polytek-development-corp

[aroaessidhe]

2024 reads / storygraph

Asunder

slow-paced high fantasy

a woman who has a contract with an eldritch entity allowing her to see the dead & survives by taking various jobs

when a job searching for stranded smugglers in a cave goes wrong, she ends up with the soul of a dying stranger bound to her shadow

along with a scholar and her old childhood friend, they travel to his home country to find a way to unbind him and save them both

dark fantasy world with gods, demonic entities, arcane magic, and semi-sentient beasts used as transport

[lusthurts]

**SPOILER WARNING FOR THE RED WHITE AND ROYAL BLUE MOVIE**

This movie was very entertaining. It hit all the beats of a great rom-com. I personally enjoyed the music a lot, even if it was at times very different from the music in the book. Nicholas Galitzine was a standout of the main cast for me - he really made me feel Henry’s angst just like the book did, and I think this is a character that the film truly did justice. My personal favorite character from the movie though was Zahra - Sarah Shahi was absolutely incredible. She had fantastic comedic timing and her dynamic with Alex, Henry, Shaan, and Ellen. I really enjoyed Bea, Nora, & Pez as well, although I think they were severely underused and I kinda hated how the Nora/Pez dynamic worked without June. I think the romance was beautiful - I particularly enjoyed the polo scene, the karaoke scene, the Texas stuff, and the V&A museum.

I also laughed out loud a ton during the movie. Zahra’s scenes were hilarious, and the royal wedding/cake debacle was handled perfectly. I miss June here a bit, but I generally was very satisfied with how it all went down. Also, despite many fans early fears of a lack of chemistry between Nick and Taylor, I thought their chemistry was fantastic. Maybe not the best I’ve ever seen, but it was definitely believable, entertaining, and one of the most compelling parts of the story.

I also liked that we got more of Henry’s POV than we did in the book. It didn’t add a ton in my opinion, but I do think it allowed Nicholas Galitzine to show off his acting chops. I think the heart of the book remains, and after the press/everything I’d heard about the movie going into it, I was pleasantly surprised with how the political stuff was handled. Alex’s arc with Texas in particular was beautiful, and I think the end of the movie left me with a similar feeling to the book.

As for things I didn’t love, and I will say there were kind of a lot of small things, I’ve made a list that I’m sure no one cares much to read.

I missed June a lot. I identify a lot with her character, and although I totally understand why she was cut out (I do think in the book she serves less plot purpose than Nora), I actually think the choice to exclude her made even less sense after seeing the movie than before seeing it. Nora and Alex’s relationship felt very underdeveloped in the movie, and none of the romantic elements that I thought made their relationship important to the book ended up mattering at all in the movie. He kisses a different girl on New Year’s, there’s no mention of a sexual history between them, there’s no fake dating setup to detract from Alex/Henry, and Nora’s just generally absent. I feel like June would’ve served that purpose fine if not better.

The romance felt kind of rushed. The whole Christmas phone call that imo is so crucial to Henry & Alex’s relationship and character development doesn’t happen at all (probably because his parents are still together), and I didn’t have like a timer or clock or anything but it felt like the 100 or so pages leading up to the NYE kiss was like less than 20 minutes.

I hated that Alex’s parents were happily married, and I think it massively takes away from his character development. His arc honestly fell very short for me which is disappointing since he’s a character I identify so closely with. I don’t feel like they do his like major anxiety justice, and I think he goes from kinda being an idealist, reckless dummy to being a heartfelt, romantic, ready for a big commitment guy in the span of a few minutes.

I honestly could’ve done without the sex scenes. They were good, and I could tell the intimacy coordinator slayed with this one, but they were more explicit than the book imo (especially the one in Paris), and while I don’t think there’s anything wrong with that, I would’ve much rather had more fade to black so as to save screen time to develop the romance more at the beginning.

I didn’t enjoy the Miguel character at all. He has no character development, and I do not at all understand how this character is the Luna/Liam blend he was promoted as. He functions as a ruthless journalist who despite being queer himself decides to out Henry and Alex to the entire world, and we NEVER get an explanation for why. It’s alluded to that maybe Miguel had feelings for Alex and did it because he resented Alex for not feeling the same? But like, he literally outed two prominent figures to the entire world at risk of benefitting a homophobic predator running for office. And he never apologizes? Or faces any repercussions???? Like this is just kind of there?? And that is NOT AT ALL Rafael Luna or Liam who are both generally speaking positive forces in Alex’s life. I just don’t get it at all.

This is a personal issue I had that most probably don’t care about, but I’m from Minnesota, and seeing Minnesota red in the movie was infuriating. MN is not a swing state, never really has been, and was basically the only state in the upper midwest to stay blue in the 2016 election. I’m biased because this is my home state, but MN would NEVER vote red and I’m kinda just annoyed at the implication that it did instead of them just choosing to blame it on all the actual swing states.

Okay those are my thoughts. I doubt anyone cares that much, but I needed to get it out of my system. I will say I really enjoyed the movie, and I can see why the bulk of reviews are positive. I think anyone who didn’t read the book won’t feel like anything is missing, and fans of the book will for the most part still really enjoy it. I will definitely be rewatching when it comes out officially on Amazon Prime tomorrow, and I can see myself rewatching hundreds more times in the future. But it sort of needs to exist independent of the book for me, I guess. And that’s okay! I think everyone involved did a great job with the adaptation, and I look forward to watching it again.

[marciabrady]

I liked your thoughts on diversity issues in the LA TLM. Would be happy to read your analysis of the whole movie.

Thank you for enjoying my thoughts! I think people are really blinded by the casting of Halle to realize that a film set in the Caribbean (TLM 2023) should not look like this:

It's also worthy of noting that the only two people of color in this picture aside from Halle are only featured via their voice- Halle's father, uncle, and love interest are all white- even Ariel's "alter ego" (ie the one who stole her voice and is using it, so should conceivably look enough like her to believably be the original owner of the stolen voice) is also a white British woman...such a missed opportunity. Especially since Disney doesn't have a black Prince (Naveen is South Asian).

Honestly, that specific fandom is probably the worst to interact with if you aren't blindly praising the movie. I think it was a mistake just like every other live-action Disney movie, which are always inferior versions of their original counterparts. I could get more granular but, again, I really don't feel like being countered on why this movie is the best ever and every choice was genius when I have a difference of opinion. I think the added lore was confusing and convoluted and never paid off, the design of the costumes and the worldbuilding was ugly tbh, I think they put WAY too many expectations on Halle and the character of Ariel to the point where it obliterated the very human and vulnerable components of her, they went against all of Howard's original notes of effect vs going broad, and Rob Marshall showed who he was multiple times by saying how he felt the original had a shallow love story that he never connected with, Eric was two dimensional character in the original, and just all the other negative things he said about Ron and John's great work while simultaneously ripping them off (Jodi's said multiple times that Ron kept mentioning to her during the screening that they used a ton of his lines from his original story treatment).

I think the performances were wooden, to put it mildly. And, honestly while a lot of this boils down to bad acting and lack of chemistry (Javier might give the worst performance I've ever seen in a film), it also isn't fair to have actors navigate a heavily CGI'd world compared to the medium of animation that has like four performances for a single character (between the many supervising and sequence animators a single character might have, their voice, the dialogue director, etc). In the original, you can see how Triton and Ariel keep interrupting one another in a masterclass of expressive animation and dimensional voice acting, they're almost one top of each other, and the heave Ariel musters as all the emotions build in her chest. We can feel how frustrated she feels at her inability to be heard and how she's fighting to keep her emotions from getting the best of her. Halle and Javier have a different dynamic, where they never really get that heated or emotionally charged and they're barely interrupting one another; they're super still, and the calm way with which she stares at him before swimming off...I'm sorry, this just isn't it for me lol the film isn't as bad as Lily's Cinderella but nothing ever will be lol

[yuexuan]

[Review] 破云

Title: 破云 (Breaking through the clouds)

Author: 淮上

Length: 155 chapters + 6 extras

Tag: Crime and mystery, action, thriller

Summary [taken from novel updates]:

Foreboding clouds raced across the skies above the city.

Three years ago, as a consequence of Commander-in-Chief Jiang Ting’s error in judgment during an anti-drug operation in Gongzhou, a chain of explosions occurred at the scene and caused the Narcotics Division to suffer heavy casualties. Now three years later, Jiang Ting, whose flesh and bones should’ve faded from existence after dying at the line of duty, actually miraculously woke up from a vegetative state.

His heroic soul could not rest – he must return to the mortal world from the depths of hell and exert all that he has in order to bring the bloody and inconceivable truth to light.

Novel | Novel[translated] | Audio drama | Manhua

Comments **Contain spoilers**:

Ok, this is the second time I am reading the novel: the first time in 2021 with the full uncensored version and the second time with the censored physical version. But honestly? The censored version still has so much fluff and sweetness, and I’m reminded once again why this is one of my favorite danmeis.

First off, a little bit more about the novel: The story starts off with former Commander-in-Chief of the drug task force Jiang Ting recovering from his three-year coma. He was discharged and started living at the KTV ran by one of his former informants. It was just his luck that a body was found in the KTV’s freezer and the cause of death attributed to an overdose of drugs. This led to the unfolding of a series of drug, kidnap, and murder cases that were related to Jiang Ting’s troubled past, and his meeting with Yan Xie, the eventual love of his life. 

Highlights:

I’ll say it again, in spite of the censored version, there were still tons of tooth-aching fluff. Jiang Ting and Yan Xie living together? Check. Jiang Ting cooking for Yan Xie and teaching him how to cook? Check. Yan Xie acting as a personal training coach for Jiang Ting? Check. They were so domestic when not working on cases and their chemistry was just *chef kiss*, the right balance of action versus mellow, brash versus stoic.

Talking about characters, the gong - Yan Xie - can come off as being too much of an overbearing ‘straight man’ when treating his underlings, but he reserved all his softness for Jiang Ting and helped the latter heal from his past traumas. He liked to think of himself as boyfriend material, despite the amount of time people want to ‘slap his face with a shoe’ and how often he got jelly of Yang Mei lol. I love how action-oriented and confident he is, and yes, there’s a reason why Yan Xie is known as one of the four coquettish gongs (‘四大骚攻’) in danmei.

When it comes to plot, Poyun presents an engaging read, filled with all sorts of plot twists and heartaches (Up until the end, we had cause to believe that Jiang Ting might be the villain). The cases are logically sound and the pacing is tight, but leaves enough room to balance the plot with the right amount of fluff. 

Another thing that I appreciated was the amount of research put into the novel. I’m actually taking notes along the way for future reference when (and if) I eventually write my crime-related fanfic~ There were just so many details, such as the different types of police and their roles, the laws, information on the drug market etc etc. And it’s integrated really well into the narrative, not just thrown as exposition. 

Also, can I talk about the female characters? It’s sort of a common critique that danmeis don’t have great female characters, but I’ll say that Poyun has a strong female cast: there’s the almighty Madam Zeng Cuicui, who was so disappointed in her son Yan Xie’s love life that she started studying up on same-sex marriage laws lol; then there’s the street smart Yang Mei, the source of Yan Xie’s envy but overall a great informant; and also the eager Han Xiaomei, who, despite her small stature, actually had a stand down against J and survived; and finally, let’s not forget Chief Yu, who was ready to retire but still managed to provide support in so many cases. Even the bad guys (gals?) such as Bu Wei were quite smart and cunning. Definitely a good selection of female characters!

Now this is probably the controversial part, but when it comes to pairings, I also shipped K and Q. Hard. Heck, add in J too, I don’t mind a KQJ threesome hehe. I loved the whole drug lord and police dynamic, their constant cat-and-mouse chases, their enemy-childhood friend relationship, and how gentle but also cruel K treated Jiang Ting. It just scratched my dark ship itch <3

[greenmagic-oilspill]

Spoiler-Free FFXVI review

Going to keep it under a Read More because it’s pretty long...

FFXVI is a really ambitious game, and from beginning to end I was invested in the plot and characters -- but it's missing just a couple of things that would really make it great. It’s a beautiful game, no doubt about it, with an amazing score and environments, rich lore and deep worldbuilding, fun gameplay, and some really compelling characters. When it excels, it really excels. But where it falters, I really felt it. I’ve got some recency bias here, working for and against the game (since I only beat it yesterday), so I’m not really sure how my thoughts will change over time. I’ve definitely changed my opinions of many FF games after revisiting them a second time, so this one could benefit from the same.

I’m going to start with the characters and plot, because those are the most important parts of a FF game to me, but I’ll also delve into the worldbuilding, gameplay, and music of the game.

Characters

With as many cutscenes as this game has, the characters really find their time to shine. It’s primarily Clive’s story, and over the course of the game we really see him change. His development is a bit cyclical in some ways, but there are definitely events that shape him and who he becomes over the story, and he really feels different from every other FF protagonist. I like him well enough – I think he’s among some of the better FF protagonists for sure. Clive shows such a wide range of emotions and his VA did a stellar job of capturing them.

My favorite character in this game is a spoiler, so I’m not going to go into that in this review.

One character I really wanted to like more was Jill. She’s got all the makings of a compelling character and a compelling story, but a lot of the time it just felt like she was there. The other day @faerantstory and I were discussing how they’d heard that every female character in this story fell under the umbrella of “Pure,” “Sexy,” or “Evil,” and at the time, I had just finished a sequence of the story where Jill most certainly veered away from “Pure,” but after that she fell right back into it. And then she was just an ever-present support to Clive who did little else. I liked the part of the story that focused on her a lot, but it felt so brief and they could have done a LOT more with her past that they didn’t do – she just felt so underutilized. To be honest, she feels a lot like Tifa 2.0, for better or for worse.

Benedikta and Hugo were both extremely disappointing. I expected more from them. Without going into spoilers that is all I am going to say. Barnabas too, to a lesser extent – they went in a direction with him that I didn’t really expect and I’m not sure how I feel about it yet. Dion, however, was pretty great, and Joshua’s story at the beginning of the game made for a really compelling start. Continuing with the umbrellas that female characters fall under, Benedikta fell under both “Evil” and “Sexy” and not much else.

The villains in general (including the main villain) didn’t really do it for me. The main villain didn’t really do anything new that past FF villains had already done before, and better. Their motivations were interesting and followed the overall theme of the story, and there were some twists, but as a character they kind of fell flat. One of the other villains even felt cartoonishly evil.

Honestly, where this game REALLY shines with its characters is primarily in the supporting cast. This genuinely might be one of my favorite parts of the game. You meet a TON of characters over the course of this game (some might even say too many) and I found some of them more compelling than the characters who got more screentime. The world feels so alive with all of their stories, many of which play out over both the main scenario and also through side quests. Many of these characters live in the Hideaway, the main hub of the game, but just as many appear in the various towns and settlements you visit. They all felt like they had a purpose, and many of them had a surprising amount of depth. I definitely encourage doing all of the side quests and taking the time to talk to them after many of the story beats. Also, none of these really fall under a bland Pure, Evil, Sexy umbrella! That was great! But maybe that’s why they’re side characters. :/

The Plot

It’s hard to really go into it without spoilers, but overall I really liked the plot itself and the structure of it really worked to help tell the story they needed to tell. They had clearly defined goals and the characters never felt like they were simply reacting to everything happening around them. I’ve seen some criticism for the “MMO style storytelling” this game has, and that makes sense coming from the team who made XIV, but if you like the story progression in XIV I feel pretty confident in saying you’d like it in XVI. It feels really similar and follows the same pattern of go to new area -> help people with their problems -> gain the trust of the populace. It worked for me. At times there are parts that may feel like “filler” (I’ve always hated this term because people tend to use it wrong), but all of it helps further the characters or worldbuilding. My biggest problem with it is that at times it felt predictable.

At times things felt really bleak, but it never got too bleak for me, and overall the story has a hopeful message so that really helped.

Worldbuilding

Stellar. The Active Time Lore system is a huge help to understanding and conveying the lore and politics of this game – I can’t stress enough how much I loved that system and the dedicated characters in the Hideaway who discuss these things and tell you more about them. The lore in this world is rich and it feels so alive, as I mentioned earlier with the side characters, who are perhaps the primary reason for it. Everything and everywhere really has such a great atmosphere. The marketing stressed that things would change a lot over the game’s time skips, but I didn’t really feel it to be honest – things changed more after big plot events regardless of how much time passed.

Three of the six nations of this story felt extremely underutilized, though, which was a huge shame. Two of those in particular were being really built up but due to story events nothing really happened.

I don’t know how to describe this criticism, and this is more personal preference than anything, but XVI didn’t really feel like it offered anything “new” or original to the overall series to make it feel like it has its own identity distinct from the others. Every FF game offers some new summon that doesn’t appear in other games, maybe a new marketable/cute/iconic monster, a unique airship or something, a unique race, etc. I don’t know if that makes sense, but every concept introduced in XVI felt like a reference to a previous game in the series (even, to some extent, the main villain, whose very name is a name used before). Because of that it almost feels like it doesn’t stand on its own, in a way.

Gameplay

Battles were a ton of fun once I got the hang of it. Loved how smooth it felt, loved the gameplay changes for certain boss battles. I played with one of the accessories to help with evasion – with it, at times the game felt a little too easy, but that’s not a criticism from me. I like easy. I knew if I took it off I’d have died a lot more often. The battle system itself was the best part of the gameplay.

Customization could have been better – sometimes I felt like I had a lot of options for different Eikon abilities to equip and not a lot of space to equip them, leaving some abilities completely unused despite how I wanted to equip them. Weapons and armor were pretty much always straight upgrades that increased your stats and did nothing else. Accessories had the potential to switch things up a bit and offer some variety, but with only three accessory slots you couldn’t really do much (especially if you have one of the accessibility options equipped, like I did). Character progression was mostly achieved through story events, because leveling up is just a straight stat increase, which I can understand is very boring for some people.

I loved that this game was not open world, and instead used four separate and very large maps. Of those four, one felt considerably smaller than the others though. Open world games tend to be really overwhelming for me, and too easy to get lost, so I typically don’t care for the exploration aspect of a lot of those games. But with these four separate areas, I did actually want to explore them – the problem is, aside from finding beautiful vistas or the locations of certain hunt marks, there was not a whole lot to do. Any treasures to find were mostly just filled with useless crafting materials or gil. Not the highest priority for me, but I can see why people would count the exploration against this game. Speaking of gil, once I got past the early game I almost never had to spend any, so it just kept building up and felt pointless.

My biggest gameplay criticism is the enemy variety. All of the enemies in all of the maps were the same, just in different colors. Every map had crabs, or scorpions, or antelopes, or bandits, or chocobos, or goblins, or spiders, or plant monsters, or a couple different species of dragon, maybe an adamantoise or coeurl. Again, there was nothing new – no fantastical creature that the FF series never introduced before, and many of the series staples (like tonberries and cactuars) were missing altogether. It got particularly egregious when they went as far as to double up on some bosses.

Music

Fantastic, as expected of Soken. Not much to say there. I like his work better overall in XIV, but that’s unfair with the sheer amount of songs XIV has. He was allowed to experiment a bit more in XIV, but in XVI he took some opportunities to use different genres here and there.

Overall - 7/10

I can honestly say I really liked it overall – it’s a beautiful game with really rich characters and lore, and where it excels it really excels. I’m not a big fan of the way it ended but I think that is mostly due to personal preference. There were several unanswered questions and I don’t know if they have plans to go into DLC or even a sequel, and I don’t think there’s enough for that anyway – it ended pretty neatly. I will let this game sit with me and I’ll read up on some discussions from other people to see if my thoughts will change, but I don’t know if I’ll end up liking it more or less.

Thanks for reading this really long review!! I will write up a more spoilery one in a couple of days.

[rainofbrasspetal]

Bleach: Final Thoughts

I have just finished the final arc and the final chapter of Bleach. I spent many years as a hater because I heard it was bad and because as a kid and I carried that belief for years. As I have gotten older, I have softened a little bit towards media and became more willing to give things a chance. I just wanted something to read while waiting on new One Piece, CSM, and JoJo. Bleach is just shy of 700 chapters so it seemed like it would be an okay time sink. I didn't know anything about Bleach other than after the first arc is bad and I thought that I might as well give it a shot.

As I finish this series, it becomes a favorite of mine tbh. Kubo is probably one of the most talented artists I have had the pleasure of reading. His designs are so creative and visually pleasing. His blocking and panel work are engaging and sometimes really creative. This display of Shinji's ability is so sick. I love looking at it.

Kubo actually playing with the word bubbles like this to display the other character's power of "painting over names" is so cool that I kept going back and reading these couple of pages this happens before moving on.

The main cast are all great and very very easily likable. I ended up really loving them all. I found it really hard not to. The side characters and villains had a lot of great designs and I enjoyed almost all of them really. The powers and the bankai were all really fun and unique; bankai also had great designs. Boy, oh boy! One thing about me with these shounen battle manga, I love whacky powers that can just be whatever!

They weren't kidding that Soul Society was such a great arc. Everything about that arc really clicked and it was so well written! The common complaint about the Arrancar arc is just Soul Society again and I feel that but honestly, it was still fun. I was engaged enough and having enough fun to not really care. I will say, after looking into the filler, if I was watching the anime, I would have dropped it pretty quick. Luckily I had a good pace thanks to reading instead. I was talking to my friend yesterday and he said the he dropped off at the end of Arrancar because he thought that was where it really should end. If I had watched the anime, I would have agreed. Fullbringers was mainly just a fine arc. Sure there were parts I liked and characters I liked but it was really just an okay arc that existed just so Ichigo could get his powers back. However, since I was reading and got to read 1000 Blood War all at once, I disagree with the sentiment. That last arc is really really strong. 1000 Blood War is such a great arc with well raised stakes and a satisfying ending in my opinion.

Any complaints I have would be again that the Fullbringers is definitely the weakest arc, Nel was a really weird character. I thought she was cute as a kid but didn't like her as an adult. Some of the fights dragged a little but overall the fights were really cool.

I had a great time with the series. Sure I had a few problems here and there but I loved it a ton overall!

I would give it an 8/10 on the Stitchy Scale. It was great and I'll definitely want to collect physical copies in the future!

[rex101111]

Right! I played and finished Bayonetta 3 yesterday, got to the final stage and thought “eh ill finish it in the morning” but then I just couldn’t help myself and so I blitzed through it and...well, I got some thoughts. 

Before that though: I DO recommend this game, it is a TON of fun in the gameplay, the music is great, the set pieces are really cool, the gimmick stages are few and far between and actually fun, and Jennifer Hale does a really good job as the new voice of Bayo after that whole...drama.

Not any explicit spoilers under the cut, but I do allude to things that happen in the story so yeah read with caution:

But the story is a fucking mess, not nearly as bad as some people have made it out to be (i’ve heard the phrase “character assassination” being thrown around and woah no dude easy there) but...yeah no if you’ve seen people angry and upset over the ending of this game, I could absolutely sympathize with them...were I more connected to this franchise. 

Which I’m not, I like Bayonetta as a character and the world is fun, but the stories in these games have always been a bowl of expired cat food, the saving grace was that the games seemed to be aware of it and regularly made fun of themselves in an endearing manner.

They committed to the bit.

Bayonetta 3 does not. 

Bayonetta 3 has a story about multiverse destruction and changing fate, and it makes the frankly bone headed mistake of thinking that Bayonetta of all characters, would actually take it seriously. The Bayonetta series is a silly, campy good time, tragic things happen sure, but the characters are too head strong and confident to just lay down and accept it, they spit in the face of drama and tension and tragedy because those things don’t matter to this series.

The heart and soul of Bayonetta is that you and Bayonetta are here to have fun, to stick your tongue out at huge, monstrous creatures with plans of celestial proportions and then make them look like fools. Bayonetta 3 makes those villains too strong, makes them take too many victories, which doesn’t make you want to beat them, it just feels like playing pretend with a kid and they suddenly put up their Everything Proof Shield and that just spoils the fucking fun.

Multiple times you win a boss fight, you smirk and think “hell yeah I beat them! that was awesome” and then the villain pops out of the ground, your boot print still embedded in his stupid cloudy face, and goes “NUH UH ACTUALLY I WIN BECAUSE YOU DIDN’T PAY ATTENTION NYEH” and it just got so, so fucking tiresome.

Oh! And Viola! I like Viola, I do! Her design is fun her scenes are fun she’s fun to play with (though her parry could use a few extra frames, an equivalent to bat within maybe?) and I think she fits right in with the cast. She’s kinda a reverse Bayonetta, someone who tries to be series and cool but keeps falling flat on her face. It’s endearing, I like Viola. If she shows up in future games I wouldn’t complain about getting to play as her again.

But, again, Bayonetta 3 gives her too much importance, makes her out to be more integral to the meat of the game than she honestly deserves or has earned quite just yet.

We’ve been here before, with Nero in DMC4, but that game had a more confident grasp of how to treat the story and characters. Nero had just as many levels as Dante, you play the entire first half of the game with Nero. You get used to the new way of playing the game with Nero and you get attached to the cocky little punk.

Viola has, exactly, one level for every two Bayonetta has. Counting the prolog she has less than half the levels for you to get to know her and play as her. The gameplay doesn’t make her out as important, she’s a side story bit, a bit of variance with less power and a different witch time mechanic to keep the variety up during the game.

But the story treats her with way too much weight. At the end of the game, we’re supposed to believe that she’s on the same level as Cereza, that she’s earned a place as a main character, as the main character, for the rest of the franchise.

And she absolutely fucking didn’t. Like I said, she spends the whole game trying to be cool, trying to be awesome, and falling flat on her face every time. And I mean every time, from the first cutscene to the final boss Viola gets her shit pushed in 24/7 while Bayo gets to do all the cool shit (well, when she isn’t being unfairly beaten up by the boss she just fucking beat but let’s not get stuck on that), and she doesn't really get the chance to grow into a more competent fighter as the game goes on.

If she had more levels, I personally would have been 100% fine with them reusing levels in reverse for her, she would have had more time to actually feel like she’s growing into her own, become better, be stronger, if this was supposed to be her story, it certainly didn’t fucking feel like it.

Ah. Also. Luka.

Again, no explicit spoilers, but apparently someone at Platinum decided that the dude who had minimal story significance in the first game, and zero in the second, should be the most important mother fucker in this one.

And that just does not figure for me. Not one bit.

Luka is, to me, on the same level as Enzo. He’s a dude that shows up every so often in between levels so he can make the player laugh by trying look and act cool and failing, a real dime store Dante. I like Luka, and I like him because that’s how he’s been and that’s where he works, as a feckless loser who tries his best to help Bayo while she shakes her head fondly, like you would at a clumsy puppy, and go on her way. 

Everything in this game that doesn’t work, doesn’t work for the same reason, they suddenly took this super silly game series and decided to take it seriously, but in an incomplete way.

You know why DMC5 worked? Why that game could take it self more seriously, give it’s characters more dimensions and give them growth? Because it had focus.

Boiling it down, DMC5′s story stakes are entirely personal. Its a story about family, about Dante and Vergil and Nero. Sure there’s a huge planet eating demon tree but it serves as the backdrop for a personal story about a broken family mending their bonds.

It zeroes on the main three, and gives them time to emote and grow and just be, they can still be silly and goofy and Wacky Woohoo Pizza Guy and all that stuff, but they can also take a second to just...stop, stop and take in what’s going on, and what their feeling.

They don’t get smacked around by a suddenly powerful villain to force a moment of weakness (more than once, anyway), they simply know when to stop with the bit for a minute and express themselves.

DMC5 also had the advantage of its series already diving into some pretty dramatic subjects with DMC3. This series has always been about family through the lenses of demon slaying adventures, so DMC5 had something to bring to a head...a climax if you will.

Bayonetta 3 doesn’t have that, because the Bayonetta series never really had a central theme so much as it had a central vibe, and that vibe is fun. You are here to have fun, sure there’s plots of celestial and infernal conflict and hideous monsters, but the main character is making cheesy jokes and dancing and laughing and overall treating all of this like a shopping holiday, so the prevailing attitude, the aesthetic, the vibe is fun.   

I had fun with Bayo3, I’m still having fun with Bayo3, I want to stop writing and go back to play it some more. But every now and again the game sits me down for a soap opera I didn’t ask for and that it fails to make me care about and that’s when the fun stops for me for a while.

Say what you will about Bayo1 and 2, about messy gimmick stages and tricky platforming and obtuse puzzles, but those games never, ever stop having and feeling fun. They commit to the fucking bit.

Bayonetta 3 does not. 

I can only hope that Bayo4, if it ever happens, learns from this, and we can all put this messy fucking nonsense behind us.

[spaceorphan18]

I really want to know who your favourite LOTR characters are! I saw an ask about Silmarillion that said you've already answered this before but I tried searching your blog and couldn't find it

Oh hello! Usually my tag is LOTR for this stuff, but I may have forgotten to tag things.

Anyway... my favorite LOTR Characters!

Bilbo Baggins

This is probably more due to the Hobbit, which I did read before LOTR. But I've always thought of him as my fictional kindred spirit. He's grumpy and tired and really wants to be left alone so he can write his book. And the only way you'll get him to do anything is show up with 13 dwarves and a wizard to kick him out the door.

Btw - Martin Freeman was a perfect casting for this role. I'm sad the Hobbit films weren't better ones, because Freeman embodies him perfectly.

Gandalf

Look, I love Wizards. Love. Them. Maybe it's the aesthetic? Maybe it's the idea of some old, frail looking dude being able to kick your butt with ancient magic? Maybe it's the fact that they're the ones who always know the mythology? I don't know. But one of the reasons I love LOTR is for the wizards, and Gandalf is one of the greatest. Plus, he's grumpy and too old for this shit and really would rather just sit back and enjoy the Hobbit nonsense if he could.

Also - another perfect casting choice here with Ian McKellen.

Pippin

I really love the Hobbits in general, but Pippin is my favorite. I think in both the book and the movies he gets some really great material - he's not as comical in the book, but he does bring levity to the story in both. Plus, his story arc showcases how someone so small can be beneficial to the overall story and he gets to hang out with Gandalf a ton.

Aragorn

I mean, look at this sexy dude. ;) I think this is one of those instances where the movies gave a lot more complexity to a character who was more of an archetype in the book. But I think I just kind of love the gruff, gritty guy who is actually an heir to royalty but really isn't in it for that trope.

Legolas

I'm really fond of the Elves in general - and their mythology is one of the hearts of the book. But in the movies, let's be real, it's mostly aesthetic. ;) Also - the fact that there are so many great memes. Lol

Frodo & Sam

Okay, I originally just had Sam on here - Sam is the literal heart of the whole story, and has one of the best arcs in the whole book. It's really his story, and I absolutely adore him.

I'm including Frodo here, though because in the movies, he and Sam have one of my favorite dynamics. In the books, Frodo and Sam have a very strictly master-companion relationship, it grows into a very strong bond, but there is that level of class that always stays between them. To make it more modern (and I'd say more American - but this is a New Zealand film) they eased up on the class stuff and made it a really strong friendship. I'd even go as far to say that this is perhaps the best 'romance' of the movies. (I don't even mean that in a sexual way - but that their love and connection is very deep and isn't played up for laughs in the same way as Merry and Pippin or Legolas and Gimli.)

Faramir

Honestly, I think he's a character I enjoy a lot in the movies, and maybe less so in the books. He doesn't have much of a personality in the books - and I'm okay with the movies trying to give him a better character arc. But idk, I've always liked him - maybe because he gets to pal around with Pippin while they're both stuck in Minas Tirith.

Eowyn

It's really sad that I only have one woman on this list but at least she gets to be badass and gets to do cool things.

****

In case you're wondering about some characters not on this list...

Merry - Poor Merry gets the shaft. But he is the weakest developed of the four main hobbits. His friendship with Pippin is great though.

Gimli - Okay, people don't hate me, I've never been all that into the Dwarven cultures. :/

Gollum - Look, I realize he's, like, the favorite of everyone, the most morally complex, and Andy Serkis should have gotten a damn Oscar for that role, but I just don't like him. Sorry.

Saruman - I really don't think he gets to do all that much in either book or movie. He has some interesting backstory stuff going on, but he's a little generic in the main story.

Boromir - Tolkien doesn't have a lot of morally gray characters in his books, so it's great when we get to see him. But for me, I'm meh on him even if I recognize that he is a good character.

Elrond and Galadriel - Both of whom have better stories elsewhere in Tolkien's mythology.

Arwen - Ug, she's not a character in the books, and barely a character in the films.

Sauron - You know, he's a great character in pre-third age related things. But he's used only as a dark menace here, so I feel, despite being the main antagonist, you don't get a full sense of him and he's not much of a character in LotR.

Okay, did I miss anyone? Despite there being a million characters in these books -- there really aren't that many characters that play an active role.

[quickdeaths]

Spell out your url using characters you love from any media. then, tag as many people as there are letters in your url ( or however many you'd like ! ) inspired by the song titles dashboard game.

Q - Qiu Tong, Tamen de Gushi. Ngl, finding a character with a Q name was tough haha. Qiu Tong is a good choice tho, both for how big TdG was in my circles when it was at its peak, and the sad story of what happened to it. Free my girls!

U - Utena Tenjou, Revolutionary Girl Utena. Utena is too hard to watch to be my favorite anime, but I do think it's kind of the perfect anime, and I will truly never be free from taking inspiration from Utena herself when making characters.

I - Itto Arataki, Genshin Impact. My girlfriend played Genshin Impact and I was thinking about picking it up, but I wasn't totally sure, and then I saw this guy. History made.

C - Claire François, I'm In Love With The Villainess. I love the villainess genre, absolutely oversaturated with slop though it may be. This one is a fave, and what I like about Claire is that she has multiple arcs. So many examples of this genre use isekai or reincarnation explanations to sand off the rough edges, and while I think Claire is very sympathetic, the light novels show that she has to prove her good intentions and overcome her prejudices.

K - Kotori Minami, Love Live! She's not the strongest character, really, but I just like her a lot. Love Live! meant a lot to me when I was like, 21-22.

D - Dale Cooper, Twin Peaks. Gosh what a performance, huh? I was obsessed with this show in college, and the absolute weirdo energy brought to this character has never left my brain. I really gotta watch the new season.

E - Edelgard von Hresvelg, Fire Emblem: Three Houses. She's not my fave FE3H character, but I do like her a lot, and unfortunately the discourse around her is the clearest portrait I've ever seen of fandom misogyny. The double-standards, the flattening of motivations, the lack of credit or benefit of the doubt that male characters got easily, it's all there. Edelgard they could never make me hate you.

A - A2, NieR: Automata. This is a stand-in for her, 2B, and 9S, honestly. NieR: Automata is one of my all-time faves, with a story that I loved the whole way through. For me, they are "frequently bought together, do not separate them," but A2 is the only one whose name actually starts with a letter, so she gets the honor.

T - Tahani Al-Jamil, The Good Place. This is kind of another "ensemble" pick since it is hard to choose, although Tahani might be my favorite of the main four cast. I don't watch a ton of TV, but I honestly devoured this whole show in like... maybe three weeks? I love the characters, and I loved the story, and while The Office and Parks and Recreation never really hit for me, this definitely did. With Tahani specifically, it helps that I love Jameela Jamil.

H - Hanabi Yasuraoka, Scum's Wish. This is a hard manga to recommend, and Hanabi is a hard character to love, but it lined up for me at a time where I needed to read things about characters who weren't great people but still deserved the hope that the could be better. Fun fact, an article I wrote about my relationship to the anime for a website is, I believe, the first time I was ever paid for my writing.

S - Saeko Sawatari, How Do We Relationship? I could honestly talk about Sae forever. HDWR is maybe my favorite romance manga of all time, and Sae is relatable to me in ways I find affirming and representative, and also deeply uncomfortable. Sometimes I'll be reading normally, and then Sae will say something that feels like the kind of thing I'd write in a diary and then throw into the ocean strapped to fifty pound weights due to being too honest and vulnerable. I can't explain all the things that I see reflected back at myself from her, and honestly, I probably wouldn't want to. All I can say is that she's such a special character to me.

Tagged by: @more-than-a-princess

Tagging: Normally I would tag people, but I did just do a dash meme recently and also tags are like busted for some reason for me like what's up with that. If you want to do it, though, I think you should and you can say I tagged you and it'll be our secret.

[magnetothehedgehog]

My posts and content

Sometimes I’m like oh man because I don’t get much interaction on my posts. Like I get it, I have a cap on my artistic ability at this point in my life and its hard for me to be consistent at stuff. Regardless of the mental issues surrounding that its a fact I’m not denying or faulting anyone for it. Not expecting a bunch of random people to take the time to interact or comment if they don’t want to. Same with friends. I mean yeah I know not all my posts or content is gonna be for everyone. And If my friends don’t want to comment or reblog or interact with that content whether it be me showing off ocs or anything else even if it kinda makes me sad sometimes thats their decision and I respect it. Its their choice to make.

But I’m not gonna play around it can be kinda disheartening to when your pals don’t ever interact much with your post not even a passing comment, especially when you are always trying to support them or their works or interact with them. I do get it comes down to personality types and its not to single any one person out. But its like wow I though you guys would nod at a least a couple of these things. Oh well...algorithm probably isn’t helping them find my posts. To their defence, they at least reblogged my commissions sheet when I needed it, so I can count on them when it matter in that case, which I’m grateful. I have become fully aware, and even more aware since twitter that probably most of the sonic fandom wouldn’t find my iterations/ideas for the sonic cast their cup of tea or even something they’d get on board with. Thats just how things are with the majority of things for most people I guess. But I really do feel like a far outlier a lot of times. Like their really isn’t many if any that have a similar idea feeling for the characters or the ideas for the series.

for some ideas I realize they’ve been done before. Heck IDW has done a very good job of incorporating all these random cool little details like I wanted to do, they even did the classic to present iterations using a classic sonic to modern sort of grow along like I had wanted to do. Well honestly they have essentially and continue to accomplish everything for the series I wanted to do.Even started trying to hone the sonic lore into one single timeline(which I was realllyyy trying to do). It feels great to see if but It also makes me feel a little sad, 1. because though small, I had the idea that I was novel in my silly little ideas and silly little things I incorporated from random sonic lore into the main canon for my series. 2. Because it kinda feels like if someone was in a group project and they all contributed ideas and you contributed ideas with your heart and you see the project presented with your ideas but you weren’t invited to present with the rest of the group and you don’t really get any credit or interaction or anything out of it. of course this isn’t the case because I’ve never worked with or been in contact with anyone at IDW in my life (to my knowledge) and although I’ve told tons about my story I the chances they went on to work at IDW are incredibly slim. 

These are just my won gripes I’m working through. I’m grateful entirely for seeing them do such great things with the series and its been a joy to read. I just can’t help how I feel sometimes. Its like I’m watching them live a dream I wanted but don’t get to be a part of. But its true with all these mental issues, lack of resources and the situation I probably wouldn’t have had much to offer. Except lore master I think I could’ve maybe done that I’m very much into lore. But they only made it for people in cali and broke my heart :( if it was remote maybe I could have done it. Need to get me some therapy when I land a job again.

[thewertsearch]

Asks Compilation 31/10

Thanks a ton!!

Yup, the trolls have all simultaneously started talking about their complicated alien relationships. Hussie clearly just woke up one morning with the coolest idea that just had to go in the comic.

It's a little out of the blue, but I've been rather enjoying myself, as I puzzle out what each new term is supposed to mean. It's already one of the more unique things about Alternian culture, and it's a lot of fun.

Plus, it turns Nepeta's shipping wall multidimensional. Does she have a Black Romance section?

True, true. Like I said, he deserves to be read as charitably as Vriska did. These kids are products of the dystopia they grew up in, and like it or not, that's going to have consequences!

God-tier troll, honestly. Kanaya is one of the most consistently entertaining of the cast, and I'm hoping we get to spend a while in her PoV before we have to move on.

I just missed her so much you guys

Thanks!

Nuanced is certainly the word. You have to view each story event on multiple levels, and be aware of how they interact. Hopefully I'm able to keep up!

Sane, linear, and a dead giveaway.

Rosemary is pretty great, as is Pepsi Cola - although there are a lot of red and blue characters. The ship name could equally apply to Karkat/Equius!

And hello again, L.O.S.S. anon! Maybe that could be your post signature?

[asked on the 25th! although I looked it up and I'm not sure what the reference is 🤔 her Hivebent intro was July 31st and first pesterlog was January 1st, must be missing something - C ]

Until proven otherwise, I'm going to assume this is Hussie officially confirming that Kanaya's birthday is October 25th. Thank you, Hussie, for this lore.

Heh, Meowrails. I'm sure Equius just loves that.

anonymous asked: I am horribly sorry if this is already long since decided but there is a fanon class that is basically all about faffing about in SBURB "code" called Waste, and I thought you might be interested in learning more about the fanon classpects later [] yes I know you have mentioned how you feel about fanon but please just trust me on this one I barely know anything about aspects myself, but I think with your writing mannerisms and analysis, you might vibe just enough with Mind? and if you can't be the Waste of Mind anymore, maybe your trollsona can?

As someone who invented countless Pokemon types in her childhood, I like the idea of fan Aspects - or even Classes. I might try my hand at some, after the liveblog ends in early 2038.

There are many who surely would consider this project a Waste of Mind. I shall wear this moniker with pride.

I recall hearing the Lord British thing was an accident - another accidental reference by Hussie?

For once, I actually did know the The Locked Tomb had ties to Homestuck. I believe the author was an extremely popular fic author in the fandom - and having read TLT, I believe it.

It does kind of look like his sign - but that blank, red eye can't be anyone else, can it?

Unless Nepeta somehow knows about Karkat's blood. Now there's a thought.

Ooh, I didn't think about that! Vriska was saying that in a message to Aradia, after all.

Maybe she's a little less apathetic than she lets on. A few of Vriska's words were ringing around in her head - and when Equius mentioned her heart, she already knew what she had to do to get that damn chip out.

[inbarfink]

So the Character-Flavored Tea sold in Cyber City has a lot of interesting details to analyze:

It’s possible that a person perceiving their own tea as just water is just... how the tea is supposed to work. But you can also read it as an indication of self-loathing and\or a lack of a clear self-image. I think you can argue that pretty much all the characters involved suffer from this to some degree.

Lol Noelle is thirsty

Susie likes everyone’s flavor but herself’s! Awww! it’s clear that outside her Tough Bully Exterior, Susie might be the most Wholesome character in the cast. Deep down, she’s really just “HELL YEAH THESE ARE ALL MY FRIENDS AND I LOVE THEM A LOT”

Obviously Ralsei has a high score for Susie and Kris but not really for Noelle because he barely had a chance to interact with her. This is also probably why she perceives Ralsei Tea as an empty cup. She literally has no impression of him. Same goes the other way around. 

The fact that they even have 50HP for each other might be a testiment for how sweet and accepting both of these characters are even with complete strangers. 

(And Ralsei at the very least knows that Noelle is soft and sweet!! Awww)

Noelle and Kris’ scores for each other are above-average but not Great. Probably because they USED to be quite close as kids but then had a falling out. So their relationship is still a bit tense even though they care about each other. 

This is clearly expressed in the flavors. Susie and Ralsei aren’t sure if Kris likes Noelle Tea or not (probably because Kris’ feelings about it are conflicted.) Noelle’s Kris Tea has a cinnamon flavor with a strange aftertaste - just like her feelings for them are mostly pleasent but with some lingering sadness\apprehension.

The most intersting thing of all is that although the Player is given many opportunities to make Kris express affection towards Ralsei... Kris only gets 60HP from Ralsei Tea. Just 10HP more then Noelle and Ralsei gets from That Person They Don’t Even Know. Perhaps the implication is that in spite of any choices made by the player, Kris doesn’t like Ralsei all that much. Maybe they feel apprehensive about his overly-friendly attitude. Maybe, like a lot of fans do, they kinda suspect that he’s not on the up-and-up

Notably, Kris does get a 120HP does of FRIENDSHIP from Susie Tea. Many fans have noticed that some of the few things Kris does without the player’s control involve showing a clear affection for Susie. Protecting her from the King, calling her “a friend”, being angry when other people bad-mouth her... they might have even slashed their mom’s tires just as an excuse to have a sleepover! 

And when Susie asks Kris who’d they rather take to the Town Festival, “You” (Susie) is the one answer where Susie doesn’t mention them ‘sounding so confused’. (I mean that could also be that she was so flustered by the implication that she didn’t notice the tone, but ‘Kris likes Susie the most and wants to hang out with her’ is probably the most obvious interpretation)

It’s very sweet to think that although Kris met Susie under the Very Unfortunate Circumstance of Being Mind Controlled, they have grown to see her as their closest friend regardless of that fact. But it’s also kinda sad to think that Ralsei’s great affection toward Kris is kinda one-sided.

... But I do actually have an Alternative Theory as to why Ralsei Tea has such a low score for Kris, and that has to do with the Flavor (Text). We can only tell how Kris feels about the Tea from Susie and Ralsei’s comments. And interestingly enough, both Kris Tea and Ralsei Tea give them “No reaction?”

SO, one of the theories about What the Hell Ralsei Even Is, is that rather than being the Dark World Manifestation of an inanimate object - he’s the   Dark World Manifestation of an abstract concept. Namely: Kris’ memories of Asriel. So he’s able to manifest in whatever Dark World Kris wonders to because he is literally manifesting from Kris’ brain.

And so, assuming the Teas taste like water when you drink your own flavor is Just How It Works - is it possible that drinking the Tea of someone who is Made of Your might be somewhat diluted???

Eh, it’s just a theory. Honestly I kinda like “Kris just doesn’t like Ralsei as much as Ralsei likes them back” because it’s very tragic and sad.

SPEAKING OF RALSEI AND SADNESS, can we talk about that “I’m happy!” when Kris drinks his Tea? Like is it just another indication of Ralsei’s extremely eager-to-please and desperate for approval personality. He’s happy that Kris even chose to drink his Tea and he’s just trying to ignore the implications of Kris seemingly having no reaction to it?

Is it about his own low\lacking self-image that he showed in the Acid Tunnel of Love. Is it like “Oh wow you had a Neutral Reaction and got healed 60HP? OH YAY! I was so worried that you were gonna spit it out in disgust and lose 20HP! I’m so relieved you can even be Neutral towards my flavor!” 

Other things about the tastes: Ralsei’s tastes for Kris and Susie correspond with their Dark World colors. Kris is blue and has a blueberry flavor, Susie is purple and has a grape flavor. Is it just to show how Ralsei has only ever seen them as their Dark World selves (because Kris is very much not Blueberries in the Light World)? Or maybe it’s meant as an indication that maybe Ralsei’s impression of them is still a bit... shallow?

Susie tasting Noelle Tea as Eggnog and Ralsei Tea as Marshmallows both make tons of sense. Eggnog is warm, comforting and Christmasy - marshmallows are soft and very sweet. That’s a pretty good description of Noelle and Ralsei.

I’m just trying to figure out why Susie thinks Kris is apple-flavored? Is it because they’re green in the Light World? Is it a reference to how their the child of a teacher? Kris is... not super-sweet but... crispy?? I’ll have to think about it.

[flowerflamestars]

I was wondering what you think will happen in Elain’s book? I do not think she and Azriel will be a couple by the end of the novel. The bonus chapter from Azriel’s point of view in ACOSF hinted at a budding romance between Gwyn and Azriel, so I think that Elain and Lucien will end up together (I am not trying to promote certain relationships, I am simply guessing what will happen based on the evidence within the text). Lucien and Elain are going to be an interesting couple, as she has no desire to be with him. The only way I can see her relationship will him progressing is if he notices that she feels over protected and stifled by her family (mostly Nesta and Elain). He defends her without coddling him then he will help her stand up for herself and be independent. To SJM however, being a warrior and defending oneself means that they have to brash to other people. I want Elain to learn to stand up for herself on her own, without turning her into a warrior. I do not think being one matches what we know about her character at all. As for the plot, I am very unsure of what I think will happen. I think it will pertain to freeing Vassa then finishing off Koschei. I would love to hear your thoughts on this.

In no particular order, I have very, very many thoughts on this!

The realest answer is that I don't even think I'll read the next book. SJM stay the fuck away from Lucien Vanserra, actually. I've talked about it before, but I don't think SJM has fully done a functioning ensemble cast/romance since like...Queen of Shadows, and from that point on we've gotten an increasingly formulaic kind of pairing. All stories are the same story, and that story is Feysand, but I digress.

The problem with Elain, much like the problem with Azriel, which I've discussed before is that...she doesn't make any sense. We're given extremely scant insights, which book to book contradict each other. Is she a paragon of human respectability? Is she secretly pleased by the lassitude her new life gives her? Is Nesta her best friend, or her foil? (ACTUALLY, does Elain HAVE friends?) Is her complexity buried beneath her more feminine traits (you tell those Queens to burn in hell, baby) or is she, genuinely, fully bought into a subservient trap? Does she even like men, or did she want to be safe? Does she even like baking or was it a thing forbidden her as highborn child? Does she like gardening, or was it the only way to incorporate beauty into total impoverishment?

We don't know.

So much of the Elain fondness or dislike is fanon.

It's kind of a classic writing problem of the books now, actually.

Which is- minus love triangle Bullshit, which we’ll get to in a sec- why presumably the Azriel book and the Elain book are the same book. They’re both window dressing, fluffed up in the worst possible way in the Nessian book.

In contrast, we actually have a very good handle on who Lucien is. Loyal, kind, a survivor, and a handsome competent man. A diplomat before a warrior, but not incapable. Genuinely magical. Someone who tries to do the right thing, even at great personal cost. He's one of the very few consistent characters, by dint of being sort of...sidelined, by the narrative? (honestly, thank god)

Lucien, as he is, is a ready-made protagonist. 

He has a canon backstory that is iffy in that every single SJM man has a token Dead Woman to be Sad About informing his character, who is allowed zero characterization or value beyond ANGST (see Rhysand’s dead mother. and sister. And Cassian’s dead mother. and Azriel’s tortured mother- none of whom are given NAMES), but there’s things to work with there. He’s intensely tied to a the Court system we know .02% actual info about, but he’s not actively a member of any court. He’s doing his own thing. He is, apparently, the only faerie INCLUDING FAERIES WHO WERE HUMAN RECENTLY who is willing to be around human beings.

That gives us room for a metric ton of plot. He could actually speak to Helion! He could help Jurian form a confederation of human kingdoms because hey, all the Queens are dead? missing?? He could return to Spring, a Court he was the second highest ranking faery in for...at least a century, I think? (which seems IMPORTANT in a place where the lands magic chooses leaders, but god knows if follow-through exists in Prythian) 

He could be revealed to be the actual heir of Autumn.

Let’s pause here, because let’s be real: SJM is not going to write a plot heavy acotar novel. I still do not remember the name of the last villain, but I remember the horrifically male-gaze blow job scenes like a reoccurring nightmare. This is a Romance holding a fuck the patriarchy keychain. 

Which brings us to Azriel. 

The funny thing about Azriel is that, actually, his character makes the most sense and was the least of a nightmare in the original love triangle the books set up and then discarded: Az, Mor, and Cassian.

The longing! the angst! the whole three-headed monster of it all.

Azriel in this love triangle is...a problem.

Most obviously because his POV whips out that he’s decided to maybe murder Lucien? Not even because he and Elain are together (they’re not yet), but because they could be, and Azriel feels like it’s fate...or destiny... or, ya know, horrific entitlement, that he and Elain be together. Three (not) brothers (who used to all fuck in the same room together but never touched) and three sisters. 

With the kind of...disintegration of the original Mor plot, we’re also left with this weird repetition going on? Here’s another beautiful blond lady with mysterious powerful magic who, for Reasons, is not held up to the standard all other ladies are and doesn’t need to be a warrior. Look, her fair golden hair is snagged on his sharp scary armor! Look, he tracks her through the crowd! 

He’s literally able to save Elain before she’s horrifically tortured, in a replay of all his centuries of Morrigan guilt with a better outcome.

It was kind of working, until we got his POV

(And then, again GROSS fact that only Feyre and Nesta have, uh, magical Illyrian internal structures now for baby wings. And apparently, all love is Love and Babies.)

It’s not really clear if Elain actually likes Azriel or if, you know, because of that sky-high pedestal, he’s just like... nice to her. In place where she knows no one, populated by assholes. 

We know Az IS into it- and we know it’s not going to happen for reason number 2: Rhysie says no. 

Az and Elain had more groundwork, but Azriel is a literal roadblock to that ever happening. Elain and Lucien are mystical soulmates, but Elain is literally (and honestly, after watching what her sisters have gone through, this IS the only thing that makes sense) leery of even being near him. 

We need a shake-up. 

(Gwyn is an obvious lead-up. I can’t even with the whole ‘light-singer’ nonsense, but, clearly this is where we’re headed. It’s been Gwyn/Az endgame since the ribbon moment, making Gwyn the only object of his attraction to....ever choose him.)

Assuming the Vassa/ human queens/ koschei / the lake?? plot isn’t flat-out dropped, I have to assume Elain is going to, somehow (probably because she wants to turn back into a human), leave Velaris and be in the mess of that. 

Lucien will be drawn in from the other direction- Jurian and Vassa- and Az will either be there with Extreme Prejudice, or there will be a Feysand Plot Reason why he and Gwyn are like, on a different continent. Elain will Save Herself from the Evil Sorcerer with Vassa’s help, in a presumed eastern european folktale smash up. 

The coolest take of this that lives in my heart actually would be Elain being the Baba Yaga figure here, the opposition of the Deathless, who helps the girls for her own reasons and with her own demands.

 It’s interesting to note that Vasilissa is usually aided in various stories by three knights: the red, the white, and the black. The Sun (or Dawn), The Day, and the Night. Lucien, Jurian, Azriel? some mix?

As for Koschei, there is a story with three magical princesses. And their three, magical, winged husbands. 

(And their brother, who must be revived after Koschei who I can frankly see as Jurian or Lucien if I squint)

What is most likely, really, is probably direct bits but not a direct lift of either story. Elements have to mix. Koschei stories tend to be about love and rivalry and we’ve definitely got that in spades. Maybe Gwyn AND Elain get kidnapped. Maybe Koschei is a sexy bad man with purple eyes round 2. Maybe Elain ends up with him. 

The second possibility is that the human stuff gets dropped. 

(Koschei lingers as a Future Big Bad for future...Feysand novels, probably)

And this is the AUTUMN COURT NOVEL

We have the lingering, two-way blackmail, deus ex Eris. It’s time for that promised coup, maybe? Maybe red-headed Gywn comes from the Land of Magical Redheads! Maybe Az is going to be his worst murder boy self! Maybe the magic will choose Lucien! 

Maybe we end the Tim Tam drama with the border changing, because that man does not want to be High Lord.

And then we can pay off changed, but semi-relevant The Flowers on the Drawer.  Lucien can go home! Azriel can murder...some Vanserra’s? Because he hella, hella wants to? 

The only thing I think won’t happen is endgame Elain and Azriel, but god knows anything else is on the table. 

[damnredthing]

Just some mindless, happy ramblings – SNW S1E07

This post – naturally – contains spoilers. If you haven’t seen the episode yet and do not want to read spoilers, please do not read any further.

This is not an episode review but rather just a bunch of ramblings which I’ve tried to at least sort a little bit into categories.

Season 1 – Episode 7 – The Serene Squall

This episode was hilarious. It is a nice break in tone compared to the last episode and it was so great to see Anson goofing off and showing his comedic talent. He hasn’t done many comedic roles in his career, which is why I am happy he’s catching up now. This entire episode looked like he had a ton of fun making it. I honestly don’t know how the cast and crew could finish shooting this episode, there must have been a lot of laughing fits.

I’ve also worked a bit on my gif-skills and trying a new approach with my ramblings by adding more gifs. I hope you enjoy.

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A lot of T’Pring in the series

I am surprised how much we get to see of T’Pring in this series, especially if you compare her screentime with Hemmer, who is supposed to be main cast. I am even more surprised that I don’t mind at all seeing her that much! She is a breakout character for me who I didn’t expect to see much of, but now realize how much I like to see her.

In this episode I was even more surprised that we even get to see her at work. For a recurring character that is a lot of insight. But luckily the episode gave the reason for this and it all falls into place for me now. Especially with the last second reveal in the episode, SNW is going to focus a lot more on Spock’s family (if not in season 1 already, then for sure in season 2).

What I found funny was her suggesting human sex to Spock. I just wonder why Spock was so shocked about that. What exactly were they planning to do in the pilot episode during their “special night” when Pike interrupted them? That looked very much like what humans do, too! 🤔

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Did Dr. Aspen / Captain Angel hit on Pike?

Or was it just part of their tactic to get Pike on their side?

During the dinner when they told Pike he’s known in Starfleet for being their (!) boy scout, the teasing and charming grin felt genuine. And what I find even more interesting is that Pike seemed to be intrigued.

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That boy scout comment tho!

So here I was squirming around in my last ramblings not to flat out call Pike naive, and they drop the bomb in episode 7 with the boy scout. Next time I guess I should just stick with my gut feeling and call it as what it is.

But was Una just teasing him that it was even in his file? I mean… a nick name in a Starfleet file? That would be weird.

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Remy had a thing for Pike

Nobody can tell me otherwise. Sure, he’s an Orion slaver and most and foremost saw Pike as a prime meat that gets him lots of latinum. But the way he eyed him up, felt for his bicep and patted him while only sideeying La’an and literally disregarding her… tell me I am not the only one who saw this?

And later he tells Pike he doesn’t want to wreck a great jawline (hello???) and then also calling him handsome and witty. I cannot say that Orion had bad taste.

It’s so funny how Remy tried to dominate Pike when his helpers were doing the dirty work for him, but later Pike turned the tables and played Remy like a fiddle.

I wonder if we ever get to see Remy again and how their second meeting will be, after Pike caused his crew to mutiny against him.

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Why did nobody help Pike up when he was tossed inside the cell?

Okay I admit it, I laughed my butt off at this scene. Anson played this so hilariously funny!

But uh, something irks me about this scene. Pike has been the care bear for his crew. Always wants their best. Always puts them before himself. Surely by now his crew must appreciate him as being an awesome captain, no?

So how come when that lizard guy tossed Pike into the cell, none of Pike’s crew made even the slightest attempt of helping him up? They all just stared at him – admittedly in shock about how much he had been roughened up – but they just watched him hauling his butt up all by himself.

I know it was done for comedic reasons (and Anson was so great), but I still find that remarkably weird. There was only one guy in the cell (the one with the gold uniform, kneeling on the right side) who at least offered Pike a bit of a hand. M’Benga at least checked his head (after Pike got up on his own mind you). But Ortegas and Una? They just watched him go down.

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Hints for the big twist

I admit I didn’t see the twist coming, but I was very pleased to watch Jesse James Keitel turning absolute evil as Captain Angel. As they were able to escape, I sure hope we gonna see them again. Especially as they are married to Sybok who I am sure we will see more of. If not in season 1 then in season 2.

Only when I watched the episode a second time, I noticed there were hints that Dr. Aspen was the pirate leader, or at least associated with them.

During the dinner, when Spock mentions the Serene Squall, you can see Aspen stop in their movements for a brief second.

They also tell everyone how the pirates are outsiders, fiercely loyal to each other, which turns out to be not true. But as Angel was their leader, this is certainly what they wanted to believe to be true.

Dr. Aspen also knew the solution how to get out of the net trap. It was a very scientific solution, something one wouldn’t expect from a counselor.

Remy knew exactly that Pike is the captain. How else would he know if not from Angel beforehand? At the time Remy was torturing Pike to get the codes, Angel was still in their Dr. Aspen cover.

Dr. Aspen urged Spock to use the escape pods and abandon the ship.

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Angel and Sybok

Angel isn’t just married to Sybok, they also share the belief in allowing emotions to unfold. Multiple times Angel encouraged Spock to rely on his emotion. Just when they asked him about Kolinahr (which is the Vulcan ceremony to detach themselves from all emotions) and were all excited to learn that Spock hasn’t underwent the ceremony yet, or when they pushed Spock to follow his gut feeling to decide which asteroid to fire on to destroy the net trap. Not to mention the dialogue they had with Spock about Spock’s true self (which was beautiful!).

Angel might have chosen a vile way to get their husband back, but they acted out of love. I don’t think they are purely evil. I think Angel is truly believing in Sybok’s ways and as such, I am almost certain we will see both again.

Sybok on his path to find Sha Ka Ree is going to gather quite a following. He will collect many followers by using his telepathic abilities to heal people from traumatic experiences. I am curious if we’ll get to see any of that in SNW and who all Sybok will try to win over. I mean, there are a couple of people on Enterprise with traumatic experiences…

I am also curious how his relationship with his half brother Spock will unfold.

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Star Trek writers know exactly what the fans want

Not only did we get a non-binary character, who kicked ass!

But whumpers also got their happy day!

Still some unchecked boxes though. But I am certain the show will deliver.

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Some Randoms

This is very random, but I loved the boing sound the Enterprise made when it kicked the rock away that set off the trap

I cannot wait to get my hands on the season 1 blu ray and watch the outtakes for this episode. How could they all pull this episode off without getting caught in endless laughing fits?

Holy shit was Spock badass or what? And he’s just half Vulcan. How much stronger is a full Vulcan? 😱 I was squealing when I saw that.

Pike wearing an apron over his combat gear (!), and to top it off, the apron is also gold just as his gear? This had me in stitches. 🤣

The oversized steering wheel… in a spaceship… like wtf? Lol

Did Chapel seriously aim a hypospray at Spock and Dr. Aspen in engineering? 🤣 This episode was pure comedy.

The Serene Squall under Remy was about to separate from the Enterprise and leave part of their crew behind when Remy announced they would set course to Qu’Vat to sell the Federation crew to the Klingons. So, was this actually a double mutiny? Fran turning against Remy on the Serene Squall, after Remy turned against Captain Angel? Well played Chris, well played indeed!

“Spock, you are failing to communicate effectively.” Bahahaha, I love this. Vulcan’s being funny when trying not to be funny.

Does this need further comments? 🤣🤣🤣🤪🤪🤪

[cyndavilachase]

I’m Looking Forward Now 💖Thank you and good bye

So, it’s been a little over a week since Steven Universe Future ended… 

I’ve been hesitant to write this, honestly, but I’m tired of holding myself back from properly expressing myself in fear of appearing overly invested in the media I consume, even in private. Writing helps me organize my thoughts and feelings, and I feel like these thoughts in particular may resonate with many, so I want to share them. I want to talk about what Steven Universe has done for me personally, both as an artist, and as a person.

I’ve been around since the day the first episode of the original series aired. I actually remember when Steven Universe was just a logo on Wikipedia’s “List of Upcoming Cartoon Network Shows” list, back when I was a freshman in high school. It piqued my interest, but when commercials finally dropped for it, I thought it was going to be bad because of the way marketing handled introducing Steven as a likeable character. There was still something about it that made me want to give it a chance though, so I went online and watched the pilot before the first episode's release. I was hooked immediately. I knew I was going to love it, and I did. I fell so absolutely in love with Steven as a character, and the world that he and the gems lived in. I became obsessed. I was always so excited for new episodes to come out. Little did I know what else it would do for me as I went through my adolescence alongside it.

As the show progressed, it was evident that what I wanted out of a western animated childrens’ cartoon was finally coming into fruition: this show was becoming serialized. There was continuity, there was plot, there was character development-- it was getting deep. It was pushing the groundwork that Adventure Time laid out even further (thank you, Adventure Time).  

I will give credit where credit is due: earlier western childrens’ cartoons I grew up with like Hey Arnold, and Rugrats, among others, also touched on heavy topics, but Steven Universe was able to take similar ideas (and even more complex ones, concerning mental health and relationships) and expand on them outside of contained episodes and/or short arcs. These themes, which were a part of the show’s overarching story, spanned across its entirety. Continuity was rampant. 

What did this mean? It meant kids cartoons didn’t have to be silly and fun all the time and characters weren’t just actors playing a part in 11-minute skits. Steven and the gems would remember things that happened to them, and it affected them and how they would function and play a part in their story. This was a huge deal to me as a teenager. I always wanted the cartoons I grew up with featuring kid characters to feel more. In my own work, I often felt discouraged when combining a fun, cutesy western art style with themes as dark or layered as anime would cover. I always thought it had to be one or the other because an audience wouldn’t take a combination of the two seriously enough, based on discussions I had with classmates, friends, and online analysis I read at the time. Steven Universe proved to me otherwise. This show was opening the door for future cartoons exploring in-depth, adult concepts. I felt so seen as a kid, and was inspired to stick with what I love doing.

I was actually very worried about the show’s survival. It was in fact immensely underrated and the fandom was miniscule. Then in 2014, JailBreak dropped, and it’s popularity exploded. Part of it was because of the complex plot and the themes it was covering like I mentioned, but also because of its representation. 

I remember when fandom theorized that Garnet was a fusion due to grand, tragic reasons. Turns out, she’s simply a metaphor for a very loving w|w relationship. This was huge. I cannot stress how important it is that we continue to normalize healthy canon queer relationships in childens’ media, and Steven Universe finally was the first to do that proper. Introducing these themes offers the chance for a kid to sit there and ask themselves, “Why is this demonized by so many people?” I asked myself exactly that. Ruby and Sapphire were my cartoon LGBT rep. They were the first LGBT couple I ever ecstatically drew fanart of. I was dealing with a lot of internalized homophobia at the time, and they showed me that I was allowed to love women and feel normal about it. The process of overcoming this was a long one, but they played a part in my very first steps into becoming comfortable with my sexuality. I could go on and on about it’s representation in general-- how it breaks the mold when it comes to showcasing a diverse set of characters in design, in casting, and in breaking gender roles. It’s focus on love and empathy. Steven himself is a big boy, but he's the protagonist, and the show never once makes fun of his weight, or any other bigger characters for that matter. It wasn’t hard to see why the fandom had grown so large.

Fandom was always a joy for me. It was a hobby I picked up when I was in middle school, like many of us here did. I would always cater my experience to fun, and fun only. I only started getting more deeply involved in SU’s fandom when I had just turned into an adult. During the summer of 2016, between my first and second year of college, I drew for the show almost every day non-stop when the Summer of Steven event was going on and posted them online. This was a form of practice for me in order to become not just more comfortable with experimenting with my art, but also to meet new artists, make new friends, and learn to interact with strangers without fear. I dealt with a ton of anxiety when I was in high school. When I was a senior applying to art school for animation, I decided I was going to overcome that anxiety. I made plans to take baby steps to improve myself over the course of my 4 years of college. Joining the fandom, while unforeseen, was definitely a part of that process. I started feeling more confident in sharing my ideas, even if they were fan-made. I fell in love with storyboarding after that summer, when I took my first storyboarding class, and genuinely felt like I was actually getting somewhere with all of this. I remember finally coming to a point in my classes where I could pitch and not feel hopelessly insecure about it. I was opening up more to my friends and peers. 

But this process, unfortunately, came to a screeching halt. 

My life completely, utterly crumbled under me in the Fall of 2017 due to a series of blows in my personal life that happened in the span of just a couple weeks. My mental health and sense of identity were completely destroyed. All of that confidence I had worked for-- completely ruined. I was alone. I nearly died. My stay at college was extended to 4 and half years, instead of the 4 I had intended. I lost my love for animation-- making it, and watching it. I could no longer watch Steven Universe with the same love I had for it beforehand. It’s a terrible thing, trying to give your attention to something you don’t love anymore, and wanting so desperately to love again. I dropped so many things I loved in my life, including the fandom.

Healing was a long and complicated road. I continued to watch the show all the way up until Change Your Mind aired in the beginning of 2019, and while I still felt empty, that was definitely a turning point for me with it’s encapsulation of self-love. I was hoping James Baxter would get to work on Steven Universe since he guest-animated on Adventure Time, and it was incredible seeing that wish actually come true. The movie came out and while I enjoyed it and thought highly of it, I was still having issues letting myself genuinely love things again, old and new. It was especially difficult because cartoons were my solace as a kid, when things got rough at home. I remember feeling sad because the show ended, and not getting the chance to love it again like I used to while it was still going.

By the time Steven Universe Future was announced, I was finally coming around. I was genuinely starting to feel excitement for art and animation again. I wasn’t expecting there to be a whole new epilogue series, but happily ever after, there we were! Prickly Pear aired, and the implications it left in terms of where the story was going did it. I was finally ready to let myself take the dive back into fandom in January of this year. My art blew up, something I wasn’t expecting considering my 2-year hiatus. Following this, I was invited into a discord server containing some of the biggest writers, artists, editors, and analysts in the fandom. I had no idea there were so many talented people in the fandom, some already with degrees, some getting their degrees-- creating stuff for it on the side just for fun. The amount of passion and productivity level here is insane, and so is the amount of discussion that has come out of it.

I didn’t realize it at first, but it was actually helping me gain back the courage to share ideas. I lost my confidence in pitching while I was taking the time to heal, and graduating meant there would no longer be a classroom setting I could practice in. This group helped immensely. 

I have made so many friends through this wonderful series, and I have so many fond memories talking to like-minded creatives, getting feedback and a myriad of sources for inspiration, as well as all of the memes and jokes and weekly theorizations that came about as we all waited on the edges of our seats for episodes to air. I needed this so badly, I needed to get back in touch with my roots, when I would go absolutely hog-wild over a cartoon I loved with people who loved it as much I did. Future has been a blessing for me in this way. I graduated feeling like I was back at square-one, but now I feel like I’m on my way again.

It’s 2020 and while I’m doing great right now, I am honestly still recovering from the total exhaustion that followed after graduating a few months ago, and finally leaving the campus where my life fell apart behind. Needless to say, watching Future was like looking into a mirror. Watching one of my favorite characters of all time-- one that grew up with me-- go through so many of the same things I went through not too long ago was absolutely insane to watch unfold. It’s such an important thing too, to show a character go through the process of breaking down over trauma and all the nasty things that come with it, and to have them go on the road to healing. Steven got that therapy. He wasn’t blamed. The gems were called out. The finale was everything I could have ever hoped for. The catharsis I experienced watching it was out of this world.

As I continue my own healing journey, I will always look up to the storyboard artists, revisionists, and designers that I have been following over these past 7 years, as well as the new ones introduced in Future. It's been such a joy watching these artists release their promo art for episodes, talk about their experiences working on the show, and post the work they've done for it alongside episodes airing.

Thank you Rebecca Sugar, the Crewniverse, and the fans, for making this such a truly wonderful and unique experience. Thank you for reminding me that I am, and always will be, an artist, a cartoonist, and a fan. Thank you, my followers, for the overwhelmingly positive response to my artwork. I have had so much fun interacting and discussing the show with you all again over these past few months. Steven Universe and it’s fandom will always have a special place in my heart, and it will always be a classic that I will return to for comfort and inspiration for decades to come. I am sad that the cartoon renaissance is over, but so many doors have been opened thanks to this show. I am so, so excited to see what this show will inspire in the future, and I hope one day I get the opportunity to be a part of that. 

Goodbye Steven, thank you for everything. I wish you healing, and I wish Rebecca and the team a well-deserved rest. ♥️

-Cynthia D.

[jazy3]

Free Guy Review

!!!SPOILERS AHEAD!!!

If you haven’t seen the movie Free Guy (2021) stop reading right now! Drop what you’re doing and go get yourself a ticket! You’ll thank me later!

I loved this movie! I saw it this weekend for the second time because it’s that good! I first saw the trailer on YouTube a while back and then when theatres reopened a few weeks ago I saw the trailer again and my interest was piqued. I had high hopes for this movie based on the fun looking trailer, the premise, the cast, and the sense of fun and escapism that the movie seemed to embody and it did not disappoint. It’s always nice when you have high hopes for something and it meets or exceeds your expectations.

Free Guy is just such a fun and joyous movie. Never taking itself too seriously, packed with lots of heart, cool cameos, full of gaming and pop culture references, and it’s fueled by a unique concept that is well executed. There are just so many things I loved about this movie! It was a ton of fun to watch and the actors clearly had a blast making it. During the movie I kept trying to figure out where I knew most of the actors from but couldn’t place them. When I got home, I googled it and I instantly realized why. The roles are just so different and the actors embody their characters so completely you lose yourself in the film and get completely sucked in. I was honestly so surprised when I figured out what I knew most of the actors from because the roles that they’re known for are so different from their characters in the movie. Their appearances, established ages, and even the accents are so different that I literally did a double take, but that’s what makes the movie so good! Because the main actors obviously didn’t need the paycheque they were just there to have fun and it shows. I think if the situation had been different and the actors involved had been desperate for money or took the role for some other reason it wouldn’t have worked. The film would have come off as cheesy, forced, cringeworthy, or just plain bad. Free Guy is none of those things. The film stars Ryan Reynolds as ‘Guy’ a bank teller in a video game called Free City, Jodie Comer whose best known for playing Villanelle in Killing Eve as programmer Millie Rusk and her avatar Molotov Girl, Joe Keery whose best known for playing Steve Harrington in Stranger Things as programmer Walter ‘Keys’ McKey, and Taika Waititi whose best known for playing Viago in What We Do in the Shadows as the Head of Soonami Studios and the film’s main antagonist and villain Antwan. Rounding out the cast are Utkarsh Ambudka as programmer Mouser and Lil Rel Howery as Guy’s best friend and bank security guard Buddy. In a nutshell, Free Guy is about a bank teller named Guy who finds out he’s a non-playable background character (NPC) in an open-world Grand Theft Auto style video game called Free City. Guy becomes the hero of his own story after meeting Millie, the girl of his dreams, and winning fans all over the world by racking up points by being the good guy and helping others. After leveling up and helping Millie escape a dangerous situation in the game, Guy wins her over and she falls for him thinking that he’s another player. But when the world that Guy knows and all of the people in it are threatened, he teams up with Millie to save his friends before it’s too late. In the real world, Millie enlists the help of her former programming partner and best friend Keys in a race against time to stop their code and all of the sentient characters from Free City from being deleted by Antwan the developer who stole their code when the game’s sequel launches. I love that the movie had a unique premise and didn’t overcomplicate things. There are so many movies that I’ve gone to see over the last few years with such excitement only to be disappointed. For example, I loved Wreck It Ralph, but was so disappointed by its sequel Ralph Breaks the Internet. The trailers made it seem like it would take the premise of the first movie and move things into the online gaming world, and I was excited for that. Instead, the sequel left the premise of the first movie behind entirely and way over complicated the plot and the end result was extremely cheesy and disappointing. Free Guy’s strength is that it’s a self-aware movie made by self-aware people who are excellent at what they do. The movie doesn't take itself too seriously, nor should it, and that allows the story to flow and the characters to feel real and genuine. The movie achieves that perfect balance between being entertaining and telling a cohesive and important story because while the movie never takes itself too seriously the people behind it are serious about what they do. This was very clearly a passion project for all involved, especially Ryan Reynolds, and it shows! As he’s spoken about in interviews and on Twitter, Reynolds called on a lot of his friends to be in Free Guy and help him out and the end result was fantastic! I loved all of the cameos! The Chris Evans cameo was by far the funniest and the Alex Trebek cameo got me right in the feels. When I saw the movie in theatres me and everyone else in the theatre gave a collective “awww” when he appeared on screen. Enlisting real YouTubers to show up as fictional versions of themselves to talk about Blue Shirt Guy’s popularity was a nice touch and you’ve also got blink and you miss it voice cameos by John Krasinski, Dwyane The Rock Johnson, Hugh Jackman, and Tina Fey. Channing Tatum appears as the avatar of player Revenjamin Buttons which for the most part was hilarious. One of my few criticisms of the film is that they went a bit overboard the avatar’s antics as Guy and Buddy are attempting to leave and it got bit a cringeworthy. But I know other people found it hilarious so to each their own. I love all of the little details and references in the movie. Just listing them all would be a post in itself. If you’re someone that loves pop culture references and Easter Eggs this is the movie for you. The characters are fun and believable, and you get attached to them quickly. The actors commit completely to their roles which is makes the humour, romance, and heartfelt emotion of the film work. You buy it. 100%. Something that I absolutely loved was that the characters felt realistic and that the dialogue, attire, and settings for each character really felt authentic. I can’t tell you how many times I’ve watched a movie or TV show and walked away thinking, “The person who wrote that clearly never meet a kid, teenager, or twenty something in their life! That was so unrealistic.” The slang’s all wrong. The dialogue is so eloquent everyone sounds like they did Shakespeare in the Park last summer. You walk away thinking, “What the hell was that? No one talks that way!” What I loved about the characters in Free Guy is that they felt like real people you could actually run into or walk past on the street. I’ve read in interviews that in addition to the written dialogue the cast did a lot of ad-libbing and improvisation and the end result is both hilarious and relatable. The dialogue feels real because it is. The big exception to this of course is Antwan who is altogether off the wall and ridiculous. Antwan is such an outrageous, absurd, vulgar, and cartoonish character. He’s so fun to watch and the actors clearly had a lot of fun with his scenes! I’ve read that a lot of his lines with Keys and Mouser were improvised and I believe it. When he goes all Jack Nicholson on the servers? Lord. He’s such a great villain to watch. The characters that are established to be in their twenties like Millie, Keys, Mouser, and the other employees at Soonami Studios talk, act, and dress like they’re in their twenties. The actors that are in their forties are styled to look like they’re in their thirties and honestly, they’re in such great shape it works! I mean I was honestly shocked to find out Taika Waititi’s real age. I love how the costuming really fits each character and allows you to learn more about them. Keys’ clothing is your typical gamer chic which makes because as we learn from his interview with Millie coding is his life and what gets him up in the morning. From Mouser’s clothing we learn that he’s a sports fan, but also isn’t afraid to take risks like with that blazer ensemble he wears in his final scene at Millie’s apartment.

Millie’s clothing shows the contrast between her and her avatar Molotov Girl, and Antwan’s ridiculous coat enhances the overall wackiness of his character. Guy’s clothing tells us something too. He wears the same thing every day until he meets Millie in the game at which point, he starts deviated from his Free City programming and chooses a different blue shirt. I also really love that they put thought into why Keys needs to wear glasses. Something I noticed on rewatch is that Keys is far sighted which is why he has his glasses on when he’s looking at his laptop or computer and sometimes when’s talking to other people, but not when he goes to see Millie at her apartment or when he goes to get them coffee at the end of the movie. Another interesting aspect of Keys’ character that I noticed on rewatch is self-confidence is really something he struggles with in contrast to Millie and Mouser who are very confident. Millie is a genius programmer and Mouser is excellent at what he does, and they are both very confident in their coding abilities, but Keys isn’t despite being every bit the genius that Millie is. At the beginning of the movie when they first notice the issue with Guy Mouser jokes that Keys needs to be better at his job. In response Keys meekly says he thinks he’s pretty good at his job and trails off at the end. Mouser is just joking around, but because Keys lacks self-confidence comments like that hit him hard. Mouser is moving towards his own desk as he talks so he doesn’t notice how self-deprecating and uneasy Keys’ response is. In the interview from the indie games conference that Millie plays for Keys at his apartment, he brushes off the interviewers comment that he’s a genius and says Millie is the real genius because she created the AI engine and he just wrote the code to make it work. Later on, when Keys helps Millie get into the stash house, she calls him a genius and he tells her that as he’s currently sitting on a toilet stealing user code he doesn’t exactly feel like one. Millie responds offhandedly that he never does, but luckily, she knows better. When Keys realizes that Millie was right, and that Antwan did steal their code and their game worked he tells Millie they need to celebrate because once everyone sees their build she’ll be celebrated and she could win a noble prize. Both Millie and Keys are geniuses in their own right. The game wouldn’t have worked without both of their skills and Guy wouldn’t have come to life without both of them working together. Millie’s AI engine made his sentience possible, but Keys is the one who gave him hopes and dreams so that when he met Millie in the game, he came alive. When done right the settings we see tell the story just as much as the characters do and I love how realistic the settings in Free Guy look. The floor at Soonami Studios where Keys and Mouser work looks like a real office and I love that the desks have clutter and personal effects on them like real cubicles do and that they show Keys taking a box of his stuff with him as he leaves. The lobby with the moving water videos and Antwan’s massive but largely empty office fits perfectly with the obnoxious, zany, and over the top character that he is. I also love the contrast between Keys and Millie’s apartments and how those settings tell us a lot about each character and where they are in their lives when the film starts. When Keys comes home from work to find that Millie has broken in, we see that he lives in a stylish one bedroom apartment with an open concept kitchen full of stainless steel appliances, a large living room centred around an expensive wall mounted TV and entertainment system, with his computer and gaming station set up in the corner. On the walls we see artful clusters of black picture frames, through a partially open door we see a bedroom off to the side, the apartment is full of black and white furniture including a plush couch and nice lamps, and features a textured silver accent wall. All of which makes the fact that Millie managed to break in even more impressive because it is clearly an expensive apartment in a nice building. Keys’ style is minimalist and upper scale and based on what we learn about the events that took place before the start of the movie this indicates that Keys got the apartment and all of the nice stuff in it using the money he received when Antwan bought his and Millie’s game. In contrast, Millie lives in a bachelor apartment and spends her time in coffee shops ordering one single black coffee over four hours. This tells us that she kept her original apartment that she had from before the game was sold and is living off the money she got from the sale while she spends all of her time trying to find the proof she needs to win her lawsuit. When we see Millie’s place, we find that it’s cozy, full of plants, throw rugs, quilts, and comfy furniture. She’s got a bike in the corner, you can see her bed from the centre of the room where she’s got her computer and gaming station set up adjacent to the coffee table and the rest of the living room furniture. Her kitchen is smaller and full of wooden cabinets and her bathroom door has DIY multicoloured square panels on it. Keys and Millie’s apartments are very different and through these settings we see the contrast between where these characters are in their lives, their wealth, and their personal style. The song ‘Fantasy’ by Mariah Carey is featured heavily in the film and is guaranteed to get stuck in your head in the best way! Jodie Comer’s cover of it is amazing! It fits the moment where Guy makes it to the island that is Millie and Keys’ original build and shows it to the world perfectly. This movie made me appreciate Mariah Carey’s music in a whole new way and I can’t be the only way. After watching the movie, I went looking for the song on Apple Music, wound up listening to the Mariah Carey Essentials Playlist, and I’ve become obsessed. I knew some of her hits, but after listening to her music more I get why people love her so much. Her five octave vocal range is amazing, and her music is just so fun to listen to. The film has a really great soundtrack overall and I’ve had many of its song on repeat since I saw it. Something I really loved about this movie and the reveal at the end that Keys is in love with Millie and is desperate for her to notice, but she’s been oblivious the whole time is that they don’t do the supposedly nice nerdy guy whose really a jerk trope. So many movies do this where you have a nerdy male character whose unluckily love, looked over, or his love is unrequited, and we’re supposed to root for him because he’s a quote “nice guy”. But really, he’s not. He’s a jerk who feels slighted because a woman in his life doesn’t love him back or notice him and he feels as if she owes him something. The scene at Millie’s place where Millie tells Keys he looks cute when he brags, and Mouser encourages him to tell Millie how he feels is super frustrating to watch but it’s so important to Keys’ character. He asks Millie out for coffee and when she turns him down to jump back into the game, he doesn’t make a big deal about it even though Mouser wants him to. Instead he gets up and goes and gets her a coffee anyway. She goes to tell him her order, oblivious to the fact that he’s memorized it, he tells her he remembers, and goes to get the coffee anyway much to Mouser’s and the audience’s dismay. This is big because Keys clearly doesn’t want to be walking down the street by himself to get coffee. He wants to be getting coffee with Millie so that he can tell her how he feels to see if she might feel the same way, but when she turns him down he goes and gets the coffee anyway because he truly loves and cares about her and he values their friendship enough to put his own feelings aside and suffer in silence rather than lose her and what they’ve built. So, he takes the opportunity to get some air rather than continue to sit there in disappointment. Which is why he’s so confused when Millie runs after him and calls out to him from across the street. He doesn’t understand what she’s doing there. She turned down his offer to get a coffee and he already knows her order so why is she there? I love that they chose to make that scene non-verbal. I think if Millie had come out and made some big declaration of love it would have felt cheesy and overdone. But her running after him and silently communicating through her smile and body language that she understood and that she felt the same way was perfect. It was subtle and beautiful and perfectly acted. It also felt realistic to the characters because in real life when you’ve known someone a really long time and you’ve spent a lot of time with them you don’t always need words to convey what you mean. What Millie wanted to express in that scene was so big and so all-encompassing she couldn’t find the words to say everything that she wanted to say so she didn’t. She just stood there and smiled knowing that being the genius that he is he would understand. It’s like Keys says in their interview, words will fail you, but code never does. His coding worked and now she understands so rather than try and say it all and fail she just looks at him and smiles to show him that she finally gets it. She finally understands what he’s been trying to say to her all this time. And you can see the exact moment Keys realizes why she’s there. The moment where he goes from being confused as to what she wants to realizing that she saw the video and she knows how he feels and that she wouldn’t be standing there smiling at him like that if she didn’t feel the same way. When I watched the scene the first time around, I was anxiously clutching my nachos the entire time because when Keys ran towards her my immediate thought was, “Oh my god he’s gonna get hit by a car and they’re never gonna get to be together! Oh my god!” But then he didn’t get hit by a car and Millie ran out to meet him and for the first time in their relationship she met him halfway and they kissed and it was beautiful! I think because Free City had so much violence in it that’s where my mind went and I’m very glad they didn’t go that route. One of my only criticisms about the movie is that I wish they had stayed on Millie and Keys just a little bit longer. They kiss and embrace and then very quickly they cut to black. I wish they’d linger on that moment just a little bit longer because I love those characters so much and in the scene that follows where Guy and Buddy are reunited we see them hug and then walk away together to start their new lives and I wish we’d gotten just a bit more time with Millie and Keys. I also really loved the parallel between the different kinds of relationships within the movie and how platonic relationships are just as important as romantic ones. The reveal at the end about Guy being Keys’ creation and a love letter to Millie and her realizing she’s been loving Keys vicariously through Guy and them finally coming together and being on the same page is beautiful because from the very beginning the movie is full of clues, hints, and foreshadowing that all comes together at the end. Meanwhile, we see the friendship between Guy and Buddy and how important that friendship is to him because it’s something that he created on his own. His love for Millie is born out of the programming that Keys gave him, but his friendship with Buddy is something that Guy created all on his own of his own volition. Which is part of what makes Buddy’s death on the bridge so tragic. I cried when Buddy disappeared. Reynolds and Howery play their characters with such sincerity that his death pacts an emotional punch you don’t expect. I love that the security guards at Soonami are so moved by Buddy’s heroism and are so captivated by what’s happening with the live stream that Millie is able to sneak past them into the server room and stop Antwan from destroying what’s left of the game. Something else I noticed on rewatch is that during the final battle after Millie gets booted from the game and Guy has to fight Dude on his own the glasses he’s wearing are very similar to the ones Keys wears in the movie which I thought was a cool nod to Guy being Keys’ creation. This really is a movie in which you find something new every time you watch it. For instance, the second time around I noticed that the foreshadowing that Keys is in love with Millie, but she’s oblivious to it because she’s so focused on the game was really well done. In the video from the indie game conference that Millie plays for Keys at his apartment when asked by the interviewer about their chemistry Millie responds first and says that their friends, their relationship is completely platonic, and laughs off the idea that they have chemistry. In contrast Keys falters and is silent and then eventually says meekly that they’re just friends. Millie is looking ahead at the interviewer and to the side away from Keys as she’s laughing and so she doesn’t see Keys’ reaction. At the end of the apartment scene after Millie breaks in to ask Keys for his help, he tells Millie he cares about her and he almost says something else. It feels like he’s about to say, ‘I love you’ but then he catches himself and instead tells her that she needs to leave. When Keys visits Millie’s apartment to tell her that she was right and they’re sitting on the couch he reaches out and puts his hand on her knee and then snatches it back when he realizes he’s gotten too close. He wants so desperately to be closer to her and in his excitement, he gets closer than he normally would before realizing that putting his hand on her knee in that close proximity is not a platonic gesture. Millie is so caught up in the realization that Guy, the person she’s fallen in love with, is an AI and not a real person that she doesn’t notice. My heart broke for Keys in that scene as he realized that Millie had fallen for Guy and kissed him and was so upset about it and meanwhile, he was right in front of her desperate for her to see how much he cares. It must have just wrecked him to go home that night and realize that Guy was based on the lovelorn character he created and that Millie had fallen in love with his creation while at the same time being so oblivious to his real world affection for her. In the scene at Millie’s apartment after they’ve gotten the server from Antwan and Mouser encourages Keys to say something, I noticed on rewatch just how weak and meager Keys’ attempt to ask Millie out is. He stumbles his way through asking her to get a coffee and trails off at the end so it’s no wonder Millie doesn’t clue in that he’s trying to ask her out. And in Keys’ defence he sent her a whole video confessing his feelings for her and all of the little things he loves about her and then told her to watch it and he has no idea if she did or not. We the audience know that Millie only saw half of it, but Keys has no idea if she saw none of it, part of it, or all of it. He knows she got Guy to remember, but she’s also sending him mixed messages. One minute she’s saying he’s cute when he brags and the next, she’s turning him down for coffee to talk to Guy. From the outside it’s so obvious that Keys is in love with Millie, but she doesn’t see it because she’s always looking the other way, not paying attention, so caught up in the game, and too focused on their work to see what’s right in front of her. On rewatch one of the big things I noticed is that Keys is always on the edge of telling Millie how he really feels but he always stops himself because she brushes him or the idea off and because he’s scared of what will become of their work and their friendship if she doesn’t feel the same way. It’s a huge leap. If Millie doesn’t feel the same way it’s going to make their relationship incredibly awkward and could potentially destroy their partnership so Keys decides it’s better not to say anything or only hint at how he feels rather than run the risk of ruining everything. Something else I noticed on rewatch is that in the interview they give Keys says he thinks of himself as an author and that code is what gets him up in the morning and that he loves the ones and zeros of binary because words can fail you and let you down but code never does. At the end of the movie when Millie goes to talk to Guy in Free Life he tells her that he loves her and while he knows that’s his programming he’s realized that he’s a love letter to her and that somewhere out there in the real world is the author. Such a great callback. All in all, I can definitely say that Free Guy has been my favourite movie so far this year! Definitely my favourite movie of the summer. I went to see it twice in theatres and I’ve never done that for any other movie before. I’ll rewatch them at home sure, but I’ve never actually paid money to see something twice on my own. I’m very excited to see the sequel and my hope is that it will be just as good as the first.  Until next time.