offense things he does but I feel like it's just lazy to be like "hmmm he'd def be racist" just so it aligns to his BoS beliefs.

[writtenbygrimes]

Human

We laugh We cry We do our best, And sometimes fail But we move Big moves and small Most always with intention Trying – reaching Striving toward our imperfect goal Ourselves

[briansolomonauthor]

Great Western Railway—views from the train.

I made these photos of the English country-side with my Nikon Z7-II from the window of our train on the way to and from Oxford. In post processing, I adjusted the camera’s NEF RAW files to help compensate for the effects of the tinted window glass. Generally, I got my best results when I kept the camera lens pressed against the window with the aperture wide open (f4.0) and the shutter speed set…

[awellrespectedcavetroll]

Views From The Poconos: Fall foliage, pagodas, and more from a day in the Keystone state.

[macaroni-stars]

Do you ever think about the fact that Han said the first "May the Force be with you." in the franchise, and he said it to Luke? Because I do...

[wannaeatramyeon]

Gun Park with Reader: Junkyard shenanigans

CH460 spoiler - no plot spoilers tho. G/N. Crack. Inspired by @razypie tag.

"Gun... Seriously?!"

You yell, squinting at the figure making its way higher and higher, up the heap of discarded units.

For a brief moment, his body stills then he continues on as if he didn't hear you.

Bastard.

At first that idiot tried to fucking jump. And yeah, he may be strong as shit but even Gun Park wouldn't be able to jump however the fuck high that is.

...Actually. You did think he could, but the way he fell back down, somehow still landing on his feet like a cat, made you cackle.

The furious look and 'fuck you' he threw your way did nothing to halt your laughter.

He would never admit it, but you reckon this is something to do with aesthetics. The 'cool' view of him smoking at the top.

Sure, it's not a pile of bodies like James Lee once sat upon (the impressiveness of that particular feat spread throughout all of Seoul and is still a sore point for Gun and Goo to this day.)

For Gun, you suppose, this pile of junk would have to do for now. Until he decides to fight some poor souls and recreate a higher and better mountain of victims to make himself a throne out of.

("Compensating for something? Yes your throne will be much much bigger than James Lee. Good for you, Big Boy." You had said to Gun when you were feeling particularly mouthy and brave. Luck was also on your side as you managed to dodge his kick aimed for your head.)

Goddamn. Sometimes you truly forget that he's only 20 years old and then he pulls shit like this.

That's not even considering his atrocious outfit. Topless with those brown track pants and loafers. How is he supposed to look cool wearing that? What was he even thinking?

Taking your phone out of your pocket, you click record to immortalise forever the image of Gun Park clambering up on all fours. Leg occasionally slipping like a dog trying to find purchase again.

Goo is going to get a kick out of this.