#Was only a single trilogy in length

[chronokepts]

Isolation is a recurring theme, but there's just something about Royal Assassin that is so incredibly lonely to me. It's the only time period in which all the major players of the first trilogy are together in the same space, at arm's length, and yet everyone is lonely. Every single one.

Kettricken, having to navigate a foreign environment and culture with everyone's eyes on her. Verity in his tower, looking out as far as he can see, missing what's beside him. Shrewd, wasting away in his bed, surrounded by people waiting for him to die. Molly, working in the keep to secure a new life while the only person who knows her is a liar. Nighteyes, first in a cage and then in a secret refuge, warm now but angry still. Patience, holding onto who she is when so few even try to understand her. The Fool, bereft of safety, threads of fate slipping, speaking to deaf ears. Burrich, with the shadow of a man long gone burned into his eyes. Chade, the face of plague, ever hidden, never named. Even Regal, the last brother, othered by the web that connects all minds but still convinced that it's resolutely pointed towards him.

And Fitz. Pushed and pulled in a thousand directions, running ahead and backwards, impulse in his head and fear at his heels. Where are you? You, under the layers of those who made you?

[fanhackers]

In Praise of a Classic Text: Understanding Comics - Part II

Last week I posted about Scott McCloud’s Understanding Comics - which, among many interesting arguments, postulates that when you look at a realistic drawing of a face, you see another, where when you look at a more simply drawn cartoon image  - a smiley face, Charlie Brown, Minnie Mouse - you see yourself.  I talked about the implication of that for certain kinds of fan art, and today I want to talk about a second interesting implication - specifically in terms of fannish identification with a character.

Interesting implication the Second: There’s a great book called How To Be Gay by David Halperin  - (I did a Fanhackers post about it a couple of years ago) - in which he argues that his gay male students seemed to enjoy coded queer works - e.g. Broadway musicals, Hollywood melodramas, The Golden Girls, Steel Magnolias, Judy Garland and Adele, etc. - more than they enjoyed what Halperin calls “good gay writing,”  - that is, “fiction about gay men written by gay men that gave voice to the gay male experience.” As I wrote in my Halperin post (and as I wrote about at length in my article, “Slash/Drag: Appropriation and Visibility in the Age of Hamilton” in Booth’s Companion to Media Fandom and Fan Studies) this makes perfect sense to me as a fangirl - many female fans find more to identify with in Spock or Mulder or Sherlock or Aziraphale than they do in female characters in serious literary novels who are dealing realistically with the problems that they face.  That sounds like…a whole boatload of no fun, to be honest. (Personal sidebar: Do I want to read a serious literary novel about the travails of a female, middle-aged English Professor like myself? I do not. FWIW I basically had to be forced to watch even fluff like The Chair, and only because I knew everyone would ask me about it. I also personally don’t enjoy an academic AU, YMMV.  But that doesn’t mean that I don’t find places of strong identification in the TV I watch and the fic that I read - it’s just not straight-up literal like that.) 

But I think it’s McCloud who gives us the WHY of this phenomenon when he talks about how realist faces read as “another,” while more simply drawn faces provoke identification.  There’s a way in which “good gay writing”  - the voice of the gay experience - can feel disappointingly NOT YOUR EXPERIENCE - because of course there is not a single gay experience, and what you are likely to read is distorted by time and distance and age. I see it with my students, for whom the gay experience of the 1950s, 1960s, 1970s might as well be ancient Egypt - (or may be less familiar than ancient Egypt, Egypt kind of being its own fandom.)  Anyway a lot of gay writing doesn’t speak to their problems or their issues, and while they’re interested in it, they don’t identify with it - and that can be really hard when you’re young and queer and feeling isolated, to feel like you don’t even relate to the people you are supposed to relate to. But in an odd way, the cartoons - the coded figures - don’t go out of style the same way. And they are places of broad identification over generations: We can all be Mama Rose or Dr. Frank N. Furter or sing “I Will Survive” – because it’s a metaphor (for being closeted, for being monstrous, for surviving, etc.) It doesn’t age the same way as, for instance, the novels of Ethan Mordden or Edmund White or plays like The Boys in the Band or Torch Song Trilogy. There’s a great passage in Stacy Wolf’s book, A Problem like Maria: Gender and Sexuality in the American Musical, where Wolf, a lesbian, talks about driving cross-country in a convertible singing, “My Man,” (“Can’t Help…Loving That Man of Mine!”) which, she claims, provoked her to write her book about lesbian readings of the musical. In short, Steven Universe can do work that “good gay writing” cannot–and so can fandom, with its cartoon heroes, animated and live action both.

[silvysartfulness]

So last night, I finally typed out a few sentences I’ve been keeping in my head for several years – the ending lines of Heaven Has A Road But No One Walks It. And then I started crying.

I’m honestly still feeling emotional, thinking about it. I first started writing this story in the summer of 2020, almost 5 years ago, while still recovering from the lingering effects of a life-threatening bout of the original covid virus. It was only a month or so after I first watched the Untamed and got utterly swept away.

I have been working on this fic ever since, and it’s been by far one of the most important things in my life for years – I’ve lost two beloved cats during that time, and gone through a lot of really hard times. This fic was always there, an anchor, both a light and burden.

It ended up 471.000 words long. (For reference, that’s about the same length as the official English translation of Grandmaster of Demonic Cultivation, or just shy of the total wordcount of the LOTR trilogy.)

And it’s done.

It’s finished. I did it. I hauled that insane, gargantuan beast all the way across the finish line.

When I first came up with the outlines of the idea, I was 100% certain I’d never write it down. I hadn’t written fanfic in many years, my brain is chronically damaged from consecutive autistic burnouts to the point of diagnosed clinical disability, and I struggle a lot with fatigue and concentration and memory issues. The idea of writing anything, let alone something of that scope and needing that much research seemed impossible to the point of laughable.

But a friend and writer I really looked up to told me she’d love to read it. So I figured I could at least try to start, see how it went.

I, uh. Didn’t think it’d get quite this long.

I am actually very proud of what I have accomplished! It’ll be a long while yet before I can post all the last 5 chapters – they need beta and edits, illustrations, and getting translated into Russian by my friend in Ukraine. It may be months yet.

But it’s done.

And I could never have done without all the people cheering me on along the way – the friends I made in this fandom, and old friends who decided to come along on this journey with me. Every single person ever commenting, or sending me asks, or drawing me art, or writing nice things in the reblog tags here on tumblr. I am beyond grateful to you all!

Heaven Has A Road is done.

This journey is over. But it’s not really the end.

Just another new beginning.

[chick-with-wifi]

Charles Xavier's wheelchairs - a deep dive

First Class

This wheelchair looks very similar to the motorized wheelchairs seen in the other movies, with the high backrest and distinctive X-shaped wheels. However, it has handles on the back and doesn’t seem to be designed for Charles to move it himself. It has no joystick (as evidenced by his hands being flat on the armrests in the first picture) and, although it does appear to have pushrims, the armrests are so wide they would be difficult to reach.

Given what we know of Charles’s injury and independent personality, it makes little sense why he would choose a chair like this. The only in-universe explanation I can think of is that Hank made this as a prototype to check Charles likes the sizing before he makes a motorized version.

Days of Future Past

In this movie Charles uses a wheelchair with the same basic shape as the one from First Class, but it is motorized and has a joystick that allows him to move it himself. I noticed this one has pushrims as well, so although we never see him use these, it is possible he wanted that option available to him. I believe this is the same one he uses in the original trilogy.

Overall, this wheelchair seems a little too big for him. The footrests are far apart and, with the joystick being on the end of the armrest, he has to reach quite far for it.

When they go to the Sentinel press conference, Charles uses a manual wheelchair. This is likely because it is easier to transport, the motorized wheelchair works better on smooth floors (as the tyres have little grip) and he doesn’t want to flaunt the resources he has access to.

However, this is what’s known as a hospital chair. It is a manual wheelchair, typically made to a generic size and designed primarily to be pushed by someone else. The user can push it themselves, but the backrest restricts how far back you can reach, the handles dig into your armpits and the armrests mean your arms need to be quite far out, making it uncomfortable to do this for any length of time.

A full-time wheelchair user like Charles would generally use an active wheelchair that is made to their measurements, lightweight, and designed to be self-propelled. If they don't want to push themselves all the time, it can have handles or even handles that can be folded down when not in use.

Apocalypse

In this movie, Charles has a new motorized wheelchair. It is similar to the previous one but has a more padded seat, and seems to fit him better, with the single footrest and joystick on the main part of the armrest. The wheels have a different X design and no pushrims this time.

When he goes outside with Scott and later to visit Moira, he uses a manual wheelchair. It is slightly different from the one in Days of Future Past, but is also a hospital chair so my comments remain the same - especially since he only pushes himself in this movie. Although I do like that this one also has an X design on the wheels!

In the final scene of the movie, Charles is once again using the motorized wheelchair from Days of Future Past and the original trilogy. I imagine this is to symbolize that his transformation into the older version of himself is now complete.

This movie also includes some details about his life as a wheelchair user. He transfers onto Jean’s bed to comfort her after a nightmare.

And in a deleted scene, he transfers into a car and we see that, in addition to the steps leading to the front door, there is a ramp on either side. Another deleted scene gives us a better look at the elevator to the basement. I presume this also goes upstairs, although I must admit the mansion doesn’t look particularly accessible overall.

Dark Phoenix

In the flashbacks at the start of this movie, Charles is using a manual wheelchair which I believe is the same one from Days of Future Past. This makes sense for the timeline, as this takes place soon after that movie. Again, my comments regarding this being a hospital chair remain the same. Although I do like the detail of him carrying his bag on the handles! And note that the front door has level access here.

Charles has another new motorized wheelchair, which is largely the same as the others in terms of features but has better treads on the tyres. This is the first time we see him using a motorized chair outside of the mansion, which is likely connected to his increasing fame and ego, meaning that he doesn’t mind being recognised or showing off his status.

I also noticed that the lit-up X on the back matches the back of the seats in the X-Jet.

At the end of this movie Charles is using an active wheelchair, which as I mentioned earlier is usually the preferred option for someone with an injury like his. This wheelchair has a low backrest with no handles and no armrests, allowing him to push himself much easier. It seems to fit him very well. I imagine he chose this one now because, since he is going into temporary retirement, he wants to use a wheelchair that a civilian would have.

A deleted scene gives us a better look at this chair. In this scene he is able to push very lightly, just using his fingertips, when moving slowly and also reaches back for a longer stroke and lets himself glide for a few seconds. This is a big contrast to how hard he is working when visiting Moira at the CIA in Apocalypse - although I think that was on carpet, which does require more effort, and this is on smooth wood floor.

There is a brief shot of him driving in the movie, when bringing young Jean to the mansion, but this same deleted scene goes into detail about his adapted car.

Charles transfers into his car and folds his wheelchair by pulling up on the seat. This is more commonly a feature of hospital chairs, along with the two footrests that can be folded up, which this chair also has. Active wheelchairs usually have a rigid frame with a single non-removable footplate, and to fit them into a car the wheels are taken off. But presumably Charles found a folding wheelchair better suited for him. I like that this one has an X on the backrest!

Charles lifts his wheelchair into the car, moves over to the driver’s side and pulls on the long strap to close the door. He then starts the engine and begins driving using hand controls. This is a lever that is pushed one way to use the gas and another way to brake. He doesn’t seem to have a steering knob, which is a little ball that attaches to the steering wheel so a user can turn it more easily with one hand - for example if they only have one hand, or are using the other to operate hand controls as Charles is here - but not everyone prefers to use one.

And that concludes my deep dive into the wheelchairs used by Charles Xavier in the X-Men prequels. I didn’t include the hoverchair from Days Of Future Past as I wanted to stick to wheelchairs and adaptive devices with real-world counterparts.

[curated-hdg]

Freedom's Ember by Kanagen (and also the whole Tillsandia Trilogy, because why not)

Released: March 2025

115k words; complete

Noteworthy Tags: Philosophy, What even is Freedom?

Trish survived Solstice. She survived the prison, the revolution, the long winter, and most important of all, she survived the Affini. So many others were taken, domesticated, made into nothing more than pets for humanity's new overlords, but Trish escaped that fate. Entrusted with a plan to keep the last embers of humanity's freedom alive, she labored for decades to make those plans a reality — but now the past is catching up with her, in more ways than one. Haven did not choose to be a scion of the hyper-wealthy elite, nor did she choose a father obsessed with his own progeny, and she certainly didn't choose to inherit his genetic legacy. Cast adrift on the tides of time by her father's cryogenic Hail-Mary attempt to evade the Affini, she awakens in a future dominated and defined by the Compact, where the only humans left who remember how things used to be are her now-elderly peers. Having spent her entire life wishing she had the courage to end everything, now she's faced with a new beginning, whether she wants it or not.

So I had a lot of spare time with no internet access today, and decided on a whim to start on Freedom's Ember. I then proceeded to devour the entire story, word by word, over the following 6 hours. IT'S A GOOD ONE.

Look, have I spoken at any length about the Tillsandia trilogy? I don't remember, which means it's definitely been long enough since doing so that it's worth spending a moment recapping.

(Incredible art by @hdgprom )

No Gods No Masters is broadly considered the philosophical heart of Human Domestication Guide, one of the most beloved and influential works within the entire setting. It examines how leftist and anarchist thought would handle the affini, it explores and elaborates on the imperialism of the Affini Compact, it features a monster dinosaur 'fini chasing a jeep up a cliff. It fuckin' slaps. I am not aware of anyone who enjoys any part of HDG as a setting and doesn't love this story, to the point that it felt redundant to even bring it up here. But I just finished Freedom's Ember and feel like gushing. Absolutely a foundational work in creating what Human Domestication Guide is, years later.

If you haven't read No Gods No Masters, fix that.

Then read The Floret in the Mirror.

The Floret in the Mirror is Kanagen's treatise on digital life in the Compact, and its influence on what life as a digitized sophont could look like is unmistakably stamped on the setting in no small part because it's goddamn fucking incredible. It's blisteringly hot, pushing the concept of eroticism into entirely new realms. Nearly everyone who's read The Floret in the Mirror, myself included, has come away from it thinking "I didn't know it was possible to be horny about that!". Like, this line will probably mean nothing to you without context, but uh... It goes so fucking hard.

J-355 was a good form.

It's one of those truly iconic snippets, up there with "Please Tell Me That's My Skin" and "You're A Pet, Not A Person", and when you read this story, you will understand why. I also think it's directly to blame for the rise of knolling in the HDG fandom, and for that I must salute it.

So we come to Freedom's Ember. What can I even say about Freedom's Ember?

Well, for one thing, it's a very sharp story. One of the defining traits of one of our main characters is constant intrusive suicidal thoughts; our second main character is about as feral as it's possible to be after so many years in the compact. It's also beautiful, in that very typical way of Kanagen's stories. Every single affini who asserts that they care proves it. They go so far to prove it. The story deals with themes of freedom, of loss of self, of learning to love oneself after life has convinced you you'd be better off dead, and just... stars. We also get to see how all our friends from No Gods, No Masters are getting on 60 years later, and that's also wonderful.

It's hard to even know where to start, mere hours after reading it. It is a powerful and frank exploration as to what freedom means within the context of the setting, a gorgeous demonstration of just how much the affini care, and to what lengths they'll go, and... I can't even hint at some of the incredible shit that happens here, but I will say that it features possibly the cruelest thing an affini has ever done to a xenosophont.

Oh oh oh the best part? GRANNY'S STILL FUCKIN' THAT DINOSAUR! 50 FILTHY YEARS, LET'S GO!

The Tillsandia trilogy is a full-blown masterpiece on every conceivable level. Freedom's Ember is incredible.

[dearinglovebot]

I was lucky (read: chronically online) enough to snag some secret screening tickets this week meaning I saw rebirth early. as a non-critic who paid to see it in a theater chain, I’m not under review embargo like official advanced screeners. so, here are my non-spoiler to VERY MILD (seriously. you can generally infer any of this from interviews or BTS already posted. but just being cautious) spoiler thoughts on it. I will warn you, the trailers spoil a lot so it’s better to go in as blind as you can. but proceed as you’d like anyways.

the visuals: I think this is something that’s been h universally praised and for good reason. edwards is very talented in terms of cinematography. he likes giving scale and adding little things that make the world feel alive like the opening shot with a monkey swinging from the branches.

the scene lengths: I generally like that the scenes are given a lot of room to do their thing. even if at some points it’s like “okay. we get it. can we get to the point”.

the trailers: in retrospect, they severely fumbled the marketing. pretty much every scene featuring a prehistoric animal was spoiled at some point in a TV spot or one of the trailers. the only two animals I can think of who didn’t have a spoiler only had 5 second blink-and-you-miss-it cameos (an anklyo and compies. which, ironically, were actually also spoiled through the jeep ad and toys/merch). what you saw is what you get

the marketing: I don’t like how mahershala was treated at all by fans and to an extent, the official campaign. it’s very clear they’re trying to build up scarjo and jonny as the new (white) It Couple at the expense of their black co-lead. he has just as much impact on the story as them.

the dinosaurs: I really like them. there’s a lot of interesting behaviors like the how the mosa reacts to boats or the dilo being a scavenger. dinosaur fans will like this one a lot

the plot line: this shit is paper thin. the official summary is as deep as it gets. it’s extremely vague (they don’t even clarify what kind of heart disease they’re supposedly treating) and it mildly tries to retcon as much as it can from the last trilogy (dinosaurs on the mainland are all dead or in the “equator” despite dinosaurs being established as fine in diverse climates, purposely says “first park” when it means jurassic WORLD, says the d.rex was left alive for monetary reasons despite the scorpius being issued a kill order in jwcc, more money was invested in the d.rex than indominus rex, etc). it wants to have its cake of being deep and park-esq while firmly wanting to be silly and post-world era. it’s a very weird choice. they have henry loomis go on spiels about how humans are ruining the planet while also having him call the mosa and quetz “dinosaurs” despite the fact that’s his speciality. it comes off like it doesn’t know what it’s talking about

the humor: there are… So Many Jokes being made constantly. don’t get me wrong, there are serious moments, too. but I don’t think there’s a single scene without jokes. there’s piss jokes. there’s weed jokes. there’s this guy is stupid jokes. it’s very constant. I don’t know how to feel about it.

the deaths: I like that they had some, but I don’t think there’s really much “iconicness” to any of them. there’s minimal gore, and most of them happen off-screen. the extent of them can be directly paralleled to other movies in the franchise like the indominus rex tossing around ACU members or the trexes throwing around people across the franchise. it’s firmly PG-13 and I wouldn’t even say it toes the line of “rated R” like some people want to say. they also don’t have any “surprising” deaths. everyone you expect to die will, and no one else.

the action/tone: I genuinely don’t think it’s that different to what we’ve seen before. there’s a lot of bombastic action that can also be directly paralleled to other moments in the franchise such as the gyrosphere getting stuck underwater, getting corned by the dimetrodons in dominion, or the indoraptor chase in fallen kingdom. the main difference comes in that they go on for longer, as mentioned before. which may or may not make them feel “scarier” for some people. there was only one scene where I felt a main character might actually be in REAL DANGER towards the end. its ending is ultimately far more underwhelming than I’d have liked but it evokes a good, strong emotion for a little while so I’d put it as SOME kind of win.

the delgados: I have a feeling a lot of critics will actually dislike them, but I thought there were genuinely a good addition. the father, reuben, is an attentive father and just wants to get his daughters home. his youngest, isabella, is sweet and kind in a very endearing way. his eldest daughter and her boyfriend are the most controversial as they do play into a lot of tropes of the “loser boyfriend” and “girl who’s too good for him” but the boyfriend is given a few moments to genuinely look out for both sisters so it doesn’t feel WHOLLY annoying. it’s trying moreso to subvert it. i will also ALWAYS appreciate more latinos in a very latam-based franchise

loomis: I think a lot of people will like him. particularly jonny fans. he fits that softy, nerd boy aesthetic people like with a touch of badassery. but he has the least amount of backstory depth compared to the main trio, and it brings the character down.

zora: think black widow meets owen grady. she’s a hyper-competent badass who loves to crack jokes. she’s advertised as someone who’s at a “turning point” in her life after years of working as a special op. private military mercenary. and she has what’s closest to a full “arc” here, even if it’s kind of just the barebones pieces of it. she does have some backstory that tries to tie her closer to the mission, but I have a HUGE problem with it which we’ll cover a little later

the romance: it’s so ridiculously clear that they wanted to build a zora x henry romance from the marketing alone. and yeah, that’s the subtext of what happens. it’s as subtle as romance generally is in the franchise (as in, a B plot type of thing). but I really dont care about it. I think a lot of shippers will, because there IS a lot of moments to edit or whatever. but I personally don’t find them very interesting together. it does nothing for me. but I’m a heterosexuality-hating-lesbian so don’t take me too seriously on this account

duncan: I just want to say. I love him. duncan steals the show with his heroic personality and family-man attitude. his backstory is simple but effective. it makes sense why he acts the way he does towards everyone and it makes sense why he’s so determined to help someone in need. i truly hope mahershala gets his flowers for this performance.

the militarism: this generally made me very angry. for context, I am a palestinian woman. this is an issue that’s deeply personal to my area of expertise and experience. and this will contain mild spoilers, but I think it’s very important for any fellow imperial victims to be aware going in because it blind sided ME.

private contracting is in the subtext of the entire rescue operation. the specific company they mention is blackwater, a company famous for the senseless violence against arab people including incidents such as abu ghraib or nisour square. already, I’m NOT a fan of envoking people who worked for this as our “heroes”. I think it’s one of the most irredeemable jobs you can have. but it gets worse.

the backstory for zora is that she wants to change because her friend died in a “brutal” yemini carbombing. not only is he framed as a victim, despite being a violent colonizer, but it demonizes one of the most poor, oppressed nations in the world. a nation that is currently the victim of US-backe bombing and terror campaigns because they are brave enough to defend us, the palestinians. this would be bad enough at any time, but in 2025, it’s so tone deaf that I’m truly furious at everyone involved. we are NOT mindless drones you can use for your “tragic backstories”. we are your VICTIMS. this is the maddest military violence in the franchise has ever made me, maybe second only to actually partnering with the navy in JP3.

but I digress.

the villain: this was a major let down after they advertised it as having some nuance. it’s about as cookie-cutter as you get. they’re evil for the sake of money or whatever?? I kept expecting some kind of reveal that made them make more sense, like having a secret heart issue, but it never comes. they do the bad guy things and bad guy things happen.

dolores: the definition of industry plant. she doesn’t actually do anything of note and I don’t know what “dolores is the GOAT” reviews are referring to. it confuses me so much that I’m curious if we got shown different movies. but if you like cute animals, you’ll probably like her. she’s like a little kitten who tags along. I would probably rank her as my least favorite “pet” dinosaur though below all of blue, beta, bumpy, smoothie, and atrocisquad. not because I hate her but because she’s just kind of there.

the hybrids: and yes, I do MEAN hybrids. this was said in the magazine interviews a while back, but it’s abundantly clear that these were NOT mutants and are just hybrids. and they’re… also just kind of there. they don’t really serve any overarching theme about nature and the unnatural or capitalism. they’re just… there. they’ve got some good scenes (exactly what you saw in the trailers too btw) but they’re not much more than that. to the point you kind of question why they exist at all. it’s hard to care about them because it feels like the movie doesn’t really care either

the ending: the ending is actually pretty calm. it subverts the expectation of big bombastic actions which I do like. it’s very happy and conclusive. but I wouldn’t say it’s super emotionally impactful, either. it’s calm. it’s fine. it’s a happily ever after. and that’s alright. but it doesnt feel like the lost world where you feel relieved right alongside this family finally relaxing after a terrible few days or fallen kingdom where the protagonists lost and you have no idea what’s coming next. it’s a “roll credits” ending.

my overall opinion: it’s a movie a lot of people will like, particularly die-hard lovers of the lost world or JP3. general audiences will probably think it’s alright. if you watch the trailers and think you’ll like it, you probably will like it.

but there are also people like me who will watch it and go “okay. that was the worlds most Okayish movie. I don’t really care that much. don’t hate it. just didn’t make any lasting impact on me”. those are going to be the same people who watch severance for the lore instead of the ships or think JP3 is the worst jurassic film (aka My People). which is fine. film is subjective to personal tastes.

[dingodad]

please tell us your homestuck movie thoughts... i am so curious

i think everyone gets way too caught up in how a homestuck movie would perfectly adapt all the comic's story beats when this conversation comes up, where the fun in brainstorming an adaptation should be figuring out how to change the nature of the story to fit the new medium without doing away with its core themes and characters. homestuck is full of events which are textually disconnected but thematically serve the same purpose - the death of parents vs the destruction of home planets versus the destruction of universes (vs the destruction of the self), childbirth vs creating new worlds, the scratch which synthesises elements of BOTH of these, the list could go on - which are just ASKING to be composited and truncated in an adaptation

my personal policy is that if the comic has forgotten about an element by the end of the story then it is the responsibility of the hypothetical Homestuck Movie Screenwriter to also forget about that thing. homestuck readers broadly speaking are very captured by a nostalgia fetish which demands any adaptation of homestuck include every single element of Sburb,* but i honestly feel that so long as the adapted version of the story still covers the essential Destruction, Creation, & Apotheosis story beats and finds a way to have all of its principal characters meet up halfway then 90% of the other game crap - prospit, derse, monsters, quests, who gives a fuck - can so easily be discarded as chaff that would obviously never work on screen anyway. people will hate me and try to have me excommunicated and killed in exile for this and i'm sure there is a hypothetical level 1 million auteur who could theoretically make the two sides of the story work in synthesis but the way i see it, operating within the assumptions that we are trying to respect both homestuck as a story AND film as a medium for storytelling, you can either make The Sburb Movie or you can make The Homestuck Movie. and to anyone who really respects homestuck as a story you simply have to recognise the latter as the preferable option

when i approach this thought experiment on my own i tend to think purely about how you could best make homestuck into a single one-and-done feature film, which i see as the ideal way to approach an adaptation on its own merits, but a reddit thread asked how people would approach homestuck as a dune-style planned-trilogy-from-the-start so i started thinking about my ideal imaginary homestuck trilogy. and i was thinking about how homestuck's medium and length allow it to just keep escalating for the entire 9000 pages, whereas a feature film can kind of only get away with escalating once between the first and second acts and then maybe one more time in the third act climax. without even getting into stuff about universes and timelines and lord english, homestuck's most iconic two-part-escalation is definitely normal kids -> jade -> the trolls; i've posted once already about how i think the trolls are a given inclusion in The Homestuck Movie (whereas they might not be in The Sburb Movie), but i don't really think the trolls are cool or interesting enough on their own to have a whole movie of the trilogy dedicated to them - whereas introducing jade in the same way as all the other kids would totally do a disservice to how unique and different from the other characters she is. so i got to thinking about what if movie 1 is john+rose+dave+the trolls and then the middle movie gets to take its time introducing jade... obviously a lot of metatextual baggage comes with the prospect of a film adaptation leaving out a major female character and then only tacking her on at the end post-credit-scene-style, but if in this perfect world i were GUARANTEED three homestuck movies actually get made then from a purely storytelling point of view i think that could be really strong, ESPECIALLY if we start thinking of a homestuck film series not merely as derivative product but as its own piece of artwork in conversation with the original text. like if part 1 ends with the initiation of the 3 year time skip then part 2 could open with jade's 3 years of isolation... THERE ARE POSSIBILITIES

*and how much of this is connected to the fact that 'a movie where kids get sucked into a video game' is itself pure nostalgia fetish material? could you really make a sburb movie that didn't come across even a little bit Ready Player One? i think it would be a hard line to walk.

[itsmemuffy]

When I published my first post, wanted to keep the momentum going. It was my goal to post weekly and well.... it's been two weeks ¯\_(ツ)_/¯

I abandoned all my little drabbles to focus on a full-length fic that is becoming waaay longer than I anticipated. Thought I'd post a little WIP Wednesday to make sure I don't go back into the ether. Can't wait to have this one finished, I've been having a lot of fun writing it.

Contents: Original Trilogy! Logan x fem reader, naive reader, obsessive Logan, suggestive content, Charles makes an appearance

Summary: You keep everything running as smooth as possible in the background while Professor Xavier keeps a very full plate of locating mutants, running the school, and leading the X-Men. A steady stream of mutants come and go through the mansion, but a certain one in particular makes it his mission to nestle his way into your life.

The past few days had been a whirlwind for Logan. He's the type of man that goes where he wants to go- and waking up in an infirmary on a small hospital cot after being round up like some sort of animal was not on his list of things to do that week, to say the least.

For all intents and purposes, his next plan of action was to get away from here as soon as he possibly could and get back to the life he lived on his own terms. His only home and form of transportation was totalled somewhere in the Alberta wilderness, sure, but he already had experience starting over from nothing.

When he first met you, a cute little thing diligently running errands to what was perhaps the one man who could have his answers, you immediately piqued Logan's interest. So sweet and so kind, and Charles put his trust in you?

He had barged in like he owned the place on you and the professor scheduling out the upcoming semester in his office. Charles appeared to have already gotten used to this type behavior from him. "This, my dear, is Logan. He will hopefully be joining us now."

Oh... so is he planning to stick around? You ponder as you bite the inside of your cheek, leaning onto Charles' desk with your hip. Logan immediately came off as brooding and dismissive, and he didn't seem like the type to settle into a place beaming with so much activity. Regardless, you extended your hand out to him as you told him your name.

It took him a second to register the gesture. He only now noticed how lost in thought he was, eyes caught below your neckline. With a clearing of his throat, Logan reached a hand back to you to shake it. The most formal of ways to greet someone, yet the feeling of your delicate fingers grasping his rough palm caused his mind to wander again. He forced himself back to reality.

"I guess I'll be seeing you around" Logan remained aloof in speech, hoping you didn't notice the way he devoured you with his gaze. He decided to promptly remove himself from the room, searching for the privacy to be alone with his thoughts.

A few interactions after your initial introduction, Logan started to feel something beyond sexual curiosity. You made his heart race, you made him nervous.

Not a single detail went unnoticed by Logan. The way your hips would sway, how you parted your hair, the lipstick you wore, the softness in your voice whenever you greeted him, your scent.

Life kept throwing change in Logan's way, morphing his way of living into something unrecognizable to him. For the last however many years (boy, is he ever bad at keeping track of time) he had filled them with isolation and taking whatever cheap pleasures he could find. Now he finds himself surrendering the space in his mind to a woman he barely knew. You brought warmth and light into a cold, dark place.

No, this wont fly, he thought to himself. The fact that he was losing control over the dynamic between you made him very uncomfortable. Logan made it his mission to learn more about you. If he could just figure you out, he could take the reins over again.

The two of you would always acknowledge eachother in a group setting. The tiny smile Logan would throw your way whenever you caught eyes made you weak. You couldn't help but to want to know more about him too. A rugged man who was a stranger not too long ago was showing you consideration? A man who nobody knows where he's been, what he's done, how old he is? It kind of racked your brain, but you tried not to let it trip you up.

Oh, but he would catch you trip up. It wasn't lost on Logan the times you entered a space with him in it, seemingly to forget what you came in there for. Maybe you were a little ditzy- your mind often racing too fast that you couldn't catch up with yourself, but it had happened too many times for it to be a coincidence. At least, that's what he told himself.

He replicated your behavior, scouting you out amongst the mansion. It wasn't hard for him to find you. Your trail had become so much bolder to his senses, overshadowing anybody else that could be in vicinity.

Logan always found what he was looking for. Excuse after excuse slipped easily from his lips. Obvious to everyone else what he was doing, you earnestly took the bait every time without fail. He marked the first time he had a conversation with you alone as a significant victory.

"Hey, didn't see you there. Have you seen Charles around? I need to talk to him." He had cornered you in the library, watching you read for a minute or two before making his presence known.

You flinched up in your chair, "Jesus Logan, don't sneak up on me like that!" The yelp that initially left your lips was definitely a sound he would remember next time he's alone.

"Sorry, doll. Didn't mean to scare ya," he chuckled.

The upset you felt towards him for breaking your flow state lasted but half a second. You couldn't be mad. After all, whatever he needed Charles for must of been important.

"No, Jean and him are off chaperoning a field trip in the city. He should be back sometime this evening."

Logan let out a little "hmph", trying his best sound to sound disappointed. Inside he was estatic he finally caught up to you again. Now with no one else around, his mind flooded with possibilities on how this could go. The odds of you immediately throwing yourself at him weren't zero, were they? If he were to take you and bend you over the table right this very second, there was a possiblility you'd let him... right? God, am I really this desperate? he thought.

After letting a moment hang in the air, he sat down next to you in the ajacet seat. "So, what are you doing here all by yourself? Got nothing better to do on a Saturday afternoon, huh?" Good idea, Logan, change the subject.

"You're one to talk," your focus was now one hundred percent on him. Thighs spread as he lazily leaned back in the chair, rolling his head ro the side. To say he wasn't beautiful like this would be a lie. You've rarely seen him this relaxed. "Aren't you here too?"

"Huh." Logan did not anticipate you to call him out like that, "I guess you've got a point."

An awkward silence sat between the two of you. You pretended to divert your attention back to your book, not letting him escape the corner of your eye. Logan lit up a cigar he fished from his pocket. He desperately needed something to do with his hands.

"This is a library, you know that right?" You chide him after an annoyed sigh.

"Oh, is it now? I thought all these books were just for decoration." His lips sucked in another drag.

"Very expensive books, Logan. There's plenty of perfecly fine places to smoke around here if you just look."

He got up from his seat, "Then why don't you show me around, darlin'? Open my eyes a little." You couldn't quite tell if the pet name was to belittle you or to be affectionate. A hand reached out to bring you to stand. "I'll let you lead the way."

[britcision]

Tell you what tho

I read Lord of the Rings when I was 10… and 11… because it took me that long to finish it

And I do remember reading it, and I remember being a little confused by the tangents and the history and geography and speed reading those bits trying to find the adventure, and first seeing the movies and knowing the story

But I hadn’t read them since

And I know the movies well enough that I can identify which scenes in the extended version weren’t in the theatrical release and which weren’t in the original shorter extended version

But reading the first book again now as an adult… I am absolutely reading it for all those tangents and the history and geography to devour the entire world and I’m barely interested in the Ring and the quest

And all of it feels new

Like, I very specifically remember single lines pretty much at random through the book so every time I’m sorta getting lost in “wow I don’t remember this at all” suddenly I’m finishing the next sentence before I turn the page

And I think that says something about growth and aging and time

Because I was always a little nerd, my bedtime stories were Discworld before I could talk, I read Lord of the Rings solely because it had 1000 pages and I considered that a challenge and I stuck to it even when I wasn’t all that interested in the extended lore because of that

(May Tolkien forgive me, but I was 10!)

And back then I was reading for The Quest and The Story Of The Fellowship and things that were happening now

And so little of it stuck with me that it’s almost all new all over again, and I’m discovering all of this wonderful extended lore and devouring the history and yeah the Silmarillion’s gonna come after the full trilogy and it’s all new to me

And it’s also so familiar

I remember half the songs, but I hadn’t remembered they were Tolkien’s

I just… kept singing them. I can do most of Gilgalad’s from memory, but I couldn’t swear that’s how you spell the name

And part of it is that my family also used to do the radio editions of Lord of the Rings and The Hobbit on long drives or as family time in the evening, and I really did only read the actual book once

(Possibly not long after we finished the radio drama version, which is why I was so confused by the extended Shire adventures)

So it might just be that I know the now so well already, that’s so familiar, that I can finally focus on the rest of the world

But I think it’s also because the older I’ve gotten, the more I want to look behind the curtain. To see the lore, the making of, how things work and connect and see everything that made the story of now possible in everything I see

The more I read the more I see Tolkien’s hand, his pen, his values and what he believed mattered, and he was right. It matters to care for the land and the world and growing things, even if it doesn’t have monetary value. It matters to choose to do good, even with no reward

It matters to take your time, to do things the right way instead of the easy or cheap way, to cherish and value everything that lives, however small. It matters to care, more than anything shiny and golden

And also yes I am also learning that the way I write apparently has a lot more in common with Tolkien than I thought, so you can all blame him for the length of Dead And Loving It and all the lore and my need to expand the universe in every direction and obsess over every connection

I’m certainly nowhere near on his level, but even in a book I only read once… I think Tolkien shaped quite a lot of what I consider good quality writing and world building

And I think he’d appreciate that

And from now on I’ll be explaining my utter refusal to cut any “unnecessary” perspectives or world building with “would you have edited Tolkien?” Because the answer’s always “nope” his publisher said so

[toastedcinnamonflakes]

Guide on How to Improve Your Reading Level

So. You want to improve your reading level. You currently read only “easy” stories – for example Colleen Hoover. But you want to challenge yourself. You want to read more.

Well, let me help you. I am compiling a guide for you here to help you get more advanced with your reading. I have sorted literature into different levels, and will give you suggestions for each level. This is not an all-encompassing guide, more like a guideline – obviously I don’t know every single author. I will try to stick to authors that are all also available in English, but if one or two sneak in that are not available in English, or your main language, I apologise. I encourage you to seek suggestions outside of this, too. A good place to get good recommendations and not just the same five #BookTok books over and over again are actually newspapers and magazines with a Feuilleton! You can also message me for some tips, or find other book blogs on tumblr. I am sure most are glad to help.

I am not sorting these books by categories like “Children’s books”, “Young adult” or similar, because I find that within those loose categories, books can vary wildly. Instead, I am focusing on complexity, length, necessary existing knowledge and other factors. Without further ado, let me begin!

Level 1: Books that are short, to the point, without complex vocabulary. There usually are no metaphors there, and if there are, you do not necessarily HAVE to dive into them, the story makes sense nonetheless. You do not need to have any pre-existing knowledge to understand them, either. They are also either stand-alones or can be read as stand-alones, so you do not have to commit to a long series.

Such books are:

Most books by Dyanna Wynne Jones, especially her Fantasy novels

Books by Taylor Jenkins Reid

Most books by Leigh Bardugo (although is STRONGLY discourage you from reading the Shadow and Bone trilogy, those books are messy, unimaginative and kinda sexist. She found her literary footing after that.)

Books by Michael Ende

Most books by Erich Kästner (his few excursions into adult literature are more complex and require some previous knowledge about the Weimar Republic)

Books by Alexander Kielland Krag

Books by Walter Moers

Most books by V.E. Schwab

Books by Axie Oh

Books by Naomi Novik

Books by Casey McQuiston

Books by Kai Meyer

Books by Marissa Meyer

Books by T.J. Klune

Level 2: Now we are coming onto books that, while mostly still short, use a bit more complex vocabulary and/or metaphor. So, you might be required to not take everything literally and do a bit of interpretation. Occasionally, you might need to do a quick Wikipedia read to get context for the book. The characters are becoming a bit more complex, too, but often the text itself explains character’s motivations/thoughts directly.

Books that fit that description are for example:

"Convenience Store Woman" by Sayaka Murata

“Swimming in the Dark” by Tomasz Jędrowski

“Kim Jiyoung, born 1982” by Cho Nam-Joo

Books by Phillip Pullman, in particular his “Golden Compass” Trilogy

“Iron Widow” by Xiran Jay Zhao

“Fire and Hemlock” by Dyanna Wynne Jones

Books by Silvia Moreno-Garcia

Books by Celeste Ng

“The last Unicorn” by Peter S. Beagle

Level 3: Now we are reaching books that use complex vocabulary, maybe you even need to look up a word or two (but this is how you expand your own vocabulary). The sentences are more complex, the stories are constructed in a more complex way (but still usually follow one narrative string), the characters are most of the time nuanced. You will need to pay attention to the subtext and do some interpreting of your own. Some of these books have the labels “classic” attached to them, but don’t let that scare you – in fact, for most classics, you will be able to look up information/interpretations online if you are struggling. We also have some books now that are either parts of a longer series or parts of a bigger canon (not all of them, some are still stand-alones).

Such books are for example:

Books by Agatha Christie

Books by Selma Lagerlöf (although I have to say, she very often uses metaphors, dream-sequences and similar narrative devices)

Books by Terry Pratchett

Andrzej Sapkowski’s “Witcher”Saga

“The Shadow land” by Elizabeth Kostova

Books by Joan Lindsay

“A hero of our time” by Michail Lermontow

“Sauhund” by Lion Christ

Most books/short stories by Nikolai Gogol

Some of Stanislaw Lem’s books, like “The Star Diaries”, “Tales of Pirx the Pilot”

Books by Hanne Ørstavik, particularly the books before “Love”

Books by Gerd Brantenberg

“Revolutionary Road” by Richard Yates

“Carmilla” by Sheridan Le Fanu

The “Sherlock Holmes” Stories by Arthur Conan Doyle

Level 4: On this level, the vocabulary is advanced and the sentence structure is complex. The characters are multi-dimensional, complicated and explored on a psychological level.

The books want to say something, and often say it through the use of metaphors. You need to be attentive while reading, maybe even take some notes, if you really want to get to the bottom with your interpretation. Still, the books follow a (mostly) clear plotline and while there are occasionally some “non-realistic” elements in them like Dreams, they are still somewhat grounded in a fictional reality that mostly mirrors our own. Many of these novels are also long.

Jane Austen’s books

Fyodor Dostoevsky’s books

“Rebecca” by Daphne du Maurier

“Jane Eyre” by Charlotte Bronte

“Wuthering Heights” by Emily Bronte

“Agnes Grey” and “The Tennant of Wildfell Hall” by Anne Bronte

Plays by Friedrich Schiller

Plays by Henrik Ibsen

Most books by the Strugatzki brothers

“War and Peace” and “Anna Karenina” by Lew Tolstoi

“Dracula” by Bram Stoker

“Frankenstein” by Mary Shelley

books by Jeannette Winterson

books by Charles Dickens

Short stories by Anton Tschechow

Books by Michail Bulgakow

Level 5: Now we have reached the territory of the truly advanced reader. These books are not simple by any stretch of the word. These novels are not always more complex than the ones on level four vocabularly-wise, but they require you to have pre-existing knowledge of other works of literature (they often make references). You need to pay close attention while reading, perhaps re-read passages multiple times. The structure of these novels is often non-linear and/or experimental. They are mostly not “realistic”, rely heavily on metaphors, symbols and signs within the text. They can be confusing at times. Often, they play with the language and experiment. The meaning of these novels is multi-layered, and interpretations can differ wildly.

Such books are:

“If on a winter’s night a traveler” by Italo Calvino

“The experiment” by the brothers Strugatzki

Almost everything by Karen Blixen (“Out of Africa” is a bit easier, though still very complex and there are many symbols in that novel, too)

Books by Jon Fosse

“The Key” by Junichiro Tanizaki

Books by Osamu Dazai

“Catherine House” by Elisabeth Thomas (okay, I was conflicted where to put this – the vocab is not that difficult, but the structure is very unclear and dream-like and it puts a lot of emphasis on symbols. Maybe it would be good to start your journey to Level 5 novels with this one, if you are not very confident in your reading abilities)

Books by Han Kang

“The futurological congress” by Stanislaw Lem

Books by Günter Grass

“The Man Outside” by Wolfgang Borchert

Books by Slavenka Draculic (specifically her novels, her essays have a different style, obviously)

Books by Sjon

Short stories by Edgar Allan Poe

Books by Vladimir Sorokin

Books by Angela Carter

“Kult” by Ljubko Deresch

Most books by Vladimir Nabokov

Tales by E.T.A. Hoffman

The differing factor between these last two levels often is the STRUCTURE of the novels. I am making this distinction because I have seen that quite a few people struggle with experimentalist/surrealist/non-linear structure.

Others of these stories have a more linear structure, yes, but require you to dig deep beneath the surface to find out the meaning of various symbols in order to interpret the story.

Also, pay attention to the language! Many of these authors, like Nabokov, play around with double-meanings, similar sounding words (homophones) and even more than one language.

I hope this guide helps. Obviously, it is not perfect, but it should give you an idea where to start and where to progress. It is important to have fun while reading, and there is no shame in jumping between the levels. But, you should challenge yourself: You are smart! You can understand difficult things! Yes, it might be hard at first, but precisely because of that you should keep trying. If you never challenge yourself, you will never get better.

I wish you all the best on your reading journey <3

[pulim-v]

Ao3 Wrapped!

You started reading 3967 fanworks!

You finished 143 of them!

Your total word count was 1375869 words! That's over 20 times the length of the Lord of the Rings trilogy!

Your 5 most read tags were:

Hurt/Comfort

Fluff

Angst

Smut

Fix-it Fic

Your 5 most read fandoms were:

That life-long obsession of yours

That new obsession you got completely attached to

That fandom that got a big resurgence

That new thing that everyone is talking about

That small fandom you're still into despite it being a wasteland

Your 5 most read authors were:

That friend of yours that you always talk to

That writer who made only a single longfic and nothing else

That other friend of yours whose writing you're not as into for now

That person who absolutely gets your blorbos like no one else

That fandom behemoth you didn't realize you were reading that much

You started writing 58 fics!

You finished writing 0

You got a total of 529 Hits, 18 Kudos, and 0 comments

You left a total of 3967 Hits, 675 Kudos, and 27 comments

You were in the top 5% of commenters!

[thealmightyemprex]

Fantasy month:Middle Earthathon Part 2 Lord of the Rings 1978

Ah this movie,the first theatrical feature length adaptation of Tolkien .There are a lot of fans who dont like this movie ...I am happy to say I love this films,warts and all.Its an important part of Rings history that folks either goof on or ignore and while I get it , I think there is a lot to love about Ralph Bakshis Lord of the Rings

Also shout out to my friend @the-blue-fairie who is also a fan of this film

In this 1978 film Frodo Baggins (Christopher Guard ) is informed by the Wizard Gandalf (William Squire ) that he has gained posession of the One Ring which is sought by the forces of Mordor , and eventually must partake in a quest o destroy it

So I actually saw this film as a kid.I saw FEllowship of the Ring in theaters and I wanted more Lord of The Rings,but the films werent out on DVD yet ,I was too young for the books ,and to my limited 2001 knowledge there was no other LOTR stuff....Till me and my grandmother went to the local blockbuster and found ......Another version of Lord of the Rings on VHS .I immediately rented it and to my surprise it was an animated film that adapted not only Fellowship but the next book as well the Two Towers ,so I felt like I was getting a sneak peak at what the next film held like Gollum,Treebeard,Gandalfs return,etc .I actually think I might have seen this film sleightly more then the Jackson trilogy (Mainly due to it being shorter )

Now the main thing to point out about the anijmation is it is done through Rotoscope,a process where you take live action refrence footage and draw over it,which can lead to very realistic movement .This films use of it is devisive to say the least .I personally like the rotoscoping it gives the film a unique look thoughI do feel they might have stuck to close to refrence costumes ,when I think they couldve gone a bit more creative ,especially in the creature designs ,cause the orcs legit look like guys in costumes and wow does the Balrog cetainly look like a winged lion guy .I have heard some folks say the character costumes look a bit generic ,but I actually kind of enjoy that asopect ,like I dunno why Boromir is a viking or why Elrond is a Roman Emperor ,but I kind of dig it

So Lord of the Rings has a LOT of characters and I cant go every single member of the cast .The cast consist of several British theater actors (A lot of them having appeared on Doctor Who ,like a majority of the cast was on Doctor Who at some point) and the cast has a few notable names,being who's who of "OH that guy !".....So I am gonna start with the "HEy that guy"s that stood out to me then wrap back around to other primary characters

John Westbrook (Who I know as the REd DEath in Roger Cormans Masque of the Red Death ) makes a brief appearence as Tree Beard ,and I feel his wonderful deep voice fits the character (I have seen a few folks assume hes Christopher Lee but its not,its John Westbrook he just happens to sound a lot like him )

Andre Morell (A very accomplished actor who I mostly know for playing opposite Peter Cushing in Nineteen Eighty Four,Hound of the Baskervilles and Cash on Demand )plays Elrond ,giving a commanding and dignified presence to the elf .SAdly he passed a way shortly after the films release,.....WEird coincidence same also happened to Cyril Richard who played Elrond in the Hobbit

Alan Tilvern (PRobably best known as RK Maroon in Who Framed Roger Rabbit ) plays the Inkeeper and he brings a good nature but also some bumblingness to the role

Annette Crosby (An actress no stranger to fantasy playing the Fairy Godmother in Slipper and the Rose and Granny WEatherwax in Cosgrove Halls adaptation of Terry Pratchett Wyrd Sisters ) is MARVELOUS as Galadrial ,I actually like her a bit more then Cate Blanchett in the Jackson film.I really dig the Pool of Galadrian scene in general and her amused reaction to Fordo offering her the ring

Phillip Stone (A regular of Stanley Kubrick ,most notable for bring the menacing Delbert Grady in the Shinning ) brings a wearyness but also a kingly strength as Theoden ,I think he really does a greta job

David Buck(Who I know for being one of the Skeksis in the Dark Crystal) is a very solid Gimli,not many lines but I like how Gimili is characterized as Buck makes his few lines count.Great animation moment ,is when Gandalf tells Gimli his cousin Blin died,and wordlessly you see the heartbreak on Gimlis face before he wanders off to be alone

Now we get to the four most noteworthy castings:Gollum,Boromir ,Legolas ,and Aragorn .

Legolas is played by Anthony Daniels AKA C3P0 from Star Wars ,in a very rare film apparence that has nothing to do with that frsanchise .Hes also the only actor from the film I have seen discuss the film ,where he discussed his disappointment in Legolas being blonde and how if he had known that he wouldve played it diffrently.....I have no clue what that means .Anyway,I actually like Daniels voice as Legolas ,and I like how friendly he can be whether it is reuniting with Aragorn or his quieter moments with Gimli ,while also working in the serious moments where hes sensing danger

Boromir is played by Michael Graham Cox who I know as Big Wig in my favorite animated film Watership Down .Honestly performance wise ,I think Cox is one of the best ones in the film ,you feel him as a proud warrior who just wants to help his people ,but also his corruption and eventual guilt.His last stand against the orcs is an amazing scenes,it feels grizzly ,and theres a moment where he lets out this kind of warrior scream that has stuck with me .So Cox is really good and I think Brian Selby and the BBC thought so too .....CAuse he played the role again in the excellent 1981 BBC radio version

Peter Woodthorpe best known to me for playing a villainous hypnotist in The Evil of Frankenstein and Old Joe in the George C SCott Christmas Carol,plays Gollum,and like Michael Graham Cox he reprised the role in the BBC production.Gonna be completely hones,I love Woodthropes Gollum .....In the radio production ,I think hes a bit better there,but he also good in the film ,just more subdued but still showcasing his madness.I think hes very creepy and enjoy him both here and in the radio version

And now lets get to the BIGGEST name in the film:legendary actor John Hurt ,who even back then was a name actor and I just gotta say,,,,,He is MY Aragorn ,no9 disrespect to Robert Stephens from the radio production or Viggo Mortensen from the Jackson films who both do a fabulous job as well,but this is one of my favorite performances by Hurt .He exudes sterength,confidence,but also moments of doubt ,be mysetious but has a warmth .When I think of Hurt as an actor I tend to think of victims and villains ,so the fact he had this chance to play a heroic character is pretty awesome and he gets some pretty great line reads favorite being "Then we must do without hope,there is always vengence ! "

I actually dont have much to say about most of the rest of the cast (Simon Chandler and Dominic Guard are pretty decent as Merry and Pippin while Frazer Ker for me is a bit to saturday morning villains as Saruman......Or Aruman,yeah due to executive meddling ,they kep switching from callrng him Saruman and Aruman ) so lets get onto three of the primary characters I havent talked about yet

William Squire is pretty good as Gandalf ,a bit over the top,but I feel one needs to ham it up if your playing a wizard .I do love how he casually flicks the ring in the fire .Will admit I do wish they were able to get their original choice Alan Napier (Who I feel wouldve been a great Gandalf ) ,but Squire is a very good Gandal

Now lets talk about the most hated element in the film....Sam .Michael Scholes plays Sam ,and he plays him very...Comical ,Sams comic relief ,and I dont hate it like other people do but it is a very strange take on Samwise.That said I am curious ,if Bakshi did do a sequel how this Sam would handle the more heroic elements

However if the film does a character really well,,,,,Its Friodo .Christopher Guard delivers on the journey from almost niave to world weary yet having this inner strength .When being chased by the Black Riders ,weak due to a wound ,him standing up against them is very powerful and my heart breaks at his final scene where he discusses for him its just about getting to Mount Doom and not returning .While Ian Holm is my favorite Frodo in the radio production ,Chritopher Guard is a close second and I so wish he got to finish the character arc

I've mentioned a few favorite moments such as the pool of Gladrial and Boromirs last stand but other scenes and elements that I love here are

1.The Black Riders.Of all the villains here,I think they are the most effective ,very creepy and intimidating with the best moment being them attacking the beds (Which Jackson borrowed for his film

2.Boromirs Death ,which is just heart breaking and I especially love the look on Aragorns face

3.Lothlorian ,just seeing the character,even if briefly just relax and bond after the trials in Moria.I especially love Frodo listening to the song about Gandalf and admitting "We knew so little of him in the Shire ,he was just Gandalf to us " and Aragorn assuring him that the old wizard liked of all his names Gandalf the best ,like Awwww thats so sweet !!!!

If I have a complaint ,other then "God I wish Bakshi made part two".....Its that I think the Fellowship of the Ring parts are stronger then the Two Towers parts .Once Boromir dies it does drag a little

That said I love this movie and do reccomend it to fans of the Jackson film or books .I got a soft spot for it

@ariel-seagull-wings @themousefromfantasyland @countesspetofi

@amalthea9 @theancientvaleofsoulmaking @princesssarisa

@barbossas-wench @princesssarisa

[maggiec70]

Was Jean Lannes an unfaithul husband? If so, are there any accounts on his extramarital affairs?

Of course, he was, but his "affairs" were definitely of the "one-night-stand" variety; he didn't have the time or interest in either a long- or short-term mistress, like Massena, Berthier, Ney, and a few of his military buddies. I don't doubt for a minute that he didn't take advantage of the available cantinieres or blanchiseuses on campaign, as so many did. Definitely one of those "a quick kiss, slap on the posterior, and off after the Austrians" type of engagement. There aren't any accounts of these very occasional forays off the marital path other than a couple of allusions in Laure Junot's memoirs, and we all know how trustworthy those are. Of those two instances, only one hinted at an actual "encounter," which occurred in the late fall of 1797, when Jean-Boy was temporarily billeted with a Milanese countess after Arcola. I'd already decided before I finished my dissertation back in the day that Jean-Boy truly deserved a woman who understood him and was prepared to put up with him. His two unfortunate marriages showed me that he hadn't a clue about women, a fact several of his fellow marshals--and Napoleon--had noted. So I jumped on the single sentence about the Milanese contessa and ran with it...and ran...and ran. The result has been a 250K word draft bit of historical fiction which,

because of its length, will be a trilogy. Thanks for asking. I don't believe anyone else has asked this question before.

[thecourtscorkboard]

Ace Attorney: Justice for All Review - An Exercise in Meaningful Mediocrity

We've finished Ace Attorney: Justice for All, and now it's time to take a look back on the middle child of the classic trilogy.

I think that JfA is undeniably the weakest of the trilogy games. This is by no means a diss towards what it tries to do: I think that in every series there's going to be a weak link. God of War has Ascension, Final Fantasy has FF2, Alien has Resurrection, and so on. JfA is the weak link of the trilogy games; and I think it's kind of aware of this.

JfA definitely feels like it was designed as the most mediocre game in the trilogy. Phoenix is seasoned as a lawyer, but he's not a veteran; Franziska is a good prosecutor, but she's not as intimidating as Edgeworth; it's got the shortest number of cases; and so on. It's the sophomore year of Phoenix's time as a lawyer, even with all the eventful stuff going on. Who remembers their sophomore year?

I do. My sophomore year was the year COVID hit. And the year I found out I wasn't straight.

Anyways: we're gonna do this the exact same way we reviewed PW:AA—with a lost of pros, cons, favorite characters, and an overall review. Without further ado!

PROS

Pro One: Art Direction.

JfA is easily my favorite-looking game in the trilogy. It has faults, of course, but these do not show up in its art direction: from characters to set-pieces, every single piece of art has been drastically improved. Some standouts are Franziska's design and spritework, Phoenix's breakdown pose, Maximillion Galactica's hand pose, and the set-pieces for the Berry Big Circus and the Gatewater Hotel.

This game has some beautiful hand-drawn art as well! Franziska barging into the courtroom and the above art of Phoenix before the trial in 2-1 always make me squee and giggle, respectively. The improved graphics in the HD remakes really make it all shine even more. It's an absolutely beautiful game and among my favorite-looking in the entire series alongside AJ:AA and the AAI games.

Pro Two: Case Length.

Although its cases are by no means perfect, one thing I can't really criticize them for is their pacing (at least compared to the other Trilogy games). I think that each case, while not paced perfectly, are generally better-paced than the PW:AA cases. It's a definite show of how Takumi, as the series's main writer, generally got better over time—even 2-3, for all its faults, is better paced than 1-3. There's no unnecessary third days in JfA, which I think is a trap that the series easily fell (and continues to fall) into.

The trial days in particular are excellently paced. I think 2-4's second trial in particular lasts for way too long, which is a great bit of pacing. That might sound like an oxymoron, but I think that the case lasting way too long does a great way of portraying how mentally and physically exhausting it is for everybody involved. I think 2-3 finds a perfect balance of length, for all of its flaws.

Pro Three: Characterization.

I think there's one element that JfA holds over the other trilogy games, and that's pure characterization. Say what you will about the characters, they're all memorable in one way or another: and I think, for the main cast at least, that this game's writing and understanding of its characters is consistently the best. Phoenix, Edgeworth, Franziska, Gumshoe, and Maya are all standouts, with some case-specific characters like Morgan, Adrian, and Matt also being noteworthy.

I think Franziska and Gumshoe are at their best in this game. In Franziska's case it's actually a tad unfortunate, since this is her debut game and all, but this being Gumshoe's strongest showing isn't really a detriment considering he'll only show up in three (technically four) more games.

Franziska is one of the first AA characters, I think, that is genuinely given a lot of focus and care onto feelings that aren't spelled out for the audience. Even Edgeworth's unnecessary feelings of unease and uncertainty aren't left ambiguous, but with Franziska's case there are cases to be made for so many interpretations of her character that I think she's the golden example of walking so later characters can run. I think 2-3 is generally the exception that proves the rule—in 2-1, 2-2, and 2-4, we're treated to excellent pieces of character writing and a visible understanding of the main cast.

Pro Four: Franziska von Karma.

I know I was just talking about characterization as a whole, but I'd like to focus on just one character in particular for a second (and yes, we'll be discussing her later down the line, but I wanted to take a brief aside to talk about her positive contributions to this game). I think Franziska von Karma is a downright brilliant character: in this game particularly.

For a series that places its focus on contradictions, Franziska is riddled with them: and this is given a focus, surprisingly! Although she's far more like her father than Edgeworth, it's made clear that Manfred held Edgeworth in higher regard than her; she is desperate to be perfect in every way, but has a mole on her face that makes it asymmetrical and "blemished"; she clearly cares about the people around her but cannot bring herself to accept that care; and so on.

She's a mess of mental contradictions and logical fallacies, and I think she had a lot of potential to be one of the most interesting characters in the entire franchise. I think she's a perfect rival for most of JfA and a great expansion on the honestly rather lackluster performance of her father in 1-4. I don't think this game would be the same without her: it'd be far worse off.

CONS

Con One: Mystery Quality.

I think JfA has the weakest mysteries in the original trilogy and it's not particularly close. 2-1 and 2-3 in particular don't feel like mysteries, per se, just stories: 2-3 is especially egregious for reasons I outlined in my review of it. 2-4, like 2-3 and characterization, is the exception that proves the rule—compared to PW:AA's mysteries, 2-1, 2-2, and 2-3 just simply are not nearly as good. 2-4 is a fantastic howcatchem and perhaps the best subversion of usual mystery tropes that we've reviewed thus far, but the rest of the game is simply not up to par with previous.

I'd even wager to say that JfA has the weakest mysteries in the entire mainline series, although we haven't gone back to re-cover some other contenders for this title yet. They're just simply not as captivating or, honestly, hard compared to others: when they are hard then that difficulty tends to feel artificial, at least to me.

Con Two: Inconsistency.

Although JfA has some masterful character writing, it's not particularly consistent about it. Characters that are written very well in one case can fall flat in the next—Phoenix from 2-2 to 2-3 is the prime example of this, as in 2-3 he's just straight-up a bully to Maya instead of a teasing friend. I feel like even in cases themselves this can switch, and while sometimes this is for the better—I far prefer Mimi Miney's dropped façade to her mockery of Ini—most of the time it isn't. One that comes to mind is, unfortunately, Pearl in 2-4. She's both presented as a cute child who is still wise beyond her years but... honestly, kind of portrayed as a bit of a dunce, as well.

This isn't particularly egregious, but it is an unfortunate inconsistency, and these things do add up. The quality of its cases also makes the game a little awkward to play, going from below-average to above-average cases almost like clockwork.

Con Three: Music.

JfA has the weakest musical ensemble of the trilogy. While I think there are some standouts, like both Edgeworth and Franziska's Great Revivals (which have some awesome musical parallels: Edgeworth's is deeper and slower, whereas Franziska's is at a higher key and a slightly quicker tempo), unfortunately the musical quality is generally not up to par. I find this game's Trick theme rather grating, and while I like the percussion beats in the Pursuit theme I think the overall melody leaves quite a bit to be desired: I do like the key changes, however.

Unfortunately, I just don't think JfA's music plays into its pivotal moments as well as PW:AA's does. The Detention Center theme has the god damn Lick! Why does it have the Lick?! This might just be my entirely irrational hatred for the Lick talking, honestly, but that moment just takes me out of the Detention Center. I do not like this theme.

Now, as promised, we'll get into my top five characters before finishing off with my overall thoughts!

Number Five: Matt Engarde

Matt Engarde. Where to begin with this guy? I guess we can go for the obvious: he's the darkest killer in the series thus far, even including the lows that Gant falls to in 1-5. He's a pathological abuser and a malignant narcissist who nearly drove two women to suicide: 2-4 is actually the first case in the entire series that earnestly discusses the topic of suicide and Matt makes it even more uncomfortable than it already was. He's a slimy bastard and taking him down is so satisfying.

I think he really takes the cake for breakdowns thus far, as well. He's not the best culprit in the series by any means but he's definitely a top-tier contender for breakdowns: he rips his own face open while screaming about his own guilt. It doesn't get much better than that. He's an awful person and the way we take him down is suitably awful. Phoenix can choose to still plead Not Guilty, and if the possibility of De Killer killing him is a perfectly acceptable one to Phoenix's mind, then what does that say about Matt?

Let's talk about colors. Matt has two main colors: red and brown. Brown is the color of his hair, gloves, the scar over his eye, and the drink in his hand after he's unmasked, while red is the color of his jacket and the scars he leaves on his face. Brown is generally a color of strength—for most of the case Matt's position is completely unassailable as he uses Maya as leverage. It's also seen as a color of sophistication, fitting his place as an A-list actor and the patron of an incredibly fancy hotel. Red, meanwhile, is best understood in Matt's case as a color of blood and anger. Blood is positively coating Engarde's hands, as he is the (indirect) murderer of both Celeste and Juan, but he also rips apart his own face when he's declared guilty, showing the blood underneath. While he rarely shows any sort of anger himself, people only address him with contempt as either a murderer and blackmailer or as an overrated hack.

Number Four: Dick Gumshoe

I think this is Gumshoe's best showing bar none. I think his best character traits really shine through here: his hard (but clumsy) work, his genius with electronics, his selective focus—he's really in full gear here, and I think this is the best example of who he really is at heart before his untimely flanderization and death.

I, unfortunately, forgot to screenshot any of Gumshoe's other appearances in JfA.

He's a good guy and takes his job seriously, even if he's not always the best at it. His empathy is in full display—I particularly love how clearly worried he is about Franziska's obviously declining mental state and how he drops everything once he learns Maya's been kidnapped—but he still has to, like, do his job, y'know? And he does his job well! He's not the best, but he does it well, and he's thankfully not the butt of many jokes. Although he'll never be quite to the level of the detective he's an homage of (I like to headcanon his family is Irish, in contrast to Columbo's family being Italian) he's clearly part of the same school of keeping his head down and doing his job as well as he can. His saving the case in 2-4 is my favorite Gumshoe moment in the entire series: a perfect culmination of his perfect appearance!

His main color is obviously a dark, mossy green. Green is associated with life and health, which is a bit ironic considering his dependency on instant noodles, but in psychology it's also a color of wellness and regeneration. Regeneration fits the best, I think: when he's fired by Franziska, he gets back into the fray to save Maya's life as a civilian member of the investigation team! This might be a bit of a stretch but green is also a color of infidelity in some Asian cultures. Does he perhaps "cheat" on his bosses by cooperating with us? Like I said, a stretch. But it's a reasonable stretch, I think!

Number Three: Shelly de Killer

There's something about professional assassins that always piques my interest. The Sniper, the Spy, Osamu Dazai, Agent 47, and, of course, Shelly de Killer. Whom I kept misspelling the name of throughout my 2-4 review. Anyways, Shelly is a force of nature throughout 2-4: he's unstoppable, unflappable, and unknowable, and he's undeniably the biggest presence. He's a standout in a case full of standouts, and while not my favorite accomplice still an easy top-ranker.

When he's finally pushed into a corner in his attempts to protect Matt, he continues being a massive threat and his cutting off communication to kill Maya is a stomach-dropping part of the final day of trial. The truth is revealed to him and it's suddenly incredibly comforting that he's a ruthless murderer—after all, his target is somebody who deserves it. We only see his face a few times, but his design is incredibly memorable and I think the moment where Phoenix comes face-to-face with him in Matt's mansion and has no clue is one of the best parts of the case.

His main color, obviously, is black. Black is a color of death and despair. It's also a color of power: when I think of the color black I think of characters and organizations like Darth Vader, Sephiroth, the Schutzstaffel, and the Secret Service. It's finally a color of grief and seriousness—his main alternate color is white, which is a color of fairness and sterility. In some Asian cultures it's also considered the main color of death: his two-faced nature, symbolized by his stitched face and propensity to disguises and radios, is literally mirrored by his two main colors. He's got a killer design.

Number Two: Phoenix Wright

For future reference, I'd generally like to make it a habit not to include the same character in two reviews in a row. There are, of course, exceptions, and this is one of them. I like to think that the original trilogy covers the main arcs of our three main protagonists. If PW:AA is Edgeworth's game, then JfA is Phoenix's. This is a game where he undergoes a massive amount of character growth and I'd wager that 2-4 is the most important case to his character development until 4-4. Yeah, that's how impactful I think JfA is.

With the exception of 2-3, he is consistently written at top quality. Even in 2-1, where he can barely remember his job, he's still given an air of professionalism and unwavering trust in Maggey. Even though he comes to the same conclusion that Edgeworth did—that the truth is more important than anything else—they come to it through decidedly different ways that fit their respective characters. In Phoenix's case, he can only come to this conclusion with the support of the people around him but also something that will unquestioningly destroy his bone-headed stubbornness. One of Phoenix's defining character traits—which also rears his head as one of his many flaws—is how God damn stubborn he is. 2-4 simply wouldn't work if he didn't hold to his previous worldview with an almost religious devotion. If he didn't have this flaw, then he both wouldn't be Phoenix Wright and 2-4 would've lost so much of its impact.

This is his best showing in the trilogy. God fuckin' bless you, Phoenix Wright.

Number One: Franziska von Karma

Franziska is my favorite prosecutor in the entire series and JfA is a massive reason why. While she doesn't consistently reach the peaks of her JfA characterization, in JfA she's the only character besides Phoenix I can easily call a 10/10. She is brilliantly written, and if her quality remained the same then I'd honestly call her the best-written character in the entire series. Hell, my Strange Professional Killstreak Disciplinary Action is named after her.

can you tell i like this picture

I mentioned it in the "pros" section, but I'd like to say it again: Franziska is a mess of contradictions, which I think is where the brilliance (dare I say "perfection") of her writing comes from. While she's obviously stuck in her father's shadow—and the clear preference he gave to Miles over his own biological child—she's trying to forge her own mold and prove her own worth... as a von Karma. No matter what she does she'll always be stuck in her father's shadow, and it's not until 2-4 that her worldview is utterly destroyed by Edgeworth not only doing her job for her but getting a guilty verdict against Phoenix that she genuinely begins to change. Even her design is deliberately imperfect! She has a mole on her face and her overall outfit is asymmetrical, with the golden lines going down the center of her jacket not quite matching each other and her hair leaning towards the left instead of being perfectly lined up like her father's or Edgeworth's. She's a mess of family issues, self-limiting obsessions, and some absolutely delicious room for mental health headcanons (which I happen to love thinking about) that just make her so fascinating as a character to me.

Let's talk about her main colors. Unlike Phoenix and Edgeworth, she can't really be boiled down to a single color: she's highlighted by whites, platinum blues, and blacks. Platinum is the biggest standout given her hair color and choice of outfit—it's a color of nobility and prestige, but also one of modernity and even futurism. "Everything is chrome in the future!" This ties back into her overall arc: while she's not completely able to separate herself from her father, she's slowly starting to internalize how wicked he truly was and how she should redefine the von Karma name. The colors that define her design are colors that are also associated with the cold: she's icy, and to really hammer that in, in supplementary material she wears puffy overcoats and scarves while in-game she wears sleek black gloves and a padded suit. Like ice, she's incredibly sharp and dangerous, but she's also fragile and will shatter if too much pressure is forced on her. Also like ice, she's very pretty. I want to be her.

Overall Thoughts

JfA is the awkward middle child of Ace Attorney. Like any awkward middle child, it has some pretty significant growing pains, but it also has some defining moments and great memories for both what came before and after it. It's not perfect—far from it—but it's definitely an understandable fan favorite.

As with PW:AA, I'd also like to point out some standout ships. While I don't ship it, Phoenix/Edgeworth comes to full maturity come this game. Maya/Franziska also comes from this game, and it's probably the most popular Franziska ship for good reason: while the two of them don't interact with each other very often in this game, there's some very clear similarities and parallels. Some ships I do ship that also find their roots in this game are Franziska/Adrian and angsty one-sided Adrian/Celeste. Franziska/Adrian is especially interesting to me because of how blatantly paralleled they are: they're both mentally fragile and dependent, living in the shadows of people who came before them but constantly overlooked and put down by others. They even share a primary color scheme with bright blue! I love them. Some non-romantic standouts are Gumshoe and Franziska, Edgeworth and Franziska, and of course Maya and Pearl.

Unlike PW:AA, however, I don't think it gets a lot of charm from its imperfections. Its imperfections are a lot more noticeable and instead of charming are grating: looking at you, 2-3. The title of this post labels JfA as "meaningfully mediocre" and that's honestly the best I can say about it—it knows that it's not going to be the best or the most eloquent so goes full-force on the wacky factor, and I think that's generally where its inconsistency and growing pains come from. Sometimes this works to its benefit, but the times where it doesn't stick out far more to me than the times they do.

To wrap it all up, we'll give this one an overall rating and place its cases on our case tier list. See you for 3-1 and the finale of the original trilogy: Trials & Tribulations!

Overall Rating: 7.5/10

[thesquireinvictus]

The Eustace and Hilda Trilogy by L. P. Hartley (700 pp.)

Strangers and Brothers by C. P. Snow (3600 pp.)

Aubrey–Maturin by Patrick O'Brien (7000 pp.)

A Dance to the Music of Time by Anthony Powell (2900 pp.)

The Cazalet Chronicles by Elizabeth Jane Howard (2600 pp.)

The Sword of Honour by Evelyn Waugh (960 pp.)

Six major works of the 20th century, each consisting of a serial of novels which comprise a single epic prosaic work or cycle.

Aubrey–Maturin was conceived of as one enormous novel by its creator (and reads like it, too), with each publication being a chapter. It's more than double the length of In Search of Lost Time (the usual contender for longest novel), and exceedingly good.

Of these, Eustace and Hilda may well be my best beloved, but I'm only part way through A Dance to the Music of Time, and, though I've only just started The Cazalet Chronicles, I already adore it.

[lumi-klovstad-games]

Hey, 343. We call "expanded universes" that for a reason.

It also hurt for those of us who actually LIKED Fireteam Osiris and saw potential in the characters. Halo 5 sets up a neat "Brothers in Arms" relationship between Chief and Locke like Chief had with Arbiter in 3, maybe even a little bit of Master & Apprentice, with Locke standing to learn a lot in the days and battles to come from the much older and more experienced Master Chief. But then the next game comes and... wait where is everyone? 343 wants me to buy more books?! A lot of fans already had to buy half a library's worth just to grock Halo 5, and here's 343 repeating that mistake again!

The Halo games really have just become a means by which 343 plugs the Halo novels. "There's a book that explains that" is the constant refrain I hear these days. No. I WANT THE GAMES TO EXPLAIN IT. The games are the only thing literally EVERY Halo fan buys. EXPLAIN IT IN THE GAMES.

I will give the audio logs in Infinite SOME credit for answering SOME questions I had, but mostly it was used to introduce irrelevant subplots that actually WOULD be better as a novel. Escharum doing his damnedest to keep the ragtag and ill-fitting family that are the Banished together with the disappearance of his protege Atriox, a warrior who was like a son to him, knowing full well he doesn't have Atriox's charisma and he can't maintain the cult of personality Atriox cultivated at the core of the Banished in the same way? Or a fireteam of Spartans, feeling lost and surviving without any real support, realizing that they'll likely die one way or another, deciding to risk it all on a single desperate all-or-nothing Hail Mary attempt at cutting the head off the snake, only to fail, with their only monument being their broken bodies, and their armor that Chief has to scavenge for gear with little if any knowledge of what happened to his comrades? These are plots TAILOR MADE for a spin-off novel. But instead a HUGE CHUNK of the total audio logs gets devoted to this kind of stuff, instead of explaining where Blue and Osiris are, if they survived, and setting up a reunion in a later story — you know, something actually relevant to Master Chief's story that connects with the plot players are already familiar with.

I get that 343 wants the Halo Universe to feel like this big connected thing while keeping the "mysterious" feel of the original trilogy, but for 343 that takes the form of locking players out of the loop: deny the players critical information necessary to understanding characters or the plot (even if the players can operate without that information) and then demand they cough up $8-15 a pop to gain access to that information (or just wait until Halopedia editors inevitably do). What they keep forgetting is that the original trilogy told players everything they needed to know as the game naturally progressed. The Bungie novels were interesting and sundry, but nothing they related was essential — not even The Fall of Reach (often considered the most important book in the expanded universe) was necessary to understand anything in the games proper. And then, when Bungie actually made a GAME about Reach, they made a point to showcase a separate cast of characters on a different part of the planet, playing a different role in the battle, with an entirely different team dynamic, all for the express purpose of keeping it so that the book wasn't essential to understanding what was going on. That's the secret that 343 just doesn't get: keep the books interesting, but keep them at arm's length — the GAME should tell the players everything they need to know.

More than game mechanics or graphics, if 343 can learn to tell stories in the games the way Bungie did, and learn to keep the books away from the games, then that alone will MASSIVELY improve Halo's appeal and bring back much of what was lost.