#not just because of the absolute amazing soundtrack

[ravenstargames]

✦ LOST IN LIMBO — 2024 WRAP-UP + 2025 MILESTONES

And here we are, after the holidays! Another year has come to an end and this one was simply incredible. You can anticipate what our most important milestone was for 2024, but there has been a lot going on this past year that maybe we all have forgotten. So let's see what these four friends have accomplished this year, and what's coming for a 2025 that already looks promising!

Good news is that we achieved every goal we set up for this year! Isn't that awesome?! We published our first demo, hosted our very first casting call (and it was nuts!) and so much more! Let's see it :3

✦ OUR STUDIO, RAVENSTAR GAMES, WAS OFFICIALLY FOUNDED ON JULY!

Let me tell y'all that when you finish college, keep studying because it turns out the job market is absolutely devastated and cannibalized, and then have an existential crisis, the last thing you think about is saying "fuck it we ball" and open a studio. I mean, we are literally four people with no stable jobs (well, Kayden is an exception) and with no previous experience making a game entirely by ourselves.

So this was a huge step for us. A scary one. A terrifying one, and still is. But we've survived so far, so let's hope we can still do just that—survive at least long enough to start living. Calling this our job would be a dream come true, but there's still a long road ahead until that!

✦ WE SUCCESSFULLY FUNDED LOST IN LIMBO ON KICKSTARTER!

And you were right if you thought this was our most important milestone of the year!

Honestly, I low-key thought we weren't gonna make it. As I said—four people with no budget, paying for what we couldn't do ourselves with what our grandmas give us on Christmas—what were the chances anyone would be interested in helping us fund our game?

But we still had to do it, because making it this far and not risking not being funded would be madness. So there we were, opening Photoshop with tears in our eyes, watching our mediocre bank accounts get obliterated and working on the Kickstarter graphics with nothing but glitter and Jesus.

Also, we were asking for a lot of money and it was our first project. We've seen firsthand a lot of projects fail, a lot of people being scammed, and a lot of projects not going like the audience and devs wanted. So I thought we were a bit doomed.

Well, turns out there are people who believe in us and our project, so I was proved wrong. Maybe our graphics were really cool in the end, huh? I worked my ass off on those! /silly

So 980 people donated almost 60k euros and on September 27th, Lost in Limbo became officially a thing. Which is wild. I don't think I believe it still, honestly.

Of course, not everything went smoothly! As first timers we made a lot of mistakes, but we knew we were going to mess up something. Sometimes it was us, sometimes it was Backerkit or Kickstarter...Truth is watching a million YouTube tutorials, reading articles or learning about other devs' journeys doesn't make you ready to run a Kickstarter. There's some stuff you can only learn while running it!

So we ordered our merch, had our 🎉first delay🎉 because we made a mistake with our pins, and managed to deliver our digital goodies to our backers without blowing up (almost) anything.

✦ WE FUNDED OUR VERY OWN SOUNDTRACK!

And it'll consist of 19 original tracks by our wonderful composer Tomás Palazzi! 💜

✦ WE RELEASED OUR FIRST DEMO!

And overall, people seem to enjoy it! In fact, we recently reached +10k downloads and +71k views on itch! T^T

Of course, getting our demo out there was nerve-wracking, but we received a lot of love, and that includes wonderful and constructive feedback from a lot of folks who love our project and want it to succeed in its best form. Incredible content creators played our demo, reviewed it—and we've met amazing and stunningly creative people in the process!

However, as with anything you publish for others to see, not everyone is going to like it, and I think as a team we needed to also be exposed to that. There have been negative reviews that have helped us improve, and some others that have made us realize that our game, just like any other, isn't for everyone, and that's okay—our game isn't perfect and it won't ever be, and that's okay. As creators and creatives, accepting the critiques that help us improve is as important as letting go of the ones that contribute nothing, and to accept there are some things we don't want to change.

Of course there have been nasty or rude reviews, (most of them private) and albeit there were very few of them, but that was guaranteed. We try to have a few laughs at those!

✦ WE CREATED OUR OWN DISCORD SERVER!

And it's brimming with life!? We are almost 400 members and I may be biased, but it's full of amazing, supportive, and incredibly creative people. It feels so strange to see people talk daily about your game, about your characters—theorize, laugh, ask stuff...I can only hope our members feel at home as much as we do, because even if we can't interact with everyone all the time, just reading y'all makes us extremely happy :')

✦ WE STARTED WORKING ON OUR EXTENDED DEMO!

And it's going great! The script is doing better than expected, even if I'm editing more stuff than I originally planned. Implementing feedback we received during our survey is helping me improve the pace, storytelling and dynamism of the script. I'm an overthinker so I know I'm most likely editing / adding more stuff than I planned, but so is the way of the west.

Raquel has (as you all know) been working on the reworked sprites, and for now there's 4/7 done! 💜 We also have finished one of the new backgrounds and one is close to being done. That's 2/3!

Also, thanks to y'all buying extra stuff via Backerkit, we've managed to raise a bit more money and have been able to commission Airyn for help on the extended demo, as well as Allie (our editor) and the wonderful, the Ren'py Jesus, Feniks, to help us with our programming adventures! So technically we didn't reach our second stretch goal (outsourcing) but the extra coins have allowed us to hire some help!

That's all for 2024! Phew! Now, our plans for 2025 are quite simple (me when I lie).

First of all we want to ship our Kickstarter merch (more on that on a Kickstarter update coming soon!)

Finish production for our Kickstarter artbook

Release our Extended Demo

For now, we are aiming for a June 2025 release of the prologue, and the first chapter of every route will follow soon after.

Open our Patreon!

We have to think about this thoroughly, plan it, and make sure we can offer quality stuff worthy of your support. Some of you have asked a lot about a Patreon but we want to make sure we make it right!

On a personal note—this year I have been working on my OCD, as last year, and booked with two therapists. My therapist (the one who diagnosed me last year), and a different one specialized in OCD. This year has been full of highs and lows, but I'm in a much better headspace than I was last year, to the point of my meds being lowered! ✌️

I also enrolled for my PhD program like a month ago, and I got accepted after a lot of college shenanigans that almost became my villain arc. So this year is going to be funny for me!

Every member of the team has had their personal issues to deal with this year. Mental health, family, etc. It hasn't been an easy year for us, but I'm happy to say we've been there for each other.

And I think that's all! Overall it has been an insane year. Very productive, very nerve-wracking, and incredibly awesome. We can only hope this year is as good as 2024 if not even better, both for us as people and for our game. We hope your 2024 has been good, and we also hope you are excited to make 2025 a year you can be proud of; but most importantly, a year in which you can take care of yourself, be at peace with who you are, discover new things about yourself, and crave a path to the future you want to live!

Talk to you all soon! 💜

[meep-meep-richie]

'' Guys, this is, like, deep blue hero stuff! Of course I'm in. ''

more owen wilson filmography gifsets can be found here

[averlym]

some very very quick costume shorthands!

[zaddyazula]

trying to process this fucking masterpiece

[ibrokeeverything]

I just finished Seabound and I am DEVASTATED

[mikeysagereblog]

⊗ superhero cartoons to watch when little!!! (or big, they're that good imo!!) ⊗

✧.* i've been wanting to make this list for a while now, mainly because i wanna talk about my fav cartoons/open up opportunities for other littles to find something awesome to watch!!! there's gonna be a lot of ranges in age ratings to add some variety for older/younger littles :)

✧.* also, i'd like to put a disclaimer here and say that a lot of these are on streaming services that i own, but other littles may not. i would also like to say that there are ways to get around a paywall if you can't afford certain streaming services!!! you can find full episodes on youtube/other sites for free!!! (just use an adblocker if you're on a site other than youtube if u can!!)

✧.* another disclaimer: any regressor of any age can watch any of these shows!! i just wanted to put the age ratings for those who want to stick to media that's more in their age range!! so, don't feel like you have to limit yourself from watching certain shows just because of how old you regress to!!

✧.* spectacular spider-man (2008-2009, 2 seasons): suitable for 7-8+, but i'd say it'd be okay for littles who regress younger to watch, too!! honestly, my all-time favorite spider-man cartoon!!! not only is it fun to watch while little, you can truly appreciate the show when you're big, too!!! josh keaton's voicework as spider-man is just- ahhhh it's so amazing imo!! the story is really good, the animation/style is just so iconic, and the colors are very easy on the eyes!!! (especially if you're sensitive to bright colors when little/in general) absolute banger of a theme song, too!!!

✧.* x-men: the animated series (1992-1997, 5 seasons): rated for around 7-8+, but i do admit that there can be some scary scenes for especially younger/more sensitive littles. honestly, this show is great!!! i loved all the different story arcs, how colorful the show is, the characters themselves- a lot of cool stuff about this show!!! be warned, there's a sudden drop in quality during season 5... i think they switched animation studios/va's or something because season 5 is NOT the best season of the show, i'll tell you that... 0_0

✧.* x-men '97 (2024-present, 1 season so far): rated for 14+, so this show is more suitable for teen regressors. it's a continuation of x-men:tas, and oh man... this is it. my favorite cartoon of all time!!! the animation is just oh so beautiful!!! the fight scenes are awesome!!! the soundtrack- oh golly the soundtrack!!! the remastered x-men:tas opening is just- wow!!! but, there's definitely reasons why it's rated 14+... not gonna spoil anything, but there's a lot of scenes in the show that can be upsetting for younger littles. trust me, watching some scenes when you're little is just- too much sometimes... (speaking from experience) it's an amazing show, but watch at ur own risk if you're a younger regressor!!!

✧.* batman: the animated series (1992-1995, 4 seasons): i'd say it's for around ages 9-10+, since it can be fairly dark at times. (same goes for a lot of batman related media!!) honestly, this show's pretty good!!! the style of the show is very dark visually, so it's easy on the eyes for those with bright color sensitivities!!! the artstyle itself is also very nice to look at!!! the voicework is amazing as well, especially kevin conroy's (rip) performance as batman himself!!! from what i can remember, the plotpoints were also pretty on-par!! i remember liking the show a lot when i was a kid!! :)

✧.* hulk vs. wolverine (not a show but an animated movie, 2009): this one's rated pg-13, since there's depictions of violence. but, i gotta say- this movie had me hyped up when i watched it as a kid!!! this was part of a straight to video two-movie collection, (the other being "hulk vs. thor") and i gotta say... this movie was awesome!!! the fight scenes were rad as heck, the animation was amazing, even deadpool was in the movie!!! (which, fun fact, was his first appearance in animation!!! other than the 2 second cameo in x-men:tas) very fun movie!!!

✧.* these are just some recommendations!!! i really liked these when i was a kid, and i hope you'll like them too, if you decide to watch them!!!

✧.* (also yay!! finally have a new banner!!! + i updated my blog's theme because nightcrawler is so awesome and he's literally my cg guys!!! he said it himself :3)

[beomie3]

pretty in pink - choi soobin

pairing: boyfriend!soobin x fem!reader

word count: 2.5k

summary: your boyfriend soobin treats you on national gf day <3 but what he doesn't know is that you have a small surprise for him as well; showcasing your new lacy pink lingerie set ;)

content/warnings: established relationship, fluff, smut, reader surprises soobin with lingerie, heavy kissing, riding, nudity, cursing.

a/n: i wrote this on a bit of a whim, just thinking about cute & cuddly bf soobin that treats you like the princess you are <3 enjoy! ^_^

soundtrack ♫ what would i do? - strawberry guy ♫ pink bubblegum - lavi kou

ʚ・ ୨୧・ ɞʚ・ ୨୧・ ɞʚ・ ୨୧・ ɞʚ・ ୨୧・ ɞʚ・ ୨୧・ ɞʚ・ ୨୧・ ɞʚ・ ୨୧・ɞ

national girlfriends day was arguably one of soobin's favorite days. in theory, it was kind of tied between today and your birthday because they both excited him to no end; getting to plan out the perfect day that you deserved more than ever, filled with little presents and treats left and right.

and with that you awoke to the scent of pancakes and maple syrup, aware of the door pushed open by his shoulder as he walked in with a wooden tray, displaying three different colorful plates and a tall glass of orange juice.

you kissed the soft skin of his bicep when he set the tray on your lap, still groggy under the warm sheets. you thanked him for the beautiful array of fruits and the most delicious-looking plate of pancakes and bacon that you just couldn't wait to dig into.

when he came back in to take your dishes, he also surprised you with the prettiest bouquet of pink roses, making you jump up onto your feet on the bed, wrapping your arms around his neck in a big hug, smothering his adorable face with kisses.

after some soft morning cuddles and unplanned wrestling matches with soobin, you readied yourself for the day, dressing in a cute pink outfit that matched with the bubblegum pink of your boyfriend's sweater.

you couldn't help but fawn over the way his blonde hair and clear-framed glasses complimented him so well, along with the soft fuzzy sweater you would probably be wearing if he didn't currently have it on.

before leaving the house, you pressed your lips to his cheek as he sneaked in a mirror picture to capture the cute moment, his large hand around your waist as he adorably smiled at the camera with a scrunched nose. what a cute couple you two were; his gigantic stature almost too tall for the mirror by the front door, which he set at the perfect height for you to check your outfit every day. 

it was a sunny and special afternoon. soobin took you out without you having a single idea of where you were going, surprised to arrive at a small jeweler's shop. he let you pick out the cutest dainty necklace with a small diamond heart, one that you decided symbolized your diamond love for him. he made sure to save just enough money for this day, happy just to spend it all on you.

your fingers were interlaced with his the entire day, like always, so freaking proud to walk next to such an amazing man like him as he gazed down at you fondly, a gentle smile on his lips the entire time. 

the day seemed it couldn't get any better until he treated you to a romantic dinner that outlooked the beautiful view of your town, watching the clouds together and pointing at one that looked like a bunny, telling him how much it reminded you of him.

he smiled, his eyes creasing into half moons, almost shut like always when he grins, his adorable teeth glimmering in the light. your stomach rushed with the swirl of butterflies, absolutely mesmerized with the way he shyly laughed, but how he also loosened up throughout the night and became progressively goofier. 

although it was girlfriends day to him, it was nothing boyfriend day in your heart because of how much you were reminded of his love, falling even deeper for him. 

~

after a long, fun day, you returned home to find the last of his presents; a big box of your favorite candies on the bed with a sweet note in the handwriting you so loved, a small drawing of a bunny decorating the outside of it.

what soobin didn't know was that you also had a small surprise for him; showcasing the new lacy pink lingerie set you bought, and what better time to show him than now? it was the cherry on top to such a perfect day. and he definitely deserved it after making your life so wonderful.

he lay on the bed, sprawled out across white sheets just scrolling on his phone, dropping it immediately when he saw your figure emerge from the bathroom.

"hi binnie," you gently leaned on the doorframe, a small smile on your rosy cheeks as you sucked on one of the lollipops he gifted you; sensing his gentle eyes travel everywhere imaginable.

his lips parted, simply speechless at the sight of you looking drop-dead gorgeous in the light pink, sheer lingerie that hugged your body so beautifully, biting his lip at the way your nipples were visible through the lace.

"oh wow- hi," he pretty much mumbled, eyes wide as he stared in awe, a pink tinge warming his cheeks. he burried half of his face in a pillow as he got more and more flustered the longer you stood there. "so beautiful," came out muffled from under the pillow.

you walked over to him, reaching to touch his feather-soft hair that was slightly disheveled from the sheets. your stomach twirled with the thought of your fingers intertwined in his hair; tugging at it as his name left your lips, wanting to melt at the sheer thought of his skin on yours.

he looked up from the pillow, his cheeks so flushed under his now crooked glasses that you gently pulled off to reveal his glimmering eyes, slowly tugging up into a pretty smile as he melted into your soft hand on his cheek. 

he situated himself to sit up on the bed, back against the headboard as you crawled over him, taking a seat on his thighs as you straddled him.

taking the lollipop out of your mouth, you slowly lowered it to his mouth and he took it, never taking his eyes off of yours as he enjoyed the bubblegum flavor. his long fingers immediately found their way to the pink lace of your waist, thumbs soft over the thin material and paying mind to your body heat seeping past the fabric. 

he searched your eyes, trailing down to your lips and then to your neck and chest, admiring the way one strap hung loosely off of your shoulder.

you slowly removed the stick from his mouth, abandoning it on the bedside table as you pressed your lips to his in a gentle kiss, gliding your tongue over his bottom lip to taste your favorite strawberry chapstick he always wore; also enjoying the subtle bubblegum flavor of his tongue.

he couldn't help the deep noise that escaped his throat as you shifted around on his hips, the rock-hard tent in his sweats obvious through the thin material of your panties. he brought his hand to your hair, softly petting the strands as he settled it to the nape of your neck, deepening the kiss. you ground on him with a subtle pace now, inviting small moans to escape your throat as his boner felt amazing against your now throbbing clit.

"soobin...you feel so good," you whispered against the shell of his ear, making him practically melt at the praise and sound of his name in one sentence. he hummed, pressing small butterfly kisses around your neck as he settled his hands to your waist, guiding your hips to rock back and forth against himself.

he was absolutely overtaken by pleasure, not knowing how he would possibly be able to contain himself when he’s actually inside of you. he rested his head on the headboard, simply looking up at you in awe, eyelids half closed as his mouth fell slightly agape; his hot breath fanning on your chin.

you slipped your fingers past the elastic of his sweatpants, using it as his cue to slightly lift his hips up as you helped undress him; skin growing hotter the moment his sweatpants landed on the floor and he could feel your wetness squishing against his bareness; even through your underwear.

you tugged his shirt over his head, the last article of clothing before he was completely naked under you. skin hot and utterly delectable under your touch. you just wanted to kiss and lick every square inch of his body, give yourself to him completely; because you knew he always took amazing care of you, your body, and it's needs. 

your make-out became so messy that you had to come up for breaths with how you practically devoured one another's lips, strings of saliva connecting the two of you with every breath.

"i need you so bad," he practically begged against your neck, licking and sucking love bites on the soft skin. and with that you lifted off of him, moving your panties to the side with the help of his two fingers, infatuated with the wetness that coated them when he lightly brushed them along your folds. 

you both watched his tip slowly disappear into you as you slowly lowered down onto his throbbing hardness, wincing at the sheer stretch.

"you're taking me so well angel," he cooed, rubbing slow circles into your clit as you bit your lip at the pleasure and slight discomfort as you sunk down even more, eyes locked as he watched you in awe.

your warmth now engulfed him as you sat down entirely, your bottom flush against his thighs, his breath husky as he grunted against your neck. you were already a moaning mess before you could even begin to ride him, still adjusting to his size through a whimpering, messy makeout.

soobin always had the utmost patience with you, he never ever rushed you and always let you take it at your own pace. what mattered to him most was that you were getting the pleasure you wanted, needed, and deserved.

he kissed down to the soft material over your nipple, licking your hardened bud that prodded through the lace, your skin buzzing at the heat of his tongue seeping through to your skin. your moans echoed through the bedroom as you began to slightly pick up your pace, a subtle burn in your thighs as you kept a slow and steady up-and-down motion.

he couldn't help but fiddle with the loose strap on your shoulder as your boobs began to bounce in his face, fingers drawn to gently tug at the elastic. you reached down, helping the other strap off of your shoulder so that your top hung loosely.

he peeled the lace over your chest, watching attentively like he was opening a present as your bare tits became exposed to him in all of their beauty. although he had seen them countless times, something about seeing them through the pink lace of lingerie had his heart doing cartwheels.

he took your nipple into his mouth as you rode him, increasing your pace at the overwhelming pleasure of his warm mouth on the sensitive skin of your chest, the fullness of his cock inside of you, and his fingers perfectly circling your clit.

he knew your body so well that you felt you wanted to explode any second at the brain-melting pleasure he provided. his gentleness and sweetness outshined everything, though, always treating you like a princess and nothing less. 

he almost wanted to drool at the sight of you enjoying yourself, teeth digging into your bottom lip as you bounced on him, hands on his chest to keep your balance. what got him was the sound of his name repeatedly leaving your lips, mixed with some profanities and lewd noises, telling him how good he was making you feel, how fucking perfect he is.

your praise always meant the world to him, making his face heat up as a small smile grew on his lips. "you're perfect," he whispered into the thick air, making your lips tug at each corner, uniting your lips with his.

suddenly, you reached back to grab a hold of his calves, perching up on your feet so that you could have more precision with your movements. he licked his lips through a deep moan because in this position he got the best view of himself disappearing in and out of you, watching the way you stretch over him and how your clit throbs when his tip hits your g-spot. such a lewd sight, he could almost come on the spot. but he wanted to last as long as possible for you, holding back his urge for as long as he physically could.

you gasped when he began to circle your clit quickly with his thumb, throwing your head back at the warm tingles that darted across your spine, your stomach tightening with an oncoming orgasm, just wanting to come undone.

"right there soob- i'm right there," you moaned through a clenched jaw, tears pricking your eyes as your legs began to give out with how tired they were. he helped guide your hips with one hand, circling your clit with the other.

suddenly, he began rubbing your clit up and down because he knew the slight change of motion would push you right over the edge, and it did. he sent you spiraling into what felt another dimension as you unraveled completely around his bareness, feeling him lift your hips up as he shot his warm fluid all over your stomach, accidentally getting some on your new set.

"oh no!" he gasped out of breath, a hand over his mouth; worried he may have ruined the delicate lace with the fluids he didn't think twice about releasing all over you. 

you laughed, appreciating his concern, but not giving a care in the world; it was always bound to get a little messy. you cupped his face in your hands, kissing him sweetly before rubbing your nose against his.

"its okay, soobie," you reassured him with a grin, all of his worries melting away at the sight of your pearly smile, finding one of his own form on his face instinctively. you two sat there for a moment, foreheads pressed to one another's as you caught your breaths. 

he suddenly wrapped his hands around your waist, picking you up and gently laying you on the soft bed, tugging your lingerie off of you. he was determined to go to the bathroom and scrub it clean, making you giggle at his silliness when he jogged over to the bathroom in a hurry. deep down he didn't want it ruined because of how perfect it looked on you, wanting to see it on you again, over and over. every night, if he could.

"i'm running a bath for my beautiful girlfriend!" his voice echoed through the bathroom which made you laugh, your chest undeniably filling with warmth at his kindness. yet you also buried your burning face in a pillow, knowing damn well you would probably fuck again the moment you entered the tub together. and then cuddle the night away, simply enjoying one another's warm skin and smiles. 

your cheeks burned with how much you smiled, so, so happy to be his girlfriend. so much so that you began plotting boyfriend day, wanting to also give him the best day ever. you already planned on getting another set of lingerie because of how much he loved it. one that would make him melt even more.

“have i ever told you you look so pretty in pink?” his voice rings out from the bathroom again as he’s busy washing the pretty lace.

“not as pretty as you!” you reply, burying your head back under the pillow. you don’t know what was more pink, your flushed cheeks or the hearts that floated around you with the love you had for choi soobin.

<3

ʚ・ ୨୧・ ɞʚ・ ୨୧・ ɞʚ・ ୨୧・ ɞʚ・ ୨୧・ ɞʚ・ ୨୧・ ɞʚ・ ୨୧・ ɞʚ・ ୨୧・ɞ

a/n: thank you sm for 300 followers!!! <3 i hope you enjoyed <3 ^_^ remember that you always deserve someone as caring as soob!! :) love u all!

[ozzgin]

wtf HOW WAS ROMULUS OZZIE Hello??????? I CANT WAIT TO WATCH ITRTR i miss david 8 tho 😓😓 “you finger and i blow” ok gorgeous whatever you say

Ok ok, I let it sit overnight so I could formulate a less feral opinion. I'll do my best to be objective, though you should keep in mind that I'm very biased when it comes to the Alien franchise.

Alien: Romulus First Impressions

Plot. The movie takes place between Alien (1979) and Aliens (1986). If you've seen the old Alien movies, you will notice it follows the same formula: somewhat slow beginning, a grand reveal, a lot of high-stake escape attempts, shady android behavior, and the classic, speedy succession of plot twists where you think you're safe, only to be surprised the very next moment.

While this movie is meant to behave more like the pre-2000 releases, it does bring some novel elements, which, in my opinion, helped build its own authenticity. Additionally - and without spoiling you - it will involve its own Xenomorph variation. Fantastic idea, and I cannot believe it hasn't been done earlier.

The cast is a group of orphaned youngsters who want to escape their space mining colony. You're introduced to a dystopian, grimy world of overworked humans who've never seen the light of the sun. The main character, Rain, is accompanied by her "brother", Andy, an android programmed to take care of her after the death of her parents. Here's another aspect I enjoyed: an anxious, imperfect android who seems to display an emotional bond with his human.

Rain's friends discover a shipwreck which may contain enough sleeping pods to take them away from these unbearable conditions. Their plan is to sneak in, take the pods, and speed away to a more humane station while in cryosleep. The twist? It's not just any regular ship. They have stepped into the Romulus and Remus research station, operated by Weyland-Yutani, and haunted by yet another failed attempt to contain the Xenomorph horrors.

Characters. Let me tell you, this was a breath of fresh air. Prometheus and Covenant have left me rather skeptical when it comes to a competent cast, yet from the ashes of pathetic military personnel rose a bunch of kids who are built for survival. Rain reminded me so much of Ripley - extremely intelligent, efficient, and strong. Her friends are equally brave in the face of disaster. This was a 10/10 cast, and I'm so glad they finally found the balance between being terrified and still navigating the situation without catastrophic mistakes.

Visuals. The imagery was an absolute treat. They seamlessly combined modern special effects with throwback, retro detailing. The futuristic equipment and locations reminded me a lot of Alien: Isolation. Upon further research, it seems that the director was indeed inspired by the game! It made everything so nostalgic and immersive. The Xenomorph design was flawless as usual, involving a lot of body horror.

Audio. I am desperately waiting for the album to be released on Spotify, because the soundtracks were amazing. The music was composed by Benjamin Wallfisch, who seems to have rather big movie titles under his belt, such as It, and It: Chapter Two. Safe to say this man knows how to instil terror in you. They made sure to incorporate some of the classic pieces, then expanded on that. The alert beats reminded me of Covenant, while other tracks provided their own take on the story. The intro of the movie is aided by dissonant chanting in the background, hinting at the ancient, religious imagery used for the Xenomorphs.

Conclusion. Overall, I'd say this is a must-watch for any Alien fan. It is a tribute to the classic movies, but it still offers a brand-new take to the Alien Universe. The movie had some moments of complete silence - staying true to the "In space, no one can hear you scream" quote - and everyone in the cinema held their breaths. It will keep you on your toes.

[lazulian-devil]

Does anyone remember Legend of Zelda: Spirit Tracks? You know. The one with the train.

Point is. This was my first Zelda and I have so many good memories of it. But I know people hated it so I went back in, just to see how much I liked it.

And oh boy. Oh fucking boy.

Is the train riding a little obnoxious? Sure. Especially in the endgame. We all know that.

But the story is so good? The characters are either wonderful or wonderfully stupid? Zelda is such a cool companion character and I still love her as much as I used to. The mechanics are fun, the fucking Dungeons are amazing (and theres so so soooo many!!) and my heart is just so happy.

Everyone mocked me as a child but I love this game. I played for five straight hours yesterday and everything was just so fun. So incredibly, wonderfully fun.

Look, you dont have to care about it. Its a silly spin off. But the writing is genuinely funny, the graphics are absolutely "You get used to it", the fact that you basically control the entire game with your stylus is something that I dont remember ever having to do in a game, the Puzzles are fun, the pacing is (at least for the first five to six hours, meaning that I managed to unlock three of the slates, went through two dungeons and finished three tower dungeons) pretty damn good, the quests I know to be stupid and time consuming but I was also like a child. Anything Ive struggled with or remembered to be hard isnt actually that bad. The map marking mechanic is such a cute idea and I love it. Stamps. The enemies. The characters. The Dungeons!!! Oh my god, the dungeon bosses. They arent hard or mind boggling or all that jazz, but they're fun! And still a little challenging, despite having played the game twice as a child and now having leveled up a few levels in videogame skill. The camera is never annoying. The SOUNDTRACK. The riddles I found overwhelming as a kid are actually pretty easy to solve from context clues. The world has so much intrigue and I know it all gets answered. I never managed to beat the final boss, but I cant fucking wait. I know you can grind your train pieces into oblivion, but I dont think I will (unless I notice that Im majorly struggling). THE SOUNDTRACK.

I wish there was any way to emulate it so I could Show it to other people. Im playing it on a crappy DS Lite that doesnt close properly anymore. Its just...

This is a Nostalgia win, my dudes. An absolute nostalgia win. My heart is singing. I am so Happy. If you own this game or stumble over it, please give it a try. Its so damn charming. Stupid, maybe. But charming. Might write a proper Essay on it because my heart. My poor child heart. Its overflowing.

[xaphii]

Beware: Spoilers for Veilguard and Inquisition (just in case)

I'm replaying Inquisition after playing through Veilguard twice and as much as I think Veilguard its over-hated and that the popular critisims aren't even its actual issues I don't feel as strongly about it as I do inqusition, and maybe it's just nostalgia but I think it comes down to two things for me - Motivation and Music.

There are many moments but I want to just single out one quest - The entire In Your Heart Shall Burn quest is amazing, you go through all the feels. You finally close the breach and go hurray we did it! then a bunch of angry red templars/mages go hey fuck you and then you cause an avalanche and you think maybe we're out of the woods considering we just covered the entire army in about 5 metres of snow BUT THEN an ancient magister and his archdemon turn up and go hey fuck you and you go wellllll we're fucked better go out with style.

"All we can do now is make them work for it" is such a chilling line from Cullen, because at this point everyone is pretty certain that you're all gonna die.

And the MUSIC? The entire fucking score during INYHSB is such an absolute BANGER especially the corypheus confrontation and then you nearly DIE and have to crawl your way through snow and you're cold and potentially dying and then you're lost in the mountains and it turns into high school musical for 5 minutes and then 'Journey to Skyhold' is playing and you're filled with hope and then your on the steps of Skyhold getting made inquisitor and yelling about something and it FEELS like you have just overcome something great. You can see all these people working for you and towards this goal you have. And the last hour of gameplay goes from hope to desperation to hope again and finally to determination and all the while the musical genius that is Trevor Morris helps fuel those feelings.

And Veilguard has its moments absolutely, Weishaupt is one, but I didn't feel as invested as I did for Haven and the only quest that came close to that investment was the dual dragon fight, these things attacked your people they deserve to burn, there's a moment where Rook has to get to a ballista and fire it at Ghil'anain and it almost felt like the herald firing off that trebuchet at Haven after talking to Coryphyshit but that was it, no other quests felt like that. And to top it off, I did not feel moved by a single track in the soundtrack the way the entirety of Trevor Morris' score did. And I'm fully aware I may be biased, please correct me if you think it's the case, I just can't reconcile the differences I see and feel after playing them both so close together.

As much as I'm having fun in my heart I feel that Veilguards best moments have nothing on Inquisitions.

[oak23]

I'm genuinely glad that Wicked was allowed to sit in a lot of moments without feeling rushed or dragged on. Like the OzDust Ballroom scene was so fucking intoxicating and genuinely sold me on the shift of Elphaba and Glinda's relationship in ways I never quite got from the broadway show.

Or the extended sequence for Defying Gravity was so good. Like genuinely so so so so so good and I am sad that people's first exposure to this version will be the soundtrack version since it condenses the sequence into a 7 minute song. The full movie scene absolutely earns the emotional beats and I felt like I was listening to this song for the first time.

No One Mourns the Wicked immediately sold me on Ariana Grande's treatment of Glinda and I knew she was going to be amazing for the rest of the film. I was crying knowing the story and Ariana Grande absolutely sold the complex emotions needed for the scene.

The One Short Day Sequence adding more to the lore of Oz I think was pure fanservice but worked so well to expand the world without bloating it.

Making Dr Dillamond/Madame Morrible/The Wizard's singing portions a lot more understated I felt was a masterful stroke because as a medium, film is a lot more intimate and I'm glad they knew when to draw back.

The Wizard and I was soooo fucking good I was crying and smiling and I wanted to applaud at the end, it was so phenomenal. Cynthia in general absolutely embodied the softer and vulnerable side of Elphaba and she took such good care of the character.

Popular is just such a breath of fresh air and you can tell Ariana Grande would have done this scene for a penny because of how much she puts herself into it. Really sold me on the shift in Elphaba and Glinda's friendship from that point on.

What is this Feeling is probably the least strong of the sequences for me and that's only because it has so many other songs that are going 500% in and this is like 495%. It's the one that feels the most frantic and showtune-y of the lot and you can tell what a blast everyone had doing it, but also because of how closely it was to the broadway version I think it's almost too intense for film. It's also the only sequence that's currently out in full and I hope that it doesnt turn people off from watching the film.

The broadway show always felt so rushed and frantic so I was shocked how much the film was allowed to breathe and move at its own pace.

Genuinely so happy what a phenomenal job this movie is.

[tibbythetiger]

Hello friendsssss! We have an official tag on AO3, we’ve all grown so much in just a few days. Amazing work all around! 

I’m just dishing out some general HCs today! Hopefully, I can actually get the time to turn my main DreamTheory meeting as coworkers at Sparky’s into a real fic soon! 

Both of them enjoy their height difference greatly. Mike usually hates feeling smaller or shorter than people, but he’s never met someone as genuine and nice as Ness so it doesn’t bother him, and makes him feel kinda safe. Ness just loves his pocket-sized boyfriend. 

I know someone else has already said this, but Ness with freckles!!!! Ness with freckles is so very important to me. I think they’re super light during most of the winter, but once it gets warmer and the sun comes out they’re fairly noticeable. Mike likes to kiss each one he can find, it always makes Ness laugh. 

I know we all agree that Ness is Conspiracy Boyfriend, and I agree! I think he particularly loves those paranormal ghost-hunting shows that were super popular back in 00’s, and he’s a HUGE Unsolved Mysteries fan. When he’s looking to get the same thrill but looking for more fictional media, he loves the Twilight Zone. 

Mike makes a mean grilled cheese and tomato soup, this is in part because it’s Abby’s favorite food and he decided if he had to make anything really well it would be this. Ness actually doesn’t like grilled cheese, but Abby talked it up so much he gave it a try and he ended up really liking it. It is one of Mike’s proudest moments. 

I think Ness is really good with kids, he seems to me the type that was the oldest cousin at parties. (This is just projection), so he’s used to having younger kids following him around and having to keep them entertained. While he’s used to it, he’s really genuine and loves doing it. He’s always overjoyed to hang out with Abby, and she adores him because of it. 

Ness and Mike cannot draw to save their lives! They are horrible at it, Abby likes to hold “drawing classes” where she tries to show them how she makes her masterpieces. Ness always tries hard, but it’s just not his strong suit. 

They are the couple that slow dances in the kitchen or living room. Mike is always reluctant about it, he’s fairly paranoid at romantic gestures, and he’s always scared someone will see them, but he always enjoys it when Ness convinces him it’s okay. Abby thinks it’s the most magical thing, so she draws the two of them as princes when they dance during a Disney movie night.  

Ness absolutely tells Mike and Abby stories to help them sleep. They both think he has the most soothing voice, Ness just loves being able to help them, sometimes he’ll even sing to them, but he’s still really shy about it. 

I think Ness really loves listening to musical soundtracks, but he’s also a pop girly through and through, like, he loves Kelly Clarkson, Paris Hilton, and Brittany Spears. Meanwhile, Mike doesn’t listen to music super often, he usually lets Abby or Ness pick. Otherwise, I feel like he’s really into grunge or early rock. He listens to Nirvana sure, but also Radio Head. (I also think he’s a very big Weezer fan) 

I think Mike is a big writer, he started journaling to help him take note of his dreams/memories of Garrett, then really leaned into it once his parents were out of the picture since he didn’t really have anyone else to turn to to vent. Sometimes he can be a little poetic, and he’ll write lil notes to Ness and leave them in his apron or pockets for him to find later. 

Ness thinks this is simply the cutest thing he’s ever seen actually, and attempts to do the same thing. He’s a little cheesier, and are usually filled with lil hearts and things doodled around them, but he sticks them on the mirror or on Mike’s alarm clock. Mike saves everyone he finds and slowly they start to cover the walls in his bedroom. 

The three of them cannot have board game nights. They are all waaaay too competitive, and the last time they played Uno and Ness won, Mike pouted so much and Abby locked herself in her room. They settle for movie nights or puzzles when they’re doing things the three of them. 

When Abby first starts dabbling in painting her nails, she practices on Ness and Mike. Eventually Ness and Abby usually just have matching nails, Ness doesn’t let the looks he gets bother him any. 

Abby absolutely knows they’re dating, Mike tries not to keep secrets from her, especially after the debacle of Freddy’s, and what happened with the Aunt. She’s too young, so she doesn’t get why people are weird about it, but she understands enough that she can’t tell anyone that Mike and Ness are dating. When she does talk about them, most people assume Ness is a girl, just because of his name. Abby just stops correcting people, the only person outside of them who knows is Abby’s therapist(?), but she supports Mike so it’s not really an issue. 

Ness loves stealing Mike’s sweaters and coats, they’re so much bulkier than the ones that Ness buys himself, so they’re so comfortable. In the winter, he’ll steal them and wear them to work or around the house. Mike grumbles and pretends he cares, but he thinks Ness looks cute in them. 

Ness has the worst road rage, Mike is both horribly amused and terrified of this when it occurs. Ness always apologizes afterward usually followed up by an “If people could just learn how to drive, I swear to GOD”  

Mike and Abby will go into Sparky’s when Ness is working just to get desert and to see him. Most of the employees at Sparky’s know there’s something going on between Ness and Mike, but they all let it remain unspoken. It seems like everyone is taking good care of each other, so no one decides to interfere.  

Well, that’s all I have for now! I’m really loving seeing everything everyone is putting out, and getting to read everyone’s work and see their art is amazing!

[salvadorbonaparte]

2024 in Films - Part III

I watched a lot of stuff again, some even for grad school.

August

Lola Rennt (1998) - banger soundtrack and editing

Vertigo (1958) - the most boring of the Hitchcock films I've seen so far

A League of Their Own (1992) - makes me want to watch baseball

White Men Can't Jump (1992) - did not expect jeopardy to be so important in this film, also loved the fashion

The Fall Guy (2024) - my mum loves the original series so we had to watch this and I had an amazing time

Blinded by the Light (2019) - the dialogue is strange at times but a banger soundtrack (obviously) and some amazing editing, very uplifting and I watched this on my flight to the US btw

Good Will Hunting (1997) - I watched this during my first week in Massachusetts before starting grad school here

Alien3 (1992) - this film says so much about gender, actually

Deaf Smith & Johnny Ears (1973) - taking lots of liberties with Texan history and also surprising homoerotic subtext

September

Causeway (2022) - a film that I originally only found meh but then kept thinking about all the time

Nosferatu the Vampyre (1979) - equally blood libel as the og with an added bonus of cycle of violence, might write an essay about this

Sleepaway Camp (1983) - another horror film that says so much about gender and I could write an entire essay about it

My Best Fiend (1999) - Werner Herzog must be studied under a microscope

We're All Going to the World's Fair (2021) - not as good as I saw the tv glow imo but asking some important questions about online communities and reality

Jacob the Liar (1974) - the film felt a little too empty but I also don't want to say something negative because I am still angry about a bad review I saw

Chris Grace: As Scarlett Johansson (2024) - absolutely transformed the way I think about stand up comedy

All Quiet on the Western Front (1930) - the old lie dulce et decorum est pro patria mori

The Shock (1923) - as ableist and racist as you expect from the 20s but with a great performance from Lon Chaney

Trap (2024) - I actually really enjoyed this, even though I was waiting for an even crazier plot twist

Don't Think I've Forgotten: Cambodia's Lost Rock and Roll (2014) - a documentary that nearly made me cry

Hudson Hawk (1991) - technically a rewatch but I need to speak my truth and it's that I like this film

All Quiet on the Western Front (2022) - I have so many issues that this would take an entire post or even conference paper

The Russians Are Coming! The Russians are Coming! (1966) - had me in stitches half the time, I love a good cold war comedy

The Bone Collector (1999) - spooky!

Monkey Shines (1988) - also horror and gender but also silly

Death in Venice (1971) - boring :/

October

UPSIDEdown (2013) - I watched this one twice, once with the director, also had lunch and coffee with him, I had an issue at first with how child protection service is portrayed but that part is apparently real, also he cast a neurodivergent kid, which is awesome

The Master (2012) - I love when men are also poorly trained attack dogs, also can you imagine sending that guy to the cult from Midsommar? Also still haunted by Philip Seymour Hoffman

Like Stars on Earth (2007) - neurodivergent kids need neurodivergent role models!!!

The Lost Honor of Katharina Blum (1975) - I have so much to say about this tbh

Farewell Disco (1990) - at first I found this kinda boring but then I was also enchanted by the inclusion of Sorbian culture

The Kangaroo Conspiracy (2022) - just read the books

November

Srikanth (2024) - fairly standard biopic, meanders a bit but solid soundtrack and performance

Innocent Witness (2019) - this one impressed me so much I recommended it to multiple people, also I'm an autistic person who is besties with my lawyer so bonus points for that, I could talk a lot about this too

Hunt (2022) - Probably less confusing if you know more about Korean history, fun plot twist and imo some homoerotic tension

Scarlett Innocence (2014) - tbh I didn't even watch the whole thing because I don't go for erotic thrillers, I just watched the scenes where Jung Woo Sung is a poor little meow meow

Inseperable Bros (2019) - some dialogue was a bit awkward but that might have been the translation, I like that this was about interabled platonic relationships

Remember You (2016) - the first plot twist is predictable as hell but the second one hit me in the face like a brick

The Childe (2023) - Kim Seon-ho has the range (creepy and babygirl) (covered in blood and coughing up blood)

The Good The Bad The Weird (2008) - not only the best western I've ever seen but also one of the best films I've seen this year at all

Sympathy for Mr Vengeance (2002) - very unsatisfying, but in a good way

As We Were Dreaming (2015) - the German answer to banlieu films, a film about the reunification of Germany from a different perspective than you're used to, despite living decades later and in the west I feel like I know these characters

Transit (2018) - the anti Casablanca, a double exposed picture of past and present, a Kafkaesque limbo of bureaucracy and loss of identity

Berlin Alexanderplatz (2020) - long, confusing, too smart for me and I still couldn't stop watching it. There's something very queer about this film too.

Wicked (2024) - I haven't seen the musical but went to see the film with my friend (and her family) and physically went 👀 to her every time something gay happened. I'm sorry I doubted you Ariana Grande.

December

Fly Me to the Moon (2024) - I watched this on a terrible transatlantic red eye flight and it entertained me. Unique concept but predictable execution

Debbie Macomber's Dashing Through the Snow (2015) - shout out to the Jewish biker guy handing out free puppies

Round and Round (2023) - Actually a really fun Hallmark holiday film?? And a nice twist on the time loop genre??

Wicked Little Letters (2023) - Very fun to watch on new years eve while tipsy

[potato-lord-but-not]

hi jay!

so, i've been staying up until at least 3am as of late due to the simple fact that i cannot fucking sleep, so!

i've decided that i'm going to listen to all of these podcasts you make art for because i actually want to know context and whatnot for your art becuase your art is rlly fire and you're one of my favorite artists but pretty much the only fandom i know anything about that you do art for is will wood, and i love will wood. so,, automatically i think you probably also have good tastes in podcasts so im going to listen to them.

which should i start with?

(srry this is so long btw i like talking)

Well I’d say camp here and there since you’re a Will Wood fan !!! it’s very goofy and silly but also slightly disturbing and horrifically sad <3 also Will did the soundtrack so <33 AND if you enjoy that you can try welcome to night vale because they have similar vibes although it tends to stay more light hearted then chnt :))

Wolf 359 is both absolutely hilarious and also gut-wrenchingly tragic. it gets its own category bc it’s not entirely horror nor supernatural, I mean yeah there’s aliens but that’s sci-fi supernatural so it doesn’t count. Really really good one to start with if you like character centric stories !!!

Malevolent is like. really fucking good. I’m not even sure how to sell it it’s just amazing. Definitely the scariest out of the one’s I’ve listened to so far, but damnnnnn it’s so worth it. the themes… the growth…. the divorces……

And the Magnus archives also,, it was my first fiction podcast I really got into and it’s so so so good!! if you’re a causal r/nosleep enjoyer you’ll love this one. it’s basically spooky short stories with a plot happening in the background (at least. that’s how it seems)

Anyway yeah sorry !!! I’d say camp here and there and if you don’t like that one perhaps tma or malevolent, depending on your preferences. hope the sleep situation figures itself out tho !!

[lonewolflupe]

I thought it would be fun to write a little bit about myself, so come over and get to know me! (As far as I know myself because I didn't come with a manual so I'm still figuring myself out..) If you have any more questions, feel absolutely free to ask them!

Expect a karkload of ramblings below the cut, this turned out so much longer than I intended I am so sorry, no one is probably going to read this but I'm just leaving this here anyway because I don't really have people to share my ramblings with

PERSONAL

My name's Julie (she/her)

Lupe is actually my OCs name, but I adopted it as a nickname here on Tumblr when I first started posting and I kinda stuck with it

Quickly approaching my 30s help

I'm from the Netherlands 🇳🇱 so my first language is Dutch

That obviously means English isn't my first language, so please excuse any errors in my writing

I am Dutch, therefore I love cheese 🧀 (like Gouda, NOT cheddar)

I am an archaeologist! I've been a history nerd all my life

I work in a museum (obviously one with a history collection)

My #1 all-time favourite animals are wolves

In RL, I am super introverted and people scare the kark out of me

I never got any diagnosises, but I'm pretty sure I'm neurodivergent

I prefer the internet over meeting people IRL, because I feel way more comfortable to be myself and ramble about the things I love online than IRL

I tend to switch between my several hyperfixations from time to time, but I really hope to stick around the Star Wars fandom for a long time <3

HOBBIES

Star Wars obviously ahahahaha what are you doing here otherwise?

Drawing, writing, photography, gaming, history, nature, collecting, listening to music

Drawing: has always been one of my favourite pastime activities. I used to draw wolves almost non-stop, until life happened I guess? I only recently picked up drawing again. Drawing humans is a struggle, but it's so much fun practicing with clones <3

Drawing: I'm currently drawing with my ergonomically irresponsible mouse in Photoshop CS6 (I've been using the same software for over 10 years now and I am too afraid to switch to something newer)

Writing: I used to write stories about wolves (shocker) but same as with drawing, life happened. Until I recently picked up writing again! I started writing fanfiction for the first time when I started posting on Tumblr around June 2024

Writing: publishing a book has been on my bucketlist for a long time but I'm not sure that's ever going to happen, so let's keep it with fanfiction for now (which I am REALLY enjoying)

Gaming: I prefer gaming on my PlayStation 3 and 4, but I occasionally play PC and Nintendo Switch games. I mostly play single-player games. Assassin's Creed got me into gaming and is still my favourite series. I also really enjoy The Witcher III, Red Dead Redemption I + II, LA Noire and Far Cry Primal. And others, obviously

Gaming: I play Pokémon GO! If you're a player as well, shoot me your friend code and I'll add you (:

Music: I'm a metalhead; metal is my favourite genre! But I also like (hard) rock and (folk) punk. My favourite metal subgenres are power metal and folk metal. But I can listen to movie/game soundtracks for weeks as well!

Music: Rammstein got me into the heavier stuff and is still an all-time favourite. I was a die-hard Volbeat fan for years, but I haven't felt drawn to their latest releases. My current favourite band is definitely Powerwolf (more wolves lol)! Other favourites are (among many others) Sabaton, Amon Amarth, Slipknot, Nightwish, Within Temptation, Dropkick Murphys, Flogging Molly, The Real McKenzies, Heilung, Wardruna, Eluveitie, and some amazing older stuff like Alice Cooper, Pink Floyd and E.L.O.

STAR WARS

This is where the fun begins

I've been a Star Wars fan for as long as I can remember

My brother and me used to watch the OT and Ep I on VHS when we were kids and were lucky enough to see Ep II and III in cinemas

I missed watching EP I in cinemas this May (due to its 25th anniversary) because I was moving homes during that time and I am still crying about that, see you in 5 years I guess

What I like about the Prequels: everything? Obviously the clones ahahaha. But kinda everything. The setting, the plot, the characters, the tragedy. I know there's a lot of hate on the writing, but I grew up with them and I think they're awesome. Definitely not perfect, but (and please don't hate me) I would choose the Prequels over the OT anytime. Also the meme material coming from this?? Legendary.

What I like about the OT: the story and the characters! It felt less complicated back then, more about good and evil (there's a lot of grey area now, which is obviously more realistic; but as a kid growing up with the movies, good vs evil was less complicated)

What I like about the Sequels: BB-8, porgs, and the Somehow Palpatine Returns-meme, that's it. Maybe Poe Dameron, but that's probably because it's Oscar Isaac.

I also VERY MUCH like Rogue One; what a wonderful and sad story. I won't shut up about how much I love how this story blends into Ep IV/the OT; I think this was so well done, I- aaaaaaah I love it

What I like about the animated shows: CLONES. Clonesclonesclones. And Ahsoka. And a lot more, but at this time, the clone brainrot is real. I actually really like how some things are further explained in the animated shows (I think they're a real addition to the movies/story). And the angst and the tragedy, ugh my heart. Also the animation style of course! And clones, did I mention the clones?

Favourite characters (non-clones): Ahsoka Tano, Darth Vader, Obi-Wan Kenobi (prequel era), Plo Koon, Aayla Secura, probably Darth Maul too, Jyn Erso

Favourite clones: Hunter (he started it), Fives (I cannot put into words how much I love and feel for this man I just need to wrap my arms around him and tell him it's alright and that he and the clones deserve so much better and that I'm there to listen to him and it's going to be okay I'm going to make all his problems go away and also some adult stuff I'm not going to write here), Echo (my beloved), Wolffe (awooooooo), Cody (good man that Cody), Rex (obviously), Fox (you matter but please stop drinking caf and get some sleep), Vaughn (my love, my heart, my soul; I would die for you) (> I get obsessed over a different clone pretty often but it's safe to say I love all clones)

Favourite droids: R2-D2, Chopper, BB-8, Gonky, K-2SO, (also BD-1 is super cute), the droids helping out Ahsoka during Shattered/Victory and Death (R7-A7, CH-33P, RG-G1), mouse droids, (I haven't played Outlaws yet but I have normal feelings about ND-5)

Favourite animals: loth wolf (duh), tooka, massiff, varactyl, acklay

I used to collect Star Wars LEGO and Hasbro and I would love to put those on a shelf/into a cabinet one day

I would love to go to some sort of fan con one day but I'm afraid I won't survive all the stimuli/amount of people there

I did visit the Star Wars Exhibition in Brussels somewhere in the late 2000s/early 2010s; it was kriffing majestic

I used to play Star Wars Battlefront II (2005) with my brother all the time. We played it so much the disc got damaged by the PlayStation 2 itself and obviously we bought it again to keep playing

I played Jedi: Fallen Order (2019) and it was awesome! I really need to replay it so I can play Jedi: Survivor (2023) afterwards (haven't played it yet, I need to get myself a PlayStation 5 first, RIP)

Since we're talking about PlayStation 5, I'm dying to play Outlaws (2024) help (I need to know what is happening between Kay and ND-5??)

I really want to play Republic Commando (2005) (I even have a PS4 copy laying around) but haven't found the time yet

LASTLY

So one of my other hyperfixations is Spirit: Stallion of the Cimarron (2002), the 2D-animated movie by DreamWorks. (I know, I'm super weird; I'm a metalhead switching between Star Wars and an animated movie about horses (and some other hyperfixations but let's not go there).) I even created a fansite, if anyone's interested (which has still lots of WIP-pages I'm sorry I'm into Star Wars at the moment)

Alright that was a lot of super random information no one asked about. If you've come this far, holy kark my utmost respect to you, please leave a comment so I can send over some cookies because you kriffing deserved them?? I might consider writing a ficlet for you.

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[alpaca-clouds]

Something that will forever be a thing that drives me nuts, is people not understanding that yes, there are aspects about art that are subjective.

Look, no matter how good or bad a piece of art is, it does not mean it will connect to you. That is fine. As a picky eater, I always likened it too food. Were those eight-course meals that I got served in France objectively better than a fucking Pizza Hut pan pizza? Yes, they were. I will still choose the pan pizza every time, thank you very much.

And it is the same with media. One of my favorite movies of all time is Van Helsing. And I can tell you a lot of things the movie does good. I like the soundtrack a lot. I find the comedic timing in the movie amazing. And some of the actors are great. However, is the main reason I am watching this, that I am a simp for Hugh Jackman and Kate Beckinsale? Yes. Yes, it is. And while the script is funny to me (like I really do enjoy the humor), it is certainly no master piece and if I was a youtuber, I could probably do a two hour video on stuff about the script I take issue with. Don't get me wrong. It is not a bad script by any means. Just... very mediocre. I am able to tell that. Just as I am able to call out the CGI that has aged a lot worse than the CGI in other movies. And some costume choices that were... less than ideal. I still love the movie.

Or maybe an even better example: I freaking love the movie Megamind. It is one of my Top 5 animated movies of all time. But the script was written by two guys who had never learned or studied screenwriting. And this shows. While the script had been edited a ton by people who knew more about screenwriting than them, it absolutely shows in some places, that it was written by folks, who just did not know how to best pace out scenes and stuff, how to work with show and tell, and how to think cinematically. But you know what? To me it does not matter, because I love Megamind and Minion as characters. Again, I am not saying it is a bad script because of it, just that... it could have used even more work than it got.

And this, too me, is part of the reason why I even in my childhood had a big issue with people who are like: "I love this piece of media and hence it is objectively the best thing that was ever created!"

I had this a lot in my first real fandom. Digimon. Because, yeah, it is perfectly fine that you connected more with Digimon Adventure or Digimon Adventure 02, but this does not mean that either of them were better written or better crafted than Digimon Tamers. Like there are very obvious problems in the writing of the first two seasons. Mind you, these days - after getting my answers on why this happened - I am way more chill about it. Like, I get that the people who wrote this were still trying to do the best with the options given to them. But partly because those options were limited, that "best" was just not the same "best" Konaka could do with Tamers, due to on one hand having more experience, and on the other hand just being a lot more stubborn about certain things.

Again, no, that does not mean you have to love Digimon Tamers. It also does not mean you have to dislike Digimon Adventure or Digimon Adventure 02. Like, heck, while I would argue there are more problems in Adventure, they are a lot more noticable in 02 - and I still like 02 more than Adventure, despite the animation being at times worse than some of those fan animatics on youtube. And yes, I mean animatics. Actually things that are not fully animated. Because 02 was suffering from timecrunch in the production a lot, so the animation really at times is a mess.

Why am I talking about this now?

Well, mainly because I am once more annoyed by this. By the fact that people do not acknowledge the fact that writing and art does have objective factors. And that there are rules to follow - or that if they get broken need to be broken for a good reason. Like, you absolutely can for artistic reasons subvert any writing or artistic rule. Totally fine. But only if it is done for artistic reasons and not, let's say, because of fucking time crunch.

And yes, this is still because of Arcane, and me being very, very sick of people claiming season 2 was well written. It was not. I am sorry, there are rules to writing and those rules were broken. Most notably rules of set-ups needing either a payoff or a clear subversion, and the good old screenwriting rule of "show, don't tell, you are a visual medium after all". (Please note at this point: Show don't tell was always for Screenwriting and visual media, it was never meant for pure prose writing, as in prose writing you will always just tell - given words are the only tool you have at your disposal. Yes, it usually works better if you write about characters in whose head your POV is not more in terms of reactions, rather than 'XY was angry', but other than that... there is only so much you can do as someone just using words.)

Like, it is perfectly fine if you totally connected to the story or specific characters. I mean, despite seeing the flaws with the writing - given they were really, really noticable - I would lie if I said I did not cry at some places. But yeah, if you were all there for Caitlyn, Vi, Viktor or Jayce, all power to you.

But the writing was not good. And from all we know the chances are very good that the reason the writing was such a mess was executive meddling of one sort or another. (Very probably the writers getting less time to tell their story than they had expected.)

And that exactly is why I am so fucking pissed at people being like "Oh, but the writing was great!" Because what you are saying with that is basically: "Creative interference and executive meddling is the most amazing thing. Creative people should not have their own freedom. Who also cares about people learning writing as a craft. Let's just let AI write this stuff, I don't fucking care."

And I actually do mean that last part. Because while I do not think that AI had written anything for that season, the time crunch made it so that there were certain things showing up, I have seen a lot in AI writing. Mainly the tell over show, and the set-up without payoff. Because AI is obviously not good with setting up and paying things off, because the AI does not plan a story. It just gives you a line of words in a row, that it has predicted have a high probability to go with a prompt it was given. And those usually do not have a payoff to set-ups.

Also, yes, I am very much the person, who will always give the creative behind any project a lot more benefit of the doubt, than any executives. There are times where it turns out that this is not warranted, and it turns out that indeed, something was weirdly written, because like some guy, who might or might not have been called Joss Whedon, wanted to write something that was titulating for himself. But still, in many cases where a piece of media turned out to have obvious issues, and someone broke their NDA, it often is the case that some executive was to blame for the mess that existed. Be it, because they wanted to pander to a specific audience. Be it, because they wanted to force in certain advertisements. Be it, because they decided that the creatives would just not have the time to do the creative stuff - or not enough time within the piece of media (runtime) to tell the story they wanted to tell. Be it, because some producer decided that his nephew Larry needed to have a role in the show, and because now this role was played by Larry, who was after all his nephew, this role needed to be way bigger than it was originally intended to be.

No, I do not know what happened behind the scenes of Arcane season 2. I can make some educated guesses, but I do not know it. But I know at least in part what happened behind the scenes of Digimon Adventure and 02, and exactly that makes me kinda pissed of people excusing stuff that was fully and completely there because of executive meddling.

Because yeah, most people who write for TV and movies have in fact somehow learned screenwriting. Not all at uni, some are self-taught. That is totally fine. But they have learned writing. The producers meanwhile have not. And it shows.