#i don’t think those people like the entire premise of the movie tbh. it’s a creature feature. there’s gonna be creatures

[devilsskettle]

i’m kind of bored that the be-all end-all of horror sfx is realism. i would much rather see less realistic sfx that focus on visual interest/design and i really admire creative problem solving to achieve a particular effect, and i think the focus on realism makes it harder for low budget filmmaking to have a shot at being made and/or respected. i don’t think this is an uncommon opinion either but i think there’s just this prevailing assumption that films should represent reality and that that’s what audiences want and even when you’re making a movie that’s already based on an unrealistic premise as is often the case in genre fiction, if your movie doesn’t seem realistic, audiences won’t be able to suspend their disbelief and/or they won’t take the movie seriously. and sometimes this does seem to be the case! but also i wish we could all give each other the benefit of the doubt that audiences are able to recognize and engage with unreality in fiction. because it’s fiction. and that unreality in fiction can be intentional on the part of the filmmaker and can be done well and in fact be the correct choice for the movie overall. not that i want no realism ever but i don’t think it should be the only acceptable mode of filmmaking

[bisluthq]

I have seen people talk about Daisy because Twisters made a lot of money, but I just don’t think you can give her credit for that? People went to see it because it was a Twister sequel. That’s also why you can’t give credit to the actors in Nolan’s movies because the reason those make money is Nolan. And you can’t give Florence credit for Dune 2 because people are going because the first one was good and people went to that one mostly for the actors and the books. If they aren’t starring in something original, I struggle to give credit to the actors for the box office success because most of the time it has to do with whatever it is they’re adapting. Even Timothee, it’s hard to say how much money a movie that wasn’t based on famous books made by Denis Villeneuve or a movie about Wonka from the Paddington director would make? Everything is based on something nowadays. Are people paying for Dune? For Villeneuve? For Timothee? Who knows

I’m gonna disagree very strongly re Dune because Villeneuve is NOT known for his solid BO track record at all. Blade Runner 2049, despite being super hyped and having Ryan G (who also is obviously a draw), failed to break even. A bunch of his past projects had had limited releases or relatively small budgets. Warner Brothers absolutely didn’t think it was gonna be a definite success and refused to green light the sequel until they had confirmation it was actually making real money. Like no one fully trusted the project. Even Villeneuve was worried. And like yes people love Dune but it’s also… old and pre this resurgence wasn’t some mainstream thing tons of people were super into. Lynch’s adaptation was a BO flop btw and that was closer in time to the books being popular and he was coming off a ton of critical successes. It’s a cult fave but it failed BO wise at a time when it shouldn’t have. Ridley Scott had failed to get his adaptation made multiple times, again when the source material was more popular and when he was huge. Dune could’ve been a disaster. It succeeded and a LOT of that is clearly on Timmy.

Wonka was a weird ass and yet expensive project. Wonka’s budget was THREE TIMES either of the Paddingtons’ lol and it’s like… a weird premise tbh so again didn’t necessarily guarantee a hit on that level. Unlikely to fail entirely but not guaranteed to do THAT well. Like it surpassed the studios’ expectations for BO success actually super quickly and managed to like… do really really well in a way that actually surprised pretty much everyone lol.

He also continues to take just enough risky things (like Bones and All) to still be a “serious” actor.

I definitely think we can admire his career and the choices he makes and acknowledge that he’s a proper movie star tbqh like I say Old Hollywood style. Massive critical acclaim, massive BO appeal, and generates tons of interest as a celebrity.

[lesbeet]

please tell me more about Arrival and racist linguistics

so the whole premise of the movie is based around the sapir-whorf hypothesis (also known as linguistic relativism) which essentially says that the structure of a given language affects the perceptions and perspectives of its speakers. there’s a “strong” version (or linguistic determinism) which claims that language DETERMINES thought, and a “weak” version which says that language INFLUENCES thought. an example of the soft version would be that many languages differ in how they name and categorize colors—for example, in english we consider “light blue” to be a subset of the “blue” category, whereas some other languages consider “light blue” to be an entirely separate color category. as a result, english-speakers are less likely to think of “light blue” as a distinct color, since we don’t separate it linguistically the way some other languages do.

an example of the hard version is the way the heptapod language literally rewires louise’s brain to change how she perceives time. this isn’t because her familiarity with the language and its particular quirks led to her thinking about time differently than she was used to, but because simply being so exposed to the language made those changes in her brain in an almost independent/external process. in the color example above, a linguistic determinist would claim that the vocabulary available to a person would determine how they perceive colors, rather than how they categorize them in their heads; obviously that’s ridiculous. 

basically the “strong” version of linguistic determinism has largely fallen out of popularity amongst linguists (think of it as analogous to freud’s standing in the field of psychology), while the weak version of linguistic relativism has at least some evidence to back it up, but certainly isn’t the be-all end-all of cognitive linguistics by any means

the racism in particular comes in when you look at HOW this hypothesis was reached. idk how familiar you are with pop linguistics but there’s a thing that goes around every once in a while that you might’ve come across about how “the hopi people aren’t able to perceive time/have no concept of time” where benjamin whorf basically concluded that because the hopi language is “tenseless” and it differed so greatly from what he called “standard average european languages” that its speakers were so primitive and culturally backwards that they were literally cognitively incapable of perceiving the passage of time.

another example of how the hypothesis gets used in pop linguistics is the idea that because the inuit language contains a significant number of different words for different types of snow, its speakers are somehow better equipped cognitively to handle a snowy environment than, say, speakers of a language that originated in a desert and that has much fewer words for snow. again this is obviously dumb as hell and BACKWARDS to how language works. the inuit are better equipped to handle snow because that is the ENVIRONMENT THEY HAVE LIVED IN FOR THOUSANDS OF YEARS and perhaps they learned a thing or two! and then their language developed accordingly! it was beneficial for them to have different terminology for different experiences in their environment, and much of that terminology would be useless for those who live on like a tropical island or something so it didn’t develop there

so long story short, the hypothesis is flat-out incorrect in its “strong” form and that strong form was developed more or less because benjamin whorf was a racist and xenophobe who didn’t put in the time or effort or appropriate level of respect in “studying” these languages, thereby drawing ridiculous conclusions about them and as a result drawing ridiculous conclusions about their speakers and cultures

i’m not sure how the movie might’ve fixed this though tbh bc again the whole premise kinda rests on the idea that louise learning the heptapod language transforms her cognition process and allows her to save the remaining heptapod (i can’t remember if it’s abbott or costello lol), and even the subplot with ian and their daughter is predicated on louise’s new way of perceiving time. but like....languages and brains simply do not work that way in real life

[elpercotreviews]

Reviewing My Anime 10/10's *Relatively* Spoiler-Free

Note: What I rank a 10/10 is very specific and obviously very subjective to my own. Something can only be a 10/10 if I already consider it a 9/10 AND I must have rewatched it. I am someone who typically does not rewatch/reread anything, unless it's something I truly absolutely enjoy. With that being said, because of the requirements, I only have 4 animes that I rank 10/10, and tbh only one of those animes would get that ranking from the general anime audience. The rest are SO SO SO specific to my particular tastes that I would be absolutely stunned if someone also had the same four as me, because the requirement is so specific. Imma make another post eventually for my 9/10's because I think that list makes a lot more sense for a general anime audience lmaooo.

Soooo, in order of least personal to most personal (although obviously they're all personal to me lol) we have:

1. Psycho-Pass

Recommended for people who: are really into that dark dystopian future society vibes, are fans of Ghost in the Shell, like detective/crime stories

Okay, for a few people, this one actually probably makes some sense. At the moment, it has an 8.37 on myanimelist which means this anime is super well liked. I've watched this anime twice, first the original and then the second time I watched the director's cut (yes that exists lol). Overall, I'm a huge fan of the entire Psycho-Pass anime series as a whole. I've watched all three seasons, as well as two of the movies. I didn't watch any of the Sinners of the System ones cuz tbh I literally couldn't find an english sub of that anywhere, it just doesn't exist lol. I think it's okay cuz the ratings for the Sinners of the System trio of movies seems meh. I've actually watched Psycho-Pass the Movie like three/four times LMAO but that's simply cuz a movie is obviously much quicker to watch than an entire anime season. Like just objectively, the Psycho Pass series as a whole is very inconsistent in quality due to the fact that it's all original, so they do technically just make up everything as they go lol. Season two is all right (I think it gets more hate than it should), three is good but season one by far is the absolute best in the entire series. I'd argue the movie is technically my absolute favorite out of the whole IP, but I actually give the movie an 8/10. The movie, because of being obviously way shorter, simply does not have the deep controversial and philosophical lines of thought that season one has. It lacks that extra depth that would make me put it anything higher than an 8. The two main characters have good chemistry as a crime-fighting duo and the main villain's rivalry/relationship with the male lead is super compelling. The female lead is meant to be relatively naive/more on the innocent side which works with the plot as it allows the show to naturally explain and give more exposition as to the actual world and rules of Psycho-Pass without having it seem so ham-fisted or just throwing info to the audience.

2. Violet Evergarden

Recommended for people who: cry to sad movies, like gorgeous animation, are very empathetic, like vignette-esque storytelling

All right if you even remotely consider yourself an avid anime fan, then this anime is probably also somewhere on your 10/10 list or at least an anime you consider to be "very good." That is, unless you are that very vocal minority who simply really just REALLY do not like this anime for some god forsaken reason. However, in my honest opinion, I think an anime like this just really doesn't sit well with ... how do I put this blunty ... people who do not give a fuck about other people or anyone else's feelings but their own. Basically, IF YOU ARE SELFISH, A NARCISSIST, EGOTISTICAL, OR ANY SORT OF COMBO OF THOSE THREE, YOU WILL NOT LIKE THIS ANIME. And if you do, you probably don't think you're any of those things. Because of the anime's very premise, I find it very difficult to see a very self-centered/heartless person particularly enjoying this anime. The whole premise of this anime is that the main character who, because of her upbringing, doesn't understand feelings/emotions, especially the concept of love, grows as a human and slowly begins to learn what love is. The show does this by showing multiple sets of characters meant to represent different types of love (romantic, familial, platonic, etc). The vocal minority of people I've seen give Violet Evergarden bad ratings all typically argue that although beautiful, the anime doesn't have any substance/doesn't really mean anything. If that's honestly all you got after watching the entire show, then you deadass just don't get it, and you probably will never ever get it. If you've seen or heard of Vivy: Fluorite Eye's Song, than just know that these two animes are VERY very similar in vibe despite being technically different genres. However, I personally found the themes and concepts in Vivy are done much more masterfully in Violet Evergarden which I think is due to Vivy's heavier focus on a story-driven overarching plot/action as opposed to Violet Evergarden's focus more on emotional impact/an episodic format. I've watched the entire series and I've rewatched the main show twice. TBH you can probably skip the gaiden movie AKA the one set at the girl's academy it was highkey pointless. Compared to the opera episode they added as a "special", the gaiden movie was still good but I wish resources were dedicated to something that actually added to the story. ALSO YES I KNOW ITS A GAIDEN AKA A SIDE STORY AKA FILLER SO YES NO DUH IT DIDNT ADD ANYTHING, BUT STILL. As for the main show, I think I cried for three episodes (the one about the playwright/author I forgot lol, the mother and daughter, and the soldier). On my rewatch, I didn't cry but I still deeply cared for and related to the characters. Violet Evergarden is a beautiful anime with a beautiful story.

3. ACCA: 13-ku Kansatsu Ka

Recommended for people who: like bread and bakeries, don't mind a very chill and slow-paced story, like stories about political intrigue and hidden agendas

Based on a relatively short manga, ACCA: 13 follows the main character Jean Otus as he performs his job of auditing the 13 districts of his country Dowa, while rumors and politics brew in the background that threaten to entangle Jean into a complicated plot. To be honest, I think properly reviewing this anime is impossible for me, because I just can't really explain the vibes of this anime besides "chill" and "intriguing." I think trying to explain anything more than the basic premise I just wrote would spoil a lot of what ACCA is, because it's plot is actually relatively quite simple and straightforward. Compared to Psycho-Pass which has a relatively good cult following, and Violet Evergarden which is universally praised, ACCA is an anime that I've yet to personally meet anyone who has ever even heard of it LMAOO. And almost everyone I know watches anime, so that's saying something oof. ACCA is made by Madhouse, which if you don't know, is a super well known anime studio, producing big hits such as Death Note, Hunter x Hunter, One Punch Man, etc. That's why I'm surprised that ACCA has flown just SO under the radar, but that may be due to the overalls nature of the anime itself. ACCA is an anime where all the characters hold their card close and no one seems to really share their real thoughts. One main criticism the anime has is the lack of deeper connections to characters and that for a main character, Jean Otus is very bland. To be honest, I think that's a very fair criticism and I can understand why this would prevent people from rating this anime higher than an 8 or 7. Due to the very nature of the anime and its plot, I do agree that there is a huge cast of colorful characters that we unfortunately don't really get to know more about. To be honest though, I don't mind this because I feel that's honestly quite realistic, especially factoring in Jean's job. All these places he's going and all these people he's meeting, it's literally just his job. He's not on vacation, these people aren't his friends, so the anime has no real reason to dwell much longer on places past its specific episode. Just like in real life, you encounter so many people and go past so many places that you probably won't ever see again. So for me personally, I didn't mind that the anime didn't explicitly show much about the backstories or lives of the cast, save for the very main characters (as their backstories were plot relevant). I think as viewers of not simply an anime, but a whole other world, I think it should be satisfactory to inherently understand that these are whole "people" who have entire lives that we are not exactly privy to. So although admittedly our understanding of many of the characters was all around quite shallow, I think that works for the scope of the anime, which was relatively simple and focused on just Jean living his life and the political plot stirring in the background until it was brought forward in the second half of the anime. Also I love Jean Otus. I actually completely absolutely adore him. He is literally my profile pic for myanimelist LMAO. I think calling him "bland" is fair from other people's perspectives, especially as the supposed main character of an ANIME, but I feel that if ACCA was in a different format like a novel, I think his personality would have been less criticized. Like I said, I love him soo much. I don't find him bland at all, but actually very interesting and highkey attractive LOL (if only he'd quit smoking but it's part of his charm 😞). Yes for an anime "protagonist," he is quite underwhelming especially compared to others, but I think that makes him very charming!!! Like all he wants to do is just chill, vibe, and do his job lmaooo. I think as a person, he’s very charismatic, and in the world of ACCA the rest of the characters see that as well. Because like, if he really were such a bland person, why would so many people like him and actually trust him lol? As for why it’s technically my favorite anime of all time (my ultimate one is a movie), I can’t give super detailed reasons why to be honest. I just really like the overall vibes of the anime itself, and I think the anime is just super unique and original. I’ve watched a ton of anime over the years, but I’ve genuinely seen nothing like ACCA in the slightest. I mean, just look at the recommended animes on the myanimelist. The recommended animes are all stuff I’ve also personally really liked (like fugou keiji unlimited and the great pretender) but yeah there’s just truly nothing that’s close to what ACCA is, and because of that, it reminds my absolute favorite anime show. I’ve seen the dub and the sub, even though I am a vehement dub hater lmaooo (except for very few circumstances, and this also applies to all non-English media, not just anime). There was only one thing in the entire show that slightly confused me/ seemed slightly unbelievable and I won’t spoil but it had something to do with the overall timeline of some events, but it doesn’t detract from the story at all. Oh and the art style! I really love the art style of the anime. It stays pretty true to the manga, but is also just an overall kind of art style I really like. I really enjoy the more like 2d/flat/drawn art style versus really clean and really detailed stuff, and I’m typically not a big fan of very obvious use of CGI (unless done tastefully like in Demon Slayer). All the backgrounds in ACCA have this painted/drawn style and the anime itself has this like muted(?) filter over it that makes the anime seem like someone’s drawings just put up on display in a way that’s really refreshing and nice. I highly recommend this story for anyone who wants a breath of fresh air and to get away from the typical action-packed high energy of big name anime.

4. From Up on Poppy Hill

Imma make a whole separate post JUST for this movie so I can explain why I love this movie so so much. And honestly, Imma need a whole separate post in the first place to address the elephant in the room when it comes to this movie (if you’ve seen it, then you know what I’m talking about). And if you’ve haven’t seen the movie, maybe you’ve heard about one of its controversial themes. I’m not gonna say what it is, cuz I KNOW it’ll be super off-putting for a lot of people, but please omg just hear me out. I just love this movie so so much. I’ve seen it like 7 times and counting. I have it downloaded on my computer and on a flash drive. I’ve watched the sub AND the dub however I’ve stopped watching the dub because it makes me sad every time I hear Shun’s voice actor ;-; This movie is legit an honest-to-god comfort movie for me that I could watch over and over and I’ll fall in love with it again each and every time. And once again IMMA MAKE A WHOLE SEPARATE POST BECAUSE I SWEAR PEOPLE ARE GONNA BE LIKE “Yo ain’t this the movie with the -----” and it’s like PLEASE LET ME EXPLAIN. The vibes of this movie, the themes it addresses (yes even THAT theme), the music, the art, the characters, is perfectly presented in a way that I will never stop watching this movie. The only other film that has come close to the amount of times I’ve watched From Up on Poppy Hill would be Legally Blonde lmaooooo. 

[buddiewho]

I was bored this weekend so I rewatched season 4a. Spoilers ahead. 

Honestly, I don't think things get popping until episode 3 [but weren’t actually nearly that great until the last 3 episodes tbh] and I am not even being Buddie biased or Buckley-Diaz family unit biased [this might be a bold face lie, but on second rewatch, I noticed I was paying more attention to everything else as well]. 4x03 is just a really good episode. Good old emergencies, mixed in with Eddie's paranoia over Hildy. Then from there it's Buck Begins and the whole Buckley family secret. Then of course, I feel like when we get to Jinx that starts some kind of path. The universe path, you know? There Goes the Neighborhood also continues on this path. Buck is still trying to work through some stuff; a terrible date, the bit about SAFE SPACES. Then Breaking Point. Everyone has one right? Even Christopher and getting angry or as Buck put it “ I heard you blew up at your Dad” and that’s not over yet though. Taylor needing a friend. Nearly Buck reaching one, but he managed to repair it. Eddie for the sole fact Christopher runs away. Hen and Karen actually not having a breaking point until... Chim and Maddie breaking and repairing it in regards to how Baby Mango arrives in this world. Athena and Bobby just being parents to everyone as usual. 

Fun fact. Breaking Point was on as I typed this and it's the one on one scene between Buck and Chris. "I don't want to miss anyone else," Christopher says after he names all the other people he misses first. Buck is probably also telling himself, don't make it about you Buck, this isn't about you, but you are going to promise, "I'm not going anywhere." The last three episodes (Jinx, There Goes the Neighborhood, and Breaking Point) were like some kind National Treasure bullshit; *Nicolas Cage voice* "The secret lies with Charlotte." "Paul Revere went by horse and it was two lanterns not one" or some bullcrap that movie talked about (not going to lie, I once thought it was comedic), but I just mean the overall premise of National Treasure being about secrets or coded messages and a Treasure Hunt (which if I'm correct is also a name of a potential 911 episode...?)

Can I backtrack a moment to 4x07? You know the awkward double date that Buck invited Taylor to? Buck is sitting awkwardly in that chair, wondering about his life choices and little bit of a song played. The lyrics, "There's someone else for you." Just that bit of the song, for the record and I don't think it was already playing in the previous scene to end so coincidentally over Buck’s face?

I'm also not over Taylor talking about looking for a miracle in which Buck gave to her and Eddie also called Buck a miracle worker.

Okay, the end of Breaking Point: Ana comes over to the house, like some awkward new beginning parallel to Madney being cute as they prepare for Baby Mango. Buck patches things with Albert. Then the not so happy crescendo/breaking point for Hen and Karen. Adopting Nia may not happen.

It's really coded like a treasure hunt and if there's an episode named that, well, that'll be hilarious. I'm forever going to hang onto Future Tense as a way of showing us the future, Buck and Eddie have yet to realize. So when they do realize it, it'll be soo damn good. So if the presumed treasure hunt the universe sends the boys on (with everyone else on their own kind)- but if Buddie doesn’t end with them figuring out what connects them and how they want to be connected...like if they don’t meet in the middle at the X marks the spot (or the universe tether aka Christopher) then I really am just creating this treasure hunt out of thin air and it doesn’t exist like the Dad profusely told Nic Cage’s character in National Treasure...or maybe it’s also like PLAYING DETECTIVES? Cagney and Lacey inspired True Crime podcast brought to you by Buck and Eddie two LAFD firefighters and best friends occasionally featuring their Captain of the 118; plus Bobby’s friend Michael and his partner David who reluctantly participates in these shenanigans but could provide key medical evidence/research. In my mind, they read [mostly Buck and Eddie] their cases/script for this made up podcast as 1940s detectives. Smoky voice Buck: “It’s a locked room mystery.” *1940s detective music* Smoky voice Eddie: “Correction. It’s a locked yard mystery...” Anyway...

Did I mention the clowns to ya'll? We didn't forget abut those clowns did we (Jinx might actually be my fav episode of the season after FUTURE TENSE). The clowns are so pointedly shot after Eddie mentions Ana to Buck. Okay. Then there's also the love languages thing. That's a book Buck’s therapist would've recommended right now or for some reason he’s choosing to read it? As we can see, I think the show might be reeling it back in for Buck. As Eddie put it "I don't know what inspired this software upgrade." Coincidentally, Buck 3.0 is looking to the FUTURE. Anyway, the love languages. NO one immediately thinks about the coffee machine prank. Absolutely no one so I won't even make that a thing, but I notice in that scene Buck "outs" Eddie by telling the team about Ana.

Hen: Ana who?... Is this the one you yelled at? Eddie: I apologized for that. Chim: Yeah okay and you still didn't ask her out? Eddie: She's Christopher's teacher. Bobby: I thought you said she got a new job. Buck: *crickets*

What's the intention behind Buck bursting this supposed secret and then not have him encourage Eddie? Like in his way, Buck could’ve said well, does she do this or that? Words of affirmation? Gift giving? Are yours and her love languages truly compatible? Oh, wait, there’s implications behind the book Buck is reading but also...there's implications behind Chim and Bobby's statements. They're implying okay so go for it. Neither Hen or Buck really do that. Why don’t we have Hen jumping on the encouragement train either? Instead she brings it back to that one unfortunate moment any of them really remembers of Ana... Hmm, it's secrets and coded messages and the one thing that Buck has said from this entire season that truly resonates with me:

Buck (directed to Eddie): The universe is screaming at you and it's like you're not even listening.

Irony is. Neither is he.

Oh wait, another line that resonates with me (and I made a recent post with it too):

Bobby (directed to Eddie): They're so focused on what they don't have that they might miss out on the chance to have something else, something real.

Something real. 

You really want me to think this line is about Ana Flores, even if Eddie thinks it somewhat is? And the foundation of it is to encourage Eddie to think about moving on, to stop being so STUCK (2x04 anyone?). If it really is about Ana then we're actually painting Bobby as the character who has no idea...? None whatsoever as to HOW CLOSE Buck and Eddie could be, if that's what they wanted. Seems fake, but okay. Bobby's line actually should highlight that they both are looking in the opposite direction when in fact the SOMETHING REAL is right in front of their faces. The something real is what Eddie came home to after his supposed date.

Just saying because to me it looks Buck and Eddie are still looking in and RUSHING INTO the PAST TENSE and have yet to understand the FUTURE TENSE. 

[redvanillabee]

m.o.m thoughts. spoilers under cut.

i can foresee the fandom reactions already and uh. let’s just say i’m glad my dash is very curated.

overall a pretty fun movie. i like the premise. i remember reading a post a while ago about how the cinematic universe now resembles the absolute chaos of the many, many comic universes, and i think it holds up. it’s a very good cinematic take on the overlapping universes of the comics. i like the idea.

a strange comment (ba-dum tss) to make this early on in the list, but you have no idea how happy i am that marvel remembers that hk speaks cantonese and actually hired someone who knows how to speak canto to play the hk sanctum leader. granted her pronunciation is so deliberate it sounds like she spent her entire life in a drama school/disneyland, but hey. i take what i can. we love them for that.

the cameos were god tier. we know hayley and lashana are in it. and i will say, if you liked lashana in no time to die, you will love her captain marvel ‘fit.

(reed richard was arguably the most underwhelming cameo tho, tbh)

peggy. my beloved. it’s been a long long time.

That Being Said.

i think i heard that scarlet witch was supposed to be a villain in the comics, and i can respect that.

but couldn’t we save wanda? she never asked to be the scarlet witch. couldn’t she have been more than a tragedy?

especially when you’ve brought out the Big Guns of reclaiming mind powers. you brought out Chawl, dammit. and yea i think in the comics chawl couldn’t save wanda either? but seriously. did it have to be like this?

also bringing back peggy and maria only to kill them like five minutes later was really bad form, marvel. i will die for both of my captains. answer my calls dammit.

not that i did not enjoy every single second of those five minutes, and peggy in that cap suit with a shield cleansed my soul cleared my skin and watered my crops. but dammit.

i can’t believe that for an inhuman ref they went with inhumans the show instead of aos. rip to the og marvel/abc shows i guess. marvel studios be like ac/aos who.

i like america chavez. yea. i don’t know how to expand on that but i like her, yea.

christine palmer. my underrated queen. i have missed you so much.

so when they first started making the movie they said they incorporated horror tropes yeah? they definitely delivered on that. it was a very good balance of a marvel movie and horror tropes. i cannot do horror movies at all, but i enjoyed those moments. 

i like the theme of exploring the idea of ‘there’s only one way’. the idea of consequences of a superhero’s choice, especially in relation to people who have universe-bending powers like strange.

overall: not marvel’s best, but most certainly not the worst.

[magicofthepen]

Having put some amount of thought into similar concepts, I would very much love to hear about “Gallifrey BUT FANTASY”

Send me a WIP doc title (list here) and I’ll talk about it!

Thank you for asking about this one! It’s an idea that’s been slowly coalescing for at least a year and a half now – it’s never quite made it onto the active projects list because it’s a big one, and I keep having other big projects that I want to tackle first. But I love gradually coming back to and building this au, and hopefully I’ll write it eventually?

The general world premise is pretty straightforward: magic replaces both time travel and regeneration, so it’s a magic-based world instead of a tech-based one, and also the ability to do magic is only given to certain Gallifreyans (a Time Lords = mages sort of thing). Also in this world the different temporal powers/planets are different countries/kingdoms/empires. 

The story itself would be a series of three longfics that starts with a very narrow cast and gradually broadens to a more sprawling epic fantasy vibe as the series continues. A quick overview:

Fic 1 is a Romana/Leela Rapunzel AU (inspired by Tangled specifically tbh), ft. Pandora as the Mother Gothel figure. 

Fic 2 is the immediate aftermath of Romana’s return to Gallifrey and the "power struggle over the throne” conflict that emerges between her and Darkel. (Narvin and Brax show up in this one.)

Fic 3 is set some number of years after Fic 2. It’s a “Pandora returns” fic, but narratively it’s more inspired by the Time War. Devastating magical conflict, large cast of characters, but does have a hopeful/happy-ish ending. (Also: Romana/Leela/Narvin endgame.) 

Lots more rambling under the cut: 

Fic 1: Rapunzel AU

This fic is technically Tangled-inspired, but I should disclaim that I haven’t actually seen Tangled in many years, so my memories of it are somewhat vague? But there’s one scene from Tangled that inspired a scene in this fic, plus a certain similar enemies-to-friends-to-lovers vibe going on, and some inspiration for Leela’s backstory (if I’m remembering that movie correctly)? 

Romana is the Rapunzel figure, of course. The heiress stolen away from the kingdom as a very young child, so she doesn’t remember anything before being raised by Pandora. In this story, Pandora’s endgame isn’t to keep her trapped away forever – she’s grooming Romana to be able to possess her when the time is right and take the throne for herself. (Still need to work out a lot of plot details, including how much contact Romana has with the outside world, how Pandora is able to manifest without a body?? (because she’s definitely still a dark spirit of some kind in this world....), the exact nature of magic and magical rituals and how exactly Pandora stealing Romana and raising her benefits her endgame.)

(Also there’s an Etra Prime reference here, with Romana being trapped away from the world for twenty years. In this au, Pandora is also the stand-in for the Daleks – aka who/what Romana is most afraid of and traumatized by.)

Leela’s backstory is a work in progress, so I don’t want to say too much in case I change it, but at the point her life and Romana’s collide, she’s lived in Gallifrey before and it was not a good time. (On a side note: I feel like this fic may be a thinly veiled excuse to give Leela a sword.) 

This fic majorly focuses on Romana and Leela’s relationship arc, aka “extremely sheltered book smart mage who's been cut off from love and connection her whole life” meets “warrior who’s traveled a lot but has never really found a home anywhere and is (probably?) on the run from the Gallifreyan authorities for Reasons.” Short version: their lives collide, Romana gets tangled up in Leela’s plot drama (which is also mostly tbd) and ends up sneaking away from Pandora, they fall in love, just as Romana starts to see how much she’s been used and manipulated her whole life, Pandora tries to tear them apart and use both of them as pawns in her plan. Of course, they defeat her and all ends well (for now).

Fic 2: Struggle for the Throne

For Reasons (that will be uncovered later), the throne of Gallifrey has quite recently become vacant – just in time for Romana and Leela to show up in the capital city (they don’t ever go there in Fic 1). Romana just wanted to see where she was from after finally escaping Pandora, but in this world, Gallifrey has some sort of monarchy/inheritance of power thing going on, and Romana is actually the closest heir to the throne. The next closest is Darkel, who assumed she would take the throne, before Romana suddenly returns from the dead.   

Except Romana didn’t come back to take the throne. That was Pandora’s plan, Romana doesn’t know what she wants to do with her life and had no idea that she was walking into a power vacuum situation. But she ends up seeing how very terrible Darkel is, and how very terrible Gallifrey is, and starts genuinely wanting to be in charge so she can Change Things. She sees how terrible Gallifrey is to Leela (and other outsiders and non-mages) and wants to make this place better for her.....but over time gets swept up in the power struggles and the need to court favor with the other royals, which strains her relationship with Leela. 

Meanwhile, Leela’s dealing with returning to Gallifrey, a place where she already feels unwelcome (and probably is in some trouble with the law and needs to clear her name? again, lots of backstory details are tbd). And so she ends up struggling to decide if she really wants to be with Romana, if Romana’s going to end up in charge of this kingdom.....but she also hates Darkel and wants to help defeat her claim to the throne? I think there’s also going to be a plot thread in Fic 1 involving the village Leela was born in, and if so, this fic will also be dealing with the fallout of those events from Fic 1. (Keeping things vague because it’s all pretty up in the air right now.) 

And we finally meet spymaster Narvin, who is a main character from here through the rest of the series! I’m not going to get into his backstory in this au right now (because some things are still tbd, some things I don’t want to spoil), but he is not pleased about this young upstart heiress showing up out of nowhere and getting power handed to her without ever actually living in this kingdom. He doesn’t trust that she’s actually loyal to Gallifrey, especially since rumor has it she was raised and given/taught magic by some dark spirit – which goes against the long-standing Gallifreyan traditions of how magic is granted and taught and raises some major questions about how safe the kingdom would be in her hands. (These are also the prevailing arguments in general for tossing Romana’s claim to the throne.) 

Narvin and Leela also have.....a history. Not a particularly positive one. 

So this fic is also slowburn enemies-to-friends with Narvin + Romana and Narvin + Leela, as they gradually grow to understand and trust each other, and ultimately all work together against Darkel.

Brax is also in this fic? I am quite nervous about Brax being in this fic (I don’t feel qualified to write Brax! I usually avoid writing Brax for that reason!) But he’s the main “well-respected mage from an old family” who actually vouches for Romana and tries to help soothe the fears of the more conservative royals about supporting her claim to the throne. I’d also like to do a version of the “Brax as Romana’s tutor” thing, where he ends up working with her on developing her magic, since she didn’t go through the Academy system and is worried that her magic is tainted by Pandora. There may also end up being an almost-arranged marriage plotline with Romana and Brax, where certain people would be more willing to support Romana’s claim if she married someone respectable (and this is another thing that drives a wedge in Romana and Leela’s relationship). (She ends up turning him down, ultimately.) 

So it’s a fic about characters figuring out what they want in life and figuring out how to communicate better with each other and be better at relationships and friendships, all the while trying to stop Darkel from seizing the throne. 

Fic 3: Magical War

So there’s a significant time skip between Fic 2 and Fic 3 where the characters are going about their lives post-Darkel’s defeat and trying to make Gallifrey a somewhat less terrible place. 

But, however Romana and Leela defeat Pandora in Fic 1, it isn’t permanent. And when Pandora returns, it’s with an army of magical spirits (or something along those lines) that are slowly encroaching on the kingdom and poisoning magic itself (aka the Dogma virus But Fantasy). 

I don’t want to spoil too many of the plot details here, but this fic is a lot of “fantasy twist on specific events in the Gallifrey audios” – it draws some elements from the civil war, some from the Time War (especially because of that whole “Pandora is also Metaphorically the Daleks” thing), plus some other Specific Things from other audios. (Basically, I tossed the Gallifrey audios in a soup and stirred and made it fantasy?) 

Slow skirmishes and terrible attacks on the outskirts of the kingdom keep happening, Pandora’s forces draw closer and closer until they reach the capitol itself – and things go very wrong, and our main characters end up needing to wrest control back from Pandora (which may involve upending the entire system of magic in Gallifrey in the process? again, still figuring out how this fic is going to end – all I know is that unlike the actual audios, it will be a hopeful/happy ending). Lots of personal sacrifices are made, lots of old traumas need to be grappled with. Also re: Narvin/Leela and Narvin/Romana, this is the “friends to lovers” part of the “enemies to friends to lovers” slowburn arc. 

(Probably my biggest writing struggle for this fic is that I don’t really know what Brax’s arc is going to be. I’m not that familiar with Brax (I only know him from the Gallifrey audios), and I’m not strongly invested in his character, so I don’t feel like I’d do a good job writing him? But this is an ensemble fic and I can’t just ignore his character, so. it’s a challenge I don’t yet know how to deal with?)

But overall, one of the reasons I’m quite interested in this fic series is because it gives me the chance to write a version of these characters’ stories where things do get rough, but they do get a happy ending of sorts. (And more specifically, I get to write a version of Romana’s story where her self-sacrificing/suicidal tendencies actually get addressed, and she slowly starts to heal.) 

So that was a lot of rambling and vagueness, but thanks for giving me the excuse to talk about this au! It’s quite a daunting project (I have little experience with longfic and with plotty fic), but I’d really love to tackle it someday! (And I would love to hear about any fantasy aus you’ve developed!!)

[obsessivelollipoplalala]

I see you’re a woman of culture 😌 I LOVE The Book of Mormon, POTO, Something Rotten; they’re definitely in my top 5. I’m also a Sondheim fan. I love LesMis, Chicago (the movie), Cabaret, Hairspray, Legally Blonde, Hedwig and the Angry Inch and dare I say it, Cats (NOT the movie, and before you ask, no I’m not a furry lmao). Falsettos, Dogfight and Rent make me cry like a baby. Avenue Q is good but I think it’s a bit dated.

Anyways on the topic of RPF or fanfiction in general, what’s like the worst fic you’ve encountered? That one I talked about definitely scarred me the most, but I also saw fics where the entire premise is a female Y/N “turning Freddie straight” and having heterosexual sex with him which is just ew. And tbh I personally don’t have anything against old man thirst/PD!Queen fics (not including fics that normalize ped0philia etc), it’s just… some things are harder to stomach than others lol. As long as they keep it in their corner of the Internet and do not present it to the people they write about, live and let live.

Actually now that I think about the old man thirst, it’s a bit concerning to see literal children in their preteen and early teen years openly thirsting for old men, like men in their 60-80s. This goes beyond the Queen fandom, and applies to the wider classic rock fandom. The things I’ve read… They’re not just cute innocent crushes, they’re literally talking about present day rock stars in a very explicit, sexual way. A LOT of kids are getting into classic rock now; I sent you that ask about Tiktok and I’m not exaggerating when I say I see a lot of 11-14 classic rock fans (who like bands like Motley Crue, The Rolling Stones, Led Zeppelin, Aerosmith, The Who…) And this opens up to all kinds of problems; I’ve seen a lot of them talk about how creepy old men would disguise themselves as their faves online and talk to them, ask for their number/address, etc.

-----------

Oh yeah, Avenue Q is a product of its time. It was 2003 and it even has the line that George Bush is "only for now" in the last song lol. A lot has changed in our culture over the past 18 years. Sondheim is my favorite composer, hands-down. He's a genius and his music is so damn smart a lot of times. I haven't seen all of the other ones you've mentioned, but I'll be controversial and say that not only am I not a fan of Cats or POTO (with the latter, it has good songs but I think they're better out of context because the characters suck), but god, I really dislike RENT lol. I know a lot of people love it and that's fine. I'm glad you can get more enjoyment out of it than I can. I cried my eyes out when I watched it in 8th grade, but then I watched it when I got older and really did not enjoy it anymore.

Ooo boy, you're asking the real controversial questions lol. I'm definitely uncomfortable with the type of stories you mentioned. RPF is a complicated topic and I have mixed thoughts on it, but the short version is that I do think there are lines that shouldn't be crossed with it. I...really hate to name any specific fic....But. There's this person who has posted a ton of stories and they've gained quite a reputation. The stories tend to have these common themes: young Freddie being physically ill in some way (so some lowkey illness exploitation, for lack of a better term), the other members of the band being medical professionals who are either related to Freddie or his partners, some underage shit, random George Michael cameos, a dentistry fetish, and a tickling fetish. There are other things thrown in their work, but those are the things that pop up the most frequently.

I'm sorry, but it's the strangest collection of stories I've ever come across. I read just the descriptions of these stories to friends who've been reading fic for a long time, and they agree they've never seen such a weird collection. I think it would be weird if it were regular old fanfiction, but the fact that it's RPF is...Idk. I might get my head bitten off but I'm very uncomfortable with these stories which revolve around making Freddie medically suffer in some way when he really died of a terminal illness. This is where the stories go from strange to offensive for me. It's not like these stories deal with his real AIDS diagnosis, either, but stuff he didn't actually have irl. I saw one description where he'd need a lung transplant (?!) and closed the fuck out of AO3. Just, why? Where is the enjoyment out of imagining such a thing? Why not just write this story with a fictional character if it's going to have nothing to do with Queen? It honestly unnerves me. Oh, and the formatting of the stories themselves is absolutely unreadable. I clicked on one out of sheer curiosity but the lack of spaces and paragraph breaks hurt my eyes.

I do think the old man thirst is concerning when the people doing it are very young. Sorry but....kids aren't supposed to find senior citizens attractive lmfao. It definitely seems to be a thing in the wider classic rock fandom. I was going to say they'll just outgrow it, but if these kids on Tiktok are really talking about older men talking to them while posing as their idols, that's really concerning. Reason #7234 TikTok was a fucking mistake and I'm so glad I'm not on there.

[lovedsammy]

All right. I’ve seen El Camino twice now because the first time I was way too emotional to really give my thoughts on it. The second time around, I really got to think about the movie as a whole. And I really, really loved it. 9/10 for me.

I love that this movie centers not just on Jesse, but those who’ve shaped him as the man he’s become by the end of the movie. Those people being Walt, Mike, Jane, Brock, and unfortunately Todd and his gang. The movie’s premise was about an abused man trying to escape the horrors he’s suffered and get to freedom. That was it. Would I have liked to have seen more? Hell yes. But then we’d have a 4+ hour movie (something I’d be okay with tbh) but just seeing the end to Jesse’s story was enough for me.

- I loved that Jesse’s PTSD wasn’t brushed aside. While it became less apparent throughout the movie, the implication is still there that Jesse is both literally and emotionally scarred for life. He’s going to have days where his torture breaks him. He’s going to take a long time to heal, if he ever does. But we’re left with hope that he’s going to be okay.

- Speaking of the PTSD, the abuse Jesse suffered was.... horrendous. The dark scares him. Hot showers are a trigger because he was subject to water torture. He has scars on his back from having to run around the lab with a harness strapped to his back yanking him painfully back and forth while his captors laugh. And I’m sure there’s a hell of a lot more that we didn’t see. But we didn’t need to. It was awful enough. I was crying so much seeing those scenes and didn’t know how I was going to get through the first 10 minutes at first. I kept pausing because I was crying too much. I didn’t know if I was going to be able to handle the entire movie if it was like that. Luckily it wasn’t.

- The ending was perfect and everything I wanted. He’s free, in Alaska, away from the horror of it all and able to be his own man. He can live in peace and quiet and try live a semblance of a normal life. Seeing his content smile at the end vs the erratic, crying/screaming reaction in Felina.. it was a striking parallel. Jesse was free in Felina, but only physically. This movie was him being free in every sense of the word.

- The plot, while not overly riveting, does just what it needs to. Jesse needs money. How does he get that? He remembers where Todd had it, because Todd was so careless to show Jesse his apartment. Todd didn’t think Jesse would ever try and escape and would never succeed in doing so. He could tell Jesse because Jesse was an obedient pet and wouldn’t go anywhere. All the while Jesse is trying to evade not just the police, but also the last of his kidnappers. The scene where he realizes the two weren’t cops and instead were working for Todd was nerve-wracking. Especially the one guy who built his literal shackles. He had to escape from that guy, too. Not just Todd and Jack’s gang.

- The shootout was badass. Jesse didn’t want to kill anymore but he had no choice if he wanted to be really free. Killing them was him killing the last of his demons.

- I LOVE the fact that it was Mike who made the Alaska suggestion. Jesse went there as one last attempt to honor Mike. Their relationship is one of my fave things about the show and I love that we see how Mike shaped Jesse. In the shootout scene, Jesse was very reminiscent of Mike, too.

- Jesse choosing to remember Walt as the kind family man who wanted him to go to college and not the asshole he became and tearing up at hearing his death... kill me. How is this boy still so empathetic and forgiving even after everything he’s been through? I don’t think he forgave Walt, not really, but he’s choosing to remember him in a better light and that speaks volumes about Jesse’s character.

- Seeing Jane again was so emotional, especially while Jesse is driving to freedom in Alaska. He’s taking her advice and going where he chooses to. He’s making his own way, his own path. Very fitting since the title “El Camino” can translate to “the path” or “the way.”

- I actually like that Ed (the disappearer) made Jesse work for his 2nd chance, even if it was frustrating. He wanted to see how badly Jesse wanted this, and Jesse was determined. When Ed is reading Jesse’s letter to Brock at the end, I think he saw some of the pain that Jesse’s endured and realized he needed a fresh start more than anyone. Jesse earned it.

- the letter to Brock hurt me. That is all.

- Skinny Pete & Badger are the best friends Jesse could ever ask for. They were so gentle with him and empathized and really tried to help him. I love them so much for that.

For those of us that love Jesse, I feel this film was not only essential but healing. I loved it so much. I can’t wait to rewatch it more and more.

[somewhereoverbifrost]

Hey tumblr! Today I am going to vent about animation and representations of black people. This is a longtime frustration of mine, mainly because it's so ridiculous and so persistent. I am not funny, so just try to bear with me.

I am so sick of black people being turned into animals and other nonanthropomorphic entities in animated films.

Let me start by saying, it's not a bad thing to do if it's not the standard, but it's a longstanding standard. This is a comprehensive list of everything I can remember, many being films that I quite enjoyed and still do sometimes. But as a body, I am SO tired of it, and pretty offended too tbh. I want to also say that this doesn't just go for black people, it goes for Native American, Hispanic, and Asian cultures as well, but I'm being specific to black people because of the sheer prevalence that makes it so that it's an industry standard with black people and also Im black so I can remember relating to these characters, and being happy that a lot of them existed and were so cool, and then realizing this is all I was ever going to get. Almost all of it is Disney, but not quite. So here goes.

Let's start with just early Disney. Start with the music.

Dumbo

The crows in Dumbo. Jim the Crow. "The personalities and mannerisms of the crows—specifically their fast-paced, back and fourth dialogue—were inspired by the backchat found in the band records of African Americans artists of the time, such as Cab Calloway and Louis Armstrong. The crows were also inspired by African Americans on a deeper level; according to animation historian, John Canemaker, the crows sympathize with Dumbo's plight, as they are also an alienated group, ostracized because of their physical being."

Next! The Aristocats

It's jazz and as much as white people tried you really cant have jazz without black people. Scat Cat was originally supposed to be voiced by Louis Armstrong too, but he got sick and Scatman Crothers voiced him instead.

The Jungle Book

The Jungle Book was problematic on so many counts, but I'm going to try and stay focused here.

The Jungle Book was part of the Golden Age of Disney, where the music was better, fun, and more relatable. And everybody loves animals. So it's a perfect recipe for success. Make the animals talk, and you can have so much fun. It's true. BUT the music in style is largely based on black culture. It's the 60s. You want fun music that appeals to kids and it's pretty much unavoidable. The apes and monkeys in the Jungle Book are singing probably the most memorable song in the movie, "I Wanna Be Like You", that falls into a genre called "jump swing". I don't want to get into the racism of the song or the film at large tbh. I just want to say, that these black-coded characters were apes. At this point, Disney realizes they could use black culture without depicting black people on screen ever or even using black voice actors. Disney wanted Louis Armstrong originally, but thought it would be viewed as racist *looks into the camera like she's in the office*

The Fox and the Hound

Allegory for racism that even a five year old can pick up. Tod is not coded as black but his story is, and it's intentional.

Oliver and Company

The Lion King

It's Africa and rooted partially in African music. (Thank you for the play, I'm in love with it)

Tarzan

I don't know if I'd really include Tarzan in this one. It's always been lumped in on this list in my mind, but there's so much weirdness about Tarzan. They took out all the African natives because the depictions in the book were so racist (and let's be real, Disney would have done a horrible job trying to make them NOT racist at the time) but it's Africa and they ALL talk and are give human coding. It was a completely white cast so I'm close to not including it, but I cannot conceptualize they made a movie in the heart of Africa with zero black people, so I'm keeping it on the list.

Mulan

Eddie Murphy's voice is the voice of comedy tbh. It's so recognizable, and so recognizably black that it's to not think of his character as also black, despite being a dragon in China. All of the voice actors for every human were of East Asian or Western European deescent, so it really does stand out.

Shark Tale

Jamaican culture and African American culture and voice qctors

Ice Age

Ellie

Osmosis Jones

Behold, the black lead! A blood cell.

Madagascar

Set in New York and Madagascar with a mostly white cast, but several black cast members as well. This one is very rooted in the premise of the animals REALLY being animals, so I think it barely deserves to be on the list, but it's still on the list.

Shrek

Eddie Murphy's voice is so unmistakable. They're are so many white characters in Shrek, but also literally every other voice actor is white so it really stands out. I wonder if they'd ever let him voice an animated black man.

The Princess and the Frog

Black protagonists turn both turn into frogs.

Zootopia

Unlike The Fox and the Hound, Zootopia's terrible and super messy allegory for prejudice is not why incuded it. Zootopia is supposed to be a haven for all cultures and creeds. The writers' goals were to make them diverse. The cast is diverse and the characters are diverse and it's self-evident. Again, these are not bad movies necessarily or even bad forms of representation. It's just...the vast majority of representation we get.

Soul

Black protagonist turns into a soul blob

Spies in Disguise

Black protagonist turns into a bird.

Let me be clear. There are so many animated films that choose to portray their characters as animals or animated objects. It may well be half or at least the majority. It makes sense. It often sells, and it keeps the budget lower normally. I think that's great, and I think it's great to have a diversity of cultures and walks of life in those films and in the voice actors who play them. Representation matters. However, the dearth of human animated black characters that get to stay human and stay black compared to the wealth of human white characters that get to stay human and stay white is really incredible and it never stops. I've been frustrated about this since high school when Disney baited me with finally getting a black princess, and Tiana was, at the time, the only Disney Princess who had ever not been allowed to be a human the entire time. I was heartbroken.

Thank god for Spiderman: Into the Universe. It was such an incredible, indescribable feeling to see that in theaters, I could have cried.

[keen2meecha]

Novel Prep Tag: gifted

Thanks for tagging me, @aziz-writes! You’re a gem as always!

Note: I’m talkative, so most of my side comments are crossed out don’t mind me

First Look

1. Describe your novel in 1-2 sentences (elevator pitch)

After nearly failing the application test, a young girl rejected by a superpowered society for not having a superpower* of her own is accepted into Falks, a school that teaches kids how to be superheroes. But after an attack on the school nearly kills her and her classmates, she must learn to work with her new friends before one of her oldest friends is lost forever. 

(*’superpowers’ in this universe are called Gifts, and those who have them are called Gifted. The minority who don’t have Gifts are called Ungifted. The title is ironic and also a reference to a running joke Sofia has with herself)

2. How long do you plan for your novel to be? (Novella, single book, book series, etc.)

It’s the first book in a series! Right now I have four books, but since I’m a chronic overwriter, that may or may not have to be extended to five books.

3. What’s your novel’s aesthetic?

Honestly? Aesthetics aren’t really my thing, so I’m not sure. Maybe soft warm colors, that surprised flutter in your chest when someone gives you a thoughtful present, the ache after yet another workout, that scratchy feeling in your throat when your right on the edge of crying but no one else can tell? This started out as a lighthearted superhero story I swear-

4. What other stories inspire your novel?

If you’re an anime fan, you’ll probably look at the general premise of this and some of the basic details of some of the characters and go “Wait a second, that’s a lot like My Hero Academia” and listen. I know. It’s not the same plot though, I promise! Really, at this point, I’d like to think that it’s undergone so many changes that the two are pretty decently removed, but *shrugs*. I’m not as pressed about it anymore. 

I was also loosely inspired by Harry Potter, simply because my book also takes place throughout a school year, so I’m using Harry Potter as a frame of reference for pacing (theoretically). That being said, trans rights and fuck JK Rowling am I right?

5. Share 3+ images that give a feel for the novel

For the sake of saving space, I’ll not do that this go around. But imagine fireworks, a freshly brewed cup of tea, and an overwhelmingly expensive weight room and you’ve got a pretty good image of three important things in this book.

Main Characters

6. Who is your protagonist?

Sofia Smith! The Ungifted girl with a chip on her shoulder! Also an utter jock who usually wears athleisurewear and trust me, I’m as thrilled as you are about that. I don’t work out! I don’t even know what a healthy workout routine looks like! What have I done-

7. Who is their closest ally?

I’d say it’s a toss-up between Leona Kita, a girl she meets during the application tests who quickly becomes her new best friend and is not all that she seems, and Romilly Quirke, a teacher at Falks with whom she develops a close mentorship and is not all that she seems

8. Who is their enemy?

In the beginning, it’s Kyran ‘Kruze’ Cinege, Sofia’s childhood friend-turned-enemy. However, the turning point of the novel is when it’s revealed that while she and Kruze are always fighting (physically or not), there’s someone out there who’s actively trying to kill her and that person might be a more pressing threat than Kruze.

You may also see me occasionally mention The Prophet’s Daughter, who, like all of the important antagonists in this series, hilariously still doesn’t have an actual name. It’s fine. Everything’s fine.

9. What do they want more than anything?

To become the top Hero it’s not bnha you weeb

10. Why can’t they have it?

She’s Ungifted, so no one believes she can do it. Not only that, but also every single other person in her class at Falks is highly qualified - they’re the most promising kids in the country, after all - and also highly motivated to do the same, so she’s got... a lot of competition.

11. What do they wrongly believe about themselves?

That she can hold up the weight of the world on her own - worse, that she has to hold up the weight of the world on her own. Among other things

12. Draw your protagonist! (Or share a description)

Not an artist, but I can freely say that Sofia’s face claim is Amandla Stenberg (especially Hunger Games era Amandla Stenberg because, you know, high school).

Plot Points

13. What is the internal conflict?

She’s desperately lonely, but to admit she needs other people is to admit weakness, and to admit weakness is to admit defeat - something she absolutely cannot do. I mean, not really and it’s okay to ask for help, but she doesn’t know that. We’re working on it.

14. What is the external conflict?

Sofia is fighting the entire world to become a Hero and also someone is trying to kill her and her classmates. 

Oh and each book revolves around her relationship (platonic or otherwise) with one of what I call the ‘core five’ changing and developing in a radically game-changing way. In this book, it’s her and Kruze struggling to come to terms with elements of their past and maybe overcome their conflict to become friends again...? Except their both stubborn assholes and have been fighting for so long they can’t remember how to exist in the same room without one of them blowing up eventually (literally, in Kruze’s case) (I’ll probably talk more about the core five in a different post tbh)

15. What is the worst thing that could happen to your protagonist?

Oof. Well. If someone died on her watch, that’d be pretty bad for her. Good thing that’ll never happen though! Haha...ha...hm.

16. What secret will be revealed that changes the course of the story?

Of this story? Shit maybe they weren’t after me after all. The story as a whole? Wait, you’re my what?

17. Do you know how it ends?

I actually have the epilogue of the last book already planned out! I will cry when I actually write it. But the end of the main plotline? Eh... I know who all is involved, and what all of the characters have evolved into at that point. But how Sofia and co. actually defeat the BBEG? I am... less sure.

18. What is the theme?

In this book specifically: it’s okay to step back and ask for help when you’re struggling - just because you can’t do it on your own doesn’t mean you don’t deserve to be where you are.

In the overall series: something something found family something the power of friendship.

19. What is a recurring symbol?

Oh damn, this is a really good question. In fact, since I’m still in first draft mode (although I did write maybe a good quarter or so of a zero draft) I don’t think any have really emerged that I’ve noticed yet? But I guess I’ll come back and update this if I think of anything.

20. Where is the story set? (Share a description!)

It’s set in a very fancy, very modern private school that’s on the edge of a city somewhere near Washington D.C. I’m... not great at describing environments/settings, though, so that’s all you get haha

21. Do you have any images or scenes in your mind already?

Oh yeah, plenty. I have this whole book outlined, actually, on a chapter-by-chapter level! I got excited and also bored during my three-hour-interim between classes, and there was a whiteboard just asking to be filled... I even have some disconnected scenes from future books floating around in my mind - some incredibly emotional and poignant, some glorified shitposts. Ah, writing. It’s such a magnificent hobby.

22. What excited you about this story?

The characters! No joke, there are sixteen kids in the Falks class including Sofia, and every single one of them has their own complex backstories, motivations, and character arcs - not to mention I’ve spent a significant portion of time outlining each of their Gifts and figuring out how exactly they work. I could ramble about any of them for hours.

And that’s not even mentioning Sofia’s family, the villains, the teachers... I just really love every single character in this book!

23. Tell us about your usual writing method!

Step one: watch or read something. Anything. A movie, another book, a commercial, a music video, a tiktok, I’m not kidding just about anything will do. Step two: think ‘oh, I could do that better’. Step three: jot down some early lines or general ideas. Step four: leave it to stew for a little while as you think ‘oh jeez maybe I can’t do it as well as I thought’. Step five: get suddenly inspired on it and feverishly carve out several rough chapters. Step six: let it stew some more. Step seven: get newly inspired, realize how much has changed in your mind about that earlier draft, call that the zero draft, and actually do an outline this time. Step eight: ...Write it for realsies this time!

Whew, that was a doozie! Super fun though! So, according to the rules, you’re supposed to tag the same number of people as questions you answered. So there are 23 questions, and it turns out I’ve got exactly 23 people who (I don’t think) aren’t opposed to tag games, so here, have something besides a last line tag for once! Enjoy!

REMEMBER! You are under no obligation to do this - especially since this one can seem overwhelming. I’ll be thrilled if you do it, but I won’t be disappointed or upset if you pass.

Anyways, tagging: @alcego-writes, @alanwrites, @ajbrooks-writes, @evergrcen, @jewellsfrommaruss, @brookswriting, @signedjordan, @writhoelogy, @the-violet-writer, @dustylovelyrun, @linarious, @cookiecutterwrites, @honeyprincerising, @acaptainandhisrunaway, @angelolytle, @dogwrites, @mxxnwishes, @magicalwriting, @bisexual-in-progress, @writerfae, @ocmaker, @fullydevoted, @hanboggsbooks

[primeministerofantarctica]

In honor of your name, the stars section!

im honored! (and putting it under a cut)

stars: interests

aldebaran: what is your most obnoxious interest?

lbr nobody cares about the smurfs 😔

algol: favourite planet? favourite space object?

pluto! (”oh but it’s a-” dwarf PLANET. right there in the name :). as for object, probably the mars opportunity rover because i remember when humans were coming together to mourn it shutting down and i just, people were getting emotional about a machine they had probably never even seen on an entirely different planet and i think that’s beautiful

61 cygni: favourite time period?

i was really into the 1930s/ great depression era as a kid? not the most glamorous but it sure was neat

castor: favourite band/artist?

it’s a toss-up between porter robinson or oh honey tbh

pollux: draw the art cover of your favourite album/song

worlds by porter robinson except it’s drawn in the notes app on my phone 

riegel: put your music on shuffle and give us the first five songs

she is by the fray, celebrity status by marianas trench, question by natewantstobattle, pay no mind by madeon, boogie wonderland by earth, wind, and fire

betelgeuse: which video games gives you nostalgia for a place you have never been to?

any of those retro arcade games, remember when arcades were a thing because i sure don’t (jk, i know they’re out there but they’re so overpriced)

agena: what is your favourite moment from a game?

when they find a ghost in the dorms that turns out to be not a ghost, just a very strange human. iconic.  

deneb: you can turn one book into a movie,tv show or video game. which one are you picking?

maximum ride! you remember reading that in middle school right? god, it had such a cool premise but then completely fell apart with it’s contrived plot and flat characters. i’d love a chance to play around in that world and see what i could make!

atair: why is your favourite book, well, your favourite? do you have a favourite quote from it?

it’s a bit cliche, but the hitchhiker’s guide to the galaxy is fucking GREAT for just. learning not to care about unimportant things. if the world gets blown up by an intergalactic road service tomorrow, it won’t matter if i post this indulgent fic, so I should absolutely do it. also i will never write an opening line as good as “The ships hung in the sky in the same way as bricks don’t”.

prokyon: grab the nearest book, to to page 145 and give us the first sentence.

Lombard murmured, “There’s a slight difference in size, my dear, between a man and a revolver.” (from and then there were none by agatha christie)

acrux: where and when do you like to read the most?

reading in bed just before going to sleep is a staple of self care

spica: when do you consider a movie “good”?

when i cry, or when i want to write an analytical essay about it

antares: think of a movie which means a lot to you, now describe the first scene that comes into your mind!

that part in coco where it shows hector playing “remember me” to his daughter, god i cry every time.

proxima centauri: if you would have the chance to travel the world, which places or countries would you like to see?

I don’t know... well, at the risk of sounding like a weeb, I’d like to see the Tezuka museum and drive-in tori restaurant in Japan 

algol: you have to assassinate someone. which weapon do you choose?

bow and arrows. good for long distance, not as loud as firearms, seems like an obvious choice as long as you mind the fingerprints

mimosa: what do you associate with your favourite colour?

the endless void of space, cats that melt into the shadows, the leather jacket of that cute punk girl that just walked by,

sirius a/b: what’s your favourite sound and smell? 

lemon or vanilla! (aside from music im not really a sound person)

thanks for the ask! <3

[uribo-in-space]

Star Trek TOS First Time Viewing  Reaction - S2E2: Who Mourns for Adonais?

DISCLAIMER: I have seen some TNG and Voyager when I was a child and later the AOS movies as a teenager. I felt quarantine time was the right moment to begin the ambitious project “Star Trek marathon 2020/(2021?20??)”, meaning I’m going to watch all of Star Trek starting with TOS finishing with Disco (or maybe we have Strange New Worlds by the time I catch up haha). I started TOS last month and I AM LIVING. IT’S AWESOME and sparks so much joy. I decided I could just write up my thoughts as I am viewing it for the first time as a memory of the experience, not knowing most episodes at all. So, there we go.

Spoilers obviously - just in case somebody else is 50 years late like me, haha.

Opening scene: Scotty flirts with a female lieutenant on the bridge. So far so cute. What about the dialogue from Bones and Kirk accompanying this scene though?

MCCOY: I'm not sure I like that, Jim. KIRK: Why, Bones? Scotty's a good man. MCCOY: And he thinks he's the right man for her, but I'm not sure she thinks he's the right man. On the other hand, she's a woman. All woman. One day she'll find the right man and off she'll go, out of the service. KIRK: I like to think of it not so much losing an officer as gaining SCOTT: Come along. (He and Carolyn enter the turbolift.) KIRK: Actually, I'm losing an officer.

like - what? I had to rewatch this scene to fully understand what they’re saying. I think it’s interesting that, despite TOS being like 50 years old now, I find it easy to forget we’re actually in the 60s/70s when binge watching. Watching it now is sometimes a weird meta experience as you tend to overlook elements that were considered super futuristic in the 60s but are perfectly normal now, so that you actually miss some FUTURISTIC elements because you’re living those aspects of FUTURE already. Yes, of course women quitting their jobs after marriage still happens, but it is not considered a “rule” or “natural order of events” anymore, and is (talking from a western perspective) more of a choice and you would not assume this happening automatically. Especially if you produced an utopian sci-fi series today, that concept would probably not be included. Anyway, it’s pretty interesting that female Starfleet members seem to drop out of service after marriage and it is not considered something a captain or anyone can do something about in the future (I mean, apparently the men still continue their service? I only have divorced Bones for reference so far though). Anyway, TLDR, I am not judging the 60s relics as they are a product of their time, I think they are rather an interesting addition to the viewing experience in 2020, considering the writers did think this concept would persist in the far future. Back to the episode.

IS THAT A GIANT HAND IN SPACE

I love that Chekov casually assumes he has hallucinations - like bro do you have reasons to believe that and what did you do in your free time

This hand really kills me. I also could not believe what I am seeing but I love it

Spock stating he is not offended because you need emotions to be offended - interesting, Spock, so what happened when Kirk pulled a yo mama joke on you in that Paradise Hippie Love Romance Pollen episode (man that was a gem of an episode)

Chekov has one of the most HILARIOUS lines in that episode (next to having one of the most hilarious hairstyles, his hairstyle looks like an interesting over the top take on the Beatles haircut and his head looks so much like a mushroom I feel like he has a side job in Mario Kart):

APOLLO: Search your most distant memories, those of the thousands of years past, and I am there. Your fathers knew me, and your father's fathers. I am Apollo.

CHEKOV: And I am the tsar of all the Russias.

KIRK: Mister Chekov.

CHEKOV: I'm sorry, Captain. I never met a god before.

Chekov be sassy to gods

I can’t let this haircut go, as it got me thinking: Is there a hairdresser on the Enterprise?

That’s a thing to explore

What gossip that person might hear sign me up

So, the guy really is the God Apollo huh

Costume note 1: That toga Apollo wears is SO SMALL like - “SIR nice to meet you but you’re REVEALING THINGS please sit with more modesty OR - NO NOT LIKE THAT”

Costume note 1, addition: Nice to see the ratio of revealing costumes of men & women wearing sexy revealing clothing in this episode is very equal

Apollo really has a worshipping kink huh

But as a Greek god you probably have that

Also where ARE the other gods? Like he just casually says they are all gone... “with the wind” but... why? Did they suffer from worship withdrawal like he does now?

Also: I really LOVE the concept they introduced that the Ancient Greek gods were just a bunch of space travellers visiting Earth who decided to chill there for a while and be all powerful and worshipped. But as Kirk says in the end they were a huge factor for mankind to move to the Golden Age, which is a cool thought.

Seriously what a fun premise? I would watch that as a series. Hera, Artemis, Zeus, Apollo etc. all chilling on their ship and having fights and romances and space adventures on strange planets. I imagine them being a really chaotic and high-maintenance bunch though

Thinking about it, Apollo said he was a demi-god with a human mother (if I understood that correctly) so basically he was born on Earth and never saw (what I assumed is) their home planet until he was an adult and they returned (why did they return?)? But the Enterprise crew defeats him by finding out his “god powers” are actually originating from the temple structure on the planet, so does that work long distance then?? Like they could access their home planet powers from far away...? And not the powers themselves are passed down by genes but rather the access to it? Or is it that they need worship to thrive (like that’s why it worked on Earth and they just need a temple?) Questions over questions. Love the concept overall.

Kirk, Scotty and Chekov talking about energy patterns and science and how to defeat Apollo (also Chekov you’re such a smart boy! and he says he is only 22 in this episode awwW and the others are looking at him like - wow a child is with us) and Bones just randomly... grabs a bowl of fruit, holds it a bit and puts it aside - as I saw no note for that in the script I think it was improvised by Kelley... but why? Like was somebody from the staff whispering last minute “oh no that bowl is ruining the shot take it away subtly if you can”? It really startled me but it’s kinda funny.

Chekovs hair is even more FLUFFY and voluminous in this scene like did they bring the Enterprise’s hairdresser with them? (It’s cute)

CHEKOV: Perhaps if I assisted. KIRK: How old are you? CHEKOV: Twenty two, sir. KIRK: Then I'd better handle it.

Also I like protective Scotty in this episode. I think it is one of the first times he really gets some character development and proper screen time

Kirk being choked by Apollo is on the thin line of really intense acting and passing into Shatners school of overacting but - it works so I am giving a thumbs up for very INTENSE acting

I feel somebody shouted at him “MORE INTENSE” “MORE MOANING” “INTENSITYYY” “BE MORE CHOKED”

Lieutenant Carolyn is kind of a weak character and is pretty much the embodiment of a 60s ideal of a woman but HELL she is beautiful

Costume Note 3: I actually like the cut of her costume, it is an imaginative take on the toga and also sexy - I was surprised they aired it like that tbh - like from one side it looks like she is topless really

Costume Note 3 addition: but then HOW did they fix it? Like she’s not wearing any kind of bra and the fabric is not attached to anything so I guess they glued it to her skin in a lot of places huh - also there is a scene with a storm and a strong wind where I feel the way she tries to protect and cover herself is not just acting but really an attempt by the actress to catch her costume from flying away and not trusting the glue the costume people used

I don’t want to imagine how many wardrobe malfunctions she had with that costume and how many times she stood there topless in front of everyone so... idk

I guess same goes for Apollos costume lol so fair

On a more positive note on the portrayal of women is Uhura’s role here. Her in that mechanics uniform building a bypass circuit in that crammed space under her console (she still has her full hairdo which gets all squished oh NO and the hairdresser is down on the planet fixing Chekovs mushroom!) - you go girl

UHURA: Mister Spock, I haven't done anything like this in years. If it isn't done just right, I could blow the entire communications system. It's very delicate work, sir.

SPOCK: I can think no one better equipped to handle it, Miss Uhura. Please proceed.

Thumbs up for the supporting Spock.

Also I love every time Spock takes over the Bridge. It’s so cool.

So that’s all! Overall a campy episode at first look but I was pleasantly surprised by the concept of the Greek Gods being space travellers etc. Thumbs up for that giant hand too (pun intended). I like to imagine that like with episodes that play in a middle-age setting they just had a set from another movie lying around and thought - how can we make this a strange planet - but that’s really part of the charme of it for me.

This was a long text huh.

BONUS QUOTE (or rather BONES QUOTE?) - as it was my favorite:

MCCOY: To coin a phrase, fascinating. 

[atamascolily]

further thoughts on terminator 2

This movie is so interesting to me: it's sequel, foil, retcon, and remake of T1, all wrapped up in one. Yet it also stands reasonably well on its own. I think you could watch this and still follow the plot without having seen the first one.

I say "remake," because there's really only one Terminator plot: "A cyborg from the future is trying to kill you for Reasons; good thing you have some help!" T2 is basically the same story as T1, with John instead of Sarah as the protagonist, and with a new antagonist and guardian.

T2 is able to get away with this by deliberately referencing the first movie, playing with audience expectations, and by shifting the genre from horror to action. As a result, T2 looks and feels very different, even though the plot is essentially the same.

T1 (horror): '80s; bloody; scary; everyone except Sarah and Silbermann die; resigned and sad ending. T2 (action): '90s; shockingly little blood; tense; only a handful of characters die, and many of those are off-screened/not shown directly; hopeful and moving ending.

While I like T2 a lot, T1 is my favorite of the two, despite the fact that I am not a fan of horror, blood, or massive amounts of violence. In addition to having way more Michael Biehn, T1 is shockingly more feminist than T2, despite Sarah's incredible arm muscles.

[Basically, I want an entire movie filmed like that one dream sequence in T2, in which Sarah is continually haunted by/arguing/making out with Kyle's ghost. I'm just saying... MISSED OPPORTUNITIES HERE, PEOPLE!]

I haven't seen the other Terminator movies, but it's telling to me that James Cameron didn't want to be involved with a third movie, saying that he felt like he'd told the story he wanted to tell and move on to different projects. Based on the plot summaries of the subsequent results--T3, Salvation and Genisys--I think the writers got stuck on how to make their versions as engaging and interesting as the first two and/or didn't understand what makes the first two movies work.

In addition to the old "how do you make the same plot look interesting the xth time around?," there's the question of characters. Schwarzenegger is only one half of what makes the Terminator movies so iconic. The other half is Sarah Connor. I think people get confused and believe the movies are really about John, but John isn't what makes the movies great, even though he's the protagonist of T2 and the ostensible Chosen One.

John is interesting as an idea/plot device/symbol, but none of the film portrayals of him as an adult have really had a big cultural impact, which suggest to me that HE's not really why we're here. Sarah is. Why else would the TV show be "The Sarah Connor Chronicles"??

According to Wikipedia, Linda Hamilton turned down a role in T3 because the writers were going to kill Sarah off halfway through the film, with no time for the other characters to mourn, and she felt she was disposable, so she said no--which she was right to do. And right there, that movie was doomed, because they missed the point of what the first two movies were actually about, and couldn't offer anything better in its stead.

Likewise, Terminator: Salvation has no Cameron, no Hamilton, and no Schwarzenegger--and nothing else to fill the gaps to explain why we should care.

Genisys is interesting, because it's clear that the writers realized they had to get Sarah Connor back in somehow. So their solution was to combine the plot of the first movie with the Terminator guardian and updated, action-oriented angle of the second movie. Instead of Sarah as a damsel-in-distress in need of rescue by Kyle Reese, she's been raised by a Terminator since she was a child, which I imagine makes her relationship with Kyle... different. The whole premise is so fanfic-y that I can't believe they actually made this movie.

I don't know why that movie didn't work, exactly, but the images I've seen from it do not inspire confidence. (The fact that I do not find their version of Kyle Reese to be particular hot is telling.) I've only seen one scene from the end with the time machine, which looks like what would happen if you started an MRI machine with a Terminator in the room - bits of metal flying everywhere.

(I think about this every time someone mentions an MRI, tbh.)

I am reserving judgment on <i>Dark Fate</i>, since  both Cameron and Hamilton were involved, and it's not about John Connor. I plan on seeing it once it's out on DVD. I suspect I'm going to find it intriguing on multiple levels.

Other miscellaneous T2 thoughts I didn't fit into previous posts:

Linda Hamilton has a twin, that was how they filmed the double scene at the end, very clever!! I kinda wish this had been used more in the film. They also used a pair of twins with the security guard sequence, clever. SEE YOU DON'T NEED CGI FOR EVERYTHING!!

Linda Hamilton's real life son is the kid the '80s dream version of Sarah is holding in her playground dream, wow...

Oh, wow, Michael Biehn was NOT in the theatrical cut, thank goodness I watched this version, because that was literally the best part of the film.

Also, I watched the Behind-the-scenes montage that came with the DVD and there's literally two seconds of him taking a break while filming that scene, and I FLIPPED OUT even the film quality - the filming of the filming, as it were - is not great.

The DVD extras also include Jim Cameron rolling around on the floor to show his actors how he wants it done, and the crew giving him a gift for his birthday and he says, "As long as it's not a flying piranha" -- the subject of his first movie.

The footage of the Cameron and Hamilton at the shooting range practicing is also really cute. So is watching them destroy tiny miniature versions of LA and the future 2029 battlefield.

And I learned there was a guy wearing only white boxers on the crew during the playground sequence, so make what you will of that. I guess it was hot that day...

Also, apparently Michael Biehn was originally supposed to be the T-1000. Are you fucking kidding me???!!!! No offense to Robert Patrick, but THAT WOULD HAVE BEEN AMAZING (and also SUPER TRAUMATIZING for Sarah!!) What could have been... Maybe this movie exists in some parallel universe, sigh.

I really like the deleted ending, in which Judgement Day doesn't happen (Sarah's voice-over says she gets very drunk to celebrate). John Connor works for the US government, and an elderly Sarah watches him play with his daughter on a playground. I wish they'd ended the series at two movies instead of the nightmare slog of sequels/reboots/whatever. But, money. You know how it is.

Next up: Dark Fate. Or possibly "The Sarah Connor Chronicles," depending on which I can get on DVD first.

[michael-langdon-baby]

Salvation

Pairing: Michael Langdon x Original Character

Word Count: 4.2k~

Warnings: A bit of gore tbh....

Chapter 9: Desperation

Masterlist!

Emily trembled as Ms. Mead stood in front of Timothy, her inquiry still in the air. They both knew this was the worst possible scenario in the case that they got caught. She would take them to Venable, or worse, take her to Langdon, where he would no doubt kill them. Emily nervously shot her eyes to the open laptop, wanting to reach over and close it.

“I’ll ask again; what are you two doing in here?”

Both of them scrambled for excuses, but Emily was first to answer. “We were waiting for Langdon, we wanted to talk to him about the Sanctuary.” Mead seemed skeptical with squinted eyes but let her continue.

“We’re just as concerned as everyone else about getting out of here- if not more. We want to be saved- it may look dumb but we saw no harm in trying. We just wanted to talk to him.”

“And yet, he isn’t here and you were fiddling around with Mr. Langdon’s things.” Ms. Mead took a step forward and Emily took one back, “Plots against this Outpost are strictly forbidden, punishable by death. Now, you two-“ Her eyes darted between them, “wouldn’t do something like that, would you?”

They eagerly shook their heads and denied her jest, to which she quirked a dark colored brow. It was simple for her to turn and take a peek at the laptop that Emily had been hovering over when she’d arrived, and gasped at the image displayed. Her hand slammed it shut and turned dark eyes to Emily.

“Keep your mouth shut about what you saw girl, else I’ll put a bullet between your brows. Clear?” Emily nodded and tried not to let her lip quiver.

“Get out. And don’t let me find you doing any of this shit again.” They were gone with their tails between their legs, scampering off down the hall, away from Mead. Timothy shut the door to his room and watched Emily sit on his bed, gasping for breath.

“What the hell did you see?” She gave him a look. “Oh, c’mon, she can’t hear us in here.”

“You don’t know that. Venable and Mead are crazy and I-I-I don’t wanna die over this.” He ran to her and held her shaking face in his hands, “I won’t let her touch you Em. We’re in this together.”

She nodded while tears slid down her cheeks, eventually leaning forward and stuffing her face in his chest while letting harsh sobs and he simply held her close, tightening his grip at the thought of Mead or Venable actually killing them for snooping around. Timothy loved her and they needed to survive, doing stupid shit like this couldn’t happen again.

Her sobs stopped and red-rimmed eyes stared into his, “I trusted her, and she’s been lying to us.” He was confused. “Who?”

And Emily growled, “Julie. I saw her. With him.” Timothy barely had an understanding of what Emily was saying; had there been pictures of Julie and Langdon? Together? “You mean like before the blast?”

She nodded and “what should we do?”

“Tonight, after dinner, we’ll confront her and see what she knows. If that picture was anything to go by, than she should have more than enough information on who Langdon really is.”

~

“What do you want from me?”

His nose skimmed her neck, dragging across the soft rose smelling flesh he’d come to know and crave like the desperate fiend he was. She could feel his hardening cock pressing against her clothed hip, yearning to feel her closer. He opened his mouth with a smirk and those black eyes watched her with a desperation she’d grown to crave. He whispered the same answer like the serpent he was,

Those nimble fingers skimmed her clothed thighs, wishing they were touching her smooth flesh, feeling the soft skin that belonged to him.

“Everything.”

The last time Julie had slept this good was way before the blast, years before. If she really thought about it, it had to have been the night of a birthday- she’d gone out and done something fun, with someone she couldn’t remember, but the memory of sleeping that night felt just like now.

It was a stretch that had her back cracking, moan echoing when she flopped back onto the bed with a huff. Last night was fresh in her mind; she was- by some magical force- herself again, and she’d had a visitor that had fucked her in a way that had her biting her lip. He’d taken her like he’d owned her, like she was his to fuck and use as he pleased- just thinking about his strong hands and thrusting cock had her wet.

But the severity of the situation stopped any lewd thoughts; how was she supposed to explain to the other people how she’d gone from looking like a mummy that had lost its wrapping to herself? Oh god, what would Venable say? And what if…?

She scrambled off the bed and started pacing like a madman; what if someone had heard her? She’d been executed on the spot under Venable’s bullshit rule of no fucking on the premises. She stopped- then again, no one had come for her.

The clock read 9:45, and seeing as there was no more breakfast the day was hers until supper. She was making her way to get dressed when a distressing thought popped up, looking at her stomach and wondering how long it would last. Would she grow frail sooner or later- none of it made any sense but when the world is over, nothing really ever does.

Today was a day for a simpler purple dress, brown curls left down the rest of her covered shoulders. In her house, shoes were an option, not a necessity, but at Outpost 3, shoes were required, which always made her groan. This place would never feel like home.

The door slid open with ease, and no one was out; there wasn’t a Grey in sight, or a single Purple lurking about. She listened and couldn’t even hear Venable’s cane stopming about. This was a bit odd, but she still slid the door closed behind her, shoes clacking as she walks about.

No one was in the parlor, which once again, was really strange seeing as Evie, Gallant and Coco like to sit in there and drink all the water while spiting everyone here. Julie never really hung around there and don’t ask her if she thought they deserved to be saved, cause they sure as hell did not. And seeing as Evie was ancient, Gallant was gay, and Coco was… well she was Coco, none of them would be very productive in furthering the human existence. But then again, she still barely understood how she’d been chosen.

It was a quick walk upstairs that had her gazing at closed doors that were usually kept open. This was starting to feel like a horror movie.

She knocked on the first door, waiting for a response. A minute or two must have passed before the door was pulled open hard and fast, a pissed of looking Coco glaring at her, the glare morphing from hatred to shock, and then almost disgust?

“What in the fuck happened to you? Yesterday you looked like a goddam coke addict and now you look like -“ Her hand motioned to the entire length of Julie, who in turned shrugged. But Coco wasn’t having it and tugged her in, pushing her against the door.

Her red lips looked chapped up close, and the large hair styled on her pale head was all out of place. Coco was as strong as Julie, but Coco was also angry and anger was a strong emotion. “You’re gonna tell me what the fuck you did you fucking freak or I will rat you out to Venable for sneaking food.”

“You’re a liar-“

“Am I? How else are suddenly fatter than fucking Kirstie Alley after Christmas dinner? Tell me, or I go to Venable and get your ass shot in the brain.” This was bad, this was really fucking bad because she didn’t have an answer and even though Coco was lying out of her ass, Venable loathed Julie and would take any opportunity to shoot her in the head. Why couldn’t she just have a good thing and not have shit like this always bite her in the ass.

“Coco, please, I swear to you-“

“You’re fucking dead-“

A knock at the door, on the slab of wood that Julie was up against was jarring to Coco, who grinned like a snake and threw Julie from the door, puling it open with ease and a smile, fully expecting Gallant, Mead or luckily Venable.

Langdon stood in front of Coco will a small smirk, hands tucked behind his blazer covered back, rings clinking lightly as his fingers tapped against one another. Coco was shocked to say the least, “Is it time for my interview?” Any thought of blackmail at Julie flew from the room.

But Langdon simply chuckled and took one large step into her space. Julie was still hiding off to the side of the room, but she was the interaction and felt jealousy swell in her gut. He was so close to Coco, whispering something in her ear that she wished she could hear.

His mouth moved away and Coco was off running in a flash. Julie stared as the door shut on its own, leaving just her and Langdon.

He was a vague memory from last night- it felt like longer than that, it wasn’t just last night was it- and it was hard to pull it up. Emily had gotten her and she’d sat on the couch as his words flowed into one ear and right out of the other, only a small understanding present in her mind.

His eyes searched her like he wanted an answer that she didn’t know, and he looked just as good as he had the night before. She wondered if his hair was as smooth as silk, or as soft as cotton. Her finger twitched at her side as his gaze met hers.

It was three striking steps and he was directly in front of her, eyes staring into hers in a way that made her heart want to beat out of it’s entire cavity and flop away. The silence was killing her, but what did she say?

“Hello.”

He gave a smile and waited a beat before mimicking her, “Hello.”

It was a pulsing in her skull that made the pain start, her hand reaching up and clutching her temple. He simply continued to stare, watching her eyes scrunch up in pain as the pressure grew to a point of being unbearable and her knees started to give out. And at that point, Langdon swopped forward and held her up with his arms.

Her breathed into her ear, “Acceptance is always simpler than resistance Ms. March.”

Her eyes turned blurry as he held her gaze, it was a gaze she knew, she knew him-

The trees were waving in the wind and the sun was going down, but the day was far from over. Their day at the carnival had been just absolute perfection; there had been cotton candy and hot dogs that tasted worse than the ones from 7-11.

The best part was when he’d won her a blue teddy bear, and kept it clutched close to her chest. The Ferris Wheel had gone out of service just as they’d been at the front of the line, and even when he’d offered to ‘fix it’, she waved him off with a smile. There would always be more fairs. They’d made sure to go into the Hall of Mirrors, and the little zoo had four goats that seemed to take a liking to him more than her.

It was nearing dark and they were running out of things to do, so then they left, walking to find a recluse park to collapse in the grass; the sky was clear above them and no one was around. Julie turned on her side and so did he, his blue eyes watching her youthful face with a smile.

They wished it would always be like this; Julie and Michael, together forever. It was written in the stars that they were meant to be. He’d told her before that there was no other on the face of this hellish world that could replace her, and she knew there was no one else she’d rather hold than him.

“I love you Michael. No matter what happens, you’ll always have my heart.” It was simple as maneuvering his hand to lie flat over her chest, his hand feeling her heartbeat in his palm.

“I love you Julie, and I promise, I’ll never leave y-

Reality was jolting to the human mind, and a tear slid down her cheek as she looked at Michael. No this was Langdon, Representative of the Cooperative, the one who was their Salvation. The memories made no sense, if she tried she couldn’t remember them, they only came out to give her the same as a hammer to the skull.

And Langdon simply held her close, desperation bleeding in his gaze. But the film reel that had played in her mind was gone and she was alone with a stranger. And as if he could tell, he righted her straight up and released her with a sigh.

“Come to my room tonight. Do not be late.”

He was gone with a gentle close of Coco’s door, and for some reason, Julie wished he wasn’t.

~

Supper was truly an affair that would’ve been better spent with the cannibals outside than in here with the inhabitants of Outpost 3. What once was one cube had become 1/4 of the whole, and for once, their eyes weren’t on the food.

All eyes were on Julie- except Coco, who refused to even look her way, and Gallant looked like he couldn’t care less. But Evie, Andre, Dinah, Emily and Timothy were nearly gaping at her like she was a new act in the circus. She didn’t let it irritate her, and simply refused to meet eyes with Venable or Mead. It was like the piercing glare from Venable was a harpoon ready to launch, and she couldn’t say she was ready.

But it came all too soon, “So, it seems one of us has had a miraculous recovery seemingly overnight.” A loud gulp from her pristine mineral water filled glass. “I would say this is lucky news but then again, one less person would have given the rest of you a few more days worth of food. But nonetheless, this is truly a miracle. Don’t you think Ms. Mead?”

Mead grunted and shot a dark look at Julie, to which she simply turned away. The only noise was the clattering of forks as each person took miniature bites of their cubes. Julie noticed there was an extra seat to the left of Venable- Stu would’ve sat there, but it was still set.

It was then she realized Langdon wasn’t there. It made sense that he didn’t want to eat with them, they were basically peasants compared to him. He was the current king of this domain, even if they all knew that Venable would rather die than not be in control. She wondered if their fearless leader was like this before the blast.

Surprisingly, Coco tried to start the conversation, “So, has anyone met with Langdon yet?” Gallant made an affirmative noise. “And how was it? C’mon, give us a heads up so we’re ready.”

But he shook his head and nibbled on another piece of cube, “I mean like, there isn’t really a point to tell you cause you can’t cheat the system so you may as well go in blind like I had to.” Most of them nodded but Evie sneered, “You just don’t want to help your fellow man. How cruel of you.”

Julie watched his fork drop to hit the plate with a loud twang and turn his head sickeningly slow to shoot daggers at his grandmother. “Oh you’d know all about cruelty grandma.”

Had something happened between Gallant and Evie that no one had clued her in on? The animosity inside this Outpost was hard to keep up with sometimes. But then again, maybe it was better off staying in the dark about some things. And it wasn’t like she didn’t already have enough on her own plate.

The biggest factor was as simple as a name: Langdon. He was something strange and new, yet being around him brought forth memories she didn’t know she had. It brought forth a feeling in her gut that either made her sick or giddy- it was hard to tell. His arrival had simply brought along chaos; both good and bad.

She felt Emily prod her dangling hand, the not perched on the table holding the fork, and shoot her tight smile. But it was a slight pain in her gut that had a look of distraught covering her face. It was like knives piercing her inner gut and sliding into the lower abdomen.

“Is something wrong?” Venable asked this as if it was an inquiry about the weather and not a concern that bothered her in any way. So she simply grit her teeth and shook her head, staring down at the last bite of cube.

A thin sheen of sweat started to drip down her temple, a slight shake in her right leg alerting Timothy to her shaking, but he didn’t know how to help. Maybe he could cause a distraction so everyone would have to leave, but what could he do…

“Hey Coco,” Timothy made a show of pointing to his head, “Is that a spider in your hair?”

The commotion that ensued was enough for Emily and Coco to rush Julie out of the room and away from Venable’s sight. The coughing had subsided but a steady stream of blood was leaving her nose.

Julie was so confused; what the hell was happening to her? This couldn’t be real, she’d been healed- it wasn’t supposed to be this way. It was a quick sweep above her mouth and the blood was gone, but the pain was still there. This wasn’t just hunger, she knew hunger, this was something else.

Except the only thing she’d eaten were the cubes; The gelatin cubes that were filled with enough nutrients to keep her alive and not die or starvation. But this wasn’t starvation; it just didn’t hit you this fast. This was something more.

It was a harsh knock at the door that had Emily and Timothy turning to each other, knowing there was no were to hide, and they didn’t even have a chance as the door harshly slid open, revealing Venable with a darkly colored sneer.

“Well, I can’t say I’m surprised.” Julie had been in the bathroom washing up and vomiting the very little waste in her stomach, and stumbled back at the sight of Venable in her room, cane in one hand, and the other- a plate with one cube.

“Get out.” And the two teens fled, Emily shooting a sorry look at the girl Julie, knowing that Timothy and her couldn’t get the information they needed tonight, and while they were mildly disappointed, no one deserved to be left alone with their masochistic ruler. Timothy shot her one last look as he slid the door closed.

It was tense inside the fairly large room, shadows from the fire reflecting on the walls; Venable near the door and Julie near the bathroom, facing off against one another. Except it was an unfair fight and Julie would undoubtedly lose.

Venable let out a breathy laugh, “You know, I was a receptionist before all this. And I was just like you; so pathetic.”

A fire burned in Julie’s gut- she couldn’t tell between the pain and rage. “I’m not pathetic.” And Venable started a low chuckle, covering her mouth like a schoolgirl before it turned into a vile loud chortle that echoed on the walls. It was minutes before she stopped and Julie had yet to move from her standing position by the bathroom, even as Venable moved forward to sit on the edge of the bed.

She sat so gracefully; “Open your eyes Ms. March.”

Open my eyes!

“The difference between us is I earned my place here. In fact, Outpost 3 would be overrun and barely standing if I had never stepped foot in this decrepit underground chamber and saved you all from yourselves.”

“Why are you even here? Is it because you just want to hear yourself talk?” Venable snorted and slid a hand into her dress pocket, pulling out a small pistol and pointing it straight at Julie.

“I’d watch how you speak to me, I can still very much kill you and have no blood on my hands.” But Julie had a feeling she wasn’t going to kill her, at least not now or with a gun.

“But there isn’t a point to shooting me is there, not when you’ve been poisoning my food this entire time.” Now that had Venable turning and meeting her hard gaze.

“Now that is a strong assumption Ms. March. One that could get you in trouble.” It was no damn assumption and Julie knew it; the reason she’d become sick was Venable or maybe even Mead had been tampering with her food, making her sick enough to bleed.

It was a gamble and a stretch to throw such a heavy accusation at a woman who was holding a gun directly at her, but there was little doubt in Julie’s mind that Venable was behind her bloody nose and shaking skin. “And if I was? What could you possibly do to me?”

“I could tell everyone and we both know exactly what they’d do to you.” Julie had the upper hand now. “They’d throw you outside, let the canker puss monsters tear you apart. And even if you managed you get away, you wouldn’t survive.”

Venable’s face grew red with rage and Julie knew her trigger finger was itching to take the shot, but she dropped the gun with a smirk. “I would like to see you try and take me down.”

Venable used her cane to stand tall and tap it twice on the ground, the noise echoing through the room, before a few hard steps brought them nose to step.

Venable’s voice was a whisper; “I’d like to see the whore who shares Langdon’s bed rat me out as a traitor.”

What? “What?”

Venable chuckled, as if there was a joke she was missing. “Ms. Mead came across some interesting photos of you Langdon.” Julie grunted when the cane smashed against her bare foot, “I would think twice about threatening me Ms. March. I don’t need a gun to kill you.”

The two women glared at each other for a moment longer before Venable swiftly moved away, cane tapping against the ground as she walked to the door, turning back with a smile. “See you tomorrow at supper. Don’t be late.”

Her knees gave out at the same time the door shut. Wetness welled up and spilled down her cheeks; Life was just unbearable at this point. She just wished she were back home with her mom, laughing in Chloe’s car as they listened to horrible early 2000’s rock that they knew every word too. She wanted things to go back to normal.

It would be a complete and utter lie to say the thought of slitting her own throat, or wrists, hell, just smashing her head in the glass of the shower stall until it rained blood. It would end the pain, and she could see her mom again.

Her legs felt like iron weights that wanted to hold her down, but she lifted herself up and stumbled to the bathroom, nearly glassy eyes searching the large cream-colored room. The few steps to the sink were easy, and she gripped the edges of the sink, nails digging into the porcelain. In the mirror, she saw herself; her brown curls and glassy eyes made her let out a cheap laugh.

No one would miss this. She was rearing her body back when a hand landed on her forearm, stopping her for a moment. The mirror showed Julie and the man in black, his hand stopping her from a desperate act of desperation that made him want to scream.

She mumbled a solemn “I’m sorry” before continuing her previous act, smashing her face into the glass of the mirror- once, twice- , blood and shards raining down on the bathroom floor. Red ran into her eyes and pain was all she felt, a smile gracing her lips. It would be over soon.

Langdon watched through the eyes of the rubber man as his Julie, the Jewel of his heart bled on the bathroom floor. It was painful to see her like this; it made him want to burn the world all over again. But none of that mattered; he would never allow the one woman in his life that was destined to be with him simply die.

Happy Halloween and I hope you enjoyed!

[wickedlyqueer]

Hey I just recently got into the fandom and want to start reading some gelfie fics but I don’t know any! Could you recommend some? What are the most popular ones?

Hell yeah you do! :D

Since I’ve already made a similar list before I want to start with some awesome current fics (because the fandom has never been more active on AO3! and I want to celebrate that). Since you specifically asked for the most popular ones I’ll also include those that are generally considered the must-read gelphie fics.

CURRENTLY UPDATING

Between The Lines - tiniestgay

You like fake dating AUs? You like the movie To All The Boys I Loved Before? Well, good news! Melissa (@gayforthropp) is doing a gelphie au about this movie and it’s fucking lit. The premise is that Elphaba has written three love letters whenever she really crushed on a girl. Only, these letters make their way out one day and Glinda is one of the recipients… Hmmm. 👀

A Face Like Starlight - TheSecondQueenOfSol 

This fic is so good! It hasn’t updated in a few months, but it’s one of my absolute favorites of 2018 and I can’t wait till the next chapter. It’s a Hogwarts AU (a fluffy one!) and over the years Glinda and Elphaba slowly start an understanding and then some more. It also has enby-Elphie! Need I say more? @themistsoftime is awesome and I hope to see more of their work because it’s amazing.

Expectations - show_me_the_universe

The concept of this fic is so fascinating and creative! Rachel (@two-gay-witches) has decided to create a gelphie fanfic that follows the songs on Hayley Kiyoko’s album Expectations. So reading the chapters, and listening to the songs really makes this fic so original.

It hasn’t completed yet but it’s definitely worth the read! As are all the other AUs she started (rachel, ily, but one fic at a time ;)), but this one stands out to me the most.

Strange, Sweet - neednot

Nita (@need-not) is a master at poetic prose. Honestly, I don’t know how they do it. Strange, Sweet is a Phantom of the Opera-esque AU and it’s as thrilling as it is intriguing and I cannot wait to read more! If you can’t get enough of their work (like I do) you can also read the completed fic Far Safer that is a book-based AU and is really worth your time!

Wiretapped Life - tinyace 

Oz is split in two. Glinda is in her 40s and concocts a plan to ‘disappear’ and tries to find Elphaba, who she hasn’t seen in over a decade. Through her memories, the reader learns about her history, the decisions she took and the relationship she had with Elphaba and how politics ripped it all apart. 

So yeah, I’m writing this fic, but I’m hella proud of it so I’m going to promote it lmao. Note that I rated this fic 16+ mostly for its heavy topics. I can’t stop you as a minor, but please be careful. Because this fic goes deep into complicated politics, trauma and a whole lot more.

I haven’t read every fic out there, but I do know that @splish–splash–sploosh has read every fic on AO3 (and conveniently they also are an active writer with lots of one-shots, definitely worth checking out!) so they might have some more recs for you!

MUST READ (FANDOM FAVES)

Okay now for the ‘popular-who-are-popular-for-a-reason fics’ I’ve made a similar list before. Fics I don’t mention rn are still very much worth checking out. Under a cut bc it’s getting long and most people have seen these before.

Wagyubeefy

Do you like modern AU gelphie? Do you like trans characters? Do you like complex characters that sometimes make bad decisions and them fucking up and dealing with a fuckton of trauma? Boy howdy, you need to read the entire work of Emmanuel right the fuck now. Most work is 18+ so keep that in mind, though. But so fucking good, so incredibly interesting.

RidiculousMavis

The golden standard of gelphie fics and the only reason I’d go on ff.net tbh. It’s all very bookverse and it’s so fucking good. Read their entire oeuvre. They have 8 delicious gelphie stories. It’s so fucking good. All of it is so fucking good!!!!! 

GretchenMaurice

An absolute legend amongst mere mortals. Has written about 750k words solely dedicated to gelphie. Gee (@lily-onher-grave) has taken a well-deserved break, but if you like your slowburn, you gotta go with her work. Loved by the entire fandom. The absolute slowburn queen. What a treasure to this fandom she is. We’re glad to have her.

Beta Nova

You’ll catch me dead before I stop hyping their work. Emerald City Lies is the most perfect fanfic I’ve ever read. It’s witty, the gelphie dynamic is so fucking spot on and it’s INCOMPLETE. AND IT’S WORTH EVERY SINGLE SECOND OF YOUR LIFE OKAY!! A gelphie 80s AU where they are both in tv journalism. Just read it and have an absolute blast!!

tinyace

I asked Melissa if I could put my fics on the ‘fan favorite’ list and she said yes. Closing off, I just wanted to mention my two other completed multi-chapter fics, because I’d love for people to read them!

Walls of Sanctuary can only be described as a fucking rollercoaster. It’s the Wicked characters in a loosely based Hunchback of Notre Dame narrative. There’s romance, death, political resistance, and a ton of gelphie. 

My Bike’s Gone is a fluffy high school AU with a twist: it’s based on the dutch school system! It’s short and sweet (~20k) and people tend to read this after I’ve broken their hearts in Walls of Sanctuary or Wiretapped Life :). I guess I’m titled ‘angst god’ in the discord for a reason. whoops!

Well, that’s my long list for now! There are still some incredible fics that aren’t on this list bc it got so long. So definitely check out some more writers (though I think you’ll be contend with this for a while) because we’ve got some talented fuckers in this fandom! ^^