#bro why are poster frames so expensive

[zoyo14]

ITS HERE.

gonna get a frame for this bad boy

[allheartnobrainandnoplans]

Warframe personalities from how I see them, by my first glance at them.

Heads up, this is a long post. Enjoy~!

Ash: Aloof mofo with a stabbing habit. could rob you of all your money in texas hold ‘em. Too much damn side eye. Kills everyone is the room, then breaks for coffee like nothing happened. Ninja who steals the last slice of cake from the fridge.

Atlas: would kick your ass then be your best bro. is dead inside? somewhat likely but can’t tell anymore. makes shitty jokes. I get he’s a one punch man stone golem, but c’mon, the guy gives pretty good hugs.

Banshee: Resting bitch face, but is sound sensitive so she has a reason. Most likely up to god knows what hours listening to music enjoying synethesia sensations. Knows a thing or two about where to find the best obscure books. Caring protective friend.

Chroma: Moody guy who just wants some fucking peace and quiet. Hoards things like trophies from kills, bet this guy has so many hunting trophies? ffs, his ult is a dragon pelt, might as well be a dragon! Really good at pissing off people without even trying.

Ember: Sassy friend wants all the tea. Best booty to boot. You see that guy over there? He’s on fire. She fucking murdered him with sick comebacks. Don’t get me wrong though, she might like her bacon crispy but she’s a pretty loyal friend. Probably would come get your ass for a revive with intent to raze the fucking field with wildfire.

Equinox: Calm balanced friend??? Has two sides she shows to different people, everyone who talks to her might find something different about her. Likes keeping a lot of houseplants in her room in the dojo. Courteous and polite and gives the best backhanded compliments under a pleasant facade.

Excalibur: Average Joe. Good at a lot but not the best, really doesn't give his best. Very athletic. rushes through missions impatiently. Might play too many hack’n’slash games in his spare time.

Frost: Stoic, quiet, probably has some thought going on at all times. Reads a lot of mythology from before the orokin era. Procrastinates and stalls for his buddies while holding down the fort. solid person to talk to if you need someone to listen.

Hydroid: The guy has enough mentions about tentacle porn, it’s safe to say he’s hoarding a hentai stash somewhere. or people assume. just a guy who loves the water, could talk for days about fish and where to find all the best seafood restaurants. has had enough people mentioning pirates around him. has a good, hearty laugh.

Inaros: Tired, always fucking tired. Sleep? I’ll sleep when I’m dead. if you can kill me, that is. Mmm. nom. Corpus tastes metallic. Grineer tastes like really bad slimy chicken. I’m not sharing what infested taste like. Shields? What the heck is that? Appreciates old architecture and hoards ayatan statues.

Ivara: Sneaky sneaky~ I got an arrow for just about any job. Just because i am a cyclops doesn’t mean i don’t have depth perception, dumbass. Carefree happy lady, fun to talk to. Makes lots of banter with teammates on missions.

Limbo: Trolls might love this guy, why doesn't he have a fedora helmet yet? I’ve not seen enough Jojo’s Bizarre Adventure to know what those references mean. He’s a real gentleman, very inquisitive. He’s a scientist? Aw, cool. Prolly spacing out while carousing through the rift, thinking about his next project.

Loki: The Cheeseframe is what people call him. Knows where all the loot is, all the time. Giggling and pulling pranks 24/7. Can do shit effortlessly and stares at his team wondering why the fuck the had to trigger the damn alarm in a mission. Also, hammerhead shark. This guys likes playing card games too.

Mag: In a state of calm and panic at the same time. Doesn’t show much though. Magnetic personality? Could crush your heart in a minute. Has a good taste in interior design, rather good at art deco/ industrial. Has some walls to get through before befriending her, but melts like a marshmellow when ya do.

Mesa: 360 no scope!!! It’s high noon! okay, now that’s out of the way, let’s keep going. Keeps an orderly schedule, off doing solo missions all the time. Loves a good movie, could talk about her favorite film for hours. Deserts are dry? So is her humor. Would shoot you without even thinking.

Mirage: You thought Loki’s pranks were bad? At least her enemies get these night mare shows and not you. This chick loves horror films, special effects make up and disco. Pretty good at good at lighting up the room and your smile. She really just wants a good time, okay?

Nekros: Sick mofo who tells dead baby jokes. Has some interesting kinks. Rarely eats, if ever. Would look you dead in the eye and try to tell you bad puns seriously as possible. Has seen the dead walk again, thinks they’re best buddies. good guy to go to a graveyard with.

Nezha: Srsly good looking.. guy? girl? oh idc he can be genderfluid and i’d still think he’s attractive. Got serious hula skills. Never takes himself seriously and just loves going for long missions. Knows a thing or two about culture, rather classy guy but can be a bit childish. Never really grew up, but you don’t notice that behind the charm.

Nidus: This is the I-don’t-give-a damn guy. He wrecks everything he touches, spreads space aids, yet his personality is far from cancer. Very good with animals. A bit messy. Too many damn things talking in his head from the infested and ignores them like a champ. They bend to his will.

Nova: A Good Egg, if slightly cracked. Giggles at the mention of inane words. Everything explodes!!! ADHD in a frame. Good natured wholesome friend who loves everyone. Bad habit of breaking appliances and electronics. Geiger counters near her start playing Imagine Dragon’s Radioactive?

Nyx: Look at this frame. You took a good warframe and gave it anxiety, sheesh. Shy, kinda hard to deal with hearing everyone’s thoughts sometimes. ain’t got time for your drama. Loves talking about current events, but not much of a gossip out of respect for others. giant personal space bubble, do not touch!

Oberon: Royal pain in the ass, but a lovable doofus so you kinda just let it go. Very protective dad friend, complete with dad jokes. Probably would like to finish your sandwich if you’re not gonna eat it. Would open his home to you if you needed a couch to surf on.

Octavia: This girl loves all music, could help you find just the mix you were looking for. Got sick dance moves too. Might have been in band. Would happily binge watch any tv show with you and discuss everything about it. You don’t know what so charming about her, but you really like her so you always accept her invites. Had a bad habit of fidgeting.

Rhino: This guy could bench press a grineer ship in one hand and corpus ship in the other. you don’t move out of his way, he runs you over, simple as that. gym rat, for sure. somewhat impatient. watches way too many superhero blockbusters and devours the comics. Mows down the entire enemy wave just get your sorry bleeding ass back up and fighting again.

Saryn: Oh, good lotus, this chick has got good looks and a deadly touch. Cunning girl could outsmart anyone. Low key annoyed in general. Would back stab you without a thought, given a reason. Knows a lot about cooking. I mean, if you’re going to poison someone or at least know how to work in the biolab you should probably know how this type of chemistry works. dodges responsibility a lot tho.

Titania: flighty as fuck, gets startled easily. graceful; she has good fashion sense. you have no idea where she came from in the room. fairy tales are definitely her thing, but happy endings really aren't true with that state of things right now in the solar system. too many butterflies, but is fine with it since they help her stay calm. Actually really good at flying archwings, I think?

Trinity: First one to rush into the fight, last one to leave until everyone is okay. Is the Mom friend. Likes to be helpful. Rather much a bitch to those she hates. She may have an open heart, but don’t walk all over this girl. Cross her once, shame on you. Cross her twice, she leaves you for dead on eris, end of story.

Valkyr: Look, she’s been through some shit, has ptsd, the very least you can do is give her a cat plushie and your support, okay? Gets angry easily and has meltdowns. She’s not a pushover. She knows what’s best, she can endure. semi serious, jokes fly over her head. it may take a bit for her to like you. literally a cat frame, you don’t know love until you've been loved by a cat.

Vauban: Forget Limbo being a troll. This is THE trollframe. Went to college for engineering, came back out a smart ass. Don’t loan money to him, he prolly won’t pay ya back. Pretty good drinking buddy tho. Reads a shit ton of shakespear to know what that sense of humor really is. Shit poster, meme hoarder extrordinaire. you can have a grenade! And you can have a grenade! YOU ALL CAN HAVE GRENADES!

Volt: Impeccable taste mixed with sharp commentary. Why does he have a helmet that’s a boob? maybe he has a high schooler’s sense of humor? would be honest with you and tell you straight up what needs to be done. This guy likes expensive suits. Has a tendency to be impulsive.

Wukong: Has loads of stories to tell. Good memory. Can comeback from just about any setback. determined and will happily grind with you in missions for hours. Also pretty damn stubborn and doesn’t listen well to others, kinda has to speak first.

Zephyr: Life’s a breeze here, right? Kinda goes with whatever and has a hard time deciding on things. Kinda clumsy too. Crashes raids and blows away the enemy. Usually minds her own business with her head in the clouds.

[swimyghost]

The Haiamo Chapter

WARNING: THIS IS NOT MY UNIVERSE. Kiyrus Terino and this Homestuck Universe was based on @cay-reborn Homestuck fan-comic ‘288′ which can be found here:https://mspfa.com/?s=23527&p=1

Haiamo, her lusus, castle, and stuff was created by me. Please read “288″ for more details. Again, I THIS IS NOT MY UNIVERSE. Please enjoy!

(Background: Bored in class so I wrote this. Details a bit of Haiamo’s character and what she did before she is introduced in “288″. Please don’t kill me Cay ;( )

Haiamo’s typing style: E is 3, 4 is A, H is )(, and uses lots of slang and swears

*-*-*-*

Deep breath, release, smoke floats to the top. Deep breath, release, smoke floats to the top. A young troll girl, around six Alternian solar sweeps old, sat in her dark castle dungeon/respiteblock, smoking a basic troll blunt. As she smoked, the black haired girl looked at her fuschia and black computer screen. The light bounced off the troll girl’s goggles and hit the black curtains behind her computer.

Smoke and release. Smoke and release. It is a basic blunt, nothing special. The troll isn’t looking for something special, just something to make her relax. Now, the girl is normally a pretty chill bro. Relaxing and laughing and looking up some dank ass memes. But today is different! Today… Is when her guardian, her lusus, returns from their trip.

The girl’s neck fins lowered out both fear and annoyance. She loved her lusus, there was no doubt. However, Sharkmama could be very annoying. Trying to get to get her outside, trying to make her more “presentable”, trying to even get her away… away from her computer.

“ <3 )(ELL to d4 n4w </3!” The troll screamed, slamming her blunt on her expensive mahogany table. The blunt sizzled and burned out.

“<3 4w d4mn <3.” The girl mumbled to yourself.

She crossed the blunt and its dusty carcass on the ground. The troll… Wait… Does this troll even have a name? If we just keep calling her ‘the troll’ it would be boring and mysterious. And Haiamo is not mysterious!

The troll’s name is Haiamo Sorcere and she is the heiress to the Alternia throne and a fuschia blood. But Haiamo could care less. She is a very… Weird… Troll. She enjoys watching terrible harem anime and loves to smoke and do Alternian drugs. But her biggest passion is the mystic arts and memes, which totally go hand-and-hand. Memes, in Haiamo’s eyes, is the funniest shit ever and can make even the most humorless trolls laugh. And the magic and mystical arts? Well, after finding her weapon, she can hear the call of magic. Secretly, Haiamo looks up spells and enchantments so she can use them. However, they barely work… Like ever.

What shall this young troll do?

Well, she was trying to push all her garbage under her bed. Faygo bottles, used blunts, smelly clothes, and her baggies of drugs. Haiamo could let her lusus see this or else Sharkmama will go into rage mood.

“<3 4lright, )(ow much tim3 do I h4v3 l3ft b3for3 Sh4rkm4m4 g3ts h3r3?”

Haiamo speed-weeded over to her giant computer. The computer was a gift from the Empress of Alternia herself. Haiamo doesn’t know how to feel about the Empress. Don’t get her wrong, Haiamo loves everyone. But the Empress sends her presents a random. Sometimes it’s fancy dresses and other times its expensive tech equipment. Haiamo usually gives it to Troll!Goodwill because dresses are itchy and make her look fat and she didn’t care for technology. It's all about magic, baby.

She looked at the time. Three minutes until her lusus arrived.

“<3 4w )(3ll <3.” Haiamo groaned, baring her fanged teeth.

The young troll decided to, for once, clean up her lovely (disgusting) room. The room is very large and very important because she is a very large and important person herself. Her dirty, sweaty, and Alternian weed smelling clothes litter the ground and has seemingly created a second carpet, this time fuschia instead of black. The walls are fuschia with thick lines running from the top and bottom. Faygo stains are splashed against those walls and smell just as lovely (disgusting) as you’d imagine. Haiamo’s computer and the desk were pushed into the far left side of the room, far away from the exit, which is on the far right. Her bed is also covered in Alternian drugs, sweaters, pants, and Faygo bottles. The bed itself is in a fuschia heart shape and has a black frame with a silk-like canopy above it.

Haiamo looked back at the wall her desk is pushed up against. A giant black curtain covers the entire top part of the wall and can only be opened back either one of the golden ropes that dangle on each side of the curtain. Haiamo nervously watched the curtains, watching for any sign of movement.

“<3 Nothing y3t. )(3… Th4ts 4… R3r33f… )(4)(4)(4! G3T IT? R3r33F? R3LI3F? <3”

Clutching her knees, the young heiress gasped for breath for more then usual.

Suddenly, something massive against her wall, making the thick curtains shake. Haiamo leaped back and went to grab her toke bag that, conveniently, laid on the ebony bedside table sat stood near her bed (obviously).

The slammings continued until Haiamo raced over to her desk and pulled the golden rope nearby. The curtains pulled back to reveal a ginormous shark. The shark had to be the biggest in the ocean. It was white with a light gray underbelly. It bared it’s sharp fangs and opened it’s mouth, revealing twelve rows of them. Half of its right fin was missing completely and scars lined the remaining parts of it. The eyes of the shark were white with a faded pink color around the edges. Dark fuschia veins surrounded the area around the eyes.

Fun fact, this shark was Haiamo’s great and powerful lusus.

“<3 4y333333! S)(4rkm4m4! W4s poppin’ <3!” Haiamo waved at her lusus and smiled.

“SCREEEE!”

“<3 W4? W)(4chu t4lkin ‘bout?”

“RAAAAAAAAAA!”

“<3 Go outsi3? )(3LL N4W </3!”

“RRRRRAAAA!”

“<3 M4m444444 </3.” Haiamo whined.

“RAWR!”

“<3 Ugh… Fin3! </3”

Haiamo picked up her FETCH MODUS, her toke bag. The bag was a terrible modus, but it kept all her drugs and memes so she was happy. At the top of her modus was her favorite necklace ever. A necklace of Troll!Pepe The Frog. His gray frog skin and his horns.. So beautiful. And his smug grin made Haiamo smile with glee. She slipped the necklace around her neck and watched its gold chain sparkle in the meme-light.

The troll girl opened the silver shark-lusus sized door and walked down the fuschia and black hallway. Lights shared space with the poster of her favorite anime, Rosario + Vampire and School Days. Haiamo glanced lovingly at the School Days poster. Haiamo has been loved School Days since her moirail gave her a copy of it for her Wriggling Day. She never understood why so many people hated Makoto Itou. He just wanted to get the bitches.

As she continued down the hallway, Haiamo tried to ignore the piles of gold, silver, bronze, and jewels. It was a thing of her past she tried to forget. Haiamo entered the entrance to her castle to see Sharkmama swimming in circles.

The entrance was huge. The floors were made from pink quartz and a large quartz and pink diamond staircase. Piles of gold and jewels touched the heavily detailed ceiling depicting lowblood rebellions and highblood rule. A massive diamond chandelier dangling from the ceiling, glimmering and shining like a beacon. The door to the castle was ebony and curved with ancient quotes from elder highbloods. The floor was white quartz and had black and fuchsia swirl-patterns. Sharkmama glanced up at Haiamo and let out a low growl. At full speed, Sharkmama swam up to Haiamo and roared in her face. The power of the roar made Haiamo slide back. Her hair tie that kept her long and knotted hair in a ponytail snapped and unleashed its wildness. Haiamo’s baggy fuschia sweater with her black ‘Pilo’ sign waved wildly back and forth. Her sweatpants nearly ripped from the force.

Sharkmama stopped and grumbled in pain, looking at her fin stub gingerly. Haiamo casually fixed her rainbow lensed goggles.

“<3 U don3? ‘C4us3 I w4nn4 go b4ck to my crib, ight? <3.” Haiamo said, running her fingers through her hair. After she was done, Haiamo pulled out a waterproof lighter and waterproof blunt and started smoking.

“GRAAAAAA!”

“<3 Iz just 4 blunt, no n33d to scr33 4t m3)(, ight <3.” Haiamo hissed.

“Grrrrr…”

“<3 M4444, it 4in’t gonn4 kill m3h.”

Sharkmama swam over and hit the blunt out of Haiamo’s hands and growled in her face. Haiamo growled back, baring her sharp teeth. The blunt slowly fizzled out and died on the ground. Haiamo slammed her foot on it and twisted her foot a few times. “<3 4lright, I’ll stop, f4 now. Just t3ll m3 w4 I gott4 do ‘for3 I st4rt r3kting yo <3.”

Sharkmama let out a tiny rawr, which Haiamo translated as Feed me now or I’ll eat you.

“<3 M4, get yo juss f33d yo-self <3?” Haiamo whined, dug her hands into her hair.

Sharkmama ran her good fin through Haiamo’s hair, letting out a small grunt. Haiamo sighed and let out a small smile.

“<3 Ight, I’ll go out 4n’ g3t you som3fin’... Juss, w4it h3r3, ight <3?” Haiamo mumbled.

Sharkmama let out a soft roar and pulled Haiamo back as she tried to go outside. With her good fin, Sharkmama started to brush Haiamo’s hair. While this pleased the lusus, the troll, however, was not.

“<3 M4...<3”

…

“<3 M4…<3”

…

“<3 M4 <3!”

“RAAAA!”

Haiamo, with hair now all straight and neat, raced away from her lusus and opened the ebony door and closed it just as a wave of water slammed into her.

Not like it bothered the seadweller. Instead, she pushed off the door and swam away from the dark fuschia and black castle. Her hair waved wildly in the dark ocean, moving like a flag caught in a wild breeze. Haiamo clutched her toke bag tightly, making sure the contents of the bag don’t fall out as she swam through the water at breakneck speeds. Her fins flattened against the sides of her neck as she slowly raised the speed. She screeched to a halt as Haiamo sniffed the salty water.

“<3 Nop3 Nop3 Nop3, t)(3r3 is no lusii 4nywh3r3 </3!” Haiamo growled at nothing.

Haiamo sped up to the surface and gasped when the salty air slapped her. She, using her arms, swam closer to the shore so she wouldn’t be knocked around by waves. The Alternian sun was barely visible now. Only a sliver of the powerful sun was left as the night slowly consumed the sky. The little light touched the sandy shore that sat near the rolling hills and endless fields. In Haiamo’s peripheral vision, she watched a young troll walked casually on the shore with bronze colored headphones. He had a half shaved head with curly black hair covering his right eye. He wore a brown long coat over his gray pants and a black shirt with the Taurun sign in the center.

“<3 W)(o4! 4 BROWNBLOOD?! N3v3r s33n on3 of t)(os3 ‘roun ‘3r3 ‘for3… H3y! Yo! Y34)(, yo!”

The brown-blooded troll at first didn’t hear the fuschia-blooded troll, but he looked over when she slowly raised her voice. At first, he didn’t see Haiamo swimming towards him, but once he did, a look of complete fear spread across his face. He ripped the headphones off his ears and dropped them around his skinny neck.

“Y-Yes, Ma-Ma'am?” The young troll stuttered.

Haiamo ignored the fear-stricken trolls… Well, fear… And asked, “<3 Yo, bro! ‘4v3 you s33n 4ny lusii ‘round ‘3r3? I’m tryin’ to find m3 lusus 4 m34l so th3y’ll stop both3rin’ m3)(.”

The young troll wildly shook his head, “N-N-No Ma’am, sorry M-Ma’am.”

Haiamo made a pouty face, which caused the brown-blood to leap back in fear. Haiamo sighed and fixed her rainbow lensed goggles.

“<3 O)(! 4y3, w4it! I ‘4v3 som3t)(ing for y4!”

The heiress lifted her toke bag and unclipped the gray Alternia weed sign that held the bag closed. She pulled out a baggie of Alternia marijuana and looked at it fondly, “<3 3v3n t)(o you didn’t ‘3lp m3)( find 4 lusus, I still t)(ink you’d lik3 t)(is. It’s on3 of my f4v-”

Haiamo looked up to see the troll racing away, moving his long legs as fast as he could to get away from the heiress. Haiamo, once again, made a pouty face and dropped the bag back into the toke bag. She clipped it and dived back into the water. The warmth of the sun was quickly lost as Haiamo dived deeper and deeper under the waves. As the dark water started to swirl around the seadweller, her night(water)vision turned on and she ignored the ice cold water that clung to her skin. Haiamo continued going deeper, hoping to catch something.

She soon would get her wish when she heard the slight sound of growling and the sound of something fast moving around her. Haiamo stopped moving and stood still. The slight growling was getting closer and closer. Haiamo slowly unclipped her bag and retrieved her weapon. A wand called Wand O’ Wonder.    

Wand O’ Wonder was one of the items Haiamo found during her younger sweeps that she was proud of. Haiamo used to love to search the ruined ships and buildings that stood under the sea with Sharkmama. That is where 90 percent of her gold coins and jewels came from. But Wand O’ Wonder was found when Haiamo stumbled into some purple highblood’s private chambers when she was exploring a giant ship. There was a nine-foot tall skeleton wearing ruined black and dark purple robes and holding a white wand with dark brown ancient runes curved on the bottom. She took it and that is what started her secret interest in magic.

Clutching Wand O’ Wonder, Haiamo craned her neck forward and narrowed her eyes. Suddenly, a gray massive started to charge towards her. Haiamo dodged the mass’ attack and quickly turned to face it, bring her fangs.

It was the biggest type of whale lusus in Alternia. It had an entirely gray body with white under its huge fins. Ever spikes grew out of its back and around its fins. It had two rows of sharp teeth and its eyes were a deep violet. It let out a low growl and swam threateningly around Haiamo. Haiamo looked the whale deep into its eyes and adjusted her goggles. The heiress was slightly nervous about this fight. Wand O’ Wonder used the literal power of imagination, which took a lot of energy out of her. If she ran out of energy, she would be certainly be killed.

Haiamo ignored this fought and swiftly started the battle. She raised Wand O’ Wonder and imaged a fuschia laser-like light to burst out of the wand. She felt a sudden surge of warmth has a white blast with a fuschia outline and pointed tip shot out of the wand and shot towards the whale. It hit the whale in the center between its eyes. It roared it pain, but it didn’t cut him open and just made a large bruise. The whale snarled and charged.

Haiamo shot off three more laser-shots. Two of them missing, but one hit the whale’s side. It stunned it long enough for Haiamo to swim away and try to come up with a plan to kill it. Suddenly, a blast of searing pain consumed Haiamo’s right shoulder. The whale got swam up behind her and slashed deep into her shoulder with its left fin. The whale continued swimming before stopping and turning to face its prey.

Fuschia blood surrounded Haiamo like a thick swarm of mist. Haiamo gasped in pain and clutched her shoulder. Breathing heavily, Haiamo weakly raised her right hand and summoned a fuschia shield to protect herself from the whale’s charge. The whale bounced off the shield and shook its head wildly. Haiamo made the shield disappear and swam under the whale, who was still confused and even angrier. Haiamo imaged three dozen fuschia arrows as she stood under the whale. The whale didn’t notice three dozen fuschia outlined appeared and shot through the water and directly into his stomach. The whale snarled in pain and dove down.

Haiamo raised another shield and shot out two more lasers at the whale, both hitting its fins. The whale swam back, closing its violet eyes tightly.

In a sudden boost of adrenaline, Haiamo swam forward, shattering the shield, and shoving the Wand O’ Wonder into the whale’s eye. The creature howled in pain as the troll swam out of its reach. Violet blood poured from its eye. The whale blindly swam around, trying to see. Haiamo laughed as the whale struggled, accidentally catching some of its heavily salty blood in her mouth.

“<3 MOT)(ERFA- <3!” Haiamo cursed, spitting repeatedly.

The whale stopped and faced Haiamo, letting out a long, slow growl.

“<3 Shiiiiiit <3…” Haiamo muttered.

The whale roared and charged again. Haiamo moved slightly to the side and grabbed hold of the wand, trying to pull it out. Instead of doing just that, the troll started to be dragged around. The whale wailed as Haiamo wiggled the wand around, crushing up parts of its eye. Finally getting the wand free, Haiamo pushed off the whale. She started to clean off the violet muck with her already fuschia blood covered sleeve, not noticing the tail of the whale coming straight at her. The tail slapped her and forced her to crash into the rocky ground below.

Haiamo screamed in pain as her spine cracked against the ground. She dragged herself off the ground and watched as the whale circled above, exposing its giant underside. Haiamo took a deep breath and looked down. She noticed they the right side of her rainbow lensed goggles were shattered and the left side was cracked. Her Troll!Pepe the Frog necklace would cover in violet and fuschia blood.

<3 W4it… P3p3? <3

Haiamo stumbled to her feet, groaning as the pain in her back grew. The whale continued circling, letting out low hisses and clicks as it grew closer. Haiamo raised her wand and narrowed her eyes.

“<3 4Y3! )(OOFB34ST-S)(IT <3!”

The whale stopped and it's one eye looked down.

Haiamo stood with her legs apart and took an anime protagonist stance. She yelled and pointed her wand straight under the whale. A blast of bright light blinded the two and when they were able to see, they were met by the most beautiful thing that they ever saw.

Troll!Pepe the Frog was white with the standard fuschia outline. His pupils were rolling around in his round eyes and his tongue hanging out. He had tiny, but sharp-pointed horns. Pepe looked up and saw that his creator wanted him to attack the whale.

“REEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE!” Pepe screamed.

Pepe launched himself and, in a flash of light, ran straight toward the center of the whale, ripping a hole in his body. The whale coughed up blood before dying right then and there. Haiamo swam up and pushed straight through the giant hole, getting covered in violet blood and being hit by intestines. Haiamo ignored that fact, continuing to go to the surface. Once she broke the water's surface, the heiress watched as the Pepe, still screaming, stopped in mid-air and shook violently. Pepe exploded in a flash of fuschia. Mini frogs and rainbows fluttered across the Alternian night sky and faded into nothingness.

“<3 4W Y34)(! T)(4T’S MY FROG <3!” Haiamo cheered, laughing extra hard.

A bit of salty violet blood dripped down from her forehead and landed on her tongue. The troll coughed and started spitting into the sea.

“<3 O)( MY G4WD! T)(IS FUCKIN’ BLOOD… is…. So dis… disgusting…. <3”

Haiamo’s eyes rolled to the back of her head and slowly sank deeper into the ocean. She fell onto the back of the whale lusus, who was still bleeding out even though it had died. Haiamo noticed a white shark swimming towards her before passing out.

-*-*-*-

“<3 OW! T)(4T HURT <3!”

“RAAAAAAAA!”

Sharkmama was using her strong jaw to tighten the white bandages that her wrapped around her shoulder. The injured Haiamo sat on the staircase they lead to the second story of her castle while her lusus swam in mid-air. According to Sharkmama (or what Haiamo had interpreted), Sharkmama was waiting outside the castle when she was hit with the faint scent of fuschia blood. Knowing that it must have been Haiamo’s blood, Sharkmama quickly swam over to try to find her and heard from the surface an explosion. She watched as her troll floated onto the whale lusus and quickly, but cautiously, dragged both Haiamo and the dead whale lusus home. Currently, the lusus laid dead on the floor, blocking to exit.

Once Sharkmama finished tightening the bandages, Haiamo had to tight the shoulder bandages and fix her back support (while she was a good caregiver, Sharkmama was terrible at doing anything the revolved medical treatment.) Haiamo pulled out a blunt and her lighter and started to smoke, hoping the drugs would kick in so she wouldn’t feel the pain anymore. At first, the royal blooded troll believed her lusus would rip the blunt out of her mouth. Instead, Sharkmama pressed herself against her troll’s side and started to brush her knotted hair with her good fin.

Haiamo did not complain.

Once a few minutes of complete silence, Haiamo looked down at her feet. Her goggles laid on the floor, the lenses completely shattered. Haiamo sighed, letting out a large cloud of smoke.

“Raaa…?” Sharkmama noticed Haiamo’s woeful face.

“... Look, I’ll talk to you normally, okay?” Haiamo looked Sharkmama dead in the eye, who just simply blinked.

“I know you what me to become a better heiress. I know you want me to go out treasure collecting again like we used to. I know you want me to stop smoking and get off drugs. I know you want me to get away from the computer. And I know that you want me to just go outside and get real friends, as you say. But… But I like how I live. I could care less about my blood because it makes my life a living hell. I like looking and memes and sending them to my moirail and online friends because I find them funny, unlike some trolls who find murdering lowbloods funny. I like doing drugs because it makes me feel better and makes me forget my duties as heiress… And these goggles…”

Haiamo picked up the goggles. The fuschia rims looked awful and had many scratches and tears along the edges. The flecks of the rainbow glass hung pitifully on the side while the rest remained either on the floor of the castle or on the ocean floor. Haiamo blinked away fuschia tears.

“These goggles blinded me from a world of distrust, hatred, and fear. But… Now that they’re broken…”

“Graaaaa!”

“What?”

“Greaaaaaa!”

Haiamo watched as Sharkmama swam away into the left hallway and into one of the many treasure rooms. She appeared with a new pair of rainbow lens goggles, this time with black rubber that held them together instead of the dull gray. Sharkmama proudly dropped them into Haiamo’s gray hands.

“GRA! RAAAAAA! SCREEEEEEE! RAAAAAA!”

Haiamo translated it as This was supposed to be your Wriggling Day gift, but I was mad at you on that day and decided not to give it to you.

“Was it because you caught me higher than the clouds?!” Haiamo yelled with playful anger.

Sharkmama let out a toothy grin (or was she baring her teeth?)

Haiamo pulled out a hair tie from her bag and pulled her butt-length hair in a ponytail before putting on the goggles. Haiamo let out a big smile and cheered,

“<3 4W Y34)(! H4I4MO SOC3R3 IS B4CK 4ND R34DY TO KICK 4NYON3 W)(4L3’S 4SS <3!!!!!!!!!!!!”

The troll leaped up and tackled hugged her lusus. Sharkmama shook a little, not ready for the hug. But let out a soft sigh and nuzzled her troll. Haiamo smiled and whispered gently,

“Thank you, Sharkmama…”

The two hugged it out and continued into the early morning.

-*-*-*-

A young limeblood sat on a swing what appears to be his treehouse. He seems to be a collector of rocks and space with the many rocks and space posters around his room. He kicks his legs as his gray and black shorts move in the wind, revealing a single green line running down one side. His sleeveless shirt was smoothed out and showed off the gray sign of Cancer, more commonly known as The Sign of the Signless. He had a half shaved head with the shaved side being green. His green eyes sparkled with curiosity and wonder.

His name is Kiryus Terino and his adventure starts here…

(Please support @cay-reborn! They are a really cool person and allowed Haiamo into their comic! Byee!)

P.S KarkatandNepeta’s GayChild will live forever!

[keepcalmandreadondk]

The Nostalgia Epidemic

A friend and I went to dinner the other night and she mentioned something that greatly interested me. She read somewhere that millennials are the most nostalgic generation. Being a millennial myself, I regarded this statement as true but also not true. It is true in the sense that we long for our childhoods again and the media we consumed, and we are the only generation to have grown up in the big technological boom of smartphones and the internet. Therefore, it is easy for us to be nostalgic for a more "simple time." But I also think that this isn't so true. Millennials are very interested in new media as well as the ones they are nostalgic over. If anything, I'd say a more fitting generation for the "Most Nostalgic" title would be the baby boomers who voted our current president into office under the delusions of their nostalgia.

Speaking of delusion though, I think nostalgia can do that to us: make us delusional. The human memory isn't an accurate representation of our past. It remembers certain things and then breaks those things down into something which the mind can comprehend. These memories shape our being. A millennial may recall the days when Saturday morning cartoons were a must see. Their parents would make them breakfast and they would have no responsibilities. Now, as an adult, this is no longer a thing and the millennial may long to have those "simple" days back. But those days weren't simple. We were kids and didn't have to deal with complicated reality.

So we millennials have used the internet to celebrate '90s culture. We gush about our love for Rugrats, about how we learned to love reading through Harry Potter, and are quick to recite all of the lyrics to the opening of Fresh Prince of Bel Air. But if we take an honest look at the entertainment and culture that surrounded our childhood's, chances are we won't like what we see. Boy Meets World is a cheesy sitcom, Friends is uncomfortably white, and Hocus Pocus is just not a good movie. We can appreciate the things we loved as kids, of course. Most of the things I have mentioned thus far are things I love. But it is also important to recognize that they may not be as good as our memories make them out to be.

Now, in 2017, October is nearing its end and the highly anticipated Netflix original show, Stranger Things, is about to premiere its second season to the public. Speaking of nostalgia, OH BOY, is this show playing on the public's nostalgia. Don't get me wrong, Stranger Things is a great show. It isn't as great as people make it out to be but then again, nostalgia seems to hold the remote control.

Stranger Things is largely praised for its callbacks to various trends of the '80s and '90s. The show borrows from several properties in terms of music, plot, cinematography, art design, and dialogue. When the show first premiered, it was described to me as E.T. meets Stand by Me. This was not a turn off at all because I love both of those movies and of course would love to see something replicate them in some capacity. However, Stranger Things does more than replicate a style of storytelling. It literally takes chunks of '80s and '90s culture and places it into the show. The result is that although Stranger Things is a fun adventure that calls back to the properties we grew up on and loved, it fails to repair the mistakes those properties made and makes the audience compliant with okay and rehashed entertainment. Now, don't misunderstand me. I love this show and am eagerly anticipating the next season. However, for all the good the show accomplishes, it seems to have blinded us to the problems that exist within the frames. Our nostalgia is blinding us.

This problem is not unique to an original show like Stranger Things. There are much more obvious culprits of this crime that exist in modern day media. In order to analyze Stranger Things, we can't ignore this problem of nostalgia as a whole that exists into today's culture. Stranger Things may be using familiar themes and tropes that we miss, but it can be argued that at least they are using these things in an interesting and somewhat original context. Compare that to most other properties today that play only on our nostalgia and you'll find that the crimes Stranger Things commits are mere child's play.

Nostalgia has taken form due to many different factors, but all of them can be boiled down to three individual issues: people being comfortable with what they know, sanitized realities, and formula.

When I went through a list of many nostalgic / revamped properties of late, all of them came into existence out of the studious understanding that people are comfortable with the familiar. Hollywood understands that releasing an entirely new movie is a risk and the reward is completely reliant on positive critique or getting people properly hyped with good marketing. However, releasing a movie that takes a classic character, such as Mary Poppins, and adds an "original" story plays on the public's love of a beloved classic movie, character, and even possibly the actor that played said character. An audience is much more comfortable seeing something they already know they like and understand, versus something new and unfamiliar.

This isn't just a trend in entertainment. It is human nature. If a person attends a party but sees no one they know, they may feel uncomfortable or like an outsider and therefore not have much fun. If they see someone or a group of people they know, they will automatically feel included and more at ease to have a fun time. The same can be understood when it comes to entertainment. Hollywood is blatantly aware of this. As already mentioned, the internet has given way to people celebrating their nostalgia. It would be stupid of Hollywood not to take advantage of this longing. They know what people crave and are making millions by handing out sugary treats to their nostalgia-ridden customers.

Since literally all of the properties I am going to mention through this essay fit into this first category, I am only going to mention a few in particular during this first part. It can be assumed that all properties mentioned past this point fit into the category of "comfortable with the familiar."

The Disney live-action remakes and the new Super Nintendo Entertainment System (SNES) Classic video game system are huge cash cows and examples of Hollywood (or in this case, the video game industry) taking advantage of people's nostalgia dollars. Let's first look at the SNES Classic. At first glance, this product seems really awesome. It harks back to classic games and it is cool seeing the old yet familiar system on shelves once again. But, this is a blatant example of Nintendo blinding its customers with shiny nostalgic merchandise for some extra dollars.

For over 10 years, Nintendo has revived most of its old games in the form of digital downloads. The Wii shop channel, soon to be obliterated from existence, sold virtual games that could be downloaded to the Wii and Wii U systems such as Donkey Kong Country, Super Mario Bros, Zelda, and more. XBox has done something similar since then. All the major systems are also re-realeasing games, whether they be HD re-masters, recreations, or just the classic game itself, and while not every game is available, many are easily accessible to the general public. So why buy this incredibly expensive call back system that only comes with a handful of preloaded games when most games are available for the new systems we already own? Well, it is nostalgia. That is literally it. And sure there is the rare occasion that nostalgia is not a factor (I know someone who said their grandmother loves video games and the SNES Classic system would be perfect for her as it is small, has simpler games, and doesn't take up much space) but, again, that is a rare exception. Nintendo could easily work on their digital store on the new Nintendo Switch, but they won't. They want your money.

Then there are the Disney live-action remakes. If there is anything we don't need, it is the Disney live-action remakes. Just think of how many children we could feed with the money that goes into making these films and the money people put into seeing them in the theater and buying them when they are released on DVD, Blu-ray, and Digital (don't forget streaming services!). I seriously believe that I just solved world hunger right there (or at least decreased it substantially). Tell me I am wrong!

I don't think there is much to say beyond that paragraph. The Disney live-action remakes always create literal carbon copies of their animated predecessors, change enough to excuse the fact that this movie didn't need to be made (i.e. transferring a sentence of dialogue to a different character so that the movie is different [we will be exploring this in the future when it comes to the Beauty and the Beast live-action remake]), and give us lots of pretty CGI and cinematography to make us forget how grotesque and disappointing the movie actually is.

Stranger Things definitely takes advantage of this nostalgia that exists in the modern day audience, young and old, and milks it dry. The whole concept of the show just reeks of nostalgia, even to the artwork of the show. One piece in particular that used to be up on Netflix's website is a hand drawn style image of all of the characters in the show. There is very subtle language being used to remind an audience of films they are nostalgic for. A google image search can easily show us that many classic films that are celebrated today contain movie art and posters that are given the hand drawn look (i.e. The Goonies, Jaws, Star Wars, Indiana Jones, and even the first Harry Potter film). Continuing on, the show contains a nerdy group of kids who love adventure and ride bikes and talk on walkie-talkies. Tell me that sentence does not give off the scent of the '80s. The show is almost guaranteed a following.

The next point I want to touch on is the idea of sanitized reality. In his book, Brat Pack America: A Love Letter to '80s Teen Movies, Kevin Smokler discusses '80s films that harken back to the '50s and skip over the politically charged and distraught '60s and '70s as if they never existed. These movies embrace, as Rider Strong (ironically, a star of the nostalgic '90s, in Boy Meets World) says on the podcast "Literary Disco," " [a] make America great nostalgia...that's a little disturbing." Julia Pistell, another host on the podcast, notes that these movies are "teen movies [about] emotion and they're about rebellion...in the confines of [the] white, suburban, rich world." '80s movies are not the only culprits of almost retelling history as sentimental and devoid of political issues. Rider Strong goes on to say, in the same podcast episode, in regard to his time on Boy Meets World that the writers were practically writing a '50s version of the '90s. The episode also touches on Stranger Things and I highly recommend listening to it (click here).

Many properties from the past (be it the '80s or even the '60s and '70s) present a very specific portrait of American life that many have mistaken for the reality of the past. These shows are extremely sanitized, showing TV watching folks "normal" people. Even with shows that have some absurd characters or different family structures, it all falls back on these people being a unique nuclear family. These people dress nice and in style, don't swear, and represent wholesome family values. Who cares about real life? This version of reality is much nicer and takes our mind off of real world problems (and the same people who say this also insult the "nerds" who cling to fantastical stories such as Harry Potter and Lord of the Rings, properties that at least offer some form of substance along with their form of escapism fiction).

Nothing represents this better than Full House, now Fuller House. The original show is often criticized for its overt moral moments and the obligatory sad music. It is one of those shows that if made into a cake would have many layers on heavy icing that makes one sick to their stomach. The show paints, as noted above by the "Literary Disco" team, a unique picture of the normal American family in the '80s as having problems "in the confines of [the] white, suburban, rich world." Not only that, but the show blatantly relies on making you sad and addressing problems that aren't actually problems. But because of nostalgia, no matter how enlightened we now are about Full House, there is still a successful spin-off with the all too original title, Fuller House. The show finds our young characters all grown up and running into some more shenanigans as adults that they caused as children. How fun! And as usual, these problems are not actual problems and are usually caused by the stupidity of the characters themselves. Laugh track, laugh track, laugh track. This is quality TV. Well...actually it isn't. But, somehow, it is three seasons strong. Nostalgia.

Another show that represents a distorted reality is Gilmore Girls. Now, full disclosure, I have never watched or liked this show. I've seen bits and pieces of it but never understood the hype. However, I know several people who loved this show while it was on TV and watched the new Netflix mini-series, A Year in the Life. Since I have never watched the show regularly or seen a full episode all the way through of the original or new series, there is really no way for me to give any opinion on said properties. However, from what I know of the original show and new mini-series based on critiques I've seen throughout the internet, the general consensus seems to be that like Fuller House, A Year in the Life relies on the same fast talking, pop culture referencing, and problems that aren't really problems tropes from the original TV show. Here is a good video to watch on all of that jazz.

Stranger Things does this as well. It is what I like to call borrowing from something but not learning from that something's mistakes. Instead of moving forward as a species, we'd rather sit back in our comfy chairs and forget about real issues. So Stranger Things gives us the token black character, parents who are oblivious, and awkward sibling hugs. All characters fall into some sort of cliche, and although the show tries to spin these cliches, it doesn't make it a priority and so these spins often fall flat really quickly. The characters perform to fit the archetype they represent: the hero, the worried mother, or the scientist 100% non-wavering evil villain.

Take Nancy for example. Nancy is the stereotypical straight and white high school girl. The first episode sees her worrying about if a guy named Steve (Steve Harrington, she says his first and last name over and over again as if it is cute) likes her. As the show progresses, we see Nancy go from being this cliche character to becoming a bit of a badass with another character named Jonathan out of pure necessity. Their lives and family are at stake. Steve is the typical guy who doesn't care about Nancy but just wants to have sex with her. But, Steve has a redemption arc! So, the final episode shows us that Nancy, despite all of the episodes of her bonding with Jonathan through an extremely traumatic situation, chooses Steve. And people will say that the trope is that Nancy would of course end up with the other, better guy (that being Jonathan) (though I will say I am very happy to see a show give a seemingly bad character a redemption arc and actually follow through with it realistically) but...well, she would do that because the show's plot and character development led to that conclusion. Why do the build up if you are going to have your characters go the opposite way? This also takes away from Nancy's story, as it now becomes about Steve's redemption over Nancy's independence and growth as a character.  

One show I really like is called Good Behavior on TNT. While not a perfect show, it constantly has our characters making bad decisions. Despite that, they are trying to be good people. The show acknowledges the human desire to return to what is easy instead of growing which is difficult, and captures the awkwardness of admitting one's problems and setting things right. In other words, it shows flawed characters who can admit to their flaws and at least be self aware enough to try and be better, even if they keep failing.

Stranger Things, however, falls into the trope that everything can be tied into a nice bow. In other words, it buys into a semi-sanitized reality. Now, I am aware of the scene with Will coughing up that nasty creature in the bathroom, but that scene is specifically building up to the next season. It exists purely to build up the hype. One could argue that Eleven's story isn't neatly tied up but actually is. We know she is alive and returning next season as evidence by the waffles Hopper takes to the woods. Will is an uncertainty. But I'm sure everything will turn out fine in the end, as is the nature of these types of shows. Again, this isn't an outright bad thing. Our current climate, however, doesn't leave tropes like this to be desired.

But continuing, the show firmly believes that all of our characters have come to a good place and that is such an '80s trope. I refuse to believe that the kids in the Breakfast Club suddenly became better people after one Saturday detention. I believe that something of that caliber could spark continued change. But '80s movies don't work like that. Stranger Things had a chance to improve upon this trope but it did not. Why? Because that is what '80s movies do and there is no room for the medium to grow because NOSTALGIA. These characters don't act as if they have been through a life altering event. The only person who does, as mentioned above, is Will. And while I do think that was partially deliberate, I don't think the writers consciously decided to challenge tropes. In fact, their decision was to continue the tropes to appease a certain demogorgon. I mean, demographic.

Finally, since we sort of got there already, let's talk about formulas. Many properties today that rely on audience nostalgia also rely on a certain formula to tell a story. In other words, they use tropes. Creators do this because if they change the formula and pull viewers out of their comfort zone, said viewers may not return and that means less money. Instead, they chose a safe and easy form of storytelling that will keep viewers but also dumb them down. Why? Because, nostalgia. And capitalism.

Several properties do this. They simply take the old story, give it a bit of touch ups, and rehash it before our very eyes without the intent to truly tell a good story.  

Take Star Wars, Episode VII: The Force Awakens. Now, I am not a Star Wars fan, nor have I seen any of the new movies and most of the old ones (though I have read the Shakespearian adaptations which you should totally read because they are AMAZING). I will say that I do plan to see the new movies soon (probably going to watch Episode VII tonight) and will see the newest one is theater's with my home girl Rachel (who has an awesome podcast with my other friend Zeek and you should totally check it out). But, even though I haven't seen the newest Star Wars numbered title, it is hard to avoid discussion on the topic. Most, if not all, reviews discussed the issue of this new film rehashing Episode IV. Episode VII merely replaces our main hero with a girl, gives us a new robot, and a villain from the same vain as Darth Vader. The new movie is literally the old movie in disguise. Now, to be fair, I have heard that the film was extremely well done. It is also important to note that Episode IV follows the classic trope of the hero's journey which is replicated by many fantasy and sci-fi stories. In other words, this could be argued to be a trope issue instead of a nostalgia issue. I'd say in this case, they go hand in hand. It can also be said that when Episodes I, II, and III came out, everyone loved them. Time is what changed that opinion and people grew to despise those movies. Who says the same won't happen to this current era of the franchise?

On to another title though. Jurassic World came out the same year as Star Wars, Episode VII. But unlike Star Wars, Jurassic World was all fluff and no substance. I saw the movie and had fun. That is it. Jurassic Park stories always rely on the same thing - people stupidly go to a place with dinosaurs and think they are safe, dinosaurs turn on them, someone who we don't care about dies, more bad stuff happens, there is a final showdown, everyone gets away, the end. The new film did nothing different from its original and followed every beat exactly. Jurassic fans ate it up and now another installment is being made. Nostalgia. It is a never ending circle.

With all of these reboots, it is no wonder we are seeing a second generation of Harry Potter material cropping up (Fantastic Beasts films and the Cursed Child play) that is written and released in such quick succession that many of the original details and lore from the 7 book series is now being contradicted or ignored completely. Buy hey, that is what happens when nostalgia blinds us. We eat it up but don't properly address our poor entertainment diet. We are sick and don't even realize it.

Then there is Girl Meets World and Raven's Home. These are both Disney channel spins off of classic ABC / Disney '90s sitcoms; Boy Meets World and That's So Raven. I give Raven's Home a plus for at least picking a semi-original title compared to Girl Meets World which doesn't try to hide the fact that it just did a gender swap. Seriously, where is the originality? Are we so bent on reliving our past that we undervalue original content and ideas? The answer is yes; nostalgia is a powerful drug.

Let's look at Girl Meets World first. The premise of the show is one similar to that of Fuller House. Our characters have grown up and now are playing the role of parent while their kids make mistakes. Isn't it great? (And in case you weren't aware, that question was me being sarcastic). NO, it is NOT great! Boy Meets World is a show I didn't watch growing up and so unlike most of my peers, I don't particularly like it that much. Sure the show has made me laugh and she I enjoy some of the characters, but for the most part I find the show to be family friendly mush. Girl Meets World takes this formula and multiplies it by 10! The amount of cringe I had to experience while watching this show is quite frankly unfair. Seriously, it was an awful mess. It wasn't as successful as the showrunners had hoped, only lasting for a few seasons. In some regard the show failed because it fails to be a legit modern day Disney channel show (which have their own problems outside of this argument!). On the other hand, it can also be said that nostalgia got the best of the show. It was so concerned with being like the original that it failed to be its own thing. Now, we know from experience that this does not always break a show. But this time it did, and I am glad. Seriously, we don't need another Boy Meets World. We had it once, we don't need it again. Girl Meets World is the equivalent of older people insisting young kids shouldn't learn with calculators. No. Calculators aren't bad. They are necessary for the complex math that is taught in high level education. Nostalgia is blinding. It is blaming the calculator for the poor math programs offered in schools. The problem isn't the calculator and the problem isn't new media. The problem is new media trying to replicate old media to a point. It is unoriginal and lazy.

Raven's Home does a bit better, but not by much. After watching the Pilot episode, I found the show to retain its familiar style of humor while also embracing new and diverse characters. That being said, the show catches its audience completely by keeping nostalgia alive. So even though Raven is an adult woman, she still acts like a teenager. She still makes the same mistakes that happened all the time in the original show. Can't someone tell this woman, "RAVEN! Your visions always come true based on your meddling. SO STOP MEDDLING!" But no, that won't happen because then we would have a different show from That's So Raven and different is bad.

Stranger Things, as already discussed in this essay, relies heavily on the coming of age, '80s formula. It is E.T. meets Stand by Me. Literally. So the kids ride bikes to escape the authorities. Check. Group of boys share an experience that changes them forever and assists their growing up. Check. Siblings have a shared experience that brings them closer together. Check. Secret government / corrupt adult stuff going on under the public's nose. Check. High school rebellion and drinking and sex. Check. Protagonist, funny kid, black kid. Check. I could go on but since this is long already, let's keep going.

Stranger Things is indeed an original property, but it borrows (or really takes from) other properties with zero regard for making anything truly original. If you don't believe me after this long essay, perhaps another original example will change your mind.

La La Land is a movie musical that came out last year to the general consensus that it was an incredible motion picture. Critics and audiences alike raved about the callbacks to old Hollywood musicals in how the film was shot, the musical numbers, and the choreography. However, when I saw the movie I left the theater disappointed. I found the movie to be boring and unoriginal, unsure of why it was considered a musical when most of the second half contained no singing and the movie only had two big chorus numbers. The movie certainly had callbacks but they felt empty, like they were just thrown in for the sake of, you guessed it, nostalgia. It is as if the movie wants to hark back to a better time in filmmaking yet the movie itself can't make a good film. After seeing the movie, I read and listened to several different reviews and found that many people actually didn't like the movie. It became a heavily debated subject. In fact, the movie's polarizing effect on people created a meme when the Oscars accidently awarded best picture to La La Land when in actuality it was Moonlight that won (and rightfully so).

All this points to a problem in our entertainment. Now, more than ever before, we are relying on nostalgia to entertain us. Although I will argue that nostalgia is ingrained in other instances that have existed for decades and long since works such as the Bible were introduced, it seems that today we have entered a Nostalgia Renaissance. So many properties in today's media are stemming off of something that was once popular. And sure I could make the argument that Hollywood and creators are running out of ideas but that argument is overdone. I mean, it comes from an honest place, don't get me wrong. But I think the problem is much deeper than lack of ideas.

Creators always have and always will borrow from other forms of entertainment and other stories. One can argue that there is no such thing as an original idea. However, you won't find me making that argument as I disagree that original ideas are nonexistent. I do believe people are constantly borrowing from other works, but I don't believe people can't make something new and interesting with that material. Nostalgia can be a good influence on entertainment. Take the new video game Cuphead for example.

Cuphead's entire game is designed based on the 1930's cartoons. From its art design to the music, the game is drenched in cartoon nostalgia. In fact, it was these factors that drew me to buy the game. But unlike most of the titles mentioned in this piece, Cuphead does something new and original with its nostalgia. While nostalgia is definitely a reaction one can have to this game, it is not the reason for the game's existence. Rather, it is a way of challenging the current video game market. Most games today have incredibly realistic graphics, focusing on violent gameplay and the incredible detail that goes into each strand of grass on the screen. Cuphead stands out from the crowd because of it's approach to game design. Instead of life-like graphics, we are given a cartoony character with a slightly dark premise of dealing with the devil. In essence, the game deals with dark topics as old cartoons dealt with dark topics - with humor and jazzy music. This style is not put in just for the sake of it. It is clear that the creators of this game made it to be fun and to be a good game. They did not make it to fit in with a current trend. They didn't put in characters from old cartoons to make people feel more content. They created new ideas from the old and gave us a game that celebrates the ‘30s. This distinguishes the game from the other titles discussed in this essay that use nostalgia, instead, as a crutch.

The original idea is not dead. Yes, original ideas may borrow from other ideas but they can remake them in new and interesting ways without being a retread. Netflix can also be an example of this. The platform has consistently been shelling out new and interesting content. It isn't always good, but it is at least trying to do something interesting. In fact, Stranger Things is still an original show that is sparking trends right this very minute. Now everyone wants to make content that harks back to the '80s.

I don't believe Stranger Things is a bad show. I love the show, and can't wait for the second season to premiere on Netflix. But it is important to address the issues that exist within the show to see the bigger problem that exists within the entertainment industry today. Sure Stranger Things is good, but what about the bad things we continue to look past and the entertainment that feature these negative tropes in a more heightened reality? It is important to hold entertainment accountable. As creators, we should learn from the mistakes made in shows and movies we love so that we can create something better. Just because something harks back to the familiar and something we miss, doesn't automatically make it good.