#and as a new(ish) fan still more for me to learn!!! Williams has much idk about yet

[sainz100]

🩵🩵

[thatsparrow]

just got back from the theater, post-let there be carnage thoughts

shit fuck man I missed going to the movies so much I missed going to the movies SO MUCH I know this isn’t specific to let there be carnage but genuinely movie theaters dark rooms overpriced popcorn overwhelming sound levels my beloveds

truly an incredible amount of romance in the movie. fully leans into the premise that these two are in a relationship together in a way that is jokey at the surface but is clearly working from a genuine emotional place

the end scene…the beach…the toes in the sand…”did you say you love me?” like!!!

for a movie called ‘let there be carnage’ there was. shockingly little actual carnage

I get that’s what happens with a pg13 rating (is that what explains the uh very vivid ‘carnage suffocates a man by literally shoving his tongue into his lungs’ scene bc there wasn’t as much visual gore involved?) but it did feel odd that we only got hints/promises of carnage’s violent potential without really exploring it (even him just going on a violent rampage for the fun of it. like all of his superpower uses were very goal-oriented as opposed to carnage for carnage’s sake)

absolutely a+ usage of their one allotted ‘fuck’

the hinting-at notion of carnage also applies to cletus when he’s just in his woody harrelson form, too. yes, they give details about the violence in his youth, but for a first act that leans so heavily into cletus’ past as a serial killer to set up the chain of events, we hear/learn very very little about what he actually did

the sequence where venom goes on his break-up spiral though…bedecked in glow sticks…gets up on stage to prove how much better he is without eddie…the very mournful “I wish eddie could see me”…truly boyfriends in love with terrible communication skills

I would have happily seen SO much more of venom!michelle williams

don’t get me wrong, I like a movie that can tell its story in 100min, but the actual plot did feel pretty thin

buck WILD to introduce shriek—a character whose abilities are fundamentally at odds with a symbiote’s existence—and not have her introduce any consequences to cletus/carnage beyond hinting at the divide between the two of them

that said, the scene where venom’s like ‘we need sound’ then looks at shriek meaningfully before. fucking bodyslamming her into grace cathedral’s bell to start it ringing KILLED me

I like that they gave dan something to do! I’m a fan of the trend (also see ant man and the wasp) of our male hero recognizing his ex has a healthy relationship with someone else and not resenting her new partner

although…..fucking speaking of the cathedral scene…….”they’re not symbiotic, we are” let there be carnage really said “eddie and venom are soulmates” like!!!

sonny and cher my beloveds

of course I’m annoyed with the post-credits scene but I think the thing that annoys me the most is trying to make the hard pivot into venom being a villain for holland!spider-man

like he looks at peter and instantly goes “gotta eat that boy” inexplicably! absolutely nothing prompts this except wanting to adhere to the comics!!

you could have extended the ‘venom on his own’ storyline and fleshed out the plot a little further by having venom (while possessing random san franciscans) actually eat somebody now that eddie isn’t keeping him in check, foreshadowing that those impulses are just as present and just as powerful

BUT it’s so much more meaningful to have venom—away from eddie, able to act out and go full praying mantis re: head biting—to curb that impulse! even when eddie isn’t around, his voice is in venom’s head! at some level, venom doesn’t want to disappoint eddie even when eddie would never know!!

which is sort of the whole problem with introducing hardy!venom into the holland!spider-man storyline (excepting the much larger, disney is consuming everything please make it stop problem) which is you can’t spend two movies setting up venom as a heroic character (imperfect, admittedly, but still driven by heroic-ish impulses) only to then have him go into some sort of rabid villainous state when he sees holland!spider-man because??? he hates spiders or something I don’t know

i want to end on a high note so woody harrelson’s hawaiian shirt/blazer combination was an absolute look

[rinari7]

@slytherintothedragonsden​ and @ciara-jane​ Many many thanks for the topic suggestion! And I have other reports I’ll have to do, so I’m saving the other topics away as well for those! :3

All right, buckle up folks! By popular demand, we're talking about bicycle gears!

This will probably be more information than any average consumer wants or needs to know, but I had to make it report length, so my apologies! But I'll try to be concise, and I'll do my best to keep the maths to a minimum for those of you sensitive to such things. ;)

The term "gear" or “speed” in this particular context refers to a particular arrangement of toothed wheels, disks, or shafts that translates torque generated by either a motor, someone’s pedaling, or a combination of both, into the physical speed of the bike on the path. Put more simply, a “gear” is a particular “translation” of turns of the crank arms to turns of the back wheel.

So people have more of an idea of precisely what I’m referring to, here on a modern utility/mountain bike chain drivetrain and gear setup:

1. crank arm

2. chainrings

3. front derailleur

4. chain

5. rear sprockets (together also called a cassette, that are attached to the hub of the rear wheel and drive it)

6. rear derailleur

The first bikes only had one “gear” — the pedals and crank arms were affixed directly to the wheel hub. One crank arm revolution equals one wheel turn, one wheel circumference traveled. Incidentally, this is also why penny farthings became a Thing, as ridiculous as they looked and as dangerous as they were — people wanted to get farther with one crank arm revolution, and they were only really limited by the length of their legs and from what height they were willing to risk falling.

Still, gear-less bikes were less than ideal. Issues getting up a hill? Too bad, get stronk. Want to go faster? Pedal faster, lazybones. :P

For the people with a little more common sense or a healthy fear of heights, the “Safety” bicycle (coming to stores near? you in 1886!) got rid of such stupid things as an enormous front wheel, and sat the rider much closer to the ground. More importantly for the development of our modern bicycle transmission, it sat the rider in between the two wheels and used a chain to transfer torque from the pedals to the rear drive wheel.

(For the less physically gifted… physics-ly gifted? torque is force applied over a distance that makes something turn. However, distinguishing between torque and force is more an issue of pedantry and math-ish nerdery than any real key to understanding.)

In the early days, some people came up with the bright idea of putting two different sized cogs or sprockets on the opposite sides of the wheel. Two gears! Too bad you had to stop, get off, remove the rear wheel to flip it around, secure it again, and then get going again in your new gear. This only really became a Thing in racing, where the difference in speed mattered enough to justify that whole song-and-dance.

How does a different-sized rear sprocket make a difference in speed? I’m so glad you asked! (Warning: maths ahead, but I’ll try to make it painless.)

Y’all remember levers, right? (Excuse the terrible Microsoft Paint drawings I made at 11 at night, please.)

You can apply less force at the end of a longer “lever” and have the same effect as if you’d applied more force to a shorter lever. Mathematically, the equation is: F1 x l1 = F2 x l2.

(In the diagrams, F1 is the force of gravity pulling the box down, and F2 is the force exerted by the person, l1 the blue length and l2 the red length. They were originally color-coded like most of the bolded stuff but tumblr didn’t feel like working with me there.)

Now let’s take a look at the rear (driving) wheel of a bicycle. (Proportions exaggerated.)

Y’all see it too, right? Like, uh, either way the torque the chain applies to the sprocket (the blue side of the lever) is on the less advantageous side of the equation (smaller than red), but the larger gear offers a less-bad ratio.

So, why would anyone use a smaller gear? More force actually applied to the wheel on the road is better, right?

Not necessarily. If you’re moving forwards at a good clip, you’re good. If you apply too much force, there’s also the risk of the wheel slipping and losing traction on the road.

Also, I picked the icons I did for a reason. Notice how the larger gear has more teeth? That means it takes a longer length of chain to tug the larger gear around one complete revolution.

What if your chainring has only half as many teeth as your rear sprocket? The teeth are the same distance apart, same chain. That means you have to complete two revolutions of the crank arm to move one rear-wheel-circumference forwards.

There’s an equation for this, too: transmission ratio i = teeth of chainring ÷ teeth of rear sprocket = radius of chainring ÷ radius of rear sprocket = rotations of rear sprocket ÷ rotations of chainring. Any of those three possibilities will get you the same answer.

Note here that the lever principle applies to the pedal and chainrings as well.

In this case, a smaller chainring works in our favor, transferring more torque to the chain and thus to the rear wheel, but less speed.

If we put both of these aspects together, we have the combination small chainring + large rear sprocket giving us the maximum transmission of force from pedals to the rear wheel, but not much forwards speed. Conversely, the combination large chainring + small rear sprocket gives us a lot of forwards speed, but not much force — if we hit a hill we’re going to have a hard time.

Practically speaking: most bikes have two or three chainrings (controlled by the left gear shifter) and between 6 and 10 rear sprockets, though the trend is shifting back to one chainring and many rear sprockets in the super-high-end systems. (Also, with the advent of pedelecs and electric auxiliary motors, most people are now just switching the motor’s boost level instead of shifting chainrings).

To make things more concrete: my bicycle has 8 rear sprockets and 3 chainrings, in bike lingo 3 x 8 gears or speeds. I could say 24-speed, technically, but realistically there’s some overlap in there between different sprocket-chainring combinations, and some combinations I would realistically never use, like small chainring + small rear sprocket, or large chainring + large rear sprocket (not to mention that those kinds of extreme gear combinations can exacerbate chain wear).

On your gear shifters, the thing to remember is: if pedaling is difficult, shift down, to the lower numbers on the left and right displays. The indexing (assigned numbers to cogs) is nicely uncomplicated that way.

I’ve sprung forwards a bit historically, but hopefully that answers the questions of “what even are bike speeds and what do these wizard numbers mean?”

I’ll cut the history and rambling a bit short at this point: in 1930 the predecessor of modern chain-driven gearing systems, the Vittoria Margherita, was invented, and in the 1950s the basic design of modern derailleurs and chain gearing systems popped up, and has stuck around ever since. Shimano did a thing in the 1980s, designing hubs, cassette, pedals, chainrings, front and rear derailleurs, and most components of the drivetrain to specifically work best with the whole set of their parts, which… uh. Like, good that they offer a well-performing, smoothly-designed system, but locking you into buying only their stuff if you want your thing to work right? Not a huge fan. (The corporate side of bikes is. Uh. A whole thing. A whole-ass other ramble.) And now there’s electronic and wirelessly controlled gear shifters, but that’s most of the major developments in gear shifting.

The first widely available transmission system that could be operated without, uhhh, stopping and taking your bike partially apart, was actually an internal gear hub, invented by William Reilly in 1898. It had two (2) different settings. Eventually someone invented the luxury of three-speed hubs!

Internal gear hubs have a different construction, but the principle of the gears are the same: different-sized cogs translate the torque of the chain into more wheel rotations or more applied force to help you get up that damn hill. Nowadays there’s even 14-speed internal hub gears, and an interesting gearbox concept (Pinion is the company) that does the whole translating-through-gears at the bottom bracket and crank arm, entirely between the pedal and chain, instead of between chain and drive wheel.

There’s actually an interesting debate to be had on chain gears versus internal hub gears — they’re both good for different things. Vaguely, internal hub gears are less maintenance-intensive, since most of the mechanism is protected from the elements, but they’re heavier (not the choice of racers). Though you can shift gears at a standstill, you can’t shift if you’re putting much force in the pedals and getting the rear wheel out is a bit more complicated with a hub gear system, if you have a flat. Chain gearing systems are the choice of competitive bikers, generally more efficient at transferring power and offering a broader range of gears.

Hopefully I haven’t offered too much information, or an overwhelming amount. If y’all want clarification on anything, just poke me. :3

Sources:

- I have a 500+ page textbook on all things bicycles. “Fachkunde Fahrradtechnik,” 7th Edition, from the publisher Europa-Lehrmittel if y’all wanna look it up

- Seriously, I’ve been learning this stuff for like 9 months at this point. Theoretically and practically. And I’ll be taking a whole-ass apprenticeship midterm next month. At some point your own education should count for something.

- Also, simple physics.

- A few Wikipedia pages for random references, in particular pertaining to the history of hub gears (and “oh shit what is the thing called in English” moments).

- https://evelo.com/pages/history-of-the-bicycle for a few historical tidbits

- https://bikeradar.com/features/when-were-bicycle-gears-invented/ for more histoical tidbits

- Pictures and icons from Wikimedia, specifically (x) (x) (x) (x), commentary and colorful drawings by me

[theoriginalladya]

Angst Prompts #4 for Michael/Kaidan

from this prompt list

On AO3 here

You know, this is the third one of this prompt I received! LOL  And I should thank you, I suppose, as I learned something new about Kaidan ...

~~~

“Remind me again why we’re doing this?”

The cabin is small compared to what he’s used to on the Normandy, but it’s private and that’s all that matters at this point.  The quick trip to the mess scrounges up some juice and a couple of ration bars – not much different from what they’ve been eating as they travel across country, but the juice is fresh-ish, and tasty.  Kaidan enters the tiny room first.  Michael follows, securing the door and while Kaidan sits.  Only then does Shepard join him, taking a seat.  “Which part?” he asks as he hands over the juice.  

His fellow biotic downs it practically in one gulp. “Three biotics caged up traveling under the ocean for several days in a vehicle designed to hold no more than thirty? Doesn’t sound like a sane plan in my book,” Kaidan argues.  A smirk tugs at his lips as he looks over at Shepard.  “Or anyone’s, for that matter.”

Michael chuckles, takes the glass from Kaidan and sets it on a shelf nearby out of the way.  “It’s either that, or risk getting taken out of the air by the reapers,” he replies.  “And frankly, after all we’ve been through, I’d rather not get batted around like a biotiball.”

A soft snort of wry amusement fills the space as Kaidan lies back on the bunk.  Michael turns so he can see his face, but otherwise doesn’t move.  Kaidan’s rolls to the side to give him some space and accomplishes the same thing.  “Why do you have to bring logic into this?”

There is a hint of a teasing note in Kaidan’s voice, just enough to trigger a memory … one that’s too late to do anything about. Grimacing, he curses himself silently. He hasn’t thought about it in years, in all honesty, and guilt sneaks in as a sudden companion.  “Shit,” he mutters, picking at his fingernails as a distraction from it.  It doesn’t help.  “Why didn’t you say something?  Or, at the very least, remind me?”

Kaidan shrugs.  “Not much to say.  When you’re right, you’re right.”  The smile his lips twist into is less than full.  “And if anything, Commander Shepard is always right …”

Michael jumps to his feet and paces the small quarters. Fewer than ten steps gets him from one end to the other where he spins on his heel and starts back the direction from which he came.  “Claustrophobia isn’t something to joke about,” he bites out angrily after a minute.

As Michael makes yet another precision turn on his heel, he catches Kaidan’s glance, notices the way his eyes narrow, and is suddenly yanked back in time.

“What the hell happened back there, Alenko?”

Seated in front of his locker, Kaidan is struggling to remove his armor. Whatever it is, it doesn’t take much to recognize it’s still affecting him.  His hands are shaky and his face paler than usual.  If Shepard didn’t know better, he’d guess he was having a reaction to … to something, though what is anyone’s guess.  But if there were environmental hazards down there, neither he nor Williams suffered from it.  Allergies, perhaps?  Maybe one of his migraines?

“I … It won’t happen again, sir,” Kaidan promises without looking up.

Michael drops to sit next to the Sentinel.  In a quieter tone, he says, “Why did you hesitate? That rachni would have killed you if –!”

“I know.”

“Then why?” Kaidan shifts uneasily, but eventually looks over.  As their eyes meet, Michael sees something he doesn’t expect: fear.  Kaidan has told him, in some detail, about his past, but this … this is something else altogether.

“Closed in spaces,” Kaidan finally rasps, a small shudder running through him.  “I … I’ve never …”

Michael groans, drops his head into his hands.  How many places have they gone where they’ve ended up inside a mine or cave or even a small ship and had to deal with combat in close quarters?  “Why now? Why didn’t you say something back at the beginning?”

Reaching down, Kaidan makes another attempt to remove the lower part of his armor.  This time, it comes free and he sits for a long minute just holding it in his hands. “It’s like the migraines,” he says after a while.  “Normally, it isn’t bad enough to be an issue.  But even when it is, I can’t let it affect my ability to focus on the mission….”

There’s a tightness at the corner of Kaidan’s eyes now that reminds Michael of that day.  Returning to sit on the edge of the bunk, he reaches over and takes Kaidan’s hand in his.  “Dammit, what am I supposed to do with you?” he mutters irritably.  “Dr. Chakwas isn’t around to provide any –.”

“I’ll be fine.”  Kaidan turns his hand so their fingers lace together.  “I’ve survived all these years in the Alliance, I can last a few days under water closed up in a submarine.”

This time it’s Shepard’s gaze that narrows.  “Stress is as dangerous as combat fatigue.”

Kaidan’s eyes close as he laughs, but there is no humor in it.  “Careful there, Shepard.  You’ll have me thinking  you care.”

His eyes darken and he leans over Kaidan until he’s hovering just over the man’s lips; close enough that his breath fans across his face.  Kaidan’s lips relax into a smile, but his eyes remain shut.  “I don’t want to lose you again,” Michael whispers, just a hint of desperation in his voice.

Kaidan’s eyes pop open.  “Lose me again?  I was the one who lost you, remember?”

“Depends on your point of view.”  His lips ghost across Kaidan’s; his smile folds into the gentle pressure.  “I might be leading this damned fool crusade, but I can’t do that without you at my side.”

Kaidan sighs and murmurs drowsily, “I’ll be fine. Just let me sleep until we get there …”

[aion-rsa]

The Nevers Episode 1 Review: a Tonal Mishmash

https://ift.tt/3a1jOOi

This The Nevers review contains spoilers.

The Nevers Episode 1

Who is The Nevers for? Not kids, clearly. The frolicsome humour, cartoony performances and grade school social commentary might suggest so, but the nudity, cursing and blood say no. It’s meant for adults then, those of us happy to go along with the essential YA-ness of its ‘Victorian orphanage for superpowered misfits’ premise.

Episode one opens with a flashback montage introducing the ensemble of – mostly but not all – women in 1890s London. One repairs a broken pump with a clothespin, another queues for an opera audition, another is led away to an asylum, while another drops willingly into the Thames. By the end of the hour we learn that this was the moment that three years earlier, a mysterious and possibly alien airship passed over London trailing glittering motes that entered some and left them with a unique special ability. 

The new powers, or ‘Turns’ appear related to natural predisposition. The doctor can magically heal wounds. The woman with a knack for engineering can suddenly see and guide electricity. The opera singer’s voice has a magical effect on those who hear it… These people are ‘The Touched’, a new feared and misunderstood subculture in Victorian society.  

Mysteries are set up in fast succession. Who is kidnapping The Touched and conducting cruel live experiments on them? What drives Maladie (Amy Manson), the Touched asylum patient turned serial killer? What role will blackmail-based sex club The Ferryman’s, run by the debauched Lord Swann (James Norton) play? And why does nobody seem to remember the golden angelfish-shaped ship that dished out the powers?

Ass-kicking, future-seeing action widow Mrs Amalia True (Laura Donnelly) is another mystery. Along with inventor Penance Adair (Ann Skelly), she’s part of the energising double act who go around London retrieving the Touched and bringing them back to an orphanage owned by philanthropist Lavinia Bidwell (Olivia Williams). Behind the orphanage’s utopian walls, the Touched are accepted for their differences and part of a chosen family.

Miss Adair and Mrs True are a fun pair; Penance brings the steampunk gadgets, Amalia brings the noise. A caustic voice for the voiceless, Mrs True also brings the curt dressing downs to bigots who see The Touched as inhuman. She’s the chief mouthpiece for the show’s social commentary, which is worn very much on its puffed sleeve. Wherein lies the problem.

Read more

TV

How The Nevers Weathered COVID Delays and Joss Whedon’s Departure

By Alec Bojalad

TV

Fandoms Roil Online as Joss Whedon Suddenly Quits His New HBO Show The Nevers

By Kirsten Howard

A major weakness of The Nevers is that everything feels in service of theme and not character. That theme, in case you dodged it in episode one, is society’s treatment of the outsider. An otherwise charming cast is done a disservice by dialogue and characterisation that’s here to stage a debate rather than a human drama. Pip Torrens (Poldark) plays Lord Massen, for example, a walking symbol of the status quo who declaims against the Touched, women, immigrants and ‘deviants’. The Touched therefore become a catch-all stand-in for any marginalised group oppressed by power and seen to threaten the social hierarchy. 

Such unspecificity might work for a younger audience less likely to have seen it all before, but for adults, for fantasy fans well-versed in this kind of allegory, what’s being added? If you’ve ever wanted more corsetry and parasols in your X-Men, then you’re in luck, but if not, what The Nevers has to say is unlikely to blow your mind. 

Which brings us back the question of who The Nevers is for. When HBO gave it a straight-to-series order back in 2018, it was obvious: Joss Whedon fans. People who, like me, had grown up on Buffy and Firefly and tried our damnedest with Dollhouse. Here was our next iteration of the Whedonverse: an enclave of kickass women, witty one-liners, and an overarching message of weirdos-unite empowerment. 

Even back then, it was becoming hard to square that message of empowerment with reports of Whedon’s personal behaviour, and actors being treated badly behind the scenes. Three years on, ‘Joss Whedon fan’ is a defunct brand. While it’s possible to still love the work, after several of Whedon’s previous cast members went public with allegations of the showrunner’s inappropriate and unprofessional behaviour, it’s impossible to love the man. 

All of which is an overlong way of saying that for the type of viewer tuned into this stuff –obviously not everybody – The Nevers comes preloaded with discomfort. It could be the greatest TV show in the world and, like a delicious dish made from an endangered species, would be hard to enjoy knowing what we know. 

The Nevers is not the greatest TV show in the world. It’s a tonal mishmash of comedic gaiety and Ripper-ish Victoriana. The combination of fairy tale imagination – where girls grow ten times their size Alice in Wonderland-style or float an inch off the floor – with louche sex and slit throats is an uncomfortable blend. Its brighter moments are dimmed by a need to fill a 9pm HBO timeslot. Who is The Nevers for? So far, not me.

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The Nevers continues next Sunday the 18th of April at 9pm on HBO. It will air in the UK on Sky Atlantic from May the 17th. 

The post The Nevers Episode 1 Review: a Tonal Mishmash appeared first on Den of Geek.

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[walkwithheroes84]

The New Mutants Film: Thoughts

I haven’t seen this film, and I do not plan to pay to see it. I’ll stream it when it appears online. I have a long history with this film, and I feel the need to discuss it - even if it is just me pouring my thoughts into a soon to be forgotten Tumblr post. 

I spent my childhood being in love with Marvel comics. They were one of the ways I learned how to read. The 90s X-Men cartoon? It will always be a favorite. The New Mutants hold a special place in my heart, as my dad had a couple of their comics. I remember thinking they were really cool characters. When I got into reading comics on my own (around 2000), I ended up reading The New Mutants, volume 2 and searching for the original run. 

Now,here are my thoughts on the film (and what went wrong). Broken up into parts.

 A History of a Troubled Production:

When The New Mutants film was announced - I think in 2016 - I was excited. I remember reading about the casting and being disappointed that Blu Hunt (who is a descendant of the Lakota tribe) and Henry Zaga (who is a  Brazilian actor) were not to the liking of hardcore fans. Many fans believed the characters were whitewashed as Hunt and Zaga were deemed too light skinned for the roles. (Zaga’s character is meant to be of Afro-Brazilian descent and some considered Hunt to be “white passing” when Dani is darker in the comics.)  But, I was encouraged by the casting of Anya Taylor-Joy, Maisie Williams, and even Charlie Heaton - as I thought they could fit their roles. (Though I understand the whole cast caused backlash in one way or another) 

I also remembering reading about the filming. The original idea seemed to be focused on a “horror” feel.  Josh Boone, the director, wanted an “80s horror vibe meets coming of age story”. However, he was restricted by FOX, who were looking for a more a Breakfast Club meets Cuckoo's Nest vibe - "a haunted-house movie with a bunch of hormonal teenagers. We haven't seen a superhero movie whose genre is more like The Shining than 'we're teenagers let's save the world.'"

I remember reading about the first test screenings, which took place in late 2017/early 2018. And they were positive. People liked the film. The studio liked the film. It was compared to Deadpool. It was described as a “dark YA horror film” and reshoots were scheduled. Then the film's release date got pushed back from May of 2018 to February 22, 2019,to avoid Deadpool 2. This also allowed time for things to be reshot (again) and visuals to be added. They were adding post-credit scenes - first with Jon Hamm as Mister Sinister. And later with a  post-credits scene introducing Antonio Banderas as Sunspot's father Emmanuel da Costa. The studio and Boone wanted a trilogy, with each film having its own horror feel and each being based on a classic New Mutants comic arc. 

Then Disney bought them. Disney was unimpressed with the film, believing it had “limited” potential and that it would fall into a weird section of comic film lovers/horror film lovers/YA lovers. They weren’t sure how to market it. Did they market it to adult comic fans? Horror fans? Teenagers? They just didn’t know what to do - they just knew they didn’t like it and they were worried that the film could confuse fans of the MCU, who might think The New Mutants was apart of the universe. 

So, the original cut of the film had to be edited down and fixed. In March of 2020, Boone was brought back again to finish/rework the film. He stated that no reshoots ever took place and that even standard pickups had never been done. Only 75% of the film was edited and most of the visuals were not complete.  Boone also stated he couldn’t do reshoots, as the cast were now all too old (having last filmed nearly four years ago) and people were spread out around the world during a pandemic. He had to work with what he had and edit out what wasn’t going to work - especially now that mentions of X-Men films had to be taken out/edited down, and any hints of a second film had to be removed.

Critics and Cast Thoughts:

When the film was screened in New York, the cast stated they loved it and they were all excited. They have been promoting it on their social medias and Josh Boone has stated he is happy with the film. But, Bob McLeod (co-creator of the original comic) has voiced his distaste for the film. He feels his characters have been ruined and he does not care for the casting and story. The movie currently has low reviews on most review sites. It’s being called “cliched” “shallow” and “generic”. It has been praised for having its three female leads take on the more “male” roles within the group and for being “pretty coherent”, despite a lot of meddling and reworking. 

Viewer Thoughts:

I haven’t seen this movie. I wanted to see it back in 2017/2018. I was excited. Now...I’ll stream it. I still honestly think that Anya Taylor-Joy and Maisie Williams were solid casting choices based on small clips and gifs. But, I can’t give any solid opinions. I can just list what people who have viewed the final cut, which clocks  in at 98 minutes, have to say:

- There is a love story between Dani and  Rahne. It’s not a “blink and miss it” or “queer baiting”. They are WLW. However, some fans are angry because Rahne is the comics is a canonically straight and homophobic woman. Some have stated that would have liked to have seen Rahne deal with her own homophobic feelings as she deals with her newfound feelings for Dani.

- People are still disappointed in the white-washing of Dani, Roberto, and  Cecilia Reyes. Many are refusing to watch the film based on the casting. 

- People are disappointed/angry with some lines that throw around casual racism. Notable seems to be Illyana Rasputin calling Dani Moonstar names regarding Dani’s heritage. 

- People are reporting that the visual effects are, at times, fairly poor or cheesy.

- People have also said they do like the connections that some of the characters make throughout the film.

Overall Thoughts: 

- It sounds like people are really upset with the white-washing and racism. Which is all understandable.

- I have to say that I feel bad for the cast. When this was filmed, Blu Hunt and Henry Zaga were newcomers - they were probably hoping this would be a big break for them. (Henry Zaga will be in the upcoming The Stand mini series and Blu Hunt is a main cast member on Netflix’s Another Life.) Anya Taylor-Joy was also fairly new when this was first filmed, but she’s gone on to a lot of good roles. She’s fine. Maisie Williams may have been hoping this would release her from her Game of Thrones fame and allow her to branch out. Charlie Heaton probably felt the same, only regarding his Stranger Things fame. They are both talented young people, they’ll break away from the shows that made them famous. Honestly, the whole “younger” cast will be fine, even if this bombs (which it is likely to). They all seem to get on, so I do hope they stay friendly.

- From what I’ve been able to figure out, Disney has NO plans to use these (or really any mutant characters) in any future MCU film or television series. But, they should consider it. The New Mutants - with some major reworks - could make a really good and dark-ish teen-horror series on Disney+. They’d have to rework a lot and recast a few roles, but I think it would work much better as a series. Even Boone’s original pitches read more like a Netflix series than a film. 

- In the end, The New Mutants was a great idea to bring to screen, but due to A LOT of meddling, bad script writing, edits, etc - it just didn’t work out. It’s honestly really sad, especially for long time fans of the team/characters. 

[shaineybainey]

Lab Rats: Elite Force – What Exactly Went Wrong?

An Opinion Piece from a Viewer’s (and a Writer’s) Perspective 

[written and posted on another site september 2018]

Let me begin this piece by stating one important fact that could or could not affect your acceptance of this piece: besides the finale, I’ve seen none of this show’s episodes. None. I only ever knew what was happening in it through the reports of others who had watched the show and had formed their own opinions about it, most of which were either negative or neutral. Could that have affected my own view of it? Of course. Could those have turned me off from the show more? Sure. But, the fact remains: the project that seemed to be the biggest and most promising in its time only had one season, ran only a few months, and was never renewed. When the show and its cast were first announced, I was admittedly upset. My favorite character was not included. I found it unfair since this spin-off seemed to be a new, exciting arena with a fresh concept. It bothered me a bit to see the five main characters in the promo image posted on Twitter, too. It was a little too...monotonous compared to how the audience had known Lab Rats and Mighty Med to be. But eventually, I’ve learned to accept that Tyrel Jackson Williams, the actor who played Leo, may have wanted to move on to new projects (and he did) and that maybe the creators just thought that the five actors they handpicked could carry the show a lot better. It was all okay. Soon, though, it became apparent that the negative feedback that had surprisingly come from some of the most loyal fans of Lab Rats, Mighty Med, or both were actually a reflection of how the viewers felt in general. When the finale aired on October 2016, the news that it was a series finale rather than just a season finale had already rocked the fandom. Twitter and Tumblr were flooded with complaints against Disney XD for canceling “another great show” in favor of a “trashy one”—which seemed to be an indirect snipe at the network’s then newest program, Mech X-4. Fans took to the actors’ Instagram accounts, asking them when the second season would come or why there wouldn’t be anymore episodes. They were understandably heartbroken over this loss. They tried to save it for months but – it didn’t work. The plea for #RenewLabRatsEliteForce didn’t carry the impact the petitioners wanted it to have, sadly because those left were too few in numbers. Many of the most vocal and most outspoken ones—the viewers whose voice when Lab Rats aired were the most powerful—have unfortunately already left the show long before and could not be counted on anymore for any help. Thus, Lab Rats: Elite Force never came back on air. It may be a wonder to some how that could have happened. Lab Rats, the main ‘universe’ this show played in, still remains as one of Disney XD’s powerhouse shows due to its iconic interracial family, bright and bold sets, and seamless, innovative plots. Meanwhile, the lore and mythology that came with Mighty Med was the most complex and held the most potential. These two combined should have generated a show worth the four-season run that Disney treats their most exciting and popular programs with. So, what exactly went wrong? Below is just a few of the things that I think may have caused the show its demise. The Reasons 1. When the shows combined, they were both stripped of their characters of color (save for one) – which resulted in lack of both visual diversity and diversity in storytelling. When Lab Rats aired in February 2012, there was already a considerable buzz about it. Besides its predecessor, Pair of Kings, Disney haven’t been playing much with the idea of featuring an interracial family. That was why it piqued the interest of many people when trailers of a Black teenage boy finding himself in a new family with his Black mom, White stepdad, and three White stepsiblings aired. It was icing on top of the cake, too, when at the time, it appeared that the main character might actually be of color this time. Mighty Med followed this diversity trend to a degree. The two main characters were both White, but the rest are of other races—two Hispanic and one Asian, to be exact (or Calderan, if we’re speaking of the character rather than the actress). These characters offered different voices, backgrounds, and personalities to their shows. They also served as beacons, lights of hope that maybe, just maybe, Disney is starting to understand that there were also other races and ethnicities they could pick to tell their stories and that they didn’t have to worry about it ‘not working.’ Everything was working, but fast forward a couple of years later, one of Lab Rats’ creators announced that the two shows would merge, and here, they are your new team! To be exact: William Brent, Kelli Berglund, Bradley Steven Perry, Jake Short, and Paris Berelc. Two of the stepsiblings from the Lab Rats fandom, and the three main characters from Mighty Med. Of course, this is not to knock them as actors. They’re all quite good, in my opinion! In fact, Paris Berelc is still unbelievably wonderful in her new Netflix show Alexa and Katie as Alexa Mendoza. Kelli Berglund and Jake Short have new projects they’re currently involved in as well. However, as a viewer, I thought the production could have put together a better combination. Past the shiny and admittedly impressive costumes and cool vibe of the cast, the promotional image and the trailers that subsequently followed lacked the oomph! the other two shows, as separates, had. The characters as a collective weren’t visually interesting anymore because they didn’t reflect the way the viewers saw the world. It was like Disney XD went back to how it was before Pair of Kings aired. It would have been better if they made a few switches. It could have even been somewhat forgivable if there was a recurring minor character of color. Sadly, there wasn’t. Everyone looked the same. 2. There were two Chases, two Brees, and one Adam in the team. Disney has long ago earned the reputation of having repeating archetypes in their programs—and the two shows, even as separates, weren’t safe from this. Still, they were all balanced out. Lab Rats' book smart, shy, sometimes egotistic, but truly kind character Chase Davenport was balanced out by his stepbrother Leo Dooley, who had impeccable street smarts, was rather mischievous, dangerously curious and clumsy, but was also ultimately good at heart. At the same time, Mighty Med’s resident teen doctor Oliver, who was resourceful, introspective, and the voice of reason, was balanced out by his best friend Kaz - his impulsive but loyal partner-in-crime who prevented him from being eaten up by his own seriousness through jokes and lax regard to the rules. When the shows merged, well, things went off-kilter. All of a sudden, the show had two young men (Chase and Oliver) with the leader personality. It was also evident from the sudden changes in the character’s clothing style that Skylar Storm had lost her individuality and her rather funny but genuinely heartwarming curiosity of the world around her. She had adopted Bree Davenport’s style and also, subtly, her treatment of the world and the people closest to her (which, if you haven’t seen the original show, wasn’t stellar at all). Kaz was the only one safe from the character cloning. Kind of. He remained to be the sense of humor in the show, but I can’t help but think when I saw the finale that he essentially served the same purpose Adam Davenport did in Lab Rats’ narrative. This lack of variation in personalities made for a bit of a static storytelling. One fanfiction writer who used to be really into Lab Rats told me a few months into the show that the characters brought out the worst in each other. Gone was the sweet Chase Davenport and was replaced instead by a character who had to constantly assert his dominance over his teammates. Oliver, whose affection towards Skylar had been cute and heartfelt to watch, had become obsessed with her and had turned stalker-ish, reportedly pressuring her into becoming his girlfriend. And the team as a whole had become a bratty bunch, too consumed now by their own importance and their own problems to show warmth and kindness towards one another. Again, this could have easily been prevented by making a couple of switches. The fanfiction writer part of me thought that it would have been better if the team was instead made up of Bree, Leo, Oliver, a new WOC character with a rather stoic personality, and Skylar, who would serve as the team’s leader. That could have offered an interesting dimension to the show: varying voices, potentially initial conflicts that can turn into warm, lasting friendships, and varying strengths and weaknesses that can play well with each other and can definitely move the story forward for a couple of years. Lab Rats: Elite Force was trying to achieve a Teen Titans feel, and those five could have done that. But, reality turned out differently, and there's no undoing what had been done. 3. The Villains in the Mask, Part 3. As much as I love the writers and creators of the Lab Rats universe, I do have a few complaints, one of which is: do the villains always have to be concealed or be wearing a mask? Victor Krane, and now Roman and Riker. All of them were introduced to the show wearing masks! Also, they all had the same reason for doing the villainy they did: revenge. Now, from the outside looking in, that may not be as bad. Revenge is a rather strong motivator, but in comparison to the best ones this show had seen, did it really have to be that again? I’ll give you the best villain Lab Rats had as an example: Marcus Davenport. He was an android bent on destroying Adam, Bree, and Chase—and most specially, Leo—for the sole reasons that (1) that was his order, (2) he hates them, and (3) he hated them because they had their father’s affection and attention, and he didn’t. What made him complex and gave him a nice layer as a character was that despite his manipulative and murderous nature, at the end of the day he just wanted affirmation and affection from his dad. From what had been revealed, the spin-off’s villains had a reason of their own to go after the protagonists. Roman and Riker’s father had been drained of his powers for his own good, but the boys and the rest of their family didn’t see it as such. They saw it as an insult to them, although if I’m not mistaken, the show didn’t really explain why they felt that way. It was just a reason that was just...was. In the finale, they introduced another villain: Roman and Riker’s sister, Reece. Oh, she was manipulative and cunning. She also seemed promising because there was a moment of doubt when she was caught red-handed by one of the good guys. She was torn on whether she should hurt him to make her escape or not (spoiler alert: she chose the former; she blinded him). But, that was as far as it went. As mentioned, the show didn’t come back for a season two—which still haunts the rest of the fandom even after two years of its sudden end. 4. Everything was rushed. Good stories take time. Like flowers, the characters and the plot need time to grow. The writers of Lab Rats understood that when the original show first began. We saw character development and storylines that were quite impressive, mature, and relatable despite the show being marketed for children. There were also plot twists that were actually incredible. It became a memorable show because the writing team took their time. In the spin-off, they didn’t. The best example is the Oliver/Skylar pairing. The two years of slow burn between the two characters quickly changed into a wildfire that was erratic and didn’t make sense. Oliver was strangely out of character, and Skylar only seemed to have agreed to the relationship because she got annoyed. The relationship was awkward because it was handled impatiently. Reece’s introduction was rushed, too. She was maybe shaping up to be the big bad of the next season, but unlike Marcus, whose presence and role were built slowly and surely, she was pushed in. So, maybe she wasn’t going to be the main villain? The ambiguity created by all of these off-paced writing turned off the viewers one by one. At the end of it, I heard more unhappy responses to the show than I did positive. Maybe, somehow, the show-runners knew about that, too. They just didn’t say anything about it. 5. ‘Who’s your audience?’ It’s important to know the answer to that question because if you don’t, it will show. Lab Rats was marketed to children, perhaps in the ages 8-11 demographic. However, it was crafted to also appeal to teenagers and adults who may have been curious about the new project of the That 70’s Show’s former creators. Mighty Med, basing on its writing, appeared to have been meant for ages 6-11. Fans of the show might disagree with me on this, but it’s good to remember that one of its creators also made ANT Farm, which had silly humor oftentimes. (Not a bad thing at all. It’s just revealing of its audience.) Lab Rats: Elite Force seemed to have had problems identifying who it should actually appeal to. Should it be written like Lab Rats had been written? With silly humor here and there but also with jokes that teenagers and adults would appreciate? Or should it be written like Mighty Med, directed to the younger viewers and used laugh tracks more often? Well, the winner remains unclear. The characters’ sudden immaturity suggests they wanted to appeal to the new audience, but their rushed treatment of the Skoliver pairing also showed that they wanted to please longtime viewers somehow. They also gave Bree a new ability, perhaps to keep the interest of the loyal fans, but it didn’t really serve its purpose. It was probably meant to have been a wow factor. Sadly, it was another thing that didn’t work because the people they were trying to direct it to have lost interest—probably because they felt that the writers had ignored them for far too long in favor of newer, younger viewers who didn’t even stick around to watch the show. Concluding Thoughts At one point, I kind of hoped, too, that the spin-off would be green lighted to have a second season. When it finished, the hard feelings I had against it was almost gone, and I was earnestly hoping they would come back. Whatever the real reason(s) may have been for it not being able to, the cast and crew still deserve credit for doing their absolute best to make the show as enjoyable as possible. The finale, in particular, had a few highlights, and the set where the battle scene took place was impressive. The cast also put their best foot forward. The writers, meanwhile, perhaps despite knowing about the impending end, really did craft something special for those who had stuck with them until the final second. Despite its problems and potentials that were not explored, Lab Rats: Elite Force still graduated as a nice show with moments of excitement, dashing costumes, and memorable sets.

[kolbisneat]

MONTHLY MEDIA: June 2019

Halfway through the year! Here’s how I spent the month of June.

……….FILM……….

Godzilla: King of the Monsters (2019) Delivers on everything I’d want out of a Godzilla movie: destruction, cool monsters, and bland humans making crazy decisions. It perhaps took itself a little seriously, but that also felt on-brand, you know? Hopefully this series keeps going so we can get to a Mechagodzilla showdown.

Booksmart (2019) So good. We caught this at the end of its run so it’s a shame I can’t tell more people to go out and see it. Great bff chemistry, nuanced cast, funny, and solid direction. It felt familiar and new. Oh but as a former teacher, the Jessica Williams bits were all sorts of problematic.

Rocketman (2019) Just wonderful! The framing device of rehab wasn’t just a break from the biopic tropes, it was a crucial element towards reinforcing the main thrust of the film. Sure it goes through the rise and fall of a star, but it uses that arc to show the growth of a human. That’s why this is great. Also Taron Egerton is just overwhelmingly great.

……….TELEVISION……….

The Bachelorette (Episode 15.04 to 15.07) I worry that Hannah isn’t going to make it to the end of the season without some sort of emotional break. The slightly unhinged antics were fun at first, but now it feels like it’s bordering on full-on meltdown. I still long for a season where we’re given simple romance and good good friendships, but until then I suppose we’re stuck with Luke P. It’s really hard to watch a genuinely problematic relationship continue but hopefully he’ll be gone soon. Also that clip episode was next level.

The Magicians (Episode 1.10 to 3.08) It’s still doing a great job of acting as a sort of remix of the books. The stuff from book 2 is carrying over to the later seasons and while it’s not moving quite as briskly as the first, it’s still doing a great job of showing a different perspective and interpretation of the core plot elements.

……….READING……….

Thisby Thestoop and the Black Mountain by Zac Gorman (Complete) I put this on hold at the library thinking it was a graphic novel. Then I saw it was categorized as “children’s so I figured, knowing it was a collab between Gorman and Sam Bosma, it was an all-ages comic. Turns out it was a children’s chapter book and I loved it! Light-hearted, touching, and full of lovely illustrations by Bosma, it delivered everything I wanted in a format I wasn’t expecting. Also it’s about the adventures of a D&D-styled dungeon’s gamekeeper, Thisby Thestoop. So if you have a kid (or you, yourself) want an RPG-adjacent read, this is a great choice.

Norse Mythology by Neil Gaiman (Complete) Compilations like this are always a lot of fun and I find it interesting to pick up themes when reading a collection of myths. There’s an awful lot of punishment in Greek mythology and in reading these, I really picked up on a lot of tests. Tests of strength or drinking ability or speed and it’s all rather fascinating. I admit that Gaiman’s writing is what brought me to the book but it’s rather subdued. Very cool to read how interested in Norse Mythology he is and it adds another layer to his other books (particularly American Gods). I don’t know if I’d recommend it if you were only a fan of Gaiman’s work, but I’d definitely suggest it if you’re keen to learn more about Thor and Loki and the gang.

Motherlands by Simon Spurrier & Rachel Stott (Complete) I love bonkers sci-fi. There are giant fleshy bounty hunters, pixelated teleporting guns, tiny lizard people, and civilizations all on the backs of crabs, but at the end of the day this book is about the relationship between a mother and her daughter. Sure, both are bounty hunters, but it uses the fantastic to explore the personal and that’s what my favourite speculative fiction does best.

Black Hammer Vol. 1: Secret Origins by Jeff Lemire and Dean Ormston (Complete) Think alternate Justice League trapped on a farm in an alternate reality (likely our own). It’s a family drama set in a small town and it’s really good! At first it felt like a “this is our version of Shazam! This is our version of Martian Manhunter!” but the characters are breaking away from the tropes and it’s in that deviation that the book really shines. Worth checking out.

The Creepy Case Files of Margo Maloo by Drew Weing (Complete) As far as all-ages comics go, this has a good range of appeal. It touches on topics like gentrification and xenophobia, but uses monsters to communicate them. The main characters didn’t really resonate with me (the POV character doesn’t get to take much action and the expert is perhaps a little cold for someone meant to show compassion for all). There’s a second volume and while I didn’t love this, I want to check out the next chapter to see where it’s all going.

……….AUDIO……….

Factually (Podcast) If you know Adam Ruins Everything (either the show, youtube clips, or the podcast) then this is a natural continuation. I’m still not sure why the transition from the other podcast to this as it feels essentially the same, so I can only assume it was a contractual or savvy business move. Also the podcast is a deeper dive into common misconceptions in the world and it has Andrew W. K. for the intro music. What more could you want? 

……….GAMING……….

Maze of the Blue Medusa (Satyr Press) We had a bit of a lull this month from me being sick, but the party continues to hesitantly explore deeper into the maze and so is running into more dangerous encounters! It’s all very exciting.

Cadence of Hyrule: Crypt of the NecroDancer featuring The Legend of Zelda (Brace Yourself Games) Having never played the original indie game (Crypt of the Necrodancer) I found it to be a steep learning curve and I died a whoooooole bunch at the start. Now I feel like I’ve found the literal (and metaphorical) rhythm of the game. Lots of fun, a great blend of new and familiar Zelda elements, and just a generally breezy game that can be very difficult. Oh also you can play as Zelda! For the whole game! 100% recommend.

Gato Roboto (Devolver Digital) Perfect bite-sized game. Three-ish hours of a cat in a mech suit is exactly what I wanted and it didn’t fail to deliver. The bosses are challenging though I admit most of the other enemies were pretty chill. Worth the modest cost and the whole thing was a lot of fun.

And that’s it! As always, feel free to send me any recommendos as I’m always looking for something new to watch/read/hear/play!

Happy Sunday.

[rerwby]

Volume 5 OST

I don’t normally have such verbose opinions on the RVVBY music (it’s like writing a review for fiberglass insulation) I managed to sit down and listen to this album the whole way through. My feelings on these tracks feels like a culmination of all my feelings of previous RVVBY music. I won’t try to be lengthy about this but I got some solid thoughts.

First of all, can we just collectively agree to stop making every fucking RVVBY song put on Youtube use fan art? Like can we just get a solid fucking static picture of the volume cover art maybe? I’m sick of the mediocre ship art used for goddamn everything and it looks incredibly unprofessional. Also since these are RT fans you know they don’t give a flying fuck about credit.

The Triumph Not to kick this off on such an upbeat note but this is one of my favorite OP’s. Maybe my favorite. Maybe. I could not fully appreciate this song when the episodes were coming out because the opening itself was the biggest trashfire to come out of this show. Like, sorry I can’t get hyped up on 10 seconds of Ruby and Ren and Jaune sitting on a couch. Listening to it alone though? Big improvement.

Jeff Williams does this thing where he’s clearly way too proud of his proud choice and rhymes, and usually lines end with a big focus on stupid vernacular. Trust me, this will come up later. The Triumph manages to avoid that. This Will be the Day does as well because it’s a pretty hammy song with a better, more consistent tone. “Back to reality, back to the show” is an awful, terrible, horribly ironic line in the context of Volume 5, but it’s not as in your face as it could be, so it gets a pass from me. I also think “That’s when you learned you were messing with gods” is awesome, sorry. It could be more awesome if these characters like, seemed more like gods? And they don’t? So eh.

Then the second verse happens and it calls back to the first with “Yeah I’m a girl but I’m also a god” and I’m like, oh, so you’re just gonna- oh, okay then. Yeah let’s just beat the one good part like a dead horse, sure. That really ruins the song for me ngl.

It also manages to avoid the formulaic trend of post-second verse slow sappy breakdown. Time to Say Goodbye and Let’s Just Live do that and it gets old after a while. If you’re gonna give me hype music then stick with it. Not that Let’s Just Live really hypes you up.

Overall it’s like a 7/10 for me because it has a good pace and it doesn’t scream “look at how clever I am!” at every turn.

Ignite The song I was most excited for and the most disappointed by. I wrote about it here and I’ll try not to do anything more than summarize what I said there.

It’s obnoxious and the lyrics are way too dumb. Not funny dumb, not hammy dumb, nope, just dumb. It’s not even in the style of Yang’s usual dumbness, which by all accounts should now be under Armed and Ready’s foot since that is now the prime Yang theme. The major problem is how obvious these issues are. Like you can’t not hear how bad the writing is.

Then Lamar comes in, and I usually enjoy him since, like I said above, he brings with him some hammy, corny lyrics that manage to be fun. But he’s phoning it in here. He’s mumbling and tripping over his own words. God I didn’t even understand what mumbling truly sounded like until I heard that verse.

4/10 and I hate to write that on a Yang theme but this song is everything wrong with these soundtracks.

Path to Isolation Which brings us to my favorite annual game of “Count How Many Times a Weiss Song Uses the Word ‘Mirror.’” Spoilers: it’s a handful.

It’s fine. Weiss songs have always been fine. The worst thing I can say about them is that you have to dredge through their slow-ass, repetitive openings to get to the good part. 5/10

All Things Must Die aka “Slow And Brooding Villain Song That Turns Into a Rock Anthem #5″ aka “Sacrifice And Divide Did It Better But Even They Were Only So Good” aka “We’re Not Even Going For A Subtle Title Here.”

I don’t even know whose perspective this is sung from anymore. Like Cinder is our designated villain song candidate but she has like no autonomy this volume so that falls flat, meanwhile Salem still has no clear motivation. Hazel and Adam might be the most developed(?) bad guys this volume but this song has nothing to do with them. 4/10

This Time (From Shadows Part II) I’m writing about this one before Smile for a reason.

A song called From Shadows Part II deserves better, lol. Also given the fan art uses on the version I found posted, this is a Blake+Sun song? I don’t know. It starts with the beautiful piano solo from the original which was godlike and relaxing and also dramatic.

Lyrics are just shitty but in a shocking twist they’re hard to hear other than THIS TIIIIME in the chorus which...I’m fine with. I’m legit convinced that the fewer lyrics you can make out in these songs, the better. This all sounds rather nice and has a good flow to it. Don’t get me wrong, it’s kinda just trash. Absolute filler. Fluff. Churned-out melodrama to keep the White Fang kindle going.

Also I guess in hindsight it’s weird to have Jeff singing here since this song is supposed to represent Blake moving on with new resolve. Like before it was clearly Blake and Adam singing, but now it’s Blake and...Sun? Adam again? Like some non-canon reformed Adam? Idk. At least it’s tonally a good contrast to Part I. It’s easy to listen to the song without focusing on the lyrics which is rather soothing, but it’s still nonsense. 5/10

Smile (From Shadows Part 0)

No yeah I made that part up, but I think this song is a better From Shadows Part 0 than This Time is a Part II. I’m dead serious. They gave us an Ilia song and made it more interesting than her character is in volume 5, if not extremely on the nose.

Because my god, it’s on the nose. It’s just Ilia’s backstory about blending in to avoid all the pain your oppressors brought you and biding your time until you can rip the smiles off their faces...oh I don’t think that’s how Ilia’s backstory went. This is much darker. Very Count of Monte Crisco and dare I say actually interesting. It makes Ilia sound way more compelling than Blake while also making her out as a foil to her. Except I don’t know why the fucking hell the character presented in Smile would ever join the White Fang, especially under Adam’s authority, and then follow him so blindly. But I guess as of last volume’s OST we should be use to that disconnect between show plot and music lore.

7/10 for being accidentally interesting.

All That Matters

It’s....fine? Fine-ish. Obligatory slow and sappy song because ofc. Casey at least sounds like she’s in her comfort zone. It just doesn’t mean much to me.I guess it’s the theme of the girls being back together but I have my own issues with that, which is mainly that three of them were already reunited halfway into Volume 5 and it was only Blake’s arrival that really pushed them into sappy territory.

5/10 it’s not bombastically terrible enough to merit a lower score and not interesting enough to be higher.

I’m Her Daughter After All - RVVBY Volume 5 Official Score

I don’t know why this song is here because it’s an actual non-lyrical official part of the soundtrack, which is mind-blowing. You’d think Jeff was contractually obligated to have his blood’s voices dip their toes in every track.

It’s a nice medley of Yang’s themes, namely I Burn and Armed and Ready. It also makes you appreciate how Yang’s musical themes have actually evolved, unlike those of the other characters. Why do we have this Western thing going on? Qrow had it too in Bad Luck Charm. I don’t mind it since I think it’s kinda neat, but 6/10 for being a random score track.

Mayday! Lancers! - RVVBY Volume 5 Official Sc- wait

They did the score thing again. I don’t know why. I also forgot the Lancer scene actually happened in Volume 5 until I heard this. Like, Weiss did so little in Volume 4 that I’m attributing stuff that happened in V5 to last volume.

It’s fine? It’s nice to have a non-lyrical Weiss song, actually. 5/10

Armed and Ready ie The Appeal Of The Original Was Lost On Us

This song did not need a remix lol. Armed and Ready is actually damn good, is a great proper evolution of Yang’s theme that successfully moves her out of the shadow of I Burn, and was a really, really good climax to her recovery arc. This turns it into a dance remix, which ironically is the exact sort of thing the original moved her character away from. 4/10

Gold (Acoustic)

As I listened to this I realized it wasn’t just the original vocals played over an acoustic cover; Casey actually re-recorded the song. That’s blowing it out of the park for a RVVBY remix. Also it’s like, good.

I always liked Gold for whatever reason. I just thought it was uplifting and it did the nice thing where the lyrics are simple and flow well. The loud instrumentals had me unsure if it made for a good complement to the lyrics or if it was just a bad choice. This just sounds wonderful. Most importantly, it makes you really appreciate Casey’s singing talent. More than anything, she sounds absolutely comfortable singing this song. No stressed notes, no weird word choices, no ham. This is just a nice song and it’s my favorite on this album. 8/10

Let’s Just Live (Remix) “The Obligatory OP Remix Oh God Triumph Is Gonna Get This Treatment Next Year

It doesn’t go above my expectations but I like the new instrumentals. Reminds me of Stickerbrush Symphony. I think it’s much more fitting than in the original and is a true improvement on it. 6/10

The final issue I have with this album is this, and it involves some statistics. This is a 12-song album. That isn’t strange. But here are some numbers for you:

Ruby Songs: 0 Weiss Songs: 2 Blake Songs: 1 (2 if you count Smile) Yang Songs: 4 Remixes: 3 Scores(?): 2

Just to put that in front of you. Remixes comprise 1/4th of the album, glorified scores are 1/6th, and Yang received 4 whole slots (one-third of the album!) while Ruby, the protagonist, got absolutely none. Nothing in this album is about just Ruby, and I think she kind of deserves that. I mean she did nothing this volume so whatever, but we didn’t even get Glorious Score Track Of Jaune Healing Weiss so that’s super strange. They didn’t even shaft her in lieu of anyone, she was just left out.

[tamekas-talk]

Meet the New Hilary Banks — Bel Air’s Coco Jones Reinventing a Classic

Meet the New Hilary Banks — Bel-Air’s Coco Jones Reinventing a Classic Forget what you know about The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air’s Hilary Banks. In the 2022 Bel-Air remake, she’s not who she used to be. As much as I wanted to be her in the ‘90s, I’d imagine if I met Fresh Prince’s Hilary Banks in real life. She’d look me up and down before making a snarky comment about my outfit. The new Hilary Banks from the Bel-Air remake? She’d throw me a compliment before asking if I want to be on her IG Live.  That’s what’s so refreshing about Bel-Air — the grittier reimagination of the ‘90s classic. The characters have all the elements we love from the original show, with a freshness that just feels right decades later. The new Hilary isn’t dumb, shallow or egotistical — no where near it. Actress Coco Jones made sure of that, reinventing her by adding layers to the loveable character; she’s still that bougie ‘it’ girl, but one we’d actually want to kick it with. It’s brilliant. The new Hilary Banks was created from a familiar place After only a few minutes of speaking to Jones, it was easy to see how she shaped the new character. Her own personality is vibrant and bubbly, hinting at that lightness that Hilary Banks has always held, with the ability to hold her own. “How I play is really just being who I feel like I am. I feel like I went against the grain when it was really intimidating. A lot of times people don’t really continue in the industry — it’s not worth it enough,” she says, a nod to her uphill journey in entertainment. “They change their priorities and they go to something else that makes more sense, that’s less scary at times. But I just have to see my life play out a certain way. I know I’m always working hard for that outcome. That’s my choice, desire, and I feel like Hilary is the same.” I just have to see my life play out a certain way. I know I’m always working hard for that outcome. That’s my choice, desire, and I feel like Hilary is the same. At only 24 years old, Jones has already been in the industry for more than a decade. So it’s no surprise that she has the mental toughness to see her dreams through. She got her start at nine years old when her talent caught the eye of Disney execs. Turning into the chance to compete in Radio Disney’s The Next Big Thing singing competition. But, she didn’t catch her big break until starring in Disney’s Let It Shine. With big names like Tyler James Williams (Everybody Hates Chris), Trevor Jackson (Grown-ish), Courtney B. Vance (Lovecraft Country) and R&B superstars Chloe x Halle. “I think with everything you do for a long time, you get better and better with time,” she says of her Disney start. “Because I’ve been doing this for such a long time. You can, of course, always learn and always grow — but I do feel like it’s kind of like second nature to me in a way. Being on set, being in a studio, being on stage — all these things just feel normal to me.” Her career seemed to be on the up and up when Jones signed a record deal with Hollywood Records. Dropping her debut single “Holla at the DJ.” But, the high was short-lived because in 2014, she was let go from her label. Turning to platforms like TikTok and YouTube, Jones decided to get it on her own. Amassing of millions of followers, hooked on her relatable stories, songwriting sessions and willingness to get vulnerable with her fans.  Then, came a video very much unlike the others, titled “What Really Happened,” an open and raw account of her experiences in the entertainment industry, determined to make it despite being both dark-skinned and a woman with boundaries. “It’s been difficult for sure, and I think to not take it personally because I know that even if I work just as hard as another girl, certain things are out of my control as to why that person would book that job over me,” she says of her perspective on race and casting. “But your love has to be stronger than the opposition with anything that’s good. It’s going to come with a lot of trials, but they’re definitely there.” Coco Jones on why Black stories and representation matters And when it comes to The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air, the issue of colorism can’t be swept under the rug. By season four of the original show, Will’s Aunt Vivian (played by Janet Hubert) was abruptly replaced by lighter-skinned actress Daphne Maxwell. Sparking conversations about why they kept the character but changed her skin tone.  To this day, fans still reminisce about the ‘dark skin Aunt Viv,’ marking a memorable part in the show’s history. So, when Bel Air premiered with actors and actresses playing Will’s family who had predominantly darker skin (including Aunt Vivian), many fans of the original show breathed a collective sigh. It seemed like a way of acknowledging that problematic casting choice from years past. While being inclusive of marginalized talent with non-stereotypical roles. “The more Black stories that are being told, the more Black actors get to play the roles and then the more someone watching is inspired to create, or to audition or to keep pursuing. It’s a cycle in a way, but it starts with opportunity,” Jones says of the impact of representation in the industry. “And I think especially with a show like Bel Air that shows, in such an exquisite way, Black families in love and the reality of being this family. I think it’ll just open more doors and continue to make stories like this relevant.” The more Black stories that are being told, the more Black actors get to play the roles and then the more someone watching is inspired to create, or to audition or to keep pursuing. It’s a cycle in a way, but it starts with opportunity ‘The Fresh Prince’ is a classic, but ‘Bel Air’ doesn’t mess with it Not only is this Bel Air relevant, but it’s fresh and wildly innovative. So much, that sceptics have doubted whether a “grittier, darker” version of The Fresh Prince could be pulled off. For Jones, it’s easy to see how this new story is brought to life in a way that works. “A comedy is typically more lighthearted and you don’t really get the time to touch on deeper issues as much as you can in a drama where the centre of it is those raw, ugly truths, those secrets and scandals,” she says. “I think with this show, we really open up each character and get into the depths of them, the scarier sides of them.” Jones agrees, thinking this classic should be left alone. “A classic should be left alone. It’s not like we messed up a classic. We’re just making it better. If there’s something iconic, you want to pay homage to that, and that’s what we’re doing. “ Watch Bel Air Mondays at 9 ET on Showcase.  Read the full article

[shultzing]

7/29/2018: did i already say how much of an angel this guy is

8/13/2018: i’m so mad that i’m dating someone so much cuter than me. i never intended for this to happen. my type is usually men who are just above average looking, which I was happy with. now, i have to constantly think about how i look bc I know everyone around us has GOT to be thinking like, wtf is that beautiful man doing w/ that scrubby looking twig in the ancient clothes?? and like... he HAS to know. idc so much if other people are wondering how i got w/ him as long as HE isn’t like... damn, i could be doing so much better... anyways kill me, he is too fucking handsome and this birth control is making my skin break out really bad.

8/22/2018: this whole thing about being in a casual relationship is weird and tbh i’m less and less a fan. maybe i need to grow tf up but like, here’s an example. I’m going to a show friday night that’s literally 5 minutes from his house, and i know he’s free friday, and yet i won’t invite him bc i don’t want to see him there bc i don’t want him to be part of my local music world bc then he’ll mean that much more to me and it will be that much harder to feel and act casual. so that feels shitty. and like, i could totally skip the show and just go hang out w/ him, but I know he’s not planning his life around me, so I don’t want to get myself into a frame of mind where i’m sacrificing my stuff to be w/ him, so i make a point to not plan around him and not cancel plans for him. But getting to a point where i actively don’t want him to come to things w/ me is like some kind of accomplishment but also feels like a battle i don’t want to win? like i’m getting too good at it. at first i was like... struggling w/ it and he could probably tell? esp by how much i texted him and what kinds of texts i sent. but now i’m like, i’ve got a handle on it. i’m good. and it makes me sad. like what is the point of a casual relationship? what’s the point of a relationship you barely care about?

8/26/2018: conflict resolution like bosses >:) i know it’s just a beginning but we didn’t ever even get to a point of real conflict, although we were both approaching the subject at hand from wildly different perspectives and pretty high stakes. no insults or even criticisms, just explaining ourselves, being honest, and both quick to apologize. He definitely gets flustered and then gets a lot less precise about what he’s saying but then he’ll circle back to it when he’s had a minute to process/calm down and can fix whatever he mis-explained previously. It’s good to be back to good. 

8/28/2018: first use of a pet name: drunk text -- “Goodnight cutie. Sweet dreams and I’ll talk to you tomorrow <3″

8/31/2018: the way he reacted when i got suddenly skittish/stressed out was a startling moment in a really good way. He stayed so calm/supportive/reassuring. Who knew that was possible? 

9/1/2018: i think we’re becoming friends :’) meeting someone on a dating app, everything is backward bc the romance and skin comes before the friendship/knowing the person/etc so whenever we hang out for long enough to have time to get into decently long conversations and learn about each other or fight over whether william carlos williams is a good poet or not... it’s nice, and more special. Like, oh! that’s who you are?

9/8/2018: the way that relationships evolve is strange. like, a couple of weeks ago, just getting a text from M or not getting a text from him could change my mood and ability to focus so much bc everything was so new and uncertain and both exciting and stressful. now it’s okay either way. we’ve been dating for a little more than 2 months and things are getting to be sort of familiar and comfortable and less of a constant heart attack. the newness is still strange, there’s always some surprise. The other night he came over w/ his hair down and I was like ???? since when do you have hair like a young eddie vedder?? what is this?? but he was just like... yeah, that’s how it is right after i shower. i had no idea. it’s nice to literally get to watch someone slowly learn to trust you. he doesn’t act shy but it’s also easy to tell that he always has his walls up, I definitely have never seen them down yet, and that is okay. but the more comfortable he gets, the warmer he gets, and that’s really sweet. i’m frequently surprised by how competent of a person he is. he goes to the gym, he eats healthy, he’s a good boss, he’s a good student, he’s a good dog-parent etc. he asks questions like, “reading anything good lately?” and also corrected me instantly when I said KDC died in 93. he communicates clearly/gently/honestly. i’m getting to know some of his flaws, too. anyways i was out w/ a friend (allison c.) last night and we were talking about how shitty men are. i told her that the reason i’m w/ M is mainly just to get a chance to date someone who seems like he can prove that men can actually be really good. told her a story about how M reacted whenever i was having a bad moment and she was like, “I literally have goosebumps rn.” it was cute. reminded me not to take him for granted while he’s in my life. hope i’m not.

9/11/2018: M’s coming over tomorrow and i can’t waittttt. We try to see each other twice a week but sometimes it doesn’t happen and then it feels like forever. But now it’s less than 24 hours until i can hold his hands and kiss his face and i’m so ready.

9/13/2018: If this relationship is going to stick for a while... i can’t wait for the stage to come where i actually know him well enough that i’m not always overanalyzing/overreacting to every little cue. like there’s so much i don’t know that i can learn little things and be like WAIT WHAT? and get really stressed about it and i can’t wait for that to be over. how long til there’s an underlying level of trust/knowledge/comfort? 

9/23/2018: Okay so for the most part this relationship is starting to feel normal. It still doesn’t always feel real just because he is so segregated from the rest of my life. No mutual friends. no school to share, no work to share, no volunteering or show circuit. No one else has met him or even really knows what he looks like bc of a lack of recent pictures. I’m slowly getting more confident and comfortable within it, even though i do still second guess myself a lot more than i usually do. I guess i’m used to being fussed over and spoiled. But this isn’t like that at all. We’re both a) adults and b) busy and c) on opposite sides of the city and he’s still pretty reserved so I know I’m like, low-ish on his priorities list. Like i’m ON the list, but somewhere beneath going to the gym and getting a haircut, and about 10 miles below his dog. It’s fine, it’s only been like 3 months. Less than that. ANYWAY we’ve finally graduated out of the just-casual-relationship category and into the normal relationship category. Or, he said he thought we did a month ago, but I didn’t realize that’s what he was saying. So now I can stop filtering everything I say and do through that ever-present, “is this too serious?” lens and just do what makes sense/comes naturally. or something. I’m super excited about that bc that was getting really tiring and unromantic. 

9/30/2018: Uhhh, we went back into a weird “unlabeled” category where like we’re monogamous but nothing else is defined? Which I think is really lame but I also am trying to be patient and not pressure him and stuff. But I still think it’s silly and juvenile and kind of embarrassing. I mean I know he has his reasons and he needs to work through them on his own and at his own pace but for ME, it’s silly. Anyways. Still feels like there’s so much I don’t know about him or how he works or thinks or feels. But he still is always surprising me by just sheer level of sweetness. I feel like that’s always how I walk away, like, idk that guy but he sure has a kind heart. 

10/4/2018: Ok the back and forth stalling on what we’re even doing and all the associated casual dynamics have kinda killed the romance for me. like it’s cool and all but i’m done obsessing over the relationship and probably won’t be updating this anymore bc i really don’t care and continuing to write about it is just trying to make it a bigger deal to me than it really is.

10/19/2018: Nearly 4 months in and it’s still such a roller coaster, my perspective, optimism/pessimism and level of happiness change like every 48 hours. Sometimes i think we’re on the verge of breaking up because we’re too different or because we overworked the dynamics of our relationship too much. Sometimes i think we’re on the verge of stepping closer because our good days really are good. I’m always surprised by how complicated every little thing is, questioning where my feelings are coming from and whether i’m either getting carried away on good days or paranoid and trust-issues-y on bad days. And there is definitely also a background kind of darkness/heaviness surrounding the fact that the more time goes by, the more i understand that i’m really not even close to being over R. But on Wednesday he and I went to Red Emma’s and then took his dog for a walk and then watched princess bride (both of our favorite childhood movie) and ended up staying up til 5-something in the morning just lying next to each other talking about bullshit. Like it wasn’t staying up all night to work out something serious or anything. I don’t even remember what we were talking about. I remember at some point he started trying to recite post malone lyrics and could not stop laughing for so long. I remember on 9/8 I wrote that i know i’ve never seen him w/ his guard down and i still usually feel like that, but then sometimes lately i think it comes down for a second and it’s always really nice and makes me think it’s worth working/waiting for. It’s understandable that he’d still have a lot of walls up when our relationship has been so rocky and it’s still in the baby stages anyways. I know he must be feeling more and more sure of us bc the way his sister treats me changed distinctly this weekend. Like she was always super nice, but now she treats me like she expects me to be around/expects to and wants to make friends, which is so nice. He’s still incredible when I get triggered. Sometimes I just suddenly can’t anymore and he’s never even hinted at the slightest inkling of being frustrated by that. 

11/4/2018: “do you love me?” “yes. i do love you. its been screaming in my head to say it every time I look at you.” “then why didn’t you get me a seltzer water?” 

11/30/2018: “I’m breaking up with you, and I want to marry you, and I love you.”

---

update: this is going to be a running/updated post for all bullshit things i think about M but should be telling no one and should absolutely not be posting on the internet. 

[lets-get-sirius-about-stars]

Luna Williams Character Page (Updated 6/12/17)

(The GIF is not mine)

Big thanks to @cuddles-for-cassie​ who came up with a few of Luna’s special abilities! YOU ARE AMAZING!

Also, Thanks to @the-singing-canary​ for helping me out with the Luna as well XD

Also Tagging @royslittleharper​ @maruthor​ or @guns-n-lilies​@ and @preppygothica​ and @hamsterforlive​

Sources: http://farmersalmanac.com/full-moon-names/ and http://powerlisting.wikia.com/wiki/Lunar_Manipulation

Original Art for her costume and appearance is here!

Basic Info

Name: Luna Williams

Original Name: Unknown

Alias: Lunar mist

Age:

    Physically: 24 years old

    Actual Age: 514 Years

Nicknames

Lune

Lu

Lu Lu (Mostly by Mercury and Pluto)

Nicknames (Alias)

Misty (Mostly by Sirius)

Gender: Female Race: Human-ish(???) Moon Nationality: African

Date of Birth: May 3rd, 1504 Citizenship: 

       Current: America

       Past: France Height:  5”2 Weight: 120 Eye Color:  Glowing White (No visible irises or pupils) Hair Color: Silvery white

Hair Style: cornrows on the left side of her head and her frizzy curly, short hair flowing freely on the other side

Sexuality: Lesbian Body Type: Pear body shape with defined muscular arms

Outfit/Style:

Loose fitting flowy shirts, tighter around the sleeves but loose at the bottom

Jean shorts with sandals

Or skinny jeans with the same combat boots she wears with her costume

She likes flowery designs on her shirts

Prefers lighter colors

Physical Traits:

Silver hair

Glowing white eyes

White freckles that glow, brightness depends on the phase of the moon

These freckles are sprayed across her nose and cheeks as well as her shoulders.

Thick lips

Fan Cast:  Gugu Mbatha-raw

Family:

      Father: Henry Williams; Deceased (To be changed)

      Mother: Rebecca Williams; Deceased (to be changed)

 Relationships:

Cassandra, The Celestial Witch: Was the student or prodigy of the witch; she absolutely hated the witch for taking her away from her family

Koriand’r: Luna’ best friend, also Luna’s crush. She absolutely loves the Kori’s positive attitude and her innocence. Luna can’t seem to pick up the courage to ask Kori out.

Sirius Vance: He… confuses her to say the least. She can hardly speak English as it is, and h usually talks at 100 mph, which doesn’t usually help with her comprehension of the English language. But he’s nice to her, and she can tell that he’s a good person

Makayla Fray:  Her powers and abilities eludes her; they are extremely similar to someone she used to know when she was cursed… but of course that’s impossible (To be revealed later). She loves how patient she is with her when it comes to her lessons on the modern world. Although she doesn’t understand Makayla’s and Sirius’ relationship, but all in all, she enjoys her presence

Kira Kal-El: She enjoys her presence, and absolutely LOVES her cooking

Kara Zor-El: She is friends with her, along with everyone else in the Super Family. Loves her positive attitude and admires her morality.

POWER

She trained with a witch, so she’s able to cast some spells

A bit harder to use magic after being in space and stuff for so long, so she often uses a staff (magical artifact) whenever she needs to cast a spell

She always has the ability to slightly affect the gravity field around her; with this ability, she can control how high she jumps and how fast her decent is (Think Steven Universe)

Also can manipulate magnetism. She can induce magnetism in an object, and can (Depending on the phase of the moon) attract metal on her accord.

Can manipulate water, This ability is trickier for her to use, so it’s only really ever useful in a fight when the moon is at a waning/waxing gibbous or a full moon.

Different abilities are granted to her depending on which phase of the moon.

She’s OP when there’s a full moon and at her weakest at a new moon (So basically, the more the moon is showing the more power she has)

When It’s a pink moon(April), she can strongly control plant life and make botonny life grow or die (much like poison Ivy, which she can go toe to toe with on a pink moon. (She had this ability even when the pink moon isn’t out, but it is dulled down dramatically to where she can pretty much only keep a plant above a well-nourished with her power)

Snow moon (February) grants her the ability to freeze things and produce ice (this of correlates with her water ability

The Blue moon helps Luna with her water powers, grants her the ability to easily use them

The Full Wolf Moon (January) doesn’t affect her powers as much as her personality. She looses her usual cool and collected personality and is savage and out for blood.

The Full Hunter’s Moon (in October) heighten her senses, her vision compared to that of a hawk, with super hearing, taste, smell, and touch. She can also easily track things on this day.

SKILLS/HOBBIES

She likes reading, history mostly, along with a French to English dictionary

Jogs every morning

Loves gardening

Quick learner

HABITS

She counts her freckles when bored

Messes around with her powers when she’s anxious

Whenever she’s mad or upset, her language immediately switches back to French and she’ll just angrily rant in French

Braids her hair when nervous

Her freckles glow a bit brighter when she’s happy

LIKES

Flowers

Night time

Swimming

Quiet nights in

Snuggling up with a good book

Classical music

DISLIKES

People who are anti-alien

Noisy areas

Day time

Doesn’t like hen people stare at her, she knows she’s different looking, she doesn’t need to be reminded of it.

Arrogance

STRENGTHS

Full moon

Being near an ocean

Fighting besides her loved ones

Eclipses

WEAKNESSES

She’s weaker in the day time, her powers aren’t fully functioning until night time

She is very vulnerable in the day time

She doesn’t speak very good English, so that has been a road block on more than one occasion

Technology and modern age devises confuse her greatly, she doesn’t understand how Sirius was able to pick them up so easily.

FEARS

Losing control of her powers and hurting the people closest to her

Losing her way and her morals, essentially turning into Cassandra.

TV’s terrify her, when she first saw them, she thought that there were people magically trapped in little boxes and she freaked out. Makayla calmed her down and explained to her that there weren’t actually people living in the boxes, but she still is wary

She’s scared of telling Kori how she feels because she doesn’t want to lose her as a friend

Her past, she wishes to forget it and doesn’t want her friends to find out about the foul deeds she did in her time with Cassandra.

  OTHER FACTS

She was taken away from her village and family at the age of nine by Cassandra

Cassandra had put a curse on her village and refused to lift it, that is, unless they gave her Luna.

Casandra could sense her magical abilities and wanted to be able to harness them for her own needs

Her parents refused at first, but eventually had to due to the number of deaths

Luna is not her original name, Cassandra renamed her this as soon as she was in possession of her

Luna can’t remember her original name

Cassandra spent years training Luna in the magic arts, teaching her both light, and dark magic.

Luna went along with it, playing the part of the obedient student

She even went as far as pretending to be nice to Cassandra

Over time, Cassandra loved Luna like a daughter, treating her as one too

Finally, when Luna felt she was stronger than the great celestial Witch herself, she attacked

The two witches battle, until Cassandra finally beat her, cursing Luna for her betrayal

Luna was cursed to the moon, her physical appearance changing dramatically

Around the end of her 489th year, she gets visions of earth

She is confused at first, but soon figures out what’s happening

She sends short SOS messages telepathically to none other than our girl Makayla Fray

It takes her a few months to free Luna, but she is eventually freed.

Luna lived in France with Cassandra, which is why she speaks French

Luna thinks of team Astro as her family

When she first met Kori, she had complimented her on her beauty, of course, peaking to her in French. Kori, not knowing any French and wanting to talk with Luna, took this as an invitation to… Err… learn the language.

So yeah

Kori kissed Luna upon first meeting her

Luna had a little mini panic attack but calmed down when Kori explained to her in French that this was how she learned a language.

Luna was both relieved, and disappointed by this

She has since then fallen head over heels for the cheerful Tameranian

All of her friends try to teach her how to speak English

She’s gotten better at it over time

[undefeatednils]

Just 13 YouTubers I Love

Internet videos: certainly the dominant kind of content I currently consume, and it’s one which allows for very diverse voices on different issues. So I wanted to showcase some YouTube channels which I watch, all of which are relatively unknown (all of them are below 200k subs, and only six of which are above 100k subs). Now please note that I can’t watch everything, so keep that in mind please. Anyways, I’m gonna sort them based on the subscriber count in ascending order. Enjoy!

#1: Laura Kate (aka Laura K Buzz)

Laura Kate’s channel isn’t super popular, but this video game journalist isn’t a complete unknown. She’s host or co-host on several podcasts, including The jimquisition Podcast, and has written for both gaming and general outlets such as Destructoid, Kotaku UK, and The Guardian. Her channel consists mainly of gameplay, though my favorites are her opinion pieces and news coverage. Oh and she recently started a podcast with the two girls from Geek Remix (you’ll hear more about them later; spoilers) talking about videogame-inspired pornography, which is super unique, tasteful, and fun. Bonus point: she’s an very out and proud transwoman in a cismale dominated landscape, so her presence is doubly welcome. And to be honest this is really just a big shout-out to her work overall and not only her YouTube channel, so... Check out her stuff.

#2: Jackson Bird (jackisnotabird)

Jackson Bird is a YouTube icon, despite his criminally low subscription count. He’s been active on YouTube over six years, mostly as a vlogger and both in front and behind the camera at the Harry Potter Alliance, but he has two other claims to fame: first of all there is his Grade A “why isn’t this a trend?” show Will it Waffle, where he tests if certain food items (and occasionally non-toxic non-food items) work if put into a waffle iron, and secondly he is an LGBTQ rights and education advocate for as long as he’s been on YouTube... Which makes a lot of sense for a bisexual transguy who’s been very open about his gender identity and transition. Overall his content (outside of his vlogs on his side channel) are a bit sporadic but definitely worth a look.

#3: rantasmo Three words: Needs. More. Gay. Rantasmo has been creating his little show on LGBT culture for over seven years now and it’s delightful and educational. In his videos, where he for instance covers topics like Game of Thrones, beards, Undertale, and The Wizard of Oz, he examines how LGBT people are portrayed and treated, what queerbating is, and lots more stuff. None of his videos are super long, like rarely do his videos last longer than 9 minutes, but they are still very entertaining and educational, so I highly recommend binging on a few of his more recent episodes to get you started.

#4: No Small Parts Productions I love watching movies and I presume you do, too. And occasionally you just notice either certain actors who you swear you’ve seen before but don’t know their name, or they just stand out in general but you have never heard of them. No Small Parts is a YouTube video essay series which covers exactly that. Run by bit-part actor Brandon Hardesty, No Small Parts provides lovingly crafted retrospectives on the lives and works on character actors. Thus far Hardesty has covered people like Crispin Glover, André the Giant, Darlene Cates, Scatman Crothers, and several others. It’s super fascinating, and all episodes are over 20 minutes long. He also has started to expand the channel to talk more about underrated movies and other related stuff, so it’s gonna be interesting to see how this channel develops. 

#5: rewboss

Andrew Bossom is a British man living in Germany... And as a German who is very much entrenched in the culture of the “traditional anglosphere”, that alone makes his videos appealing to me. Rewboss is a culture guy, and it shows. The German language, customs, travel destinations... He talks about it all and has been doing so for years. He originally even did half of his videos in German, but eventually dropped the habit because his German viewership didn’t really need it anymore. But anyways, Rewboss has been a YouTube educator for ages now, and he has even dabbled in helping other YouTubers, so a bunch of his older stuff might be of interest to you if you wanna get some basics in regarding the topic of online video. I’ve been a fan of his work for years and I think he deserves your attention, too.

#6: KyleKallgrenBHH (Brows Held High) My love for cinema is shining through again, this time with professional movie critic Kyle Kallgren, host of Brows Held High. Brows Held High looks primarily at arthaus movies, the avantgarde, the artistically noteworthy entries into the cinematic canon, though occasionally you also get William Shakespeare (basically every June), as well as yearly retrospectives and thematic analysis of both movies and occasionally other media like video games or theater. So if you are looking for very “high brow” stuff, Kyle is your man. Just be warned that some of the material he covers can be a bit NSFW visually and audibly, so keep that in mind once you tune into his work.

#7: Innuendo Studios

And we’re back at video games again, at least for the most part. Innuendo Studios, run by Ian Danskin, is definitely part of the more intellectual portion of this list but his videos are still very much approachable. Theories on authorship, genre death, the nature of coolness, and narrative are all explored here in a bunch of wonderful video essays ranging from short-ish to over an hour long, with that particular example being a series of videos about the psychology and history of Gamergate from a feminist point of view. The videos might be scarce but they are super smart and well-sourced. Dive in, you’ll definitely enjoy Ian’s work.

#8: Stop Skeletons From Fighting (formerly The Happy Video Game Nerd)

We all need positivity in our lives and SSFF is definitely the kind of positivity I think the video game crowd should try to emulate. SSFF is an examination of videos from a very critical but also loving point of view, looking at forgotten or maligned games and looking for what they can teach and what they did right and wrong; looking at certain aspects of video gaming history, including behind the scenes information... All that and more has been part of Derek Alexander’s work for several years now. If you wanna learn more about what makes good video games good and you do already watch Extra Credits, then do yourself a favor and check out Derek’s videos. I can also recommend his pre-SSFF stuff, back when he called himself the Happy Video Game Nerd, a character he created as a response to the negativity-focused reviewer culture during YouTube’s early days as exemplified by the Angry Video Game Nerd and the Nostalgia Critic, though of course those videos are relatively ancient. #9: Jenny Nicholson Confession time: about seven years or so ago I was quite into My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic. It was a good show back then and I was always a sucker for fun musical numbers, so it was a nice fit (plus I didn’t know how toxic the brony subculture was becoming so that didn’t hamper my enjoyment of it). But anyways, I actually stumbled across Nicholson for the first time during that time period because she was making an abridged series of MLP: FIM called Friendship is Witchcraft, which was and IMO still is hilarious. She voiced all of the female characters (except Celestia), and when Hasbro was putting an end to it via copyright strikes, I lost sight of Nicholson... But earlier this year I rediscovered her and her wonderful, wonderful snark. If you enjoy nitpicking apart blockbusters, especially Star Wars, then Jenny is your gal. She could give screenwriting classes, her stuff is that good and funny. She’s also recently been hired by ScreenJunkies to host the Star Wars-centered Millenial Falcon, which I also recommend if you love the old SW like myself. Also we have officially passed the 100k subscriber threshold, so we’re talking about the popular kids now! #10: hbomberguy British people are inherently funny- and smart-sounding, even though most aren’t (I’m sorry British people; feel free to make as many Germany-bashing jokes as you’d like). But hbomberguy definitely is both smart and funny. Whether he is talking about (British) politics, responding to YouTube “skeptics” or MRAs, or ranting about media for hours, he’s always a joy to watch and hear. Probably one of my favorite videos of his is his almost two hour long masterpiece “Sherlock is Garbage, And Here’s Why”, in which he finally managed to put into words why Sherlock’s fourth season was the worst and why Moffat is just a horrible, horrible showrunner including on Doctor Who, which is something that has hampered by enjoyment of Doctor Who and I was’t even fully aware of it and can finally express myself on this topic the way I’ve been wanting to for ages, and that should be enough of an endorsement from my end.

#11: Folding Ideas Dan, the Foldable Human, is an expert on editing, working behind the scenes in the movie industry, how YouTube works, and how culture shapes media. I honestly can’t even summarize this channel even further because I’ve hit the nail on the head and just want to you watch this Canadian guy and hear him talk about mostly movies. “The Art of Editing and Suicide Squad” is a very good starting point in his videography, close to 1 million views, and it is everything you need to know about this channel in a 35 minute long package. Just check out at least that video and if you like what you’ve seen, dig deeper. You most likely won’t regret it.

#12: Lindsay Ellis (The Nostalgia Chick) We have reached “the big ones”! Lindsay Ellis has been in online video for almost a decade now and she has mastered the art of the video essay. She’s been looking at media from a feminist perspective for ages now and her body of work speaks for herself. 90-ish episodes of The Nostalgia Chick, 23 episodes and counting for Loose Canon, where she examines how different characters have been portrayed throughout the years, thus far nine long-form video essays, and her recent series The Whole Plate, where she covers the basics of film studies by looking at Michael Bay’s Transformers. Check out her stuff, I implore you. You will spend hours watching her content and learn so, so much!

#13: Geek Remix (Mari and Stacy)

You love fun let’s plays hosted by several people but think that there should be more women doing so, too? Me, too! And that means you’ll probably enjoy Geek Remix, aka Mari and Stacy, who are two lovely ladies playing so many games! Night in the Woods, Dragon Age Inquisition, Resident Evil 7, Life is Strange, Contradiction: Spot the Liar, and so many more. Otherwise you can also expect theory videos, conversations about human sexuality, easter egg listings, and a lot of other fun stuff on their channel, which with about 147k subs is definitely the most popular channel on this list. Special shoutout to my friend @hella-flawless-amythyst who introduced me to them, so if you get sucked in by Mari and Stacy’s charm, you can “blame” her, too (if you actually blame her I will hunt you down though). So... That was my list. Lots of stuff on there, sadly nothing music-related if you were looking for that (but if you speak/understand German, I highly recommend Bina Bianca, who is just adorable and is an honorable mention), but I hope that you’ve found a channel or two that might interest you. This took ages to write, by the way xD

[ambitiousfeegirl-blog]

Interview with ME!

- What is your Full name? Include any maiden names, aliases, or nicknames. Serafina Lynn James. Sera, usually. Fee, evidently, as well. Thanks, UK. - When is your birthday? Do you know where you were born and at what time? May 10th. Born in Panama City, FL... I think at 10:20AM?  - What is your star sign? Do you know your Chinese Zodiac too? Taurus!! And Horse. :)

- What is your earliest memory that you can remember? Eating Shrimp Chow Mein with my dad. I think I was three, maybe? - Where was your childhood home? Was it more urban or rural? Not on the beach, but close. Definitely not urban, though. That’s not really how Panama City works. - How was your childhood in general? Did your parents treat you well? Did you have a lot of friends? I had a decent childhood, I guess. Parents divorced when I was young, but they were both good to me as a kid. I was sort of a loner, though, if I’m being honest. I had friends, but I was perfectly content just playing outside by myself.  - How was/is school? What is your favorite and least favorite subjects? What were your grades on average? School was miserable and I absolutely abhor the entire experience, with the exception of the internship it landed me and... eventually the job it landed me. The less said about it the better. I majored in business administration, minored in sociology. - Did you have a best friend growing up? What was their name? Are you still in touch? Amy Lynn. We bonded over a shared middle name and the fact that I accidentally made her puke on a merry-go-round. We are not in touch as much as I would like. She’s got a husband and a kid with another on the way and I’m... you know... working. We talk when we can.  - Were you in any cliques? I hung out with anime fans and comic book fans and tae kwon do kids? I don’t know, are those cliques? Probably not. - Best childhood memory you can recall? The first time I ever saw a live wrestling show. My dad took me to Fall Brawl 97, and at seven years old, it was the coolest thing I’d ever seen. The first match set me up for the rest of my life. Jericho vs. Guerrero. I never looked back after that. - Worst childhood memory you can recall? The day my dad moved out.  - Name an event in your childhood that has shaped you into the person you are today Uh... yeah, Fall Brawl 97. True story. - What is the dumbest thing you have ever done to impress someone? Were they impressed or was it all for naught? Probably taking this job all on my own. This is definitely a task for more than one person, but... I can do it. I know I can and I’m going to show Regal that he was wrong to waste me for so long.  - Did you ever have any sweethearts or lovers? Do you have a boy/girlfriend? Sweethearts, lol. Who even says that? I had boyfriends in high school, but nothing serious. And only one long term relationship that started in college. Four years down the fucking drain. Ugh. - Are you a virgin? Lord no. LOL - Do you ever plan on getting married in your life? Do you want kids? See above statement. I’m too busy for that ish. - Would you rather have your own kids or adopt? How many kids would you want? You know... if I DID decide to have kids... I don’t know. Adoption is a wonderful thing, because lord knows there are already so many unwanted babies in this world. Sad, but true. I think adoption is a wonderful option, really. - Do you think you'd be a protective parent or a relaxed parent? Uhhh, given how I am with the boys? Protective. Like... ultra protective. - How would you prefer to pass away? Surrounded by loved ones and at peace, or while doing something heroic? Having mindblowing sex with my mortal enemy. ‘Cause not only do I get to go out hatefucking someone (!), but it’s bound to ruin the experience for them and that’s not something they will forget EVER.  - Generally, how healthy are you? Do you get sick or injured easily or are you fit? Thanks to WWE medical, I’m healthy and chugging down vitamins like it’s my job. - Have you ever been badly injured before? Broke my wrist as a kid and I have a nagging ankle issue, but nothing SERIOUS, no. - What is the worst injury you have ever gotten? What was it and how did it happen? Were you ever close to death? Honestly, I’ve been really lucky. The broken wrist was probably the worst, but honestly, it wasn’t even that big of a deal. - How many times have you been to the hospital/doctor's? I avoid them at all costs. Let’s not even talk about it. - Have you ever had a concussion or brain injury? Have you ever had amnesia? Nope, though that’s surprising as hell since Coach Brookside decided I needed to learn how to bump once I actually started working for the company.  - What was the worst illness you ever contacted? Do you know what it was? How long were you sick? I just really don’t get sick. I think maybe I had strep a few years back, but I literally did nothing about it, so I don’t even know if it was actually strep or not. - Ever had any extended hospital stays? What for? Nope! - Have you ever had to give yourself or someone else emergency first aid? What happened? Yes. I have stitched up my dad when we went camping (not fun), I definitely had to put a hole in my toenail to drain the blood when I smashed it (extra not fun), and I have changed about a hundred bandages for various injuries to myself, my mom, my dad and a few of the boys. - Are you employed? Where do you work and who do you work for? What do you do?  I am currently a member of the WWE Talent Relations office, based in the UK just recently. Like literally three days ago. It’s still sort of surreal. Previously, I was a personal assistant to Mr. William Regal. I sometimes feel like I was sent here as a rib, because that’s one hell of a freakin’ leap, but... here I am, so. Make the most of it, right? - Are you happy with your current job? I literally couldn’t be happier. - Did you have any previous jobs? What were they and what did you do? Mostly small stuff, office management, retail BS, bartender... - Most dangerous thing you have ever done? I’m sure my mom would say something about texting and driving (which I don’t do, mom, and neither should any one else!) but honestly... probably insisting on WWE giving me something more to do, because we see how that turned out. - Do you consider yourself a more active person or a more relaxed person? Active? I mean, I’m not going out running every day... not that kind of active. I stay in shape, but I am literally always doing things. I am constantly working, so... active in that sense, I guess. - What is your dream come true? How about your worst nightmare? To be in charge of NXT. <3 Worst nightmare? Failure.  - What is the biggest and most important goal you have set for yourself? To be in charge of NXT. You’re only as good as the person you help to get a promotion, Mr. Regal... :) - How persistent would you say you are? How much does it take to get you to give up on a task? I’ve been told I’m obnoxiously persistent and it must be true, because here I am. And I don’t ever quit on any goal. I’ve always accomplished anything I’ve set my mind to. - Would you surrender yourself to your enemies or fight to the very end? Surrender is a tool of war that is either a signal of defeat or treachery.  - When do you usually do your shopping? What is currently on your shopping list? Literally, everything is on my shopping list. I am moving into my new flat on Wednesday, so like... ALL of the groceries. Mostly organics. - Top three things on your wishlist? To be in charge of NXT... though I can’t really buy that at the store and I’m pretty sure that’s what they were going for here...  1.) Body Shop Banana Shampoo & Conditioner 2.) Another Key Lime Pie smoothie from the place down the street 3.) And maybe it makes me a mark, but I want a Kenny Omega bear, damnit. (sorry boss!) - Currently, what is something you want but do not need? That damn bear, for sure. - Do you like shopping? What is your favorite thing to shop for? I mean, I guess? I don’t really get to just go shopping all that often. Just like... typical clothes shopping? Maybe?? Is that really a priority in people’s lives? - What is the most expensive thing you have purchased? Was it worth it? My old TV. 4K. It was nice. SIGH. I miss it. - What would you do if you were suddenly given one billion dollars out of the blue? Uhhhhh... wow. I’d do the typical stuff. By my mom a house, get a new car, by MYSELF a house, too, pay off my student debt, donate a shit ton of money to charity... start a wildlife rescue and refuge! - What would you describe your style of clothing as? It depends. I’m definitely business casual at work, but like.. more towards the business end. Outside of work, if I’m WEARING clothes, it’s gonna be a baggy tank and jeans, sandals, sunglasses. - Do you have any hobbies? Name all of them if you can. I used to sing a lot, but honestly work has consumed my life and I am a-ok with that.  - Do you like and appreciate art? What is your favorite piece of artwork? I DO! And I can’t put that on here, because his head will get exponentially bigger than it already is. - Do you like music? What is your favorite style of music? Oh gosh, I like everything. I’m currently wavering between Kenny Chesney and Kaleo right now. But I like a lot of different things. Bluegrass, EDM, Classical, Hip hop... if it’s good, I like it. - Have you ever seen any musicals? What is your favorite? PHANTOM OF THE OPERA.  - What are your top three favorite animals? What would you say your "Patronus" or "Spirit Animal" is? Hm. Top three favorite animals... Florida panther, giraffe, panda My spirit animal is 137% a bear.  - What are your top three favorite colors? Deep dark purple, Emerald Green and Maroon - What is your favorite season? Do you prefer hotter or colder weather? Do you like snow at all? Summer. Always summer. Fuck the cold. - What kind of flavors do you prefer: Sweet, Sour, Bitter, Spicy, Dry, or Umami (savory meat taste)? I like them all, but... I’m going with Sweet and Sour, baby. (12 LARGE). Damn, I just made myself sad. - Can you cook at all? Yes, though the quality of that cooking is always up in the air. - What is your favorite dish? Can you prepare it? Do you have the recipe handy? Shrimp Chow Mein. I’ve never even attempted to make it nor do I have a recipe. You know, I probably SHOULD try to make it, though. - What is your favorite fruit and vegetable? Fruit: Peaches Vegetable: Asparagus - What is your favorite dessert? What is your favorite type of candy/treat? Key Lime Pie. <3 Candy is always always gummi worms. - What is the best thing you have ever had the opportunity to eat? What is the worst? Frog legs, freshly caught and sauteed in garlic butter. Only really good if you catch them yourself, though.  Worst thing ever? Any frozen green tea things. Popsicles were the WORST. - Do you like to drink tea or coffee? Any favorite flavors? I love hot tea, Earl Grey or English Breakfast. And yes, I am a coffee addict. - Describe your sense of humor. Sarcastic. - What is one thing you are justly proud of? My persistence paying off and landing me the job of a lifetime. - Do you have any religious beliefs? If not, have you ever been to a church service? Not my bag, no. I have been to church and actually grew up attending a baptist church every Sunday for years. It was enough to kill any interest in religion. - What would you say is the worst thing someone has done to you? What is the meanest thing someone has ever said to you? The ex did some messed up shit.  - What is the worst thing you have done to someone? What is the meanest thing you have said to anyone? I also did some messed up shit, based on the ex’s messed up shit. - Share the latest entry in your diary/journal. Basically me whining about having slept 20 hours. Thanks, jet lag!  - What is the most precious thing you own? Is it valuable at all? My sense of self and my drive. It’s invaluable. - Talk about someone you know. It can be someone you either like or dislike. Hm. I think I’m going to save this question for it’s own little post someday this week. - FREE QUESTION NO! IMPRISONED QUESTION IS BEING HELD FOR JUSTIFIABLE REASONS AND WILL NOT BE FREED! 

[authorelizabethhunter]

So, I’ve been pretty awful about updating the blog lately, and I apologize for that. Personal life has been a bit crazy (but good!) and I get overwhelmed, so I’ll try to give you a roundup of stuff I’m reading, stuff I’m listening to, stuff I’m writing, and stuff I’ll be working on next.

SPOILER ALERT: I re-released A Very Proper Monster, the Elemental World novella set in 19th century Dublin with Tom and Josie from A Scarlet Deep. It has a new cover and a brand new short story included, so if you’re just here for new stuff, scroll on down to the end for links, but I really hope you read the whole post. :)

In general, if you’re worried you’re missing something, the best way to stay in touch is to either get my newsletter (sent out once a month with free fiction goodies), like my Facebook page, or follow me on Instagram. I’m going to try to be better about blogging, but I make no guarantees because I’m an honest girl who knows her limitations. Between family, work, traveling to the other side of the world to visit my significant other, and eating/sleeping, the blog does fall further down on the list of priorities lately. So, you’ve been warned. (And appreciated. I really do appreciate those of you who are still reading.)

SO what have I been reading? A few things. I’ve been in a bit of a reading slump, but these are things pulled me out and woke me up.

First off, for lovers of true Urban Fantasy, I’m going to recommend Amy Cissell’s The Cardinal Gate, which was a kickass ride set in Portland, OR that delves into fae mythology. Full disclosure: Amy and I are friends, and I think she’s super talented, and this book is great. Funny and fast and thrilling. It’s her debut, and I think readers of mine who love Ilona Andrews, Patricia Briggs, and the like would really enjoy it. Lots of action and humor. I really well-drawn heroine who I’m eager to revisit. This is the start of a series and I’m definitely looking forward to the rest.

Dating-ish by Penny Reid is contemporary romantic comedy that is hilarious and HUGELY relatable for anyone who has dated in the last few years, and informative for those of you who are still trying to figure out what Tinder is and why your single friends give you THAT LOOK when you ask them, “Haven’t you tried dating online?” More than that, it’s another well-drawn female protagonist in the Knitting in the City series which will go down as one of the most compelling and well-drawn (and hilarious) groups of friends in fiction history. I know the covers are geared toward female readers, but I think this series would be really enjoyable for my male readers, too.

Short story fans like me understand how complex and difficult the form is to write, but how satisfying a well-written short story is when it’s done right. And Ken Liu does it RIGHT. The Paper Menagerie is on my Recommended Reads page for good reason. I’m picking my way through this collection the way you pick through a really good box of chocolates. You don’t want to devour them all at once. You want to sit and read when you have a half hour or so, finish a story, then ruminate on it a while. If you’re a fantasy/scifi fan struggling with short attention span lately, this book is the book for you.

So that’s what I’ve been reading lately, but what have I been listening to?

Okay, sometimes you just need mellow singer/songwriter chicks to listen to, and Joy Williams Venus (Acoustic) album is well worth the download. I’m not very familiar with her music, but I saw this video on YouTube:

And I sought out her music. I love her voice and the Venus Acoustic album is a deep, easy breath at the end of the day, which I need right now.

Can we talk about how my son keeps stealing my Duke Ellington & John Coltrane album? Seriously, some days I really do feel like I’m raising a senior citizen. He wears fedoras, too. I’m recommending this album on vinyl for those of you who like the ritual of records, but it’s available in digital format too. It’s hard to express how much I love this one. I’m not even a huge jazz fan, but there’s something about this record.

I just finished listening to all seven episodes of the S-Town podcast and I’m still processing. All I know for sure is that it’s good. It elevates the podcast format. It’s genre-defying. I don’t want to tell you too much, because I went into it with very little knowledge of what it was supposed to be, and I kind of feel like everyone should experience it that way. Here’s the trailer:

So that’s what I’m listening to lately. What have I been doing?

Oh, just re-releasing A Very Proper Monster with a new Tom and Josie story (!!!), and updating the covers for the Elemental World novellas!

And… they’re weird. But I love them. This is what I wrote on my Facebook page:

It’s a different look that started when I was designing the Monster cover for re-release. It’s a gothic romance, so I wanted the cover to reference those gorgeous old gold foil covers in Victorian printing. What I came up with was this:

➜Amazon (Kindle): http://amzn.to/2nxvyP5 ➜Amazon (Paperback): http://amzn.to/2ol6NFL ➜Smashwords: http://bit.ly/2niCpdo

(I’ll update with other retailer links once they go live)

This is the part where I say BUY MY BOOK!

(If you don’t already have it from Beneath a Waning Moon, that is. It’s the same story, just with bonus material and a new cover.)

So I designed this cover, and I just couldn’t stop looking at it. I loved it. But it was SO different. And I knew I’d been needing to update the covers on Waterlocked and The Bronze Blade, too, because they really didn’t fit with the other books in the series. In fact, the novellas themselves were kind of out there. So I’m taking a chance! They could bomb horribly. I don’t know. But I’m giving them a chance and I hope you guys enjoy them.

Here’s the synopsis for the new edition of Monster:

In Victorian-era Dublin, Josephine Shaw spends long nights filling the pages of her Gothic stories with the fantastic and the macabre, unaware that the suitor her father has arranged is one of the dark creatures she’s always dreamed. For Tom Dargin, courting an ailing spinster was only one duty in a long life of service to his sire. But after he meets the curious Miss Shaw, will Tom become the seducer or the seduced? Can a love fated to end in tragedy survive a looming grave?

A VERY PROPER MONSTER is an Elemental World historical novella originally published in the Beneath a Waning Moon gothic duology. This special stand-alone edition contains a bonus short story, Night in the Waking City.

Tom and Josie travel to New York City to meet with allies and publishers, but a chance encounter sends Josie into a rage, leaving Tom to look for unexpected allies in the city that never sleeps. Can a young human and an ancient vampire find his ailing mate before Josie does something she’ll regret?

And what am I working on RIGHT NOW?

As you may or may not be able to tell, I’m working on the next Irin Chronicles book. What is it called? THE SILENT. Whose book is it? Leo and Kyra’s. (FINALLY! you say. I know, I know…) And where is it set? THAILAND.

Thailand?

Yes, Thailand. (It’s so delicious…)

And here, my friends, is a little teaser for you from what I just wrote the other day. I’m about a third of the way into the manuscript and I’m aiming toward a Summer 2017 release, hopefully in July.

“Do you like books?” Kyra asked.

“I do. I like audiobooks especially. When I’m training or driving, I often listen to them.” He craned his neck and saw the stack of books by her bed. “I see you are a reader.”

“Yes.” He hadn’t asked, but she decided to offer some information anyway. “For most of my life—before I learned to block my mind—books were my best friends. I could listen to them and only hear what they wanted to tell me, not another voice behind it.”

Leo’s arm around her tightened, and she wondered if there was something he didn’t like about the story. Perhaps she shouldn’t have offered so much information when he hadn’t asked.

“Yes, I like books,” she said quietly.

“I’m glad you had them,” Leo said. “Tell me something else.”

“Like what?”

“Like everything.” ~ Copyright 2017, Elizabeth Hunter All rights reserved.

  BE WELL! I’ll try not to wait two months before blogging again.

Wishing you love and inspiration today.

Elizabeth

Still not dead. Work work work. So, I've been pretty awful about updating the blog lately, and I apologize for that. Personal life has been a bit crazy (but good!) and I get overwhelmed, so I'll try to give you a roundup of stuff I'm reading, stuff I'm listening to, stuff I'm writing, and stuff I'll be working on next.

[mattgambler]

Dark Souls versus Nioh

TLDR: I played Dark Souls 1-3 about 18 months ago and yesterday I abandoned my first ever Nioh playthrough halfway through. I compare my experiences and declare them both winner and loser at the end of the day.

Today after waking up I was greeted on Discord by a public message of one of my mods which had me typing frantically in a matter of seconds: so Nioh went the same path as every other soulslike game ? Final call on it matt? ( wich mechanics where new wich ones where even more frustrating and wich ones where a welcome change from the other soulslike games?) I wanna clarify that I played a couple of “soulslike” games over the past 2 years and rarely left one of them unbeaten, so his first line had me somewhat confused about what exactly he meant, given that I had abandoned my Nioh playthrough halfway through only the day before. The games I had played (and I am aware of the fact that some rather important ones are missing) were the three Dark Souls games, Salt and Sanctuary, Dead Cells, Titan Souls and now Nioh. I usually want to beat these sort of games even if I don’t enjoy them, and be it only so I an criticize them without sounding like a whiner who simply didn’t git gud enough. Useless gamer pride, I know. But while I sat there, talking about how I had beaten all the other games before this one, I knew what he was probably talking about - which was me not liking the game. I also didn’t like DarkSouls 1-3 that much, and back when I streamed them it was usually me versus my chat as I tried to win the unwinnable argument of convincing fans of a game why it was clearly and “objectively” bad. Or at least not as good as everyone wanted me to believe. But let’s look at Ashtaks actual question. At first glance, Nioh does a couple of things which had me praising it as soon as I encountered them. Inventory indicators for what you had picked up since you last looked into your inventory. A clear path to follow. Storytelling that looked like actual storytelling for a change. I was sure I would like this one! But the longer I played, the more I noticed the glaring flaws that were worked deep into the games core, and which became even more apparent given how those flaws were mostly absent from the soulsgames I had worked my way through back then. The linear progression was nice in comparison to the at times random and unintuitive nature of Dark Souls, where I only managed to find the painted world of Ariamis after my chat had given me step by step instructions on how to find and enter it. But at the same time the missions soon started to feel same-ish, another temple, another batch of yokai that had corrupted something vengeful spirits something save that village something hope you dont mind taking a look at my yard while you are there Anjin Sama please make sure I didnt leave the window open. The storytelling had me intrigued for about as long as it took me to realize that the narrative was meaningless and bland and that it didnt make much sense up to the point I had reached in my playthrough. There’s a villain and he wants to gather that ressource Amrita that the game had introduced you moments before, now he stole your guardian spirit which you apparently had all along and that seems to be the only spirit in the world that can detect that Amrita stuff even though you are collecting it left and right as quickly as you can because the next levelup will require another 78 000 units of it because, hell, gotta keep you grinding, am I rita? The inventory indicators were good at least. Sorely needed in the trash collecting simulator that both Nioh and the games in the Souls Franchise are, too! But while it made sifting through trash a lot easier and more practical, it didn’t really change the fact that I was collecting trash 99% of the time. At least in Dark Souls you didnt feel like losing out if you left that stuff lying on the ground because you couldn’t exchange it for souls as easily, if at all. (I don’t exactly remember.) But while I’m listing pros here just to pluck them apart right afterwards, I wanna say that weirdly enough I felt like I enjoyed Nioh more, on a surface level. Sure, the story was weirdly uninteresting, but at least it was there, right? The game was reusing the same enemies for mission after mission, but at least it didn’t give me bullshit like the Anor Londo archers or the Tomb of the Giants, or that fucking disgusting curse mechanic in the canalisation of dontaskmewhatthatareawascalled. At least I had my sense of where to go and my inventory indicators for newly picked up equipment, right? And finally some proper tutorials! Yes and no.

While Nioh comes with a metric shitton of improvements that Dark Souls would have desperately needed back then, while it looks great and plays smooth and overall does everything I wanted Dark Souls to do back then, it lacks the inspiration and credibility to actually make it all work for me. On day 6 I encountered a bossfight that was somewhat similar in tone to the Sif encounter in DarkSouls. You know, sad music, the boss was kind of a good guy, this time it was a cat spirit instead of a giant wolf, but yeah, you get it. All it accomplished was making me realize that I never cared much for that feline companion of mine in the first place. Sif, in comparison, had never been my companion. He(?) had never tried to be loyal or helpful to me. Weird how I still ended up caring so much more for him than for my own weird cat buddy that I had never really gotten to know all too well, but... at least he was around? I guess? Must have been the missing limping animation. Another thing that always struck me as unpleasant about the Souls games was that there were no proper tutorials. Here, you are in a cell, now go die. Again, Nioh delivers where Dark Souls fell short, several nicely spaced out tutorials to show you the ropes, how to switch stances, how to use skills, how to take a dump behind a tree. But while Dark Souls would have had me confused about many things if not for my chat, Nioh locks tutorials behind mission progress and usually ended up teaching me things only after I had figured them out on my own. And weirdly enough, those tutorials managed to both make me feel as if they were holding my hand too much as well as(!) if they weren’t clear enough on things. How do you even pull that off? Sure I’m learning in detail what I already know, but I still need to do the tutorials for the rewards and it has me standing there unsure about why it is not continuing because I already did what it wanted me to... I think.

And then there is all the stuff that is missing, at least up to the point that I reached in the game. While Nioh does a somewhat good job of fixing DarkSouls’ flaws (Seriously, that inventory indicator, how could you not have that, Dark Souls. I mean what the actual fuck.) it took things that were good and working and just left them out. Basic stuff, like leaving messages for other players, complex and intriguing things like covenants, boss weapons. Incredibly vital stuff like secrets! Dark Souls is full of them and while I was sometimes annoyed by a bonfire being too well hidden, or another entire area being hidden behind a random wall segment in an even more random wall, Nioh feels like it is incredibly afraid to hide anything, or give you a glimpse of a later boss in the distance, or leave any sort of mystery as the story progresses. The bad guy? Yeah, he stole that spirit to collect amrita. That spirit? Yeah, it has been with William since he was a child. That mission? Yeah, seemingly the kids were turned into yokai, or the shogun (or whatever he was) blew up his castle but he also broke his teaset and that teasets name was “flat spider” in japanese and because he broke it the boss of this level is a giant spider. Oh, that character you didn’t really care for? Here is an entire page of exposition for you if you wanna learn his role in all of this. Considering all of this and more (incredibly uninspired and therefore often confusing leveldesign, to name one of several things I’m not gonna go into too much detail here)  I would already come to the conclusion that Dark Souls is a way more interesting and mysterious game than Nioh. Wild, reckless, interesting. Stupid at times, and fuck the tomb of the giants, what an embarrassing fuckup of modern game design, but still, a wondrous and intriguing journey overall. Personally I liked Dark Souls 2 best. But still I would have considered calling Nioh the more solid game, in a casual,  gamey way. It plays well, you progress through it, you probably have somewhat of a good time anyway. I’ve always considered Dark Souls, especially the first and probably most iconic one, as more of a weird art piece than an actual good game. But Nioh was too hard for me. Yes, harder than Dark Souls, and not in a good way as far as I’m concerned. The sheer number of times I was literally oneshot with full hp because I didnt dodge this attack or that combo in time is just too damn high. Many deaths in Dark Souls came from intricate traps or simply stupidly falling to my death (because fuck swimming or holding on to ledges, right?) but while Nioh does that sometimes as well, the sheer damage that enemies deal with each attack and your characters morbid fetish for being stunlocked made what could have been at least casual fun into a frustrating mess over time. And I used a spear, the only weapon that scales with the hp stat anyway.  I might just be bad, or not patient enough to die through yet another 20 bossfights until I figure out how to dodge enough attacks to barely succeed. But then again, I might just have had more fun dying in Dark Souls than I had dying in Nioh.