#something something about his favorite musical being the origin story of a villain

[queer-froggit]

nightmare would be a theatre kid. his favorite musical is wicked.

[mandacantu]

10 Reasons Why I Actually Loved The Crow Remake

FKA Twigs - I'm not going to sit here and pretend I am not a huge twigs fan, because I love anything she touches and especially her music. This was her first time as a leading lady and I thought she did a good job. I do think there were some points where her line reading could have been a little more fast paced in some spots, but overall, I think she was captivating, eloquent and emotional. And wow, so many stunning visuals that we got of her from this movie!

2. We didn't have to see depictions of brutal and violent deaths of women in this film. I didn't want to spend too many of my thoughts on comparisons to the original The Crow, but one thing I noticed was that I didn't have to endure the violent and sexually abusive death of Shelly or any other woman in this movie. I do like the original movie but never cared for the way they went all in on Shelly's death. In this remake, we still see Shelly die but we don't have to endure gratuitous SA scenes whilst losing the leading lady. I appreciated that and was able to relax more, honestly.

3. The villain had actual motivation for killing and being a villain. There was some decent backstory and character development for the villain and that is something that I always appreciate. Some of my favorite pieces of media (like Spirited Away and Knives Out) do well to at least give the villain a story or a reason for being bad. I think it adds depth to the story and for me, helps immerse me into the plot more.

4. It felt like a comic book come to life. From the color grading and palette to the way scenes were cut and moved from one to the next, it felt like I was flipping through a comic book. There were moments that were very whimsical in depictions of love and then very gritty scenes. The contrast in some of those scenes felt similar to flipping a page in a comic.

5. It was very romantic and spent a lot of time focusing on their love story. I thought their love was believable and felt like that whirlwind kind of love where you just want to party and kiss all night. It gave me a reason to care about both of the characters and it gave Shelly a place in the spotlight where she becomes so much more than just a symbol of loss for character development. Focusing on their love and giving us some romance was a timeless decision and puts their love story up there with Romeo and Juliet or Christian and Sateen.

6. Soundtrack was amazing! If you are into some new wave, some goth tunes and some dance tracks, this is the playlist for you. Beyond just the soundtrack, it was truly a different experience to see it synced up to parts of the movie as intended. The intro was amazing, I thought it was like a James Bond meets Underworld mixed with some NIN music video sprinkled in there. The folks who worked on the score deserve a standing ovation. There were moments where I was tearing up because of how well the music paired with the scene. Most memorable and moving was Joy Division's Disorder when they bust out of rehab together and a perfectly placed Boadicea by Enya. There were so many other good ones too, I'm seriously considering seeing it again just for the mini music videos you get from the film.

7. It was aesthetically pleasing. And I'm not just talking about the eye candy that was Bill Skarsgård, though lets give him his flowers for being a true Mr. Fanservice! The actual visuals were beautiful. I loved the cinematography and color choices. It was truly a feast for the eyes. Just take a look at this beautiful gif set by pizgif!

8. I could easily see a story about grief and the longing for justice for loved ones. I thought it was a good story and as I watched it, I thought to myself that the person who wrote the original comic must have gone through an immense loss. It wasn't until I looked it up that it seems to be confirmed that The Crow was inspired by such loss. The moodiness of the movie itself added to the weight of the tragic storyline. In that, I liked that it takes a while for Eric to become The Crow. Losing someone you love transforms you and in this sense, the movie is all about that transformation and pain and longing.

9. I liked the ending. I don't want to say too much to spoil it, but I enjoyed the different ending and I was definitely teary eyed and sniffling as I left the theater.

10. It was goth as fuck. I think goth can be a multitude of styles and honestly shouldn't be something that has a gatekeeper. This was emo-boy-goth, it was e-boy-tiktok-hottie-goth, it was goth in a different flavor. I think folks are quick to see this new Eric not dressed like a new-wave-leather-daddy-goth as decidedly not dark enough. To quote a favorite musician, he was "goth as fuck, even when [he's] not in black, gothic is the pain you feel and not the clothes that's on your back."

Closing thoughts: A lot of the negative criticism is coming from men or diehard fans of the 1994 movie, so I am not surprised. This rendition felt like the same story, just done differently and with more emphasis on the love story than the revenge plot. There is nothing wrong with that and nothing wrong with a gothic romance heavy action flick.

This was intended to be a different version of The Crow and that isn't a bad thing. I personally think that if they had done the styling to be an exact replica of Brandon Lee's rendition then the movie would still get tons of hate, if not more. It was a "damned if you do, damned if you don't" situation for sure. I'm glad they took a risk and deviated from the '94 version.

We have been doing remakes since the creation of art. It has always been common to hear that the new movie coming out is actually a retelling of this classic tale or continuation of that scary story. Remakes are not a new concept and some of them do well to tell the same story in a different way. We are in the day and age where there isn't really an original idea anymore, anyway. In a world full of countless retellings of Batman/Joker and Spiderman movies, why not remake The Crow? I say fire it up!

I think they do a good job to pave the way for others to retell this love story in the same vein as The Joker and Harley Quinn. Hell, I would say to keep going, next let's see a remake where The Crow is about two badass lesbians. (I might have gotten too peppered up watching the movie, it was hot.)

P.S. I loved that there were little things like Eric wearing Shelly's jacket later in the movie. I feel like a lot of critics saw him wearing this jacket and were quick to bash the costume design too, but this is the kind of attention to detail that made their love believable to me. And I thought he looked cute as hell in it.

Okay, the end.

[suzy-queued]

DVD Commentary: Under Lock and Key

@callivich invited me to share behind-the-scenes commentary from a fic. I hope you dig this deep dive into Under Lock and Key!

Give us some stats - (when you wrote it, word count, how long it took to finish, is it a one-shot/multi-chapter, etc) I wrote it in 2021. I posted a chapter a week, and I was actually writing those chapters each week as I went along. 15 weeks of their life = 15 weeks of my life.

What was the initial inspiration for your story? I have general non-specific angst about college. It feels like an earworm, a time in my life where so many things were unfulfilled or unresolved. So many roads not taken. I needed to write something to put those thoughts to rest.

If the story is written from a character’s POV, why did you choose this character? I alternated Ian's and Mickey's POV, because I love seeing both of their sides. That also helps increase the tension, because you can leave one person's thoughts on hold while you go see what the other person is doing.

What was your favorite scene to write? Any of the scenes in chapters 5-8, the simmering time before they actually get together. I love to write their push and pull.

How did you come up with the title? Because hair metal rules.

Did the storyline change in any way as you wrote the story? The story started as a college radio station, where Mickey was a shock jock and Ian was a new volunteer. It would be told via journals that Ian wrote for one of his classes.

I wrote a couple of Ian's journal entries, but nothing was gelling. Once I changed the setting to the lost keys office, the story took off.

Initial ideas, original opening, the day I decided to switch the setting.

Oh, by the way, I usually handwrite everything.

If you are writing a particular trope or genre, was it your first time writing this? This is the sweetest story I had ever written. I had always tried to write compelling plots before, things with adventure and intrigue. For this one, I wanted no villains, hardly any angst, just two people falling in love.

Are there any deleted scenes that didn’t make it to the final story? So, so many.

The original chapters from the radio station.

That night after the mid-semester party, I had about 5,000 more words of them making their way back to Ian's dorm.

I had more descriptions of Mickey being completely into the Chicago music scene.

I outlined an epilogue from 10 years in the future.

Would you ever write a sequel to this story? I do have that epilogue outlined. Not sure if it'll ever see the light of day!

Are there any ‘easter eggs’ in your story - e.g. references to other stories you’ve written, a trope you often use etc? There aren't references to my other stories. I had only published one fic before that. But, man oh man, are there references to my college experience.

The lost keys office was the most fascinating place on my campus. It lived in the basement of the next dorm over. I never needed it, but many people I knew did.

Mickey is based on my friend Sam, who I spent late nights with in the architecture building. He hated every guy I had a crush on and wasn't afraid to tell me. We climbed on yellow steel-beam sculptures, stole signage from the parking garage, scaled buildings and sat in windowsills, talked about music, and harassed each other endlessly. It was one of those "lightning in a bottle" friendships.

Trey Kanahele is based on Gordon, who lost his keys so many times, usually while in the shower. He made it a point to walk across campus in his towel, with his long black hair flowing.

Hannah is based on Leslie, the coolest girl I met in Moore Hall my freshman year.

"Charlotte" and "Clemson" were my top two picks for colleges.

Dr. Neal is based on my current friend Jayme, who is a forensic nursing professor and takes her students to Africa in the summers.

The bulletin board, the grounds of the school, the fire drills in your pajamas, the dining hall, the crazy late-night games, the challenges of registering for classes, the meetings with advisors … all of it is plucked from experience.

If you’ve chosen your most popular story, are you surprised by the popularity? This one has the most hits of any of my stories. I'm surprised that it's the one that people keep coming back to. I've written a bunch more since then, but this one has staying power.

Were you nervous or excited to post this story? I'm nervous to post everything. Even now.

Did you have a beta or a friend who helped you as you wrote? No, I'm stubbornly beta-less.

Anything else you’d like the readers to know about the story? I make my own merch for the stories I write. Here's me in actual college and me today re-imagining college through a Gallavich lens.

This is open to all writers! Pick your favorite story you’ve written or your most popular or the one you think deserves some more love! Or ask your followers to suggest their favorite fic of yours!

And hey, if there's another story of mine you want to hear about, I can share more!

[romancomicsblog]

5 Characters who should get an Invincible Special Episode

Invincible Season 2 has just wrapped up, and while some fans are a little disappointed with its ending, overall the general consensus has been positive. From excellent music, to phenomenal voice work and animation, along with X-Men '97 its been a great time to be a superhero fan AND an animation fan.

This season also brought in a handful of new characters, as well brought some fan favorites to the forefront, including Allen the Alien, Rex Splode and Immortal.

I think I speak for everyone when I say I love being in this universe, and would love to see more. And while I know Season 3 will be here sooner than Season 2 was, I've been thinking about all those incredible characters and the Atom Eve Special.

It went a long way in showing how good the animation got, expanding on Atom Eve, and evening building up threats like The Lizard League.

I think theres alot of potential in expanding some of these characters, seeing their origins and helping build up their character development.

So I'm going to go through some, along with ideas as to how the episodes can play out. Spoiler Warning for Invincible Season 1 & 2 and mild spoilers from the comics.

5. Bulletproof

Starting off with one of the newest members of the Guardians of the Globe, Zandale Randolph AKA Bulletproof is definitely a character you forgot was in this season.

While he is known for a few big things in the future, he didn't really get to do much this season. He wasn't very useful in the sequid invasion, didn't really help in any major fights, nor do we know anything about him. So why him?

His history in the comics is rather tragic, and I think is something we are going to explore. His twin brother, a mad genius, attempts experimenting on Zandale in order to give himself superpowers. Instead it gives Zandale superpowers, and kills his brother.

Due to this, and unable to tell his parents, he pretends to be both brothers to preserve his brothers legacy.

That tragedy is alot, and could make for an amazing episode, with his brother being the villain and explain why he is so guarded.

Plus, I love Jay Pharoah. More Jay Pharoah please.

4. Dupli-Kate

We got some hints at Dupli-Kates origin in her eulogy from Immortal. Her powers come from a curse upon her family, that led to both her and her brother gaining the ability to multiply.

What you don't know is they started off as a brother sister team before going their separate ways.

We actually see Kate's brother Multi-Paul in the cell when the Maulers escape again. Seeing a young version of Multi-Paul before their inevitable confrontation in a later season could give us more stakes.

Yes, this is another sibling rivalry just like Bulletproof, but this could start way more fun than Bulletproofs.

And two multipliers who are children fighting it out in a dramatic finish? Also good television.

3. Monster Girl

Talk about a tragedy.

Monster Girl's curse was given to her after falling in love with a man whose grandmother disapproved of her. That grandmother was a witch, who turned her into an ogre with extraordinary power.

We don't get much else from her origin, which could give us some wiggle room.

This could start as a love story turned horror story, unable to get out of her monster form, feeling trapped in her own body. We can have the witch be an Agatha Harkness type, and a physical threat in the episode too.

Once she is defeated, Amanda is able to turn back and be with the man she loves, until she realizes months later, that she is getting younger, and he breaks her heart.

The beats are all there, and I'd love to see a magic based episode in the Invincible Universe mixed in with some Hulk style action. Plus, building up Amanda will be important as she is vital in the comics.

2. Thaedus The Great Betrayer

You didn't think I was only picking Guardians did you?

Thaedus' episode could be by far the most interesting, showing us Viltrum from a first hand perspective, before he betrayed and before he formed the Coalition.

I don't want to get too heavy into spoilers, but he causes a brutal blow on the Viltrum Empire I'd love to see first hand. We can keep Peter Cullen, or get a younger voice actor, but either way, seeing a younger Viltrum Empire would be very intriguing and a bloodbath.

1. Rex Splode

Despite being one of the most annoying characters in Season 1, Rex is by far the standout of Season 2 in my eyes.

Another origin that was slightly teased, I can imagine Rex's episode can be his sad origin, meeting Atom Eve in act 2, and taking out his oppressors by the end in a good old fashioned team up.

This could be a direct sequel to the Atom Eve Special, giving us more Eve, and help us understand their relationship even better. Plus Rex being blind sided with a girl who can make anything? Sounds like a fun battle to me.

Thank you so much for reading! Please consider following, and check out my socials and other sites here! And let me know: Who do you want to see get an Invincible Special Origin Episode?

[crispywizardtale]

GMMTV 2025 RANKING (MY OPINION)

WU The Series

SKYNANI SERIES!?!?!?!? HECK YEAH. It's quite obvious that this plot trailer was rushed as there is only one scene in it. Either way it is going to be amazing because SkyNani is in it and because it has fantasy elements in it as well as red string so this being a BL is high possibility.

Imina SkyNani. Imina NaniSky.

Melody of Secrets

My ForceBook got another series in my favorite genre. I grew up on criminal series so having my absolute favorite actors play in one is something I will never get over. The plot looks incredible and the acting in it was amazing. I am so glad they got a great director and I am so glad they got something so different from their usual roles. I will never get over the fact that this and original work and that the CEO himself asked for ForceBook to act in this series l.

Ticket to Heaven

THAILAND IS DOUNG A SERIES ABOUT MY RELIGION?!?!?! EXCUSE ME?!?! I'm excited!! I am sure they will make us villains, but it's GeminiFourth, so I might forgive them even if they do. Everything else looks great especially the church they are in and the robes that the priest is wearing. I'm excited about it.

Dare You To Death

My boys JoongDunk keep on delivering. Enemies to lovers?!?! AS DETECTIVES NO LESS!! I love myself some good murder mystery. I loved the push and pull dynamic in the trailer and i love the roles they will have.

My Romance Scammer

What do you mean Ohm got paired with Fluke?!? A different Fluke, but Fluke nonetheless. And JuniorMark?!?! Win win for me. I loved Ohm since UWMA came out and I watched his series so I have to watch this one as well. Plot wise I think it one of the best ones he had (UWMA and Room 609 deserve to be mentioned). I love how different the story it. Usually they make fake marriages, but not scam ones so I am so in for it. I just find it very interesting and I want to know how they will play it out.

Memoir of Rati

PERIOD DRAMA!!!!!! WITH GREATINN!!!!!! I love I Feel You Linger In The Air and this has some very nice similarities with it. The plot is very interesting and wonder how they will pull it out since it is their first period series.

Girl Rules

What in the female only friends was that?!?! Yes to the mess give me more!! I love how messy they are making this years series and this one probably takes the crown.

Only Friends Dream On

MESS. That's is it. Boston showing up in the trailer just signals what kind of mess it will be. JossGawin I'm super excited for you.

Whale Store XOXO

MilkLove? Yes please. Finally something cute. Everything else is either a mess or a murder mystery so this will fit well in between.

Me and Thee

Not a huge PondPhuwin stan but damn does this look good. I love mafia stories so this too fits my taste perfectly. I am already in love with the tattoo Pond will have. Very interesting and I will definitely watch it.

A Dog and a Plane

I'm for anything TayNew have for me especially a BL. It will be interesting to watch. Tay acting like an asshole while New is desperate to save his relationship. Also caption and flight attendant relationship?! Genius.

Magic of Prophecy

GMMTV HIRED THE SIGN DIRECTOR?!?! WTF GMMTV!!! I am more excited for the director than the series because it's all I can focus on at the moment.

Mu-Tu-Luv

Interesting concept and will definitely watch few of the stories while probably skip the other ones

Head 2 Head

Another enemies to lovers with forced proximity! I do love me some enemies to lovers. Looks good and looks promising but we shall see.

Cats For Cash

Will just say CATS. (as a huge cat person)

Burnout Syndrome

Finally a love triangle series with some red flags in it.

Love You Teacher

What the heck if this plot?! Am I the only one who finds this super weird???

That Summer

Controversial but here i am.

Boys in Love

Not interested. That trailer gave me nothing sorry.

The Love of Siam: The Musical

Nope I don't like musicals.

[colorfullpaperbird]

Taste in books i think each of the sides on Sander Sides would have

Logan: Easiest side to tell since he says his book taste in canon lmao, mistery books guy, agatha christie, sherlock holmes, murders on rue morgue, he just really enjoys a good mistery (he’s just like me fr). He also probably reads books about scientific discoveries and psychological studies on a day to day basis (since he seems to have an answer for everything), either really likes or really hates sci fi depending on the scientifical explanations the books gives

Patton: Ok so, im gonna be honest, i don’t think Patton reads much? In fact hes probably the one who reads the least out of all sides, but he does seem to know his stuff, quoting studies in some episodes ( ‘Can lying be good?’ being the one who comes to mind ), so he probably reads a few articles about Morality and philosophy, also when i imagine Patton reading i imagine children’s books with deep messages like Dr Seuss, so personally i think Patton’s taste in books would be books like “The Tao of Pooh” which explains philosophy in a simple fun way taking inspiration from children’s media.

Roman: Roman’s my favorite side and although i would like to dump my personal taste on him i am aware that he canonically hasn’t read my favorite book and dislikes dark retellings of fairytales, leaving me to tears since those are my favorite kind of story. However i will indulge a bit and say that Roman would love Shakespearean plays ( His favorite would be Hamlet bc it inspired Lion King ) and typical fantasy books. Im also 100% sure that guy has a shelf full of Disney Movie Books like the novelization of Beauty and the beast and the villain’s origin books by Serena Valentino, also has those super pretty Disney Classics books ( lucky mfer ). And obviously he would have the original novels of multiple musicals ( Wicked, Be more chill, Dear Evan Hansen…) and some ballets/non-Disney classics as well (The nutcracker, The wizard of oz, Swan lake… ). Also Harry Potter i guess, since that’s canon 😒

Virgil: We all know what im going to say, Horror fan. Likes Edgar Allan Poe’s stories and classic horror books that inspired movies/series ( Carrie, Ring, the haunting of hill house… ), also reads a concerning amount of True crime about unsolved murder cases, and he has a special edition of the novel of The nightmare before Christmas somewhere trust me. And to self indulge a little, Dark retellings of fairytales, especially the Horror leaning ones.

Janus: I feel like Patton would read simplified philosophy books while Janus would grab shit like The gay science by Friedrich Nietzsche at the local library (never read this book, hilarious title tho), Overall i think Janus’s taste on books would consist of either philosophy and sociology books (especially the ones that annoying people read to keep gloating about how smart they are, except he actually likes them), and influential plays like Shakespeare, The Odyssey, The Iliad, Medea, Phantom of the Opera etc… His taste is the perfect combination of annoying Theater kid with pretentious philosophy kid (He is the guy they strive to be 😭)

Tw: Remus and everything that comes with him

-

Remus: YES, REMUS READS, YOU CANNOT CHANGE MY MIND ON THIS, The books he reads? Very simple, Dark romance and horror, the books are his inspirations for new creative ways to annoy the shit out of the other sides, he is slowly but surely making a list of new horrid murder and torture methods he learned via horror books, also dark romance for him is just romance since he thinks normal romance books are boring and lack taste, some other side definitely walked in on him reading once ( picture him reading on the sofa twirling his hair and bouncing his legs in a very stereotypical teen girl way ) and asked what he was reading only for him to answer something like “ ‘Taken Hostage by the Hot Mafia Boss’ :D” Also definitely read the Kam4 Sutr4.

-

Bonus: Remy/Sleep has a book detailing the multiple different ways on how to brew coffee and Picani has every Kids Show Book he could find ( Gravity Falls 3rd Diary, Star vs the Forces of Evil Book of spells etc… )

ALSO WARNING: If you want to buy any of the books i talked about here be aware there is currently a boycott of Disney and any other properties that have ties to the genocide committed by Israel!! And mainly, i would recommend to grab any book i mentioned in the library since they’re one of the only public community spaces that haven’t shut down yet, support your public library to make sure it stays that way!

[srs-deep-dives]

Tifa's Theme: A Musical Deep Dive (Part I)

(A repost from my old side blog no longer in use. All future analyses will be on this one.)

Greetings and welcome to a deep-dive into Uematsu-senpai’s masterpiece of a character theme. We will examine the rich marriage between composition and storytelling – i.e. how its musical elements express Tifa’s personality, conflictions, relationships, and story motifs. If you’ve come with zero knowledge in music theory, then my hopes are that you will leave here somewhat enriched (no prior knowledge is required). If you are a fellow geek for music, then I hope this adds insight in a storytelling sense. Ultimately, the goal of this post is to more deeply understand Tifa Lockhart.

I have divided this analysis into five sections each built on the prior: (A) the key; (B) the intro; (C) the leitmotif; (D) the original game’s use of the leitmotif; and (E) the compilation’s use of the intro and leitmotif. (The leitmotif of course being Tifa’s recurring melody, of which the first subphrase is sampled above.) Because Tumblr allows only 5 videos per post, some sections are spread across two posts.

So have your headphones/audio ready, and let us commence.

Disclaimer: these are simply my own interpretations offered with supporting evidences. I can only, to my best limited efforts, speculate as to what Uematsu did or did not intend when composing the piece.

Section (A): The Key

Tifa’s Theme is composed in the key of F major, one of the happiest keys in music. It is argued by many, in fact, to be the happiest key (though this is subjective).

“F major is at once full of peace and joy…” – Ernst Pauer (19th C. composer).

This is a reason, I presume, that Uematsu-san chose F major for the track which represents home.

“Welcome home, Cloud,” is the first line that Tifa speaks to Cloud in the game. “I’m home” (from the Japanese dub, 唯今 – “Tadaima”) is the last thing Cloud says to Tifa at the end of Advent Children. Home is our first story motif embodied by Tifa’s character.

But of course Uematsu’s decision likely only began there.

“F major is at once full of peace and joy, but also expresses effectively a light, passing regret – a mournful, but not a deeply sorrowful feeling.” – Ernst Pauer (quote continued).

So we have peace and joy with an undertone of mournfulness; a juxtaposition between two opposing ends of the emotion spectrum. To appreciate how the key of F major achieves this, we can benefit from a quick comparison with two other tracks.

It might surprise you that Tifa’s Theme – our warm song of home – shares the very same key notes as the tensest and most sorrowful track in Final Fantasy VII. Listen to the Cries of the Planet is composed in F major’s relative minor key: D minor. It has the same key chords as F major, yet the chords serve different functions (something we will get to later). Put another way, it has all the same notes, yet they are arranged differently. Where F major is (argued) the happiest key in music, D minor is almost universally called the key of “true sorrow.”

Let’s compare the two tracks here:

I wanted to begin with this little contrast for three reasons. First, to excite you non-music-theorists about the emotive power of music. Here, from our two related keys, come two completely contrasting moods. Second, we are concerned with what and how the notes will speak. Third, well… that’s a little more selfish. Listen to the Cries of the Planet is one of my favorite tracks in the game.

Our other track is One-Winged Angel – the main passage, for there are three keys in this track. It is curious that the foil villain to Tifa has his fighting theme in the relative minor of hers. Like a mirror – for as Sephiroth is Cloud’s despair, Tifa is Cloud’s home. Or, to borrow a Kingdom Hearts metaphor, we’ve Cloud’s darkness against Cloud’s light. D minor is also the key of Sephiroth’s main theme: Those Chosen by the Planet.

And now, onto our deep-dive into Tifa’s Theme, which features in the original game, Advent Children, and 2020’s Remake. For now we’ll be using the piano sheets from Advent Children.

Section (B): The Intro

Tifa’s Theme begins with a tonic chord (the ‘home’ chord of our key). The further we move away from our tonic, the greater the tension (instability) will be.

By ‘home’ here I am referring to the music’s tonal center – not ‘home’ the story motif which Tifa embodies. In light of that distinction, however, with the tonic being the home point of the track and home being a story motif central to Tifa’s character, we are simultaneously referring to both.

So we begin with our tonic (the F major chord) which draws us “at once [into] peace and joy.” Yet there is concurrently the hint of a mournful undertone. Only a tiny, tiny allusion – perfect for our introduction to Tifa. When we first meet her after all, we’ve no idea of the burdens locked in her heart.

This opening tonic is presented in whole notes (the longest kind of note in common composition). In our piano version, these whole notes are arpeggiated (see the squiggly lines to their left), meaning that the chord is ‘spread’ or ‘rolled’ – the notes are played and held one after the other from the bottom up. We are at once drawn in by Tifa’s inviting warmth and we linger there.

Our tonic is immediately succeeded by a chromatic chord (a chord composited of notes outside the key; notes that ‘don’t belong’). This second chord, in fact, is the sort we would expect to find in F minor. It does not ‘belong’ in our key of F major – thus the mournful undertone which would have been further hinted is brought into direct statement. Foreshadowed is the revelation of Tifa’s burdens. She is carrying deep and unsettling secrets.

How does this work? Uematsu-san has effectively ‘borrowed’ the second chord of the F minor key and inserted it into the track’s opening chord progression. This subverts the natural expectation of our ears and creates instability – a trick he will frequently pull to toy with our emotions.

Uematsu-san then extended this borrowed chord to heighten the mournfulness by adding a 7th (a note seven intervals above the root note which further colors the mood). This enlarges the magnitude of Tifa’s mournfulness: we feel that her burdens are heavy.

The next two bars instantly carry us back to the tonic (see the harmony on the bottom stave below). This occurs in a slow fall, a faster fall, then a faster, now extended lift: the intro’s re-establishment and emphasis on the motif of home. We are never to stray from feeling at home when we are around Tifa. Simultaneously, these bars speak the ‘locking away’ of Tifa’s burdens. Her sufferings are buried quickly as her love for others is brought to the forefront.

Where our chromatic chord had an added 7th to heighten the mournfulness, our tonic build is extended with a 7th and 9ths in its lift – heightening home in a stronger comparative sense. Tifa being a home to others, in other words, overpowers her own sufferings.

There are three things we can grasp from this sequence of slow-fall to faster-fall to faster-extended-lift.

First, Tifa holds a profound motherliness toward others which outweighs thought for her own wellbeing.

Second, Tifa is insecure in dealing with her emotions, and thus strives to keep herself distracted from them. We will see this displayed right from the time of her childhood:

At 8, unable to cope with her mother’s death, she treks up the perilous mountain to try and ‘find her’ on the other side;

At 15, unwilling to face the grief of her father’s murder, she recklessly rushes to confront Sephiroth;

At 17 (in Traces of Two Pasts), she confesses to Jessie that she has been “running” from learning the truth about Nibelheim;

At 20 (in Remake), she admits she’s not even allowed herself time to decorate her apartment;

At 22 (in On the Way to a Smile), she avoids being alone in keeping extra busy with the bar and the kids during Cloud’s absence.

Thirdly – and perhaps most jarringly – Tifa embodies home despite her life being plagued by suffering.

Tifa, who lost her home and had to rebuild her life from scratch, provides a home for Cloud, Marlene, Barret, Avalanche, and later, Denzel.

Tifa, who lost her mother as a child, mothers everyone else, is for all intent Marlene’s mother, and becomes the mother of a family unit with Cloud.

We have now travelled through the first subphrase of the intro.

We begin Subphrase Two with our opening tonic again, but this time in a quite surprising extension. Rather than adding a happy 7th or 9th to accentuate the warmth of our home chord, Uematsu-san gives us an E note which clashes with our F. Moreover, he builds the chord from this E as the bass (bottom) note.

What does this mean? Dissonance. Home is re-emphasized, but now directly with mournfulness. Although Tifa’s burdens are locked in her heart, they are ever lingering in the picture.

Compare this tonic (with the clashing E) to our opening tonic in Subphrase One. We now also have an additional climb in the harmony, which includes an added 9th. So while we can more deeply sense Tifa’s mysterious burdens (even though she’s our place of peace), extra emphasis is placed on her warmth and motherliness.

Subphrase One opening vs. Subphrase Two opening:

And so we continue Subphrase Two, following the pattern from Subphrase One. A chromatic chord follows the tonic – again ‘borrowed’ from the key of F minor – bringing Tifa’s plights to bubble once again. But before we can linger on them, we are taken back to an extended tonic chord – this time with an ‘unbelonging’ note.

From the next bar, however, things begin to shift…

Before moving onto this shift, let’s consider what we’ve covered so far. We began “at once full of peace and joy” (Tifa’s warmth pulled us toward her, pulled us home), to be immediately carried into an expression of suffering (Tifa’s secret, unsettling burdens were glimpsed). That suffering was overpowered – but not entirely suppressed – by a magnified emphasis of home (Tifa locked her burdens away behind her nurturing kindness). The suffering surfaced briefly again, and again home was accentuated (Tifa’s endless heartache continues beneath the bounds of her love).

As is very clear by now, Tifa is facing great internal conflictions. Let us dig into what the music so far has conveyed of those conflictions.

Spoken in long-value notes, our Subphrase One melodic chords convey: our peace when we are with Tifa; and Tifa’s hesitance in expressing her burdens. That they shift and waver between tonic and chromatic conveys her uncertainty.

Subphrase One conveying hesitance (in long-value notes):

Subphrase One conveying uncertainty (tonic > chromatic > tonic):

Tifa is longing to confront Cloud with the truth of his psyche. At the same time, she is uncertain of both what that will bring and what the truth is: she fears losing Cloud; and she doubts the validity of her own memories from the events he is recounting so accurately. These hesitancies, fears and doubts are gnawing at her heart, buried from the rest of the world under the forefront of home.

Subphrase Two contains less long-value notes and more wavering than Subphrase One, building the intensity of Tifa’s conflicts clashing within her. Rather than wavering from tonic to chromatic to tonic, we go from a dissonant tonic to a chromatic chord to a tonic with chromaticism to more tension in a predominant chord. I’ll get to what this means in the next post, but for now, just know it is a chord of tension.

Subphrase Two (less the final bar) building instability:

Following our new tension chord (the predominant G minor in blue) we have just one bar left to end the phrase. As it is the end of the intro as a whole, we expect to return to the tonic. But (bless Uematsu and his subversions)… the opposite happens.

Our ears expect resolution, but we are instead dragged right into the highest point of tension. Here, we are pulled into the world of the dominant chord.

Continued in Part II here.

[amazing-spider-man-book-club]

The Amazing Spider-Man #7

Published: December 1963

Containing: "The Return of The Vulture"

Synopsis: The Vulture returns with an augmented magnetic flying device immune to mechanical interference, and goes on a new series of heists as Peter has to deal with a sprained arm after blindly going into battle.

Read alongside us here:

@frankendykes-monster : This might be the lightest issue we've covered yet in terms of narrative depth. We have officially reached a point where a "standard" Spider-Man story that's easily recognizable regardless of date of origin or medium is born.

The Vulture is making his second and final stint as a solo villain in this run, and admittedly I might miss him. I think many adaptations miss something by not focusing on the fact that he's a machinist, probably a consequence of so many Spider-Man villains existing now that it's easy to shuffle around characterizations and motivations, not that this original incarnation of the character is three-dimensional or anything. I feel like this is one of the first major instances of "lost in translation" between Ditko and Lee because that's the only explanation I can muster up for me just not getting exactly how The Vulture's powers work. I assumed that the magnetic device is basically levitation and that the wings are for steering in mid-air, but the wings being gummed up at the end nullifies his ability to fly? Who knows. His hands being free and thus him being able to hold a gun is a chuckle worthy sight.

Betty Brant is thrust a bit more into the role of Peter's primary love interest of the run as of this issue, with the finale being a focus on them and their burgeoning taking-notice of one another. It feels natural as we're still in the very early stages (read: the talking stage). While the letters pages usually don't reveal anything of note that needs to be brought up here, I do find it funny that one reader asks that Peter have a proper girlfriend that's a bad bitch and up to date on the latest music trends. Give it a few years, Sidney, it's coming.

Probably the most notable thing about this issue is how much Ditko gives it his all in terms of fleshing out the environments, the fights across the skyline or inside the Daily Bugle make the similar brawl inside the high school from #4 look downright drab in comparison. There's a lot more time dedicated to onlookers unable to do anything in the face of costumed persons fighting in mid-air above them, it lends itself to a great realization of three-dimensional space even when page space only has room for the fight or the reaction to it. We finally find out that Peter lives in Forest Hills, in Queens, on Long Island, which furthers highlights how huge NYC is and how quaint it must be in some way to see Spider-Man and The Vulture fight above rooftops overhead.

@duel1971 : Fun! I think about half of my favorite Ditko art I’ve seen on this journey so far is contained in this one issue. Every panel shines with a brilliant grasp of anatomy, action, weight, proportion… it’s awesome. The Vulture is sort of a boring villain on paper, in my opinion, but his striking visual design and the incredible action sequences made me forget that entirely. We also get our best close-up yet of Spider-Man’s web shooter, showing off how nifty and clean its design is.

The best action set-piece in this story involves Peter fighting the Vulture in the Daily Bugle offices while the staff scrambles for cover and Jonah has a breakdown. If I’m not mistaken this is the first time a villain has come directly to JJJ’s office, making a somewhat historic precedent.

There’s not much to talk about here in terms of new story developments (other than Peter sharing a moment with Betty Brant) but the action and script are so tight and well-done that it’s hard to say anything negative about it. This issue to me feels like a well-earned victory lap after eight issues of consistent innovation.

[cbusch]

So this week I went to see Joker: Folie a deux as I loved the 2019 Joker movie, which was filled with dark, grisly themes and violence that matched to the Joker’s persona. I heard some negative reviews about this and even my family members didn’t want to see the film because of those reviews. However, as a movie goer, I like to keep my mind open as I know I don’t share the same opinions as Rotten Tomatoes. After seeing this film, I’m glad I ignored the reviews and went to see this movie as a I had an enjoyable time in the theater.

Cinametography: The camera work was the biggest piece for me as each angle perfectly captured the character’s emotions, thoughts, and gave significant symbolism to what would happen down the road. The angles from the far side of the courtroom as if we’re the jury to Arthur Fleck’s trial to up close, seeing the thoughts racing through the witnesses head as well as the prosecutor (who had such a punchable face, but still) to the defense. We can feel the energy move up to which the viewers can understand the severity of the situation. My favorite type of camera work was when (Spoiler) Lee Quincey visits Arthur in jail, she takes some lipstick and draws a smile on the glass to resemble the Joker’s smile and when Arthur turned his head to match the spot of the lipstick, it sent chills down my spine as it showed that the Joker persona was taking over more and more and set up for the next part of the film from the prison to the courtroom, it made me weary of what was going to happen next and how Arthur/Joker was going to cope with the remaining of his trial.

Score: Now since this is a musical, there was more of upbeat tone to this film while also keeping the same dark tone of the original movie. However, apart from the musical numbers (which I will talk about in a little bit briefly since a lot of that has to do with the direction they decided to go with Joker and major spoilers are involved so out of respect won’t go too much into detail about that). However, the score really set up the pace of each scene. The score shows its poker face as we never know what to expect. The way I interpreted this was to show how Arthur was going to do next. From the low music and having the tempo rapidly speed up never knew what was going to happen. Score played a huge part of this movie as it surprised me. Something that might’ve been grisly didn’t turn out to be as the score played tricks on me and personally I loved it as I didn’t know what to expect and made me want to continue watching to see what would happen to Arthur and Lee.

Musical Numbers: Now I’m in the minority when it comes to musicals as I love them. So, this movie taking a different direction with this being a thriller/courtroom/musical movie focusing on the villain was personally creative. I can understand why some people are hesitant, but come on you can’t have a movie with Lady Gaga and not have her sing! It would be an injustice to her as an artist. The musical numbers were creative and gave a lot of insight to how the Joker persona was going to play a significant role in the movie and affect Arthur. Each number sets up a significant symbolic tone to what will happen to our characters down the road. Plus, the numbers are catchy as in the movie theater I was dancing a little to the songs and tapping my hand softly against my thigh, enjoying the beat of the songs. The musical numbers had that fantasy-esque feeling to it but at times was shocked to certain aspects of his fantasy where reality of the grisly world of his reality mixed in with his Joker persona numbers. I’ll spare sharing what happens in a lot of the musical numbers as they contain spoilers and it wouldn’t be fair to anyone who reads this and wants to see the film for themselves. Anyway, for any musical doubters, the songs do help the story move along and understand different layers of the the Joker persona as well as Arthur Fleck.

Acting/Characters: Once again, Joaquin Phoenix puts in a fantastic performance as Arthur Fleck/Joker. The subtle movements in his facial and physical expressions allows us the viewers to guess where he is going to go with the scene, unaware of his actions as he is often known for being unpredictable. The acting of Phoenix was perfected to a tee and shows the dedication he puts into understanding the complexities of a character such as Arthur Fleck. In my opinion, he was born to play this role. Lady Gaga was also a perfect introduction to Harleen “Lee” Quinzel. The balance of insanity, manipulation, and love she has for Arthur was blended in together. Deep down, I love the changes they made to how they met while still keeping true to the original characterization of the characters. Gaga and Phoenix’s chemistry works with the right amount of insanity, love, and heartbreak which down the road broke my heart as it meant for these characters to be alone. Not so much for Harleen Quinzel as they added a manipulative layer to her character compared to other interpretations of Harley Quinn, which left we shocked and heartbroken for Arthur Fleck. The characters felt fleshed out and raw, which is very rare to see in movies with the same stories with heroes and villains. Making villains sympathetic is never easy and the way they were able to make Harleeen and Arthur sympathetic while not excusing the actions they committed felt brilliant.

Downsides: While I did have an enjoyable time in the theater, there were some downsides to the movie. Pacing was one of the main problems in the film. In the beginning, they droned on and on with the prison scenes as we saw the day to day life of what Arthur goes through at Arkham State Hospital and the guards that are constantly abusing there power. It was slow at times, however they wanted us to understand how some guards in that state of power abuse the prisoners/patients int hose facilities. They’re so busy with their position, that deep down they forget that these are human beings with feelings and issues that are too complex for them to understand. Again, if you see this film and these scenes, maybe you have a different understanding than me with what Phillips was trying to show us. If so, leave your comments below.

There was also a plot hole as they mentioned in the scene, where my favorite cinematography scene was sort of ruined by the lines Harleen told Arthur. (Spare you from telling as it’s a spoiler and I don’t like spoiling the film for people that have interest in seeing the film).

Overall, I don’t understand the hate for this film. However people’s opinions are different but we still shouldn’t based our judgement on a film based on a review. If you want to see this film, great. If you don’t, that’s okay as well but the decision should ultimately be up to you and not anyone else. Again, this is my personal opinion and if you liked this film, let me know in the comments below! Thanks for reading this review!

[2-d-rogue]

Finished Clock Tower: Rewind! (Mini-review under the cut. Will have some spoilers.)

Still holds up as being one of the best horror games I've ever played. The ambiance, the beautifully made sprites/graphics, the atmosphere, the subtly disturbing story, and the mansion design... All of it comes together so perfectly to make it one of the most, if not THE most, high-tension filled experiences I've ever had in a horror game.

This game comes with two versions: the original Famicom release, and a version based on a romhack that took the extra content from First Fear, the PSX version, and stitched it into the original, along with new things; this is the Rewind version.

I did the first playthrough on the OG version, getting the B ending. After, I did the rest of my playthroughs on the Rewind version. I'm one of the few that doesn't mind the slow movement of the OG, but the QoL improvements were a welcome addition, as well as changing how Bobby, the Scissorman, works.

I avoided spoilers before getting my physical copy, so I had no idea how they changed him from the OG. Instead of having just triggered appearances, he now can appear at random, and has many new ways to be triggered as well. This new addition caught me by surprise and had me more paranoid than before. There was a part where I was playing that I had Jennifer standing idly in the garage while I was talking to @philian-arkhiv about something, thinking it was completely safe, when suddenly the chase music started up, catching me completely off-guard, because I knew for a fact Bobby couldn't just waltz into a room unprovoked; at least not in the OG. And yet, here he was on his way, throwing my mind (and calm resolve) into a complete frenzy.

That was a terrible surprise, but a good one, even if I would be haunted by it for days to come.

I don't know what it is about Bobby that gets to me so much, but these new mechanics amplified him as a terrifying horror villain for me. Thankfully, Jennifer was given more ways to defend herself as well. Definitely appreciate that. ^^;;

That said, there were some slight issues I had with this version. For one, there is some jank. There are times when I'd click in one direction, but Jennifer would go in the opposite. There also may be an event missing from Rewind? In the areas that consist of only a door and a window, you can sometimes see eyes looking in, or the window would suddenly burst open from the wind. It happens in the OG, but for as long as I stayed there, it never seems to happen in Rewind. Perhaps it's a bug or it simply didn't happen on my playthrough. Either way, I just hope it wasn't cut from this version.

The other issue I have is more a personal preference, but I don't really care for the anime art. It's not terrible, but I feel it doesn't really suit Clock Tower. The realistic artstyle worked much better in my honest opinion. But fortunately, it's not used in the main game at all, so it doesn't bother me that much.

For the record, I do enjoy the new track "Sharp Laughter" sung by Mary-Elizabeth McGlynn, even if it is a little extravagant. The end credits theme by Emi Evans, however, is a little too "Nier" for this game. Nonetheless, I don't hate it. It's nice hearing more from these two icons.

That all said, it's such a treat to finally have this game be officially available worldwide. It really is a classic, and I'd encourage anyone who loves niche horror to give this game a try.

Silent Hill is my favorite horror series, but Clock Tower has always been a close second, and I still stand by that stance.

So, I rate this game 8.7/10

Great to have you back, Clock Tower! I hope there will be more to come in the future! Please bring in more remasters and/or remakes, WayForward! I'll happily buy them! 'Cept CT3.

By the way, here's a funny little aside: there was a part where I walked into the mannequin room by accident, turned to leave, and ran into Bobby outside. I had nowhere to go, so I ran back in and prepared to confront him. When I successfully managed to best him with the panic button, no joke, the mannequin in the back suddenly laughed, as if it were amused by Bobby getting knocked over by Jennifer. Had me and @philian-arkhiv laughing a fair bit at that. XP

[pretentious-art-love]

Film Reviews #8 - Megamind vs. the Doom Syndicate

When I heard that the reception for this movie was bad I decided to still keep going and watch it, people mentioned only the animation errors from the trailer, and well, nobody has Peacock, it's not like anybody actually watched the thing itself. The animation is indeed more cheaply looking and it can feel uncanny if you are used to the fluid animation of the Hollywood-tier film, but I love, love, the character of Megamind so I decided to give it a shot. The first Megamind itself is my favorite movie ever made by Dreamworks! I think it has some interesting plots,! Seriously! The purpose of villains, the need for conflict in life, and even topics present to today's internet bubbles like Incel culture! It was witty, it was funny, and it had something to tell. Even Megamind: The Button of Doom had something good talking about being authentic to yourself and what not!

Anyway, I thought that if you can get into the animation, you could enjoy the story. There structure of the story is good, having Megamind struggle with his new role as a hero with his self sabotaging, having Megamind pretend he is still a bad guy along other villains to not be destroyed, having Megamind to deal with his arrogance still. All these ideas have lots of possibilities for character progression and growth, but aside that, there is very little else for the original public.

In short, this is now a kids franchise. I see the love in the heartwarming performances and writing. Voice actors and writers for children's shows have a knack for simplicity and clarity. They are always vibrant and expressive making sure that complex ideas are presented in a simple way so the kids can get it. It works for them and it can be really charming when you get into it, but for the rest of the public this will not work. The humor will feel too obvious and dry, the characters will feel standardized. The music and design is very evident and in your face, there is no mood setting or build up, the music is used in short spurts to set up a punchline. The jokes set up are very obvious and simple. With kids there is very little space for subtext, so you set up things at plain sight. Sure, there are shows and movies that can talk to both children, and adults, true, but there is only so much you can do trying to gather both audiences. Sure you remember jokes and parts in Pixar classic movies that you didn't understand, or jokes that you didn't get or plot bits that bored you, I remember I couldn't watch Nemo when I was 6 because that bit where Nemo gets kidnapped absolutely terrified me, the niece of the dentist, she terrified me, Sid in Toys Story was way too scary. Maybe once you get a little bit older as a kid, you can then enjoy Pixar films. Disney films… well, I don't know, I never enjoyed Disney films so I can't comment about them. But anyway, yes, Pixar films can be enjoyed by both kids and adults, but you can only go so far with kids while still trying to talk to adults at the same time. If there is a scary villain without a face, showing him holding a teddy bear is a must go, if there is a bunch of bad guys attempting to destroy the city, if they are bickering with each other and being silly, that will help to see them as less threatening for a kid. With this movie and the TV show, there is a clear target audience, little kids.

I know that new productions are always rebranded as sequels for old properties to have a better chance to succeed, but for the people who enjoyed the first Megamind, this is not it. If Peacock management wanted to bring the kids to the platform, it might help, I'm not sure, a lot of kids around this decade aren't focused on feature length films exclusive for Streaming but in self made content and Indie Animation or also YouTube Shorts, they have a little kid character in the movie who manages to get more audience than Roxane through the internet and that constantly helps the main characters, the writers aren't oblivious about how the youth works, there are still famous and successful TV shows for kids nowadays as well, but I don't know really any of them. There is a dance scene and also some silly pop music numbers (the ending scene theme is actually very catchy). With the animation budget cut in, the movement is a lot less fluid, there are more frequent animations errors, the lighting is a lot simpler and the characters just look… different. But again, this is a kids show exclusive for Streaming TV, not a Hollywood-tier movie with a 130 million dollar budget.

It makes me a bit sad that their crew and cast got their work trashed by the internet like this because of another case of faux sequel and rebranding, it also makes me a bit sad for Megamind fans that were looking for a true sequel, but this is not what the movie is. As for the TV show, I don't think it will be my coup of tea.

Quick Chum or the city is gonna have a new ZIP code!

Hehehe, okay, that one was kinda funny.

4/10

[popentertainment-moviereviews]

JOKER: FOLIE Á DEUX (2024)

Starring Joaquin Phoenix, Lady Gaga, Brendan Gleeson, Catherine Keener, Zazie Beetz, Harry Lawtey, Steve Coogan, Ken Leung, Bill Smitrovich, Jacob Lofland, Leigh Gill, Sharon Washington, Gattlin Griffith, Mac Brandt, Tim Dillon, George Carroll, Mike Houston, John Lacy, Sam Wren Vincent, Troy Metcalf, Jimmy Walker Jr., G.L. McQueary and Brian Donahue.

Screenplay by Scott Silver & Todd Phillips.

Directed by Todd Phillips.

Distributed by Warner Bros. Pictures. 138 minutes. Rated R.

I know I’m kind of in the minority on this point, but I can’t even start to tell you how much I hated Todd Phillips’ 2019 movie Joker.

Five years later, here comes the follow-up, and it’s like Phillips said to himself: Hmm… how can we make this story even more annoying? I know! Let’s make it a musical. Better yet, let’s not even completely commit fully to the genre and make it sort of a stealth musical. The cast will start singing inappropriately, but mostly in a relatively subdued manner. None of the other trappings of the style – the dancing, the frenetic movement, the wild visuals, the boisterous chorus lines – need to be used. And we won’t even write our own music, we’ll just dust off some 60s and 70s pop songs and overly familiar standards from the Great American Songbook.

On the plus side, this time around, I don’t think I’ll be all that lonely in hating Joker: Folie à Deux. Because I really, really did hate it. If possible, this sequel is even more unbearable than the original. Imagine that.

I can’t imagine anyone actually liking Joker: Folie à Deux – then again, I felt that way about the first one, too, so maybe I’m not the best judge. Nonetheless, early buzz on the sequel seems pretty negative, so hopefully it’s not just me.

I take no joy in saying that. I actually was rather looking forward to the original Joker movie until I saw it. Because the truth is, Batman is a relatively dull superhero, but the one thing he always did have going for himself were the best villains. And a movie about arguably the most interesting of Batman’s villains could be amazing.

It’s just not this series.

At least the first Joker had something of a storyline. Granted, it was a pretty blatant rip-off of Martin Scorsese’s 1983 cult favorite The King of Comedy – they even cast that film’s star Robert De Niro in a major supporting role to make the connection even more obvious – but it was something of a plot.

Joker: Folie à Deux, on the other hand, is nearly two and a half hours (!!!) of Arthur Fleck (Joaquin Phoenix) being psychoanalyzed and mistreated in an insane asylum. (Like we didn’t know he was mentally deranged from the first time he appeared on screen in the first film.) Then it switches to being a courtroom drama about Arthur’s criminal trial for the mayhem he committed in the first film, although it plays out like an episode of Law & Order: Super Villains Unit.

While in the asylum, he meets his one true love, Lee Quinzel, who becomes Harley Quinn. (Of course, in the first Joker movie, Arthur imagined Zazie Beetz’ character – who reappears here as a witness for the prosecution – was his one true love, so Arthur isn’t too reliable in matters of the heart.) Lady Gaga is okay, if way too subdued, as the future Harley. She certainly won’t make anyone forget Margot Robbie’s powerhouse performances in the same role.

My biggest problem with Joker: Folie à Deux is the same as my problem with the first film. In both of these films, the Joker is played as a sad, pathetic, miserable loser who has life take a massive dump on him throughout the entire running time. Is this really supposed to be the guy who is going to be Batman’s greatest nemesis?

At least in the original film, Arthur eventually snapped and went on a violent killing spree, which was not a great, moral or relatable storyline, but at least he did something. In Folie à Deux, any violence or mayhem which he commits is mostly done in fantasy sequences, which just makes him seem even sadder and more impotent in real life.

After it was over, someone who apparently enjoyed the movie much more than I did tried to convince me that Folie à Deux is a movie that shows the depths a man will go to for love. However, his relationship with Lee is so dysfunctional, so toxic, so driven by mania, that it’s hard to root for a happy ever after for these two crazy kids. They – and the world – are probably better off with them separate. We know that is not the case from the comics, although the ending does put that in doubt.

As I said in the original review five years ago, Joker has been known to inspire many complicated emotional reactions. Pity has never really been one of them.

However, even more than I pitied the Joker in these two movies, I mostly pity myself because I have now wasted about four and a half hours of my life watching this sad saga.

Jay S. Jacobs

Copyright ©2024 PopEntertainment.com. All rights reserved. Posted: October 3, 2024.

[violeteyebeams]

The Rebuild of Scott Pilgrim

It's been ages since I used this page to give my wider thoughts on a thing, but I just finished Scott Pilgrim Takes Off and... hoo boy, holy shit, do I have Thoughts™ that I'm not sure where I can put elsewhere for now.

Spoiler free verdict tho? It's good. Damn good. Especially if you're aware of an enjoy the previous source material. It's got great character-writing, spectacular animation, and some very nice music, to name a few things.

And that's basically all I can talk about without dipping into spoilers, do without further ado...

The show starts off with a pretty faithful adaptation of the first issue of the original comic. We meet Scott, Wallace, Kim, Stephen, Knives, and everyone else and the story plays out as you might be familiar with. Although you do notice some slight differences from that original. Ramona working for Netflix instead of Amazon, an extended scene with the Evil Exes, and Scott talking about Sonic the Hedgehog cartoons during his first conversation with Ramona instead of Pac Man. Some changes you might see and go "Huh, neat" and then move on, simply thinking they were fun, if not inconsequential changes made during the adaptation.

But no. Those are just a small taster as to what's to come later.

As stated, the first episode adapts the first issue of the comic, right up until the fight with Matthew Patel. It goes as you expect, beat for beat almost, but then... Scott is seemingly killed off. Patel wins the fight, and not Scott.

As the title says, Scott Pilgrim has quite literally Taken Off. He is GONE for a majority of this series! Instead, the series chooses to focus on Ramona as the central protagonist.

And that's far from the only wild deviation the story takes too. If you're expecting a simple animated adaptation of the comic, this is very much not that. Bryan Lee O'Malley said that this was going to be a different take, and boy was he not kidding.

As Ramona tries to figure out what happened to her would-be suitor, we see her and the other characters in Scott's life take the spotlight, and even the Evil Exes get more of a shine this time around. Ramona getting a chance to talk with them and go deeper into their past and why she left them to begin with. They actually feel like characters and get actual characterization rather than simply being one-note (if not still entertaining) antagonists for Scott to beat and move on from. Not only that, characters like Kim, Neil, and even Knives get whole new story beats and arcs to explore. Even JULIE POWERS gets an interesting new wrinkle about her. The only downside there tho, due to the character/story reshuffling, is that folks like Envy Adams are relegated to the sidelines, unfortunately.

Not that Scott himself is left out entirely. He's still very much there. But they do something very interesting with him. Having him be the crux of a side plot surrounding the concept of age and what holding onto toxic feelings can do to us in the long term, even after the events of a happy ending, like the one he gained at the end of the original comic.

And if the post credits teaser at the end of the eighth episode is any indicator... we MIGHT be getting more of this? Maybe? We see a budding relationship between Gideon and Julie, with Julie seeming to have some more villainous intentions aside from just finding Scott to be an obnoxious loser. Especially as she seems to have aligned herself with Gideon for whatever reason.

All of this is of course, backed up by a fantastic performance from all of the returning movie actors and some killer animation from Science Saru. These have to be some of my favorite animated fight scenes in a good while. The one between Ramona and Roxy is an especially stellar standout I can see myself coming back to every now and then.

It's a wild series, I had one hell of a time with it, and I can't recommend it enough. Definitely give it a watch.

[2n2n]

LITTLE NIGHTMARES ENEMIES RANKING!!!

hmmmmm. Let's see.... I'll do fav to least fav, that will be easier.

GHOUL RANKING... I'm not proofreading this post much because I'm tired. It's off teh cuff!!!! I want to ramble!!!!!!

well we'll just consider Thin Man #0

you're doing great sweetie!!!!! you can see all of time & fate ahead of you & behind you & you choose to continue forward, single-minded as a child..... you will SAVE SIX! she will be PROTECTED inside the SIGNAL TOWER! she will be HAPPY... she will have toys she loves, she will have her music box.... we can't even be sure if he's wrong to do this, exactly....! We don't know enough... seems bad, but also, seems like he can't help it...! It's kind of sweet he won't stop trying. I just think he's the most kinda logical 'next step' in terms of narratively folding a villain & protagonist's story together. I really like when a monster isn't just a monster!!! It helps me understand this world, & what entities like the Signal Tower and Maw are seeking to exploit or feed off of, in humans. Now if this was a Design contest, this guy would be dead last, why is he just slenderman , also if this was a Name contest he would also be dead last, why is he just barely not named slenderman. But luckily for the Thin Man I value narrative and theme above all else so, he's peak.....

#1, shockingly,

the Hunter!!!

for the theme of LN2, he's really compelling. He's an amazing first trial without knowing anything, but he becomes more intriguing with post -reveal contemplations. A violently territorial, neurotic guy killing everything in his radius ... but also, delicately preserving & 'caretaking' for his 'family', as still taxidermy. He's an amazing parallel for Mono's emotions for Six.... keep you. Have you. Stay ... protect.... maintain.... Even aesthetically, I really like the spooky bag with hole in it, which also kind of evokes Mono! His proportions are cartoony, he's short & stout which is good for making him intrinsically contrast the Thin Man, despite being a 'large' (comparatively), imposing male enemy again. To me he doesn't feel like he has great control, he seems as much a victim of the Signal Tower as anyone, despite his distance. After all, his land is as filled with chasms & canyons as the City.... I like that he uses a sewing machine, & is kept very busy making leather. He's really so crafty. & I also really like that he makes birdhouses ... for seemingly no nefarious purpose. They are scattered all about, & based on his tools & situation, he must be making them by hand. I like when any of these ghouls maintain some semblance of their original life, as if all these loops have yet to entirely unwrite what they were before the Signal Tower. I think a birdhouse is just a nice gentle symbol of something that seeks to provide a home, shelter. I like that there are birdhouses in the room Six is being held in. His area is probably my favorite overall.... and, his theme slaps! I'm glad we meet Six in his area (:

NOW.... following my heart. For #2...

THE JANITOR aka ROGER. He's, VERY, interesting. I like his proportions so much, so delightful to see toddling all around & fondling everything. Wonderful fingies... But! I do think what sets him apart from the other inhabitants of the Maw is a real sense of having his own... interests.... ?? He collects dolls, books, 'forgotten things'.... I'm sure the Guests leave behind so much when they inevitably become meat so, it's novel the stuff that surely just goes down trash chute proceeds to be meticulously sorted and maintained by this funny little guy, who maintains some whimsy and HOPEFULLY joy in his work !?!? At this point it's my madness but, the children inexplicably have toys, which you just wouldn't... expect, them to necessarily be provided, exactly, by the Maw itself, so I wonder if Roger distributes things from his collections to the children... ? He's probably the ah, least violent to them in terms of gameplay, since it seems his job is just ferrying them off to the next station, and it's not his personal MO to eat them or throw them into a boiling pot, like the Chefs... he just wants uh, order. I like his strange body in this world. Maybe, after meeting the Doctor in 2, we can just assume a LOT can be done to a body, to keep it 'ticking'......... maybe kids have been chopping off his arms and kneecapping him for decades if not centuries lol! Maybe this is what you get lol.... There is a drawing by a child or Nome which MIGHT ?? imply he had more arms once, I just don't know, but I know I'M!! tickled by the idea that he used to be some terrible spider, in order to efficiently do all his jobs.... the only negative point for him to me would be that, I wish he was 'the caretaker' instead of 'the Janitor'.... his position looking after the children, inhabiting this playroom & cafeteria zone, acting as chaperone... is more defining to me than 'janitor'. Maybe it's supposed to make you understand how degraded children are in this world...? That he's basically seen as a custodian? But I think 'Caretaker' is both creepier & adds fascination.....

#3 is.... also maybe surprisingly,

the doctor.... & his patients if this list was about 'good to look at' he would be dead last, absolutely really hate to see this guy, just the worst thing, in either game, really makes the others seem so twee in contrast. So upsettin. BUT UNFORTUNATELY he has both a really thematically appropriate & very veerrryyyyy interesting operation.... he's also somehow touching almost everything else in some way, what with seemingly making masks we see in the Maw, providing the hunter prosthetics, providing the teacher organs..... But as a part of LN2, I really like an enemy whos entire purpose is 'helping' or 'caring for' others. I don't even think one can blame the Doctor for disfiguring people so disastrously, when his patients are equally delusional people begging him for respite to these endless extremes. And, considering the state of Viewers, it can't really be said that he is condemning them to a worse fate, can it? He's ah, done something to kind of 'interrupt' the Signal Tower's own endgame, keeping people in this labyrinthine hospital ever in surgical repair. Like the Hunter he's in some way comparable to Mono's psyche with 'helping' Six, so I'm really down... and I do find his patients, really, interesting. It's a form of art at this point... It's pretty scary Mono intentionally flatlines one of them to upset this guy into a chase.... I like his protectiveness & diligence. It's a great coping mechanism in a dilapidating world. Like the Hunter, you understand who this used to be, and how it became this.

against all odds this late in the game is #4 the Lady or Governess of the Maw

In contrast to the world around her, the Lady is extremely captivating!! I like designing a world where just a -- beautiful-seeming lady is the most unusual & bizarre & thus foreboding thing.

AS FOR WHY SHE'S SO LOW... I suppose I don't find ah Legacies very interesting (I'm glad the devs have STERNLY shut down the Six/Lady being related theory down as not true LOL), in a personal sense it doesn't make me too curious about her. She seems to be part of a long line of women set up to be the next Governess, she seems to basically run a business & keep everything in line.... I have an impression that the Lady herself seems more short-lived than her various custodians (they seem, again, like they've been 'repaired' or 'retooled' many many times over the years, while Ladies cycle out regularly).... I'm sad for her that she's, somehow old & contorted herself, or can't admire beauty in herself... maybe she's on the verge of cycling out, I don't know. Maybe holding all of that power degrades your body quickly, maybe running the Maw itself does, ah no idea. Who knows what it means for Six to USURP it, as an UNRIGHTFUL inheritor, INTERRUPTING the line of succession. I wonder if there's significance (for the Maw itself) to it being a particular bloodline, or if it's just about tradition & stability/security in some sense in this world, for the Governess... Her fixation on. Babies. Dolls. intrigues me? For someone in some sort of line of succession, maybe that's pathological. I have no idea what a baby would represent to someone terrified of their aging body & fragile position as a ruler, destined to be replaced. She's kind of so shrouded in mystery that I have to put her lower than people who we can understand the human motivations of, suchas the Doctor, Hunter, Thin Man.... but the first game's theme is like, greed/corruption/power or what have you, which unfortunately isn't as interesting to me culminated in a person, even if this is likely the most intriguing it could ever get for me (with the Least Intriguing being like, a CEO. businessman. Mob Boss. idk). The Lady exemplifies that well I'm sure, the burden of .... nepotism LOL the cost of power ?? your fate slated for you from the start? It's only interesting to a point, though.... Sometimes I wonder if Granny is a previous Governess or what lol... much to ponder. Little to know.

NOW. is it even worth listing what is next? By nature I have little to say about them hm... Well ok. #5

the Teacher & Bullies

I think this is similar to the Lady for me, where the concept of maintaining like... discipline or order for a sense of comfort, is not very interesting to me, of all ways to express it. Though, I think whatever that may say about our theme of escapism & its many forms, I do find interesting, so she isn't too rock bottom in THAT sense... However it's hard to even have the pity for her that I do the Lady, and I have actually less to say or infer about The Teacher's hobbies than the Lady's, which is already very little. I find the baby dolls of the Lady pathological & intriguing, as well as needing to meticulously maintain all of the records & statues of her sanctum, the reality of having been a child preparing for this role once .......... that I can dwell on. I can also dwell on & understand the Hunter's both maintained habit (preservation of few precious individuals, protection of his space) AND his hobby (making birdhouses... a home for something delicate.)

The Teacher both, meticulously preserves organs (whos?) (why?) (for what?) (also she preserves a lot of frogs) (even more why) (doesn't really have to do with being a teacher) (less interesting than the Doctor's interest to me... who LOVES his patients & they love him) and also she plays piano (why?) (what does that have to do with the school as a whole?) (I guess any hobby is a form of escapism?) <- she just seems kind of messier to me. And strangely has little to do with childcare in terms of her personal fixations, so I hardly know why she is The Teacher (she'd almost be better off being The Researcher or The Scientiest lol).... which feels like a missed opportunity, though I also assume she kind of COULDN'T be more caretaking without taking up the Doctor's whole thing .......... (though I would honestly personally prefer it if all 3-- Doctor, Teacher, Hunter-- had a seemingly-sincere obsessive-caretaking quality which echoes Mono... as it is its like 2/3) I don't really know who or what she was .... I would LIKE TO PRETEND she was herself like, a student abused in this school by the Principal once upon a time, but I would really prefer more than the vaguest of delusions making me imagine that. I find the bullies more interesting as some expression of Mono's psyche about.... other children, their mindlessness, destructiveness... I also like that their role is, DIRECT THREAT TO SIX!!! and I like that, like the Hunter... they seek to, CAPTURE Six, but they seek to fucking kill obliterate Mono. He has interesting ideas of the world. I'm sure Six is something desirable to Keep or Play with, but HE'S just, utterly hated & everything wants him devastated (I wonder if Six should have found that suspicious)....

Beyond this point I don't think I have anything to say about the remaining enemies!!! I have no commentary on the Chefs. Their kitchen is nice ? they maintain it nicely, so they must care, like Roger does about his space. They freakin hate when a rat be in there (Six). Their life seems sadder than Roger's in terms of the workload being not so stimulating or personable, it seems so efficient their livingspace, however they also seem to be under much less threat of bodily harm than Roger working with children LOL. I do not have much intrigue about their. Life. & they are so hideous ... being twins is not, enough. I guess I am happy they are never olone. Do you think it is their choice to have beds together & toilets too? Roger can customize his space a lot so I don't imagine they were FORCED!!! to be so perpetually close. In this world one could just assume 2 people remaining attached & synchronously degrading into monsters. Why do they wear terrible fleshy skin masks, for what purpose. Why is it the same sad strange concrete grey as Roger's cranium base. We just do not know.

[04dissection]

hi, for ask game~ 1, 3, 4, 11, 16 for Muu and 2, 5, 7, 8 for Fuuta, please 💖

HI ANON!!!!! Thank you so much for the question! This gets hilariously long so under the read more it goes.

Content Warnings: Discussions of suicide

Muu Kusunoki

1. favorite song lyrics?

I think it'd probably be these lines from After Pain.

"If you're going to make me the villain / It's okay to ignore me / If it's endurance, I'm used to it / It's just having another taste of it."

With the added context of It's Not My Fault, and with After Pain being very solidly about events after It's Not My Fault, I suppose you can say this is a part of Muu's difficulties with ascribing fault to herself- actually, since you asked me about both of them, I find it so intriguing T2 seems to exemplify a sort of contrast of fault and guilt that 0304 as a duo has. Muu doesn't feel guilty nor at fault, Rei deserved it because of what she did to her, while Futa does feel guilty and admits fault(or at least seems to), and, in a way, you can make their motives similar: they did what they believed was right. Sorry, tangent over, continuing on.

I just personally love this line because of how it's sung and how it somewhat subverts us expecting to her to hit a higher note(it's been forever since I've actually done any music theory, so I don't know the terms).

To include a line from It's Not My Fault, I really like this one! (Using the translation from Fandom as much as I... dislike using it since I couldn't find who made the translation originally and as we know It's Not My Fault's official translation is... rough).

"Don’t ever hate me, and don’t look for what lies “after and from” the pain. / Wait, wait, it’s not my fault! / You get it, right? It’s you, after all. / What a relief. Can’t be helped. Since I’m always meant to be pitied-"

I adored her referencing After Pain here, and telling us not to look into it- literally telling the audience 'don't look into me <3 you said you don't hate me! so you don't have to look into me!' I specifically always like 'I'm always meant to be pitied.' This line really says a lot about Muu, and especially of how she acted in T1- though that was also partially and probably mostly from fear.

I need to mention, though, Muu's not a manipulator. Even if she tries to, her personality will get in the way of it. The thing with her is that she sees relationships as purely transactional and that the right thing to do is just to let people get their way. It's not that she doesn't care about Haruka, it's that to her, his threat was what he wanted to do, so why should she get in the way?

She wants us to pity her because we, the audience, made pity mean forgiveness- so if we fit that into her framework of relationships, wouldn't that mean that the transaction is her making us feel bad for her in exchange for being voten forgiven? I hope that's something that will come up in T3.

3. favorite non-mv official illustration?

I can just say the cake art, but I actually really like the third anniversary art- which is my profile picture.

But I adore it. It's a very unsettling piece, what this the spotlight lighting and all, and her expression is so wonderfully creepy. I love this art set a lot, it's great.

4. favorite minigram episode/moment?

Episode 22! Specifically the third panel on this page: (x)

It's such a funny little minigram and I adore this single frame of Muu holding Jackalope so much. I like to imagine that she had wanted to hold him since he popped up in the interrogation room during her first voice drama. And I can agree, rabbits are really nice to hold on your lap as long as you aren't stressing them out too much.

Fun fact, actually- the minigrams associating Muu with plaid(31 and 38) is actually the reason why I have the my blog background as the squares. They made me associate her with those square patterns.

11. what are your favorite points about their story and the narrative surrounding them?

Definitely how both her and Rei caused the downfall of the other, in a way. Both repaid aggression with aggression, with one case leading to months of intense bullying and the other leading to a murder. I'm not saying that these are equal, but that doesn't make either good things to do. Muu and Rei both turned that hourglass on the other.

I don't know, it gets to me how much they seem to have torn into each other and the length of time they did. Rei wasn't some completely innocent girl, and neither was Muu- They're both messy with ugly emotions and ugly truths and ugly actions. In the end, both were hurt and more than likely both dead because of the abuse they suffered at the hands of both each other and their peers.

16. how do you think they actually sing in regular life?

I haven't seen what she says on the karaoke cards so if I'm wrong I'm wrong- but I think Muu is an alright singer at best. Her range is.... abysmal to put it nicely and her voice can be rather squeaky at times. If she is able to stay in her range though, she has a rather pleasant singing voice. I imagine she used to sing more and used to have a better voice, but once she began to get bullied she slowly just stopped.

Fuuta Kajiyama

2. favorite mv moment/frame?

Something really gets me about this moment in Backdraft. Something about watching yourself repeat your mistakes, and remembering how gleeful you were doing it- you really just become sick from the joy you derived from awful things. At least that's my interpretation of it.

...As a weird aside, I ended up spending like, half an hour trying to see if there was a word in psychology for what I meant. I'm still figuring out a new search engine over google(playing with a bunch of different ones) so my results are definitely different feeling. But it did remind me of flashbulb memories, so I guess it wasn't for nothing.

I also should mention I love the fact that Bring It On is 4:04 minutes long. As you probably know, that's an error code!

"The server cannot find the requested resource. In the browser, this means the URL is not recognized. In an API, this can also mean that the endpoint is valid but the resource itself does not exist." (x)

5. favorite voice drama line/moment?

Braze You! at the start is just 4 minutes of Es tearing into Fuuta and it's beautiful. I think it's just nice to see Es having a good time, even if that's from harassing Fuuta.

But that's not my favorite moment- Braze You! is definitely very fun to watch, but Baptism of Fire is absolutely one of the best VDs we've gotten so far- with Fuuta calling Es out on the hypocrisy of our previous votes- why WAS Kotoko innocent and him not? While personally, I'd argue that it was dependent on how both were framed in their videos, Fuuta doesn't know about those. And anyways, he's right. We ARE doing this all for fun. Even if he got entertainment out of cancelling people, we're still not that much better than him- in his perspective at least. At the end of this day, Milgram is a work of fiction. There's a degree of separation from the events we can give ourselves, even if the characters attack the fourth wall with all their might.

7. favorite relationships with another character if they weren't in milgram, the way you'd imagine or would like them to be?

Oh this is a difficult one for me... I'll go with Fuuta and and Yuno. She likes messing with people a lot and I think it'd be funny. I adore when characters mess with other characters in a playful way. Yeah this is short, but Fuuta doesn't exactly give me a lot of lee-way with how he talks about everyone.

8. what is your theory for their crime? if there is general consensus on it in the fandom, do you have any other, not-so-widely-accepted thoughts on it?

I generally do believe in the consensus that Fuuta was part of some sort of online 'purist' group- named 'the dark triad,' very ironic name you guys- and seemed to start a campaign on Killcheroy that led to her death- with him doxxing her at some point due to how close she lived to him. I'm not entirely sure on the importance of Rumerie as of now, but I can say for certain that he is important- I mean, the graffiti in Backdraft is literally both Fuuta and Rumerie's online names intertwined- but he's important in some aspect that I just haven't figured out yet.

...While I don't have much evidence for it, I think my major divergence from common consensus is that Killcheroy did not commit suicide. If there's anything that's been obvious symbolism in this series, it's that it uses the practice of taking off your shoes before committing suicide to convey the action- please note that with Mahiru's boyfriend, Hinako, and Muu(Haruka does not participate in this, but he does have his atrocities against shoes). But notably, in Undercover:

Killcheroy Es has both their shoes on.

Undercover is a music video that definitely needs more examination(There originally was a Mikoto derailment here, but that's a different post), and this is one of those things- because Undercover doesn't lie- it might dramatize, such as showing Mahiru strangling Es while they stand in for her boyfriend, but that's in a way, right- Mahiru is here for the fact she directly led to her boyfriend's suicide. While you could argue and say that Fuuta has no idea what happened- and as such doesn't know if she committed suicide or not, as he says in Baptism of Fire:

I believe this is jumping to conclusions. We have to remember: Undercover is not Fuuta's song. It isn't even Es' song, they're just the conduit. This is the song of Milgram itself, I believe. And Milgram definitely is not restrained by real world law and theory. So far, all the bodies of Es as the victims roughly match to what happened- even Mikoto's, who is just plain unable to access the memory. So why would Fuuta's be different?

That argument aside, while I currently don't have a lot of basis for it as I'm still figuring out a lot of the details in Fuuta's case, I believe Killcheroy died from health complications exacerbated from stress- presumably a heart condition, as a lot of the blood in the Undercover art looks like it came from approximately the chest area. My evidence right now is that I made it the fuck up, sorry, but it's the main one I can think of since I really don't think she committed suicide.

[1moreoffkeyanthem]

I loved The Webs in the Rafters! How’d you come up with the idea for it?

Dude I’m so stoked you liked it!!! And how TWITR came to be is kind of a crazy story lmfao

So my whole life I’ve had super bizarre, extremely vivid dreams, and one night back in late September, I essentially dreamed what would eventually become chapter 17, from the pov of the Kenny character. I’m talkin (minor spoilers from here on out for those who haven’t read it) the sleet hitting the dry grass, the cricket hopping through my vision, Sansa the dog telepathically telling me to whistle, helicopter blades whirring overhead, the supernatural barncats jumping the bad guy. I also remember having dreamt random other parts, namely the prologue “crawlspace”, with the new hire that ended up being Kenny getting stuck inside the wall and meeting long time ranch hand Butters. When I woke up, I was like oh my god I have to South Park all over this.

And so I started thinking it out; right away I knew I wanted my “new guy” to be Kenny, simply because I LOVE the idea of him being overly perceptive and incredibly observant, even when no one can outright answer his questions. I knew I wanted Bunny endgame, and originally the story was going to be a lot more Kenny centric in general, but I’m glad I gave most everyone their time to narrate, to see things as they were across the board. I had also initially planned on the dark themes being even darker, which brings me to:

Why dark Cryle with Style endgame? Aight so if we recall, TWITR dropped during a period where there was kind of a lull in the sp fandom, which is when I was binge reading fics with some seriously depraved stories and characters, and a lot of the time that fucked up character was Craig, and the victim of his depravity was Kyle. I do enjoy a nice cryle plot too, but I ADORE the idea of a headstrong, inquisitive and intuitive, largely optimistic and idealistic passionate Kyle knowing he has to walk on eggshells around Craig or there will be consequences. I’m glad I stuck more to the gaslighting and manipulation rather than going full out with the domestic violence route, not only because I don’t think I could stomach it (chapter 14 was painful enough as is) but also because I think the subtlety was more cohesive with the themes of secrecy in the story. And Style endgame, because I AM a Style gorlie at heart and I fucking love writing my sweet boy Stan.

Now, why spiders? Simply because I am so incredibly goddamn arachnophobic. Y’all I’m terrified of spiders. I don’t like the way they just appear out of nowhere, the way you can walk through a web you didn’t see, the way they move, how dangerous some are, all of it. So that struck me as the perfect motif here.

I had a rough outline before I started writing; I knew I wanted the demise of the Spider, that part of my dream, to be the climax of the story, but I wasn’t sure initially what I wanted the catalyst of Kyle accepting that something was up and the ranch hands joining forces to be. I wound up driving 6 hours to a friends wedding earlyish into writing the story and RAWDOGGED that drive, no music no podcast no nothing, just mentally writing and structuring. Yes I’m insane. But, I’m happy with the structure and pacing I wound up with ultimately so it worked lmao

I had a lot of fun writing characters I hadn’t written from before at that point, and deciding everyone’s role and personality and the dynamics in the universe. TWITR was also the reason I started writing Cartman, whereas before I struggled a lot with him because for a long time I thought he HAD to be a villain, and I generally stick to fluff and hurt/comfort in my silly little WhumpShots so I’d usually leave him out. But planning this fic made me see the light of how much NUANCE he can have (this is when I wrote A Movie About A Boy And His Dog to get a feel of how I wanted to write my favorite abrasive fuckwad) and now Cartman is one of my favorites to write into a story. Also him and the cats lmfao iconic.

At the time I was posting TWITR, it was NOT a hit at all. I’ve mentioned this before, and I had a few SUPER KICKASS PEOPLE reading and hyping it up in the comments (Nina and Ana are whole ass a huge part of why I didn’t get frustrated at the extremely low kudos to hits ratio I love y’all) but it was REALLY discouraging to feel like I was so stoked about this story only to have it flop with everyone but me and a handful of diligent readers. Seeing people read my weird ass story now is SO RAD DUDE like when it started getting more love fairly recently I was AWESTRUCK! And I know I’m more small time; I’m not getting hundreds of likes every story, and I’m cool with that. I’m not writing legendary fics; my most kudosed story is a few over 200 and I am perfectly chill with getting under 50 likes on my silly whumpshots. I am human tho (tragically) and seeing anyone read or ask about any of my stuff makes me SO excited, even if it’s an unserious little 1.5k story about the main 4 tripping on shrooms in the woods or something. I write what I want to read and enjoy doing so, so it’s kickass when other people enjoy it!

As for the sequel oneshots in the series, I wanted to explore the aftermath and healing following the events of the main story, with Kyle finally coming to terms with the abuse he’d been blind to for so long, with the realization that he’d been in the dark, because realistically he would NOT be okay after all that. I almost didn’t write No Strings Attached or Trapdoor, just bc TWITR was kind of niche in general and I knew it wouldn’t get a whole lot of engagement since you do kind of need context, but I’m very glad I wrote em lmao

Ok kinda went off topic there, but I am THRILLED that you enjoyed The Webs In The Rafters and thank you SO MUCH for this ask!!!