#but the action scenes are top-notch

[movielosophy]

Tiger and Crane | Yi Mei

[mugenmcfugen]

XMEN97 IS FANTASTIC HOLY SHIT

[halalgirlmeg]

Personally as a fan of anything dealing with like mafia/gang type stuff, action, and Aaliyah...Romeo Must Die is top notch imo

[swampjawn]

How it started How it's going

Episode 11 of Dungeon Meshi set a new bar of excellence for the show, knowing when to pile on the extravagant stylized action comedy, when to pull back and give you a breather, and when to lean into a more realistic style for chilling moments.

Key animators Kai Ikarashi and (his disciple who started rising through the TRIGGER ranks on Promare in 2019) Ichigo Kanno are at it again, really defining the style of the show in the action scenes with their similarly bombastic styles that throw character design consistency by the wayside in favor of stylized and appealing movement.

And while for the first time there's actually zero meshi in this episode, the equivalent of the cooking shots are these harrowing shots of the protagonists slicing and sifting through viscera for any remnants they can find of their dead friend.

Storyboards from horror/comedy legend Nobutoshi Ogura enhance the already bleak feeling of these panels from the manga. In the final panels of chapter 26, Ryoko Kui lets us sit in these three silent panels of Laios uncovering something before showing the whole cast's reaction as he does a sort of 'to be or not to be' pose with his beloved sister's skull.

Ogura treats the scene very similarly, but decides to simplify this final panel by turning it into a simple shot-reverse-shot. Laios stares into his sister's eyes and the empty eye sockets stare back.

The scope is narrowed to only Laios's emotional reaction - that's all that's needed in this moment, and this scene hits even harder because of it.

This entire episode was top-notch in terms of animation, without a single moment that feels unpolished.

There's so much more to talk about, and... I did that. I talked about it.

In this video here, where I broke down the entire episode! Check it out if you like watching a nasty little vermin analyze animation and how it impacts storytelling!

[fayes-fics]

Ripe, Like Fruit

Pairing: Vampire!Benedict Bridgerton x fem!reader

Summary: Set two weeks after Enthralled. Benedict appears on All Hallow’s Eve, and your husband is not home…

Warnings: 18+ smut, minors DNI, dirty talk, mentions of blood drinking, bloodplay, cunnilingus, facesitting, creampie & vaginal sex

Word Count: 0.7k

Authors Note: Set in the same world as Enthralled. Just a little scene that came to me last night, so I am posting it for Halloween. If there’s interest, I could write more. @colettebronte kindly gave this a once over. Dividers by @/firefly-graphics. Enjoy! <3

“Where is our fine Doctor tonight?”

Benedict's rich baritone rings out through Dorset House, making you jump. Once again, he has materialised seemingly from the ether. 

“Away,” you explain once you have modulated your breathing. “Tending to a sick patient. We received a visitor on horseback stating that he was urgently needed at Bingley Hall. He took off on our fastest steed not a half hour ago.”

Benedict draws closer, the flames from the nearby fireplace dancing in his eyes as he does so. The room suddenly notches much warmer, even in just your simple silk house dress.

“So… ‘tis just us?” he checks as the hallway clock softly chimes 11pm.

“It would appear so,” you titter, unable to hide your quake of nerves, watching as he glides across the room towards your drinks cabinet.

You have yet to spend time with Benedict without your husband. It has only been a fortnight since you met this man, well creature, well, no, being. 

“Vampire,” he supplies helpfully, raising a laconic brow as your eyes dart to meet his.

Sometimes, you forget he can read your thoughts.

He makes his way back over to you, handing you a glass of wine, dark red, like blood.

“Tis not,” he assures with a crooked smile, once again knowing the contents of your mind. “A toast?”

“To what?” you blurt, drawn to the flash of his incisor glinting in the soft candlelight of your drawing room.

“To us,” he rumbles portentously as he clinks his glass against yours. “Alone at last….” he adds, holding your gaze hypnotically.

He takes a long, indulgent sip, ensuring your eyes track his throat as he swallows the viscous drink, Adam's apple bobbing prominently under alabaster skin.

Something flares in your stomach as you mirror his actions, taking a sip and feeling the weight of his stare upon your jugular vein. Trepidation mixed with arousal, wanton desire, more than a tinge of reckless abandon. You have never given yourself to this man without your husband present. This would be something else entirely.

He takes the wine from you, moving in, smelling of smoke and damp earth, petrichor in human-like form. His nose buries into your hairline, and he takes a deep inhale, scenting you. 

“You always smell so… ripe. Like fruit. Succulent berries awaiting devourment…” 

Just those simple words alone have you trembling for him. You can't help the moan that escapes your lips as he kisses along your jawline, your hands encircling his biceps, the fine black wool of his jacket tickling your palm. A tartness blooming on your tongue that is mesmeric.

“I want to sink my teeth into every inch of your pristine skin…” His voice is decadent and dusky, your heart pounding as he moves to worry your throat. A slight shudder races down your spine as his fang traces your pulsing artery, lightly snagging your skin. “So many things I want to do to you….” he trails off as you find yourself pliant in his arms, under his thrall once again.

He effortlessly turns you around in his arms, crowding into your back. The press of his rigid cock into the cleft of your bum is unmistakable. His mouth works its way across the top of your exposed shoulder as you pant lightly, every cell in your body thronging for him to take you, make you his again, as you have been ever since that fateful night. 

“I want to hold you down and drink from you and fuck you, then do it all again. I want to taste my seed dripping from inside you. I want to bite your thigh while you writhe upon my face after we fuck. Your blood, your cum and mine, I want to taste it all….”

His filthy soliloquy has you barely able to stand, swooning back into his solid mass, needing every filthy, debauched thing he promises. A large hand stoops low, gathering your dress until he can run his cool palm up your quivering thigh, not stopping until he is cupping your bare, soaked cunt.

“What do you say, my goddess? Will you permit me? ‘Tis All Hallows Eve after all…..”

Who are you to resist?

masterlist • wips • taglist (follow this blog to be tagged)

No taglist, as this is so short.

[dunmeshistash]

Can we... can we focus on how cool and unusual it is that Chimera-Falin casts magic. The little hiss she does when she evaporates the Undine in the anime 😳

Sure we can!

Her vocal chords are being compressed according to this "Vocal cords are compressed, so she can't speak well"

Apparently her new anatomy, besides not being ideal for eating, also makes it hard for her to speak, I guess the anatomy prioritized having the most possible space for food and air intake for the huge body, its kinda amazing Ryoko Kui thought of that.

I really enjoyed the sound design of the whole chimera Falin fight! I always wondered what that would sound like and the hissing at the end was amazing.

I'm still mad at trigger for cutting/changing some things but the action scenes at top notch.

[tare-anime]

I've watched Spy x Family Code White!!!!

And and ........!!!!

OmG!!!!

It's so totally awesome!!!

Tbh, I've never watched anime movie that good before!

I might be biased, but truly, it WAS so AWESOME that I'm planning to rewatch it (if I've ever managed to find extra free time)

My full with spoiler review under the cut

So first of all, the animation quality WAS top notch!

They way they draw scenery, background, lighting, camera movements. OmG!! I really love how WIT studio pay so much attention to details. And the smoothness of it.

The scenery of snowy mountains, sun light reflections through crystalize ice, the water...... wow!

And then there were the difference in way of drawing scenes. Like Anya's imagination was drawn so cartoony, meanwhile Yor's fiery 🔥🔥🔥 fight with type F was drawn with so much intensity, and Loid's stealthy fight was drawn with different color as if Loid was in different dimentions than the rest of the enemies because he was the only one in disguises.

This different way of drawing scenes kind of like Spiderman into the spiderverse, but not to that extent. Nevertheless, it's super awesome.

The foods!!! OmG! Those were detailed and awesome food drawings that make me drools 🤤🤤🤤 desserts, main courses, even snacks!! Wooooaaaa

The action!!! I bow down to the animators. WIT studio once again showing off their skills in drawing super awesome fight action scenes. They draw the character movements very well. Even Fiona get her short glimpse of action scene and that's awesome!

Loid's different action tones animation is super awesome, but I have to bow down and thank the animation team in making Yor (my queeeennn 🛐🛐) being super badass!!! The way she ended the fight with type F??? Guh..... I need all my will power not to screamed "That's my queen!!" in the middle of theatre 🤣

Of course like all anime movies out there, we have to lower our expectation regarding plots. (Plot? What plot? We're here to see the family awesomeness 🤣)

We can easily spot the re-use of plot from canon material but was shown in different font, such as:

Yor's jealousy towards Fiona, that leads her thinking she's inadequate mom and wife, that was a result from her overthink her 3 gossipers cowokers

Fiona's obsesiveness in trying to impress Twilight and becoming the Forger mother

Drunk Yor vs Twilight which ended with Yor sleeping

The super direct advance of Twilight that sucessfully making Yor super embarrases that her body instinc injured Loid

Super long and hiperbolic poop joke from Anya

(These managed to make us the audiences LOLed though 🤣🤣🤣)

Not to say, plot holes (?) Or plot that make you go "huh?", such as:

The super unnecessary idea of replacing Loid with other incompetent agent for a mission as important as Op.Strix

The possible stella from a cooking contest that end up all for nothing because of technicallity malfunction

Putting a very valuable microchip inside a common trunk, and all of a sudden was transported in a common train, leniently lying around in a place where a kid can meddle with it. Secured with only 1 very common key.

A secret recipe of dessert that is a secret but the restaurant owner can give the ingridients to stranger because the owner felt guilty that Anya's share was taken by a foodie adult with military power.

An old plane memento that somehow still in prime condition that can be used by Twilight to pursue Anya's kidnappers.

I can't be helped. The animators may not create something that might disturb canon stories afterall. So these plots were just there to drive the story forward, and forward the story goes!!

(Despite all the things I mentioned above, I still enjoyed the story well.)

And then, last but the most important things, the movie managed to deliver the family awesomeness so well!! The animators clearly know the character and character dinamics so very well. And I, again, bow down to them. 🙇‍♀️🙇‍♀️🙇‍♀️

There are so many moments that will make you go "awwwwwww" and give you so much fluff and sweetness you'd have diabetes right away.

The way Loid always tried his best to give the best for the family, but he forget that the family IS the important one. And Yor was there to softly remind him of it. (This scene was so soft I really teared up 🥲🥲🥲🥲)

The way Anya tried her best to help her papa in acquiring the ingridients because that's the mission was, but eventually she got into trouble. And yet at the end Loid was still very proud of her.

The way Yor took care of Anya and play with her during the trip, the way she protected Anya during their initial fight and at the end of the fight (so many mother daughter moments!!!! 🥰🥰🥰🥰)

The difference way of fighting between Twilight and Thorn Princess. Like Twilight will go all stealth and disguises until he can't. Meanwhile Thorn Princess was just strorm right through the front door (or rear wall in this movie), demolishing everything while at the same time politely asking for her daughter and husband 🤣🤣🤣

The way all of family working together so that the plane didn't crash at the town, and the way they laugh (Yor and Anya were laughing out loud, meanwhile Loid was chuckling) when all of them managed to "safely" landed.

Good boy Bond always tried his best to support Anya and even galantly tried to defend her but alas, he was no match to human enemy. 🥲🥲

I was just 🥺🥺🥺🥺🥺

And really, Endo should take notes.

Because all of these are what make we love Forger family. And that it IS possible to make the family do a mission together without revealing their secrets. Like Loid's lousy excuses that make Yor went wooooww, Yor's even more lousy half lies that Loid believes just like that 🤣🤣🤣🤣 (these two omG!)

I also love how Anya as the captain of TwiYor ship actively pushing her parents. Yes Anya 🥰🥰🥰

I also love how the main villain able to recognize Twilight in disguises via the unusual scent. Like. Woa!! That is so possible!! I mean, latex should have a very distinctive smell afterall.

All in all, truly an amazing first movie!!! I do hope one day the anime team will continue to make amazing movies in the future. 🥰🥰🥰

[hippielovinlife-blog]

Just saw John Wick and let me tell what this movie is and isn't.

John Wick is:

A love letter to Asian action films

A love letter specifically to the wuxia genre (they even call it out in the film)

A nostalgia piece if you grew during Saturday Kung Fu theatre times (about the mid 80's). What would happen is, you'd get up on Saturday, watch cartoons, then watch Kung Fu theatre, which would be badly dubbed wuxia films primarily, then you'd watch the westerns that came on right after that.

A chance for Keanu Reeves to get together with all of his favorite people and idols and spar and do stunts on the streets of beautiful cities.

A truly epic stunt adventure. The stunts in this movie are top notch. Great physical effects and wire work.

A great spaghetti western

An opportunity to see some of your favorite action stars do some of the most aesthetically pleasing and matter of fact sword work and hand to hand fighting ever put on film

A chance to see Donnie Yen having an excellent time with a fabulous character

A chance to meet a character who's sole purpose in the film is to be cool and to help out John from a distance.

Filled with plot armor

What John Wick is not

Short

In any way, realistic

Not for the faint of heart, blood wise

Complicated

The jist of it is this film was a laugh riot. I loved it! But it's right up my alley. I loved the set pieces. I loved the fact that there are no normal people in this film. I love the fact that one of the faceless army gets a chance to shine. I love the fact that new characters are introduced and you ask yourself "what's this guy's deal" and you never find out. I love the fact that the revenge cycle continues. Very wuxia. It was great. There was a lot of mutilation, some quick torture. But no dogs are killed. It's full of plot armor. Don't ask why some people can be hit by a car and be okay and some people can't. Just go with it. The ending has a very Asian cinema aesthetic w/ a little spaghetti western thrown in.

There is an end credit scene.

Have fun and enjoy the battles.

[classicanalyzer]

Skeleton Crew - This Could Be A Real Adventure and Way, Way Past The Barrier Thoughts

"Since the fall of the EMPIRE, the NEW REPUBLIC has maintained order.

And yet, remote hyperspace routes are increasingly plagued by piracy.

These PIRATES boldly brand their armored hulls as a sign to all ships.

Surrender or die...." The opening crawl of Skeleton Crew

The first two episodes are such a fun and refreshing open to this new Star Wars adventure. The editing in this show is top notch and full of personality. The child actors did an amazing job of selling the four kids as kids in the Star Wars galaxy. The high number of aliens in this show also really refreshing.

That opening space battle goes so hard, especially the transition from the title crawl (I'm loving how the live-action shows since Ahsoka been doing this) to the action. The action sequence is shot really well and I love how the visual effects look.

Mick Giacchino did an amazing job with the score with the kid's theme and the pirates' theme. I can't wait to see what else this man cooks in the rest of the episodes, especially with the piano.

Captain Silvo is pretty much Jude Law's character, Jod Na Nawood (at least one of his many, many identities).

Brutus being a Shistavanen is such a good choice. Such great alien prosthetic work. It was also some good continuity to see Vane in the show, given the focus on pirates.

I like how Wim is a deconstruction of wanting to have a classic SW adventure and believing in the classic SW tropes. As he'll see over and over again, the galaxy is not as idealistic and happy as the stories make them out to be. But I also feel with his desire to do something more and different, especially in that scene when he looks at Neel's family and his own reflection. I hope Wendle, Wim's dad, gets further exploration in the forthcoming episodes.

Nell is the best. That boi must be protected at all costs. The prosthetics for him and his family are so amazing. He seems to have a problem with asserting and standing up for himself. It's both funny and cursed that his siblings are watching footage from the Holiday Special lmao. Fern is a bit of a brat, but she's also dealing with a mother who expects a lot from her. She tries to escape that as much as she can while trying to live up to her expectations. She also is the most level-headed of the group. KB is the most intelligent of the group but also seems to long for more in life. Her fascination in the creatures in the pirate spaceport and absent mindedness at the creatures suggest interests beyond technology. I want to know about KB about why she's given cybernetics and where her family is.

I also wonder what the mural in Fern's house means for the history of the world and the story of the show.

The production design is very impressive and I really like the electronic devices used in the show, especially how Wim uses his to look at images of the Jedi.

I always had a feeling that At Attin was pretty fishy based solely on the suburbs, lmao. They seem to have a false utopia of sorts with all the predetermined career tests (the US Department of Education would love them lol), especially toward whatever the "Great Work" is. I wonder if the Great Work mentioned by Fara is related to Soh's Great Works.

I also like the nod to how some Jedi Temples can arise from underground and arise plus the Atollon and Aldhani mentions are nice nods to the larger Canon.

I like a theory that the Barrier could be a hologram of sorts.

The Onyx Cinder is such a cool ship design. SM-33 (Nick Frost) is such a fun pirate droid with some kickass fighting choreography. His introduction in the red lighting is also really cool. I hope we get to see more of his antics and character in the show. Port Borgo looks so fire, and God, the visual effects for the pirate port and this show are so amazing. It blows Ahsoka's visual effects out of the water. A Teek being the driver is a fun nod to Ewok: The Battle for Endor. I also find it interesting that everyone thinks their world is not only considered a myth and doesn't exist but is full of treasure. I also like that the Theelin brothel worker wanted to help out the kids and get them back home, tho it's very understandable why Fern is distrustful of her, given the nature of the port.

The fact the kids literally know nothing that's commonplace and normal to the galaxy means most of At Attin (since they had droids from the galaxy, I wonder if the general public doesn't know about the galaxy but only a few in govt know) didn't hear anything of the Skywalker Saga. Oh God, that's going to be a depressing story to tell the kids (especially Wim on Order 66) and At Attin's public about how the galaxy went to hell for decades.

I love that rat (Snowball) that lives in SM-33's empty eye. I also like how Wim refer to Old Republic credits as dataries just as Qui-Gon said when referring to credits in The Phantom Menace. I wonder how insane the exchange rate between Old Republic credits and New Republic credits is.

I wonder what Jod's backstory is since Jude Law confirmed he is an actual Force-sensitive and not pretending to be one. Realistically, I think he's just a Force-sensitive who is posing as a Jedi to the kids. However, I feel like there could be more to his story since Law mentions we'll be learning a lot about his character in Episode 7. If he was a Jedi, I like to think he was a Jedi dropout and then using the Force subtly to rise in the pirate ranks. I hope Jod gets some character development if he is going to try to manipulate the kids at first (mainly because I like Jude Law and hope he gets to do more Star Wars.

Otherwise, these two episodes is such a great start to this show.

"The distance between us and the key...is an illusion." "Jod Na Nawood"

[arizonaraine]

Sorting Hat Chats: Gladiator

I. Freaking. Love. This. Movie. Is it historically accurate? Not especially. Is the story fairly simple? Yes, but there's a difference between a SIMPLE story and a SIMPLISTIC one. The performances are top notch, the music, the costumes... *chef's kiss.*

So, without further ado...

Maximus is a Badger primary. He recognizes the humanity in the Germanic tribes-- "would you (know you're beaten), Quintus? Would I?" He's a great general, but his heart is at home with his family. After the first battle, he spends time among the wounded and is upset when it is suggested that they "died for nothing." He's deeply loyal to the memory Marcus Aurelius. Wherever Maximus goes, he collects people (Juba, Proximo, the German, Lucius) by being kind when he doesn't necessarily need to be. He inspires loyalty and goodness in others just by being who he is.

In true protagonist style, Maximus is a Lion secondary. There's no pretending with him-- if Maximus feels something is wrong, he won't do it. "With all my heart, no," he says to Marcus Aurelius when he initially refusing to become protector of Rome-- it's a gut reaction. He will not salute Commodus; he turns his back on him. Though he shows some Bird-like strategizing in battle, to me, it reads as an intuitive grasp of going on-- the art of reacting to things rather than planning for them. Even his habit of feeling the earth before going into battle screams Lion: it's a tactile, grounding, in-the-moment exercise.

Lucilla is a Snake primary. She cares about Rome, she cares about her father's memory, she cares about Maximus-- but at the end of the day, she will prioritize her son's safety ahead of everyone and everything else. (Side note: I think that Ridley Scott writes Snake women a lot-- Lucilla and Sybilla from Kingdom of Heaven are pretty much the same character). There's room to argue for more depth here, but I feel that her primary is pretty straightforward.

I read Lucilla as a Bird secondary. She's strategic where Maximus is not. She makes practical decisions, lays plans, and collects information behind the scenes. She also seems to use a bit of a Snake secondary model-- or maybe it's her Bird secondary in an "Actor Bird" form. She knows how to play Commodus, and tries something similar with Maximus-- a little flirty, a little coy-- and drops it the minute she sees it's not working with him.

Commodus is also a Snake primary, but an Exploded one. His whole worldview and perception of himself is wrapped up in a handful of people. He's desperate for his father's approval, even after he kills him (there's a scene in the director's cut with Commodus destroying a bust of Marcus Aurelius, then hugging/clinging to the ruins). All Commodus wants to be loved by his father, his sister, and the people of Rome. With the latter, he compares himself to a father and the people to children. He wants to give them the love he feels he was denied. But his idea of love is destructive to his wellbeing and the wellbeing of those around him. In the end, it gets him killed in the arena-- defeated by his own need for the crowd's approval.

Commodus is a Lion secondary with absolutely no impulse control. His father rejects him? Kill him. Maximus defies him? Try to kill him. His one strategic success comes when he accepts the counsel of a senator to "let (his enemies) come... and nibble." Challenging Maximus-- a GENERAL with YEARS OF EXPERIENCE-- to fight him in the arena is a terrible idea, but Commodus does it anyway.

Marcus Aurelius doesn't get as much screen time as I wish he did (RIP, Richard Harris). He's our lone Bird primary. He's THE Philosopher. He has carefully constructed his worldview, weighed his options, and decided on a course of action. He believes that Commodus is "not a moral man" because he lacks the virtues that Marcus Aurelius values: wisdom, justice, fortitude, and temperance. His choice to make Maximus the protector of Rome is careful and deliberate-- he's observed Maximus in many situations and knows that he does not desire power. That's why it must be Maximus. It's perfectly logical to him, and he believes that he can explain it to any reasonable person (unfortunately, Commodus is far from reasonable). Marcus Aurelius forever puts first the idea of Rome: it is his bright, shining TRUTH.

He's also a Bird secondary: the man writes like nobody's business. He's a deep thinker, a strategist, a collector of maps and other odds and ends to put in his toolkit.

I read Proximo as a Glory Hound Lion. He was once a gladiator himself, and you can feel it in his speeches about the crowd: even though he knows that fame is a fickle mistress, he loves the adulation, the money, being a star. He misses it. He believes that he and his men belong in the Colosseum. Before they go in to fight, he fills them up with his vision of glory.

I think that he's a Snake secondary. He can be charming, he can be adaptable. He plays people off each other to get the best price. He was "the best" in the arena because he "won the crowd." But he knows how and when to cut his loses and go blunt. He describes himself as "an entertainer."

Bonus! I see Juba as a Double Badger. He tends to Maximus's wound even before they become friends. He relies on memories of his people and traditions when things are at their bleakest. He offers encouragement in his own quiet, wise way. Some of the best lines in the movie are his, IMO: "I will see you again. But not yet. Not yet," and "you have a great name. He must kill your name before he kills you."

TL;DR:

Maximus: Badger Primary, Lion Secondary ("The Protagonist")

Lucilla: Snake Primary, Bird Secondary, possible Snake secondary model ("The Villain/the Mastermind")

Commodus: Snake Primary, Lion Secondary ("The Lancelot")

Marcus Aurelius: Bird Primary, Bird Secondary ("The Scientist")

Proximo: Lion Primary, Snake Secondary ("The Robin Hood")

Juba: Badger Primary, Badger Secondary ("The Peacemaker")

(archetype titles ala @wisteria-lodge:))

[justaweirdspecimen]

Lets start and mention the elephant in the room. I freaking screamed, yelled, and cried seeing her back even just for a glimpse. Those three baby dragons was a sight of love. They managed to capture the essence of how the game of thrones shouldve ended.

Ser Simon Strong can be seen as the GOAT of this season, if he see's something is amiss he doesnt hesitate to put action to it. He's loyalty is unmatchable to anyone currenly besides Addam for the Blacks. Jacaerys showing his blood boiling for Ulf was amazing hahaha the anger shows how strong of a prince he is, however it may also be his undoing.

Then this guuurrrllll!!!! The freaking plot twist was so unexpected was executed properly, I never wouldve guessed that she's the one who was providing Daemon his visions since the get go. And when she mentioned Aegon will sit on the Iron Throne again, I knew it will be Aegon III and not his brother/husband. Phia Saban's acting will always be top notch and her encounter with Aemond was a sight to be hold.......A Gods Eye to be hold.

FINAFUCKINGLY!!! Rhaena will now have her dragon after sitting and babysitting Viserys II and Aegon III. Sheepstealer look amazing, those spikey wings I can only imagine what it will look like once she rides him. Although, Nettles wasnt introduced I get it through production perspective and writting, and Morning may hatch for Mysaria, I can only hope.

This was everything, and seeing Ser Simon Strong clapping in the backgroud hahaha that was amazing. Something changed in Daemond's mind when he touched that Weirwood tree, something was suddenly opened and he knows the dance of the dragons is only beginning and he needed Rhaenyra to sit on the Iron Throne.

And lastly this scene. The love of Alicent to Rhaenyra is impeccable but her decision caused a lot of lives and now she asks for help, I dont know what will happen when Rhaenyra finds Aegon II had disappeared and Alicents promise broken. But fair to say, I am excited to what ever outcome this will all play out after The Battle of the Gullet.

Excited for Season 3......😭😫😭😫😭😫😭😫😭😫

Thank you for this Season 2 Trailer of Season 3 😅

[novlr]

i'm writing a character who is a serial killer but not willingly if that makes sense. like, she kills once she finds that she finds herself in a murder or be murdered type of situation.

like in one scene, her mother's ex boyfriend comes back to try and get back together with her, but finds her daughter instead so he tries to s/a her but she stabs him and he bleeds out.

then in another scene she get's jumped by two guys and she stabs them both to death as well.

so i'm just wondering if you have any tips for writing such a complex character who kills but feels bad about it before, during and after the fact.

she doesn't enjoy the act of murder. she doesn't get off on it. she simply on kills so she can survive.

thanks so much!

This is a topic very close to my heart! I have a bachelor’s degree in criminal justice and a master’s degree in forensic psychology, both from accredited U.S. institutions. No fictional murder best-sellers under my belt, but it’s a topic I know a lot about. 

Sometimes, people kill for reasons that aren’t nefarious. There’s the cut-and-dry self defense (“it’s me or them”), the culmination of years of abuse, or sometimes it’s completely an accident (which is called “involuntary manslaughter”). 

Murder mysteries and thrillers are top-notch reads and go hand-in-hand with pop culture’s fascination with true crime. But what goes into writing an accidental serial killer, or one that’s more upstanding than you’d think? 

Define your morals

In order to establish morally gray, you’ve got to set the good and evil boundaries within the world you’re writing. Is it a modern-day story, where a cold-blooded killer is the evil one and a person defending themselves against an attacker is the good one? Or is it a more intricate fantasy or science fiction setting, where the laws and morals aren’t quite the same? 

The important part of writing a morally gray character, in general, is establishing the normal bounds of morality in your story world and then placing the character’s values somewhere in the middle. They’re not looking to hunt other people for fun, but the act also wasn’t a noble defense or socially acceptable resolution to the problem. I think that’s the hardest part, building enough plausibility and setting up empathy for the character’s actions while still writing them as a ‘villain’.

The vigilante

The easiest example of a morally gray killer is the vigilante. Typically, their motive comes from a righteous or judicial point of view, and they’re killing the “evil” ones. These types are taking out drug dealers, abusers, or anyone committing what they consider to be egregious or immoral acts. They perform bad actions to do good. 

Doing bad things for good reasons is often considered “lawful evil”, wherein a character is still following rules but they’re doing so in a ‘bad’ way. That circles us back to the beginning; there should still be a compelling reason for their actions. That’s what pushes their assigned morality back from ‘black’ into the ‘gray zone’. 

Crossing the lines

Consider what factors or events‌ would persuade a character to act in a worse or better way as a one-off circumstance, or a trigger that sways their actions. Perhaps they won’t kill parents, no matter what brought them into that position; maybe violence against women will often trigger a violent episode. 

Gray, on the moral scale, has the obligation to be interesting — so don’t think too hard about staying within neutral territory. Swing one way or the other occasionally with good narrative build-up and support to really bring out the character’s individuality. 

What if it’s always an accident?

Maybe your character is frequently caught in the wrong place at the wrong time, but they always manage to come out on top. What do you do then?

It’s first necessary to define a serial killer. Definitionally, a serial killer is a person that commits multiple murders. Murder being the key word — it must be on purpose for the act to fall on that definition. Otherwise it’s manslaughter (which is an incidental death where even if harm was meant, death was not). I can’t stress this enough: by definition, you can’t have a serial killer whose only kills were in self-defense or accidental. Your character must progress to proactive murder on more than one occasion for them to be considered a serial killer. 

Of course, that’s not to say you can’t have other characters (or even their inner monologue) refer to them as a serial killer. Social knowledge rarely sees eye-to-eye with legal or academic terms and definitions. I just caution you against using ‘serial killer’ in marketing material or descriptive collateral, if this is the case. It is a technically inaccurate descriptor, and someone waiting for that switch from accidental to purposeful is going to be sorely disappointed when it never happens. 

It could, however, be a great plot device to start there and explore the character’s evolution from unfortunate events to intentional murder. Maybe they were targeted for multiple violent crimes, and one day decided to be proactive and preemptively solve their problem (via murder, of course). 

Avoid the Angel of Death

While a vigilante may be a good character type for the morally gray serial killer, the Angel of Death is not. This type of killer is looking for personal gratification by taking someone’s life into their own hands. More often than not, the Angel of Death is looking to make themselves a hero by saving the day, and the deaths are secondary (and a sign of their failure). I’ll admit that the line between “personal gratification” and “justice” can be a thin one.

 The important distinction to keep in mind here are the moral definitions you’ve created: I can’t argue that an Angel of Death is serving any higher purpose than their own desire to cause situations where they might be a hero. It’s like hiring a hitman to take out a target, but intercepting the hitman just in time to save the target. The entire situation is at the mercy of the character; there’s no justice in the actions, no redeeming qualities. They don’t feel bad for sending the hitman — the outcome was planned from the start. And if they can’t beat the hitman? Oh well, better luck next time. 

Convincing the reader that the protagonist has a good (“enough”) reason for their actions is key to achieving the moral middle ground. A reasonable, morally upstanding person probably won’t resort to the character’s actions, but they understand how the thought process could bring them where they are. The Angel of Death is fabricating the entire situation; a morally gray killer should be working towards a goal, or acting on a strong reason. 

The morally gray serial killer isn’t looking to win anyone over, or get a standing ovation for their good deeds. They’re killing for a reason — a reason that wouldn’t normally drive someone to kill, but the reader can see how they got from point A to point B in the thought process. 

written by S.K. Eleteon

[obstinaterixatrix]

THE GLIMM*R ZINE IS AVAILABLE FOR DIGITAL DOWNLOAD TO BACKERS AND IT'S SO GOOD IT'S SOOOOOOOOO GOOD I think it has a good mix of requited/unrequited, mundane/fantasy, literal/figurative (though dreams inherently skew more figurative than literal) (maybe more... a good balance between a 'concrete' implementation of 'dream' in the sleep sense, and 'abstract' implementation of 'dream' as the wish/goal sense?)

all the artists did a great job, I think every single story was complete and satisfying and competently executed (though obviously some of them hit my biases more than others). I can think of positive and unique things to say about each story. so I will.

Midnight Smack by Anna Chen Campbell: The art style is fun and distinct and very expressive, I loved the role reversal of a fantastical creature being in the position of going What The Fuck. Very solid meet-cute!

Dear Nina by Kristina Luu: The story is told through the perspective character reminiscing of the past, which means a nice intimate first(/second) person narration. I really liked the mood whiplash of wistful longing and seething cynicism, the atmosphere is top-notch.

Good Morning, Rose by Rowan Maccoll: I love the dream vibes in this one--it really captures that experience of going along with different scenes that aren't supposed to cohere, disjointed in a way that works for the story. I love how the... not-really-negative space is used during the true form reveal, very atmospheric.

R.E.M. by Jona Li: It's one of the heavier stories because [spoilers] the narrative centers suicidal ideation/suicide attempt, and I think the artist does a good job with emotional nuance; I also like that there's ambiguity whether the subject of the dream is their real self, or a projection of the dreamer. The contrast between hard/soft textures is super arresting.

Merderous by Gabrielle Kari: The first of three illustrations! Alas, the two-page spread is broken up in pdf format... I can't wait to get my physical copy so I can see it in its fully glory... it's got what's clearly an intricate narrative with no context or explanation, so you get to puzzle out your own interpretation if you want, which I liked.

Eternal Waltz by Adeline Kon: EXTREMELY heated drama between women. It has resentment, it has longing, it has separation and bitter reunions, it has violence, and it has a butch woman who's definitely an arrogant fuckboy. I want fifty more comics just like this.

Derailed! by Kimberly Wang: I'm very unfairly biased towards this comic because I've been following this artist for a while and I Love Their Work. Great composition, great expressions, great energy, just all around great stuff (there's also an interview about Of Thunder And Lightning in this zine!). Anyway, they described this comic as "type A hobonichi girlie meets girl who's perpetually late and has no impulse control, who survives", it's very funny and very charming and I knew I'd love it from the very first preview. and I was right. I want fifty more comics of this duo.

The Visitor by Yuchen H: The second illustration, which is also the cover of the zine. The art looks so soft and edible, really captures a dreamy atmosphere. I want to bury my face in those feathers. The pain (and longing...?) for someone ignorant to the impact of their own actions... solid vibes.

One Last Dream by Laura Rovinsky and Ez Carol: The protagonist is an old woman in hospice care, which really grabbed my interest. Despite the heavy premise, it's super sweet and cute and Filled With Joy, and there were a lot of elements I liked (the main character being active in working with the love interest, the main character's waking life being enhanced by the dream, etc). I would love to see more old women protagonists!

Step By Step by Jess Fleming: I liked the maze setup--the artist did cool stuff like the blueprint-to-completed-gardens page, and the atmosphere's very... I think liminal fits best. Also, the impossible status divide between a groundskeeper and a noblewoman who's in an arranged marriage to end a feud, AND the emotional implications of constructing the maze PLUS having to guide the noblewoman to her betrothed? Very good setup for The Longing

Love Everlasting by Ellen Mei: The third and final illustration. VERY clear narrative and VERY heated drama. I love an unethical scientist and I love how Very Definitely Unhappy the android looks about the situation. Sooo tasty and unhinged, nobody's getting out of this unscathed.

anyway, those are my thoughts, must-read for yuri enthusiasts, if you didn't get the chance to back the kickstarter definitely pick up a copy once it's for sale. I love it.

[crsssie]

for all time/lovebrush chronicles boys as secret dating

word count: 757

summary: secret dating famous! lovebrush boys... how is it revealed?

Ai Yin / Ayn - World-Renowned Gamer

Ayn's heart races in his chest as he takes the trophy in his arms, cheeks flushed as he stares down into the crowd, eyes locking with yours as he hands off the trophy, hopping down the stage to hug you, his face buried in your chest as you jump in your skin, unsure as to how to respond. He had been the one who wanted to keep your relationship secret but not private, so you— "Just hug me." He grumbles, giving you a squeeze as you relent to it, pressing a kiss to the crown of his head as he lifts you into his arms. A female fan screams in the background, and another one yells in betrayal as Ayn presses a kiss to your lips with a soft grumble. Safe to say the tabloids went insane that night. (And Ayn went through your weibo to block every single rude comment)

Lu Chen / Alkaid - Well-Loved Photographer

"Hey beloved, can the magazine publish this?" Alkaid points at the photos with you in it, your lips sparkling in the photo for his interview, marks all over his chest, lipstick marks visibly made by your lips, and you nod, handing him a bowl of grapes. "Yeah. My face isn't in it, right?" "No." Alkaid nods. "We took the photos like that on purpose." You look at the photo, nodding. "Looks fine." "Really?" "Really." You nod. "I don't mind that much. Your fans aren't... terrifying." You pause. "Not as scary as Lars', at the very least." (Alkaid finds that you're right. His fans send him nothing but blessings)

Luo Xia / Lars - Top-Notch Celebrity

"Everyone call someone. The first person whose contact picks up can skip this next segment." Lars grins, clicking on your contact as everyone else does too. His phone rings once before you pick up. "Hi babe." Lars grins, shaking his phone at the camera as everyone screams. "BABE?!" The line is silent for a minute before your voice speaks up. "Did you just put me on speaker on one of your shows?" "I just needed you to pick up. I miss you." "I miss you too, but can you please have the editors cut out my voice during editing..." "Will do, babe." (The editors leave out your voice, but they definitely don't leave out the part Lars calls you babe)

Si Lan / Clarence - On the Rise Actor

"So, Clarence." The host coughs. "We received that you completely improvised your most popular scene in the whole movie... was there something that inspired it?" Your manager had warned you not to date as a rising actor, but it really wasn't your fault if your significant other was the crazy one. Clarence looks over at you, pursing his lips and pretending to think. "Perhaps I just wanted to." You reach over to smack him, clicking your tongue in disdain. "I bet you just wanted more tongue action." "With you? Surely." Clarence doesn't think, his media training going out his head as both you and the host are stunned, and the two of you make headlines, Clarence's casual words and pink ears accompanied by your shocked face. (Two weeks later, the two of you make it official on social media— much to his manager's annoyance)

Ye Xuan / Cael - The Nation's Model

Cael typically leaves out his wedding ring in shoots, the silver clashing too much with his outfits, but he finds that it doesn't matter this shoot, your skin pressed to his as you shoot the perfume ad, a ring that could easily be mistaken as a prop— had it not been for the fact that he was known for wearing it off of work. You arch your back slightly more, chest pressed to his, and Cael wraps an arm around you, hand on your shoulder as his ring glistens under the light, your matching one pressed to the glass of the bottle in your hand. In the back, one of the interns mumble about how great of a chemistry the two of you have. The photographer gives the two of you a thumbs up, and you relax, Cael's arm snaking down your chest and giving your skin a small pinch as he stands up. "You alright?" He leans down, resting his forehead on yours. "Yeah." You mumble. "Someone's going to send the paparazzi something again." "Let them." Cael presses his lips to your forehead. "It's about time anyway." (Cael beats the paparazzi, photo of your back at the shoot uploaded onto his instagram before the media can expose him.)

[dangermousie]

Realistically, there’s several valid reasons for Mei Lin to sever her relationship with MRJH – 1. Him being her shadow master 2. Him poisoning her and confessing that the poison was still killing her and he knew that (and didn’t say anything) 3. (the main one IMO) in the end he didn’t let her participate in the final and most important part of her(their) revenge and instead shipped her off against her will.

I think because of the last reason especially it would’ve made sense for her character to be angry at him. After all she always kept saying that only people of Qingzhou can take revenge for Qingzhou. But 1. He didn’t let her get her revenge 2. Didn’t let her to stand by him, someone she loves, as he took his revenge 3. Didn’t tell her anything after he promised no more lies 4. Basically decided her future for her when he sent her with 2SML

The problem is – none of this is properly articulated in the drama. Just add the scene where she tells him that she loves him but can’t forgive him! Add the scene where she’s angry about not getting her revenge! Add a scene where she’s angry about him lying to her/deciding for her! Just something! But there’s nothing. One moment she’s desperate to get back to him and the next she decides it’s over.

And when they meet again in Qingzhou I’m not getting a feeling that she’s is angry at him or hurt or even conflicted. All I’m seeing is that she still misses him and loves him but for no reason decides to hold back and ‘move on’. It’s not even like she likes 2ML and wants to marry him for real, it’s not like there’s any real reason she absolutely HAS to either.

So yeah. I feel like it would’ve been way more enjoyable if Qingzhou arc went like this: Mei Lin and Yue Qin are acting out a “fake dating” trope but she, he and MRJH are all aware it’s only a pretend for a time and ML and MRJH spend the time working on rekindling their relationship (and BOTH working towards it, not just Jinghe) with 2ML maybe pinning in the background but knowing his place and not getting in their way.

I couldn’t agree more with every word of this!

There would be plenty of valid, in-character reasons for her to be angry at him/not want to be with him. But they don’t convey it at all - what is throwing me (and clearly you also, I am not alone!) is that in their interactions she does not appear to be angry at him or even conflicted because - for example of one scenario that could work - she loves him but needs to be with SML for reasons of owing him and not wanting him in danger.

It would be equally valid for her not to get over ML’s actions but they they didn’t convey it. Or get over them in which case they need to either provide an explanation as to why she’s still not getting together with him or get her together with him.

Honestly, the acting in this drama is mainly top notch (minus Luomei actress) and I love the aesthetic and the tropes and the premise but the execution leaves a lot to be desired - the script is just sloppy not just in plot (which I rarely care about) but in explanation for character dynamics (which I care a lot about.)

This is not about ML x FL but another glaring example is Crown Prince x Luomei. I enjoyed that story in abstract but how she went from “I love yore brother and will try to be nice to you” to “ride or die for you my sexy villain” is BZUH?!? Not conveyed at all and all you’d need is a scene or a montage. This drama has a failing where it wants characters at point A and then wants them at point B but never really figures out how they’d logically get there.

[hiimtheproblem87times]

hey so with ideas as to why victim put a bounty on TCO's head. there are three reasons i can see.

1: crimes with TDL. (lawful good route, likely)

we can see when they first came into the internet, they both engaged in a lot of destruction. TCO, obviously, was soon shown the true sadistic side of THE DARK LORD and what they had unleashed upon the internet.

Victim may be wanting to put TCO to justice, and find a lead on the whereabouts of Allan, who was the one to create both TCO and TDL.

2: Purely to get more information on Allan. (probably less likely due to the box action scenes)

the signature trademark of Allan's stick figures are the large see through heads. this seems to be a unique mark of them, seeing as most internet residents have a head like the stick fighters. this would give Victim more information on Allan's digital whereabouts.

3: SCP-like work. (extremely likely)

seems as if Victim's complex serves more than just to investigate criminals. it seems as if it's supposed to investigate general magical people who are contained inside using top of the notch technology like pause holds and so on.

the biggest part of this process would be Victim, the warden, breaking down their will in a one sided brawl until the magically gifted individual feels less hope.

considering the power they have to deal with (they where very well suited to take down The Chosen One) they need to use such inhumane efforts to reduce casualties.

they also research any magical seeming artifacts to see what they can learn from such objects. (ex: TSC pencil scenes) it just so happens that Victim got a lead on Allan when investigating TCO. considering Allan's strange affinity with creating sentient stick figures, the ease of which he makes them (even to the point where he accidentally made one) he would most definitely need to be contained, or at least his PC would have to be isolated.

i read it all. Interesting.