#and then the other ghostbusters reboot

[yunisverse]

the last post inspired a lot of discussion with friends about what animation style we thought each other would be so here we are

[roach-works]

Ask game: the new reboot of some beloved media, such as Star wars sequels, ATLA movie, new Ghostbusters

Reverse Unpopular Opinion meme: HELLO I LOVED THE NEW GHOSTBUSTERS ARE YOU KIDDING? 'hey what if ghostbusters was actually funny and involved extremely relatable lesbian drama' the new ghostbusters is a masterpiece. it's better than the original by lightyears. it's incredibly fun, the plot and economics of the situation actually make sense, the interpersonal drama is enjoyable, chris hemsworth (or some other chris? i forget) is there being a doofus, did i mention there's lesbians. all i want from a movie is for lesbians to fuck shit up and a hunky guy to take his shirt off and for there to be no rape jokes. original ghostbusters delivers zero lesbians, zero hunks, and really gross sexual dynamics. lesbian ghostbusters delivers lesbians, hunks, lesbians, and i forget what else because it's not important. hell yeah, ghost busters.

[coelii]

let’s talk Castlevania lore~

so it occurred to me that, within the game material (I haven’t watched the TV show or anything like that so that’s not personally interesting to me for this discussion, sry sry), we don’t have all THAT clear an idea of why Dracula is A Bad Guy Who Must Be Stopped At All Costs, do we? I kinda feel like it’s mostly just treated as “c’mon, it’s Dracula, let’s go vampire killin’”

I mean we’ve got the accusation that he “steals men’s souls and makes them [his] slaves,” and, okay, if true (do we ever, like, see that?) I guess that’s pretty not great. And I’m willing to accept just a priori that he is A Vampire and therefore, okay, presumably there’s some drinking of innocent blood or something, not ideal. (Again, not sure that ever occurs on-screen?) I guess he also cursed Simon to have some pretty horrible nights? That’s not rad, i guess.

But like, fundamentally, do we ever have actual word in the games/game material of what exactly Dracula’s menace really IS? Just what kind of fate is the Belmont clan (et al.*) supposedly protecting us from? I guess I probably don’t want to live next door to an Active Vampire, but honestly it’s pretty amusing to me that I can’t actually think of what Dracula supposedly, like, wants.

(*from the Latin “et Alucard”)

So if we’re strictly looking at game material (and specifically main game and not the Lords of Shadow reboot) in my opinion there’s two origin games that have made a case for Dracula’s desires.

Castlevania Lament of Innocence

As covered in another recent ask, this is the official first game in the timeline

Here you play as Leon Belmont whose betrothed Sara is kidnapped by an ancient vampire named Walter Bernhard. Leon’s close friend Mathias Cronqvist, an alchemist who is grief stricken over the loss of his wife Elisabetha (who died of an illness while he was away), informs Leon that Walter was the one who kidnapped Sara and Leon goes to save her. Over the course of the game you learn that there are two powerful vampire relics and Walter is in possession of one: the Ebony Stone that produces darkness and makes Walter effectively invulnerable (as he is strongest in the darkness the stone produces).

You also create the Vampire Killer whip during the game which has the power to break the Ebony Stone and make Walter susceptible to damage. At the game’s climax, when Walter is close to Death (both metaphorically and physically) it’s revealed that Leon’s buddy Mathias had the other vampire relic, the Crimson Stone, the whole time. This relic absorbs the souls and power of other vampires (kind of a Ghostbuster situation).

Walter’s soul is captured in the stone, but Mathias uses it for his own dark purposes - to become a vampire himself and take revenge against God (whom he curses for taking his wife from him). Mathias eventually gives up his name and adopts the name Dracula instead and is canonically the Dracula in all Castlevania Games.

This origin story unfortunately leaves a lot to be desired in Dracula’s motivations because it basically amounts to Dracula being a man who’s just mad that God took his wife from him and uses another Vampire’s power (Walter) as his own. He isn’t noble or powerful without the stone (which is this red thing he wears in much of the official artwork apparently)

But I guess “stick it to the man” is technically a motivation…

Castlevania Legends

Now I’m a Lament of Innocence denier personally and would prefer to use the older games as the source to answer this question.

According to the Legend’s instruction book the story is:

IT WAS THE MIDDLE AGES IN TRANSYLVANIA. ONE MAN CAME INTO POSSESSION OF AN EVIL POWER, AND THE PRINCE OF DARKNESS WAS BORN. BEFORE LONG, THIS BEING HAD USED HIS NEW-FOUND SUPERNATURAL POWERS AND THE MAGIC POWERS OF HIS FOLLOWERS TO SPREAD HIS PLAGUE OF DARKNESS AND DESPAIR THROUGHOUT THE EUROPEAN CONTINENT, HE WAS COUNT DRACULA. EVEN TO MENTION THE NAME OF THIS PRINCE OF DARKNESS WAS TO CAST FEAR INTO THE HEARTS OF THE PEOPLE IN THE LAND, WHO WERE POWERLESS TO DO ANYTHING SAVE VOICE THEIR CONCERN. HOWEVER, AT ABOUT THE SAME TIME A BABY GIRL POSSESSING SPECIAL POWERS WAS BORN TO A FAMILY LIVING IN A REMOTE AREA OF THE COUNTRY. "YOUR POWERS ARE MEANT FOR A HIGHER PURPOSE AND NOT ONLY FOR YOURSELF” SHE WAS OFTEN REMINDED AS SHE WAS GROWING UP. THE PLOT OF THIS GIRL'S FATE BEGAN TO DEVELOP ONE NIGHT IN HER SEVENTEENTH YEAR WHEN SHE MET UP WITH THE YOUNG ENIGMATIC ALUCARD, WHO WAS ON A JOURNEY TO SEARCH FOR THE FATHER THAT HAD DESERTED HIM. THE YOUNG GIRL'S NAME WAS SONIA BELMONT, AND SHE WAS THE FIRST OF THE VAMPIRE HUNTERS IN THE BELMONT FAMILY TO BECOME LEGENDARY.

Now unfortunately this doesn’t tell us too much. In this origin Dracula exists already, obtained his power by coming “into possession” of it, and his motivation is simply “spread his plague of darkness and despair throughout the European continent” (Africa, Asia, the Americas, and Australia are all safe apparently).

Now I don’t want to theorycraft too far off the actual game material here, but I do know that Vampire Hunter D was heavily inspirational to the development of Castlevania. Many people know the anime films, but Vampire Hunter is a series of novels first published in 1983 (three years before the first CV game was released) and in these novels the being known as the “Sacred Ancestor” is the progenitor of all the other vampires and the oldest among them. He is known as the Vampire King or God and D is the Sacred Ancestor’s son (so to speak). This was the inspiration for Alucard, who we know in Castlevania lore to be Dracula’s direct descendant.

The VH novels present vampires as a race unto themselves, not the traditional mythos of humans given vampiric power (although they can still create vampires from humans).

Novel #17: White Devil Mountain (published 2014) is more explicit in this stating that vampires predate humans by possibly millions of years. The Sacred Ancestor, as the oldest among them, felt it was his duty to watch over his people and did many experiments over the years to try and save his race from eventual extermination (not necessarily by the hands of Hunters, but through a variety of circumstances). Some experiments included inventions that could block out the sun and give eternal darkness (a common theme in vampire lore).

The Dracula of Castlevania seems as much inspired by Bram Stoker’s creation and the historical Vlad Tepes as he was by Vampire Hunter’s Sacred Ancestor.

If the Sacred Ancestor’s motivation was as ward and protector of his race, acting in various ways to save them and ensure their continued reign and existence then I would say Dracula’s motivation is similar: “spread his plague of darkness” by ensuring that the curse of night spreads and his people can remain powerful and eternal.

In Short

Both games present Dracula as a man who obtained power through unholy means. Walter Bernhard’s origins aren’t necessarily explained in the game and it’s possible that like Vampire Hunter D he is of a race of vampires older than humanity and Dracula simply is just a man using his power as his own. However I feel Dracula’s motivation may still be similar to that of the Sacred Ancestor from VH: with great power comes great responsibility (thanks Ben!) and his duty is to protect and allow his people to thrive in a world hellbent on destroying them.

[randomitemdrop]

Trick or trivia

Happy Halloween! I do enjoy trivia of many types, but one of my favorite genres is what I call the Berenstein Timeline: unmade shows and movies, versions of classic movies where studios and producers made different decisions, some better, some much worse. All of these are real projects that were, on some level, considered (there are some recurring names)

"Heat Vision & Jack", a 90s pastiche of 70s-80s action shows starring Jack Black as an astronaut on the run from the law and Owen Wilson as his talking motorcycle

"Jurassic Park" directed by Tim Burton with Johnny Depp as Alan Grant, Jim Carrey as Ian Malcolm, and Vincent Price as John Hammond

the 90s "Batman" directed by Ivan Reitman; Bill Murray and Eddie Murphy were going to star but couldn't decide which of them would be Batman and which would be Robin

Back in the 1970s the American network was getting good numbers showing heavily-edited reruns of "Monty Python's Flying Circus", so they tried to sell the Pythons on the next logical step: an animated Saturday morning cartoon

"Edward Scissorhands" still directed by Burton but starring Tom Cruise or maybe Michael Jackson

"Return of the Jedi" directed by David Lynch; Harrison Ford was considering not coming back for the third movie and so when he came out of the carbonite there was a chance he would have been Christopher Walken

Guillermo del Toro's "At the Mountains of Madness". Also "the Hobbit" and lots of other things, he seems to have a lot of unmade projects

the 2010s "Star Trek" movie directed by Quentin Tarantino, where the edgy reboot crew visits the Gangster Planet from that one stupid episode of the original series

Everybody knows about the unmade "Superman Lives" starring Nicolas Cage in the title role, but did you know it was going to be directed by Tim Burton and include Christopher Walken as Brainiac, who would have been a green head on spider legs

Harold Ramis didn't particularly want to act on camera, so when they were casting "Ghostbusters" Egon could have been Christopher Walken, Christopher Lloyd, Jeff Goldblum, or John Lithgow. Supposedly the movie was originally intended to be a relatively serious exploration of Dan Akroyd's very real interest in paranormal investigation, although this clashes a bit with the fact that Peter Venkman was originally going to be played by John Belushi and Winston Zeddmore was written for Eddie Murphy who backed out when the character's backstory and most of his lines were cut

John Waters' animated series "Uncle John" on 90s MTV

the original version of "Bill & Ted's Time Van" starring Pauly Shore and Sean Penn

"Red Dragon" (the original Hannibal Lecter novel) directed by David Lynch starring John Lithgow as Hannibal Lecter and Mel Gibson as Will Graham

the 1970s "Dr. Strange" TV series

the 1990s Disney animated "John Carter of Mars"

the 1990s Warner Bros animated "King Tut" musical with songs by Prince

the serious horror version of "Beetlejuice"

Drew Barrymore's 2000s remake of "Barbarella"

the Dungeons & Dragons movie James Cameron was going to make until TSR left the table over merchandising disputes, forcing Cameron to go work on some dumb movie about the Titanic

American "Doctor Who" movie starring Michael Jackson

Canadian "Doctor Who" cartoon by Nelvana starring a Doctor based intensely off of either Jeff Goldblum or Christopher Lloyd

"Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone" directed by Terry Gilliam

"Good Omens" directed by Terry Gilliam and starring Johnny Depp and Robin Williams

"The Black Cauldron" using character and background designs by Nightmare-era Tim Burton

[tyrantisterror]

You Don't Remember Muncher

Sony, as a film-making company, has reeked of desperation for at least a decade at this point. They have IPs that they know SHOULD be making them more money but they just. Can't. Get them to. And sometimes this results in them taking some big creative swings, to be completely fair - I love the Spider-Verse movies, and you don't get movies that expensive and conceptually heavy with a studio executive who's playing it safe. And I think the fact that they keep taking these big swings even when some of them end up duds like Sausage Party is commendable.

But I do think one of their big problems is this inability to understand that 1. films are a form of art and 2. what art is. They're good enough to understand that artists know what art is, which is more than a lot of studio leadership can say, and those big creative swings they take come from trusting artists to do their art thing. And even their misfires tend to have laudable stuff - Sausage Party may be an SNL gag that someone decided to stuff full of the most dated racism and bigoted jokes imaginable to get up to movie feature runtime, but the animation in it is oddly beautiful, even when depicting things that are repulsive. Like a protestant on the way to Dracula's castle, the heads at Sony seem to treat their artists with respect despite not understanding why they gave them a rosary and other primitive superstitious charms to protect them from vampires.

But when they have to make choices themselves, hoo boy, those poor bastards. They don't know what they're doing.

So Ghostbusters is one of those valuable IPs Sony is desperate to monetize, right? They just know they can have a huge hit on their hands with Ghostbusters. It was popular in the 80's, and things that were popular in the 80's are HUGE now! Look at that Stranger Things, baby!

Now, the heads at Sony may not be able to understand art, but they try. They are at the very least good at picking apart a piece of art and sussing out what ingredients made it, like Claire Saffitz trying to recreate an oreo. For their 2016 reboot, they correctly deduced that the original Ghostbusters was 1. a comedy 2. starring at least two actors from SNL and using their star power for promotion and 3. was liked by nerds because the heroes are out-of-shape nerds rather than chiseled Rambo/Arnie types. Also it has ghosts in it, probably.

Now, the problem is, the SNL actor-led comedy was taken out into a dark alley and slowly beaten to death by Adam Sandler and his cadre of goblin men starting somewhere around the time Little Nicky was made. It gave way to the era of cringe comedies like The Hangover and Judd Apatow bromances, which were led less by SNL stars and more by actors and actresses who'd gotten their start on NBC thursday night sitcoms - a minor difference, perhaps, but notable I think. And, like, even then, by 2016, that era was also pretty much over. The cringe comedy was a dying genre. Comedy itself, at least pure comedies, was kind of losing its place in film, being supplanted by action movies with more quips than they used to have. We were three years deep into THE WHEDONING.

But being three years behind the curve has never been a problem Sony worried about. I mean, historically it should be, but they never do. So Sony tried to assemble the best Ghostbusters they could make from the ingredients they could suss out, using the closest equivalents they could make. Grab some of the actresses from Bridesmaids, and an SNL star or two if you can. Kristen Wiig and Melissa McCarthy have a pretty good banter going on ala Bill Murray and Dan Akroyd, really put them front and center. Oh, and we sussed out another ingredient! The original Ghostbusters had Sigourney Weaver as a love interest, and she was the star of Alien, which our Sony genre determining bot claims is an action movie, so let's get a hot action star as a love interest. Chris Hemsworth! Oh, we can make him be a silly goober like we did with John Hamm in Bridesmaids! People love handsome guys being silly goobers! (in this, Sony is correct)

The result was... fine, I think, if missing a few crucial ingredients. You know the ghosts in Ghostbusters? First syllable of the title? Most of the ones in the 2016 movie are just, you know, transparent humans, maybe a bit bluer than normal, making maniacal faces. Whereas in the original:

Well, they got some fucked up freaks in the original.

A lot of fans didn't like the 2016 movie, some for stupid sexism reasons, some for "I don't see why you need to remake Ghostbusters at all really" reasons, and some for, like, just personal taste reasons. It did not provide the big box office hit Sony wanted. Their first attempt to recreate the oreo was a failure.

So they go back to the drawing board, listening to the loudest, angriest criticism and looking to what's working outside of their influence for answers. Fans thought the 2016 movie was too different, not reverent towards the original as the perfect golden calf of Bill Murray comedies that it is. So this new reboot would be oozing with reverence. Fans didn't like the cast of ladies, so, yes, got it, scrap the lady-led ghostbusters.

Star Wars Fans loved that J.J. Abrams Star Wars reboot, The Force Awakens, for being a sequel rather than a full reboot, but also for just telling the same story they already love but slightly different. And nerds in general still fucking love that Stranger Things show - they even had an episode where the Stranger Things kids wore ghostbusters costumes! Hey, there's a million dollar idea, Stranger Things kids... as ghostbusters...

Now, the one thing they can't take from The Force Awakens is copying the tone of their original movie, because they tried copying the irreverent tone of the original Ghostbusters and fans did not like it. They need to be reverent to the original, because that's what The Force Awakens, even if showing reverence at all is antithetical to the tone of the original movie itself (which it is, because Ghostbusters is an irreverent Bill Murray comedy, like that's its whole schtick). But if they can drape this new-found reverence in 80's nostalgia, maybe, just maybe, nostalgic fans will be too dumb to notice.

And hey, they love that Stranger Things, which is a big homage to The Goonies and E.T. and Steven Spielberg-esque stories about pubescent kids going on perilous adventures where they face bad guys and learn life lessons in the process, reverent but dated in the same time period as Ghostbusters. And what an idea... Stranger Things kids... as ghostbusters...

This was admittedly a lot of preamble to get to the actual topic: Muncher. See, in that Force Awakens style, they needed to not only bring old characters from Ghostbusters back, but also make new characters who are really just the old characters but slightly different. For example, The Force Awakens brings us BB-8, who's basically just R2-D2, but visually different enough to feel new, and maybe a little cuter. Instead of moving on treads, he moves on this big ball, which is more complicated from a puppetry aspect and thus looks a lot more impressive and just a bit more "modern" while still basically being R2-D2 again.

Such was the genesis of Muncher.

Slimer (originally called Onionhead by the production staff and John Belushi's Ghost by Bill Murray) wasn't intended to be the franchise mascot, in part because Ghostbusters was never meant to be a franchise. He was a one off ghost who's iconic design and role as the first ghost to be busted made him a fan favorite, and eventually became, like, the ghostbusters' dog in the cartoon series. We love that for him, but the fact remains that Slimer's success was accidental.

Muncher, by contrast, was an attempt to recreate Slimer. But different! He's a gross gluttonous monster, because that's what Slimer is, but there's a lot less focus on wet goo when he eats and more solid chunks. See, it's different? And you know what's popular now thanks to, like, a cracked article or something? Tardigrades! They're these cool little microscopic things that everyone's making into monster designs now, they're even on a Star Trek! Why, if we made Slimer 2 - err, that is, Muncher have some tardigrade elements, he'd look weird and, like, modern - but not too modern! Like Slimer, but different!

Before Ghostbusters: Afterlife came out, there was a LOT of Muncher merchandise. A lot. Which makes sense, Slimer had so much goddamn merch in the heyday of the original Ghostbusters. There was fucking Slimer toothpaste. Toothpaste! From Slimer's teats!

It looked identical to Slimer bubblegum.

But, for whatever reason, Muncher did not connect like Slimer did, and so Sony did a last minute trend-chasing pivot and tried to focus on the new hotness: cute baby versions of characters who were old and not cute in the original movie.

I don't know if this scene was planned to be in the movie before The Mandalorian was a big success, or if it was a hasty addition to it, but it doesn't matter, because what does matter is the late marketing shift to focus on these little fuckers, and giving them lots of toys. They're already in the marketing for the sequel, where Muncher is nowhere to be found.

Because you don't remember Muncher, do you?

Muncher didn't connect. They took a swing with Muncher and they fucking whiffed. They made a shitload of Muncher toys and all those little blue fuckers ended up clearanced to Hell. Muncher is a failure, a loser.

You don't remember Muncher.

And you never will.

[curtvilescomic]

Furiosa A Mad Max Saga - spoiler-free review

So, today I went to movies with my Son to see this

and the short version is: It's good. If you love this movie series you should see this.

I worried a bit, because as a pessimist I expect the worst and the whole prequel to Mad Max Fury Road is setting high expectations and setting the bar ridiculously high.

So I was glad it pulled a "Rogue One" by understanding what to do and being an actual god-damn movie in their own right and not just 'more franchise to you'.

It is fair to say Furiosa is not as full-on full throttle blast Fury Road was. But they are meant to be seen together.

Anya Taylor-Joy shines.

She acts her heart out. Imperator Furiosa was played by Charlize Theron. Those are not "big boots to fill" nope. Those are massive tactical combat louboutinis. This is " sooo, would you play to young bad-aas Ellen Ripley without being Sigourney Weaver?" It really should not work. Oh and they will limit your lines.

Anya Taylor-Joy makes it look****ing easy.

The rest of the cast is stellar, too. Apparently George Miller felt all this was playing movie making on easy mode so there is young Furiosa. And child actors are always a game of risk and utter disaster. Having a decent child actor is more rare than a decent musical. So, naturally they cast brilliantly with Alyla Browne.

So, well done action drama in violent, hyper-brutal, take-no-prisoners ( except for slavery &torture as per Mad Max movies do) world needs villains as heroes, even broken anti-hero survivors are only as good as their opposition is heinous.

This is where one enters Chris Hemsworth, Thor and funny guy from MiB4 and Ghostbusters reboot. Too few have seen him as bad guy in awesome Bad Times at El Royale and so the miss the fact he revels in villain roles.

But while he does great job this twisted hellscape is full of horrors.

the biggest are Immortan Joe

Downright chilling and backed by WarBoys

there is loads More, but remember: spoiler-free.

It is long, two and half hours, but it is good. Not quite as good as Fury Road, but them together? Oh man. As great as this is I could have stomached some more action and violence. My Son has seen only Fury Road and asked if I have the other movies in the series....before noting of course I have as my regular wear is few glued-on rat skulls short of Mad Max wear.

George Miller is a genius. This is not for everyone. That's how it should be. As fan since 1980s series from best to worst is Fury Road, tied second by wildly different Furiosa and Mad Max:Road Warrior only slightly over Mad Max and Thunderdome is far behind.

I wish someone gets the idea of Furiosa back to back with Fury Road in theatres.

The world is horrid and doomed and yet there is beauty.

Go. Witness This!

[burningexeter]

Not much is known about her but in one of the few, if not the only interview that she ever did, here's all the interesting information and trivia on Meagan Smith, the voice of Gwen Tennyson in the original Ben 10 series. Let's see how this goes:

• The reason why she isn't as prolific as other actresses is because she prefers to not be out in the open and instead have a private life to herself but would love it if there was somehow a Ben 10 con where fans could gather and she'd be there in a heartbeat.

• She admits that she isn't a fan of Omniverse, just flat-out saying that "as far as I'm concerned, Ben 10: Omniverse isn't canon in my book. It should've ended at Ultimate".

• She also voiced her dissatisfaction with how Destroy All Aliens and its short Road Trip Rumble turned out, saying that the only reason she came back was because she loved voicing Gwen and jumped at the chance to reprise the role but thought that the scripts were "poor" and took issue with the mean-spirited tones, handling of characters and adding nothing to the series overall. Smith did however give praise to the animation.

• On a much more positive note, she did praise both Alien Force AND Ultimate Alien for how they handled and developed Gwen and said that Ashley Johnson did an "awesome job" in the role. The only issue she has is the Anodite retcon, thinking Gwen should've been a sorceress since her learning magic is made less special now but overall, was more than satisfied with the portrayal of Gwen.

• Her favorite movies in no particular order are The Nightmare Before Christmas, Crimson Peak, Ghostbusters, ParaNorman and The Wild Bunch.

• Her favorite TV shows however in no particular order as well are Avatar: The Last Airbender, The Spectacular Spider-Man, The Fresh Prince Of Bel-Air, Family Matters and Seinfeld.

• On how she viewed Gwen prior to the events of the Original Series, she said that her character was "the exact opposite of Ben in every way but not in a good way at all. She was a mean, obnoxious and just plain snobbish brat who didn't have many friends and never helped people. In fact, Gwen WAS a bully who picked on others because they weren't as smart as her. The summer road trip is what changed her into a better, stronger and definitely more caring person with a stronger relationship to her cousin and that eventually evolved into her full maturity into a good person all around who used her powers for good and to help others in Alien Force and even Ultimate Alien".

• She actually pitched to Man Of Action an idea she had for a potential What If episode for the show for its fourth and final season that was "if Gwen never went on the summer trip, went up against Charmcaster and learned the hard way her behavior and actions have consequences". But it didn't go nowhere to her disappointment.

• She has expressed interest and a want for screenwriting and revealed she has written a screenplay for a horror comedy about vampires dealing with voodoo priests in New Orleans.

• She revealed as well that she actually has an idea for an entire Gwen Tennyson spin-off series that she says acts as a true reboot to the show:

"It's three seasons with about 25 episodes each that tell a complete story with a clear beginning, middle and end is how I picture exactly beat-for-beat. The first season would be a new take on the original show with Gwen having to stay the whole summer with a close family friend, Sandra (Ben's mom), and her actions end up leading Charmcaster to them. The second season would be another new take this time on Alien Force and it would follow a now teenage Gwen, a more mature Sandra and Charmcaster having to team up against a new threat that would affect them in different ways. The third season would be a take on Ultimate Alien with the three of them coming full-circle while they deal with with newfound fame in their lives.

Here, Gwen isn't a Tennyson and instead her last name would be either another pun-type or something slightly irregular like 'Avery', 'Sommers' or 'Goldenthal', Sandra is a witch who put her magic to rest so she could have a normal life and Charmcaster starts off as a deadly and dangerous witch who tracks down other witches like her and girls who have magical auras to collect their powers and eventually turns into a morally grey anti-hero who leans towards the villainous side but has a code.

I don't want to give anything else away as I think I could actually do it depending on what happens in the future. But what I will say is I'm hoping that I can cross-over other media potentially with the show in its third and final season since it would make sense since just like Ben in Ultimate Alien, they're outed now and are celebrities".

[xoxovalerie-c]

Blog Post Week 10: Due 10/31

How do cyber mobs normalize online harassment, and what does this mean for legal and social responses?

Using the book Hate Crime in Cyberspace, Danielle Keats Citron describes cyber mobs as, Mobs from dominant groups are notorious for shaming relatively powerless groups, in taking delight in the discomfort of the excluded and stigmatized. Cyber mobs gather online to harass individuals in degrading and threatening ways (Citron, 2014). So the normalization comes from creating an environment that feeds into abusive behavior, as individuals become so assertive in inflicting harm to others. The mob creates a culture as they tend to recruit members and celebrate them for their contributions to online hate. Currently, the lack of effective policies to address this form of harassment makes it increasingly difficult for victims to receive legal support, especially as technology continues to evolve. This leaves many individuals to navigate their challenges largely on their own. While it may be impossible to completely eliminate cyber mobs, it’s essential to recognize that anyone can fall victim to such groups. By educating ourselves about the harmful effects of these mobs, we can empower ourselves to speak up, report incidents, and assist those who are suffering from their impact.

How can the creation and sharing of fictional narratives, like the Grandpa Wiggly case on Reddit, lead to harmful consequences or negative perceptions?

The Grandpa Wiggly case on the social platform Reddit illustrates how fictional narratives can cause a line between reality and imagination. While it can be fun to create a storyline with plain creativity and community-based opinions, it can lead to misunderstandings and harmful consequences. When stories are taken seriously, they may result in misinformation, panic, or even harassment. Online communities can become negative making it dangerous for creators to continue these narratives as seen in the Grandpa Wiggly case. People were getting out of hand and even sent death threats to portray this image of being a victim to this story. Ultimately, both posters and audiences need to be aware of the potential repercussions of blending fiction with reality.

In what ways can online trolling impact an individual’s life, what does this reveal about digital harassment?

Online trolling can significantly impact an individual’s financial stability by leading to lost income, job opportunities,, and damaged lifelong professional reputations. It is truly devastating to think that your entire lifeline can depend on what happens in these online spaces. For instance, those targeted may be forced to leave their jobs. The emotional toll of trolling can result in mental health issues.  Demonstrating how big of an issue is online trolling.

To what extent did Leslie Jones receive support on Twitter? Was it based solely on her celebrity status? What does this reveal about social media platforms? 

I believe that Leslie Jones’s experience on Twitter highlights how celebrity status can significantly influence the level of support one receives while engaging in a social media platform. After receiving racist and sexist hate speech associated with her role in the Ghostbusters reboot movie she tweeted how all the negativity was affecting her. She would even tweet out to Twitter asking for help. Since she became a trending topic on Twitter, founder and CEO Jack Dorsey reached out to Leslie and tells her to “DM him.” Releasing this statement: This type of abusive behavior is not permitted on Twitter, and we’ve taken action on many accounts reported to us by both Leslie and others (Seetharaman, 2016). This makes me think back to the case of Grandpa Wiggly where someone who wasn’t well known made this fictional character and he received so much hate. Just like Leslie yet Reddit never took it upon themselves to support this user by “protecting” them in any way. This also makes me wonder about the other stories where other women experienced physical harm coming from online forces but the platforms don’t take it upon themselves to speak out or support. This shows to me that platforms depend on celebrities to demonstrate that they have this sort of “code of conduct” in honor of providing a safe and positive online environment for other users to engage as well. 

Bergstrom, K. (2011). “Don’t feed the troll”: Shutting down debate about community expectations on Reddit.com. First Monday, 16(8). https://doi.org/10.5210/fm.v16i8.3498

Citron, D. K. (2014). Hate crimes in cyberspace. Harvard University Press.

Seetharaman, D., & Wells, G. (2016, August 30). Leslie Jones’ horrific online abuse shows how Twitter’s troll problem has spun out of control. Wall Street Journal.

[bvckleyydiaz]

So excited for the new blog!

✈️ Emily x Fem reader

Prompt: “Remember when we first met here?” “Yeah, of course. That was the day when you spilled coffee on me and apologised profusely but all I could think about was how gorgeous you are and how great it would have been to get your number.”

when i tell you that i screamed when i found out who you were--

lovey, i have been following you for the longest and to know you requested something lil ol' me?! i can't even

here you go, my love! thank you so much for being my first request!

title: first impressions

summary: you and your wife, emily, reminscine about the day the two of you first met.

pairing: married!emily prentiss x f!reader

word count: 282

warning(s): none, just a lot of fluff!

a/n: this was so cute to write!

Lazy nights in with Emily were your favorites, by far. You just get to enjoy each other’s presence and be with each other. This is one of those nights, the two of finishing off a bottle of wine and watching the Ghostbusters reboot with Melissa McCarthy.

“Em,” you start.

She hums, acknowledging that she heard you, and looks down at you. “What is it, baby?”

 You turn your body to face her. “Do you remember when we first met? My first day as an agent?”

She laughs and presses a kiss to your hair. “Yeah, of course. That was the day that you spilled your coffee on me and apologized profusely. But you know what?” She pauses for a moment, her brows furrowing like they do when she’s thinking. “I wasn’t even worried about my shirt being ruined or the coffee dripping down my chest. All I could think about was how gorgeous you were in that moment and how great it would have been to get your number.”

You bury your face into her shoulder, desperately trying to stifle your giggles. “I still feel bad about that. You loved that shirt.”

“I’m actually glad it happened.”

You look up at her incredulously. “You’re glad that I spilled coffee on you?”

She nods. “Yeah. I mean, I got to meet the love of my life because of it.”

You did not expect such a sentimental response from her because Emily’s not usually the type to get sappy on you. You feel a slight sting behind your eyes.

She tilts your chin up and kisses you softly. “I love you, Y/N.”

Sniffling, you smile back at your wife. “I love you too, Emily.”

[blackbirdsnonsense]

So I've been keep track of it & out of all of the Ghoul Squad AMVs I did, Ari's has the most views as it recently passed the 1K mark. As you can see the only other one that comes close of the Ghoul Squad itself is Frankie.

Now the one for Monica does have 946 views but I'd still say that's pretty impressive for the generation of Monster High that supposedly nobody likes, focusing on a character nobody supposedly likes using a song from the Ghostbusters reboot that supposedly nobody likes!

So what's the lesson here? Maybe Internet hate is just bullshit!

And before anyone points out that 1k isn't really THAT many views, keep in mind I'm just a 426 sub nothing channel. So in those terms I'd say 1K views for, again, a supposedly hated character, is pretty impressive!

[envyq00]

FINALLY FINISHED MY SORT OF REF FOR MY SPIDERSONA?? I definitely finished revamping her. Her hero name is Spider-Mage! Or Spider-Witch. It can change (kinda like Gwen) depending on the continuity. I kinda went hard with her fake “real world” lore if that makes sense??? Basically, I’m thinking she was introduced during the 80s as a pulpy horror comic style of Spider-man hero. Then she was later adapted into a cartoon that was lighter, more aimed at kids and redesigned to fit both Spider-man and a cartoony witch. Then the character is rebooted in the Spider-verse and this is the definitive version/adaptation of her. Her dimension is a lot more 80s inspired. Both her powers the villains are more supernatural and magic based. Some of the villains are actual monsters/creatures as well. The vibes are a lot like a mix of IT (2017), Stranger Things, Ghostbusters and other spooky 80s themed things. Overall I had a lot of fun coming up with some of this stuff and hopefully I’ll make more short stuff of my Spidersona soon!

[allycat75]

In subtle misogyny news...

I will start this commentary by saying I loved the first "Ghostbusters" movie from 1984 and I also really liked the female reboot from 2016. But I have yet to see Afterlife, as it looks too dark and dystopian for my taste.

It has bothered me for years how much backlash the 2016 film has received, with people obfuscating what they really mean with their criticism. Sure, the $144 budget could have been inflated based on what other similar movies in the genre have been made for and thus was a legitimate flop, but there are many franchise films, or films in general, that don't live up to projected expectation and are written off as the cost of doing business with no more than a peep.

What is upsetting about the 2016 Ghostbuster film in the years since its release is this subtle, and maybe not-so-subtle, perpetuation of the myth that women are not funny and this is the reason for its failure.

But with the release of the second movie of the new Ghostbusters reboot, "Frozen Empire", putting budget aside, the 2016 movie actually made more money than the two new films, which translates to butts in seats. So seeing women taking the roles of paranormal scientist in place of privleged white men was not the problem. But the male ego is fragile and instead of looking into what may be the real root cause of this, and many other box office failures, they decided to be lazy and chose the most readily avalable answers screamed on the internet from toxic gamers and incels in the making.

Of course this goes to an even larger issue that Hollywood is completely bereft of original ideas and still thinks audiences will blindly pay to see the same thing over and over, just with a few inane tweeks. But our time and money have become infinely more valuable and we as consumers are, for better or worse, seeing more of how the sausage is made. I, at least, prefer to be more discerning with my financial, as well as moral, resources. The one who puts in the most effort while hurting the least amount of people, telling authentic and original stories, is the closest thing to sincerity we may get from La La Land and they will be the ones to get my hard earned dollars.

[courtneysmovieblog]

"Ghostbusters: Frozen Empire" or Why Critics Need to Shut Up and Just Let Us Have Fun

At one point in Ghostbusters: Frozen Empire, Winston (Ernie Hudson) asks Ray (Dan Aykroyd) why he's still bothering with Ghostbusters instead of enjoying his golden years. Ray replies that this is exactly how he wants to be spending his golden years: by doing the thing he loves.

I really think that this was Aykroyd's response to all the critics that trash him for being too old to do Ghostbusters or The Blues Brothers. Blues and the supernatural are the things he's passionate about...and what better way to spend what time you have left by doing what you love?

Yeah, maybe the studios are milking the Ghostbusters series for all its worth by coasting on nostalgia. Did we need a Ghostbusters: Frozen Empire? Probably not, just like he didn't need a Ghostbusters: Afterlife. But I loved Ghostbusters: Afterlife, and I loved Ghostbusters: Frozen Empire too!

The Spengler family (Carrie Coon, Finn Wolfhard, and Mckenna Grace) and former teacher/sort-of-stepfather Gary (Paul Rudd) are now living in New York as full-time Ghostbusters, who have now expanded their operations, thanks to Ray, Winston, and Janine (Annie Potts). Unfortunately, former foe Walter Peck (William Atherton) is now the mayor, and is ready for any excuse to end them, including child labor laws. So Phoebe and the kids are forced to the sidelines while the adults take over...

Until when Ray's newest customer (Kumail Nanjiani) pawns a mysterious family relic to the store, setting off a chain of supernatural events. Once again, the Ghostbusters must rally to save the world.

The writers deserve some credit for doing something a little more original with the plot this time. This one gets a little dark: people literally freeze to death, and even Phoebe toys with the idea of the afterlife when she connects with spirit of a teenage girl (Emily Alyn Lind) . But don't worry, we still have plenty of laughs with the return of Slimer and Peter Venkman (Bill Murray).

Critics have not been kind to this movie. But maybe it's time to remind ourselves one crucial thing about the original Ghostbusters: it was a fun movie. That's all it was ever supposed to be, nothing more or less. And yet everyone from the critics to the fans critics and turned it into some kind of Holy Grail, setting up impossibly high standards that none of the sequels or reboots could ever hope to meet.

Ghostbusters: Frozen Empire might not be perfect, but like all the other films, it's fun. And even if it's getting old, there's nothing wrong with enjoying something that still gives you joy. So screw the critics and just go have a good time. Especially if it might be the last one.

8 out of 10

[perks-of-being-jojo]

Matter of Time

Summary: Being the niece of Casey Becker makes you one of the biggest targets of the recent ghostface attacks. (Takes place during Scream 5 (2022))

Mindy Meeks-Martin x Becker!reader

"It has to be part of an ongoing story line, even if the story shouldn't have been ongoing in the first place. New main characters, yes, but supported by and related to legacy characters. Not quite a reboot, not quite a sequel. Like the new Halloween, Saw, Terminator, Jurassic Park, Ghostbusters... fuck, even Star Wars! It always,always goes back to the original!" Mindy says as she gestures wildly with her arms.

"Are you telling me that I'm caught in the middle of fan-fucking-fiction?" Sam asks angerly.

"Not just in the middle, Sam. You're the star"

"So, not to put too fine a point on it, but, according to requel rules... who's next?" Chad's new girlfriend, Liv, questions.

"Going by the pattern, whoever it is has to be connected to someone that came before."

"I'm starting to regret coming here." Dewey admits.

"Jesus, my mom was a character in one of them"

"No one cares about the shitty inferior sequels, Wes. You're safe. With Randy as our uncle, though, you and I are probably screwed." Mindy admits gesturing between herself and Chad.

"Wait What?"

"What about me? Am I in danger?" You whisper. Your voice shaking at the mere thought of ghostface coming after you.

Mindy looks at you sadly before sighing; "With you being related to Casey Becker I'd say the chances of it happening to you are pretty high. I'm sorry babe, but we are all going to keep you safe. I'm not letting some coward in a mask come after you." Your girlfriend reassures you with a soft smile and gentle voice.

"Or you're the killer, and this whole elaborate monologue is just to cover your tracks." Richie says while glaring at Mindy.

"I think it's pretty clear who the killer is at this point." Your girlfriend admits confidently.

"Who?" Asks Sam.

"You... It makes perfect requel sense."

"That actually does make a lot of sense."

"Yeah."

"Fuck this." Sam says as she gets up off the couch and storms out the house.

Mindy shrugs her shoulders and sits down next to you as she wraps her arm around your shoulder and grabs your other hand.

"I mean it when I said that I'm not gonna let anything happen to you." You are not leaving me or Chad's sight got it?"

"I got it. Thanks again Mindy. This whole thing is just putting me and my parents on edge. We all knew it was just a matter of time before our family was targeted again. It just came sooner than we all thought."

"Hey. Everything is going to be all right. We're all going to get through this together and then run as far away from Woodsboro as we can get. Sound like a plan babe?

"Sounds like the perfect plan."

[dutchessofcaladan]

Pirates of the Caribbean: Wrath of the Kraken

My 1st Pirates fic! And before you ask: No. I didn't abandon Ghostbusters: Soul Resurgence. My hyperfixation wheel decided to spin and somehow landed on Pirates of the Caribbean (I blame Geoffrey Rush).

Anyway, this fic (and possibly others, we'll see how this goes) will be a continuation of the PotC franchise (not a reboot like Disney so stupidly decided on) and will feature new and returning characters as well as take inspiration from previous films and the mobile game Tides of War.

And just like Ghostbusters: Soul Resurgence, a bit thank you to @phantomoftheparadise0002 for beta-reading this!

Summary: When Jack recruits Smith to help him find the lost relics of Cortez, their mission doesn't go as planned when they run into terrors and joys from their past, ultimately witnessing the resurrection of the Dutchman...and her beloved Captain.

TW: Some language

Jack smiled as his face became illuminated by the moon, its light shining through the parting clouds.

"Mr. Gibbs!" He shouted from the helm.

"Cap'n?" Gibbs responded, turning to Jack.

"Prepare the Pearl for docking!"

"But Cap'n, where be the dock?"

"Look through the mist, Mr. Gibbs." Jack smiled.

As if by magic, the mist faded, revealing the fortress that had been built into the side of a mountain.

"El Silencio en el mar Caspio." Jack all but sighed, as if he was returning home. "The Silence in the Caspian Sea."

As the ship got closer to the dock, Jack hopped down to the main deck, Cotton having taken the wheel.

"ALRIGHT STEADY! STEADY!" Jack shrieked as the ship aligned itself.

A terrified look covered his face as a loud snap echoed from the front of the ship.

Turning back to Cotton he shouted, "No matter! Everything's fine!" Pulling Gibbs to him he whispered, "Let's just hope she'll go easy on him otherwise we'll need a new helmsman."

Gibbs turned to him in shock. Before he could ask who they were here to see, Jack had hopped off the ship and started down what was left of the dock.

"Oi!" One of the guards shouted, blocking Jack's way. "What do you think you're doin'?"

Jumping back slightly, Jack looked at him in confusion. "Have we met before?" He questioned bluntly.

Before the guard could answer, Jack snapped his fingers, delight painting his face.

"I've got it!" He slurred. "You're one of those guards from Port Royal!" Leaning in close he asked, "Have you learned to swim yet?"

He jumped as the guard let out an angered huff.

"Let's just forget that last bit, shall we?" His eyes widened slightly, seeing that the guards expression hadn't changed. "How 'bout this: I'll go wait in that tavern over there, have a few drinks, while you go get your Captain for me."

Before the guard could answer, Jack pushed past him towards the tavern.

"Pirate, nay. Privateer."

"I'm disinclined to acquiesce your request. Means no."

"Aye. But that's a gamble of long odds, ain't it?"

"There's no guarantee of comin' back. Passin' on, that's dead certain."

"Too long me fate has not been in me own hands. No longer."

"Do ya mean grass? On a farm? Milkin’ a cow? Makin’ cheese? While they sink me treasure?! I'm a Pirate. Always will be."

"You know the first thing I'm gonna do after the curse is lifted...eat a whole bushel of apples."

“For too long I've been parched of thirst and unable to quench it. Too long I've been starving to death and haven't died. I feel nothing. Not the wind on my face nor the spray of the sea. Nor the warmth of a woman's flesh.”

“You best start believing in ghost stories Ms. Turner. You’re in one!”

"I'm the master of me ship. Not Blackbeard. I'm the master of me fate. Not Blackbeard. So I did what needed done. I survived."

"Nay, belay that! Let ‘er run straight and true!"

"Brace up yards, ya cack-handed deck apes! Dyin' is the day worth livin' for!"

"I feel...cold."

Smith awoke in a cold sweat to someone banging on her door. Standing up, she went to open it.

"What do you want, Mullroy?" She growled, glaring daggers at the guard who'd been banging on her door.

"Pardon me for awakin' you, Captain, especially at this hour, but," the look on her face told him to get to the point, "there's a man, in the tavern. He requested that I bring you to him."

Grumbling, Smith slammed the door, only to reamerge moments later fully dressed, motioning to Mullroy to take her to him.

As Jack downed his 4th mug of rum, the door to the tavern opened.

"Jack Sparrow." Smith smirked.

"Smith! It's been too long!" Steadying himself as he stood. "Hasn't it?"

"Aye." Her smile was strained. "9 years."

Heading to the table and pulling up a chair, Smith leaned close to Jack.

"What the hell are you doing here, Jack?"

Leaning forward, Jack slurred, "I've heard stories. Of a great treasure that lies at the bottom of the Atlantic. It's said to be one of the relics of Cortez himself."

Sensing she wasn't paying attention, he poked her in the forehead.

"'re you alright?" He asked.

"I've been having these...dreams." She sighed. "Every night for the past 9 years. Every single one about Hector. It's like he's calling to me."

"Tis not Barbossa who calls to you."

Swiftly turning in the direction of the voice, Jack aimed his pistol while Smith readied her sword.

Jack's eyes widened.

"Calypso." Smith's eyes narrowed.

"In de flesh." The Sea Goddess smiled, black teeth shining in the dim light of the rising Sun.

"What do you want?" Smith held her sword more firmly.

"Not'ing more dan to give you a gift."

"A gift?" Jack questioned. "Did you bring me a gift too?"

Calypso shot him an incredulous look, causing his smile to fall.

"Tis more of a...repayment, den a gift."

Smith's eyebrows furrowed. "A repayment? For what?"

Stepping closer, Calypso smiled. "In time, you and Jack will venture to dah sea. Dehn you will fallow Deh Map No Man Can Read. Dehr you will find your repayment."

"Repayment for what?" Smith repeated.

"You'll see."

As quick as she'd arrived, Calypso vanished.

"The Map No Man Can Read." Smith repeated, turning to Jack. "You don't think-"

"Think what?"

Before he could get an answer, Smith fled the tavern.

Placing her hands upon the wheel of the Queen Anne's Revenge, Smith let out a shaky breath. For the first time in 9 years, she stood at the helm of her ship. Her. Ship. Those words felt wrong. No. This was Hector's ship. He had been the one to take it from Blackbeard. He had been the one to make the Revenge what it was today.

Taking a deep breath, she pulled her sword from its sheath and thrust it into the air, the tip of it gleaning in the newly risen Sun. As she did so, the wine colored Sails were released from their bonds, the early morning air filling them. Thrusting the sword towards the bow of the ship, she watched as her crew tumbled down the deck at the sudden burst of acceleration.

Returning the sword to its sheath, she addressed her crew. "All hands! Ply to windward! Get crackin' ye bloomin' cockroaches!" She let out a laugh as her crew joined. "The Crown served me well! But now, by the Gods of sea and sky, make way for Tortuga!" Her crew cheered as the ship continued on.

Smiling as he heard the cheers of Smith's crew, Jack whispered to himself, "That's my girl."

[thedurvin]

The Ghostbusters franchise is such a weird series of developments

An autistic actor with a special interest in the paranormal wants to make a movie about it.

He uses his connections through Saturday Night Live to get the movie made. It becomes less serious as he works on it, but he's still pretty happy with the project.

The movie is exciting and funny and kids love it, so it gets turned into a cartoon series and a toy line.

It becomes an integral part of the cultural experience of being a kid for a generation that loves spending money on nostalgia, so it gets turned into dozens of video games, a sequel cartoon, a gender-flipped reboot, two legacy sequels, long-running comic book series based on each of the continuities mentioned (including a crossover series where they all meet each other), dedicated fans that build reproductions of all the tech and costumes so they can make in-character appearances at public events, a genus of dinosaur is named after its resemblance to a creature in the first movie, etc.