#but many they missed so much in the adaptation there were SO many potential great dramatic and funny moments

[fideidefenswhore]

did a partial reread (it’s been many, many years....im ancient...it’s been 84 years.gif) of tcp last night and it was...an experience.

[jesncin]

MAWS has made me wonder if some people put too much emphasis on a creator's passion for their work being an indicator of its quality, and if past examples of people praising media for "heartfelt, earnest, and clearly indicative of the crew's passion" were glossing over the skill, talent, hard work, and other factors that made it work. You can not deny the creators of MAWS had genuine love for what they made, yet I personally feel like this is a case highlighting how that alone is rarely enough for telling a competent story. I feel like this perspective has been bolstered by past instances of executive meddling to the point of critical opinions often being negated as "not understanding what hurdles crews had to deal with", even with shows like MAWS that had a lot of free reign with their decisions.

oh you are right on the money. "Love for the material" alone is not a marker of a story or adaptation's quality. Undoubtedly, the MAWS crew clearly adore Superman to such a point that they keep having to reiterate that they will not be including Batman in their show- they want to focus on Supes (never mind the rogues they stole), but all that love didn't translate to well written conflict (or dialogue, pacing, character motivation, etc) or a single solid episode.

Meanwhile STAS is often aptly described as "a Superman show written by Bat-fanboys" (and it absolutely shows, the episodes jump in quality when Bruce is around)- the crew even admitted that they weren't motivated to make a Superman show, it was something mandated. STAS certainly doesn't hold a candle to BTAS by a long shot, and I agree with DCAU fans who say "there's probably only 10 great episodes in STAS". But that's the thing. That's 10 better episodes than all of MAWS. Even STAS' worst episodes are still better written than MAWS. And this is coming from a crew that don't care for Superman to the same level. It's still a better show on the mere merit that the BTAS crew assigned to it are competent storytellers. They still created iconic original characters like Livewire which even MAWS ended up adapting.

There are a ton of mindsets to approach an adaptation of a source material as massive as the DC mythos. One of the most common pitfalls is what I like to call being "Married to the Text"- it comes from loving the source material so much that the creative is unwilling to make changes. That's one of the many ways loving the source material too much can hold a creative back. MAWS is the other direction- a ton of crazy changes that miss the point and potential themes of Superman.

tldr, Love for the Source Material doth not make a competently written adaptation. So many other factors go into creative writing.

[deareverlasting]

Paladin of Voltron AU - which lions do you think the gang would wield? so far ive got... ashlyn as the black paladin - the black lion typically looks for a natural leader, someone who won't hesitate to make hard decisions and brings people together, someone who will stand their ground. ash fits these traits in a lot of ways, shown in how she took charge to keep them safe in the phantom dimension from the very start and continues to give her all in protecting everybody and getting them out.

tyler as the red paladin - the red lion tends to choose those that push their limits, stubborn and prideful, sometimes even aggressive. her paladins are usually the most likely to act on their own and react on impulse, the right hand of the black lion.

tyler is shown to be stubborn and hot-headed most of the time, and while he doesn't tend to stray from the plan- he does voice his opinions very loudly when he thinks there are any flaws in ashlyns plans. and as a duo, i think tyler would make a pretty great right hand to rely on for ashlyn once they've gotten to know each other and warm up.

aiden as the blue paladin - was sort of tough to place, he was fighting real hard for the red lion but ultimately i put him with blue. if we go into a soft dive for blue, you can tell she likes paladins that are open, willing to follow along and adapt, and humorous. while aiden isnt the first to start a group therapy circle, he isn't outright against it either, he just is never quite given the chance to really open up about his own past. but he does follow right along after ash, ready to move whenever a situation changes out of their favor and is no stranger to trying to keep the mood light.

logan as the green paladin - i think green looks for a curious mind of sorts, someone who looks at a puzzle with sheer determination instead of blinking and turning right around. logan is smart, that much is obvious, but he is also the one who figured out most of what they know of the phantom dimension. he was scared yes, but he still figured out so much despite his fear, he felt more than to leave it well enough alone.

and ben as the yellow paladin - yellow is the hufflepuff of the lions i think, it isn't too picky about who pilots it, but they do look for someone reliable in almost any situation. someone stable, almost predictable in a way? the foundation of a group. ben shows this in many ways, one particular moment that comes to mind is at the arcade when things started getting sticky with logan. he was the very first to get up and start throwing hands because that's his friend and he won't watch him go through the same thing he did.

and finally, taylor as allura - this girl was fighting teeth and nail for blue lion but i caved in because aiden and tyler as the dynamic blue/red duo could NOT be missed. i do have this little idea that the twins would be half altaen bastards who were seperated at birth. i think this could also pose conflict when they try to make alliances with other planets because she isn't true royalty. + for a bit of angst throw in their dad saving her when the planet was destroyed. EDIT: another idea for the twins, they were seperated when the planet was destroyed, and when they were about to be put into a cyropod and everything, maybe tylers launched on accident and landed on earth? he wakes up with zero memories of who he was but enrolls into the space garrison because he for some reason knows so much about space and the need to go up there because something is missing but he doesn't know what.

honorable mentions! ashlyn as the red paladin (i thought it could be a sort of keith and shiro situation where she doesn't want it but she ends up with black anyway, i just don't know who would be in shiro's stead, mike?) aiden as the red paladin taylor as the blue paladin and aiden as allura (think about the potential ash and aiden could have here, PLEASE! just switch the flirting dynamic lance always coming on allura but with aiden jokingly flirting with ashlyn all the time) i ultimately chose these pairings because everyone ends up where i want them to be..sort of, except for ashlyn. aiden would eventually become the red paladin, taylor as blue, and i was trying to work out ashlyn going from red to black, but again, i don't know who she would be replacing. to make this work i was thinking maybe the twins were both woken up from their slumber by the team, both fully altaen.

[fangsandfeels]

Nitpicking Veilguard bios because I woke up and chose violence

What I find alarming about the proposed Rook bios is that how some of them are handled with kiddy gloves. For comparison, in Mass Effect, Shepard could the be known as the Butcher of Torfan -- meaning that Shepard ruthlessly and relentlessly wiped out every criminal stronghold and ended the presence of batarians (who are super pro-slavery and into regular slave grabs on colonies) in the Citadel area. That bio paints Shepard as capable of great brutality in order to do the job - and making the area much safer was a great result.

However, at the same time, the reason for that brutality was still to our interpretation - it didn't instantly make Shepard a bad person, it just offered a good starting point for a Renegade playthrough.

Logically, Rook's bios, no matter the faction, make one thing clear - Rook is someone who isn't afraid of making decisions. Rook is someone who makes a move when nobody else has the guts to. But there is no range it. I mean, the writers definitely try to show Rook comes as decisively altruistic, a life-saver - even when it doesn't fit the faction.

(hiding the rest under the cut, just in case)

Saving people as the Grey Warden/Black Dragon/Veil Jumper? Makes sense.

But an Antivan Crow making a move to save people? An Antivan Crow jeopardizing larger operation and only getting sidelined for this? Let's see if my memory doesn't deceive me:

Failure to eliminate a mark means the life of the operative is also forfeit.

They [Crows] train their recruits from a young age, and have no problem killing them if they make a mistake.

The Crows run Velabanchel, an infamous and feared prison where they keep people incarcerated for "fun and torture." Its reputation has earned it the nickname of "the House of Graves."

So, what has been established many times before is that Crows are not altruistic. Crows are fancy sociopaths who don't tolerate slipups and see torture and doing I-don't-even-know-what to their prisoners as a fun way to pass the time. They play an important part in the defense of Antiva, but they aren't exactly noble heroes or Robin Hoods - they are blades for hire, disciplined to be merciless even to their own. This is the environment recruits have to to survive in. Zevran adapted by maintaining his upbeat persona that worked perfectly for hiding his real thoughts and intentions - and yet once he lost his meaningful connections, he became so depressed and unable to deal with it anymore he volunteered for a suicide mission hoping he won't survive.

Even though Rook is mentioned to have entered the full membership by that time, it's highly unlikely they would have gotten away with a slap on a wrist and a timeout corner. Crows I remember aren't that forgiving - especially if the member followed their personal motivations rather than thinking about pleasing the superiors and not disgracing their mentor. Moreover, since it's mentioned that Rook acted out against the Qunari occupants of their homecity (and that Antiva hasn't been invaded so far), we can assume that they started their way as one of the orphans Crows usually buy to fulfill their ranks. Which means that they aren't an Antivan noble which would have given them at least some privileges and made it possible for them to avoid a potential death sentence. Crows wouldn't really care for your reasons - you were bought and taken in to serve their houses and the interests of Antiva and they have the means and tools to ram that point into you.

What I'm trying to say is that the Antivan Crow bio is a missed opportunity to establish Rook as capable of making cold and calculated decisions - maybe they saw an opportunity to not only take out their mark, but to weaken Qunari strategically (potentially making them postpone their actions against Antiva), without any regard to collateral damage. So yes, instead of saving people of their homecity Rook gets them killed - and while the Crows and outsiders see it as a cold move, there could also be a deeper reason: for instance, the prisoners of Qunari were already subjected to qamek, i.e. turned into mindless obedient thralls forever.

As a result, Rook isn't benched but decides to lay low because Crows are competitive and not all members are happy with them showing off and getting more favor. That, once again, wouldn't have made Rook an evil character or a bad person (but definitely traumatized by losing their homecity and the following harsh training by the Crows) - but it shows that if they see an important objective or a greater opportunity, you better not stand in their way. The bio could also create a situation where Rook knows there is a potential death sentence looming over them because they pissed their superiors off, which would have added a lot more tension to conversations with Crows.

Right now, even though mentions of Caterine Dellamorte abusing Lucanis to make him perfect at his job are consistent with the way the Crows treat their underlings, it's the reaction of others that I'm interested in.

A non-Crow Rook would probably be the first person to break it to Lucanis that this is NOT normal: because for his fellow Crows, stuff like that is just your usual upbringing.

[bridgerton-bard]

Bridgerton Season 3 Rambles

Warning: Spoilers for Romancing Mister Bridgerton and Season 3 of Bridgerton on Netflix

Just a compilation of thoughts that I have had about Netflix's adaptation of Romancing Mister Bridgerton for Season 3.

The combination of writing and/or editing was definitely different, and not necessarily in a way that I enjoyed. I am not a cinematographer, so I can't necessarily say why, but this season definitely felt like a much faster pace than S1 & S2. This is especially true for part 1. Prior seasons felt like they were meant to be watched casually and understood easily on the first watch. This season was so dense that I ended up re-watching part 1 again just to make sure that I didn't miss anything. Part 2 did feel like a slightly more reasonable pace, but still faster and more chaotic than any other Bridgerton season. Given that Netflix controls exactly how many episodes and how long they are, I wish they had decided to do 10 episodes so that the story could be slowed down to a more enjoyable pace and less context for each storyline had to be cut for time.

I liked all of the side stories. There are no characters in this show that I don't want to watch. Knowing the backstory from Queen Charlotte, it was so great to see Violet with Marcus (her garden is most certainly in bloom 🌸) and to see Lady Danbury get some closure from the past. It was also great to see more of the continuation of Lady Danbury and Queen Charlotte's friendship. Watching the Featherington women reconcile with each other was probably my favorite of the side plots. I enjoyed the Mondrich storyline. (🎉 Welcome to the ton, officially, Mondrich family! 🎉) I was a little skeptical about how the Benedict/Lady Tilly storyline was going to prep him for S4 (🤞) at the end of part 1, but fully onboard after part 2! I just wish we had more time to see the romance between Colin and Pen build before and after their wedding.

Side note: Do we think that Netflix/Shondaland had always planned for Benedict to be bi/polyamorous, or do we think that choice was made after they were heavily accused of queerbaiting in their characterization of Benedict?

Colin's realization of love seemed rushed even in RMB, but it seemed out of place as it happened in the series. There needed to be more development. Maybe we were meant to see his feelings growing through Colin's conversations with Eloise about Penelope and Cressida, but due to his characterization as "good guy Colin", it mostly just seemed like an older brother who wanted his two friends to reconcile? There was something missing. If the show had gone in book order and Kanthony/Benophie had been around, Colin maybe could have realized his love based on witnessing how those couples interacted?

In my opinion, all of the time in part 1 spent on the Queen coming up with a new name for a diamond ("sparkler") and then agonizing about naming one could have been put to better use. I know that the show doesn't want to bore watchers by automatically having the female Bridgerton lead of the season being named the diamond on repeat, but it's functionally the same and 10ish minutes of screentime that could have been better served elsewhere. Especially with the Queen playing such a big role in the potential match between Francesca and Lord Samadani as well as the reveal of Whistledown, I could do without the agonizing over the special title the female lead will get.

I really missed Lady Danbury playing the role of encouraging Penelope to be herself the way she did in the books. I know Lord Debling might have taken on some of that role in the Netflix series, but there's a different dynamic when Penelope realizes her worth based on a suitor compared to the objective perspective of a smart woman in the ton. To me, Netflix Pen felt like she gained some confidence simply based on that Debling was interested and not that she actually realized she was desirable. Whereas in the books, Lady Danbury encourages Pen to be more confident and show more of her personality because it makes her more authentic and fun to be around.

Speaking of Lord Debling, we were promised during the press tour that Debling wasn't going to be used as a plot device to make Colin propose, and that Colin would express his feelings to Penelope without that sword hanging over his head. But what we got was Violet mentioning to Colin that Lord Debling was planning to propose to Penelope which prompted Colin to rudely interrupt them and cause Debling to rescind his proposal????? I really did enjoy that book!Colin loved Penelope for being Penelope and proposed to her even though he knew that nobody else would and it would lower his social standing to marry the unpopular spinster girl who read romance novels.

In general, past seasons have felt like even where Netflix/Shondaland changed plot points in the books, the changes were still correct in the characterization. While the above might be correct to Colin's characterization it's a significant downgrade from the story that was already written. Why did that need to be changed?

Speaking of characterizations, I really enjoyed the characterizations for Francesca and John. They're such different characters to the other leads on the show and I really appreciated that both seemed to be characterized as neurodivergent in some way. It's nice to see the show acknowledging that gay people, neurodivergent people, etc. still existed in regency times even if the public awareness/conception of them was different.

I wish we had seen more of Colin and Pen repairing their relationship after Colin learned that Pen was LW. I know they were trying to build the drama, but the whole time it felt like Colin was two seconds from applying for an annulment, which was not even mentioned in RMB. Again, it just felt like too much was implied and not shown here, or that the show's characterizations were off from the books.

I enjoyed the peek into Cressida Cowper's world that we got this season. She's no longer just an antagonist cardboard cutout that's moved around the ballroom to create conflict. It's nice to understand her motivations. I really appreciated her storyline this season and I'd love to see a spinoff about her life in Wales and her eventually making her way to the continent or back into the ton. The scene where her mother threw her under the bus as she was counseling her that it was every woman for herself in the ton was beautifully sad. I think it was only in that moment that Cressida realized the only way for a young woman to do well for herself in the ton is to befriend and rely on her peers. I appreciated the aspect of tragedy that Cressida only realized her bad moves when it was far too late to go back and correct them.

Another issue with the writing: some of the modern language was slightly jarring. I know Bridgerton flirts with the modern/regency dichotomy because there are multiple parts of the show that aren't period-accurate. That being said, you're really on the cusp when a character in a regency period drama says "Don't come for my cane". I'm not saying I want it to be 100% period accurate with bonnets, etc. However, I think maintaining the use of Regency slang and slightly modernized regency phrases/syntax is part of what helps make it feel "regency" even though the fashion, music, and social norms about race and sexuality are not accurate to the regency period. The same can be said for obviously acrylic nails. Not everything needs to be period accurate, but some things are definitely a step too far. Big disparities like this are distracting and remove people from the story.

I know people have a lot of feelings about Michaela Stirling, however, I want to let Netflix/Shondaland cook. We don't know yet whether Francesca is also going to be bi or whether she's going to be a late-to-life lesbian. We truly have no idea. I have liked how they've handled Francesca/John so far, so I'm just going to wait to see how this plays out.

I think that's all for now. I'd love to hear anything you'd like to add, as I could yap about Bridgerton for hours.

Varley . . . release the BUGS!

[bandcampfun2021]

So, with a Carrie TV-series in the works as Mike Flanagan reteams with Stephen King, I wanted to go back to the 2013 and what most may not know about this film by Kimberly Pierce.

Before the whole Justice League scandal, to say that Kimberly Pierce's 2013 film Carrie got butchered by executives would be an understatement: According to the original 2013 film script, this was a movie that wasn't supposed to try to replicate De Palma's previous version and instead be a direct adaptation of Stephen King's novel got cut and reshot to resemble the 1976 version with it only being modernized. Some of the changes in the original 2013 script include the popular girls getting more development (if you notice, aside from Chris and Sue, and Tina to an extent, the other popular girls don't get much character development), the town destruction that was included in the original teaser trailer, Sue's diary entries in videos, interviews in the White Commission and more.

This director's cut does exist, fully finished, with over 40 minutes of unseen footage, and it merely awaits to be released. There was a campaign years ago, but once the official petition went down and tenths of thousands of signatures were lost, the movement lost momentum. A new petition was made recently, but it hardly has any signatures - I'll still link it below, though. I'd hope that this trailer can maybe help generate some more excitement among horror fans regarding Carrie's director's cut again, especially after the release of Zack Snyder's Justice League. We deserve to see Kimberly Peirce's true vision for Carrie.

Current petition link: https://www.change.org...

With Mike Flanagan making a TV-show, I really do hope that he brings full justice to the novel in a way that's similar to the 2002 made-for-TV remake (bar the ending). The 2013 film had a lot of potential and I hope that Mike Flanagan takes full inspiration from the novel.

I also hope that they expand more on what the 2013 film tried to do with Sue Snell. When it comes to Gabrielle Wilde's interpretation of Sue Snell, I feel that she gets a bit too much unwanted hate.

You can actually see early on that Sue doesn't approve of what the other girls are doing. In the locker scene, Sue likewise realises pretty quickly that Carrie doesn't know what's happening to her (in the previous two films, it's implied she didn't know and in the book she did and participated anyways) and tries to make amends immediately by telling Miss Desjardin that Carrie doesn't realise.

Even though some would call the pregnancy subplot of the alternate ending a bit pointless, I feel that it's actually symbolic in a way and connects to the ending of the Carrie book in a way. The beginning starts with Margaret giving birth to Carrie....and the alternate ending has history repeating with Sue giving birth to her and Tommy's daughter.

Many people, myself included, believe that Tommy and Sue's daughter is the reincarnation of Carrie White.

At the very end of the book, a young mother named Amelia writes a letter to her sister about her young daughter, Annie, who is turning out to have the same telekinetic powers as Carrie. When she sees Annie playing "marbles", she remembers her own grandma using her power to protect the family. Her only worry is that Annie has inherited her great-grandmother's "heart spells" as well. And if you choose the interpretation that Annie is the reincarnation of Carrie, then after everything she's suffered, Carrie finally knows what it's like to have a family who loves her.

[best-underrated-anime]

Best Underrated Anime Group G Round 4: Snow White with the Red Hair vs No. 6

#G7: Snow White with the Red Hair (Akagami no Shirayuki-hime)

A romance between a prince and a herbalist

#G5: No.6

Sheltered city boy meets outlaw and learns dark truth about the city

Details and poll under the cut!

#G7: Snow White with the Red Hair (Akagami no Shirayuki-hime)

Summary:

Although her name means “snow white,” Shirayuki is a cheerful, red-haired girl living in the country of Tanbarun who works diligently as an apothecary at her herbal shop. Her life changes drastically when she is noticed by the silly prince of Tanbarun, Prince Raji, who then tries to force her to become his concubine. Unwilling to give up her freedom, Shirayuki cuts her long red hair and escapes into the forest, where she is rescued from Raji by Zen Wistalia, the second prince of a neighboring country, and his two aides. Hoping to repay her debt to the trio someday, Shirayuki sets her sights on pursuing a career as the court herbalist in Zen’s country, Clarines. Akagami no Shirayuki-hime depicts Shirayuki’s journey toward a new life at the royal palace of Clarines, as well as Zen’s endeavor to become a prince worthy of his title. As loyal friendships are forged and deadly enemies formed, Shirayuki and Zen slowly learn to support each other as they walk their own paths.

Propaganda:

This is my absolute favourite romance anime of all time. The characters are delightful, and the romance is well-paced, with plenty of healthy communication between the two leads. The story never feels boring, managing to pull off both gentle slice of life and exciting adventures with ease. It features gorgeous animation by Studio Bones and a lovely soundtrack.

Trigger Warnings: None.

#G5: No.6

Summary:

Many years ago, after the end of a bloody world war, mankind took shelter in six city-states that were peaceful and perfect… at least on the surface. However, Shion—an elite resident of the city-state No. 6—gained a new perspective on the world he lives in, thanks to a chance encounter with a mysterious boy, Nezumi. Nezumi turned out to be just one of many who lived in the desolate wasteland beyond the walls of the supposed utopia. But despite knowing that the other boy was a fugitive, Shion decided to take him in for the night and protect him, which resulted in drastic consequences: because of his actions, Shion and his mother lost their status as elites and were relocated elsewhere, and the darker side of the city began to make itself known.

Now, a long time after their life-altering first meeting, Shion and Nezumi are finally brought together once again—the former elite and the boy on the run are about to embark on an adventure that will, in time, reveal the shattering secrets of No. 6.

Propaganda 1:

Ever watched a show that was obviously adapted from something, and you feel like there must be more to it? Such shows are often obvious to spot—My Happy Marriage, Pandora Hearts, Mekakucity Actors, etc. They present to us a unique plot with great worldbuilding, yet while watching, it always feels like it falls short somewhere. The characters aren’t that developed, plot points don’t seem to connect, side characters aren’t given much attention, etc. So much missed potential, and you can’t help but lament it.

No.6 is another one of such shows. I haven’t read the original novel, but as an avid web novel reader, I could just feel that there is so much more to it than the anime lets on. The mystery is intriguing, the world is complex, and the budding relationship between the two main characters felt natural and relevant (No.6 has a shounen ai subplot, by the way).

Overall, the anime managed a coherent plot, and I still like it. But after watching, you’ll be left unsatisfied. It keeps you wanting for more. Keeps you searching for answers. But despite this, I believe it’s worth a shot. Whether you vote for it or not, try watching it anyway.

Propaganda 2:

It's a suspenseful science fiction that has a unique take on class issues using the setting of a world post apocalypse. It crafts a unique world with incredible characters you want to succeed. The relationship that develops between the two mains is a heartwarming respite in the cold world they inhabit. The mystery of the show keeps the audience entertained and on the edge of their seat.

Trigger Warnings: Body Horror, Genocide, Graphic Depictions of Cruelty/Violence/Gore, Implied Child Abuse, Guns, Humans being treated like objects, Sexual assault on a supporting character, Mentions of prostitution

When reblogging and adding your own propaganda, please tag me @best-underrated-anime so that I’ll be sure to see it.

If you want to criticize one of the shows above to give the one you’re rooting for an advantage, then do so constructively. I do not tolerate groundless hate or slander on this blog. If I catch you doing such a thing in the notes, be it in the tags or reblogs, I will block you.

Know one of the shows above and not satisfied with how it’s presented in this tournament? Just fill up this form with your revisions, and I’ll consider adapting those changes.

New: Starting round 5, screenshots will be included in the poll post. You can submit screenshots through the form linked above, or through here, via ask or dm.

Guidelines in submitting screenshots:

No NSFW or spoilery images.

Pick some good images please. Don’t send any blurry or pixelated ones.

You may send up to 9 screenshots, but not all may be used.

[therappundit]

***The Rap Pundit Picks: My Favorite Music of 2024***

2024: one of the greatest years for rap music in Hip-Hop history.

Agree or disagree, if we could separate the music and artists themselves from Hip-Hop culture in general (which depending on who you ask, may not be an acceptable option - and I do understand that), 2024 was filled with arguably the widest range of different styles that rap music has ever heard. From the traditional to the genre benders, from the thoughtful writers to the lucid vibers, to me the notion that "Hip-Hop is dead" just means you're failing to adapt your methods of finding new music.

2024 was a year that featured a new single from Nas & DJ Premier (and the promise of their long-awaited album collaboration), and the potential of a new JAY-Z album (by year's end, we are hearing far more concerning headlines), both of which, not too long ago, would be hovering near the top of the highest billed album expectations of the year. But by the end of 2024? Mostly forgotten. Yes, plenty of veterans like Snoop, LL Cool J, Ice Cube, and Common left their footprints in 2024, but over the past year, some significant waves were made from less celebrated sources.

Beneath the shadow of a historic feud between some of Hip-Hop's heavyweights, a tide-pool of exciting artists were releasing noteworthy music at a furious clip. Long since faded are the narrow lanes separating underground from mainstream, as are the traditional routes for "breaking through". Today you're more likely than ever to find a rap music fan that listens to Mach-Hommy and Playboi Carti than you are to find a rap fan that just listens to what's in heaviest circulation on Hot97. None of this is a new development, it's just becoming more of the reality all the time.

I don't know if my favorite music on these lists today will be in heavy rotation by this time next year, but I'm fairly certain most of these MCs and Producers will still be there in some capacity. There's so much to look forward to, from indy veterans to newer talent, I can't come close to naming everyone, but I feel like something would be missing from this list if I didn't give special recognition to artists like Previous Industries, Child Actor, J.U.S, Jay Cinema, dp0mmy, No Label, Cavalier, shemar, Mutant Academy, Maassai, Mike Shabb, Semiratruth, Spice Programmers, Reco, Halal Boys, Quelle Chris, Nappy Nina, Errol Holden, 7xvethegenius, Sideshow, Futurewave, HOODLUM, Conductor Williams, MIKE, Ox Omni, Jaeychino, Mach-Hommy, Black Chai, Wordsworth, Teller Bank$, Chuckyy, Rome Streetz, Boldy James, Earl Sweatshirt, Sleep Sinatra, Wiseboy Jeremy, Defcee, Wavy Da Ghawd, Myquale, Big Flowers, Blu, JUNE!, Sasco, Silky Southern, Phiik, Joshua Virtue/RAMA, LUNGS/Lonesword, August Fanon, Certified Trapper, Jeph Early, Nick Satchel, Stu Bangas, NEW AGE COLLECTIVE, Yonaa, Westside Gunn, Baby Stone Gorillas, Myles Clayton, Che Noir, BRISTACKZ, Tokyo Cigar, Knoweye, Noqh, Chow, Kadeem, Valee, Messiah Musik, AKAI SOLO, MESSIAH!, Bossman DLow, Rei The Imperial, Nino Paid, Reiiki APOLLO, Bub Rock, J Words, Navy Blue, Armand Hammer, Doechii, Rich Jones, Rapsody, Grafh, BabyChiefdoit, The Alchemist, YUNGMORPHEUS, Alexander Spit, Ol' Burget Beats, Ronday, TiaCorine, LaRussell, Jaysanityy, Chuck Strangers, CJ Fly, Ovrkast., Jiggs, STAR BANDZ, Pink Siifu, and Bruiser Wolf, Nolan The Ninja, and many, many more...for providing 2024 with some great reminders that Hip-Hop is still in good hands.

And R.I.P. to Ka, one of the greatest writers that the genre has ever scene.

I tried to only represent one release from each artist here, in an effort to represent as many different folks as possible; however, a lot of MCs released multiple projects this year, so if I felt like they had more than one release, and two of those releases were neck & neck with being their best work of the year, I tried to make room for both.

s/o to all of these artists for sharing so much great music with their fans, critics, and hopefully any soul that discovers them through lists like this one...and a toast to what we can only hope will be a happy & healthy New Year (we could certainly use it). 🙏

************************************************************************

*TOP SONGS*:

100. "Rerock The Hook" - Drakeo the Ruler feat. Icewear Vezzo

99. "CULLINAN GANG" - Nasaan feat. Icewear Vezzo

98. "Bear Fruit" - Kadeem feat. Rugby LoSport & FUNERAL Ant Bell

97. "Beverly Drive" - Erick The Architect

96. “Humpty” - Semiratruth

95. "Vertino" - Conway The Machine feat. Joey Bada$$

94. “Bonnet” - TiaCorine

93. "PANDURICANE" - Conductor Williams & Rei The Imperial

92. “BUMBO” - CJ Fly & Stoic

91. "live like this" - Jiles

90. "H.Y.B." - J. Cole feat. Bas & Central Cee

89. "Witness" - Certified Trapper

88. "Ray Wop" - Ray Vaughn

87. "30 (Freestyle)" - JID

86. "NOT FINE AT ALL" - Killian Fonlon

85. "Whqtthe" - Noqh feat. chasay, Kzoba & Jaysanityy

84. "Difference" - YN Jay feat. Tay B & Kash Doll

83. “Colors” - Remble feat. Mozzy & Stoneda5th

82. "HIGHJACK" - A$AP Rocky feat. Jessica Pratt

81. "Ya Don't Stop" - DJ Premier feat. Rick Ross, Big Sean & Lil Wayne

80. "9 LIVES" - R2R Moe

79. "A Damaged Wraith" - Vic Spencer feat. Rockness Monsta

78. "FREE SMURK, BIG EDDIE & CAM" - YTB Fatt

77. "Cruise Piff" - Jay Cinema & CHoW

76. “Super Rufus” - Rufus Sims & Billionaire Boyscout

75. "?" - Big Yavo

74. “THAT’S HARD” - Anycia feat. Cash Cobain

73. "SINCE THEY TOLD ME I'M A LEGEND" - Jeph Early & Gios4ma

72. "Bill Belichick" - Mg Sleepy feat. Bfb Da Packman & Myaap

71. "It's Us" - BabyFxce E feat. Luh Tyler

70. “place i rep” - Remy Banks

69. "Grandmother's Lessons" - Your Old Droog

68. "Doughboy Daisy" - WB Nutty feat. HBK Kid & Payroll

67. "ZYDECO" - Ronday

66. "HOO" - LIFEOFTHOM & Stoic

65. “Banded Up” - Chief Keef feat. Tierra Whack

64. "Hurry Up & Buy" - Bruiser Wolf

63. "Top Dawg" - Yonaa

62. "Killing Em'" - Reco feat. Gorgeous Jefe, Solute, Lord Ra & Ilxtus

61. "Still Praying" - Westside Gunn feat. Stove God Cooks, Benny The Butcher, Conway the Machine & Boldy James

60. “Rotation” - BagChaser Reke feat. 2Real

59. "See The Sunset" - Nick Satchel & dp0mmy

58. "Me vs Me" - Jaeychino & SlimeGetEm

57. "Memoriam pt. 2" - Sleep Sinatra & bloomcycle feat. Desde

56. "Local Anastasia" - Kenny Segal & K-The-I??? feat. Open Mike Eagle

55. "Days Before Juneteenth" - HALAL BOYS

54. "Omakase" - Nappy Nina & Swarvy feat. Maassai & Stas Thee Boss

53. "4Slime" - Young Nudy

52. "proper vertigo" - mynameisntjack feat. Sol ChYld

51. "Up Now" - Mustard feat. Lil Yachty, BlueBucksClan & 42 Dugg

50. “Black Girl” - Che Noir feat. Rapsody

49. “Penmanship” - Kooley High & Tuamie

48. "RIO FREE" - Rio Da Yung OG

47. "Water" - BRISTACKZ

46. “I.S.D.A.M.L.” - Boldy James & Whothehelliscarlo

45. “12:50 In New York” - Chuckyy

44. "Wrist Buss" - Myaap

43. "mikealstott" - Blvck Svm feat. eeryskies & Boldy James

42. "Trippin" - Bossman DLow

41. "Words2LiveBy" - El Cousteau feat. Earl Sweatshirt

40. "Complications" - Reiiki APOLLO

39. "Syrup Sandwiches" - Cordae feat. Joey Bada$$

38. “Type Shit” - Future & Metro Boomin feat. Travis Scott & Playboi Carti

37. “INFORMATION AGE” - No Label [Ahk Sair, Amiri Mikel, Yo OG, Funk Shway, buddy.not.bud]

36. “Custard Spoon” - Cavalier

35. "RENEE (MAY DAY)" - Sideshow

34. "Money Problems" - Nino Paid feat. Lil Gray

33. "Don't Do Drugs" - J.U.S. & Squadda B

32. “Curtis Jackson” - C Stunna feat. Skrilla

31. “Rocafella Chain” - Grafh feat. Freeway, Peedi Crakk & Memphis Bleek

30. “PAYMEAGRIP” - Ovrkast. & Cardo Got Wings

29. "Detroit" - Tee Grizzley feat. 42 Dugg

28. "From The Dirt" - Phiik & LUNGS feat. AKAI SOLO

27. "California Dream" - Ab-Soul feat. Vince Staples & Kamm Carson

26. “I’m G (OMG)” - Blu & Shafiq Husayn feat. Chuuwee & Born Allah

25. “SINCE I WAS LIL” - JasonMartin & DJ Quik feat. Curren$y, Bun B & Jay Worthy

24. "Short Stories" - Jawnino feat. MIKE

23. “LIBERATION” - Mutant Academy feat. Quelle Chris

22. “Pedal tha Ave” - Wiseboy Jeremy & Kirti Pandey

21. “DUMMY” - JUNECINEMA feat. RoBB, Chow & rivan

20. “Psalm” - 7xvethegenius feat. Jae Skeese

19. “MESCALINE” - LaRussell & CAM CORTEZ

18. "coolin fr" - Jaysanityy

17. "mukbang" - Nolan The Ninja feat. Fatboi Sharif

16. “Lost Angel” - Blu & Evidence

15. "Frosted Flake" - DJ Rude One feat. Valee

14. “Gank Move” - Big Hit, Hit-Boy & The Alchemist feat. HitgirlLENA

13. “Dream Blunt Rotation” - Rich Jones & Sleep Sinatra/SINAI. feat. AJ Suede, Qari & J.U.S

12. "ALL OVER" - JUNE! feat. Israel Jones, $hyyguyy & Radicule.

11. “Zayre” - Previous Industries [Open Mike Eagle, Video Dave, STILL RIFT]

10. “SONJE” - Mach-Hommy. feat. Hephzibah

9. “The Harder They Come” - YUNGMORPHEUS & Alexander Spit

8. "Yea Yea" - STAR BANDZ

7. "Sword Lilies" - Cavalier & Child Actor feat. Quelle Chris

6. “expensive piss” - shemar & Child Actor

5. "Collection Plate" - Ka

4. “Hey Now” -Kendrick Lamar feat. DODY6

3. "Sage" - Rome Streetz & Daringer feat. ScHoolboy Q

2. "Doves" - Armand Hammer feat. Benjamin Booker

1. "Free Jesus" - Mike Shabb

**********************************************************************

**********************************************************************

*TOP ALBUMS*:

*Honorable Mention (absolutely belong in my top 50 as well, but this year was soooo deep)*...

Keep Holly Alive by Mutant Academy, The Grand Design by Philmore Greene, DREAMDROPDRAGON by AKAI SOLO, From Vallejo With Love by LaRussell & Cam Cortez, the First to Make Contact When We Dap by R.A.P. Ferreira & Fumitake Tamura, WATCH THE THRONE by Jaeychino, My Story Got Stories by Bruiser Wolf, The Tonite Show The Sequel by Curren$y & DJ.Fresh, Day Shift, Vol. 1 by Lil Tre, Pigmen In the Vitreous by Knoweye, Alchemy by Jay Cinema & Chow, All Infinite by Kooley High & Tuamie, Slant Face Killah by Conway The Machine, Personification by Maxo Kream, I LAY DOWN MY LIFE FOR YOU by JPEGMAFIA, Chiraq Mogul 2 by ZMONEY, Things I Should've Said When I Was Awake EP by Reiiki APOLLO, OTHERWISE A BLUR by blackchai & August Fanon, Marciology by Roc Marciano, Alligator Bites Never Heal by Doechii, OPERATION FLAMETHROWER by Conductor Williams & Rei The Imperial, Flint 2 Detroit by YN Jay, Being The Bigger Person Sucks by Vic Spencer

50. Zombie Love Kensington Paradise by Skrilla

49. REVELATOR by ELUCID

48. The Pride & Glory by Teller Bank$ & Ed Glorious

47. CHROMAKOPIA by Tyler, The Creator

46. Above All by Myquale

45. Keep Me Company by Skyzoo

44. Brown in America by HOODLUM

43. Pinball by MIKE & Tony Seltzer

42. Two Kings by Stu Bangas & Wordsworth

41. BLUE LIPS by ScHoolboy Q

40. BTTRSWT by NEW AGE COLLECTIVE

39. Transatlantic Shit 2 by Spice Programmers

38. Black Box: JOSHUA IS DEAD by Joshua Virtue

37. SOLACE by Marco Plus

36. A Foresaken Lover's Plea by Chuck Strangers

35. Still Praying by Westside Gunn

34. MMCHT by Nickelus F

33. Save The Bees by Big Flowers & Messiah Musik

32. CHUPACABRA by JasonMartin & DJ Quik

31. Black & Whites by Big Hit, Hit-Boy & The Alchemist

30. Nothing Is My Favorite Thing by Nappy Nina & Swarvy

29. CINE by Cavalier & Child Actor

28. IS THIS A SAFE SPACE? by Psalm One & Optiks

27. The Skeleton Key by Roc Marciano & The Alchemist

26. DECON$TRUCT!ON by Maassai

25. Deathtape 2: We Gon’ Need Each Other by Quelle Chris, Cavalier, and Denmark Vessey

24. This Too Shall Pass by Yo OG

23. Black Blues Brothers by HALAL BOYS

22. Soul Burger by Ab-Soul

21. Halfway There by dp0mmy

20. Bag Man Julio by Jaysanityy

19. 74: Out of Time by Ol’ Burger Beats

18. Carrot Season by Phiik & LUNGS

17. Memory(ummm) by Sleep Sinatra & bloomcycle

16. Almighty So 2 by Chief Keef

15. WAKING UP AND CHOOSING VIOLENCE by YUNGMORPHEUS & Alexander Spit

14. i'd rather not by Nolan The Ninja

13. PERSEVERANCE by Jay Cinema & JUNE! as JUNECINEMA

12. Death of Deuce - 7xvethegenius

11. Sour Dub by Rich Jones & SINAI.

10. F.U.N. T.O.Y. by Sideshow

9. GNX by Kendrick Lamar

8. 3rd Shift by J.U.S. & Squadda B

7. Los Angeles by Blu & Evidence

6. Different Type Time by Cavalier

5. Service Merchandise by Previous Industries [Open Mike Eagle, Video Dave, Still Rift]

4. sunscreen by shemar & Child Actor

3. The Thief Next to Jesus by Ka

2. #RICHAXXHAITIAN by Mach-Hommy

1. Sewaside III by Mike Shabb

See you in the '2-5...

[poppletonink]

FILM REVIEW: Red, White and Royal Blue

★★★★★ - 5 stars

"You need to figure out if you feel forever about him. Do you love him?"

The so-called "Cake Gate" was an accident - I mean, nobody would choose to have a £75,000 cake fall on top of you and your worst enemy. Alex Claremont-Diaz didn't mean to create an international scandal, but it doesn't mean he didn't do it. Now, his mother, the President of the United States needs him to do some damage control in order to not mess up her opportunity of winning the next election. Except, Alex Claremont-Diaz cannot stand Prince Henry and now he has to pretend they're best friends. Yet as Alex and Henry spend more time together, they realise that their hatred towards each other is completely unprecedented and quickly find themselves hurtling into a secret relationship with each other. As the election draws closer, Alex realises that he feels something more for Henry. Alex realises that he is in love with him. The question is what is worth the sacrifice? Is he willing to potentially upend two nations and ruin his mother's campaign? Is true love really worth it?

Red, White and Royal Blue seems like some sort of whacky, wild fan fiction in summary - it's a royal au, follows the enemies to lovers trope and very much so idiots in love. Despite the AO3 tags it perfectly fits into, Red, White and Royal Blue is so much more than it seems. It's a beautiful love story, a tale of hurt, heartbreak and comfort, that emotionally hits the viewer in ways you aren't expecting.

As someone who read the book a long time before the film was even conceptualised, (and as it's one of my favourite books of all time) my standards for how great this film needed to be were extremely - and I mean extremely - high. Despite leaving out bits from the book, which as sad as it may be is understandable due to time constraints, it still hit me just as viscerally as the book. Somehow even though some of the largest plot points (e.g. Bea's cocaine addiction) and most important characters (June Claremont-Diaz who I adore so very much) were missing, it still remained really accurate to the book. That sounds really contradictory, I know, but it was genuinely amazing how many lines they kept word for word from the original novel. It's something that I truly appreciate about recent book to screen adaptations, and I loved the fact that I could notice every time that it happened.

Nick and Taylor's chemistry was off the charts, which is something that seemingly came out of left field for a lot of people, but quite genuinely made the perfect Alex and Henry. They perfectly performed the witty banter, the yearning looks and the complete and utter disdain they have for each other at times. They made Alex Claremont-Diaz and Henry Fox Mountchristen Windsor real and by doing that they too made history.

Music played quite a large role in this film from the beginning until the end. I think the greatest song choice was undoubtedly Katarina Stratford's anthem. Bad Reputation was a brilliant choice for the theme song - it's such a perfect representation of Alex as a person, of him not caring what other people think and simply doing what he wants to do. It was also great to see Henry's karaoke performance of Don't Stop Me Now by Queen on the screen, and Henry and Alex dancing in the V&A was quite frankly beautiful.

Overall, Red, White and Royal Blue is a must-watch film of 2023. It's raw and emotional; it's a master class in romance; and it's extremely funny. It's a story that will make history.

[iamluzgar]

I finally finished FFXIV Dawntrail and I have many many thoughts about it. So, spoilers, and bare with me.

I had a lot of troubles to get into it at first, but I always feel that way for much of the extension I've played so it didn't change much. I pushed through, and I'm glad I did. I loved the theme of discovering new people and cultures to get to know them, and to like them. Which was an ongoing thing.

I liked Wuk Lamat a lot as a character. She's a bit immature, but she has a lot of potential, as you say to Gulool Ja. Loved having Thancred and Urianger against me for a change, especially in that dungeon. I got into it more and more, wanting Wuk Lamat to succeed because there were many hints showing she would do well (like for example with the bandits, I saw another post on tumblr mentioning it, but she directly thought about a system failiure problem, rather than thinking the people were bad). She adapted herself to the best of her ability to the culture she met with an open mind, even when she was afraid, unsure or disagreed with it. The VA did a fantastic job imo for her voice.

Of course the rest of the gang was here too and it was incredible. I loved how Erenville finally got the spotlight he so deserved. I wasn't a fan of Krile, but now I do like her and that's the power of FFXIV imo.

Anyway, the first part was great, and it was an important part because the WoL can finally indulge in some "selfish" actions like battling big dudes, deities, eating stuff, traveling, meeting people, doing the good old Azem and I think they'd be proud. The game keeps pushing you Emet, from what he said to you on the last expansion, and I liked that, it keeps him alive. I obviously missed Venat, Hythlodaeus, Elidibus and Emet a lot from this expansion, so it was nice to have some mentions of them. However, especially with the second part of the game, you realize how the shadow of the Ascien still fly above us and all of the reflections. Because I am persuaded they had a hand in the creation of electrope and the key.

The second part was even greater. It started weak with the Western like stuff (I'm not a fan of that and it felt like post-MSQ quests), but then it really starts: not only it brings back stakes (because... Well, I laughed when people made Valigarmanda a "big threat", considering we killed Despair a few months ago in the game), but it also is a pay off from the first part. You grew attached to Wuk Lamat, to Tuliyollal and its people. And now they're in danger.

Which brings us to New Alexandria, with its strange culture of pushing away death. The whole part with Alexandria felt like a metaphore from our own real world. We too, tend to push death away, put people dying away from society and from our eyes, forget them. It really resonated with my experience, especially considering I've been a volunteer in palliative care for a year. The whole thing of accepting death is a main topic in this second part of the game.

We brushed a bit too fast over the identity issues Zoraal Ja felt, I feel, sadly. I wish we could have had a bit more to humanize him.

Then the last zone... It truly touched my soul. We do the exact opposite thing that we did in Endwalker. In Endwalker, we started from nothing, we added music, colors, we reanimated species from death. In Dawntrail, we "turned off" people, we removed the colors and the songs from the places we were visiting. It was powerful to observe it, doing a different kind of walk, maybe even a harder one. Idk for WoL, but it was harder for me. Because we were still "killing" people, and we can only sympathize with Sphene's desires to let her people live more, whatever the cost of it. We hope and pray there might be another way for everybody to be happy.

It brings me back to palliative care in the real world. This world Sphene created, was a metaphor for therapeutic obstinacy and the artificial prolongation of life. At some point, there is nothing you can do, and you have to "pull the plug". You have to say good bye. To your own family, to your friends, to people you knew more or less. What's left of them then? All the memories you had with them, and that's it, and as the Yok Huy's philosophy, they kinda live through you that way.

Contrary to Meteion, our action of killing the people in that zone was not born of desperation of not being able to save them, but from an acknowledgement that this artificial prolongation of life is no longer sustainable, it will give more pain and will sacrifice ressources that could be given to people who still have a chance to continue living. At some point, when there is no chance to sustain a life, we need to make peace with the fact that it's over. That death is a part of life, and might always be. The next day always happen, with a beautiful sunset, new lives, new hopes, new stories, and new adventures, with new people. It's an end, but it's not the end.

As someone who lost my mom when I was a teenager, it was comforting to see those moms having so much hope, love and pride for their children. I could hear my own mom through them. We see a lot of moms, and we have to say good bye to a lot of them, and that was difficult. I both hate and like the fact that FFXIV has a tendency to kill moms or otherwise important female caretaking figures. :( They displayed a lot of different relationships between family members regarding their future death, and that was also interesting. Family, in the large sense of it, was a very big topic of this expansion.

On a gameplay part, I loved almost everything. They upped up the difficulty a notch, and it was perfect. I love how they made new ways of seeing AoE while also still making it clear it's an AoE. Very good ideas there. Loved the last two dungeons.

I was not a fan of the music this extension, but well nothing is perfect. I'm not a fan of FFIX and obviously a lot was taken from it.

Hope that didn't bore you out!

TL;DR Incredible writing as usual.

[teeth-cable]

Hey. I've seen some of your HB rewrites and their pretty cool. I even like some of the ideas you came up with (ex. Stolas & Stella being political enemies rather than a married couple, imps being intersex & following a binary gender system, etc).

I was wondering if you could give me some writing advice with rewrite stuff. See, I have this portfolio-like series called 'Let's Reimagine', where I revision (i.e. rewrite and/or redesign) a piece of media (be it a show, movie, webcomic, video game, etc), whether it be something I like, or something that while I'm not a fan of, believe that it could've been great (or at least decent) had it been handled better, while also integrating my OCs (including self-inserts) into my revisions as if they were canon characters in said media. This is one of my passion projects that I'd love to bring to life someday, as I wish to make YouTube videos about them when I create my YT channel (which doesn't exist at this point in time) in the future, so for now, I'm starting small by making posts talking about my revisions on Tumblr & Reddit as like a practice run of sorts (like for ex. creating a manga and then having that manga get an anime adaptation, or creating a comic (like a webcomic) and having that be adapted into an animation of some sort (ex. series, short(s), etc), or creating a book or novel and having said book or novel being adapted into a movie and/or series).

I'm also an aspiring writer who wishes to share their stories with everyone for them to enjoy, including 'Let's Reimagine' (where Helluva Boss is one of the shows I plan on reimagining, due to the many issues it's got, especially with the increase of them in Season 2; as much as I like & enjoy HB, I do have to agree that it's kind of a mess, and I get where fans are coming from with its criticisms, especially towards Season 2). However, there are some issues of mine that I feel could detriment my writing abilities & projects (including 'Let's Reimagine') in general (ex. not thinking about potential plot holes, inconsistencies, worldbuilding/lore issues, & questionable/weak/bad writing choices/ideas, rushing into things before thinking & planning stuff out, worrying about my stories not being good enough for anyone to enjoy, feeling inferior compared to other artists & writers, people hating what I make, and thinking the worst possible outcomes; apologizes if that got a little too personal and if I (potentially) made you worried; I suffer from anxiety and have a tendency to get anxious and worked up too quickly, especially when thinking negatively, and trying to be a perfectionist, worrying that if I or my content aren't perfect, then I come across as a failure; but I assure you that I am trying to work on these issues and getting past them for the better).

So, with all that said, do you have any advice in creating & doing rewrites/revisions (ex. planning stuff out, character arcs/development, worldbuilding/lore, plot points, fixing & covering plot holes & inconsistences, fulfilling wasted/missed potential & missed opportunities, avoiding questionable/weak/bad writing choices/ideas, integrating ocs/self-inserts into said rewrite/revision, etc) to any writers out there (including aspiring ones)?

Feel free to respond back to me whenever you get the chance. Thank you and have a wonderful day/afternoon/night. 🤗💕❤️🧡💛💚💙💜💖💕🤗

This is very late, I'm so sorry it took me this long to answer your ask.

Things has changed sufficiently from when this ask was submitted. My HB rewrite is on currently on pause so I can focus on my Hazbin one instead.

I do like the concept of your Let's Reimagine series. It sounds like a fun passionate project in which you experiment with your writing and show tough love for the shows you're rewriting for. I hope soon you'll be able to release your first rewrite for the series.

I have some general writing advice and one specific advice for rewrites I personally use.

Create the world building first

If your rewrite takes place in a fantasy world, I suggest fleshing the world building first before the characters. This is a different world from our, so their rules and lore will affect these characters differently, and you should know why first to explain the certain elements of the both the characters and world. Fleshing the world building first can help create plot ideas and external conflict easier.

Have a Beta Reader

This one is standard. I suggest having a beta reader to review your rewrites and concepts. As writers, we think our stories make sense because we know the context, but to readers who don't know anything, our scripts realistically be confusing at first. Along the same vain, they can help you realize that an idea is underdeveloped or useless. Another good reason is they can offer new and improved concepts and ideas you didn’t or wouldn't think of before.

Be open to criticism

Criticism will help you grow as a writer. You don't have to like them all or listen to every piece, but still keep an open mind because they can and will help you. I heavily suggest being open to criticism specially when you’re writing a topic you have no experience in (Ex: mental illness, addiction, a specific identity). Again, not only will it help you improve, but also portray those topics better.

Rewrite

My only rewrite specific advice is to expand and flesh out ideas and characters, you felt the original show skimmed over. In both of my rewrites, I'm putting a greater focus on the world building, dark character concepts and how they intertwined with each other because the shows barely touches on them. It's your rewrite so do whatever you want with it, don’t feel limitless.

I hope this helps!

[laoih]

Some thoughts on Netflix's Avatar The Last Airbender

I love the original animated series, and have loved it for many years. I know that many fans are upset about the adaptation, and that's their prerogative. I know how that feels, that's basically me as a fan of Tolkien's work with Amazon's terrible The Rings of Power series.

However, when it comes to Avatar The Last Airbender, I can say that I genuinely like the live action adaptation. It is flawed for sure, and I have my criticisms, but I still think it's enjoyable and has a lot of heart. I do want to see more of it.

A quick (lie) list of the highs and lows in my opinion (spoiler warning):

Let's start with the shortcomings:

The dialogues: Throughout the whole show they are probably the biggest issue. Too often they are used for exposition, or to tell the viewers what they could deduce by themselves. It's often on-the-nose and missing subtlety. Although I have to admit that it seems for some people who don't know the animated series, it seems to help for understanding the show better, and therefore may be justified at least in parts.

Aang's woe-is-me attitude: It makes sense that Aang is suffering due to his trauma of being the last of his kind, of losing his family, and because being the Avatar is a huge burden. However, towards the end his attitude of "everything is my fault" started to get annoying. He doesn't have to feel responsible for everything. I hope he can quickly move past this in s2. I'd like to see other sides of Aang as well.

Aang's water bending: I think it's weird that Aang never really gave water bending a try. They never even give a reason why he didn't try, and that just makes that change confusing.

Aang's & Katara's relationship: I understand why they didn't include Aang's crush on Katara, but with them bonding over water bending being removed as well means that two major parts of their relationship don't exist, and the show has failed to really build up their relationship in a meaningful way otherwise.

Katara's character: In general she stays a bit underdeveloped, and the actress is lacking a bit of Katara's edge and energy in my opinion.

Azula: I don't like how they have written her, and I don't think the actress fits the character either. It's very difficult, because Azula in the animation does not act her age at all. Her entire demeanor is difficult to portray for a teenager, but it's also very memorable. Itd be hard for any actress to do her justice.

Mai & Ty Lee: They have nothing to do in that season & now they can't get the great character-defining introductions that they had in the original series. They were included to give Azula someone to talk to, but it's to the detriment of these two characters – they're just bland background now.

The Spirit World: Episode 5 just didn't work for me because there was too much crammed into it. There was no reason to include Wan Shi Tong nor did it make sense to include Hei Bai and then basically completely skip his story. With Koh being the actual culprit, the abduction of the villagers stands in no relation to the burnt forest in that episode. It would have been better to tell

Avatar Roku: I feel there was wasted potential there. Based on interviews I suppose there was simply no time & money left, so I hope they'll do him more justice in later seasons.

Now for the highlights:

The Bending: I think for most of the series it looks very powerful and impressive. It's not perfect throughout, but in general they did a really good job with it.

Zuko: Dallas Liu's portrayal is wonderful and I have zero complaints and only praise.

Aang's & Zuko's relationship: I think they build a solid foundation for these two characters, and I think some of Gordon's best acting is opposite to Dallas Liu.

Suki: Loved the actress' performance and how they have written her.

Ozai: I think Ozai is a case where the live action character is more interesting and impressive than the animated character. I really like what they are doing with him and Daniel Dae Kim is perfect in that role.

Jet & the Mechanist: I think putting these two plots together is a very interesting and fitting idea, and contrasting them in the same episode made me think about them in relation as I hadn't done before. It's fascinating how these two characters, who should actually fight for the same goal, have gone down two very different paths.

Kioshi's avatar state: It basically replaces Rokku's version in the animated version, and it's just cool.

Bumi: Maybe it's an unpopular opinion, but I think within the context of this more serious show this version of Bumi makes much more sense. Animated-Bumi with his challenges for Aang to realise how to take different approaches to find a solution wouldn't have worked with the changed tone of the story.

Sokka: Within the context of the show, Sokka also works well. He still is funny at times, but he is a bit more mature and responsible than animated-Sokka, which is more realistic in this show. Otherwise, one would have wondered why Hakoda didn't live an actual adult man in the village for protection.

The 41st division: I know, one of the points in the original was also that Zuko's defense of the new recruits seem to have been useless, but I love that his crew was given such an impactful background. It does not lessen the tragedy of Zuko's situation.

Hahn: I kind of like that he's not just a complete idiot, but actually a likable guy that I felt sorry for when he died.

The impact of war: I liked the exploration of what war does to people and especially children. It includes a variety of examples and stories, and I like that we get different kind of sides to this.

The locations: the sets are good, and the CGI backgrounds as well.

Appa, Mom and other fantastical animals: I understand that it's difficult to include them for large amounts of time, but I think whenever they are used they are convincingly animated.

The music is as good as expected.

... I'm sure I have forgotten many things I wanted to mention, but this has to do for now.

[agentnico]

The Vourdalak (2024) review

Bet A24 are kicking their shins for missing this one.

Plot: Lost in a hostile forest, the Marquis d'Urfé, a noble emissary of the King of France, finds refuge in the home of a strange family.

In my childhood my dad would always read to me various stories at bedtime, and the one that really stuck out was the little novella “The Family of the Vourdalak” by Aleksey Tolstoy (that’s the other Tolstoy, not the madman who spent however long writing the over thousand pages of War & Peace), and the reason this one really left an impression on my little brain was how it held this immersive element of dread and terror that didn’t let go until the end. For this is a vampire tale, yet interestingly enough this was actually written near half a century prior to Bram Stoker publishing his famous Dracula novel. So this is very much an early folkloric interpretation of what vampires were, that came from myths and tales spun around villages, so look, all I’m saying is these old school villagers had a wild imagination and Tolstoy utilised that well. Anyway, if you’ve never read the original 1839 novella, do yourself a favour and seek it out, as it’s truly spectacular.

With that in mind when I heard there was a new French movie adaptation being released of Tolstoy’s story I knew I had to seek it out as I always thought that material had so much cinematic potential. Truly I was expecting some gruesome dark visually striking in-yer-face shocker of the level of Hereditary or Evil Dead Rise, because honestly I could totally see that working. But to my surprise director Adrien Beau has gone a completely different direction.

The Vourdalak is a film that does not belong in the 21st century. Seeing this in 2024 is really odd, and I mean that in the best way. Reminiscent of a time gone by, The Vourdalak was shot on film, truly embracing the vintage look with real grain and harsh shadows, envoking the feel of a period piece from the 70s/80s. As such I can see many viewers be put off by this thinking the movie looks cheap or dull, but I truly think this stylistic choice was a nice change of pace for a modern day horror, and a nice way to get by its low-budget. The setting of the sparsely populated European forest also allows for the threat to feel more effective due to how confinding and inescapable the situation is.

In terms of negatives I didn’t give two craps about any of the characters. The main French aristocrat we follow who refers to himself as the emissary of the King of France is a pompous face-covered-in-white-make-up narcissistic dandelion who can only think about the next woman who’s pants he can get into. The family in the forest he comes across are all varied introverts who have their eccentricities, but none of them were likeable as such. You know who was great though? The main vampire!

So the titular Vourdalak (a vampire-like being with Slavic origins that prefers to feast on blood of relatives rather than strangers)…… he’s a puppet. No joke, this is a 2024 horror movie where the vampire is portrayed by a puppet. It’s actually done really well too, with the life-sized marionette moving in uncanny strange ways, eyes bulging out, rictus grinning and with a disembodied voice, it all comes to a pretty immersive effect. It makes for a good reminder how solid and effective practical effect instead of CGI can be. But also the vampire itself, though creepy, was actually kind of a stand up fella? Like yes he wanted to suck everyone’s blood and kill and so on, but when he spoke he was always super polite, had a nice level of sass to him too. Honestly I’d hang out with the guy. I’d grab a pint with him for sure.

Overall the movie is an interesting nostalgic view of horror from a bygone era, with old school visuals and a fantastic vampire puppet performance, and though I would say there were times the film did drag a bit, as a whole this was a delightful peace of Gothic fairytale. This may just be the bite in the neck the genre needed.

Overall score: 6/10

[leaderintitleonly]

It's really funny (it's not) when Disney fans think we hate Rachel Zegler because she's "not white" when in reality I just need someone with red lips (lipstick baybeee) and a soprano who can sing opera to play the part. That's really it. That was all I asked for. Because all I need is the illusion of blood on the snow. Or in this case, rose petals on the snow. Whatever cute stuff you want here. I just need bold red lips and that's anyone. Anyone could have played this. But instead we have someone who can't grasp that this is a story about overcoming abuse and being resilient, not talking shit on the own part you're playing. That's incredibly antifeminist and disgusting. So for someone to make a tweet about bleaching her own skin and then deleting it, honestly says she doesn't have the maturity to play this part. Emotional maturity would have been nice instead of insisting you're a "more modern girl". Nor did this adaptation need another male part when this movie had an amazing job of the principle speaking roles being women. When you look at the script, half of the speaking time is women... and that's only two roles. The rest is divided up by the men scrambling for speaking time and good riddance. We didn't need a Jonathan. We didn't need a new love interest. Honestly, get lost. You're missing the point entirely of the vision of "young love" overcoming hate which was Walt Disney's original inspiration with Romeo and Juliet's many nods in the film. Except this is supposed to end with life instead of death, giving the hope that despite your parent working against you, you just might succeed with enough support. Enter the dwarfs, the only time I have ever once seen disability and potential neurodivergence ever treated correctly and not as a stupid punchline. We're doing better today but just barely and even today we're still tripping in places. Rather than a chance to remind people dwarfism isn't just a white person thing, we have this. Pretty shameful when Mirror Mirror is running circles around us. We had a chance to remind people that women have dwarfism and when you have dwarfism, much like other disabilities, you usually have an entire package with you.

The dwarfs were inspiring to me. Doc's anxiety and Dopey's mutism meant I wasn't a weird child. I was just different and that was okay. I had a family who accepted me, much like Snow White's and even with my medical issues, I was my own definition of normal. I was okay. I wanted diversity. This is still heavily skewed white, we get one woman, and if Peter Dinkelage is proud of himself, the stupid smiling comment he made... guess what the leaks are? Stupid smiles. We could have made this a great opportunity to elevate more people to his employable status but unfortunately he's pulled the ladder up behind him and I'm very disappointed. If you like this live action concept, you're missing the point. You are entirely missing the point of what this short, animated film was meant to accomplish. It was meant to show a range of emotions in an animated medium and to be treated just as any film or play would have been treated. It was entirely serious and full of heart with a few jokes peppered in. And it's not meant to shame women. Let's put some emphasis on this. Snow White is someone who survives and despite it all, thrives. She didn't need to be aged up. The point was that she survives. There's also nothing wrong with young love. I had a crush at fourteen on both boys and girls. It's part of growing up; exploring your feelings. Denying that feels oddly weird and like you want to sterilize teenagers of all thoughts. You should let teenagers be teenagers. The fact the OG Snow White doesn't have a safe place to explore her thoughts until she runs away should tell you something. There are teenagers right now who are facing similar circumstances but I suppose Disney and others are content to put their fingers in their ears. We could have had some fleshing out of concepts and had parts of the film restored but this misses the mark entirely. Not my Snow White but because it pretends that childhood is charmed and disability is a joke.

[irondad-defensesquad]

as someone who loves the sam raimi spider-man movies... i honestly DON'T want a spider-man 4.

so many spider-man fans wholeheartedly believe they're going to get a fourth raimi film, or TASM 3. to be fair, i'm not against andrew's spidey coming back. his films had a lot of potential (and the first one is great!), and he's a great peter parker imo.

but even then, i'm just... why? why can't ppl move on? the fun about spider-man is that it has so many different adaptations and different spider-people - especially miles who's finally getting the spotlight on the big screen. as much as i like tobey and andrew, i'm sick of ppl demanding their return. AGAIN. they got no way home and they still aren't satisfied with it.

and although i will always hate nwh, i also have the impression that tobey's and andrew's roles were more of a homage to the old days, so they came back one last time to help tom. i mean, i think the concept on paper is cool, too bad it pushes tom aside. still, it's been so many years, why does everyone insist tobey and/or andrew are the "only true spider-men"? there's not a PERFECT spider-man. they're all unique in their own ways. if you personally resonate with tobey and/or andrew, that's cool. but you have to respect that things change and spider-man is a hero that means different things to many ppl. that's what spider-verse explores.

when i was a kid, i did want spider-man 4 to happen. i get why some ppl don't want their childhood hero to be played by someone else. i remember being disappointed when TASM was first announced. but i think spider-man homecoming helped me accept other versions, ones that are fresh and more relatable to younger audiences. and spider-verse then opened my mind. i didn't even know miles before i saw the teaser. i was so excited! and i was not disappointed.

i mean, i think spider-verse is universally beloved in the spidey fandom, but mcu peter still gets the short end of the stick, which sucks. i'm so tired of ppl pitting the live action spideys against each other, especially to shit on mcu peter. it just feels too mean-spirited to me and it frustrates me that ppl have an unhealthy attachment to the older films.

besides, with all the bad reboots we've been getting, do you REALLY want them to ruin your childhood films? i think it's best to just let them go. or just watch the movies when you miss them.

[croaken-the-oaken]

“The Super Mario Bros. Movie 2023” Review: It Wasn’t Mid

***1 or 2 spoilers but not really***

Another video game movie. And this time, it’s starring Mario Mario, Mr. Video Game, himself. The Internet is shook. Nintendo, teaming with Illumination. It could very well set the standard for video game movies to follow. One thing is clear, all eyes are on this movie. 

My sister was especially excited for it. Me, I told myself I was watching out of obligation, since I didn’t want to miss out on the newest of the turbulent fancies of the Internet.

A number of doubts mixed with potential had settled in. Adapting movies from video games isn’t a terrible concept. It depends on the series. But this is Mario, what does he bring to the table? A colorful world and character list and, for two things. Then there’s the studio that infected the world with Minions. While Illumination falls back to safe tactics when it comes to storytelling and humor, they do have the talent in animation, and I knew the looming eyes of Shigeru Miyamoto-san would not allow the Mario movie to be less than amazing.

With all the factors to consider, my expectations were firmly set to “mid, at least.”

After watching, my conclusion is “Better than mid. Dare I say, good. Great, even.”.

It’s a movie. Actually, no, it’s a MOVIE! You got character arcs and motivations. You got worldbuilding. You got colorful graphics and settings. You got references sprinkled on like it’s a cupcake, even down to the background music. You get to see Mama Mia and Papa Pia!

It takes the loose bits and pieces of Mario canon, strings them together and retools them to make another thing, old but new, as is to be expected. Brooklynese Mario, brotherly bonds, Bowser’s love life, action Peach, power-ups as a power system, Kong society, etc. The narrative never strays far from its roots, and no one was asking it to.

On the off-chance someone has never heard of “the Super Mario Bros.” what are they left with? A quick romp through peculiar kingdoms and bright setpieces and nonsensical architecture, the adventure of a determined everyman searching for his bro, a corny yet actively threatening villain, a kart-racing monkey tribe, and a classic moral theme of not giving up so you can say your kid learned something from this experience.

Also, the more typical Illumination-esque quirks are few and far between, and it’s tolerable. The pop-music? Fine. Passable. They fit their moments well enough. The jokes land more often than not and don’t rely on cheap tactics. When the water started bubbling around Mario and Donkey Kong, I completely expected one of them to say “it wasn’t me”. But they didn’t, and I appreciate that. Nihilistic Luma was a bit forced, though.

The movie is fast-paced and doesn’t linger too long on characters’ low moments. It keeps the momentum going, but it doesn’t allow the more dramatic parts much time to sink in. I didn’t find it to be overwhelming, though I imagine this could be off-putting for some. I propose this kinetic pace is a byproduct of its source.

Miyamoto’s general philosophy of “gameplay-first, story-second” is a big contributor to Nintendo’s success—it makes good games. The problem is a lot of people mistake “second” for “last”. The neat part of the video game medium is that gameplay and story needn’t always grow at the other’s expense. One can reinforce the other. The man knows this, and this philosophy carries over into the Mario movie.

Rather than adapt a minimalistic-story game franchise into a movie, they adapted the movie into a game of how many secrets you can find in a given shot as the story progresses. We’re tugged along a guided tour of Mario legacy, and the world invites us over to be active participants and challenges us to eyeball every reference poking out from behind each corner.

It helps that it’s one of those good movies where the references and cameos have a reason to exist beyond being there. Is it a backdrop? That’s certified worldbuilding, baby. Is it at the forefront? It probably serves a primary purpose in the scene. It means the difference between respecting and insulting the viewer’s intelligence, and the film respects its viewers, whether a reference manifests as a generalized fun moment or as a reward for long-time fans.

They set out to create a lighthearted run through Mario’s world with emotional beats as checkpoints, and that’s what they made. It has its quirks, but I enjoyed myself, and it made my sister happy.

If one thing is true, it's that it is indeed the Super Mario Bros. Movie.

Rating: A Mario Time / 5