#he’s a an adorable scientist just trying to save the world meanwhile people are doing lame romance

[eruptedinlight]

Doug Jones’ Face in Every Role | 6 / ?

Sudden Death! - Jonathan Wright

[innqufocus]

all aboard the Insight, there’s no going back now!

Donatello x Erkleid “Ray” Naera OTP couple meme that literally nobody asked for. fun to do, but goddamn, i wish i had a better stylus. no palm rejection, no tilt, no pressure sensitivity. hence the art is just bad. me fingies are tired.

fun shit below, or not

Age: their age difference seems enormous, but for Ray’s species, that’s very young. in normal human culture, he’d be about 21. in their story, Donnie is still rather young at just past 16. Gender: Ray’s species are reptilian, and don’t possess sexually dimorphic anatomy. each individual has a prehensile hemipenis and a cloaca with no secondary sex characteristics. the only difference between them is who can lay eggs, and who can gestate them. when it comes down to it, Donnie doesn’t care all that much about gender. they’re giant sentient turtles, what does he care about gender norms? Spoons: the only reason Ray is the big spoon 90% of the time is because he’s that much larger than Donnie, who just makes for the world’s tiniest jetpack. Clothes: neither of them really wear clothes normally, but if Donnie so much as glanced at something Ray had on, Ray would give it up immediately. Pet Names: Ray is ALL about the pet names. he’ll call Donnie everything from “my love” to “darling” to his species’ intimate name for a mate, “Mi’luta.” Donnie, meanwhile, just gets embarrassed and sticks to casual nicknames. the only time he would get cutesy is behind closed doors. Intro/Extro: they’re both pretty introverted, although due to his occupation as a medical technician, Ray can handle being around people longer than Donnie can.  Affection: Donnie is a shy boy that stumbles over every word when he’s trying to be affectionate; his love language is definitely through actions, whether that be by making/fixing something or going out of his way to plan the perfect evening. as for Ray? he’ll do an equal amount of showering Donnie with loving words and thoughtful actions. when Ray’s in love, he’s in LOVE. Confession: this one’s on Ray. the circumstances around their initial meeting are awkward and weird at best, and it’s taken Donnie quite some time to feel comfortable with Ray. in a moment of desperation, Ray confessed first, afraid Donnie was going to leave him. Bugs: Ray has never seen an insect before in his life, but would be curious after he stopped screaming. Donnie’s more likely to get excited and infodump about whatever bug it is before gently putting it outside. Car: Donnie’s a technical genius who built a car from near scratch and learned to drive in New York. Ray is a doctor and has never had to operate a moving vehicle before.  Cooking: this is ALL Donnie. hailing from a species of telepaths who feed on information, Ray’s never had to physically make food his entire life. when he tried, it was horrible. he’d find a way to set a bowl of cereal on fire. PDA: again, Donnie’s the shy one. he’d be a bit nervous about public displays, no matter how infatuated he is. and despite his crushing anxiety, Ray has zero hesitation when it comes to showing his scientist Mi’luta, as well as anyone nearby, just how much he adores him. Overprotective: Ray. he’d do anything to keep Donnie from danger. he’d take a bullet for Donnie. he’d mutilate his fellow crewmembers to save Donnie. he’d risk life-threatening surgery to save Donnie. he’d even fight every single brother single-handedly to keep Donnie safe. fun fact: only one of those four statements is false - the rest he has done in the past. now Donnie? he knows full well Ray can handle himself, and he’s a ninja, so he can handle himself, too. however, if Ray was ever in danger, he’d stop at nothing to jump to his aid. Experience: where Donnie has fallen flat on his face when it comes to past relationships, Ray actually had a mate before him. they were together for two years before his mate died due to health complications.  H0rny: Donnie could take it or leave it unless he’s really in the mood. Ray? he’s got it bad for Donnie. real bad. Awkward: you all know Donnie is a gigantic fuckin dork. Ray’s more likely to get confused than awkward. Jealous: Donnie’s still adjusting to the way he feels about Ray, but it still irks him when others mock Ray or threaten him. as for Ray... well. if you so much as look at Donnie wrong, he’ll be hissing and wedging himself between the two of you. Ray’s clinginess is a huge issue for their relationship. he once [SPOILERS REDACTED] █████ ████████ ██████ ██████ ███████ ██ ███ ███ ███ ███████ ██ ████████ ██ ██████ ████████ ██ ██████.

[mst3kproject]

Uninvited

Uninvited was directed by Greydon Clark of Angels Revenge and stars Clu Gulager, who was in San Francisco International but definitely not in The Touch of Satan.  Oh, and it’s a movie about a mutant bloodthirsty kitty-cat.

Yes, you did just read that sentence.  See, while our feline antagonist may look like an adorable fluffy orange baby, he has a deadly secret.  When angry or in pain, he coughs up a horrible hairball that becomes Hulk Kitty.  Hulk Kitty grows to the size of a mountain lion, kills everybody that annoyed it, and then shrinks down again to crawl back inside Normal Kitty, whom I shall call Creamsicle.

We begin with Creamsicle and Hulk Kitty escaping from a Secret Lab, hidden in plain sight in a building in the middle of Fort Lauderdale.  A day or so later, a couple of bathing-suited bimbos on Spring Break are pounced upon by some rich creep named Walter, who invites them along on a cruise on his yacht in the hopes of getting laid.  The girl in turn invite along a couple of douchebags they met at a marina, and pick up Creamsicle when they find him in a garbage can and fall in love with him.  Walter, meanwhile, brings along his buddy Mike, as the two of them are using their ‘cruise’ as cover for escaping to a tax haven in the Cayman Islands.

Does this sound like a bunch of annoying assholes stuck on a boat with a murdering monster?  Sure does. Would you be surprised if I told you there’s a storm coming and the guy steering the boat is drunk?  Of course you wouldn’t.  How about if I told you Hulk Kitty is venomous?  That seems like a little much, doesn’t it?  Well, that’s what this whole movie is like.  It takes everything you can imagine sucking in a film and turns it up to eleven.

Take the characters… please.  None of them have any personality or subtlety. Mike is nothing but an Evil Businessman and Walter is a horny Evil Businessman.  The girls are empty-headed blow-up dolls, equally willing to doff their bikinis for Walter or for these assholes they met on the beach.  The guys are boring jerks who would definitely be wearing crocs and Oakley sunglasses if those had been commonly available in 1988.  The two who are destined to survive are Hedgeworth, the douches’ nerd friend, and Rachel, the yacht captain, neither of whom we even meet until at least twenty minutes into the movie.  Maybe this is to preserve the surprise of who lives and who dies but it just comes across as bad writing.  Honestly the character I come closest to identifying with is Mike, who’s trapped on the boat with all these fucking idiots and it’s making him want to shoot somebody.

Take the situation.  Walter actually wants to leave the kids behind while he leaves the country because they’ll be in the way, but the yacht’s entire crew quits because he over-works and insults them, and the bimbos volunteer themselves and the boys as replacements.  Only slightly less forced is the bit where he wants the cat sent back to shore but keeps it because he figures if he gives in, the bimbos are more likely to sleep with him later. And oh, yes, people do go to investigate What That Strange Noise in The Dark was.  They do stop to lick each other’s tonsils while there’s a monster running around.  They do destroy the radio so nobody can call for help.  It’s like a checklist of ways to get killed in a monster movie.

Take the acting.  George Kennedy mostly looks like he’s on the verge of falling asleep and nobody else much bothers.  They go through the motions with all the enthusiasm of people who know they’re in a dirt-cheap movie about a killer kitty cat… except for Shari Shattuck as the blonder of the two bimbos (her name is Suzanne and her friend is Bobbie, if you care – I didn’t) who really goes all out during her supposed nervous breakdown in the final half-hour.  Boy, she sucks.  It’s like she can act with her facial expressions or her voice, but not both at the same time.

Take the editing.  We cut from a scene in the dark on Walter’s yacht, anticipating the party that’s going to happen later, to a scene in broad daylight where a gas station attendant is giving Creamsicle a saucer of milk.  Is this the next day?  Is it the same evening?  Have we gone back in time?  It can’t be Australia because nobody has an accent.  What happened to the yacht party?  Only a few minutes later do we learn that we actually skipped the party even though the events so far seemed to be building to it.  Later, we cut from everybody just hanging out on the boat by day feeling like it’s the end of the world, to the middle of the storm at night, with no build-up at all.  The plot moves in such fits and starts it almost gives you whiplash.

How about the special effects?  When Creamsicle disgorges Hulk Kitty, he does so in the form of a hand puppet that barfs up an even sillier hand puppet.  There’s a scene in which the driver of a truck is attacked by this from the back seat, and you can clearly see the arm sticking out of the back of the puppet.  The puppeteer is wearing a blue shirt.  When Rachel and Hedgeworth are in the lifeboat in the storm, they’re obviously on a dark soundstage while somebody sprays them with water from a single nozzle. The boat is being shaken and the camera is rocking, but it’s clear they’re nowhere near the ocean.  The nearest thing to an effect that works is when people swell up and explode as a result of the Hulk Kitty venom.  This is fake blood being pumped into latex appliances, but at least it’s nice and gross.

Then there are, of course, the million little details that add amusement value to a movie like this.  Like the guy’s wet socks drooping off his feet when he dives into the ocean to try to save a friend.  Like the fact that Walter turns on the bubbles before having a co-conspirator drowned in his hot tub.  The fact that a truck crashing is represented by stock footage of a totally different truck. The fact that Creamsicle’s meowing is a recording of the same single meow played over and over.  This would have to be a Jonah episode because I don’t think earlier incarnations of the show could riff fast enough to keep up with this movie’s bullshit.

This all means that Uninvited is plenty of fun to watch, even when it’s stupid people doing stupid things.  There are long-ish scenes of bimbos kissing jerkwads but they don’t go to the point where it gets frustrating.  When stuff starts happening, it’s usually silly enough to make us giggle.  Characters die largely of their own stupidity, but we didn’t like them anyway so we’re not turned off by that.

The camera does leer at the women, but it does so mostly through the eyes of male characters we’re not supposed to like. Walter and the two douches from the Marina (their names are Corey and Lance, because of course they are) are a bunch of sexist assholes, and the long shots that pan over the women’s swimsuited bodies happen when they enter the room.  This almost allows Greydon Clark to get away with it – by using the shots to suggest that the men are jerks, he can objectify his cheesecake and claim to respect it, too.  I’m not at all fooled, but I’m kind of impressed by the thought he put into it.

When I reviewed The Corpse Grinders I spent some time discussing the question of why cats.  In that movie I figured it was because cats seem more likely to turn on us than dogs and because they were cheaper to work with.  In Uninvited there seems to be something similar going on.  We all suspect that inside our cats is a wild animal just waiting to get out – just watch your house pet stalk the squirrels on the other side of the kitchen window if you don’t believe me.  Creamsicle’s inner monster is a very literal one, and it takes the form of something much like the big, predatory jungle beasts that are so closely related to our pet kitties.  The fact that Creamsicle himself is a really, really adorable cat helps drive the point home.

If you squint, you can also find a pro-environmental message in Uninvited.  The scientists at the beginning of the movie weren’t even sure what it was they’d done to Creamsicle – they thought maybe he just had a tumor.  They had to discover Hulk Kitty the hard way.  Pumping crap into the environment and then being surprised when it comes back and poisons us is basically how we spent the entire twentieth century.  You can see Hulk Kitty as a metaphor for mercury-laden tuna, for refrigerants destroying the ozone layer, for killer bees, for pretty much whatever looming environmental disaster from the 80’s that you want.

Uninvited is ninety minutes long and in that entire time there is absolutely nothing good in it.  The opening credits music sucks and the whole movie just coasts downhill from there, but the journey, from Creamsicle’s supposedly exciting escape from the lab to the inevitable ‘it’s not over!’ denouement, is amusing enough as terrible movies go.  You can rent this one for three bucks on YouTube and unlike paying a dollar fifty for Hamlet, it’s totally worth it.

[queenofcats17]

The last story was SO amazing, I just had to think of another one! But please take your time, there’s no rush! Could you write a story where after Joey got angry, he decides to go pay Bertram a ‘visit’ and just taunts him, while Henry is still missing Bendy and Linda and is trying (although tiredly) to think of how to escape, and Murray is trying to talk Henry out of it because of how scary Joey was the last time? Sorry if this idea isn’t very good. You don’t have to write this, it’s fine!

Sorry this took so long

Joey was in an extraordinarily bad mood. Not only was Henry still trying to break free, but he had also mentioned her name! He needed to find some way to make himself feel better. He needed to go intimidate someone. So he left Henry with Murray and went to the lower levels. He knew exactly who he needed to talk to. He headed down to Bendy Hell and waltzed into ride storage. 

“Bertie~” He said in a sing-song voice. “Have you missed me?”

“Drew.” The voice that came from the ride dripped with disdain and hatred. The ride sprung to life, the cars slamming down all around Joey, trying to squash the studio head. Joey easily dodged each attempt, humming to himself.

“Now now, Bertie. That’s not very nice.” Joey snickered. The doors in the middle of the ride opened, revealing the disembodied head of Bertram Piedmont. Joey tried to stifle his laughter. Bertram was so overdramatic. Bertrum’s body had long since turned to ink. He didn’t even have a head anymore.

“You deserve to die!” Bertram roared, continuing to slam the cars into the floor. “You deserve to suffer for all you’ve done to us!”

“You wouldn’t want to hurt your dear Lacie, would you?” Joey asked. A Searcher rose from the floor, right under one of Bertram’s cars. Immediately, Bertram assault halted. Unlike Henry, most of the Searchers didn’t have any defining characteristics. But Bertram could still tell it was Lacie. He could always tell. 

“What do you want?” He asked, gently lowering his cars to the ground. Lacie moved soundlessly away from the cars to stand behind Joey.

“Oh, nothing.” Joey smiled innocently. “I just wanted to see how you were doing. It’s been so long since we talked, after all.”

“So you came here to taunt me.” Bertram’s lip curled in disgust. 

“That makes it sound so cruel.” Joey put on a hurt expression, wiping away a fake tear before devolving into harsh giggles. Bertram gritted his teeth, staring down at Joey. 

“Lacie��s much happier like this, you know.” Joey patted her head. “She’s a part of one big family. But she does miss you terribly.” He looked back up at Bertram, looking adorable and distraught. “Wouldn’t you like to be together with her again? Wouldn’t you like to be a part of a family?”

“Whatever you’ve created, I’m quite sure it’s not a family,” Bertram replied coolly. “You’re simply a child playing with your toys. Nothing more.” 

“Oh really?” Joey raised an eyebrow. “Just a child, hm? Could a child do this?” He turned to Lacie, putting a hand on her head. Almost instantly, she began to scream, her form changing to resemble an inkier version of the one she’d had as a human. 

“Stop it! Leave her alone!” Bertram yelled. Joey just smiled at him, his grip on Lacie’s head tightening. It was a terrifying expression, gleeful and malicious. 

“Stop!” Bertram begged, on the verge of tears. “Stop hurting her! Please! I’ll do anything you want!”

“Apologize,” Joey said, his smile widening. “Say you were wrong and that you’re jealous of me.”

“That’s ridiculous!”

“Say it.” Joey tightened his grip on Lacie’s head, making her scream louder. 

“I’ll say it! I’ll say it!” Bertram stammered. “I-I was wrong. I apologize. I was simply…jealous of you.” It was absolute torture to say such things. But he couldn’t let Joey keep torturing Lacie. She’d done nothing wrong. Joey let go, and Lacie returned to her formless Searcher shape.

“There. Now doesn’t that feel better?” He cooed. Bertram didn’t reply, closing the doors on the central tower. He didn’t want to look at Joey. He didn’t want to look at Lacie. He wanted to be alone. Satisfied, Joey departed. He felt so much better now. Inside his ride, Bertram started to cry.

“Mr. Piedmont?” He started at the sound of Bendy’s voice. 

“What is it, boy?” He tried to sound indignant and annoyed, as he always did when the little demon arrived. He always looked forward to Bendy’s visits, much as he liked to deny it. Bendy was a very sweet child. Bertram had always had a soft spot for children. One of his greatest joys had been seeing children enjoying the wonders he’d created. 

“I, um, I was just wondering if you’d let me ride in your cars again,” Bendy said. “It’s been…kinda a rough few days.” 

“Well, if you must.” Bertram opened his doors once more, letting down a car and allowing Bendy to get in. 

“Thank you, Mr. Piedmont!” Bendy smiled at him. 

“You’re welcome.” Bertram smiled softly, watching as Bendy spun round and round. The boy really did deserve better. He hoped someday someone would be able to get the little demon out. He deserved to see the world.

.

Meanwhile, Henry was still in Murray’s care. With Joey gone, he’d managed to regain his mind once again. Which meant he was answering a lot of questions from Murray. 

“Who was Linda?” The scientist asked curiously. 

“She was my wife,” Henry answered, staring down at the floor. “She…died in a car crash a few years before I came back here the first time.” Instinctively, he reached down to twist the ring on his finger, only to remember he’d given it Annette for safe-keeping. He hadn’t wanted Joey to take that away from him too.

“Oh…I’m…I’m sorry.” Murray drew back a bit. Henry didn’t say anything, continuing to stare at the floor. 

“I would have thought I’d miss her less by now.” He murmured. “It’s been years. But…it still hurts.” He smiled softly. “She would have loved Bendy. She always loved hearing me talk about him and Boris.”

“Loss can be difficult,” Murray said. 

“She’s why I can’t let Bendy stay here.” Henry looked up, his eye glowing with a burning light. “I couldn’t save Linda, but I’m going to save him. He’s my son and I’m not going to let Joey hurt him. We’re getting out together.”

“That’s really not a good idea.” Murray began to fidget a bit at the memory of Joey’s fury. “Eventually, Joey’s going to lose his patience and he might do something terrible to you and Bendy.”

“Then I’ll have to make sure I don’t get caught when I finally do get out,” Henry replied as though it was the simplest thing in the world. Murray stared at him, screaming internally. He could kind of understand how Henry and Joey had been friends. They were both such stubborn people. 

“I don’t think you understand just how dire this situation is, Mr. Williams.” He tried to continue smiling. 

“I completely understand.” Henry looked the slightest bit peeved. “That’s why I’ll be careful the next time I try.” For a moment, Murray desperately hoped Henry was joking. But he could quickly tell Henry was dead serious. His internal screaming got louder. Oh yes, he could definitely see how Henry and Joey had been friends. 

“Well…Best of luck to you, I suppose.” Murray squeaked. He clearly wasn’t going to sway Henry. All he could do was brace for the disaster that would come. 

[ivanaskye]

So I finished KH3.  Some thoughts, in a bullet-point list, because my brain isn’t quite working well enough for connected prose:

There… wasn’t a lot of signaling to the audience about when the game would start ramping up to end.  Specifically, there was no middle game—there was plenty of low-consequences world-hopping and gallivanting, right up to the point where suddenly we’re rescuing Aqua and then everyone’s talking about a final battle and then oh heck it’s over.

Lots of things could have made this better, but the most glaring omission was an actual *final checkpoint* before heading onto the last battle.  Previous games had huge doors you had to pass, which would actually say “there is no turning back from this point, do you want to proceed?”.  This game didn’t, and it really could have used it (especially since there were some false endings before the actual final ending.)

Similarly, keyblade power levels didn’t ramp up quite enough as the game went on—yeah, there were some pretty powerful ones, but there wasn’t really an equivalent to Oblivion as an actual late-game keyblade.  There also didn’t seem to be a lot of form-changes with minor teleportation abilities other than Rage Form—and since those were the most powerful form-changes in BBS, it’s what I would have expected as a signal for “okay, we’re almost at full power, the game will end soon.”

Actually, just… the transition directly from a disney world to the freaking Keyblade Graveyard was.  Not a good idea.  A full location in between as buffer would have been really nice.

ALSO, some of the final -ga spells, and freaking glide, only got obtained in the Keyblade Graveyard!  That really implied that either the Graveyard would be larger than it was, or that there’d be something after it, or… something.

Pivoting thoughts here, the treasure chest situation was the best the series has done since the very first game—you actually had to work to find some of these, which was always one of my favorite parts about the first game.

The lucky emblems added to that a lot too.

Although every single time I found a lucky emblem, I screamed and/or groaned.  “REALLY?  THAT PILE OF BARRELS IS MICKEY TOO? HE’S EVERYWHERE!!”

Ratatouille is adorable and I love him.

But cracking eggs is apparently not one of Sora’s skills.

Actually, Sora pretty much has no skills other than hitting things with a big key.  Literally everyone teases him for this.  All of Sora’s conversations seem to end in him getting ROASTED, which is hilarious.

But of course, the best roast in the game was from Woody to Xehanort: “You’ve never had friends, have you?”

As always, there are just so many Xehanorts.

But unfortunately, despite that one speech about how if the world starts over maybe there’ll be less darkness(???), his motivations are still pretty unclear.  “Yeah I time-traveled a lot and recruited a bunch of people and created all these heartless and put in decades of work…. because uhhhh…. there will be more light in the world if it starts over!”

Meanwhile, Eraqus: “lol dude, #AtItAgain I see, you should probably stop trying to end the world, but then do you wanna hug?”

Speaking of characters, THE WHOLE GANG WAS HERE.  Literally basically everyone made an appearance.  Which I really liked!

But… the villains who had whole worlds to introduce their return in (Larxene, Marluxia, Evil!Riku, Vanitas, Luxord) didn’t have full-scale battles in those worlds.  Which would have been fine if they had them later!  They were, each of them, set up to become a bigger deal as the game went on… and then barely re-appeared between their introduction world and the Keyblade Graveyard, in which you didn’t even fight them one at a time, but three at a time, like each was suddenly inconsequential or something?  TBH, Luxord probably got the best deal of the bunch, because at least you kinda do fight him one-on-one in the carribbean.

Poor Demyx, though…. dude only had two scenes…

Even/Vexen was also kinda sidelined, but in a way that worked better (especially since he’s had plenty of spotlight earlier in the series)

HOWEVER, as a general thing, the return of LITERALLY EVERYONE was super cool!  I screamed in excitement when Ienzo showed up.  NEVER had I even DARED TO HOPE that he might get a moment in this game, and here he was with several!

THE IENZO + EVEN + AELEUS + ANSEM THE WISE (+ DEMYX???) REFORMED EVIL SCIENTIST CROWD.  I LOVE THEM.

See also: Xion’s return, THE SAIX THING, pretty much everything to do with Axel, Namine…

On the other hand, I kind of wanted more content for most of these groups.  I didn’t really expect it, but come on, if this game can’t throw me the bone of EXPLAINING IT’S MAIN VILLAIN’S PRIMARY MOTIVATION, it can at least distract me with more drawn-out side goodies…

I haven’t even talked about the gameplay yet

Bullet lists are hard

ANYWAY THE BATTLE SYSTEM WAS GREAT, and basically had everything I wanted???  Good motivation to use a LOT of magic, frequent form-changes(!!!), other cool/weird ways to do damage (focus lock, attractions), and of course the usual attack mechanisms.  Some form-changes even gave ways to attack at range!

(I ended up using ranged combat whenever possible, wearing three cufflinks at once for ALL THE HIGH MAGIC.  I avoided using cure pretty much always so that I could keep up the magic, lol.)

(On that note, I used a LOT of aero and water in the early game, because I got those cufflinks first, but unfortunately, like always, Thundaga eventually replaced almost all other magic as the clear most powerful.  Sigh.)

Also!  Wall-running and flowmotion!  Those are pretty much literally just The Things Sora Did In The Final Battle of KH2, but now he can do them All The Time, which really shows the character power progression even though due to video game mechanics, he had to start over at level 1, lolsob.

Speaking of Sora progression, he kind of has character development now!  I sort of finally care about him!  And then he just disappears forever lmao

Having ALL the characters back together really highlights KH’s tendency to have, basically, RECURSIVE TRIOS, which is kind of cool even though I kind of wish that maybe ONE of these trios could have two+ girls instead of one or none??? Please???

Speaking of sexism, Aqua saying “it’s my time to shine” and then immediately getting thrown across the room for Ventus to save her was… uh, classic.

Otoh Anti-Aqua was one of the coolest villain designs of the series

There were Not Enough worlds.

HOWEVER, The Caribbean in this game was the best KH world in the franchise’s history, IMO.  GORGEOUS underwater scenery, also gorgeous above-land scenery, AND SO MANY ISLANDS TO EXPLORE.  Completely non-plot-relevant islands!  That you could just go to!  And look for treasure in, like a pirate!  (There was a lot of treasure… that one sunken ship had, what, five chests in one place?  It was the ideal pirate aesthetic.)

Also the Caribbean had the best BG music.

Sora DEFINITELY has a crush on Jack Sparrow.

…On the other hand, if I’m gonna mention worlds I DIDN’T like, the plot in San Fransokyo was so cheesy I almost died.

Olympus was great though!  It had such good design!

Corona made me desperately want it to be summer, it was great.

IT’S TOO COLD OUTSIDE FOR ARENDELLE, ESPECIALLY WHEN SORA DOESN’T HAVE A COAT— but it was really, really pretty.

Axel’s “Don’t you know how popular I am?  I have tons of fans rooting for me!” was one of the funniest lines of the series.

There is not enough Winnie The Pooh content and that makes me really sad.

It’s even WORSE in that Sora actually SAYS, “oh, I’m losing my connection to Pooh, and I think I know why,” and then just… leaves, like that’s fine??? IT’S NOT FINE, SORA.

IT’S NOT FINE

Also idk if that cat plushie is a character from some FF game, but they’re the Worst Possible Version of Mandos.

(Cute, but. Hmmmm.)

ALL THAT SAID…

I have yet to mention the most important part of the game.

WHICH IS THE FLANTASTIC SEVEN.

They… are pudding.

They wiggle!

They ask you to play games with them!

They’re so cute!

They’re into vore!

I LOVE THEM!

.

Tl;dr: The game felt like it ended too suddenly, which made me sad because it was doing so much to fight my depression.  But I loved playing most of it, and I really need a flan plushie now…

[sillyxkittyy]

Writing Prompt Day 11

AU Yeah August- Day 11: Mermaid (Adrinette)

This day started like an normal day. Ordinary girls going on a girls’ day at the beach. It was supposedly be a perfect day. Supposed to. The trip to get there was okay, and it all started normally. So what happened? Alya looked around the water, trying to spot her best friend. The last time she saw her, she was splashing her with water. Now, she just... vanished. A tall man was standing where she had last seen Marinette.

“Marinette! Girl, where are you?” She cried as she looked around, putting her hands in the water to see if she could spot her. She yelled at the other girls to come and join her to try and find Marinette. How she hoped that she was okay, and that she just went to the bathroom without telling them... meanwhile, just below them, Marinette’s body was sinking pretty rapidly. She had been trying very hard to go to the surface, in vain. A tall and quite muscular man had pushed her, pushed her way too hard for her to resist. She had fallen, sunken, and right now, she couldn’t go up. It was as if something was pushing her down. She looked down; there was a piece of algae wrapped around her leg. No wonder she couldn’t move; she was officially stuck. She tried pulling as hard as she could, in vain. She was almost out of air and wouldn’t be able to hold for much longer. This couldn’t be how she died. It simply... couldn’t. Marinette wanted to cry, she wanted to scream, but it was impossible. Just when she was about to lose hope, she spotted something moving from the corner of her eye. She turned around, only to find a boy with blond hair and green eyes staring at her. She was saved! But how could there be someone else here, especially down so deep? Most importantly, how could he even breathe? Her questions were soon answered as the boy approached her. He didn’t have legs; he had a tail. That could only mean one thing; he wasn’t just a boy, he was a mermaid. Marinette was so surprised that she gasped, immediately covering her mouth to stop the water from going in her mouth, in her lungs. She gave the mermaid a sad look, imploring his help. The boy stared at her for a few seconds, chewing on his lip; he looked like he was lost in thoughts, thinking of what to do. Marinette didn’t have time to see what he would decide because she was suddenly losing too much air and lost conscience. The mermaid watched her and immediately became afraid when he saw her eyes close. He didn’t know much about humans, but he did know that they couldn’t breathe underwater and that the girl was probably dying. He knew it was prohibited to approach humans, or even talk to them, but his good nature and pure heart made him go to the girl and untie the algae around her leg. He then delicately took her in his arms and brought her back to his room, careful not to be seen by anyone. He put her down on his bed and swam towards a big treasure chest. As he opened it, he picked up a big bubble that looked a lot like a human astronaut helmet, and put it on the girl’s head. He then put himself next to her and waited. He took the opportunity to observe her. He wasn’t sure if she was alive or not, but at least the bubble would help her breathe if ever she did wake up. It was a new kind of technology and his father would probably kill him if he knew that he was keeping that in his room. A grand scientist came up with it and it was to help humans breathe underwater. Of course, the boy had gotten one as a prize when he won a contest, but his father had no knowledge of that. He leaned in closer to the girl; she looked so peaceful with her eyes closed. With her freckles and her dark hair, she was actually really cute... not that he’d ever admit that out loud. He suddenly noticed her moving and immediately moved away a bit. The girl’s eyes fluttered open and she suddenly spiked up, coughing and looking around.

“Where... where am I? Am I dead?” She inquired, blinking a few times. She suddenly noticed the bubble over her head.

“What is this?” She asked. She looked over at the boy. “Who are you?” The blond boy gave her a small smile.

“Calm down, everything is fine” he assured her. “You’re not dead. Although you could have been if I hadn’t saved you...” he smiled. “My name is Adrien. It’s uh- nice to meet you” he scratched the back of his neck. Marinette stared at him. He saved her. He saved her life. She could’ve drowned and he went and saved her. She gulped slightly and decided to give him a smile.

“Oh. Well nice to meet you. I’m Marinette. Uh- thank you for... saving me” she said softly while playing with her fingers. Adrien swam closer to her and smiled.

“You’re welcome” he simply replied, glancing to his surroundings awkwardly. “But you can’t tell anyone I saved you- or even that you’re in my room, for that matter” he added.

“Why not?” Marinette questioned in confusion. Adrien sighed.

“I’m... not supposed to talk to humans. Or interact with them. Technically, me saving you is against the law.” He admitted nervously. Marinette’s eyes widened.

“Really?” That explained why humans didn’t know their existence. They probably wanted to avoid them, which was understandable, considering humans would probably take them and try to make profits out of them. She looked at him curiously. “Then why did you do it?”

“Because...” Adrien smiled shyly. “I have a good heart, I guess. I couldn’t... handle seeing you die” he shrugged as if it he was nothing. He really did have a good heart. He broke the law to save her, a girl he didn’t know. A slight blush came across her cheeks.

“That’s... really sweet of you” she said sweetly. “Thank you” she then swam towards the window, that showed the rest of the ocean. The bottom of the ocean was beautiful; how she wanted to visit everything and touch everything. She then remembered her friends who were probably worried and who probably thought she died. She sighed. She heard Adrien swim closer.

“You want to go home huh?” He asked her, looking in her direction. Marinette looked down.

“I do... as much as I want to visit the corals and meet mermaids... I need to get home. People... probably think I’m dead. I should go back” she looked down, a bit sad. Adrien gave her a comforting smile.

“Hey, don’t worry. See it that way; you saw more than any human ever will” he was right, she knew that. And yet, part of her wanted to stay, explore this new world. Maybe she would be able to come back soon. She wanted to, she felt like she had to. She’d find a way, she promised herself, she would come back. For now, the important part was getting home safely without being seen.

“I’ll help you get home.” Adrien told her. “Follow me” he started swimming away. Marinette followed him slowly. Adrien looked around and waved to her, telling her that the coast was clear. He took her hand and dragged her off. Marinette took the opportunity to look around and marvel at everything around her. It was all so beautiful... how she wished she could stay longer. They suddenly came to a stop and Adrien turned to her.

“Here we are. This is where I found you” he chuckled. “I guess this is where we say goodbye?” He didn’t know, he never left a human before. Marinette sighed but smiled; she was going to come back. She didn’t want to tell Adrien yet, just in case it didn’t work. She swam closer to him.

“I guess so! Well... goodbye then. Thank you for everything” she told him sweetly. Adrien gave her a shy smile in return. Marinette went in and hugged him, taking the poor mermaid by surprise. The girl pulled away, smiling widely. He was so flustered... it was adorable. She stared at his green eyes who were watching her, in confusion. He gulped.

“You’re uh- welcome, Marinette. It was my pleasure” he smiled.

“I should go. It was nice meeting you, Adrien” she was about to take the bubble helmet off but Adrien stopped her, holding her arm.

“Wait... I almost forgot. You can’t tell anyone about this place. About me, or this world. We don’t want humans to come invade this world, and I definitely don’t want to get in trouble” Adrien warned her worriedly. Marinette smiled

“Don’t worry. I won’t tell anyone, I promise” she stated softly before taking the bubble helmet off her head, holding her breath. She waved at him before swimming to the surface. Adrien watched her leave until she was out of sight. Sometimes, he wished things were different... just a little. He couldn’t help but smile as he looked down at the bubble helmet he was holding. Who knows; maybe he’d see her again. He really hope he would; she was really nice. Sighing happily, he swam back to his house.

[meowcatsreaders]

Full translation of the Billboard Argentina Gorillaz interview:

http://www.billboard.com.ar/noticia/5653/gorillaz-tenemos-ms-conciencia-que-nunca

Full interview Under the cut:

Gorillaz: “We have more conscience than ever.”

Another chapter on the cartoon band takes form with the new album The Now Now, meanwhile Murdoc is imprisoned (‘It’s the worst injustice since Mandela’) and his replacement comes from the Power Puff Girls universe. The characters created by Damon Albarn and Jamie Hewlett chat in exclusive with Billboard Argentina.

2D’s smile seems unnatural, a perversion of his true character. The times he has been seen happy are so few that the nerve with which he shows his teeth makes it more morbid.  Meanwhile the vocalist and keyboardist of Gorillaz plays around with Jack Black and slides in roller skates around Venice Beach, in another part of the world an orange overall covers the body of its bassist. Murdoc is in prison… again.

Knowing the hostility that lingers in both musicians it’s easy to understand 2D’s smile: Murdoc had sex with his girlfriend, is an opportunist, authoritarian and sadistic person and the author of the irreparable damage to his eyes. The faded sportswear 2D flaunts in the recent video “Humility” is the motto of his identity, the emblem of how he wishes to be seen by others: free. Because he found a way to be free and that implies Murdoc behind bars.

2D: ‘Murdoc? Who is Murdoc? Ha, ha-mocks 2D when Billboard asks about his partner- He might read this, so maybe I should make clear it was just a joke.’ He mumbles nonetheless: ‘Psst, between you and me, miss reporter we don’t want him here. This is entirely off the record, so don’t write it. Life is beautiful without him; it’s as if a dark heavy shadow banished. And the air around us smells much better, there are less explosive traps around the house and we don’t have to stand his sobbing at 4 a.m. when he listens to Whitney Houston. He’ll get really mad if that last thing got public, but luckily this won’t be published.’ (Reporters Note: as an exception this interview is not held to profesional periodistic secret.)

Meanwhile from his cell Murdoc warns: ‘I was framed. They condemned me for a grave felony I did not commit. I’m like Tim Robbins in the Shawshank Redemption, just that I’m more handsome and I hate the fuckin’ opera. And I don’t waste time trying to get out of here with a damn rock. Instead I’m calling Gorillaz fans from all around the globe to protest against unfair imprisonment (mostly just mine) Use the hashtag #FreeMurdoc! It’s the worst injustice since Mandela. Spread the Word! Set me free! Seriously… please, free me… I’m going crazy and meanwhile 2D steals all the spotlight. If life were fair I would be free and he would be my lap dog, as always.’

Gorillaz has always exposed the dark side of life; sometimes they’ve done it with humor other in more critical and direct ways. Murdoc, if you had to write a song right now what would you protest about?

Murdoc: It’s true, we do bring the dark side of life into the light, but in here I try not to show too much. Specially inside the showers. Temptation is one of the seven deadly sins and this place is up to the brimm with fuckin’ sinners. Still I want change in the world regarding unfair imprisonment. It ruins lives, like mine and leads to even greater injustice: to people like 2D who take advantage of it to steal fame from people, like me who has worked hard to earn it.’

Are you composing while in prison? Have you thought of going solo?

Murdoc: Yes, fucking definitely. I’ve always known that bringing others into my project would pollute the individual purity of my genius. But until scientists achieve cloning or at least a way to put more limbs into my torso, I can’t play drums, synths, guitars, sing and shake my ass at the same time, or can I?’

The arrogance in his answer reveals the ignorance: Murdoc still doesn’t know Gorillaz found a replacement for him in Ace of the Gangreen Gang-that villain mafia the Power Puff Girls fought against. The new member first appeared in the ‘Humility’ video; then on the recent album The Now Now and now on tour. Every breath Ace takes teaches Murdoc his own sentence while 2D gets his revenge.

Gorillaz’ narrative arc grew so much it needed to feed from another world. It makes sense Ace has been chosen: the universe of both animations had crossed paths before- for example in 2002 in a picture of 2D is seen with a Mojo Jojo shirt, the Power Puff Girls main villain; and in the PPG movie of that same year an add for a Gorillaz show can be read on the back of a newspaper.- But that is not all: the rumor of the androgynous devil of the Power Puffs (Him) taking a part in their story runs around the internet. In fact in the video ‘Humility’ you can read the phrase: ‘Save us from Him’.

2D: ‘Ace is great. He made a career blowing up little kid’s balls and stealing their lunch money. Ace doesn’t ask for a cent, which shows how much respect he feels for my new songs- says 2D- Although he has spent a lot of our pounds and pennies. He also stole my toaster and sold it to Russel for five dollars. Russel was kind enough to let me buy it back from him for ten. We work well together.’

Strange forces were at play for Gorillaz to resist a knock out against so many blows, the band put up it’s defenses and struck back with The Now Now, the sucesor to Humanz  (2017). Produced by James Ford, their sixth studio album has collaborators like Snoop Dogg, Jamie Principle and the jazz legend George Benson. Damon Albarn wet his pen in tears of desperate confessions of a pop and pessimistic present, where languid guitars, soft synths and the shine of electronics bring the promise of a happy future. Next strike: the announcement of the second edition of the Demon Dayz- the festival Gorillaz organizes and leads- will be in october for the first time in the US instead of England. Among the artists feature Erykah Badu, The Internet and DRAM. Meanwhile guitarist Noodle and drummer Russel share some details about their break with Billboard:

When Noodle got into the band she was merely ten. A while ago The Guardian questioned Sia for working with Maddie Zielger, who is fifteen. The reporter said in the note: “If fame is so harmfull, why give it to a child?” What’s your vision about it?

Russel:Woah, that’s though… I guess what you are implying is that fame corrupts. I disagree with that, not if it’s handled correctly. Right now I’m trying to not let it affect 2D, now that he got a boom of followers (he calls them 2-Disciples, adorable, right?) The truth is Noodle has always been more mature than the rest of us.  Before joining the band she had already gone through a whole life of pain. Just think about the fact that she came to us with a full samurai armor.

Humanz left a question: Are you alive of programmed?

Noodle: Ehh, are you asking me the most profound philosophical question in the entire universe? Well, thank you! Do we have free will? Mmm… this morning 2D accidentally put a bit of my kombu in his cereal. By the way kombu is a type of edible dried seaweed from the north east Asia. Whoever programmed him to do that has a great sense of humor. The truth is that we try to program each other. But does that mean we are not alive? Being alive and being programmed is part of the same thing. I think. Or maybe I am programmed to think that way. Ah! My mind was just blown! This is all your fault. Now I need to go hang upside down for an hour. Bye!

[puckconnolly]

Book Recs

Hi guys I decided this would be the easiest way to make a book rec list! So, without further ado...

(this is all under the cut because it’s waaayyyyy too long I’m sorry)

**means poc main characters (that I can remember, the others might but I can’t remember sorry) NA means new adult

Sci-Fi

The Lunar Chronicles by Marissa Meyer**

Classic fairytales but they’re all friends and flying around in space trying to save the world and the moon

Renegades by Marissa Meyer**

There are good guys (the Renegades) and the bad guys (the Anarchists). Both have powers and both want to take the other down. The Anarchists hatch a plan to infiltrate the Renegades. Huge cliffhanger on the last page and the next book isn’t out yet I’m sorry.

Across the Universe Trilogy by Beth Revis**

Godspeed is a spaceship sent to find a new Earth. Scientists and soldiers have been cryogenically frozen to be woken up when they land. Meanwhile, many generations have been living aboard Godspeed so they’ll have colony when they get to new Earth. A scientist’s daughter accidentally gets woken up too early and befriend the future leader of the people of Godspeed. What follows is so many twists and turns and cliffhangers you’ll have to finish all three books as fast as you can. 

Sekret Machines #1: Chasing Shadows by Tom Delonge and AJ Hartley

Like 7 main characters who don’t meet until the very end. They each are somehow wrapped up in the whole Area 51 UFO conspiracy and it’s a wild ride. There’s a massive cliffhanger on the last page, so just a fair warning. 

The Body Electric by Beth Revis**

A girl can see into peoples’ dreams and memories and meets a boy who says they used to be in love and sees his memories to know he’s telling the truth. Which means... someone has altered her memory. (Takes place in the same universe as the Across the Universe trilogy, but no background knowledge of those books is needed)

The Illuminae Files by Amie Kaufman and Jay Kristoff

This trilogy is a wild ride. The books are set up as collections of found files and documents and emails and it makes for a truly immersive reading experience. Spaceships with AIs that won’t listen and just make everything worse and kill people. It reads like a high stakes space movie and it’s thrilling and incredible.

Fantasy

Daughter of Smoke and Bone trilogy by Laini Taylor

A girl collects teeth for a chimaera who grant wishes, for a price. Black handprints appear everywhere around the world, left there by angels. The girl gets swept into a battle she didn’t even know existed and falls in love with an angel, but everything comes with a price. 

Strange the Dreamer by Laini Taylor

Lazlo Strange grew up researching about a lost city called Weep. Then he gets the chance to visit it and help solve its problems. Meanwhile, Sarai is a godspawn and yearns to be human, but in the meantime must be content with watching their dreams. The two eventually meet and craziness ensues. 

The Prestige by Christopher Priest

This is borderline sci-fi too, but it’s about magicians so like... I gotta put it in the fantasy category. Very similar to the movie (go watch it!) Focuses on two rival magicians both trying to perfect the same trick, but they go about it in very different ways. Nikola Tesla is a character and is played by David Bowie in the movie. The ending is wild and crazy and a little creepy, but all in good fun.

The Nightmare Affair by Mindee Arnett

About a girl who can see into peoples’ dreams and goes to a boarding school for magical beings. She and her reluctant partner have to help figure out who has been murdering students.

The Unbecoming of Mara Dyer Trilogy by Michelle Hodkin**

This one is a little creepy. Mara Dyer can kill people just by wishing it would happen. She meets a boy who can heal people just by wishing it would happen. Of course, nothing is what it seems. 

The Great Library Series by Rachel Caine

Literally a book about loving books. In this world, only certain people get to read books and take care of them, but of course, that has its own dangers. 

The Scorpio Races by Maggie Stiefvater

This is about the fictional island of Thisby, where every year deadly water horse come out of the sea and the islanders race them. This year, Sean Kendrick, the undefeated champion, is racing to buy his freedom. Kate “Puck” Connolly is racing to save her family’s house, but sadly, only one can win.

Realistic Fiction

To All the Boys I’ve Loved Before trilogy by Jenny Han**

This series is adorable and makes me smile so much. Lara Jean writes her crushes love letters and then hides them in her closet and never sends them. Well, they get sent. And who is her most recent crush? None other than her older sister’s boyfriend. So, to counteract the letter, Lara Jean enlists the help of a past crush to be her fake boyfriend until it all blows over. 

This Adventure Ends by Emma Mills

This book made me laugh and cry! A girl moves and befriends a set of brother/sister twins. Her and another friend track down a lost painting and her father is basically the book’s version of Nicholas Sparks.

I Am the Messenger by Markus Zusak

This is about an underage cab driver who accidentally stops a bank robbery and then gets playing cards in the mail and has to figure out what to do with them. It features a dog named the Doorman who only drinks coffee and a hysterical narrator. This is my all-time fave book.

Punk 57 by Penelope Douglas (NA)

The main characters have been pen-pals for years but have never met, though they are both hopelessly in love with each other. Then something happens and the boy stops writing. The girl doesn’t understand what’s going on. Meanwhile, there’s a new kid at her school that she can’t seem to stay away from. This story is very gritty and angsty, but wonderful.

The Hating Game by Sally Thorne (NAish)

The two main characters are both the assistants to co-CEOS. They share an office and absolutely despise each other. They always play games to see who will cave first and to find out what makes the other tic. Obviously, they have a lot of pent-up feelings and anger. 

[ridiasfangirlings]

Do you know Tokyo Mew Mew? It's one of my favorite shows and I was wondering about Fushimi being Ichigo and Yata being Kisshu. Pardon if you don't know what I'm referring to.

I know the mostimportant part of Tokyo Mew Mew, which is that in a crossover likethis Fushimi would end up with cat ears and a tail. So say Fushimi isjust a normal mild-mannered student who hates the entire world andwas forced to go along with his class to an endangered speciesexhibit (he tried to skip out but was caught by student councilpresident Munakata and dragged along anyway). Suddenly he and severalother students are bathed in a mysterious light, after which everyonekeeps noting that there is something unexpectedly cute and cat-likeabout him. Maybe play around with the original storyline a bit andsay at about this time Yata transfers into Fushimi’s school, he’s indisguise as a normal middle school student but the truth is he’sactually a member of an alien race who once lived on Earth and had toflee billions of years ago. Now the planet that he lives on is indanger and he along with several others has returned to Earth to tryand reclaim it from the wasteful humans who have been destroying it.Yata looks down on all these pathetic humans who are totally not ascool as the Homra alien race and he can’t wait until he finds themysterious ‘Mew Slate’ that can bring about the healing of theplanet. Yata ends up transferring into Fushimi’s class and eventhough he tries to ignore all of the humans because it’s not like heneeds to be friends with these guys he somehow he finds himselfmesmerized by Fushimi, who’s cool and smart and also kinda has thisweird cute aura around him kinda like a cat.

So meanwhile acouple days after Yata transfers in Fushimi is on his way home fromschool when he’s attacked by some giant monster thing. He tries tofight against it with the hidden knives he always keeps on him but tono avail, that’s when wandering genius Shiro shows up and encouragesFushimi to transform using Mew Mew power. Fushimi is like what thehell is this guy on and tries to call the police instead, Shiro sighsand manages to activate Fushimi’s powers himself, turning Fushimiinto an adorable cat boy with special magical boy powers. Fushimidefeats the monster and then pins Shiro to the wall and demands toknow what the hell is going on. Shiro cheerfully explains thatFushimi is the result of his experiment to inject people with the DNAof endangered animals in order to save the planet, Fushimi figureshe’s going to have to call the cops again on this crazy scientist whoexperimented on him without his consent. Shiro assures Fushimi thatnothing bad has been done to him, he’s just been chosen to save theworld and has to go and like find the others who were also chosen andcreate his own superhero team (which eventually includes Munakata,injected with the DNA of a blue lorikeet; Akiyama, who has the DNA ofa finless porpoise; Doumyouji, with the DNA of a golden lion tamarin;and the school gym teacher Zenjoh who ended up with the DNA of a greywolf and who ends up doing nothing but standing around makingeveryone else fight because saving the world is not his job).

While Fushimi’strying to hide his identity though he and Yata keep getting closer inschool, like Yata maybe sees Fushimi getting bullied one day like incanon and tries to save him because he thinks humans are so scummythey’ll even pick on their own people. Then when he takes care of asick Fushimi some time later he discovers that Fushimi’s entirefamily sucks and basically starts to think of Fushimi as anendangered animal, something in need of protection. At the same timealien form Yata is also fighting constantly against Mew Saru and hefinds Mew Saru to be unexpectedly cute, like Mew Saru is so grumpybut with appealing cat ears and a tail and he just kinda wants tograb that guy and protect him so much. This makes him conflictedthough because the aliens’ weird leader Colorless keeps showing upand telling Yata how they have to kill all the Mews and take over theearth and Yata finds himself questioning his mission. Then one day heand Mew Saru are fighting and maybe Yata like trips and accidentallysteals Fushimi’s first kiss (which also happens to be Yata’s firstkiss and he freaks out about it, Fushimi just stands there totallyunaffected like 'what are you, some kind of virgin’). Fushimi’stransformation ends up becoming undone in front of Yata and Yatarealizes that it’s Fushimi who he’s been fighting all this time andhe ends up turning on Colorless for Fushimi’s sake, determined now tosave the world that has Saruhiko in it.

[robbiejohnsonyr2ax2011]

University - Manchester Animation Festival - Day 4

During this week, we are attending the “Manchester Animation Festival” (Or MAF for short). During each day this week I will write a post giving my thoughts on what I watched, as well as add anything else we did such as meetings and Talks. I will also provide links to any form of clip or trailer, if I can find one.

(This Post will contain spoilers)

 Short Films Children

Sea Major

Sea Major tells the story of a young girl, who really wants to fish. But her farther stops her and wants her to stay inside and learn piano, wanting to get back to fishing the girl sneaks out of the house and continues to fish. After hooking a very strong fish, she is dragged into the sea and nearly drowns, until the farther comes and saves her. Later that evening she wakes up in the house, with her saddened farther on their doorstep. Realising his mistake, the next day he decides to let his daughter fish with him and the two do just that.

This film was good, I can see how its 3D art style would look welcoming to young audiences. The story also tells the lesson of, if you really want to do something, keep at it and one day you will be able to go out and do it. The humour in this film was also pretty good, with the little girl wrestling a fish in the house, whilst remaining non-suspicious to her dad was a nice touch.

 The Witch and The Baby

The Witch and The Baby is a short story about a sad witch who isn’t looking as good as most other women. She decides to create a potion to make her look pretty, there’s one missing ingredient to the mixture though, a baby. Meanwhile a royal castle is hiring for a babysitter, the witch turns the other participants into frogs, gets the job and steals the baby. Once home, the baby keeps preventing the witch from finishing the stew, pooping, throwing potions playing with explosives the baby does it all. Suddenly the baby hugs the witch’s leg and calls her it’s “Mama”, this cause the witch’s heart to grow and care for the child. The two end up back at the castle and the witch is hired to keep looking after the baby.

This was a nice short story, with a friendly look and nice exposition. The story is a re-used, but effective one being someone who looks mean, is not always as bad as they seem. As well as you do not need to be pretty to be accepted into society, you can do things your own way.

Link to Trailer

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EmBX6gWqWZQ

 Tricked

Tricked is a story based on a street criminal stealing money from people on trams. One day a magician comes onto the tram with a pocket full of cash, the criminal tries to steal a $100 when he is suddenly pulled into another world within the magician’s pocket. The criminal chases the money through a variety of magic trick acts, such as cards, being cut in a box, rabbit in a hat, etc. The criminal grabs the $100 and fly’s out of the magician’s pocket onto a stage, where it is revealed the tram was a trick and is handcuffed by a large $.

I really liked the comedic and wacky nature of this film, seeing what magic act was going to happen next and how it would beat up the criminal kept me guessing. The lighting is also worth mentioning as there was effective uses of stage lights for magic act and even the shadows of the characters on the tram and when the criminal first lands in the pocket, where very well executed.

I could not find a Trailer, but here’s a link to the full film.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tcROiQ6PEuI

 Margin of Terror

Margin of terror tells the story of a mad scientist, trying to create a terrifying monster. All seems to be according to plan, when suddenly the switch to turn on his device flips up and instead of a scary monster, create a small, adorable, friendly box creature. Annoyed the scientist throws the creature in the bin tries again, each time he tries the same result occurs with the same creature in varying colours, all of which are thrown in the bin. When the scientist losses hope in the experiment, all the small, boxed creatures, form into one giant creature, which excites and scares the scientist, he’s grabbed, and the creature gives him a hug.

This film uses its Claymation design very well, from the overtop expressions of the scientist to the squash and stretchy nature and interactions with the small box creatures. Even the ending where they all merge together, is a good use of mixing clay colours together. This story also reminds me of the well know saying by Thomas H Palmer “If at first you don’t succeed, Try, Try Again”.

Link to the teaser trailer

https://vimeo.com/365839199

 Shooms’s Odyssey

Shoom’s Odyssey is a story about two baby owls hatching and exploring their surroundings, they meet squirrels, crocodiles, racoons and more. Along the way Shooom and her brother get separated when two children find her brother (still in the egg) and take him with them to take care of him. Shooom explores the town as she searches for her brother, meanwhile the kids grandfather finds out about them having a baby owl with them. Eventually Shrooom finds her brother the humans help them get home, until they part ways. On their way home they help a young racoon stuck in a duck inflatable get free, which later the racoons mother finds the baby owls and takes them back to her home.

This short film looks beautiful, an excellent use of 2D animation. I love that we watch Shrooom and her brother group up alongside each, such as learning to walk and experiencing flight for the first time, it’s also interesting that some things they learn are from other creatures, such as the squirrel shows Shrooom how to walk on two feet (Or claws/ Talons I guess for an owl). It’s also a very good story with Shrooom and her brother exploring the world from birth and attempting to find their mother/ family, but in the end are taken in by a family of racoons (sort of like adoption). Lastly, the kids final good bye to Shrooom and her brother, saying good bye to “Squeak” and the brother turns around and responds with a chirp was great to me kind of like closing the book on Squeak and the kids relationship.

 Link to trailer.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vWP9orbO8vI

Stix and Stones

Stix and Stones is a short story about two cave men who were frozen in the stone age and are alive in a modern day museum after being thawed by accident, now they come out and of posing when everyone’s gone home. The two find a stool and try and experiment with it to figure out what it is, they sit on the stool upside, they sit on it right side up and snap the legs to make a fire. However, the fire alarm goes off, activating the sprinklers and causing Stix and Stones to panic, they run into the walls of the glass cabinet there in and the short ends.

This animation was an interesting short, I liked the catchy introduction sequence which is familiar to that of a mainstream cartoon introduction, with a catchy rhythm but also explaining how Stix and Stones got to where they are now. I also liked the chemistry between the two as they seemed competitive with each as well as brotherly.

 Onigami

Onigami, is a short story of two cavemen-esc creatures breaking into a traditional looking Japanese home, one is small and wild the other is large and gentle. Whilst the short creature goes wild smashing up the place, the big one discovers origami and tries to create an origami bird from a book. He repeatedly tries and fails, becoming sad about it, the short creature picks up on this and decides to use the pieces of the house he has smashed to create a large origami bird. The two manage to create the bird and carry on with their day.

This story delivers a unique aspect to trial and error, showing that you can repeatedly try something, over and over again and never get it correct. But there is always a solution/ work around to what your doing. I also liked how the characteristics of the pair is represented in their movement, the short creature is fast and sharp with his movements, whereas the big creature slow and cautious, but always smiling. In one part he even shakes his wooden club like a baby rattle giving off the impression off a young child.

I couldn’t find a trailer, but here’s a link to the full film

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_P_01Rh9-m4

 The Mandrake

The Mandrake tells the story of a rabbit vegetable farmer, one day a badger witch (at least I think it’s a badger) approaches the rabbit and places a drawing on a potted plant, she gives the rabbit a bag of money and leaves. The next day the potted plant grows into a baby made out of stems and leaf’s, the rabbit decides to take care of the new born, although it takes a while two form a bond. A few days later the witch returns and wants to take the baby with her, the rabbit tries to return the money, but the badger wants the baby. She attacks the two and damages the farm with her hex spells, she hits herself and transforms into a large goo monster, before she can harm the two, she melts, and the rabbit and his child carry on with no harm done to them.

This story is unique as it shows the a growing bond between two unlikely friends/ family and how to deal with sudden large responsibility’s like taking care of a child. I liked the art style of this film too, with the thicker more solid colouring on characters and what they interact with, in comparison with the lovely water coloured and painted backgrounds of the farm and its landscape.

 The Little Bang

The Little Bang is a short story about planets in the solar system smiling and playing with smaller plants/ asteroids within their atmosphere (Like parents and children), everyone except for a flaming planet that everyone looks away from because its too bright. The planet is sad and alone, until a new planet just like him is made in the distance, the flaming planet gets the attention of the new planet and shows it how to grow arms, exploded and much more. Everything is fine until a black hole comes and the two can’t reach each other, the flaming planet uses the black to swing over to the new planet and they hug, causing a large explosion, this creates hundreds on new planets with the twos colour scheme on them (Orange and cyan).

This story is sweet, as it sends the message of there is someone for everyone, even if no one particular likes you. I liked the concept of planets being parents to smaller planets giving a parent-esc relation ship between the two. I also enjoyed the chemistry between the two planets as it seemed similar to that of a love story between two very different people but represented as planets. A final point to make is I liked the glow of the two planets, not only as a nice-looking design choice, but it also shows that the two of them stand out from the rest.

Below is a link to the trailer.

https://vimeo.com/395077314

Meow or Never

Meow or Never is an interesting story as it follows the journey of a Cat traveling through space to find the meaning of life. She becomes stranded on a planet when her ship malfunctions, thanks to a dog. The two journey around the planet looking for her ship and find marshmallows and spirits along the way. Once the ship is found, the cat decides to stay on the planet with the dog and the two become close friends.

This short film is interesting as it informs kids that there is no official meaning to life, it is what you make it out to be. The way how it is presented in a musical fashion will have kids hooked and adults, likely surprised. I also liked how each character on the planet had their own answers, bugs were to eat food all time, Marshmallows where to be set on fire in a campfire further backing the point of the film. The puppet animation in this film also gives it a unique charm and is well executed throughout.

Link to trailer.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=d16qEQGViO0

 Todays Talk

 Stephen Dee

In today’s talk, we had Stephen Dee (One of my tutors) who told and showed us some of his work from over the years in the animation industry. Stephen explained how his start came from when he went to live in America for a short while, made friends, went back to London with one of them and together they were able to get a job. This job was in creating set designs for locations such as city’s and parks, this was just the start for Stephen as he would eventually find his way into projects which involved making sculpts for theme parks and doing large sculpt the same size and much bigger than him, such as an enormous elephant and a large tiger shark.

Stephen also showed us some of his animation work, as over time his lines of work brought him into the stop motion scene, he had helped on children’s TV shows such as “Fifi and the Flower Tops”, “Little Robots”, and “Prank Patrol” amongst others. Stephen went into a lot details on each of the projects he had made and to me it was very interesting, as he explained the materials used to create each one and some of their measurements (E.g. One of the Robots in a shot he showed us from “Little Robots”, although looked small, was actually 42cm tall).

To end Stephen mentioned some advice from what he had learned in the industry, such as explaining the importance of having a good, coincident work ethic, as twenty good jobs will mean nothing to one bad one. As well as “Know your own worth” when it comes to approaching each project. As a quick side note, in the Q and A at the end of the talk, each tutor who spoke with us, over the last four days, were complimenting each other on their presentations and reflecting on each other’s work, which was interesting to hear as they shed light on each of their projects and little things that weren’t mentioned in there presentations. It was nice to hear at the end.

[tessatechaitea]

Dark Days: The Forge #1

Sometimes when I see John Romita Jr. artwork, I think, "What did I ever have against Rob Liefeld?!"

Hawkman's final journal? Hooray! Go to hell, you stupid prick! And I thought these were going to be dark days!

Does anybody else find it weird that Carter Hall records his journal on Swiss cheese? Many years ago (I guess? There's no time stamp on the opening scene!), Carter Hall recorded the crashing of a spaceship on his lunch. But since he didn't know the word "spaceship," he wrote "sign written in metal." That will probably be important later but for now, it's time to move the story into the present. And where better to begin an adventure story than The Bermuda Triangle! Wait. I should rephrase that. "Where better to begin an adventure story in the 1970s than The Bermuda Triangle!" Oh boy! Eight year old me just came in his pants! I mean if that were possible. Nothing but pee would be coming out of there for at least another five years.

You know you can read and reread the data once you get somewhere safe? Or did you not save your data to the cloud? Idiot. You should use both terrestrial and cloud backups!

That scientist sounds like me in high school after first hearing Mr. Crowley: "There's something in the metal!" Batman rescues the scientist whose name is Dr. Madison (MADISOOOOOON!). Batman tells Dr. Madison that the only to safety is back through the volcano. Batman: "The only way out is in!" Dr. Madison: "Does that actually make sense? I don't think that makes sense." Batman: "If we don't go back through the lava, we'll be covered in lava!" Dr. Madison: "Do you ever listen to yourself speak?" Batman: "Outside will also have flying debris! Inside is just, um, you know! Liquid hotness!" Dr. Madison: "You mean lava?" Batman: "If you want to get technical about it! Now get in my Liquid Hotness Proof Bat-mech (trademark and action figure pending!), sit on my lap, and don't ask me if that's a bat-grapple in my pocket or if I'm happy to see you! I'm never happy!"

So they had to go back through the lava to get to the ocean? Batman does know Dr. Madison was standing in front of a window overlooking the water, right? How was just crashing through that not an option? Especially since Batman loves crashing through panes of glass!

Whenever an editor tells Scott Snyder to make something more exciting, he should just say, "Shut. Up!" Aquaman helps with the rescue and then he and Batman get into an argument about who's keeping bigger secrets. Batman probably wins that one because even if Aquaman had some really juicy secrets to tell, I'd never remain interested long enough to hear them. I'm already bored with this paragraph because I had to type "Aquaman" three times. Apparently the Blackhawks have some super secret covert black ops shit going on again. Remember how they returned in All Star Batman? Oh, you got tired of reading that series too? Well, believe me. They returned there. Meanwhile on Mogo, Cornelius the Guardian wants Hal to do something seedy to him.

"Don't tell Guy! I just got him to stop calling me gay!"

Oh sorry. His name is Ganthet. I must be thinking of Roddy McDowall's character from Scavenger Hunt. Speaking of Scavenger Hunt, I caught an episode of Family Ties the other day when some actor walked on and I was all, "Hey! That's short sleeves, checkered shirt, black sneakers!" Plus his son in the episode was Chunk from The Goonies. Should I mark irrelevant passages like these with asterisks?!

Ganthet having once asked Hal to jerk him off is now canon.

Once again, everybody in the universe is gossiping about how Earth is going to destroy the universe. If only the Justice League would stop saving it already! Just let somebody destroy Earth for the greater good, you hypocrites! Ganthet has pinpointed the threat to the universe in the Batcave so Hal Jordan decides to go invade it and not radio Batman saying, "Hey, buddy. I've got a possible issue that maybe you can help out with. Let's meet up in the Batcave." Instead he decides to sneak in and start going through Batman's things. I get it. It's the only way to ensure that a couple of heroes fight so all the fangenders can lose their shit over it. This part was probably Tynion's idea. "Hey! You know what I've read in comic books about five thousand times? That part where two heroes fight over a misunderstanding! Can we add that scene?!" And Scott Snyder snorts and wakes up and is all, "What? Whatever. Just write the script already! If I wanted to write it, I wouldn't have purchased you from your parents!" Anyway, Batman isn't home so Hal has to fight Meadowlark. You know, Not-Robin. Duke!

What is Duke reading to get his Green Lantern information? The Who's Who books from the mid-80s? That's where I get all of my information too!

Is Green Lantern just fucking with Duke or is there something about the yellow flaw that I don't know about? I thought it was completely gone. Is this Snyder and Tynion trying to backdoor the flaw back into the ring but only if the person using the ring is inexperienced and stupid? In the next panel, Hal Jordan says, "It's good to see Batman's still recruiting teenagers." Hey man. You better be careful with statements like that. At least he's not, you know, fucking them. Duke Thomas admits to not having a code name yet. That's adorable. All this fucking time and he still doesn't have one. Why can't Snyder just spit one out already? Waiting to find out his superhero name is like waiting for Sting to come in your mouth. Not that I'd know and not that it was the worst sixteen hours of my life. Meanwhile there's this place called The Campus underneath Philadelphia where The Immortal Men are headquartered. One of them is Immortal Man because of course it is. The other one is a guy in a robe with shaggy eyebrows that might be Carter Hall but I'm hoping is anybody else. Another one of their possible members would have been Elaine Thomas, Duke's mother. But she went crazy from Joker Toxin. They apparently know they need to save the world from something bad that's coming because it's always easier to tell a story about prophecy. It would be too hard to wedge these Immortal Men into the story if they didn't already know some huge Crisis was about to happen. So the guy in the robes isn't Hawkman because Hawkman gets the next scene. He's been having visions during the times between death and reincarnation. Whew! I thought he wouldn't have some secret inside information to get him right into this upcoming Crisis! In his vision, he sees a gigantic Batman statue with lots of people tied to its legs. I guess somebody is going to have to kill Batman before he becomes evil! After that scene, John Romita Jr. takes over on the art. I should probably snort some Ativan before continuing. Mister Terrific is helping Batman with the Mystery of the Dark Days. Hopefully they'll explain it in long, large word balloons that cover up most of the art. Something has been interfering with the harmonic frequencies of Earth-Main-Earth and Earth-2 (which I guess is back to its normal self? Or maybe Mister Terrific just got off before he wound up in that whole World's End mess? For some reason, I can't remember the story well enough to know if Mister Terrific was in any of it. Thank Jesus!) but neither Batman nor Mister Terrific know what's going on yet. To help them figure it out, Batman decides they must let Plastic Man out of his prison cell. They say they agreed to lock him up because he was too powerful but I think they just got sick of his stupid jokes. Back in the Batcave, Duke and Hal are investigating the Mystery of Batman Investigating the Mystery. It all started when somebody said, "That whole electrum in the tooth thing that resurrects the dead Talons is stupid! It's not scientific at all! Who comes up with such dumb shit?! DC Comics sucks!" Then Scott Snyder was all, "Wait! Wait! You haven't heard the whole tale of that! You shouldn't believe everything you see at first sight! You should wait for the second sight! Or maybe the third sight if everybody on Twitter complains about the second sight! But I don't think they will because this is going to be a huge Crisis! You'll love it!" So instead of electrum being in the teeth, Batman found a metal that shared the same energy signature as the helmet of fate, the quintdent of Aquaman, and the bracelets of Diana. To investigate this metallic mystery, Batman created a team that everybody forgot about. Everybody except me, of course!

Halo's costume is terrible. But Geoforce had better stay away from her anyway!

Duke has no idea who the wobbly speech bubble is. But that didn't stop him from saying, "Dick? Is that Dick? You know, Dick Grayson? Nightwing? Is that you?" So the metal is probably Nth Metal which would make it more believable that it was resurrecting the Talons. Because nobody is going to say, "Nth Metal can't do that!" I mean, they might. But they'd be wrong because Nth Metal isn't real and it can do whatever the fuck it needs to do when the writer needs it to do it. Although if it were Dionesium, nobody would say, "Dionesium can't do that!" Because that's exactly what it was made for! It's just that Nth Metal works better, plot-wise. Why would Aquaman's five-pronged trident have Dionesium in it? Deep in Batman's secret Batcave, Duke and Hal come to a door. Apparently the owner of the voice is behind it. I hope it's not The Joker. I hope it's Detective Chimp. I also hope it's revealed before this issue is over! Batman has also been keeping another secret in Superman's fortress. With the help of Mister Miracle, he unlocks the unopenable room it was stored in. It's a big yellow tower that Mister Miracle recognizes but I don't. Maybe it's Qwardian! It could also be something from Final Crisis which I've never read. Or something from an obscure 1967 Batman story. Or maybe it's something that, when it's explicitly named, I'll say, "Oh yeah. Fuck. I totally remember that thing now!" Anyway, I don't think it's important enough to reveal this issue. Because The Joker needs to be revealed in the Hal Jordan scene! Oh look! The Joker was the voice! What a surprise! Surprise! Are you surprised? Oh! You should also keep in mind how there were three Jokers, remember? That was a dumb bit that had to be thrown in so that Batman would say, "Impossible!", when he asked the Moebius Chair what the Joker's name was. Remember how that one guy on Tumblr got all pissy with me when I said they'd never reveal The Joker's name and how could I know that and I don't know what I'm talking about and all that shit? Fucking stupid kid. I didn't even get to say "I told you so!" to that kid when the reveal was that the Chair's answer was that there were three Jokers! Well, I'm doing it now! I fucking told you so, kid! So that's the end of Dark Days: The Forge! Maybe that thing Batman revealed was The Forge. I guess the next stop in this series is the event, Metal. It'll probably be about Dionesium and Nth Metal and how, when combined, everything is destroyed! What will this Crisis be called? Not just Crisis in Dark Days, right? How about Alchemical Crisis on Earths Starring Plastic Man?

[nofomoartworld]

Hyperallergic: Required Reading

Danish design firm MONSTRUM has been creating these colorful and imaginative playscapes for playgrounds around the world, and they’re quite impressive. Check out more on Colossal. (via Colossal)

One Texas museum, the Galveston Art Center, was devastated by Hurricane Ike in 2008 and they weren’t taking any chances with Hurricane Harvey. This is what they did:

Nance has good reason to be wary. Back in 2008, when Hurricane Ike pummeled Texas, the Galveston Arts Center sustained steep losses. According to Harvey Rice of the Houston Chronicle, art valued at more than $100,000 was ruined, and the storm caused upward of $1 million in damage to the historic, 19th-century bank building that houses the Arts Center.

RELATED: Some good photo essays on the hurricane at the New Yorker and the New York Times.

I’ve gripped about the awfulness that is the new Orange County Government Center in upstate New York but CityLab just published a more extensive take on the architectural disaster that was intended to save the original landmark:

A year later, Kaufman’s plan was scrapped, leaving Clark Patterson Lee with the last proposal standing. Meanwhile, designLAB’s schematic proposal for the site ended up winning an “unbuilt architecture” award from the Boston Society of Architects. A lawsuit by local residents to block demolition was dismissed in June 2015. “This is one of Rudolph’s great buildings,” Kaufman adds. “It’s a shame. What happened in Goshen represents a tremendous diminution government plays in promoting good architecture and good development.”

Miklos says that their removal of the original corduroy blocks in the remaining 1971 buildings was unnecessary. “There was mold after the building flooded because the drywall was wet, but they determined the concrete block was the problem. In fact, we did a lot of research to determine the block was not the problem.”

As for the new building, “they did a different version of what we proposed,” says Miklos. “I’ve seen the pictures. It’s not a successful solution. It doesn’t do Rudolph’s building justice.”

Writing for The Cut, Rhonda Garelick discusses the role of fashion in crafting the image of Melania Trump:

Melania dresses and moves as if she were awkwardly performing a theatrical role, much as Ivanka does. Their oddly stilted presence in political settings seems to transform all occasions, no matter how “presidential,” into advertisements. This is not because they were both once models, but because they cannot stop posing like models. (Ironically, successful models learn to avoid such obvious artificiality, since it makes the unreality of fashion shoots too glaring.)

The Trump women evince a dazed blankness and anonymity that in turn cast doubt on the reality of everything around them. When you see Melania headed to Marine One, or dining with world leaders, or standing on a White House balcony, the entire scene looks like a magazine spread in which “real” people, equipment, and buildings are being used merely as dramatic backdrops for a fashion layout. On Tuesday, this meant that instead of being a supporting presence in the president’s trip to survey flood damage, Melania became the star and the trip morphed into a simulacrum, a kind of Vogue shoot “simulating” a president’s trip. In other words, the realness of everyone and everything else (including hurricane victims) faded and the evacuated blankness of the commercial overtook the scene.

We are talking about Civil War memorials but are there some other monuments that didn’t support a decisive and white supremacist history, like the Sphinx at Mt. Auburn Cemetery:

The Sphinx was the vision of Dr. Jacob Bigelow, a Harvard botanist and physician who was one of the founders of Mount Auburn Cemetery. In the wake of the Civil War, he wanted a monument that would honor the sacrifices of the Union army and point the way toward a more integrated America. A figure from Egyptian mythology, the sphinx represents the fusion of both “American” and “African” motifs, a perfect union between black and white.

Bigelow had dreamed up the statue and designed it entirely himself. Egyptian motifs had associated in nineteenth-century America with mourning and grief, but these had never included a sphinx. Bigelow’s monument was to be his own, ex nihilo and sui generis. Bigelow’s dreams swam with hybrid monsters. The Elgin Marbles, he noted, “to which the whole world pays homage,” consist of depictions of centaurs and other strange creatures; and the winged steed Pegasus, “on which poets in all ages have sought recreation,” was also an amalgamation of different beasts. “Even angels,” he concluded, “the accepted embodiments of beauty and loveliness, are human figures with birds’ wings attached to their shoulders.” Why, then, not revere another hybrid, why not create a new mythology?

Khaled A. Beydoun writes about Islam in the Antebullum South, which was more common than many Americans believe. His abstract outlines the realities:

America’s first Muslims were slaves. Social scientists estimate that 15 to 30 percent of the Africans enslaved in the Antebellum South practiced Islam. Research indicates that the Muslim slave population could have been as high as 1.2 million. Despite their considerable presence in the Antebellum South, the history of Muslim slaves has been largely neglected within legal scholarship.

The Atlantic tells the story of a proposed superhighway to honor the Confederacy that never materialized:

The Jefferson Davis Highway was a pet project of the United Daughters of the Confederacy (UDC), an association of Confederate descendants that has been trying to preserve (and rewrite) Civil War history since 1894. Though not as well known as the Lost Cause memorials the UDC built throughout the South—objects promoting a narrative that the Confederacy fought honorably for states’ rights rather than slavery—the highway was intended to be a cross-country system of roads studded with markers memorializing Davis. And for some cities and states in its proposed path, it was simply too good a deal to pass up.

… The highway, then, did the work of white supremacy by stealthier means than those of other infamous groups. As the highways wended across the U.S., proponents of the UDC’s historical vision such as the Ku Klux Klan lynched black people, burned crosses, and enacted and supported Jim Crow laws. More broadly, the femininity that the UDC embodied provided a cover for public behavior that was unheard of for Southern women. “They would speak in public, which women were not supposed to do—not Southern women, anyway. It provided a lot of these women with a career,” says Cox.

Ultimately, the grandiosity of the UDC’s vision for the Jefferson Davis Highway did not match up with reality. Historians don’t agree on which routes were actually built and whether they lived up to the UDC’s claims. The group’s own promotional materials contradict themselves: As the historians Euan Hague and Edward H. Sebesta note, official depictions of the highway “[were] inconsistent, varied over time, and outlined often vastly differing routes.”

According to the New York Times Iran is pivoting to video:

Things like chanting “death to America,” burning effigies of Uncle Sam and painting murals of Lady Liberty with a skull as a face lost their impact long ago, particularly among younger Iranians. Forced to adapt or fizzle out, Iran’s propaganda machine has sought to embrace the latest trends and technologies to try to tailor messages to the sensibilities of a new generation.

A number of such propaganda videos have appeared in recent years, distributed on Apparat, a local version of YouTube, as well as on the messenger app Telegram.

Here is one example (pretty over the top):

J Nathan Bazzel donated his hip bones to a museum in Philadelphia after they were surgically removed and replaced with implants, and this is his story.

How to make your text look futuristic.

In case you’re looking for an ancient Assyrian dictionary, here’s one available for free online.

The ornate birdhouses of the Ottoman Empire:

The art of preserving a fish in a museum, and it’s pretty good geeky discussion:

Ethanol is flammable and therefore unsuitable for large quantities to be on public display, and formalin gives off hazardous fumes.

Instead, the team tried storing the fish in a compound called glycerol, which poses no threat to visitors.

‘But a fish the size of the marlin had to be fixed in a formalin solution first,’ explains Ralf.

‘People started using formaldehyde rather than ethanol as a fixative around 1900, and it is still the fluid of choice whenever you want to preserve anything big today.’

The initial transportation and fixation of the marlin caused it to lose some of its natural shape. However, one of the perceived benefits of glycerol is that once the fish has soaked up the solution it should expand again.

‘It’s possible the dents will pop out again, and it will go back to its natural torpedo shape,’ says Ralf,

‘There is also the chance that glycerol will help the colours that are left in the skin to increase in intensity’.

You can’t make this level of self-involvement up:

Peak LinkedIn http://pic.twitter.com/WfPoBFtrCs

— Tom Goodwin (@tomfgoodwin) September 1, 2017

Adorable:

Shredding with daddy from gifs

Required Reading is published every Sunday morning ET, and is comprised of a short list of art-related links to long-form articles, videos, blog posts, or photo essays worth a second look.

The post Required Reading appeared first on Hyperallergic.

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