#the 10th kingdom trolls

[pharaohsketches]

in honor of being ripped off 😂 here’s a master post of all of my 10th Kingdom fan art so far 🖤🧚🏼✨🍄

[voidaxolotl]

Theres a specific feeling to being introduced or finding something that becomes your hyperfixation but the community for it is either too old to be posting about it or too small.

So now I get to sit here and suffer while hyperfixating on THIS stupid silly little manwolf

and THESE cringe-fail trolls!

And everyone who follows my account will have to suffer seeing them and me talking about The 10th Kingdom because this is my account and I do what I want!

[friendrat]

Ok, I know this is a small fandom, but for those who have seen The 10th Kingdom:

[midwinterhunt]

it's been 20 years

and I'm just now realizing that these three

probably have different mothers. i thought they were like, triplets when i was a kid.

[clearcutcasualty]

“The average person has one nightmare a week” absolutely quitter behavior

[morphgoo]

Bo explorations~

[every-character-ever-poll]

BURLY, BLABBERWORT AND BLUEBELL - The 10th Kingdom

PROPAGANDA:

The Troll King's children. Fairly enept. Captivated by the BeeGees. Should not ever be separated

[haveyoureadthisfanfic]

Have you gotten any submissions for fandoms/pairings that surprised you and what were they?

Yes. A lot.

For fandoms, I'd say Goblin Emperor, Jane the Virgin, Ted Lasso, anger Days, Half Life VR AI, Trolls, EXO, It's Always Sunny, 10th Kingdom, Kagerou Project, and Len'en Project were all somewhat surprising. Most of them because I had no idea they existed lol

As for ships....Anything with "cest" in the ship name was...startling. Also the ship names with numbers in them? Like. 1827?? R33???

[floofyfungi]

HEYYY I JUST REREAD THE SERIES FOR LIKE. THE 10TH TIME [save me i'm obsessed] and i've just gotta say i LOVE the worldbuilding you do for your series.. it gets me so invested I LOVE ITTT OUGHHGHGH IM A MIRACLE LOVER which gives me the question are dragons in this world strictly cybertronian? and what other mythical creatures are there this shit is so Cool bro

Thanks Em! I have no self control. I have a literal word document that's just filled with lore. Most of it won't ever make it into the actual story. But I find it useful to have to maintain internal consistency. World building is one of my favourite parts of writing, glad you enjoy it <3

All dragons in the Miracle AU are Cybertronian. There are no organic dragons. As for other Mythical creatures, you have the Mermaids, Centaurs, Trolls, Giants, and Harpies. There are also extinct races like the Ents and Griffins.

I'm going to tell you a bit about these races as I have no self control and you've gotten the writing juices flowing XD

Mermaids are sometimes spotted off the south western shores of the Earth continent. The nations of these regions knew them to be very real, and many snow elf kingdoms established trade routes and military alliances with them. Mermaids make excellent pirates. However, this changed when the Decepticons began their invasion of the Southern Realms. This was known as the Scorching, and it all but drove the snow elves to extinction. The mermaids retreated from the shallow waters of the coastline. They are rarely seen today. Some sailors say they have a great city deep in the ocean depths, where they remain hidden from the Decepticons.

Trolls are a well-known race, and are often seen working alongside orcs and goblins. Aside from the mythical Giants, Trolls are physically the strongest of the organic races. Their large and imposing physique leans them towards bodyguard positions. But this is no hard rule. However, their strength comes at a cost. Besides humans, Trolls are the least magical of the organic races.

Centaurs are also well known. Their birth lands are a great plateau north of the Sun mountains, though still within the Middle Realms. Today one can find centaurs all over Earth, though they are not as common as humans, elves, dwarves, or orcs. Centaurs are the fastest non-flying organics. They are invaluable as calvary units.

The harpies are a rarer race. Their homelands in the Ruby mountains were destroyed during the Scorching. However, their wings allowed a large portion of the population to escape north. Today most Harpies can be found in large nomadic flocks, looking for a new home. No nation has allowed the flock to stay in their lands for long. They are viewed as a drain on resources. Some have even tried to attack the flocks, though they quickly regretted this aggression. Even weakened, the harpies are no pushovers. Today the largest of the flocks roams somewhere north west of the Sun mountains.

The Giants are myth and legend to the Middle and Southern Realms. But in the Northern Realms, they are very real. The ruling power of the north, the Federation, was specifically formed to fight back giant invasions. Giants are the most northern of the organic races. Their homelands are amongst the frozen wastes at the tail end of the Spine mountain range, just south of the polar ice cap. An aggressive race, not much is known about them besides their battle tactics and near other worldly strength. Even a vehicon would struggle to take down a giant one on one. Attempts to learn more about this race are usually met with failure. Between the frigid temperatures and the giants' nasty habit of eating people, northern explorers rarely return.

The Ents are often documented in literature and old oral legends, but little remains of them today. They were slow to reproduce and slower to grow, ancient wars with the wood elves took their toll and ent populations dwindled. Today they are believed extinct. Though rumours of ent sightings persist in the thick Cloud rainforest of the Middle Realms. Though these sightings are only the words of far flung travelers, and can be safely ignored.

The Griffins were never a common race. Even when the world was young. They lived on a scattered archipelago to the west of the Earth continent. Griffin rock is one of these islands. Centuries ago, an unknown calamity struck the Griffins. Their homes were left empty and untouched. No signs of a struggle were ever found. Other races moved to claim the empty islands, for example the Dwarven kingdom of the Jade mountains. Today, no one has seen a Griffin in centuries. Only the elves remember what they looked like.

This is a short introduction to the less common races of Earth. Humans, Elves, Dwarves, and Orcs outnumber each one by a significant margin. The history between these peoples are vast, full of war, trade, alliances, kindness, and staggering cruelty. Many fall into the stereotypes of their kind, and many do not. Each race is a note, and only together can one hear the song of Earth.

And every last one will fall silent, if the Decepticons are not stopped.

[webbywatcheshorror]

Webby Reviews Horror: Lo (2009)

Lo. A story about a young man who faces off against demons in order to rescue his girlfriend- and is confronted with some uncomfortable truths. It rides the line between comical and outright campy, sometimes using that line as a jumprope, but still manages to tug on my heartstrings even though I've seen it probably a hundred times.

It's also weird as hell in some parts, both to its benefit and detriment, but I enjoy it all.

So get comfortable, keep your hands and arms inside the summoning circle, and let's get to the reviewing!

Review under the cut and as always, beasties and ghouls, there will be SPOILERS AHEAD!

This movie was made on a very limited budget, and takes place entirely in one location- the main character's living room. Despite the limitations of budget and locale, Lo manages to tell a very emotional story, and looks pretty good doing it!

(Side note- this movie, as far as I could determine, DOES NOT exist in HD form, and you know what? I think that's a good thing.)

The movie utilizes prosthetics for several characters, giving them unique and vaguely grotesque appearances; its also used when Justin, our main character, starts breaking down and enters into a conversation with his own brain through a wound on his hand.

The characters are what carry this movie, given its lack of flexibility in other categories as previously mentioned. We get drawn into Justin's struggle to command a powerful demon in order to save his missing girlfriend, and can't really help but laugh at Lo's wisecracks as it taunts its summoner and plays with his mind.

Justin is Just Some Guy, stepping out of his comfort zone and into the realm of the demonic and occult, in search of his girlfriend April who has been kidnapped by demons. He really has no idea what he's doing, but it's admirable how he keeps going, despite being threatened, humiliated, injured, and even poisoned. Even after he finds out his beloved's true nature, he still tries to bring her home.

April is, in fact, a demon herself, one of the murderous, vile, foul disgusting denizens of hell, unique among her people for being the only demon who possesses human emotions- the entire spectrum. She's the only one who can experience love, both the good parts of it and the bad. Other demons can't understand what love even feels like, and its shown that they're envious of this ability. (Though they'll deny it, of course.)

We get a musical number performed by the demon who kidnapped her (its name is Jeez, which I think about every time I use that word) that gives us her backstory, which amuses me and also kind of gives me secondhand embarrassment for reasons I cannot fathom. (It's called Demon Girl and you can find the scene on Youtube at the time of writing this.)

Lo, played by Jeremiah Birkett (who also stars as Bluebell the troll in the 10th Kingdom, another underrated early 2000s gem), is hilarious on first watch and compelling on additional ones. Its constant jabs at Justin, such as calling him 'Dinner' because that name better fits his future, make it likeable and blurs the lines of what evil really is. It's easy to forget that Lo, by its own admission, and I quote- 'will eat, kill, and rape anything, especially babies'.

The demon Lo does its best to dissuade Justin from his mission, suggesting multiple times that he dismiss it and burn the book like April had told him, which may be a hint to the twist that comes at the end of the film. Other possible hints include Lo using April's voice, going into details on what demons DO to people, and outright telling Justin that to call it disgusting is to call her disgusting, as they are the same.

Because they are. April is Lo, having fled Hell in the guise of a human, stealing a very special book- the book that Justin later uses to summon Lo. The revelation that they are one and the same seems to be the thing that finally convinces Justin that he and April can't be together, no matter how many demons he summons or how brave and determined he is.

I admit I had not clocked the twist on my first viewing, too caught up in the drama of Justin/Dinner vs the menagerie of demons (and the silliness of scenes like The Waiter putting on a performance while he makes a drink, shortly before he pours Justin's ACTUAL drink) to pick up on any of the hints.

I can't talk about this movie without mentioning the music. First we have the film's score, composed by Scott Glasgow, whose tracks 'Love, Misunderstood' and 'Love Theme From "Lo"' never fail to bring on a sense of melancholic nostalgia. Second, but equally as memorable To Me, are The Rondo Brothers, whose contributions to the film are their tracks 'Computers on Ice' and 'Ghost Patrol'. One of those tracks is fun and silly and the other one is played during the solemn ending, so of course it vexes and haunts me to this day.

I doubt the movie would have made such an impression on me without the music, but it's the dialogue that really gets me. We have comedic lines, like Lo accusing Justin/Dinner of being racist against demons, a solid 15 seconds of Justin muttering 'god damn it' repeatedly, and one of my favorites- 'Dude. Dude. I just heard you fell for the whole, "drink this and you can walk through Hell bit".' from Jeez.

There's also more serious lines that stick with me. Lo firmly stating that 'a demon should never entertain the notion that love is the answer to its question'. Justin pleading with April to stay, even after he knows she's a demon, by promising her 'Tell me you won't eat me and I'll make you my wife.'

The ending hurts in such a good way. Even after all he's been through, Justin doesn't get to rescue April and bring her home. Instead, he has to let her go, closing the circle and burning her book, cut off from her for good. Like most tragedies, there was no other way it could have ended.

Another thing I'd like to touch on is the creativity of using a stage performance to portray the flashback scenes, complete with 'actors', backstage crew, and some very expressive Comedy and Tragedy masks who are literally just people standing behind a curtain with only their faces visible.

And speaking of which, this is a movie that would translate very well to a stage, with the majority of the scenes consisting of Lo and Justin talking back and forth on the floor in a dark room, and secondary characters manifesting in various corners. (And a live version of Demon Girl sounds HILARIOUS.)

Overall I give this one 9 ghosts outta ten, as there are a couple things in it that it could probably have done without, but overall it's one of my favorite movies. No, it's not a scary movie, but there's a kind of horror to be found in knowing you love a monster, despite the monstrous things they've done.

[mercerislandbooks]

Book Notes: Impossible Creatures

When I was a kid, my cousins and I watched the ABC mini-series The 10th Kingdom on repeat because we loved it so much. A woman's father is kidnapped by trolls and she has to travel to a land full of all of the fairytale characters we know and love to save him? Sign me up. That's probably why "portal fantasies", where a character goes through a portal into another world more fantastical and magical than our own, often become instant and lifelong favorites of mine. Stardust by Neil Gaiman, The Secret of Platform 13 by Eva Ibbotson, In Other Lands by Sarah Rees Brennan, Inkheart by Cornelia Funke, The Chronicles of Narnia by CS Lewis. The list goes on and on. And the newest addition to this engaging subgenre? Impossible Creatures by Katherine Rundell, with gorgeous illustrations throughout by Ashley Mackenzie.

A girl with a flying coat from a world full of magical creatures. A boy with a penchant for animals from our own less obviously magical world. Mal and Christopher both feel the stifling weight of overprotection, a list of things they can't do instead of can: stay in the garden and away from the forest, no birthday candles or potato peelers so they can't hurt themselves. But curious children can't obey all of the rules. So when Christopher goes to the top of the hill he isn't supposed to be on while visiting his eccentric grandfather, he's both shocked and pleased to find a stampede of creatures that shouldn't exist, as well as Mal, a girl who climbed over a wall she shouldn't have climbed. What ensues is the adventure of a lifetime. In a bid to save the magic that is slowly leeching away from Mal's world, they leave on a quest looking for answers, picking up a Berserker, a marine scientist, and a ratatoska (a green, squirrel-like creature) along the way. Sailing through the island nation, encountering magical creatures both helpful and dangerous, a murderer comes ever closer and the urgency rises. 

The first book in a new middle grade series, Impossible Creatures is sure to enchant young and old alike. It will be on our shelves this coming Tuesday, September 10. The first printing has sprayed edges and foiling on the cover, and we have several copies that are signed by the author! We can't wait to share this new book by a longtime favorite author with you all. I, for one, cannot wait for the next book and to travel back to the magical land of The Archipelago.

-- Becca

[ransom-s-kittish]

I decided to run this poll again without Wolf as an option, since he won the last poll by more than 50%.

[usagirln12003]

Jim Hopper: Hogwarts AU

Jim Hopper is a Pureblood wizard that was born on the 10th of April 1952 and started attending Hogwarts on the 1st of September 1963, being sorted into Gryffindor House.

He has a Fir wand with a Phoenix Feather core.

His Patronus is a Brown Bear.

His favorite subject is Herbology and his least favorite is History of Magic.

He was one of Gryffindor's Chasers from his fourth year onward.

Sometime after reaching the age of 18, Hopper fought in the Third Wizarding War. He was exposed to dangerous chemicals like Agent Orange, an herbicide that was used to damage vegetation that the NVA and Viet Cong were using for cover. Alongside his friends who served, they all tried to return to their normal lives after the war, but their exposure to Agent Orange led to numerous health complications for their spouses and as a result, they could not safely have healthy children. Hopper's wife, Diane, was able to luckily give birth to their daughter, Sara. However, this would be short-lived as Sara developed cancer at a young age. The loss of his daughter and family life left Hopper emotionally reserved and cynical. To manage his pain, he regularly drank alcohol, smoked several cigarettes a day and developed an addiction to anti-anxiety drugs. Instead of making real connections with people, he slept around with several women who he never contacted again.

Despite being an Auror, he didn't care about his job, as he regularly slept in and showed up late and had an overall laid-back attitude in the Auror's office even before the Byers case and had an indifference to the cases brought to his attention. Only when Will Byers went missing and it turned out to be a ministry cover-up did he start caring about doing his job properly, as he had a personal interest in the case.

After discovering Eleven and taking her in to his cabin as her new home, Hopper grew to be highly sympathetic and responsible, which was why they quickly formed a father-daughter bond. To ensure her safety as well as fear for losing her like his daughter, Hopper placed security barriers around their location and had no other choice but to prohibit Eleven from leaving the cabin at all to return to Hogwarts. His care for her was so fierce that one day, he got mad at her for putting herself in jeopardy, an act he regretted. He later acknowledged this and asked her forgiveness. His sense of duty also didn't waiver during their time together, as he would often go to check out Will's condition and help him out as well as scrutinizing the reason behind the abnormal incidents of Hogsmead.

Hopper's empathy for Eleven was the reason why, with the help of healer Owens he later took her as his adopted daughter. He also grew overprotective of Eleven and began believing Mike Wheeler to be a bad influence on her, as he did not want Eleven to grow up so quickly. Hopper began to develop romantic feelings for Joyce, but had trouble confessing them for her, despite asking her out on a date. Yet, Hopper was willing to risk his life to protect Joyce and the kids in order to destroy the Portkey to the Forbidden Forest.

After eight months of being imprisoned in Russia, Hopper was desperate to escape where he formed an alliance with corrupt ministry guard Dmitri Antonov. Hopper's time in prison also caused him to reflect on his actions and his relationships with those closest to him such as Sara, Joyce, and Eleven. When discovering a Mountain Troll to be kept in the prison he was being held at, Hopper was determined to fight it in order to survive and escape. When reunited with Joyce, Hopper was able to make amends and begin a romantic relationship with her as they attempted to leave Russia. However, when discovering the Party to be in danger, Hopper was willing to return to the Russian prison where he was kept and kill the Trolls inhabiting there, in order to save the kids. After successfully killing the Trolls and returning to the United Kingdom, Hopper was happily reunited with Eleven and Mike and officially started sealing his romance with Joyce.

[bishiglomper]

Mom started the 10th Kingdom for us. It's an isekai thing, a prince turned into a dog escapes into the real world pursued by trolls and The Big Bad Wolf.

This guy who's the wolf is so fuckin weird I love him.

I think the show is terrible, the fantasy characters are over acting ESPECIALLY THE WOLF. He's obsessed wth meat in a very fluffy horny sort of way it's so special. Like an overexcited dog obsessed with lamb.

This whole show has a sort of horny undertone in general I don't know what's going on

The way thewolf was going on about the main girl I couldn't tell if he wanted to eat her or mate her.

He tried to eat her but when she fought back he paused and switched gears, said she was off the menu but how about a date?

...Then he straight up tells a psychiatrist he doesn't know if he wants to eat her or love her.

Now he's raiding a book cart for self help books on how to get a girl.

This is just in the first 40 minutes.

[crownprincessoftherusalkas]

Opinion Piece: Voyage of the Unicorn

So last year I was seeking out previously unseen and unheard of fantasy works - which is how I heard about The Secret of Moonacre - and discovered a two-part TV movie called Voyage of the Unicorn, based on the book Voyage of the Basset. It came out in 2001, released by Hallmark Entertainment. Not the greatest movie ever made, but one merit of VotU is the costuming and sets. Seriously, lots of fabulous work, they even won awards.

The work on the trolls was great. In comparison to the trolls on The 10th Kingdom, Voyage of the Unicorn trolls have a greater intimidation factor, check it:

This is the bad guy. The rest of his army is just as gruesomely decked out.

On the opposite side, we have friggin Titania and Oberon, the fairy queen and king

they're pretty unique, to say the least, but unfortunately Titania didn't have much besides body paint and a wig - and also pointy canines. 

And if trolls and Shakespeare's fairy royalty weren't enough, we have Greek myth (Medusa, the Minotaur, the Sphinx. No gods though. Probably for the best).

Behold, the Minotaur!

The sphinx was more humanoid than traditionally depicted, but still pretty cool, as well as needlessly dramatic, and appeared just briefly enough to give her riddle, then was like "later losers," and flew away 

Medusa was mostly beautiful, and also completely decked out

But my favorite part of the movie was the actual boat, The Unicorn, because it was a ship of infinite rooms and magic food - and it was also superior to the actual unicorn in the movie, who will only deign to interact with you if you look like a princess. Unfortunately I do not have pictures for that.

There was even a library in there 

The ship was the best part. The framed photographs of the mythical creatures ripped directly from movie stills were the worst part. I am not joking.