#and how they let you draw out elemental features from a story in new and different ways from the original

[askshivanulegacy]

The thing about art and storytelling is that anything is possible. I'm not convinced there's a single story out there, in any medium, that can't be adapted to another medium.

People are bringing up cartoons as an example, specifically Disney. But there's nothing inherently special about the story in a cartoon that means you can't adapt it to live action. Just because recent filmmakers have failed doesn't mean it's not easily and obviously doable; it only means that proper care wasn't taken to do it legitimately and well. Look at what they achieved in Avatar, and compare it to the laughable, decades-old CG appearance of the live action Little Mermaid. They could have made something gorgeous and spectacular.

They chose not to.

Besides that, it's one single half-hearted attempt. You can't say it can't be done unless you have hundreds of failures.

It's true you can't translate the experience of the original medium. Your live action anything is never the same as a cartoon. Your book isn't the same as an interactive computer game. They never will be. The second telling is also never going to compare to your first experience.

But that's not the point. The point and the art is to take what's meaningful about the original and develop it through different tools. It's an art for a reason. You have to understand the story and you have to know what your tools do, and you have to be committed to using your tools well.

The story you think you hate in live action already exists in a gorgeous comic, or a series of still sketches, or a flip book, or a poem, or an animatic, or a song. It's already there, successfully, in another medium. Just because a filmmaker failed doesn't mean it's not already done or that it won't be done again.

Any artist worth their salt in their chosen medium can happily prove you otherwise.

I firmly believe that some stories can never be translated into a different medium and that's okay

[safficranger]

Fake Scenarios In My Head #32

Casey gave herself one last look in the mirror, feeling a mix of confidence and nerves as she adjusted her posture and smoothed the perfectly tailored suit. The jacket hugged her shoulders just right, and the crisp white shirt underneath made everything pop more than she’d expected. But the tie—well, that was another story. She had fussed with it endlessly, turning and adjusting it, but somehow it still hung a bit crooked. With a frustrated sigh, she was about to leave it as it was when she felt a gentle touch on her back and the familiar warmth of Alex beside her.

Her gaze lingered on Casey’s reflection for a long moment, and a small smile crept across her lips as she took in the sight of her usually laid-back girlfriend looking slightly—and very charmingly—out of her element.

“You really went all out tonight, didn’t you?” she teased. Her tone was playful, but there was an edge of warmth to it, a look in her eyes that told Casey she liked what she saw.

Casey gave a small, self-conscious smile. “I figured… why not mix it up a bit? Try something new. What do you think?” She met her gaze in the mirror, a hint of nerves in her expression.

“It looks good on you,” she murmured, her voice softer, a note of something deeper threading through her words. “Very… compelling.”

She stepped in close, her hand resting softly on her girlfriend’s shoulder before she moved between her and the mirror. She gently brushed Casey’s fingers away from the tie. “Let me,” Alex murmured, her eyes focused as she undid the knot Casey had tried to make, carefully straightening the fabric. Casey’s heart skipped a beat at the calm assurance of Alex’s hands, the way she adjusted the ends with such precise, practiced movements.

Casey could barely breathe as Alex finished the knot, concentrating in a way that made her cheeks flush. Once the tie was perfectly centered, Alex gave a small tug, then smoothed it down with her hand, her fingers lingering just a moment longer than necessary before she looked up, a sweet smile on her lips.

“Where did you learn to do that?” Casey asked, her voice barely above a whisper, laced with curiosity and something more.

A hint of nostalgia softened Alex’s features, and she smiled, her fingers still absently tracing the tie’s edges. “I used to watch my mother fix my father’s tie every morning before he left for work,” she said quietly, her gaze dropping to her hands. “She would do this exact thing—adjust it, make sure it was perfect, then give him a little kiss before he went out the door.” She looked up, her eyes meeting Casey’s, a gentle warmth in her gaze. “It’s one of my favorite memories of them together. It always felt like… an unspoken promise.”

“I think I like this tie thing, then,” she murmured, her lips curving into a soft smile.

Alex’s eyes gleamed with something mischievous, her hand tugging gently on the tie, pulling Casey just a bit closer so that their faces were inches apart. “Oh, I think I like it too,” Alex replied, her voice low and teasing. Her gaze trailed down, taking in the way the tie framed Casey’s collar, the slight flush in her cheeks. She let her hand wander slowly down to the end of the tie, fingers curling around the fabric, giving it a playful tug.

Casey raised an eyebrow, catching the glint in Alex’s eyes. “Something on your mind, Counselor?”

“Plenty,” Alex said, her tone both sultry and amused. “And all of them involve this.” She gave the tie another light pull, drawing Casey so close she could feel the warmth of her breath.

Casey’s breath hitched as another shiver ran down her spine. She held Alex’s gaze, and it was clear just how much this new look affected her. “You know,” she murmured, “I think this tie might come in handy later on tonight.”

Alex’s laugh was warm as she gave the tie one last, lingering tug before she finally let it go, stepping back to admire the full effect. The playful glint in her eyes deepened as she flashed Casey a flirtatious smile, her expression a mix of admiration and desire. “And yes,” she replied, her voice laced with promise, “that tie is definitely going to come in handy later.”

[datura-tea]

holy shit this year marks 10 years of this blog and moz!! i can't remember the exact date i started posting here - my archive says i have one post from november 2013 but let's disregard that - but i do remember it was around late 2014/early 2015 :)

^ one of the very first moz art pieces i ever drew, for fallout week 2015!!

memories and art through the years under a read more bc it got long

2014 → baby's first rpg!! i started playing fnv on my cousin's jailbroken xbox late 2013 and finished mid 2014 and i loved every minute of it. i remember waking up at 8am and playing almost nonstop until 2am the next day haha!

i didn't play moz on my first playthrough - but i did start creating a character that would eventually become her: a shorthaired ex-boxer who punched her way through obstacles when diplomacy failed. i remember she spent a lot of time with boone. i liked him then, because he saved my ass more times than i can count. but i digress. this is draft 1 moz essentially

2015 → this is the year that i was doing my thesis so i could graduate but i was so depressed and stressed about it that i distracted myself by replaying fnv on pc, where i played through the dlcs for the first time. i fell in love with the dlcs' oversarching story; particularly ulysses, who i became obssessed with, especially since i couldn't find any content of him at the time. in the game, i played as moz; i had most of her personality and choices down, but her backstory was still up in the air.

fun fact: this was an existing sideblog that i remade to be a fallout blog so i could look for ulysses content, and when i couldn't find any, i made some myself, featuring moz as my main courier six. originally, i didn't ship them, but eventually i ended the year as a courier/ulysses otp shipper.

this was the year i started drawing digitally - my uncle let me borrow a drawing tablet and i used an old copy of photoshop i pirated hehe

2016 → i graduated this year!! and promptly fell deeper into my depression. this was the year that it got so bad that i had to be medicated. through it all, this blog and moz and ulysses and my fandom friends were with me. and for that i am truly grateful :) this was the year i figured out how to lock transparent pixels so that i could color my lineart lol

2017 → i started hammering out moz's backstory this year i think. there's a lot of sketches of her and her family in my files. i experimented with shading and backgrounds here but that experimentation was pretty short-lived

2018 → i started using references seriously!!!! i did a lot of oc on oc kissing this year, featuring mostly moz and many friend ocs haha

2019 → didn't draw much this year. actually this year was a blur and i can't remember much from it except from it being the year of my terrible no good bad copywriting jobs... anyway i did manage to continue my courier/ulysses brainrot and make this piece, which i'm still proud of

2020 → pandemic time. i spent a lot of time asleep at home and i think this was also the year i started doing commissions?? shoutout to anyone who has ever commissioned me - thank you so much, i truly appreciate it!!

2021 → i switched from my old-ass pirated photoshop to clip studio paint and never looked back. also i did a bunch of commissions for my grandmother's surgery, which failed, and i distracted myself from the sadness by drawing my ocs over and over and playing disco elysium

2022 → by this year, i've got moz down pat and have started vaguely developing other ocs instead. but she's still always at the back of my mind

2023 → i bought new brushes from true grit texture supply and immediately found new favorites that i started using for everything. i tentatively started incorporating background elements in some pieces!

2024 → while it's still too early to say where this year will lead me art-wise, i will say that i started experimenting in realistic paint studio (which i bought in 2021, the same time as clip studio paint) a few days ago and i'm liking the results so far. we'll see!

all in all, these last 10 years have been quite a ride, but i'm glad i stuck around and i'm glad you guys stuck around too!! much much love 💖💖💖

[that-ari-blogger]

The Gospel Of Elphaba

In May 1900, the George M. Hill Company published The Wonderful Wizard Of Oz, a book written by L. Frank Baum and illustrated by W. W. Denslow. That book captured the imagination of its audience enough to get sequels and one of the most dangerous film adaptations to make of all time.

The book was about good and evil, and featured a stereotypical medicine journey about a child trying to return home. It discussed personal growth and childhood fantasy and is generally a good book, even with the elements that haven't aged as well (again, it was published in 1900).

But then, in 1995, Gregory Maguire wrote Wicked: The Life and Times of the Wicked Witch of the West, a fanfiction that takes a very different approach on the story. This book discusses the same themes, but from a different angle. Now things are complicated.

Enter Wicked, the musical, which dissects the themes even further, and uses its opening song, No One Mourns The Wicked to tear apart the idea of good and evil in the original book.

Let me explain.

SPOILERS AHEAD

I wasn't joking in the title of this post. No One Mourns The Wicked (NOMtW) and the musical as a whole do act as a gospel. Which is fascinating.

Now, I am not Christian, but I do have experience with the faith from a scholarly perspective and from growing up in a heavily Christian culture. As such, while I will treat the faith with the respect befitting any living religion, my perspective on it is that of an outsider looking in, so I cannot be considered a definitive source on Christianity.

The word "Gospel" comes from a few different sources, most notably "godspell" according to etymonline.com, which means "good spell" or "good message" or, if you really stretch the thesaurus, "good news."

The gospel of mark literally opens with "the beginning of the gospel of Jesus..." (English Standard Version) or "the beginning of the good news about Jesus..." (New International Version). So, the word is interchangeable.

And would you look at that, the opening words of NOMtW are:

"Good news, she's dead".

The song is deliberately drawing comparison between Elphaba and the Biblical Messiah, specifically with the defining act. Jesus' most famous act was his death, and the same is true for Elphaba. But both characters have more to their story than the surface level ideal, notably their perspective that people should be kind to each other, and that was why they were "killed". Also, neither of the two stay dead for very long.

But there is more to the similarity than just some neat little references, specifically in how they differ. And that might be contradictory, but it really isn't. Opposites are similar in how they relate specifically to each other. A thing can only be the opposite of something else, it can't be the opposite on its own.

NOMtW actively asks the question: "Was it actually good news?" Specifically in relation to Elphaba. Wicked is told from the perspective of Elphaba, and it frames her death as a tragedy. So NOMtW gives the audience the setup for that story.

"No one mourns the wicked!"

"No one cries they won't return!"

"No one lays a lily on their grave!"

Voiceplay has a phenomenal A cappella Medley for the Wicked musical that I highly recommend you check out.

These lines serve to build into the tragedy itself, they make you feel sad for the deceased person. But the anger with which they are said gives a different vibe. Suddenly, these become warnings, don't be wicked or else.

Fun fact: I was in a high school production of this musical, as a chorus member, and I was given the line about the lily. The director told to deliver the line as a threat to the audience, which reframes the meaning a bit, doesn't it? The chorus is telling you not to empathise with the Wicked Witch of the West.

And interestingly, that's who she is in this song. The name "Elphaba" isn't mentioned once. She is the Wicked Witch. That's who the audience thinks she is, and that's who the chorus thinks she is. The citizens of oz become the audience surrogates.

Glinda, the good witch, then begins to argue with the chorus. Her melodic voice contrasts with the spite of the Ozians, and that translates into her lyrics.

The conflict here is to confuse the audience, I think. It is to ask them who they think they should be agreeing with here. And when the chorus echos Glinda's words, they change them. Those last three lines become:

"And goodness knows,

the Wicked's lives are lonely.

Goodness knows,

The Wicked die alone.

It just shows when you're Wicked,

You're left only

On your own."

What is truth in this world? Can even that be trusted? That's what the musical as a whole seeks to answer, as well as what consequences that has on the real world.

"Nothing grows for the Wicked

They reap only

What they've sown"

"Are people born Wicked? Or do they have wickedness thrust upon them? After all, she had a father. She had a mother, as so many do"

I have put some of the above quote in bold, and that is because it is a fantastic question to ask in a story about good and evil. In the original book and subsequent film, the Wicked Witch of the West is evil because she does evil things. She tries to kill Dorothy on multiple occasions, so she is evil, right?

Here, Glinda asks a simple question: "Why did the witch do that?" And this part of the song becomes spoken instead of sung, to really emphasise the point.

But Glinda also tries to humanise Elphaba here, she had a mother and a father. This reminds me of another humanising moment, but not from the bible this time.

"Hath not a Jew eyes? hath not a Jew hands, organs, dimensions, senses, affections, passions? ... If you prick us, do we not bleed? If you tickle us, do we not laugh? if you poison us, do we not die? And if you wrong us, shall we not revenge?"

This is from Act 3 Scene 1 of William Shakespeare's The Merchant of Venice, written in the 1590s. And it features Shylock, the outcast of the plot, appealing to a collection of people that he is in fact, just as human as them. He tries to convince them that the outsider is worth respect just as much as any other, and that his actions have motivations just as much as any other.

In that story, the appeal has no effect, and in Wicked, written 400 years later, I can't say it is any different.

The moment with the mysterious lover is important because it is yet another specific divergence from the biblical story. It turns out to be the Wizard, a man from another world, who comes to see the mother of the protagonist. But the divinity is removed, and that's a key element here. Elphaba isn't a one-to-one Jesus figure, she's had all of the intrinsic morality taken away and replaced with being green.

Elphaba is othered because of a physical alteration caused by elements she has no control over. She is outcast from even her family because of her appearance. I will talk in another post about what being green means in story, but for now, it is most certainly not heavenly, instead being linked with the garden of Eden with the snake and the apple.

That apple is a neat connection to the vial that the wizard offers Elphaba's mother, once again reframing the story. Now the Wizard gets aligned with the snake, making Elphaba the antichrist? This metaphor goes buck wild if you look too far into it.

Final Thoughts

I have a love for Wicked, to the point where it is one of those formative stories for me. The music is fun and as I grew up, I realised that I empathised with more characters than I was entirely comfortable with.

If this is the first of my posts you have read, I do analysis of storytelling. This will be a series on Wicked as a whole, specifically delving into the songs and what they say about the musical's themes. Next week, I will take a look at The Wizard And I, so stick around if that interests you.

Next

[pastafossa]

Using Tarot To Help You Write

Right ok, so I’ve wanted to do this for a bit - there are vague references to tarot in my story TRT and I’ve answered a few questions about how I use the RWS-style tarot to write but now I have a little bit of time while I wait for my laundry to dry. So let’s get into it.

If you’re looking for another tool in your writer’s kit, you could strongly consider adding a box of tarot cards to the bag. Set aside, for a minute, what you’ve heard about it. Set aside any spiritual aspect, telling the future, the ‘OoOOOooOOh evil’, or even the ‘DRAW DEATH MEANS DEATH’ you see in movies. Instead, strip it down to its base.

Tarot is about telling a story.

(Below: Oak, Ash, & Thorn Tarot)

From a storytelling perspective, the first 18 cards of the RWS style tarot, known as the Major Arcana, essentially tell the Hero’s Journey as the Hero sets out on an adventure and searches for knowledge. There’s disaster, love, temptation, and wise people they meet along the way before eventually finding enlightenment at the end of their journey. The Major Arcana contains major archetypes and themes present through so many stories. When you add in the rest of the cards in the Minor Arcana - the other 56 cards, encompassing a variety of emotions, archetypes, figures, and various life events you might run into - you’ve got something perfect when you want to introduce new elements to your story. I keep a small deck on my desk and use it frequently when creating random OCs, plotlines, or problems for characters to solve.

And before you go, holy shit Pasta that’s a lot to take in, using tarot for your story doesn’t have to be complicated. You don’t need to have 20 years of tarot experiences, you don’t need to be an expert, you don’t need A Great Gift. You don’t have to know about tarot at all, really. You just need one thing:

The right storytelling deck.

More below the cut.

Look, there are a million styles out there, some that focus heavily on storytelling imagery and some that focus more on symbols; some that feature animals or nature, and some that focus on people. I generally lean towards animal-based decks since I’m more familiar with animal/nature imagery, body language, and symbolism, but in reality the best deck to use for writing is simply the one you’ll actually use. If you’re drawn to one, go for it. That being said, if you’re looking for something to use without needing to get into all the symbolism of each card, I generally recommend using a deck in which all cards, including the Minor Arcana, depict a scene you can examine - aka, one that plays up a story rather than a straight up symbol. Let me show you an example with three decks.

Left: Mystical Cats tarot; Middle: Oriens tarot; Right: Children of Litha tarot

These all depict the same card: the Seven of Swords, meant to depict deceit, theft, betrayal, lies, and trickery. The middle card relies a little more heavily on symbolic meaning (the black widow spider, which ‘betrays’ when mating and uses a sticky web - symbolizing a potential trap), whereas the other two cards show an active scene (Card 1: OH NO HE’S GONNA STEAL YER MOUSE WHILE YOU’RE NOT LOOKING; Card 3: YOU LOVESTRUCK DIPSHITS, TURN AROUND, THE SNAKE’S EATING YOUR EGGS). I’ve found cards like Card 1 and Card 3 are faster and more convenient for storytelling, because you’re basically presented with a scenario/characters/a situation right off the bat, whereas a symbolic card is more open-ended and might require some digging unless you’re already fairly familiar with the symbolism. If you’re going to get a deck that depicts people instead, I recommend looking for a deck that’s diverse. Humans come in all shapes, sizes, and colors, and having a deck that reflects that (something like the Modern Witch tarot) is valuable for storytelling. So if you’re picking a deck to help you write, look for:

Decks that use scenes/storytelling imagery for all cards

Decks with imagery/body language you can easily read at a glance

If you’re looking for a deck with people - decks with a diverse range of body types, ethnicities, sexualities, and genders

A deck with imagery you actually like, otherwise you won’t want to use it

‘Ok, so let’s say I’ve found a deck, or I already have one. What does using tarot for fic even look like?’

Let’s do two quick readings for two writing scenarios you might use this for! This will also show you can be as complex or as simple as you need to be. These are also the two scenarios I use tarot for most when writing - character construction, and plotline construction. First I’ll use the Children of Litha tarot, which uses a moderate amount of storytelling imagery. Then I’ll use the Mystical Cats tarot, which is probably the most story-heavy deck I have, imagery-wise. That way, you can see how construction gets a bit easier depending on how scene-heavy a deck is.

Scenario: I need an original character for this chapter or scene! Quick, draw three cards!

Quick reading: she’s very gentle but there are also two tigers inside her and one of them wants to kill you, especially if you fuck with her pet birds

More complex reading - Personality, Flaw, Backstory:

Card 1 - Personality: This character is someone who’s unafraid and bold in their kindness even when faced with danger, and they know when a gentle touch is needed. They believe strength is found not in being cruel or violent but in responding with love. This usually works out for them, to the point that even Scary People (TM) seek this character out, knowing they’ll find love and affection. Alternatively, this character is one half of the Brooding Rough One Loves The Gentle Soft One trope. Whatever works for you!

Card 2 - Flaw: Despite all that, the gentle character’s got a temper, and it exists in direct conflict to what they believe about strength, thus producing cognitive dissonance. This is someone who’ll dodge conflict to avoid showing their temper, but eventually that repression’s going to blow up into a real fight and it’ll be messy.

Card 3 - backstory: This temper and conflict avoidance is due to some tragic incident in their past that left them deeply wounded. It’s one reason they’re so gentle, but there’s a lot of lingering anger and trauma. These wounds are not healed, and if you look deep enough, you’re going to find blood.

Depending on how important this character is, you could add even more: a card for a strength, a card for a challenge they need to overcome to grow as a person, their family dynamic, etc. Again, you can make it as detailed or as simple as you need.

PASTA NOW I NEED A LITTLE PLOTLINE FOR CHARACTERS TO SOLVE. Quick, draw four!

Quick reading: holy SHIT your characters gotta move fast, cause there’s a pissed off dude out there who wants revenge NOW and is ready to fuck up a *shuffles cards and draws* religious temple of peaceful cat loving monks, one of whom is the one that fucked up Angry Dude in the first place WHEN HE WAS A BABY WITH HIS MAMA, PLOT TWIST OH NO, IT’S PROBABLY THAT ASSHOLE STEVE IN THE BACK OF THE THIRD CARD, LOOK AT HIM LOOKING OFF INTO THE DISTANCE.

More complex reading - Theme, Problem, Setting, Solution:

Card 1 - Theme: As you can tell from our cat with zoomies, your protagonists are on a clock. The theme here is urgency, it’s speed. Things will start off with a bang and they won’t have much time to slow down. This’d be good for a one shot or a chapter.

Card 2 - Problem: look at that cat, they’re so ANGRY, they are PISSED, someone did them dirty and they’ve been stewing over it for a while. They can’t stop feeling that betrayal no matter how much they try to lick it off shake it off forget about it. They want REVENGE for what was done to them and they’re gonna cut someone up.

Card 3 - Setting: Ah, a peaceful, sunny place where everyone’s just chilling. Everyone’s happy. Maybe a religious place, say, a church or a convent or hell, a nudist retreat. Either way, no one knows what’s coming. Except (and this is why scene cards are so fun)... for STEVE there in the back. Look at him. Everyone’s relaxing in the sun but he’s staring out into the distance. He knows. And just like that, Steve’s the In Hiding person who betrayed our Problem - Steve the Asshole isn’t a part of the Sun card’s meaning, but a storytelling scene card lets you stretch like this and have fun.

Card 4 - solution: Clearly the only person who can stop Bad Person... is their MAMA (or potentially his siblings). Maybe a character goes to find the Problem’s mother and brings her to the church to talk the Problem into giving up. Maybe the protagonists desperately tell the Problem that your family wouldn’t have wanted this, even if that family was hurt - the Empress is generally very nurturing and loving, so that’s a fair bet. Either way, the solution to the Problem is their family.  

Once you get the hang of this, you’ll start to find other ways you can use it. I’ve used it for creating quick or more complex or more randomized characters, for creating plotlines and character arcs, for a few of Jane’s cases in TRT. You can use it for backstories, for settings, for problems and solutions, for deeper themes to explore with your characters. Hell, if you want some practice, you could literally go through the Major Arcana and write one-shots dealing with each card’s theme. Ultimately the possibilities are endless, whether you want to construct a detailed plotline or if you just have a new character you want to randomize or flesh out a bit.

In short: go get yourself a deck and have some fun!

[ordinaryschmuck]

Why do I love Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse?

Aside from the fact that it's about my favorite superhero of all time? Let me count the ways...

The animation. I already know I'm not blowing any minds here, but good word, the animation is SPECTACULAR! By blending CGI models with hand-drawn elements, this is the only experience in a superhero movie that made me feel like a comic book has been brought to life. You might say that "it's not live-action," but that's beside the point. 90% of most MCU movies are practically animated, aside from the 10% that have actual humans on screen. So you should have no qualms when this beautiful masterpiece of a film manages to make you feel like you're watching a comic in motion, to the point where you could pause any frame of animation and turn it into a comic panel. Sidenote, if they make this movie into a graphic novel, I would absolutely buy it. I don't care if it's pointless when I could just watch the movie. Give me that graphic novel version of this gorgeous film.

The opening logos are unironically jaw-dropping. They flash through the many variations each insignia could have/has gone through, giving you a taste of the insanity of what this movie will bring. It also plays into what happens to the characters, meaning that while the story hasn't started yet, we're still given a heavy dose of foreshadowing.

The CCA stamp doesn't get enough credit. For those who don't know, back in the day, comics had to adhere to the Comics Code Authority's regulations, sticking their CCA stamp onto every cover to ensure parents that what was inside was kid friendly. It got to the point where no one took it seriously anymore, and the stamp became an irrelevant system that almost always failed to point out the age demographic for comics. The fact that Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse is rated PG makes the callback even funnier.

The opening narration. It introduces us to this universe's version of Peter Parker, who's basically the every-man in the Spider-Man universe (The every-Spider-Man?). He features the highest highs and lowest lows of Spider-Man, showcasing his history and origins in a way that fans will adore while making something entertaining for the 1% of people who somehow never heard of Spider-Man.

Miles' introduction is close to perfection. Making him an artist already earns some relatability points from yours truly but having him jam out to music while doing it turns him into one of my favorite characters that I see myself in. I can't count the number of times I'm drawing something, and I get lost in the music playing in my headphones. I've known this character for less than a minute, and I already see a lot of myself in him. The fact that he procrastinated getting ready and did it all in a rush is just the cherry on top. And given how I look whiter than the snow on a Christmas day and Miles looks...very much not that, I already feel like the writers are doing something right if I see myself in someone like him. Most writers go the route of making a character's race or ethnicity their only character trait. There are some good intentions in that somewhere, but writers forget that without things like personalities, interests, and desires, the character's race does not matter. They're still going to be boring. Give me more Miles Morales, less of the hollowed shells called human beings that you find on the CW.

The one-take of Miles walking through his neighborhood mirroring/contrasting with his walk through school does well to visually explain the disconnect he feels about being in a new school and an unfamiliar environment.

I love Miles' dad. I'll get more to the emotional stuff later, but Jefferson Davis starts out great as someone strict but still trying hard to connect with Miles. It's genuinely heartwarming to see. Plus, that "I love you, Dad" scene…I mean, come on!

The montage of Miles' first day does well in showcasing the pressure the character is feeling. Maybe I'm still relating so much to Miles, but I felt how hard his day was for him.

The video of Olivia Octavius is some solid foreshadowing of the multiversal madness ahead and even better foreshadowing of who Olivia is, considering that Miles JUST blocks her last name. This scene also introduces us to Gwen while subtly hinting at who she is by Miles briefly saying, "I've never seen you around here before.”

Community is playing on Uncle Aaron's TV...That's it. I watched all of Community last year and grew to appreciate seeing a reference or two about it showing up.

Miles' moment with Uncle Aaron is sweet. It shows how things are easy between them, and Miles can rant about anything to the laid-back person his uncle is, in contrast to the eggshells Miles seems to dance around when dealing with his dad. Plus, Aaron showing off the shoulder touch pays off for two great scenes in the future. Not to mention his "hey" sends this bisexual a little...haywire.

Miles spray painting the wall is touching for two reasons. For one, it proves how much sweeter this universe's Aaron is. In other iterations, he manipulates Miles, searching for ulterior motives, primarily for Aaron's selfish gain. Here, it's clear he genuinely cares about his nephew, wanting to share this moment with Miles and have fun in a way the two should. It's also touching to see Miles express himself. We got a taste of his phenomenal talent near the beginning, but to see him make that masterpiece that he made proves how much of an artist he really is. It really is the best way to make this Miles not only unique but also engaging. 

The spray paint getting sprayed on the corner of the screen is also a nice touch. They didn’t have to do it, but they did, and I love it.

The Spider bite. The thing that fundamentally changes Miles' life, and the lives of other Spider-People before him, for now, and forever...and he swats it like it was nothing. That's...incredible.

Miles reacting to his spider bite, however, leads to a collection of great moments that are awkward as they are hilarious. 

By the way, have I mentioned that this movie is funny? And not in your face with it like other Marvel movies. I mean that Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse is naturally funny, having great jokes that work well within the situation while never stealing away from the moment. I won't go over all the humorous moments, but I'll definitely talk about my favorites.

Like Miles' interaction with Gwen post-spider bite. It's awkward in all the right ways, and his facial expression as he stiffly places his hand on her shoulder cracks me up every time.

The "Who's Morales?" bit is iconic. I told you, this movie is just naturally funny!

Using the Amazing Fantasy comic cover as a reference is great. It's the comic that gave us the best superhero ever made, so it's nice of the animators to throw that in as a callback, honoring the contribution it made to humanity.

By the way, it used to bother me how Peter Parker allowed a comic to detail his backstory, but it just now occurred to me that the Peter Parker in the comic looks vastly different from the one in that universe. That, coupled with the knowledge that he has licensed merch, proves that he allowed this comic as long as the artists made sure his identity remained secret. Just another little detail that makes this movie amazing.

Speaking of small details, I love that Miles has a lot of contacts on his phone. Both his contacts and that one-take in the beginning show that he's a social kid instead of an outcast like Peter, which is nice. It’s for the best that this movie shows that Miles is his own person than a mixed-race Spider-Man 

Another fact is that his comic creators are in there too. That's a cute thing to include.

The visual explanation for Miles' spider sense is remarkable. I always get chills with the words "LOOK OUT," illustrating that it's silently screaming in his brain. Gah, such a good scene! Can you marry a scene? Because I want to marry this scene. It's easily my favorite in anything Spider-Man-related.

Peter's fight with Green Goblin is INSANE! Admittingly, when I first watched this movie, it was a little hard to tell what was going on due to so much happening all at once. But, after seeing it for the fiftieth time, I can certainly say that I appreciate how off-the-wall Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse gets with its action, especially with this first fight scene. It's only a taste of what's to come, and I'm glad the film slowly eases you into the more insane scenes by prepping you with a moment like this.

Peter Parker’s introduction to Miles is perfect. The writers do everything right, starting with Peter breaking the ice with a joke, attempting to cool Miles off from his first near-death experience, only to get serious once Peter realizes what Miles is exactly. And I adore how Peter calmly approaches the situation, reassuring Miles that while things will change whether he likes it or not, Peter will be there to help him. Peter doesn't even hesitate when he volunteers to mentor Miles. You get the sense that Peter's excited about it, and, gosh dang it, these writers really did a great job in making him the Every-Spider-Man.

Miles recording Peter's fight with Prowler...Because of f**king course, he does. Wouldn't you?

Kingpin's the villain! This is cool because, while he's mostly remembered as a Daredevil villain nowadays, it's great that this movie recognizes that he started off as a member of Spider-Man's rouge's gallery. And, sure, he lacks the depth that Vincent D'Onofrio had in Daredevil. But he's still pretty threatening and even terrifying, being the character that allows this movie to earn its PG rating. 

Plus, his motivation is...good enough. It's not the best thing in the world, but it works just enough to be believable for this character, all while explaining why he's working hard to, you know, break the universe. So, yeah, a solid villain for one of the best superhero movies of all time.

The fact that it's Peter Parker that technically caused the other Spider-People to show up is amazing to me. It proves that without meaning to, he still manages to find a way to save the day. Even if that means pulling other Spider-People from their dimensions...which is ultimately killing them. Yeah, isn't that just classic Peter Parker bad luck for ya?

Also, heh, you can see Peter B. Parker and the others fly away from the explosion. That's funny.

Peter's last words to Miles...Wow. It's one of those moments you know that he knows that he's not going to make it out this time. So, in his last moments, Peter offers as much advice as he can to Miles, telling him what needs to be done and how to do it. What I love most is the fact that he still cracks jokes and still gives Miles the false hope that he'll "catch up," showing that, above all else, Peter cares about making people feel safe and secure. Again, he really is the Every-Spider-Man...Or was, at least.

Peter's eye-roll at Prowler. Even at death, he's still making us laugh.

Miles is a coward...It feels weird to say that's something I love about this film, but it's true. Miles starting off as someone who runs and hides instead of trying to help Peter Parker does the job to make it even more satisfying when Miles eventually does find courage and confidence in being a Spider-Man. 

Also, his guilt seems more reasonable here than it does in the comics. Miles' guilt in the comics stems from not being there to help Ultimate Peter Parker, even though there's not really anything Miles could have done to help, and Peter was already as good as dead before Miles knew he could help. Here, while it's a lot more likely Miles could die, I do understand his guilt as he's right there and able to do something rather than nothing. So not only does Miles' cowardice set up a great character arc, but it also does its job in making him feel better guilt than his comic counterpart. So, nice job all around.

This version of The Prowler is amazing. His motif, his outfit, his silent badassery. It’s just so perfect.

Miles runs home to his family and not to the school...because his family is where he feels the safest. That just hit me--GAH, THIS MOVIE'S GREAT!

Miles' mom is so sweet. She's mostly remembered for one line, reassuring Miles that their family doesn't run away from things, but that one line proves to you all what you need to know: She's there to tell Miles what he needs to hear, even though she doesn't entirely know how much he needed to hear it. Such a great mom.

New York's reaction to Spider-Man's death. You feel it in everybody, literally everybody. Just the number of people showing up to his funeral proves how much he earned the title of "Friendly Neighborhood Spider-Man."

Best. Stan Lee cameo. Ever. This movie came out a month after Stan Lee passed away, and I feel like Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse did the best job of honoring him. Spider-Man really is Stan's greatest co-creation (with help from Steve Ditko, of course), and the best Spider-Man movie being one of the last he made an appearance in really hits hard. RIP, Stan. Thank you and Steve Ditko for the hero that is loved by all.

It's also neat that Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse has a better reason why Miles is wearing a Halloween costume when dressing up as Spider-Man. It was done in the comics to make him easily hide his identity, but it's also in poor taste, to the point where even the characters in the comics point out how it's poor taste. Here, Miles buys the costume in tribute to Spider-Man when going to Peter Parker's funeral, like a lot of people have done. And, well, he already has it, so he might as well continue to use it. Man, this movie really is trying to make Miles' origin story better than it was in the comics, huh?

This movie manages to do the "Jump/Pussy" scene from Venom, and not only is it funnier, but it's also done better. At first, you're laughing at Miles giving up despite the music epically building up about how he's about to jump. But then, after he gives up the first time, he tries again, using a smaller building because he thinks it'll be easier. This movie took a funny scene, then twisted it to visually tell us how determined Miles is to do the right thing! You see, Venom? This is how you actually make a good movie!

Peter B. Parker's narration does a great job of underlining the contrast between him and Peter Parker (also, for consistency, I'll be calling him Peter B. for the rest of the review. It's simpler). While Peter's narration reveals to us his success and zeal for the life he has, Peter B.'s is all about his failures and how much he's given up on life. Already, it's a quick and easy way of proving how different both Peters are, and I don't mind it. Primarily because each narration works well for the film's main running joke and because Peter B.'s is the funniest because what he says clashing with what is shown. I still laugh at that hard cut of him crying in the shower, as mean as that sounds.

The seahorse bit. I mean, come on. The fact that he gets choked up about seahorses mating for life always gets to me.

While Peter B. is getting sucked into the portal, knowing there's no stopping it, his first priority is to get his mask. That tells me that despite how far life beat him with the bad luck stick, he still knows the number one rule of being Spider-Man: Always bring your mask. 

Also, he tries to save the pizza...which makes me chuckle. I won't lie.

Peter B. and Miles getting pulled/dragged through the city is the best type of chaos. It's great knowing that while the animation is perfect for some epic fight scenes, it also has some impeccable slapstick.

Peter B. is the Spider-Man that rejects the code: With great power comes great responsibility. That part of Peter B. always intrigues me, and it makes sense. He was beaten down because of great responsibility, so even though it was the last words of his Uncle Ben, he'd rather live without them. Yet that doesn't mean he's done with being a good person. He's tired and burnt out, sure. But he still helps Miles once realizing that he can't just walk away from someone that needs him. It presents an interesting dynamic, for while Peter B. has to teach Miles how to be Spider-Man, Miles is there to help Peter B. remember how to be Spider-Man. Not a lot of people bring that up, and it's what I admire about their relationship.

I don't know about you all, but the diner scene always makes me want burgers and fries, without fail. It just makes the food look so good! Too bad it comes from a restaurant with a C-grade health code...Oh, so that's why it closed down six years ago in Peter B.'s universe.

Aside from their narrations, Peter B.'s advice also clashes with Peter's. Peter B. always offers more practical stuff, telling Miles what to do so he won't lose his mind while being Spider-Man. It works with Peter B.'s character and, once again, proves how he couldn't be further different from Peter Parker. With that said, Peter B. still offers great advice from time to time. Granted, it's when things are actually serious and during danger, but, hey, at least he tries.

Peter B. and Miles thinking is perfect and earned being a meme.

Peter B. coming up with the plan. It proves that he's both intuitive for coming up with it so quickly and simple-minded in thinking it would be that easy. Plus, Miles' interjections offer great humor.

Peter B. saying teenagers are the worst always gets a chuckle out of me because of the fact that Spider-Man is the superhero widely remembered for being a teenager.

Olivia Octavius. GOOD! GOLLY! MISS MOLLY, what a twist! Now, there are a few minuscule hints making it more obvious in hindsight, like the octagon decorating surrounding her and what looks like an arm prototype behind Peter B. With that said, however, I WAS SHOCKED IN THEATERS! This kooky lady who, at first, seems ecstatic to see Peter B. turns out to be an alternate version of one of his worst enemies and was actually fascinated by how he got there and how to kill him. Such a good scene that never fails to give me chills!

And the fight that comes after it is equally intense, fun, and epic.

The funniest moment in the movie is the monitor gag. That is all.

BAGEL! By the way, someone actually cosplayed as that scientist who got BAGELED! Not really a fun fact about the movie, but it is a fun fact about life.

Gwen's narration is probably the most beneficial. Nearly everybody knows about Peter Parker, and I think enough people know about Miles, but I'm not sure how well-known Spider-Gwen was before the movie (and, yes, I know she's called Spider-Woman or Ghost Spider. It's just that Spider-Gwen's more fun to say. Leave me alone). People might know of her but not so much about her whole deal and origins. So, it helps that the movie flies by her origins, telling newcomers what they need to know and leaving them to learn the rest from her comics.

Also, Gwen, come on. Miles is the reason you got that dope haircut in the first place. Let him compliment it.

ALSO also, Gwen's a pretty fun character. I have some problems with how she's in the story, but I do love her punk-rock personality and how she's basically the only Spider-Person with a functioning brain cell...Except for that Gwanda bit, but we don't talk about that. Despite some flaws, Gwen's a character with a lot of humor and solid character interactions, especially with Miles.

Gwen and Miles are adorable together. Have I mentioned that? Because it's true. They don't have much time to develop their relationship (that's for future movies to do), but the time they do have is still pretty darn cute.

Kingpin's flashback is beautifully animated while also paying homage to the art style of the comic his design is based on. It's pretty cool that this already brilliantly animated movie still manages to find different ways to look gorgeous.

This movie has the best Aunt May. Don't argue, Raimi nerds! You know it's true! She kicks ass, accepting of Peter's secret, looks old, and has some pretty snappy one-liners. You see this woman and understand how Peter Parker came to be the man he is--Er, was. If you have a problem with this Aunt May, you can take it up with the baseball bat she used to beat Tombstone. Tombstone! How can you hate an old woman who can do that?!

As for May's interaction with Peter B., it's--Say it with me now--perfect. They're both basically meeting ghosts of people they loved, and May and Peter B. interact the same as if it was the version of each other they've always known. There is genuine heartbreak and love in each of their voices, and you feel every bit of it. Even the jokes about Peter B. being fat and wearing sweatpants doesn't spoil the moment but add to it, showing May's distaste over a version of her nephew letting himself go. It's snark, but snark from the love of a woman who's basically his mother. What did you expect?

The Spider-Cave is awesome! Little weird that Peter Parker, a character known for being as poor as dirt in the comics, has this, but then you remember something: The merchandise. This was a Peter who whored himself out with cereal, Christmas albums, and so-so popsicles. Heck, even the Spider-Buggy, also from the comics, was promotional material. This means that Peter Parker made BANK on the stuff he made, so much so that he was able to afford a cave that would make Batman jealous. It might not be one-for-one the exact explanation for how he has it, but the movie offers enough information to make it a reasonable conclusion anyway.

I want a Spider-Noir movie. I don't care if it's animated or not. I want a gosh dang Spider-Noir movie. And it has to be played by Nicholas Cage. It wouldn't be right if it wasn't because he’s the reason that Spider-Noir is the funniest character in the movie.

I love that every single Spider-Person is totally on board with staying behind and leaving their homes forever if it's the only way to get the others back to where they belong. They're definitely Spider-People, alright. Nobel sacrifices like that are all a part of the DNA.

The scene where the others put a lot of pressure on Miles results in complicated feelings. On the one hand, it's not cool for them to do this. On the other, you understand why. This isn't the typical stopping a mugger or fighting a c-lister. This is a fight to save the multiverse with dozens of people who will make the mission all the more dangerous. The pressure they're making Miles feel is close to what they'll be dealing with in the fight with Kingpin, so what they're doing is somewhat validated through the current circumstances. I may not like it, but I do understand it.

And I've got to give Peter B. credit for being both Miles' hype man and telling the other Spider-People to cool it with the pressure. Out of all of them, he understands Miles a little better and wants to keep the poor boy sane. It's pretty sweet.

Jefferson reaching out to Aaron is also pretty dang heartwarming. You can tell there's some definite tension between the two, but they're still brothers. Family loves family, no matter the mistakes (unless your family is reasonably toxic, in which case, you cut them out yesterday). Jefferson reaching out is a testament to that...Even if Aaron might not have deserved it--Yeah, let's get into that.

The reveal of Aaron being the Prowler...Where do I even begin? Fellow comic nerds already knew this was coming, but that doesn't stop this reveal from hurting. The part that gets me is the score. It expertly portrays the amount of fear and betrayal Miles is feeling at this moment, to the point where you don't even need to see what's happening to understand something tragic is going down.

The chase scene that follows is also pretty intense, added with the red sky and the several moments where Miles barely gets away. It's...You know what it is. It's f**king perfect.

Scorpion looks cool. A little weird, sure, but still pretty badass and intimidating.

My favorite fight in the movie might just be the Spider-People battling the...Fearsome Fivesome? Alright, whatever they're called, they're part of a fun and chaotic fight scene, with playing keep away with the Goober being what adds much-needed tension.

Uncle Aaron's death. I love that they let Aaron die a good man, willing to back down so Miles could go free. It's definitive proof that he actually cared for his nephew, to the point where the first thing Aaron felt upon realizing it was Miles was pure fear. Like, "Oh, crap! Not only did I almost kill my brother's son, but this boy is now in some deep s**t! I gotta help him!" And I appreciate that the writers made Aaron a decent human being rather than a diabolical scumbag who wanted to take advantage of Miles or a coward who tried to kill him because he was too scared to fail Kingpin. Even when Aaron's dying, the first thing he does is apologize for letting Miles down, a sentiment that's as sweet as it is tragic. Aaron may not have been a perfect man, but he died wanting to protect Miles, the love for his nephew overshadowing his greed. And I think that redemption is worth everything.

And, MAN, is his death a gut punch! The writers certainly succeeded in giving Miles his Uncle Ben Moment, with Aaron's last words being motivational in telling Miles to "keep going" and how he's the best of them. It's a bittersweet moment, and Miles' dad mistaking Miles to be Aaron's killer doesn't make things any better.

What is sweet, though, is how all the Spider-People are there for Miles, sharing the tragedy they all went through and confirming that the hardest part about being Spider-Man is losing the people you love. And the biggest miracle is that THE CARTOON PIG DOESN'T RUIN THIS MOMENT! Seriously, what does it say about this movie where the character who's practically a Looney Tune manages to keep the emotional weight of the scene going?

Peter B. being tough with Miles...Ouch. It was necessary. Peter B. was doing it as one final test, giving Miles one last chance that he could come through when it matters. The others were even right outside his window, ready and hoping to let Miles join them. But it wasn't meant to be, and it stings to see Miles at this low point. Thankfully, he has someone to pull him out of this funk.

Jefferson's talk with Miles...Told you I'd get to the emotional stuff. But joking aside, this scene...left my eyes a little steamy this time around. Jefferson visually meets Miles halfway and pours his heart out, sharing the feelings Jefferson usually kept guarded except for a moment when it mattered. Sure, Jefferson doesn't know all the facts about the current tragedy he and Miles are going through, but the words he provides give Miles the spark he needs. The spark that Jefferson has always seen in Miles. And the spark that Miles uses to free himself to take that one last step to being Spider-Man. Or, rather, one last leap.

The "What's Up Danger" scene. Do I really need to explain what makes this scene incredible? I know I keep saying the word perfect a lot with this review, but that's really the best way to describe so much of this movie, especially with this moment. The visuals of Miles rising instead of falling and swinging through the city in succession are awe-inspiring. The score mixing in Miles' hero motif with "What's Up Danger," resulting in a moment that's as pleasant on the ears as it is on the eyes. All of it culminates together for a scene that delivers all of the hype, creating a moment where Miles is no longer Miles Morales. He's f**king Spider-Man. And he earned that title.

Also, a small thing, I love that Miles' suit is one of Peter Parker's, but spray-painted black with Miles' interpretation of the Spider-Man logo. It shows Miles stepping into Peter Parker's shoes but doing it in his own style. It's just a great little detail that not a lot of people mention.

Did Kingpin seriously throw a memorial service for the guy he killed? What a filthy, disgusting man...I love him!

The bread scene is hilarious. It involves a pointless character, but I can't help but crack up at how Peter B.'s attempt to find closure with MJ is through him apologizing about not getting her table bread. Peter B. saying, "I want to fill this room up with bread," is just the cherry on top this hilarious sundae.

I really dig Olivia saying, "Goodbye, Peter Parker." You can tell by the way she said it that she wanted to be the one to kill Spider-Man.

Miles coming in to deliver that punch at Doc Ock is a laptop background in the making.

I love how in a situation where the universe is crumbling apart around them, and bad guys are shooting at them all, THAT is the moment when Peter B. realizes that he wants kids. I'm telling you, most of the time, this movie is just naturally funny.

As for the situation they're in, the collider fight is, without a doubt, the most insane final battle in a Spider-Man movie. All the universes merging and tearing the place apart forces the characters to fight as the environment morphs and forms around them, making it a battle where anything could go down. It results in a pretty fun climax, and I love how the colors match the light tone this fight is going for...remember that. It's gonna come back later.

Spider-Ham DESTROYING Scorpion after he dissed cartoons is an exact representation of what the animation community wants to do when someone calls animation kids' stuff or silly. Let it be known that we'd wreck your shop too if we could.

I love how Miles swinging up to the top of the collider incorporates lessons from both Peter Parkers. Obviously, there's the way Miles copied his universe's Peter moves to get up there, but stealing away the Goober by throwing back Peter B.'s "don't watch the mouth, watch the hands" motto adds a little extra that I appreciate.

Miles' goodbye to Peter B. is a culmination of their arcs, where Miles, the student, finally becomes the master, being the one to trip up Peter B. (with the same move he used on Miles, no less) and tells him to get his s**t together and go home. Peter B. taught Miles a lot, letting him see the importance of Spider-Man, the pressure he has to go through, and the faith he must have. And here comes Miles spitting all that back at Peter B., adding more to how they teach each other how to be their better selves. And I relish that!

Remember how I said the colors were bright in the collider, matching the fun of the climax? Well, the second it's just Miles and Kingpin, the colors become darker and more intense, matching the tone of this final battle between good and evil. It makes things way more cinematic and visually pleasing, so kudos...to whoever I give kudos to in this case. There are SO MANY people responsible for animating a single second--Literally, a single second of animation that it's hard to tell who deserves more credit half the time.

As for the fight itself, IT'S AS INTENSE AS THE COLORS IMPLY IT IS! You feel the beating Kingpin gives Miles, but despite how violent it is, there were always these small glimmers of hope that Miles might get the upper hand. That hope gets beaten down by Kingpin's cartoonishly big fist, but there is still hope nonetheless. And it would grow through the most unexpected places.

Is it a little ludicrous that Jefferson is right there to give the most essential words any Spider-Man needs to learn? Oh, absolutely. Without a doubt. But is it still heartwarming that Jefferson still tells Spider-Man to get up despite thinking he killed Aaron, further proofing how Jefferson's always there to tell Miles what he needs to hear when it's important? You'd better gosh dang believe it.

Miles using the shoulder touch on Kingpin is the best. In a way, that lets Miles and Aaron get revenge.

Seeing into the Spider-verse (ha!) is a gorgeous sight to behold, both for the audience and for Miles.

DID THEY HAND DRAW THAT EXPLOSION?! Gosh DANG IT, this movie is insane!

Dang, Jefferson allowing Miles to throw up his art on the wall warms the heart to the fullest it's ever been when watching this movie. He really wants to do better in reaching out to Miles, even if Jefferson still lays down the ground rules for how Miles should express himself.

And Spider-Man hugging Jefferson is equal parts touching and hilarious.

I'm noticing a pattern. My favorite Spider-Man movies are ones where Spidey webs up the big bad for the police to pick up. Instead of, you know...killing them. I loved it in Spider-Man: Homecoming, and I especially adore it here.

The one-take of Miles walking through the streets as Spider-Man mirrors how he did it at the beginning of the movie and contrasts the one-take at his school. It illustrates that he regained his confidence because how could he not after all the s**t he went through. I'd feel pretty big about myself too.

Miles' final narration does well in tying everything together, recapping events, showing how everyone else is doing, and stating the big lesson of the movie. A lesson that Stan Lee himself believed in, as he always thought that what makes Spider-Man amazing is that anyone, anyone at all, could be under that mask. No matter who they are or what they look like, anybody has the potential to represent the ideals of Spider-Man. And while I'm not a fan of movies spelling out their messages to the audience...It's a Spider-Man movie. Narrating to the audience is as essential for the ending as the final swing is, and this one has both! All around, a good ending...with a tease for more.

Though I will admit, it's not every day when I say that a movie's credits are as visually pleasing as the rest of the film.

And while Stan Lee's cameo is a great final tribute to him, ending the movie with one of his quotes is just as spectacular. Again, rest in peace, Stan.

By the way, I adore "Spider-Bells." Not only does it crack me up that Peter has a mental breakdown halfway through singing it, but it also means this movie is a Christmas movie...Because if people can call Die Hard a Christmas movie, then I can call Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse a Christmas movie too. Leave me alone.

As for final teasers, Spider-Man 2099 looks dope and I cannot wait to see him tear Miles apart in Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse...That felt weird to say, but let the record show that I said with love!

And they got the pointing meme in. Yup, I adore this movie!

So, a pretty flawless film, right?

…Weeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeell–

Ok, I want to make it clear that while there are problems to be had, they don't spoil the movie. Most of them are just nitpicks that always bothered me personally, so don't take them too seriously. With that said...

Where did the spider come from? It's the thing that fundamentally changes Miles' life, and we never really got an answer for that.

Why did Gwen double back on revealing her name? Gwen's a pretty common name to have. And, odds are, the one in this universe looks vastly different to her. We already know Peter B. Parker is different from Miles' Peter Parker, so it's not too much of a stretch. Plus, even if Gwen looks the same, the Gwen we know within this movie is already risking a lot by being out as herself, so why change the name? I know it's a small thing, but like I said, it always bothered me.

And while we're on the topic of Gwen, I'm not a fan of her backstory. Not her origin story, that's fine. But the fact that she was in Miles' universe for a whole week and her spider-sense told her to go to his school is...confusing? If being in Miles' universe is literally killing her, how is she not dead already? And how does spider-sense tell her to go to a new school? As far as I can tell, spider-sense is an alarm system that gives a Spider-Person total awareness of everything around them. Not to act as an instruction manual of what to do in life. I take it that this is an excuse to get her and Miles to interact more and form more of a romantic bond, which I'm fine with because they're adorable together. It's just that I wish this was done in a way that made more sense because, as is, it's making my brain hurt.

Kingpin's design...is laughable. Apparently, it's paying homage to a Daredevil comic's artist interpretation of the character, which I guess it's cool...but he looks ridiculous. And don't get me wrong, I love it when superhero animation goes for a more stylistic approach with heroes and villains instead of a realistic one. It's why Spectacular Spider-Man is my favorite Spider-Man show as opposed to others, because every character looks unique from one another, especially the villains. And while Kingpin certainly looks unique...it's a little too much, and it's the one thing I never take seriously with this film.

Green Goblin! One of the most important and influential villains in Spider-Man's line-up...is wasted as canon fodder, dying just as fast as he's introduced. Kind of disappointing.

Spider-Noir, Peni Parker, and Spider-Ham are great characters. They're each animated in great styles that perfectly convey they're from another universe, have some great jokes, and are overall a good time. The problem? They're...not necessary. You can cut these three out of the movie, and nothing will change. I wouldn't mind if they were characters who were there to add fluff and nothing else, but they're there to also add emotional weight to the story. Take Peni's sadness about SP/dr getting destroyed or the characters all saying goodbye to Miles. I can tell that they're all meant to be heart wrenching moments, but we hardly spend time with these characters to feel like it's earned. Miles barely got time to spend with them, so that, right there, takes the punch out of their sad farewells. Again, they're great characters, and I do love that they're a part of this movie. The only problem is that they're in too short of a film to really deserve the emotional beats.

The Spider-People hiding from Miles' roommate might be the ONE joke that fits the more "In your face" style like other Marvel movies. It spoiled the serious momentum before it, and I feel like they kept it in for the sake of a trailer clip.

Hey! Mary Jane Watson is the worst part of a Spider-Man movie! Yeah, go figure. She's an essential part of Peter's life, but there's no personality to either version of the character we see in this movie. Calling her an over-glorified plot device would be generous.  Sorry, MJ, but a Spider-Man movie has, once again, done you dirty. But at least you're pretty good in the MCU...Don't give me that look. You know it's true.

I don't mind Kingpin failing to kill Miles. Villains will stupidly allow the heroes to gain the second wind, and you just need to accept that in superhero media...BUT HOW THE ACTUAL HELL DID MILES, HIS DAD AND ALL THE OTHER NORMAL LIVING PEOPLE SURVIVE THAT EXPLOSION! Look at it! It was massive!

But, seriously, that’s all I have.

Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse is the best Spider-Man movie. Nerds and losers debate about which of the live-action films are better but note how rarely anyone denies Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse being on top. Can you blame them? With game-changing animation, amazing characters, and a story showcasing everything that's to love about Spider-Man, you cannot get better than this. I look forward to the rest of this trilogy, but I have already accepted that Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse will forever remain at the best that there is, and it'll take actual flawless perfection to change my mind.

[pankomako]

someone i follow posting about pokemon got me thinking about it again so im just gonna make my own post. but like. personally? im so bored of playing pokemon. now i say this as someone whose first mainline game was sun/moon, but i find every time i pick up a pokemon game, i play it for maybe a month or two and then get bored and drop it again before i can even finish it. i own plenty of pokemon games but have only beat i think two. see the thing with it is i love the concept of pokemon - collecting creatures, battling with them and evolving them - but the gameplay and the repeated narrative formula are what im tired of.

i think what pokemon needs to draw me back in for real is to do a TOTAL refresh. clean the slate of pokemon and introduce new ones without bringing any back (except MAYBE a few like the obvious pikachu), have a whole new narrative, please no gyms this time but im ok with defeating bad guys; maybe even rework the battle system a little, have a way to level up mons that's not tedious and maybe even fun, have more ways to INTERACT with your mons oh my god. honestly just combine elements of pokemon interaction from the past 3 gens. i want to pet AND feed AND wash AND play with them. AND more character customization. especially body type and facial features for the love of fuck. and let us dress up our mons too that would be fun. it can be purely cosmetic. let my starter wear a little hat in battle. i would also love to see more prominent personalities in mons?? imagine if they had different behaviors based on their personalities instead of it just affecting stats.

actually, they dont need to nix gyms entirely, but i'd prefer they not be REQUIRED for progression. like i like how the last gen had the 3 different paths but you kinda had to do all of them for the story, right? i like the idea of having different options for doing things with your pokemon, but i think the best way to execute it is to have the player choose which one they want to mainly pursue and make the rest optional. like how some gens had pokemon contests but they weren't required for progress like gyms. i'd say keep gyms, bring back contests, maybe throw 1-3 more options in (one of those could be filling out the dex), have the player choose one to focus on to track progression while they work through whatever the main story is.

just, i want them to make it NEW, and make it FUN. i think their first mistake was choosing to repeat the basic plot structure of the first games anyway

(alternative idea though: pokemon game that involves traveling the WHOLE world. visiting ALL the regions instead of being contained in one. imagine that)

[misscammiedawn]

ask on anon bc side blog. sorry advance dont words good okay to delete no understand

hi! saw one of your mr robot posts mention hot carla and the book. love love love red wheelbarrow book wondering if you have any thing to share you like from reading it. puzzle fun and seeing burn not actually burn writing but printing words. love love love that! also how elliot / mastermind / how ever he call himself, write about mr robot. good book

I am sad that I did not get a physical copy of the book we listened to the audiobook narrated by a trans actress playing Hot Carla and reading her red ink inserts as asides. She does a phenomenal job, especially in the parts where her commentary is displaying empathy for Elliot's situation.

But as we did not have a physical copy I was unable to participate in the ARG elements of the book but I have seen scans of the puzzles and I appreciate that the show was kind enough to put solutions to some of the ciphers in episode 11 of season 2.

I adored the little things like how Elliot and Mr Robot's handwriting shifted when Elliot was starting to get into a rant during the FUCK SOCIETY pages.

The thing I liked most about the book was just getting a feel for the little nuances of Elliot's prison life. Leon working at the library and getting to learn more about the shows he watched before reaching Sienfeld or having Elliot react to the news of what Darlene and FSociety are doing while he's incarcerated. I understand the Prince of Thieves moment in Time Square could have been expensive to shoot if it were in the show but I do like the color it added to Darlene's character, particularly during her short time as the leader of a misguided revolutionary group.

I also appreciate how much we got to learn about Magda during the book. She is not really featured that much in the show proper. I am pretty sure the imaginary version of her in Elliot's mind (and in the prison) get more screen time and personality than the actual woman herself. The story with the cat really helps paint Darlene's "Moth to the Flame" moment as well as the previous episode's declaration that being kidnapped was her happiest childhood memory.

If I have one complaint though it's that Hot Carla was effectively used as a tool for Elliot's quest for justice and redemption. The only reason it doesn't ruin the book for me is that I respect the absolute terror that went into Elliot giving her the journal to read and the fact that we are reading it by way of Carla's forgiving him for endangering her.

Elliot was an absolute idiot for what he did but Carla found it in her to forgive him despite how horrible the consequences of his noble intentions were. But that's the show in a nutshell, isn't it? Elliot can't action his way out of his problems and outsource them. Season 2 is too early for him to have learned that lesson, though.

I suppose another complaint is that I did not enjoy how juvenile and vulgar Mr Robot was with his drawing dicks all over the journal. I never viewed him as that immature in the show. He's abrasive and an standoffish arsehole for certain but he is not a teenager...

Well. Except in the "child's idea of an adult" kind of way, but I just don't see him being the dicksdicksdicks guy.

I guess it stands out more when the drawings are detailed by Carla describing them.

Anyway, it's a fantastic addition to the show and though it's not mandatory reading by any stretch, it gives us more Leon and lets us see more of Elliot and Mr Robot's inner workings which is always a win in my book.

[grumpy-potat]

Pygmalion and Galatea Tarot Pick a Pile

In the Greek myth of Pygmalion and his sculpture Galatea who through divine intervention becomes a real woman, we are presented with an artist king of Cyprus who has spurned love, women, and desire for companionship. Completely turned off by the women of his country he decided that he would never marry or find love. However, depending upon the version of the myth he either creates or is given a statue of such beauty that he calls upon the Goddess of Love, and the patron of his island to bring him a wife that is of equal beauty, having found that he wants to have a companion just like her. Aphrodite turns the statue into a person and the two get married and have a daughter.

Photo by Quino Al on Unsplash

Like all Greek myths this myth has many iterations, but they all follow a similar theme even if some elements change. One element that has been added over time is naming the statue. In the myth, the statue isn't named, but over time we have given her the same name as a nymph who is the unrequited love of Polyphemus. Galatea means "Milky White" which would be the color of the marble she would have been sculpted out of. Another key feature is that Pygmalion decides he no longer wants the type of love that the women of Cyprus are willing to give. He finds them depraved. This has been read in many ways and all are valid. Misogyny, that he only wants a woman who can't speak to him, or he is a misogynist who learned the error of his ways and wants companionship from women at the end. Or another form of narcissism, the artist who can only love something that is a reflection of himself.

While all those are valid interpretations of the myth. I'd like to explore the story in a different way. Aphrodite is a goddess of Love and Beauty. Pygmalion lived on Cyprus, her home island and he shunned love and the rest of his people on the island to create his statues. He created his own beauty because he decided the people were too ugly and vulgar. The statue of Galatea is often a divine inspiration, not something he decided to create but something that is created in a manic drive. He falls in love with the statue's beauty and asks Aphrodite to bring him a wife as beautiful as the statue. In the end, the statue is brought to life and he marries Galatea and has a daughter with her, rejoining his community. How many of us turn away from everyone and everything when we decide that things have turned too ugly for us to face. To me, this can also be interpreted as a story of facing the fear of the ugliness of the world to accept the truth of the beauty that is also found in it. Because we can't lock ourselves away, no matter how badly we want to.

I know that this is a bit of a more positive spin than a lot of the interpretations you might encounter, but I am not a Greek mythology scholar. Just someone who has fun with literary interpretations and tarot readings. So I will also do a tarot draw today based on this interpretation of this story. Today we are going to do a three-card reading of what fear you need to let go of, what it is you need to help you succeed, the guiding muse on this path

Pick one of the three images of Pygmalion and Galatea and your reading will be below

1. Pygmalion and Galatea by Jean Leon Gerome(1824-1904)

Two of Wands, Page of Swords, Six of Wands

You have a fear of making a big decision that could push you further ahead toward a big reward or some type of goal that is outside your comfort zone. Making changes is difficult, scary, and change can be hard to process. But without necessary change there can be no growth, without taking risks there can be no rewards. What can help you process your fear and the thing you need to focus on is all your exciting new ideas and all the amazing new adventures that can be had if you do take that risk. Sometimes it can help to try to look at something with fresh eyes and from a different angle or even seek out advice from someone who might not have the same level of investment or experience to get a whole new perspective on your situation to help you reframe everything and overcome the fear you are experiencing that is stopping you from moving forward. Your guiding muse is knowing the type of recognition and acclaim you will receive at the end of this process. You will be celebrated for the work you have put in and that fuels you to continue on.

2. Pygmalion in love with his statue by Jean-Baptiste Regnault(1754-1829)

Eight of Swords, Eight of Cups, Ace of Wands

Your fear is consuming you with negative thoughts. It is like you have been caught up in life's game and you are nothing but a pawn to be played with. Just a piece to be cast aside or sacrificed when it is useful. The fear of catastrophe is crippling you and keeping you from living your life to its fullest. You need to let go of everything that isn't serving you and move on from it. Whether it is a relationship, a job, or a project, the Eight of Cups is calling you to move on. It can be hard, but the negativity of the situation could be contributing to the catastrophic thinking and world outlook you are having difficulty escaping from. Look to your muse which could be anything from a new opportunity to something new that entered your life that is bringing a spark of inspiration, and open yourself up to new passions and inspirations in both the physical, emotional, and spiritual realms.

3. Porcelain Group of Pygmalion and Galatea by Etienne-Maurice Falconete (1716-1719)

Five of Cups, Six of Pentacles, King of Pentacles

The fear that plagues you is that you might be a disappointment, that your actions might cause you regret, or that your endeavors might end it a total failure. This fear of disappointing those around you or disappointing yourself causes you to not act, or to not be as open as you might want to be. However, it is important to remember how much you have to give, and how much people appreciate you and what you do for them. You have a lot to offer, even if it doesn't feel like much to you, or it feels inadequate. Utilize your guiding muse here and have confidence in your knowledge and abilities. You are successful and have a proven track record. People trust you and when you make mistakes and own them people trust you more. If you are feeling unstable, look to someone who embodies the qualities you also want to bring into the world, it will help be a beacon for you.

Thank you all for reading my Greek myth interpretation and then the tarot readings. I've been trying to combine the things I love in different ways and I hope you all enjoy it too!

Please share any info or any of your favorite myths from anywhere with me or any of your favorite divination or witchy stuff. I love learning about things.

[talenlee]

October 2023 Wrapup

Dread Month draws to a close! The spookiest of nights, the dawn of the dead, the uh, thing! We shed our shackles and dance in our bones, and tomorrow, go about the business of being people, once again, sloughing out into the drawing heat and the growing, burning, hateful light of a sun that resents us and we celebrate in spite of it. You know, the normal and natural way everyone relates to this time of the year.

Alright, let’s do the Game Pile articles!

Don’t Go In There, a dice chucker board game made in a charming dice tower

Backwater, a really interesting TTRPG about a post-apocalyptic vision of the parts of America that are allowed to stay permanently soggy

Phantom Ink, a hidden information ghosty game in the vein of Mysterium

Carrion, a video recreation of one of my favourite articles to read aloud from 2020

Then there’s the Story Pile!

Bloodthirsty Hearts, a fiction podcast about queer girls fighting gargoyle vampires at a convention in which they learn the valuable lessons that all systems of privilege and power aren’t as important as talking to your gay crush.

The Lighthouse, a black and white movie about what enters you when you take yourself far away from everything and empty yourself.

Jujutsu Kaisen, spoiler-free, a contextualising post about how a great Shounen Battle Anime with horror elements make the idea of shounen anime nonsense.

John Carpenter’s Halloween, from 1978, a movie that is both way better than I expected, and full of all sorts of deliberate choices that people seem to replicate for no good reasons.

Willy’s Wonderland, which is, unironically a Five Nights At Freddies fan movie made by Nicolas Cage in a month and really quite good!

This month also featured a somewhat bumper load of D&D content. First, I did some worldbuilding for Cobrin’Seil, both in revealing a new location, Uxaion, which is a necrocybermagepunk city. It’s an adventure city where you can contend with economic harm and threats, and where you can also just murder your way through cops that only respect the utility of your body as a potential undead – it’s a place for wight privilege. Then I also presented the player backgrounds for characters you could make from the Szudetken province. Along with that, I made an article about Evil Gods, and the antisemitism built into the framework of the D&D Lich, and since I was just in the territory, I made fun of the 4e D&D Vampire character class, even though I think it’s a great idea. Then, in this month’s How To Be article, where I got to hold high Harrowhark Nonagesimus, drowned sad vomiting goth of the Locked Tomb franchise, I also gave a long-form discussion of how to translate a prominent, small-cast character’s vibes in a team based game.

Up here, there’s also room to talk about an OC, Z3R0, and about the ongoing, relentless onslaught of capitalism in the creation of more than half of all valid Commander cards in the past five years.

This being October, I once again did a set of Dread Readings. I know that a lot of my friends have never partaken of a lot of classic, historically important horror media. At first, Dread Readings were Lovecraft Stories, trying to make the difficult readings of his old texts into something more approachable. Then, the year after, I started picking up short stories from other, equally classic horror material that could help – in my opinion – familiarise people with different kinds of horror that you know, didn’t just continue being Lovecraft.

This year, the four Dread Readings are:

HP Lovecraft’s The Thing On The Doorstep, which I bring up as the time Lovecraft dabbled in issues of gender.

A chapter excerpt from Kenneth Grahame’s The Wind In The Willows, in which Mole and Rat meet the Horned King, a totally normal thing to randomly have in an otherwise pretty Christian book!

Destiny’s No Rez For The Weary, a lore tab entry from a videogame. I liked it because it’s horror in a science fantasy space that isn’t

Paul Jenning’s Granddad’s Gifts, a haunting story from an Australian kid’s author. This is a story I really like as an example of horror used to a different romantic effect than just fear.

It wouldn’t be October, the ongoing Dread Month, without some real downer articles. Do you want to read me being a huge downer? No? Okay, well, here are links anyway. I wrote about the Silent Hill Wiki Circumcision Incident, about how we examine the death toll of Chernobyl, about the way we all live the life of Lovecraft’s horror, about the creation of an alternate reality in the form of all media that wants to pretend the Pandemic never happened, and most of all, the horror of a history seeing suicide by immolation become more common. Know what really sucks? Since writing that article I remembered the Arab Spring was kicked off by another one!

Next up, what about this month’s T-Shirt? Since I’ve been watching Jujutsu Kaisen, this horse meme and the narrative of the series came together:

This design was one of those ones where I, with enough work, was able to put together a few variations. Redbubble lets me stick things in collections, and so, here! Have a collection for your consideration of which version looks best to you.

Work-wise, this month is the tail end of semester, which means I have been, I think, marking student work every single day of this month. I’m trying to make sure my students are getting attention they need, and still also provide plans to my cohort of teachers about how we can refine these subjects going forward. This is in addition to my phd work, which…

It’s weird?

I’m excited to work more on my phd tomorrow morning. Like I am genuinely thinking about the stuff I stopped working on today and want to pick up tomorrow. There’s a mindset shift on that front that’s been really hard to get my head around. I’m glad of it.

I’m also kind of boiling with game ideas, and without a theme – and with the upcoming no effort november vibes I’m aiming for… we might see more chill vibes going forward!

Check it out on PRESS.exe to see it with images and links!

[whatstrangeloops]

The Hades II prediction post

Wow! Hades II! That was a swerve from a studio that’s pointedly never done a sequel to any of their other games. In a way, surprising with their first sequel is entirely in character for Supergiant, who if you’ve seen interviews with the team, have always approached development from an innovation-first perspective. After Bastion, Transistor was developed around incorporating narrative elements into the mechanics more strongly, then Pyre was about writing for a large cast, and Hades, finally, was about synthesizing all their previous work into the rogue-like formula, distilling the gameplay and storytelling elements they’d kept consistently and those that they’d innovated upon previously into one release.

So what will Hades II be about, what will be it’s driving innovation? First though, let me write about the fluff. I think Hades II will have dual-wielding. The trailer really seems to emphasize both Melinoe and Hecate dual-wielding weapons. And close watchers will have noticed that Melinoe uses mismatched weapons, a sickle and a dagger. Could this mean we might get to choose a dual wielding loadout? I think it could be likely, such a system existed in Bastion and I expect that Transistor’s “weapons equipped in different primary or utility slots create build wide modifiers” system could be on the table as well.

I am also entirely certain that we will see more areas. Hades five (5) zones (I count The House of Hades as a zone) were fully fleshed but not very numerous especially comparing to SGs previous releases. I will go ahead an claim that Hades II will have closer to 8 or maybe 10 zones though I’m not sure if these will be linearly arranged, arranged on branching paths, or if instead they will crib some notes from the Spelunky games and implement secret side zones only accessible by player investment. The prospect excites me though. There are two new zones featured in the trailer, a sort of haunted forest, probably the first zone and a blink and you’d miss it shot of a mechanical “submarine” type area with fish and aquatic based enemies. Interesting. Passingly, I know that in the Greek mythos Poseidon and Hades were actually once possibly the same god only later split into different domains. To be clear I’m speaking about the historical evolution of the Greek mythology and not an explicit narrative element in any story. This detail could have interesting thematic or story implications but I’ll get to that in a bit. Anyway, it would also be cool if they remade some of the areas from the first game but you had to go through them the other way. People go crazy for that kind of thing.

What about Magick? That’s intriguing. At first, I thought that maybe this was going to replace the cast but rewatching the trailer I see that the cast is seemingly still it’s own thing. The UI in the trailer is clearly not fully fleshed out so I think it’s wise not to draw speculation from every single thing present in the trailer. It seems Magick is similar to the abilities that the exiles had in Pyre though. More movement based abilities would be an appropriate addition of complexity for a sequel...

And actually that brings me to what I teased at the start of this post. What is the principle driving Hades II’s development? I think that the innovation the Supergiant wants to explore, the new challenge they’re trying to face with this game is “How do you make a sequel?”. You might think, duh, it’s Hades 2 but you have to remember that this is Supergiant’s 5th game but only their first sequel and how do you do a sequel? I think the modern game enjoyer takes sequels for granted. We just sort of expect eventually any popular game will have a follow up but at the same time a game franchise that just pumps out sequels is seen as being commercialized or creatively bankrupt. Think about like the Madden or FIFA or Call of Duty or Assassins' Creed games. Gamers talk a lot about what sequels or entries are good or bad relative to other members of that game’s lineage. Do you just give the fans what they think they want, more of the game they already liked? Do you simplify or do you expand? How do you bring back old favorite characters whose stories you supposedly wrapped up in the last game and/or how do introduce new characters to exist alongside those old ones? These may seem like silly, basic questions but they are also fundamental to the creative structure of any sequel.

Based on this prediction I am going to speculate on the choice of Chronos as the new villain. I think it fits in my framework. We are all expecting, on some level, that Hades II will take us back to what it was like to first be playing Hades (the first) so the antagonist being Father Time himself usurping and re-establishing an older order is something that I don’t think will be left unaddressed. After the trailer posts were immediately speculating that at the end of a rogue-like cycle Chronos will simply send you back in time to the beginning again. And that Hades and Poseidon connection I mentioned before? What if Hades and Poseidon hadn’t been split historically? What if Chronos can see a different timeline? Multiverse stories have just been in the water lately and time travel and multiverses have been arm-in-arm since, ohhh that Flash comic from the Silver Age? I’m think I’m saying that at least we’ll be seeing some of the older and stranger elements of the Greek mythology being mined in this sequel. Hopefully maybe.

I could write a more, about Hecate I think, but I don’t feel like drinking anymore tonight so I think I’ll leave it at this.

[liveblack]

Types of Instagram Ads | Liveblack

Go where your audience spends most of their time. If you are a small business owner and want to draw your audience’s attention, Instagram advertising can do the bit for you. As the consumption of online content has increased, you should be prepared with something that comes to notice.

Advertising on Instagram reaches potential customers, boosts brand awareness, and is cost-effective for you to prepare a marketing strategy. Instagram ad campaigns could be the best possible way to reach people whom you consider your target audience.

What are Instagram ads and how much do ads cost on Instagram?

Instagram ads are posts that a brand/business will pay to promote their products and services. These ads may seem just like an organic post labeled as Sponsored to indicate it as an ad.

The Instagram ad cost varies depending on various elements. This can include your target audience, competition, etc.

Instagram ad cost in 2024, you can expect to pay -

$0.70–$1.00 per click

$6.70–$7.50 per thousand impressions

$0.01–$0.05 per engagement

There are different types of Instagram ads you can choose the ad format. Choose one of these ad types that perfectly matches your specific business goal. These formats are given below.

Image ads — You’ll usually see such ads while scrolling through your Instagram feed. These ad images are placed in between the posts you see from the accounts you follow. This type of ad can drive attention and catch someone’s eye to check on the product and services you’ve showcased in the ad. Also, don’t forget to check out the carousel option where you can put multiple images.

Video ads — This is the best way to showcase your product or service in an eye-catching way for people to engage. These video ads can be useful in demonstrating how your product works, highlighting its unique features, and showcasing how services can be done while you work on it, or you can also tell them your brand story. Videos can be the most effective technique to engage your audience through Instagram ads.

Story ads — Instagram stories show up between the user’s stories as it is seen by millions of users worldwide. Engagement is usually higher as the format of this ad covers the mobile screen and makes it look captivating. When designing an Instagram ad, you can use organic features such as GIFs, polls, quizzes, stickers, filters, etc.. to make it more eye-catching. Stories can be anything i.e. photos, video, carousels, etc. You can put a CTA (call to action) button by putting a link where you want your audience to land.

Explore ads — Explore tab is full of new content where people can see the posts according to their taste. When someone clicks on any post from Explore, that’s where the Explore ad appears. The Explore tab allows businesses to show trending and relevant content.

Shopping ads — Shopping ads take users to a product description page where they can shop for a product on Instagram through a mobile website. This new feature of Instagram will help businesses reach potential customers.

Reel ads—Instagram launched this new feature a while ago, and it can be an additional benefit to running Instagram ads. As shown in between, the reels have the same specifications as Story ads. The Sponderod label will be seen in the reel ads below the account name.

After learning the format of different types of ads on Instagram, let's check out how to create an ad on Instagram.

There are two ways you can create an Instagram ad. Promote an existing post and create a brand new ad from Meta Ads Manager.

Using the Boost Post method -

The simplest way to start your Instagram advertising is to promote your existing post which is performing well. This post’s success can be useful to show it to new people who aren’t following you. It’s the best use of a post that is already doing good.

For this, you’ll need a Facebook business page connected with an Instagram business or creator account. After having all this at your disposal, just click Boost Post, and your post will turn into an ad. Instagram post promotion is the best way to target your audience.

Meta Ad Manager -

Create an ad campaign through Meta Ad Manager by choosing your objective, naming your ad campaign and budget, and choosing where you want your ads to appear. Here, you can also choose the audience whether you want to choose the previously saved audience or want to create a new audience.

Saved audience i.e. past audience from previous ad campaigns or creating a new audience based on demographics — location, age, gender, interests, etc.

Steps to creating Instagram ads -

Set a budget

Choose an objective

Target your audience

Create an ad creative

Track your ad

Instagram ad tips

Mobile-friendly ads -

There are more than 4.08 billion people who use social media via mobile devices. So, it’s crucial to design your creatives accordingly. Remember to capture videos in vertical format as it is easier to crop, use large font sizes that can easily be readable, use animation, etc. These characteristics can help engage your audience.

Keep your message to the point -

Start your ad with the most vital information or message you want to deliver to your audience. As the first impression is the last, make sure your message conveys your brand value.

Use a variety of ads -

As we’ve seen different types of Instagram ads, you can try out designing different ads that have the right combination of brand message and creativity. An ad that perfectly resonates with your audience will capture their attention in the blink of an eye. Consider including Explore ads, Story ads, Reel ads, Carousels, Shopping ads, etc. Remember, your Instagram ad should be considered to keep your audience engaged.

Check analytics to see how your ads perform -

The best way to find out how your ads perform is to look into insights. Check out impressions, clicks, reach, engagement, and ROI to measure the effectiveness of the ad you’ve run.

How to use Instagram ads? Well, Instagram has an ocean of audiences who visit this platform at least once daily and visit business profiles. Many of them also find new products through this app. Instagram ads may seem costlier than Facebook but worth it when you explore engagement possibilities.

Get inspired by some of the most successful Instagram ad campaigns. Check these Instagram ad examples and see how businesses use their brand message and creativity to deliver the best to target their audience.

Check this link to get an idea about the best Instagram ad examples -

We at Liveblack — a full-stack digital marketing agency have designed the best Instagram advertising campaigns. Connect with us for your brand advertising requirements as we have a team of experts who plan the best Instagram ad campaigns for your brand.

[gtsuniverse]

Clown Duel Chaos: Uncle Rowdy's Debut Challenge

The night began with palpable tension between Jungle Jim Wilder, our current GTS YouTube Champion, and the management team. The air was thick with accusations, misunderstandings, and demands.

Grim, the authoritative figure in GTS, confronted Jungle Jim with a rather controversial request. He wanted Jim to drop the title to Rad Dad Radley Belmont at the upcoming Clown Duel event. This request didn’t sit well with Jim at all, especially given the fraught history between him and Rad Dad.

"Why should I believe you?" Jim questioned Grim, hinting at the deep-seated distrust and previous betrayals. Despite the pushback, Grim insisted, emphasizing that it was what's best for the business and that it would make for a feel-good story. He repeatedly told Jim that this decision was final, thus setting the stage for an intense encounter at Clown Duel.

Complicating the situation further, Duhop, another influential figure in GTS, had apparently given Jungle Jim conflicting information. Jim revealed, "How come Duhop tells me he wants me to win?" This only added to the chaos as Jungle Jim firmly expressed his willingness to lose the title to anyone but Rad Dad, highlighting their sour personal history. Despite his protests, Grim was adamant, confirming that Rad Dad's victory was non-negotiable.

With the tension still simmering, Jungle Jim was unexpectedly thrust into a championship defense match against Tarzan. The atmosphere was electric, with fans chanting and anticipating the unexpected.

The match commenced with Tarzan, known for his animalistic wrestling style, stepping into the ring. The wild deer-inspired antics of Tarzan added a comedic yet competitive edge to the bout. As the match progressed, it became clear that Tarzan was not just about gimmicks. He delivered a series of powerful moves that kept the audience at the edge of their seats.

"He's biting his head! Quit [messing] around and just fight!" shouted Grim from the sidelines. This no-holds-barred contest was filled with biting, headbutts, and even mock reindeer games as both wrestlers fought fiercely for the title. Despite Tarzan's wild tactics, Jungle Jim emerged victorious, much to the applause of the crowd.

Following the championship defense, the focus shifted to Conor Schaefer, who had a bone to pick with Grim regarding a mysterious purple-haired clown that had recently attacked him. Grim, in an effort to clear his name, orchestrated a match between Conor and the enigmatic Uncle Rowdy.

Uncle Rowdy’s entrance was nothing short of intimidating. His presence alone sent shivers down the fans’ spines. Grim, vehemently denying any involvement with the clown's previous attack, insisted on letting the match proceed.

Connor put up a valiant fight, landing several blows and even managing to whip Uncle Rowdy into the ropes. However, the sheer power and resilience of Uncle Rowdy were overwhelming. The match concluded with Uncle Rowdy locking Conor in an unyielding submission hold that led to him passing out, marking a decisive win for the clown.

"There's a different age coming, the age of violence, the age of Uncle Rowdy," declared the victorious clown, solidifying himself as a formidable new force within GTS.

The excitement didn’t wane as the next match featured Damon Dante seeking retribution against Jimmy Controversy. This rivalry had been brewing for weeks, with accusations of sabotage and cheating setting the stage for what was bound to be a brutal encounter.

The match lived up to its hardcore billing, with both wrestlers pulling out all the stops to gain the upper hand. Amidst chants of "Jimmy’s a virgin," Damon Dante executed powerful dropkicks and aerial maneuvers that showcased his athletic prowess.

However, the turning point came when the solid steel elements were introduced. Jimmy controversially smashed Damon with a TV glass, drawing gasps from the crowd. Despite the use of such extreme tactics, Damon Dante managed to rally back with the aid of interfering Lici, who made a timely appearance to assist Dante in securing the win.

As the night drew to a close, it was clear that the events had set up several story lines for future confrontations. Jungle Jim’s reluctance to face Rad Dad at Clown Duel, Uncle Rowdy’s dominating debut, and the simmering tensions between Damon Dante and Jimmy Controversy all promise riveting episodes ahead.

Meanwhile, Grim’s frustration was palpable as he struggled to maintain order amid the chaos. His outburst, "How come everybody's got to be a [expletive]? Nobody wants to do what I want to do!" captured the essence of the night’s tumult and hinted at the internal power struggles within the management.

"As much as we run the show together, I'm in charge,” he reaffirmed, though it was evident that maintaining that control would be a constant challenge.

As fans dispersed, conversations were abuzz with speculation about future matches and story line twists. Will Jungle Jim finally drop the title to Rad Dad? How will Grim handle the rising threat of Uncle Rowdy? Can Damon Dante reclaim his standing amidst the chaos?

These are questions only time will answer. For now, one thing is certain: the world of GTS Wrestling remains as unpredictable, thrilling, and entertaining as ever. Stay tuned for more action, drama, and excitement in the coming weeks!

WATCH EPISODE HERE

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Crafting a Compelling Brand Story for Social Media

In the present competitive social media landscape, standing apart requires more than just clever postings and important hashtags. It is about telling story interfaces with your audience. A captivating brand story can help you with laying out a close to emotional connection, increase loyalty, and separate your company from the opposition. This is the way to make a convincing brand story that blossoms with social media:

Understand Your Brand’s Core Identity

Before telling your brand's story, you really need to understand a big motivator for it. Ask yourself:

What are our values?

What issue would we say we are trying to address?

What is the bigger reason for our brand?

When you understand your brand's mission and values, you can make a story that matches these elements. Your basic character should be constant across platforms while also changing social media audiences.

Know Your Audience

A strong brand story is about your interest group as well as your brand. To recount a convincing story, you must first understand your audience. Break down:

Their pain points

Which material they draw in with.

What they esteemed in a brand

Your crowd's advantages and experiences should inform how you recount your image's story. For example, a more audience may favour light, amusing content, though specialists might pick more serious, instructive postings.

Be Authentic and Relatable

People connect with legitimate brands. Don't be hesitant to show the human side of your brand. Share your behind-the-scenes experiences, issues, and achievements. Let your audience be real people behind the brand. For example, revealing how your team works or the story behind the production of an item can help your business with turning out to be more interesting.

Discover more insights by checking out "How to Craft a Brand Story That Captivates on Social Media"

Create a Hero’s Journey

Every excellent story includes a legend (your brand) who defeats hurdles to achieve something huge. In your brand story, feature:

The issue your brand looked to solve

Challenges you experienced

How could you track down a solution and succeed? Position your brand as the legend while also causing your clients to feel included for the experience. This allows people to draw in with your story on a more profound level.

Leverage Visual Storytelling

Via web-based entertainment, words alone are inadequate. Use designs to improve your story's effect. Visual parts, like films, photos, infographics, and memes are fundamental for connecting with social media users. How to Use Visuals Effectively:

Share consumer tributes or tales in video format

Use behind-the-scenes images to show genuineness.

Develop visually appealing postings that represent your brand's identity.

Incorporate User-Generated Content

Allowing your clients to share your brand's story is one of the most effective methods to do so. Encourage your audience to share their brand experiences by generating branded hashtags, sharing customer posts, and holding social media contests. User-generated content upgrades believability and trust by showing how actual people cooperate with your brand.

Maintain Consistency Across Platforms

Your brand story should be steady across all social media channels, but the way in which you show it might differ depending on the platform's strengths. For example:

Instagram: Use convincing visuals and short captions.

Twitter: Use bite-sized, powerful messages.

LinkedIn: Share in-depth articles or in the background information on your company's culture.

Tailoring your story to fit the platform while keeping up with your primary message ensures that your audience has a predictable experience.

Evolve Your Story

A brand story isn't static. Your story should adjust and develop alongside your brand. Keep your audience interested by reporting new milestones, advances, and changes. Be open about your image's advancement and welcome your crowd to develop close by you. For example, a digital marketing agency surat recognizing a rebranding effort can revitalise your content.

Invite your audience to participate in your story. Giving your audience a voice, whether through a hashtag campaign, interactive polls, or encouraging comments, can help them connect with your business. For example, allow followers to contribute their own stories about your item, and feature the best ones on your page.

Creating a drawing in brand story for social media entertainment involves building a story that interfaces with your interest group while featuring your brand's unmistakable singularity. Be genuine, relatable, and consistent, and allow your audience to turn into a functioning piece of the story. By doing so, you won't just stand out for them, but in addition make them dependable and connected with the local area around your organisation.

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Simple Guide to Creating Amazon Brand Story for Conversions

In today’s competitive Amazon marketplace, standing out is crucial. One way to do this is by crafting a compelling Amazon Brand Story. This can elevate your brand’s presence, engage customers, and boost product rankings. Let's dive into how you can create an Amazon Brand Story that not only tells your brand's tale but also converts browsers into loyal buyers.

Boosting Amazon Profitability with Better Conversions

Your Amazon Brand Story is more than just a space to talk about your company; it's a strategic tool that can help you improve conversions and maximize profitability. When executed well, it creates a connection with your target audience and makes your products more memorable. By giving customers insight into your brand’s values, mission, and products, you set yourself apart from competitors.

How to Qualify for Amazon Brand Story in A+ Content

To qualify for an Amazon Brand Story, your brand needs to be registered in Amazon’s Brand Registry. This not only protects your intellectual property but also unlocks access to enhanced marketing tools like A+ Content and Brand Story modules. Ensure that your brand meets Amazon’s guidelines, as this allows you to take full advantage of the tools available to showcase your brand and boost engagement.

Why Add a Brand Story to Amazon Listings?

Adding a Brand Story to your Amazon listings helps build trust, improves customer engagement, and provides an opportunity to communicate your brand’s unique value proposition. A well-constructed Brand Story also contributes to better search rankings and increased conversion rates. It helps you communicate the "why" behind your products, adding a layer of credibility and authenticity that attracts more customers.

Amazon Brand Story Modules

When creating an Amazon Brand Story, you have several customizable modules that allow you to structure your content strategically. Each module plays a vital role in presenting your brand story cohesively.

How to Craft an Amazon Brand Story

Creating a compelling Amazon Brand Story involves several key elements. Here’s how you can design an effective one:

1. Background Image and Product Placement

Your background image sets the tone for your story. It should be visually appealing and aligned with your brand identity. Product placement in the background should be subtle yet clear, ensuring customers know what you’re offering without overwhelming them.

2. Brand Logo and Tagline

Your brand logo is crucial for recognition, while the tagline captures the essence of your brand in a few words. The logo and tagline combination is the face of your Amazon Brand Story, so ensure it’s consistent with your overall branding and compelling enough to draw attention.

3. About the Brand Section

This section allows you to share your brand's mission, values, and journey. Highlight what makes your brand unique and why customers should choose your products. Be authentic, as customers are more likely to engage with brands that have a relatable and genuine story.

4. Product Cards and Reviews

Use product cards to feature your top-performing or flagship products. Including customer reviews in this section adds credibility and provides social proof that encourages new customers to make a purchase.

5. FAQ Section

A well-crafted FAQ section addresses common questions and concerns, enhancing the overall shopping experience. It’s an opportunity to proactively address potential objections, which helps reduce bounce rates and improve conversions.

The Benefits of a Well-Crafted Amazon Brand Story

An optimized Amazon Brand Story brings multiple benefits to your business:

1. Improved Search Rankings

Amazon rewards sellers who invest in rich content. A well-constructed Brand Story contributes to better SEO on the platform, which can lead to higher search rankings and more visibility for your products.

2. Enhanced Customer Trust

A Brand Story humanizes your business, allowing customers to connect with you on a personal level. By sharing your journey and values, you foster trust, making customers more likely to choose your brand over others.

3. Cross-Selling Opportunities

A Brand Story allows you to feature multiple products in an engaging manner. By showcasing related items, you create natural cross-selling opportunities that can increase your average order value.

4. Better Customer Experience

Ultimately, a well-crafted Brand Story enhances the customer experience. When customers understand your brand, they are more likely to engage with your products and become repeat buyers.

Examples of Effective Amazon Brand Stories

To inspire your own Brand Story creation, here are two examples of brands that have successfully used this feature:

Spigen

Spigen, a popular phone case brand, uses its Brand Story to emphasize durability and innovation. They include visuals that showcase their design process and highlight key products, building trust and authority in the tech accessories niche.

AEDILYS

AEDILYS, a kitchenware brand, focuses on premium quality and thoughtful design in their Brand Story. They incorporate customer testimonials and product features, creating a seamless connection between brand and customer needs.

Maximize Your Sales with a Powerful Amazon Brand Story

Creating an effective Amazon Brand Story is key to driving customer engagement and increasing conversions. From improving search rankings to fostering customer loyalty, a well-thought-out Brand Story gives your business the competitive edge it needs to thrive on Amazon. Don’t miss out on the opportunity to enhance your brand’s visibility and sales.

To learn more about how to create a compelling Amazon Brand Story, visit Your Seller Agency.

[makemywebsite1]

What Should Your NDIS Website Aim For?

A website is often the first touchpoint for an NDIS provider and potential clients. As an NDIS provider, your web design in Melbourne or elsewhere should be more than just a digital guide. It must show your pledge to help those with disabilities, give clear and easy-to-read content, and aid in smooth navigation. This blog will walk you through the key elements your NDIS Web Design should aim for to reach and help your target users.

1. Accessibility for All Users

Access is the key to any NDIS site. As a service provider for those with various needs, your site must be easy for all, even for those with limits.

Keyboard Use: Make sure all features work with keyboard keys. This helps users who can’t use a mouse to move through your site.

Alt Text for Images: Add clear alt text to all images. This lets screen readers share the images with users who have low vision.

High Contrast: Pick high-contrast hues to make text stand out on your site, helping those with vision issues.

Plain Words:��Use clear, easy words on your site. This helps all users, no matter their needs, grasp the info.

2. Clear and Structured Information

Your web design in Melbourne must show what you do as an NDIS support firm. Users need to find what they seek fast without going through long blocks of text.

Service Pages:

Make one page for each service.

List Support Coordination, Plan Management, and Specialist Disability Accommodation.

Add clear notes about who can get help and how to use each service.

FAQs: Add an FAQ part that answers key questions. This helps users get fast replies and cuts down on the need to reach out for simple inquiries.

Contact Information:

Show your contact info on each page.

Make it easy for users to reach you.

Think of adding a form for ease.

3. User-Friendly Design

An NDIS web design that is simple to use boosts user ease, which is key for an NDIS provider. Your website designer should aim to make a clean, clear layout that leads users with ease through the page.

Mobile-Friendly Design: Make sure your site works on phones. A responsive site adapts to all screen sizes, so it’s easy to use on phones, tablets, and PCs.

Clear Menus: Use a plain, intelligent menu setup that helps users find what they seek with a few taps. Drop-down menus can help to sort content without crowding the page.

Quick Load Times: Improve images and other content to make sure your site opens fast. A slow site can annoy users and cause more to leave.

4. Engaging and Relevant Content

Your text should not just inform but also draw in your readers. As an NDIS support provider, your site text should show your skill, care, and drive to help those with needs.

Case Studies: Share real stories and case studies that show how your help has changed lives. This gives a warm touch and grows trust.

Regular Updates: Keep your web design in Melbourne new with regular posts. A blog can be a great way to share news, tips, and views on the NDIS.

Video Content: Think about adding clips that show your help or feature stories from clients. Video clips draw in viewers and can be easier to use for some.

5. Search Engine Optimisation (SEO)

SEO helps your web design in Melbourne show up in search results when people search for NDIS help. A skilled website designer can tune your site for search engines to boost its reach.

Keyword Research: Find key terms your audience uses, such as “NDIS support,” “NDIS aid,” or “disability help.” Blend these terms into your text.

Meta Descriptions: Craft brief meta descriptions for each page to drive more clicks from search results.

Local SEO: Tune your site for local searches by adding your service areas to your text. For instance, if you offer NDIS support in Melbourne, add this to your titles and text.

6. Secure and Private

Safety and privacy are key when you deal with vital data, mainly in the area of NDIS help.

SSL Check: Make sure your site has SSL. This keeps data safe and builds trust with all.

Privacy Rules: Show your privacy rules, stating how you get, use, and keep personal data safe. This is vital for NDIS groups that handle key data from clients.

Safe Forms: All forms on your site, like contact forms or help asks, must be safe to guard the data sent by users.

7. Easy-to-Use Forms and Tools

The forms and tools on your web design in Melbourne must be made with the user in mind. Be it a contact form, an app form, or a chat, these tools need to be clear and easy.

Short Forms: Keep forms as short as you can, asking only for the key info. Long forms can tire and deter users from finishing them.

Clear Tips: Give clear tips for each form field so users know what info is needed.

Progress Bars: For multi-step forms, add a progress bar so users can see how far they are in the steps.

Concluding Words

A well-built site is key for any NDIS provider who seeks to make a big impact. From access and clear text to user-friendly design and safety, your site should strive to give a smooth experience for all users. Working with a skilled site designer who knows the needs of NDIS providers can help you reach these aims and make sure your site is a strong tool for your firm.

Make My Website is a top site design firm in Australia, skilled in crafting easy-to-use, user-friendly sites for NDIS providers. Our team of skilled site designers is set on helping you share your services well and with ease. Reach out to learn more about how we can boost your web presence.