#dealing a lot with prequel themes/events

[danceofthedragon]

I'm in charge now--I set the tone.

stretchandbloom.com // Just Dance (Twitter) // Aechylus, Agamemnon trans. Robert Fagles // Emilie Autumn, The Asylum for Wayward Victorian Girls // Just Dance (YouTube) // Sting, What Could Have Been // Emily Dickinson, I Took My Power // Just Dance (YouTube) // m.a.w. say your prayers now // @/twinnedpeaks // Just Dance (YouTube) // Euripides, Grief Lessons: Four Plays trans. Anne Carson

[katelfiredemon]

List of some movies that I enjoy and the books they’re based on which often have different vibes than the movie but both are equally good in different ways

Howl’s Moving Castle: The book is titled the same but has very different vibes (movie is more whimsical fantasy while book feels more like realistic fantasy if that makes sense) and also has two companion books in which Howl and Sophie make appearances! Book by Dianna Wynne Jones

Kiki’s Delivery Service: The book is titled the same but again very different vibes (Movie Kiki deals with depression and losing your passion and Book Kiki is cute little witch dealing with people’s problems in cute little witch ways) Book by Eiko Kadono

Stardust: Book titled the same but different vibes (movie is intense and life threatening adventures, book is more fun travel adventures and much slower paced) Book by Neil Gaiman

The Secret of Moonacre: The book is titled The Little White Horse (similar to Stardust the book is a lot slower paced and less life threatening adventures but just as fun and interesting as well as a lot of characters have more depth to them than in the movie) Book by Elizabeth Goudge

The Last Unicorn: Book has same name (from what I remember the book is almost word for word exactly like the movie) Book by Peter S Beagle

Ella Enchanted: Book has the same name (ok this one is a little more controversial. In my opinion the book has a lot more depth and is a lot more interesting in the world building and characters, and the movie is a horrible adaptation. But if you look at the movie as a completely separate thing it is still enjoyable and has fun songs and is a classic from my childhood) Book by Gail Carson Levine

Mary and the Witch’s Flower: The book is titled The Little Broomstick (I have yet to read it but I have just checked it out so I will make sure to update this once I’ve read it! I expect the book will probably have better world building as the movie was fun but didn’t have time to go into depth and the mechanics of the witch’s world) Book by Mary Stewart

Earwig and the Witch: Book titled the same (I also have yet to read this book but have just checked it out and will update later. I think it’ll probably be similar to what I expect with the Little Broomstick where it will probably show a more developed world) Book by Dianna Wynne Jones

Ronja the Robber’s Daughter: Technically not a movie but a tv series. Book has the same name (I also haven’t read it but have just checked it out and will update but I think the show was very well done story wise though the animation wasn’t my favorite and I expect that it probably followed the book fairly closely) Book by Astrid Lindgren

Avalon High: Book has same name and similar plot but characters are switched around (this is actually one where I like the movie a lot better. I feel like the book is extremely predictable and does exactly what you expect to happen while the movie switches it up in a fun way that I feel like also makes sense and isn’t just doing it for the shock factor) Book by Meg Cabot

Tales From Earthsea: One book from the Earthsea Cycle has the same name (I’ve only read the first two books and so technically haven’t gotten to the book that the movie has been adapted from but it’s on my list and I will update once I eventually get to it. So essentially I’ve read the prequels that lead up to the events in the movie and I’ve heard the movie is vaguely different but has similar themes and plot points to the book) Books by Ursula K Le Guin

That’s all I can think of for now but if you have any suggestions to add let me know and I’ll see if I’ve watched the movie and read the books and if so I’ll make an addition to this post!

[ghoul-slime]

Ghoul horror movie night: double-feature edition

Thought I'd do another Halloween post similar to the one I did last year about the ghouls' favorite horror films!

Unsurprisingly, Halloween is a big event in the Ministry, and all month-long the ghouls each take turns curating a double feature movie night for the rest of the pack:

Aether: Halloween 3 and Night of the Demons

For Aether, a Halloween double feature means watching movies that take place on Halloween. And which two better than Halloween 3 (yes, the one without Michael Myers) and Night of the Demons? Both extremely fun and packed with delicious Halloween atmosphere. Aether goes all out and decks out the ghoul den with cheesy lights and decorations and makes sure there’s plenty of candy and popcorn to go around.

Swiss: The Devils and Messiah of Evil

Transgressive and blasphemous religious horror from the 1970s. Messiah has a more supernatural element while the Devils, famous for receiving an X rating and being banned in multiple countries, deals with Catholic sexual repression, witchcraft, and religious fervor - a very popular set of subjects in the Ministry. Bonus points for containing a full-on nun orgy scene.

Dew: Dead Alive and Demons

Blood! Guts! Goop! Lawmowers, motorcycles, possessed demonic masks, and zombie rats!! Two of the absolute MOST fun movies to watch with a crowd. Dead Alive aka Braindead (directed by Peter Jackson, yes THAT Peter Jackson) has one of THE most fun, over the top final acts of all time and Demons has an amazing heavy metal soundtrack and the evil mask looks A LOT like the ghouls’ Prequelle masks. Dew knows that these two movies are sure to get the entire pack yelling and cheering at the screen (he is proud of himself).

Mountain: Event Horizon and Galaxy of Terror

Mounty loves his sci fi. This time around he’s picking two space themed horror films that aren’t alien movies. Event Horizon is like Hellraiser in space (but NOT like Hellraiser: Bloodline, which is actually Hellraiser in space). Both films are essentially about inadvertently finding Hell through space travel.

Aurora: Toxic Avenger and Swamp Thing

MONSTROUS, MUTATED ROMANCE. Aurora says if your not a monster fucker or a mutant fucker then you’re a coward.

Phantom: Spooky Encounters 1 & 2

Two Hong Kong martial arts vampire movies! Incredibly fun, great gags, and packed with amazing martial arts stunts by Sammo Hung, one of the greatest martial arts actors ever. Phantom loves his vampire movies, and are some of his favorites.

Cirrus: Blood on Satan’s Claw and Eyes of Fire

Both set in the 18th century, Cirrus loves the unsettling, slow-burn atmosphere of folk horror films, and these two are essential viewing. She insists that anyone that loves movies like The VVitch and Midsommar go back and give these two a watch.

Sunshine: Frankenhooker and Bride of Re-Animator

1990 was apparently the year for wacky Frankenstein re-imaginings. Like most of the ghouls, Sunny loves a goofy, over-the-top horror comedy. Frankenhooker is exactly what it sounds like and more while Bride is a sequel to Re-Animator (she thinks Dan and Herbert should just freaking kiss already).

Cumulus: Lair of the White Worm and Vamypros Lesbos

Two erotic horror films with VERY different tones. Lair is hilarious and choc full of phallic imagery (“It’s a penis movie” - Cumulus) and Vampyros Lesbos is about, well, lesbian vampires. Very sexy and beautifully shot.

Rain: Xtro and the Blob

Two slimy alien movies. Xtro is something that needs to be seen to be believed, and the fact that Rain picked it has Dew beaming (he has taught him well). The Blob, a remake of the 1958 film, has great practical effects. Despite the fact that the Blob is about a giant blob of alien space goo that dissolves humans into a bloody puddle of goop, Xtro makes it seem like a Disney movie. Rain loves to see all the WTF expressions on everyone’s faces (except Dew, who is grinning ear to ear).

Ifrit: The Burning and the Prowler

Slasher films. Ifrit has seen them all. While he thinks slasher classics like Halloween and Friday the 13th are essential viewing, he thinks these two lesser-seen slasher flicks from the 80s are superior.

Omega: Prince of Darkness and the Beyond

Omega is the cosmic horror enthusiast of the bunch. He loves the scientific quantum physics spin on the devil’s return to earth in Prince of Darkness and thinks the Beyond is the best of Fulci’s Gates of Hell trilogy.

Mist: Audition and High Tension

Women who love a little too much. These movies being Mist’s picks have everyone wondering if they should be worried (they shouldn’t, but she wants them to think they should be.)

Alpha: New York Ripper and Torso

ITALIAN SLEAZE. Part giallo and part horror, both of these films are slasher meets murder mystery. Arguably the popularization of giallo in the 70s gave way to the rise of slasher films in the 80s, and these perfectly combine the two subgenres. Alpha and Dew yap about the hypersexualized ultraviolence and dreamy, surreal cinematography in giallo films the whole time (annoying).

[rebelsofshield]

Some scattered Acolyte theories (spoilers for episode five)

The use of Kylo Ren's motif to accompany Qimir has to be intentional. It's one of the few themes from any of the films to make an appearance in the show so far and pairing it so clearly with Qimir at the episode's close must be doing more than simply recycling a familiar musical cue. From what we've seen, Qimir doesn't seem to have much in common with Kylo/Ben as a character. While Kylo Ren was a villain defined by his conflict and the weight of family legacy, Qimir is a self-declared nobody who comfortably inhabits his Dark Side beliefs.

So what if it's instead a callback to the Knights of Ren as a group? The exact origins of the Knights has yet to be established but we know from Marvel's Star Wars comics that they are an independent group of Dark Siders that have existed for quite sometime, possibly even further back than the events depicted in the Prequel Trilogy. While they would eventually morph into their own organization with separate ideologies and goals than the Sith, the musical callback alongside the visual similarities between Qimir's aesthetic design and Ren and his followers makes me believe that The Acolyte could be showcasing us the creation of the Knights as a purposeful offshoot of the Sith. It would be a fascinating storytelling detail if the Knights of Ren themselves began as an intentional red herring planted by the Sith to prevent discovery by the Jedi. One of the biggest questions hanging over The Acolyte is how exactly the Jedi missed this opportunity to discover the Sith over a hundred years before Palpatine executes their millennia long revenge scheme. While we already know that bureaucracy, ignorance, and fear of political scandal are factors at play here, the creation of the Knights as a scapegoat and smokescreen by the Sith feels like another element that's in play.

Hell, it even makes Ki-Adi Mundi's skepticism of Qui-Gon's claims in The Phantom Menace make more sense. What reason would he have to believe that the attacker Qui-Gon encountered on Tatooine was a Sith when a similar threat a century earlier ended up just being a member of a gang troublesome Dark Side offshoots. A problem, sure, but not the return of the Jedi's dreaded nemesis.

I spent much of the first few episodes of this show convinced that Sol was a fundamentally kindhearted man who was a witness to a terrible mistake the Jedi made on Brendok. Sol's tenderness towards Osha both in the past and present timelines of The Acolyte feels genuine and I'm not inclined to think that he's a devious enough liar to completely fake care and compassion for over a decade. I am, however, coming to wonder if Sol is perhaps hiding much more than we may think and might be one of the guiltiest parties at work here.

Much of this comes down to Qimir's inference that Sol did something to Osha. This feels like a much more pointed and personal accusation than Sol simply being present for the disaster on Brendok. Sol did something to Osha specifically.

It's obvious from how "Destiny" is directed that we are not getting the entirety of the story. Osha's perspective is shown and the events are confusing and chaotic. The Acolyte goes out of its way to make sure we barely see Mae or Mother Aniseya's experiences of that fateful night and I had assumed that we were dealing with a Rashomon set up that would reveal the truth after seeing different vantage points. But now, I'm beginning to doubt that what we even got from Osha is truthful. Even before she blacks out and wakes up aboard the Jedi's ship, there's a lot about what's depicted in "Destiny" that just doesn't make sense. A small fire spreads faster and quicker than it ought too. The witches all appear dead with no visible wounds. Sol's appearance is too sudden. Too much doesn't add up.

Basically, I'm starting to wonder if Sol used the Force to erase or twist certain memories in Osha's mind to cover up the violence on Brendok. Maybe the conflict between the Jedi and Aniseya's coven started out as a peaceful confrontation that escalated into violence through mistake and misunderstanding, but perhaps Sol is so concerned about the truth getting out that he would go as far to alter the mind of a child to keep his secrets. I've always felt that part of Sol's devotion to Osha comes from a sense of shame, but maybe that guilt runs much, much deeper than we think.

The other big leftover mystery from "Destiny" concerns the means and intents behind Osha and Mae's creation. Part of me does still genuinely think that the witches, being a matriarchal single gender culture, birthed both girls as a to ensure that their culture and tradition is passed onto another generation. I don't see Aniseya's ambitions stretching further than her coven on Brendok, particularly in how she views the Force as a Thread that cannot be pulled on without creating consequences. However, while the intentions may be fairly benign, I do not believe that Osha and Mae's creation was a bloodless act. The witches are clearly nervous about the Jedi discovering the true nature of their creation and it seems to stretch beyond their general distrust of the Order. Life doesn't come from nowhere and perhaps costs other lives in the process.

Now, here is where I put on my tinfoil. Like we're entering 2015-2017 Snoke theories territory here. I think Darth Plagueis assisted in the creation of Osha and Mae. One of the few things we know about the canon version of Plagueis is that he was obsessed with finding ways to use the Force to create life. It seems very possible that he might have collaborated with another Force sect for the purposes of experimenting and exploring these possibilities. The witches get the children they want. Plagueis gets knowledge that he deeply desires.

It answers the question of how Qimir knows so much about Mae and Osha in the first place. Sure, Sith are resourceful, but in order to manipulate Mae into becoming his Acolyte he would have to not only know that she existed but also possess extensive knowledge about her past. This feels like information that might come easily to Plagueis's current apprentice. And Sith apprentices sure do love training acolytes to help get their way to the top of the whole Rule of Two situation.

So what does this mean for Osha and Mae's future? There are many different directions to take their story from here and my thoughts about where they are headed as characters ultimately comes down to how definitive of an ending this (and maybe only) season of the Acolyte has. But to me, the groundwork seems laid for a particularly dark ending that sees Osha and Mae trading places. This has already happened in some sense given that Mae went undercover as her twin sister at the end of "Night," but I think The Acolyte is setting up an inversion of Light and Dark between these two.

Given her newfound proximity to Qimir, it feels all too likely that Osha slowly begins to learn the truth about what happened on Brendok and I don't imagine she's going to take it well, especially if my earlier theory about Sol proves correct. Depending on the degree of secrecy and lies, I could see Osha, even momentarily, lashing out violently at Sol upon learning the truth. And maybe she does the one thing Mae never could. Kill a Jedi without a weapon. We end this season of The Acolyte with Osha embracing the Dark and taking her sister's place.

So, where does this leave Mae then? We've also already seen evidence that of the two sisters, Mae is the woman who is most hopeful for a reunion and reconciliation between the two. Hell, she abandons her Dark Side revenge quest almost as soon as she learns that Osha's still alive. Mae may not be without sin, but with each episode I become more and more convinced that she's not a villain. She's a girl who lost everything is eager to cling to even the slightest shred of hope she can. And maybe, come season finale, that hope might be that she can save her sister from the Dark. That would be a hell of a set up for season two. If we get a season two that is. (Please make it so, Leslye.)

[azurajae]

Thematically, I think Star Wars would be a great world for KH4. Not only just because of the whole Light vs Dark themes, but also mirroring Anakin's decent into darkness to what Sora is (possibly) going through. I know a lot of people wanna fight Dark Vader not befriend him, but hear me out.

Kingdom Hearts always liked to have "Disney" worlds connected thematically with a character's development or overarching plot (ex. KH3 Carribean connecting thematically with Sora's sacrifices in the end). People often talk about how they'd like worlds that theme with 'death' (ex. Coco, Soul) or worlds that give Sora therapy (ex. Encanto, Inside Out, etc), but what about a world that brings out his darkness? To emphasize his pain and isolation?

Come KH4, it seems like Sora is beginning his 'Dark Road', with most of the DS Saga only hinting and building the turmoil underneath, just like how Anakin's darkness had been throughout his life in the Prequels.

My dream scenario would be having the Prequels, specifically the Clone Wars era instead of the OT or Sequel era, just so Sora can physically interact with Anakin and have those parellels with him. Imagine Anakin talking with Sora about how he'd do anything for the people he loves, and Sora realizing he feels exactly the same. And while Sora isn't the typical 'Chosen One' like Anakin is, Sora was pushed into that role by circumstance and feels the stress all the same. Both these characters are pressured to repress their emotions/trauma, which often manifests as rage. Maybe some paralells could be drawn between between Obi-Wan, Padmé, Ahsoka, and Rex with Riku, Kairi, Donald, and Goofy.

Sora would leave the world before RotS happens, so he has no idea what kind of path Anakin was about to follow. He might even be happy that he finds someone who feels the same way as him, completely unaware that he's also spiraling into that same darkness that turned Anakin into Darth Vader.

If you wanna get into this idea even more, let's factor in the 'realm moves at different times', so by the time Riku and friends arrive in Quadratum, It's the OT era and their version of events is helping Obi-Wan or Luke deal with Darth Vader to coincide with Sora's Dark Road.

Honestly, It's more likely that the OT will be the focus if a Star Wars world appeared because its just overall more popular (and like how can you deny the suspiciously placed AT-ST foot on "Endor", which takes place in OT era), but can you imagine the parellels? A Darth Vader boss is scary, but Sora befriending a "Pre-Darth Vader" because they are on the same Dark Road feels a bit scarier, right?

I may also be putting all my chips on Sora becoming a boss down the line for Riku, Kairi, and/or Yozora to fight please

[balanceoflightanddark]

I Have Become Death, the Destroyer of Worlds

(Spoilers for Oppenheimer)

The original 1954 Godzilla can best be described as an anti-nuclear war film...that just happens to have a giant monster in it.

When you get right down to it, Godzilla himself was originally a big metaphor for the atom or hydrogen bomb. A big, unstoppable harbinger of death that once unleashed, it's only a matter of time before destruction follows. And you have to remember, it was made by victims of the Hiroshima and Nagasaki bombings not even a decade after. So any allusions to those attacks are pretty deliberate on their choice. You cannot simply separate Godzilla from the fires that birthed him.

Just like how you can't simply separate J. Robert Oppenheimer from the atrocities his weapons wrecked.

It's become kind of a trend with movie goers to frame Oppenheimer as a pseudo prequel to the Godzilla series. Particularly with the announcement by Toho of Godzilla Minus Zero later this year which deals with the immediate aftermath of the bombings which sounds like a natural continuation of the events of Oppenheimer. Course there's the obvious difference between a biopic and a sci-fi monster movie.

But remember how I mentioned that the original Godzilla was an anti-nuclear war film that happened to have a giant monster? Cause in many ways, that logic does apply here. And as a result, both films do carry a lot of the same themes and tone despite being released over 50 years apart.

For one, there's a sense of dread with both films in regards to the bombings. With Oppenheimer, it's a feeling of unease as the USA pushes for the continuation of the Manhattan Project despite the surrendering of the Nazis. It was always there, but it increases the closer we get to the bombing, such as when Oppenheimer and his staff grow increasingly nervous to the testing, the patriotic fervor that takes over when it goes well, and the shot of the Fat Man and Little Boy being carted of with Oppenheimer and Teller contemplating whether the bombing will truly bring world peace.

Same thing with Godzilla. We have an overpowering sense of dread as the existence of a huge, unstoppable monster begins to dawn on everyone. How nothing seems to work against it and the creeping horror of it coming closer and closer to Japan without any viable solution being found. With Oppenheimer, we know the end story even if the characters don't, and the anticipation comes from the knowledge of the carnage that their actions will bring being at contrast with what's seen on screen. In Godzilla, the dread comes from being the recipient of that horror, and the characters scrambling to find any sort of solution in the face of unrelenting fury.

It comes to a head with the final scenes of the film, with Oppenheimer and Einstein grimly wondering if the invention of the atom bomb might've just spelled the doom for the entire planet, while Dr. Yamane monologuing about how chances are there's another Godzilla out waiting to be awakened by more nuclear testing. It's that sort of apocalyptic dread which binds the two films together, with the different perspectives allowing two different approaches to the same anti-nuclear warfare conclusion. Both from the people who made the bomb, and the people who were bombed.

And the similarities don't end there. We do get a parallel with Oppenheimer and the fictional character of Dr. Serizawa, which perfectly demonstrates the sort of differential approaches both films take. Both view their respective forces (the atom bomb or the Oxygen Destroyer) as having the potential to do so much good, not necessarily for warfare but more as an energy source for the betterment of mankind.

The difference is how both are exposed to World War II. Oppenheimer is distant, never being on the frontlines and only hearing about Hitler's death via the news. As a result (and part of an overarching character flaw), he never really considers the ramifications of building an atomic bomb. He's uneasy with it, but he'll try to justify himself by saying it saved the US a costly invasion and the bombing scaring the rest of the world off from even attempting to replicate his invention (it didn't, much to his horror). Serizawa was a soldier for the Japanese army before becoming a scientist. He's absolutely horrified by his creation, knowing for a damn fact that people will use it for a weapon, that it could possibly cause a devastating arms race, and is determined to keep it under wraps until he can find a nondestructive use for it. He only uses it to destroy Godzilla when the threat of the latter is undeniable, but even then takes his own life lest he risk his knowledge being used to create another one.

Both characters came to the same conclusion: Oppenheimer realizing he may have just doomed the world far too late and Serizawa being wracked with fear of what would happen if the Oxygen Destroyer was deployed too liberally. Again, it's the difference between the two that highlights how each film handles the same message. One only realizes what he's created until it's far too late, the other is filled with dread by the inevitability of that creation being used for lethal purposes.

So in many ways...yeah. Oppenheimer can be seen as a prequel to Godzilla, and both can be viewed as companion pieces towards one another. Of course, one ultimately still is a giant monster film, the other a historical biopic. But when the tones are so similar and themes so consistent, it's quite telling that you can easily see the two as being two sides of the same coin.

After all, the original Godzilla was an anti-nuclear war film that features a giant monster. Oppenheimer is that same premise but without the monster and from the opposite perspective. Yet both share the same apocalyptic message.

[nopeferatu]

saw you post a lot of brokeback mountain content so i want to know if you have a list of your favorite brokeback mountain fanfic :)

I do post a lot abt Brokeback Mountain, but I've never actually sat down and made a formal, ranked list of all the Brokeback fics I love?? I have a collection on ao3 called "My Favorite Fanfics" which is where I put fics that I like beyond a simple bookmark, and there are more BBM fics in there than any other fandom I've read for haha. Unfortunately, this list isn't actually comprehensive as there are many that were either exclusively posted to the old BBM LiveJournal groups, or they were posted to LJ then later deleted and are now word documents that get passed around by email.

If I were to rank my fave BBM fics in a top 10 list, it'd look like this:

10. Once Upon a Time by rhye

A happy-ending ranch AU composed of short chapters based on fairy tale themes. As in fairy tales, some plot elements may be far-fetched, the angst runs deep, there is fluff, and they all lived happily ever after.

9. Life Ain't Easy by Creed Cascade (creedcascade)

Jack convinces Ennis to come work on the Twist Ranch after they leave Brokeback Mountain, but life ain’t easy.

8. Come Hell or High Water by Just_K

Ennis Del Mar makes the decision to leave his simple life behind and follow the brazen Jack Twist across the state of Wyoming. With life in Texas heavy on their mind, the two come to realize that dreaming big comes with a price. Will they be able to hold together when the past threatens to tear them apart, or does love truly conquer all?

7. A Place to Hide by Way2

A possible portrait of Jack's relationship with Lureen during the years prior to his reunion with Ennis.

6. it could get easier (if you want it to) by biblionerd07

Ennis decides he has more to say after their fight at the trailhead, so he makes a phone call. And it changes his life.

5. A Various Language by Destina

This is the happy ending they deserved.

4. The Sky Above by mediumorange

August, 1983. Ennis’ postcard to Jack has come back stamped ‘Return to Sender.’ He finds Jack in Lightning Flat, determined to help his father save the failing Twist ranch. His father does not want to be saved.

3. Roots by 271horses

This story tells the complete life story of Earl and Rich. It follows them from deprived childhoods, through the maturation process, the events that bring them together, and the deep, abiding love that grows between them.

Unfortunately I can't link this one as it lives in a word doc, getting passed around from email to email after 271horses purged his LJ acc. It's fantastic, tho! A lot of users on the old Brokeback forums hold it in high regards, as you'll see lots of posts mentioning the great BBM Earl/Rich prequel fic and how good it is.

2. Somebody, Somewhere by mediumorange

If you can't fix it, you've got to stand it. Slowly but surely, Ennis finds a way to stand it.

1. Widower for One Year by 271horses

This story concentrates on what would have become of Ennis after he was left alone trying to deal with the finality of his loss in that beaten up old trailer, still mired in his miserable life.

This one is another one of those that gets passed around through email and I consider it one of the greatest tragedies of the fandom bc it is, no joke, the BEST fic I have ever read in my god damned life, but it was never finished. 271horses purged his LJ acc before finishing it. I actually stopped reading once I got close to the end bc I don't want to deal with the fact that it will never be completed, so for me to confidently call it the best fic ever without actually having finished it says a lot.

[fetus-cakes]

Furiosa: some jumbled thoughts

I genuinely think Mad Mad: Fury Road is one of the best modern movies ever. I rarely ever like prequels/sequels to beloved 80's franchises and yet Fury Road had me thinking and talking about the themes and storytelling for literal years after the movie was out. I even got the soundtrack and played it constantly while driving.

So! That means I had insanely high expectations for Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga. I don't think I was ever going to be 100% happy with any origin story for Furiosa, as nothing can really beat the limitless potential of an untold story. I still tried to go to the theatre with an open mind. Alas I was disappointed.

My verdict: Mediocre! much like when Nux ate shit right in front of his idol, this movie fails to stick the landing.

so my first complaint is: SHE HAD LONG HAIR WHAT IS UP WITH THAT SHIT

it's not just an aesthetic choice, in a world where a person fights all the time and she got to repair the engine while the truck is moving, long hair is a LIABILITY. it's going to get caught in a wheel and rip her WHOLE scalp offfffffff her whole scalp!

plus. it looked like a perfectly coiffed wig, which is so out of place in the WASTELAND. how does hair the wasteland look? it should be DIRTY and OILY, there's no fucking shampoo. instead her wig only got a little dusty at the end. here's my actual biggest complaint: it felt that they were contractually obligated to use the exact same sets, costumes and characters as Fury Road; we BARELY got introduced to any new people or places. EVERYONE looks the exact same as they do in Fury Road, which takes place NINETEEN YEARS after the events here

it's so so fucking boring that Immortan Joe, People Eater and Bullet Farmer look THE EXACT SAME as they do in Fury Road

in Fury Road there's the implication that Joe is slowly dying of various tumours and diseased flesh, but he used to be younger and healthier. we should have seen fit, strong Joe at his prime and maybe this was the START of his health problems; if this movie was any good we should have seen why he wears that teeth mask (it's to hide his possibly cancerous jaw)

People Eater has both syphilis and elephantiasis, both implied to be diseases he got from being a cannibal, but by the time you lose your nose and your leg looks so swollen those are later stages of those diseases, he's close to death in Fury Road. if he has no nose and a swollen leg at the start of Furiosa, that means he held on to life and sanity for nineteen years, which is very very unlikely Fury Road makes a BIG DEAL that Joe cares about his "wives". He treats them like property and obviously is a rapist piece of shit, but he does care a lot about what happens to them

you're telling me that Joe of all people wouldn't rip the entire citadel inside out looking for Furiosa went she went missing?

that he's so stupid he couldn't put two and two together that a little girl went missing from his harem and later a teenage girl appears "out of nowhere" among his warboys? and this teenage girl seems unusually healthy and capable, unlike most of the children of the wasteland? Furiosa SHOULD have been about her victimization at the hands of Joe and her many many attempts to escape, WHICH ARE MENTIONED IN FURY ROAD. instead we see her trying to run away once (1) and she never gets punished by Joe. her anger at him in Fury Road makes no sense now

I wouldn't say I want to see rape in a movie like this, but we got set up to think there's a lot more sexual violence in the wasteland. it's explicit in the Road Warrior, it's implicit in Fury Road

we got set up to think Furiosa was a "wife" or was at least the victim of Immortan Joe in a way like that we know for a fact that JOE has set up a system in which women, especially healthy women who can have children, are at a premium and he gets first dibs there's a very unsubtle gender divide in the Citadel that we know is Joe's doing because he's the one obsessed with having healthy babies and knowing this, they're expecting us to believe Furiosa was never the target of unwanted sexual attention? in this society that Joe specifically set up so women could be victimized? I have a hard time believing it

I really am not saying I want Furiosa to be the victim of sexual assault, but I do want them to give us a good reason why she is NOT when the previous movies have established this is a regular thing.

like we could have a scene where she escapes the harem very violently but gets caught, Joe might decide she's too much trouble to keep as a breeding stock but she's feisty and strong so he will give her a chance as a War Boy, and he gets to imply that he will force her to bear children if it she's not a good fighter what we get instead is that she dressed up as a boy (and somehow doesn't get caught for years despite her disguise being shit) and then gets taken up under the wing of Praetorian Jack and she doesn't disguise her gender anymore; and Joe doesn't care?? huh???

I WISH this movie was more about Immortan Joe establishing his own cult of personality that we see fully formed in Fury Road.

it would have been so good to see War Boys not quite as manically loyal to him until he comes up with the idea that HE is a god-king that will take the boys to paradise (Valhalla) 19 years is a good timeline to establish that sort of lore about himself. the fact that they ALREADY have it when Furiosa comes to the citadel is so SO boring

it's so boring that basically NOTHING changed in the citadel for 19 years, there was no power grabs or changes in hierarchy or changes to the lore that Joe has about himself everything was consistent and running smoothly for Joe for nearly twenty years? in a wasteland where resources are extremely scarce and people are CONSTANTLY murdering each other for water, gasoline and food? stability? in THIS economy?

it would have been more interesting if part of the movie was that someone else had the Citadel and then Joe came and took it and established his own society; and we see Furiosa trade one insane warlord for a different (perhaps worse) one literally one of the things that makes the Mad Max universe cool and fascinating is that the more fractured society gets, the more people in their own little pocket cities reinvent society with their own set of insane rules the only good thing about Thunderdome was the the fact that they had the Thunderdome to settle their disputes!

loyalty is a biiiiiiig theme in Fury Road, both in how Immortan Joe artificially enforces it with his cult of personality and how Furiosa and Max have the real thing for each through shared trauma it's so insane to me that loyalty from Furiosa to Joe is not addressed ONCE, it's something that he would demand from her he just accepts that she works for him? Joe is 1000% the sort of man who would force Furiosa to shoot her own friend to prove her loyalty to him, but we don't see anything like that

(this point is minor compared to the rest) I never understood chris hemsworth as Lord Dementus, like what the fuck is his deal he got better towards the end of the movie, but the first half he was so over the place was he gonna rape Furiosa's mom? no? why does he want to have the pretty girl-child so badly? is HE a pedophile? no? he likes children, but not in a creepy way? then why does he act so weird with her is he a capable war lord or just an idiot? hard to tell! why doesn't he sell Furiosa to Immortan Joe as soon as Joe expresses interest? slaves are a premium resource! if he really likes Furiosa, then why does he relent and give her to Joe when it's clear she's going to be breeding stock? it's like they saw Lord Humungus from Road Warrior and said "we want this character but without the S&M gay shit, oh oops but if he's interested in little girls that's bad in a different way"

we barely see Furiosa kill anyone in this movie, she doesn't even join in the WAR (the war that she SHOULD join to show her loyalty to Joe so he would trust her with the war rig!!) in Fury Road she is both ruthless and efficient killer. She's not cruel, but she has zero time to compassionate. someone explain to me how the hell she got to that point without murdering people up close and personal as a younger woman. in Fury Road she is NOT afraid to get into close quarters violence with Max, despite not having a gun and having the handicap of missing her arm (and not having her prosthetic one on). this tells us she's someone who KNOWS how to fight, someone who doesn't hesitate to kill

final thoughts: the music was so anemic, during one of the war rig fights I literally found myself thinking "where's the music? the music is supposed to get us pumped up for the action right now. I don't feel the adrenaline these characters feel!" did they record ANY new music for this movie? or was it all from the Fury Road soundtrack?

final final thought: Lord Dementus being used as living fertilizer for the peach tree is so stupid and impossible. It would have been better to shown him as a corpse, rather than someone who impossibly stayed alive for months or years for a sapling to grow. Did she implant the peach pit in his dick?

Showing clips from the original movie on a sequel should be cardinal sin in filmmaking. It's like they don't trust the audience to remember, or they're telling us "you liked this right? remember how much you liked this, you'll have positive associations with this current one!" do not remind me I could be watching a better movie instead of this

[queenofbaws]

Hi Queenie! I hope you’re having a lovely day 😁 I was wondering if you would ever consider writing another story like The Almost(s) 🥺 within the Until Dawn universe something which deals with character studies, darker and angstier themes either before Hannah & Beth died or after the events if everyone survived, because I loved the scenes you wrote when the characters were in college, and I think you’d be great at writing scenes set in high school🥺

I was also wondering if you would ever consider writing another character study fic for the counsellors in The Quarry, such as what they get up to while they are counselling before the events take place (similar to your prequel for Until Dawn - The Almosts) 🥺

And one final question, hahahaha, I love your writing so much and your The Almosts series is the best fanfiction I have ever read. I also think it’s one of my favourite books ever! I love your writing, and I think you’re such a good writer, and I know a lot of people agree with me on that :)) I just wanted to ask you, I know that so many writers are hard on themselves and I was just wondering do you feel proud of your The Almosts series too and the rest of your writing :)) I hope you do, because your writing is amazing ❤️❤️

🥹

oh my gosh, well i'm having a lovely day now, thank you very much! hehehe ;P

as of right now, i can't say that i have any plans for a big, heavy, character study fic taking place for either of those - that doesn't mean i'm saying i'll never do it, of course, but for the time being, i'm sorry to say that the answer to your first two questions is probably not 😔

ALAS, i am...so very old, and once the first week of october comes around i'll be even older than that, so while i very, very much appreciate your faith in me, i'm afraid any high school stuff i'd write would come across as unbeLIEVABLY out of touch slkjflksdj and while i love the hacketteers so, so much, i don't know that i have any solid ideas to really delve into surrounding their story at the moment.

that being said, i do have a fic underway that - to me!!! in MY heart!!! - is very much the spiritual successor to the (almost)s, and that's like wringing blood from a stone. it's set in the quarry, and covers the events before, during (and maybe even after ;)c ) the game itself, but it's focused on the hacketts, and not the hacketteers. i consider it the spiritual successor to t(a) because t(a) was a big, involved story about changing friendships and grieving and mourning those changes - stuff i was dealing with pretty heavily at the time of writing it - and like wringing blood is about family and generational cycles and the struggle of always being seen as someone's child despite being a full-grown adult; also...things...i am dealing with pretty heavily at the time of writing, hahaha! but it's obviously very different than t(a), it's an entirely different universe, so i FULLY understand it might not have the same appeal!

and oh my gosh, you absolutely put the biggest, sappiest smile on my face with your kind words, thank you so, so much!!! ...but i have to be honest here - i AM very proud of the (almost)s, it's unquestionably the project that i sort of judge all my other writing against, and while i strive to be proud of everything i write...i am very hard on myself! i do get down about my writing fairly often, and let me tell you, that self-doubt? it comes creeping in more often that i'd like to admit. BUT!!! personally, i think that's an important, if unpleasant, part of being a creator: the day we stop questioning ourselves is the day we stop trying to improve! so i always try not to let it get me too down, and i keep chugging along, but i'd be a liar if i said i'm always happy with my work.

so it makes my heart grow at LEAST three grinchy sizes when someone like YOU waves from readerland and says something i put out there resounded with them 🥹 hehehe truly, from the bottom of my heart, thank you so, so much for reading, and for making me smile 💖

[cherrybombfangirlwrites]

my writeblr (re)introduction

Hi, I'm Anna. I've been on the writeblr side of tumblr since June last year, and I figured- new year, about time for a new intro. I'll be doing new WIP and character intros as well very soon.

About the Author

20-something years old / She/Her / Aroace

A burntout gifted kid, (sorta late diagnosed) Autisic and ADHDer

my sideblog for nerdy and fangirly stuff (mainly about my ocs and fanfics about them) is @cherrybombfangirl that i'm currently trying to revive

Favorite Movies: Captain America: The Winter Soldier /// Wonder Woman (2017) /// Wonder Woman 1984 /// Lilo and Stitch /// The Amazing Spiderman 1 & 2 /// Black Widow /// Ghostbusters (the entire franchise, all of it) /// LEGO Batman /// Megamind /// Pirates of the Caribbean Trilogy (what other two movies?) /// How to Train Your Dragon Trilogy /// The Nightmare Before Christmas /// Coraline /// Boxtrolls /// Enchanted /// The Little Mermaid /// Maleficent /// Princess Bride /// The Great Mouse Detective /// Anastasia /// Ocean's 8 /// Kung Fu Panda 1 & 2 /// Dungeons and Dragons: Honor Among Thieves /// Dead Poet's Society /// Puss in Boots: The Last Wish /// Rogue One: A Star Wars Story /// Nimona ///

Favorite Books: Trollhunters /// Land of Stories /// Micheal Vey /// Percy Jackson series /// How to Train Your Dragon series /// Peter and the Starcatchers /// Cry of the Icemark /// Reflection by Elizabeth Lim /// The Unwanteds /// Alex and the Ironic Gentleman /// The Hunger Games Trilogy /// Mysterious Benedict Society /// Dealing with Dragons Series /// Cry of the Icemark by Stuart Hill /// Iron Widow by Xiran Jay Xhao ///

Favorite TV Shows: Tales of Arcadia: Trollhunters /// Tales of Arcadia: Wizards /// How to Train Your Dragon: Race to the Edge /// Supergirl /// Ninjago /// The Mandalorian /// Kenobi /// Lockwood and Co. /// A Series of Unfortunate Events /// The Dragon Prince ///

I like to write big casts, with lots of diversity

My characters tend to be very aro/ace coded and adhd/autism coded because I like to project onto my characters a little bit too much

been dreaming up little worlds with little characters in my head since i was little, started writing fanfic at 12, and finally started to draft out my ideas last year

I love love love fantasy and sci-fi, especially the more high stuff, but i like low/urban fantasy and sci-fi. more realistic fiction isn't really my cup of tea, if there's no fantasy or sci-fi elements it doesn't do it for me

My WIPs

Fractured Stars Falling

Intro /// Playlist My dark fantasy, 9 book series of very queer retellings. Including people of color, mentally and physically disabled, and many flavors of queer representation. Themes include trauma and how we deal with it, and tropes include magic that can kill you, chaotic found family, and 'i would kill for you' romances. And it's possibly going to have a prequel series about my thousand year old wizard who is an AuDHDer and a burntout gifted kid and how she got to where she is in the series. Tags: #wip: fractured stars falling

The City is Ours

Intro /// Playlist My low fantasy, 5 book series about a bunch of chaotic teenage superheroes. More people of color, physically and mentally disabled, Jewish and Muslim, and lots of different queer representaion . Themes include forgiveness, are you the hero of the villain, and tropes include domesticity between the action, teenagers being teenagers, and the checkov's civilian. Tags: #wip: the city is ours

Galaxy Destroyer

Intro /// Playlist Previously known as Before the Stars Burn Out, this is my high sci-fi book series about a bunch of morally gray criminals and the "i tried to kill you" to found family pipeline. Like my other wips, lots of representation, including people of color, disabilites of both the physical and mental, and different kinds of queer representation. Themes include what really defines good vs bad, what to do when the system is broken and the two solutions you are presented with suck, and tropes include space criminals accidentally adopting a baby, humans being space orcs, and cool laser gun battles in space. Not sure if it's going to be a trilogy or duology yet. Tags: #wip: galaxy destroyer, wip: before the stars burn out (for older stuff)

unnamed witchy wip

Intro (coming soon) /// playlist (coming soon) a one-eyed (and it's actually disabling) aroace witch. her two familiars, a white cat and blue crow. on the run from a cult of witch hunters that are taking control of the realm by storm. she befriends an undercover witch hunter, no knowing his identity. the witch hunter has an arc with their faith crisis and getting a redemption arc where they end up saving their new friend the witch. Themes include the abuse of religion and finding friendship (but on a very personal level), and tropes include snarky familiars, very personal stakes for the characters, and platonic soulmates. Probably going to be a standalone. Tags: #unnamed witchy wip

unnamed historical fantasy vestal virgin wip

Intro (coming soon) /// playlist (coming soon) it's a baby wip that I don't much on yet. All I know is that it's going to be about one of the vestal virgins in Ancient Rome actually making contact with Vesta (the roman version of Hestia), they become besties and end up protecting each other both from the human and mythological. Also I'm going to get dragons in there somehow. much platonic soulmates <3. Probably going to be a standalone as well. Tags: #unnamed vestal virgin wip

edit: i removed taglists from this post because there is a tag limit, i have them saved somewhere else tho!

[iamnotawomanimagod]

Life is Strange: Double Exposure - A Bullet Point Review

Please note that there are SPOILERS BELOW.

The Good:

I had fun! At the end of the day, games should be fun, and I enjoyed this one. I had a good time exploring Caledon, getting to know the different characters, and using Max's new timeline-hopping abilities to solve puzzles.

Max changed in a realistic way - it's been ten years since the first game, so she's 28. She's more confident, less ashamed of her snooping, and more certain of her talent as a photographer. But she still makes really dumb dad jokes, still has that "dreamer" vibe, and still cares deeply about the people around her - even if she has a weird way of showing it.

It had genuinely surprising twists and the story was engaging and kept me wanting to know what was going to happen next.

It's really pretty! The characters are beautifully animated and feel very real, with realistic physical ticks and habits that make them feel a lot more alive.

Dr. Gwen Hunter is hot as fuck. So is Moses.

Chloe is present in the narrative. I'd say she haunts it in a similar way that Rachel did in the first game, and that Max herself did in the prequel. Having Max write her journals to Chloe was a nice touch and callback to Before the Storm. I still don't know if I'd buy them breaking up in the "save Chloe" timeline, but I do think they made a good attempt at explaining why they aren't together anymore. And all the events of LiS are still impacting Max in a very real way. Max does need to be the protagonist of this game, despite what I thought before I played it. (That being said, I think the storyline that makes the most sense in this setting is the one where Chloe dies.)

Finally acknowledging that this is a universe where multiple people have superpowers and that, inevitably, some of those people are going to run into each other.

The set design between the two timelines was really clever and helped signal which timeline you were in. Sometimes it could be tough to keep track of what you said to who in which timeline, but I think that was intentional. It'd be tough for Max, too.

Side note, but: hilarious choice to make it so that you can date Vinh in Dead World, but not Amanda, and you can date Amanda in Living World, but not Vinh. But then, at the end, the timelines combine and you've gotta deal with two-timing people in the weirdest way possible. I haven't played that version of the game (I romanced Amanda instead) but it's a very funny choice.

The Bad:

This game re-treads the same path the first game did. It's self-aware of this retreading, and often uses it to highlight the themes of the story. But it can fall flat. I don't think it was necessary to have Max relive the dark room, even in a limited way. How and why did that happen? Did Safi make her do that? Did "the storm"? It's unclear and it made me more uncomfortable than anything else. There were times it worked - Lucas as a sort of echo/foil of Jefferson, Safi as a foil of Chloe, etc. But there were a lot of times where I was just thinking "hasn't Max been here before?"

For some reason, the color of Max's eyes drives me CRAZY. Other characters have blue eyes, but they don't seem as blindingly, painfully blue as Max's. I also found the animation on her hair a little distracting at times.

Max still follows Victoria Chase on social media, as well as Chloe if you pick the "saved Chloe" storyline. During the final chapter, she receives weird dream world texts from multiple characters from the first game, including Warren. But through all of this, Kate Marsh is never, ever mentioned. In the "save Arcadia Bay" story line, she should still be alive, so I'm not sure why they didn't at least include references to her there. Big bummer, especially when Kate was such a significant part of the first game.

I don't particularly like the ending, or the way it sets up a direct sequel. The post-credits stinger was fine. I felt like the reveal that Diamond has powers came completely from the left field. And I like the idea of Safi and Diamond off on a little adventure to find more people like them. But it made the ending feel very "to be continued..." instead of a more concrete ending like the first game had.

Overall, I had a lot of fun with LiS: Double Exposure. I went in with pretty low expectations because I wasn't sure a sequel to Max's story was necessary. I still don't know if it was, on a narrative level, but I did enjoy the journey.

If you played the first game and can make peace with the Chloe of it all, I definitely recommend it!

[kestalsblog]

Third anon lol and big fan of trigun in general. Piping in with my opinions about the anime, since I don't think it's fair to say either adaptation is "much better" than the other. People will have their personal tastes, some strongly prefer one or the other, but I honestly love both of them. The original Trigun leans more western in the space western theme, while Trigun Stampede leans more sci-fi in the space western theme. But they both have a mix, and they both encompass the same general story. Neither of them match the manga exactly (which is my personal favorite Trigun adaptation), but that doesn't mean they're bad.

The original Trigun was made before most of the manga was made, so it ends up following its own path near the end. It's goofy though, especially towards the start, then ends up hurting you Real Bad (in a good way) later on. I love it so much!! And it's one of the few anime I prefer the dub for, just bc it has so much character. Also makes watching it genuinely hilarious sometimes, but it works for that anime. It also keeps Vash's deal more of a mystery overall, which can be great for starting out with watching.

Trigun Stampede is what I first watched, and I still love it a lot. The production quality is SO good, especially the animation and the soundtrack. I still think about those fights So much... Tristamp is based more on the manga than the original Trigun, especially with certain key events, but it's also its own thing. When the manga's creator greenlit the project, he said he didn't wanna see exactly the same story all over again. So it's a remix! Modernized in some ways, the timeline a bit different from the original stuff... some people critique its characterizations, as the characters do act a little different in this, but it's done with the perspective of being a prequel of sorts. There are characters that act more immature or naive bc it's showing them when they were a bit younger than in canon. I believe they're going to bring it back around so they're closer to their original characterizations in season two, bc that's closer to Around when most of the story happens in the manga. It's generally more serious than the original too, which some people prefer and some people don't. Up to personal taste.

Which that's a lot of talking 😂 but I didn't want you to think that any one version is significantly better than the other. It's a Three Cakes kind of situation, where they're all different and they all have things to love. So I hope you give them all a try!!! Including the manga lol, which flayed my heart alive (in a good way). If ur interested, u can read it all online for free on here @/trigun-manga-overhaul. That's a fan translation project that has fixed a lot of the problems the official translation has, so it's pretty worth reading imo.

Hi! 🙈

This is a really good analysis - thank you for the info! I admit I'm a bit more into the modern, sci-fi kind of setting than western, but I'm pretty much open to trying anything. I also love the combo of lighthearted silly + tugging on the heartstrings/wild angst. LOL 🙊

I think I literally only watched 2 or 3 episodes of the reboot so far, so my own opinions are far from being cemented any which way. 😅What intrigued me originally was the character design!

Also, I do enjoy reading manga and am not strictly an anime-watcher, so thanks for that info! Thanks for providing a fair opinion of each different version 👍 Sometimes it can be hard to remember that reboots should be viewed as their own piece of work independently from the originals.

[xsteps888]

Español (spanish): bueno, cómo ya leyeron, Harry Potter AU se enfocará en dos historias, ambas con la intención de revivir la infancia y traer de regreso el mundo mágico:

Harry Potter y el miembro perdido: Está es una continuación, la cual trata de una nueva continuidad de Harry Potter. Aquí, los acontecimientos de Harry Potter y el legado maldito nunca ocurrieron. Ahora nos enfocamos en el primer hijo de Harry: James junto a su amiga Charlie (hija de luna, no canon). Ahora, en lugar del regreso de lord Voldemort, tenemos la llegada de un nuevo villano, el cual tratara de ganar el mayor poder para conquistar el mundo mágico.

Este AU es el más importante para mí, y tengo muchos planes para el, por eso, será el contenido principal de aquí.

Fundadores de hogwarts: este segundo AU sería como animales fantásticos, una precuela de la saga. Ahora, nos enfocamos en la vida de los cuatro fundadores de hogwarts, a los cuales, ustedes le pueden hacer preguntas y demás. Este no es tan importante, aún así, es muy importante para mí, por eso me enfocaré mucho en éste.

Espero que puedan apoyarme en este proyecto y que podamos crear una nueva gran historia para Harry Potter. ¡Saludos y no se olviden de sus preguntas! Xsteps888

English: This is the post: THE COEXISTENCE REGULATIONS

It is important that, for a healthy community, some important rules have to be taken into account:

First of all, this AU is not recommended for children under 13 years of age due to its content of violence, bad language, fantasy violence, and sensitive themes. Now what is HARRY POTTER AU? Well, this is my own continuation of the Harry Potter saga, where the events of Harry Potter and the Cursed Child never happened. This AU seeks to continue the saga in a mysterious way, taking into account the important elements. This AU is divided into two parts: HARRY POTTER AND THE FORGOTTEN MEMBER and

FOUNDERS OF HOGWARTS.

One focuses on continuing the saga in a different way, and the other focuses on the founders of the school.

Well, as you already read, Harry Potter AU will focus on two stories, both with the intention of reliving childhood and bringing back the magical world:

Harry Potter and the Missing Member: This is a continuation, which deals with a new continuity of Harry Potter. Here, the events of Harry Potter and the Cursed Child never occurred. Now we focus on Harry's first child: James with his friend Charlie (daughter of Luna, non-canon). Now, instead of the return of Lord Voldemort, we have the arrival of a new villain, who will try to gain greater power to conquer the magical world.

This AU is the most important to me, and I have a lot of plans for it, so it will be the main content here.

Hogwarts founders: this second AU would be like fantastic beasts, a prequel to the saga. Now, we focus on the lives of the four founders of Hogwarts, to whom you can ask questions and so on. This one is not that important, still, it is very important to me, so I will focus a lot on this one.

I hope you can support me in this project and that we can create a great new story for Harry Potter. Greetings and don't forget your questions! Xsteps888

[hadesknockedupintheunderworld]

For the unpopular opinion meme, positive edition, can you touch on Forces and Infinite in particular?

Ooooooh okay okay

So starting with Infinite himself, I gotta start with the immediate stuff. His design is cool, his powers are sick, his themes (the vocal track and boss battle themes) make me insane, his English voice is 👌👌

And difficulty aside, the choice of his powers/attacks are actually pretty cool in my opinion. It's pretty wild the way he can change the stage around the player both from a gameplay standpoint and from an in universe standpoint. The fact that his illusions can even affect the environment and deliver physical consequences to those caught in them or attacked by them is something that (from an in universe standpoint) has the potential to really impact and mess with anyone caught up in them during Forces' story. It's a really fun concept to play with, especially if you take it a step further and indlict it on some of our main characters (i.e give them the struggle to determine what exactly is real at this point, even after the events of the story)

With his character too, the different accounts from the game, episode shadow, and the comic prequel make for a fun bout of crafting an interpretation of Infinite as well (no sarcasm here! I actually had a lot of fun drawing all his threads together in my mind and coming up with a reason he's the way he is)

And speaking of the way Infinite is, I can't understate how interested I got in his character just with the simple fact that he doesn't seem driven by his own goals in the base game of Forces

(One of these days I've got to write that essay of him that's part character study/interpretation part extrapolation)

As for the game itself, I actually really like the concepts the game throws at you to start with

"Killing" Sonic off really early, showing tangible changes in the landscape (especially with the desertification of green hill), other characters dealing with Sonic being gone, Tails completely splitting on his own parallel journey to the player, the player character starting out as some nobody Infinite happened to spare, Eggman just taking almost the entire world over after Sonic is removed from the picture, Classic Sonic just showing up because he happened to be with the Phantom Ruby as it began to shift through time and space. There were a lot of initial choices like that that were very interesting to me or surprised me, but compelled me nevertheless.

ㅤ

Thanks so much for the ask, anon! 🥰

If you have any other topics for the reverse unpopular opinion meme or anything else you'd like to ask, feel free to shoot it at me!

Reverse unpopular opinion meme

[1watermelontea]

pinned post: will be prone to edits!

hi, you can call me melon—they/he/it (all fine)

i’m a hermitshipper & i write fanfics. i exclusively ship the characters, not the people. you can find my ao3 attached below:

more-in depth descriptions of my currently published fics under the break:

Chasing the Horizon Line

co-authored with @nine-of-diamonds! a seablings fic with a dash of scarian. gem moves to aurecove, a seaside town, to be the new lighthouse keeper. turns out she may have bitten off more than she can chew with this place—between spreading rumours and missing persons, gem and grian become unlikely friends. merfolk and land dwellers are not meant to interact, evidently. hurt/comfort with themes of feeling lost and wanting to find where you belong. gem & grian -centric povs (swaps multiple times each chapter)

Crosscurrents

co-authored with @nine-of-diamonds! oneshot side story and mostly prequel to chasing the horizon line that explores 4 times that aurecove citizens met mers, and 1 time that a mer met a land person. has main characters you don’t normally see—like joe and stress—and duos you scarcely see, too. humour, through and through, and we thoroughly bullied bdubs throughout the entire run of it. five different povs in total.

There Must Be A Catch

co-authored with @nine-of-diamonds! oneshot attached to the cthl series following skizz’s pov. throughly crack. i cannot describe it in words.

Walking the Line

co-authored with @nine-of-diamonds! the second mainline instalment of the cthl series. solidaritek with a notable dash of flower husbands. three years after moving to lunere, jimmy and tango are doing dandy, until jimmy’s past comes back to bite him. when jimmy goes dark, tango is left scrambling to figure out what’s happening. it only gets more complicated from there. angst & humour with some timeline jumps. jimmy & tango -centric povs (swaps multiple times each chapter)

Set On True North

co-authored with @nine-of-diamonds and @crabbri! oneshot side story directly following the events of walking the line. gem and grian find a way to sort out their mer memory problems. humour with some beautiful prose in there. gem-centric pov.

A Week in the Life of “Detective” Scar

co-authored with @nine-of-diamonds! a scarian oneshot wherein grian is pearl’s assigned watcher, and scar is very interested in knowing what’s going on with these new faces! however, the fact that scar can see grian at all is incredibly weird, and now scar’s losing sleep trying to figure out why only he can see this cute guy. lots of convex in this one, too. deeply unserious but very fun. scar-centric pov with some sprinklings of jellie’s pov.

But There Was Nothing

oneshot following the aftermath of secret life. lizzie relives memories of other lives, but telling what is real and what stories she's just telling herself to stay sane is a challenge. all she has left is the void. mostly canon compliant lizzie-centric pov.

Frost Focus

rancher duo. can be read platonically or romantically. watcher!tango + canary!jimmy decked out 2 au oneshot wherein jimmy and tango are trapped within the walls of the deepfrost citadel, cursed to eternally watch as players scour the depths in an attempt to win and free their friends. at last, pearl's diligence might serve to open the door for them. tango-centric pov.

Reverie, Revelry

solidaritek. assassin au. tango’s employer would benefit greatly from the sole heir to the solidarity family fortune being removed from the equation, so this assassination is high profile, to say the least. the only issue for tango is that, well, he fell in love with him. now to figure out how to deal with that, on a time limit. fluff with a decent lot of implied sexual content. tango-centric pov. shorter fic compared to my others.

Here’s To The World Where You Do

scarian. a fantasy au wherein scar, grian, scott, and jimmy are caught as members of a resistance against the current monarch, ren. however, with assistance from some undercover rebels (or by other means), they manage to escape. action! betrayal! false identities! there is a lot of violence in this one. angst with a happy ending and lots of lighthearted moments between the horrors. scar & grian -centric povs (swaps each chapter)

MORE IN THE WORKS 🎊🎉

[clariongradiation]

We all have canon mounts for our WoL's but, we ALL have our first chocobo! What is your WoL's chocobo name? Do they have a strong bond after going on so many adventures together?

Kai: Swiftstep, a prayer for speed and sure footing

Yuki: Otoya, fleet and true as an arrow

Popoto: Pumpkin, named for her color and how round she was as a baby

Negi: Namatamago, he thought it sounded cute

(The others don't have their birdies yet so they don't have names, but everyone is def good friendos with their birbs)

Since Popoto is so small I hc that she made friends with all the chocobo breeders in Bentbranch, and when it came time for her to get a riding bird they gave her a special dwarf chocobo to fit her size

If you're given a chance to have an expac/prequel (timeline who) that is tailor-made SPECIFICALLY for your WoL/XIV OC... What is the title and MSQ

👁️👄👁️ (shout out @unboundhavenn)

Kinda HC that Azems source shard dies during/before each calamity, and they played some pivotal role in either bringing it about or trying to prevent it. MSQ would be a series of echo visions going through the events leading up to each death, and what happened after. I'd probably call it Shardbound, to bring it full circle back to my wols name weh also cuz that's just been the theme of her story, even back when arr dropped (though rip, yet another SB acronym lmao) so you'd go from the first all the way to the 6th or 7th calamity (not sure about 7 cuz that'd just be 1.0 lmao)

Although I do have a hm what if about like, what if azems shard was born as a (pre-empire) garlean, and that was the reason emet-selch decided to become solus and marry them for angst reasons. Then when the shard died it would be the Tragedy that got Emet-Selch to give up on humanity (again), and hed authorize the research that led to the 7th calamity

if your WoL or Oc had an in game portrait like the scions do, what would it’s name be?

Kai: Wand'ring Star

Yuki: All for Love

Punch: Scaletipper

Twi: Ever Onward

Negi: Where Heart is Home

Popoto: In Soft Sunlight

Crystal: Cycle's Disciple

For Auri Wols/Ocs, do you have any headcanon Auri lore about your beloved lizard, or Au Ra in general? Tell me all about it. Tails, scales, horns, sheds. What are your hcs about Auri communities? Lizard babies? I need to know!

I gave Yuki the Big Tail and I like to imagine it is large like a croc's, also she does the water float thing. She rumbles like a croc too

Crystal hisses and has folding fangs like a snake, and her scales are small and cover a lot of her body so she can shed them in one big pull

Also HC that au ra spend only part of their pre-natal time as a pregnancy, and about halfway through they come out as an egg. This way the mother doesn't have to risk birthing a gigantic baby boy or deal with horn nubs. You can tell when they're about to Lay because they start to get nesting instinct, and crave foods that give them a lot of calcium. Yuki has her egg and gets the Ironworks to build a portable crystal-powered incubator, and it looks like those travel backpacks for cats