#the greatest character i've ever played is the person who shows up to work every day

[platinum-iridium]

i don't believe in humility for women. but if you want to play the game well, you should learn to at least appear humble

[alicewhimzy]

My Dad and I like to talk about a lot of stuff. One of the things he's been fascinated by is media transmutability and using existing media to make new things. One example he mentioned is "This Spartan Life", a talk show done in the first person shooter Halo 2. This reminded me of the many many animations that many many creators have made over the years out of a game I've liked for a while and unfortunately have only recently been able to start playing; Team Fortress 2. One film in particular stuck out in my mind. I brought it up, we discussed it and after a while he agreed to watch it with me. That was a week or so ago.

🪚🩺🩸

Last night I watched Emesis Blue with my Dad. He was a bit surprised at how little dialogue there was but overall we both really liked it. The stylized design of the nine mercs and the other models works in this film's favor, giving the film a sense of identity that a more conventional live action film wouldn't have. It reminded my dad of the comic Sin City. It is a story with quite a lot of violence, which I think is to be expected considering what it's based on, but even then, it's not gratuitous, not much you wouldn't see in the game proper. It's in support of the plot, and even if there's not as much dialogue as other films, the visual storytelling makes up for it. Also the references to other horror works such as the shining are a nice touch.

One element I like in particular is the fact that the film misleads us so well. At first it seems to be a standard noir outing, especially regarding the storyline of Jacques and Columbo. There's a short fight and a mcguffin in a briefcase is introduced. But once we reach Conagher Slaughterhouse, there's an uncanny eerieness that quickly comes over the audience and never really leaves. We have no way of knowing how much of what we see is real or not, and neither do the characters involved, and nowhere is this doubt in reality shown more prevalently and brilliantly than in Dr. Fritz Ludwig.

Of all the stories told about the tf2 Medic I think this is the greatest I've ever seen. In game, Medic is famous, or infamous, depending on perspective, for being not quite all there in the sanity department. The kind of person who will brag about stealing someone's skeleton. The kind of person who can and has performed soul-transplantation multiple times. The kind of person who will casually mention implanting someone with a fully functioning baboon uterus pregnant with triplets, only a slight exaggeration. He's crazy, he knows it and we love him for it. In Emesis Blue however, this component of the Medic's character, the concept of being mentally unwell, is shown with care and nuance. He is never referred to by his class, but instead has the full name, Dr. Fritz Ludwig. This well-meaning but unstable man is put on a downward track from the moment we first see him, by forces he can neither understand nor control. He blames himself for Jeremy's kidnapping and later death, and wants to find a way to save or at least avenge him or redeem himself. But once he does so and the brothers are dead, his hope is only to survive. Every time he must fight for his life it deeply affects him as he is faced with unbelievable hallucinations. Is it some twisted effect the malfunctioning respawn machine is having on the world around it, or is it his own sanity slowly abandoning him. We see other characters hallucinating, but him? He has no idea. Fritz is constantly fighting a losing war with his own troubled mind, and the situation he's stuck in and trying so hard to get out of is only making it worse, as he gets closer and closer to what the enigmatic undertaker in black has already become. An unstoppable undying force of violence. Not even the others are safe from this, as Jeremy, Stalingrad, Mundy and Jacques clearly show.

Oddly enough however, the film ends on a somewhat bittersweet, if not uplifting note. The two timing schemer Archibald is dead, so is that asshole Jacques, and with no one else to run the company and its involvement in the gravel war coming to light, it's clear that it's going to crash and burn. Good riddance. Mr. Doe survives and makes it out of the funeral alive, secure in the knowledge that many, if not all crimes against him and the other mercs will finally come to light. Fritz is the last one holding the briefcase and even gets to finally reconcile with Jeremy at Dell's bar in the afterlife, even if he respawns one last time soon after. But by far the greatest thing about this film, and the thing that made up for the minimal dialogue for my dad, is the atmosphere.

The atmosphere is nothing short of mesmerizing, there's very little music, only just enough to supplement the tone in a few scenes. All other times the ambient sounds of the environment are all the scene needs to establish how creepy, surreal or hopeless the tone of a scene is. The nigh-omnipresent contrast of red and blue throughout this film, directly calling back to the opposing teams and their perpetual pointless war, is employed to masterful effect, whether to indicate a turning point in a scene, or to illustrate how conflicted a character is. It's simple, maybe even a bit obvious, but it's great nonetheless.

More than anything, watching this film feels like descending into madness in a way that I personally haven't seen an animated film do before now. The feeling that you have while watching Emesis Blue is like swallowing a hungry parasite, and I mean that in the best possible way. It comes upon you slowly but surely, you almost don't perceive it, and by the time you do, it's already got its fangs into you. It nestles deep inside your brain and squirms there long after the credits have run, so that hours later, awake in your bed, you're still thinking about it. Visceral. Terrifying. Beautiful.

Emesis Blue is a modern work of art. My dad thought it was a bit lacking in the script department, but I loved it. If you like your horror with existentialism, surrealism and lots of guns, then I recommend you check it out. It's available on YouTube and I only hope that Fortress Films projects will continue to entertain us in the future. Until next time, how long have I been waiting to do this one?

~A.W.

[now-that-i-saw-you]

2023 recap

I've lived a thousand lives this year. I also read around 40 books, watched 17 shows, 34 movies and listened to 40,214 minutes of music and I'm gonna narrow them all down to top 3 favorites of each category.

Music

1. Midnights

I'm a swiftie forever and ever so best believe whatever album Taylor released it's gonna be my favorite album ever, but Midnights is exceptionally good. It's no surprise that most songs on my top 5 most-played are from Midnights (and the only one that isn't is seven). This is my AOTY and I want to personally thank Taylor for writing You're On Your Own, Kid.

2. Stick Season

My sixth most-played song was Dial Drunk and I think it was just a couple of streams away from entering the top. The rest of the album is just as good and as poignant. It's so folklore-esque and I adore a good story that makes me forget about my problems.

3. Good Ridddance

Did you guys know Gracie Abrams is fucking excellent? I listened to Good Riddance and it was amazing and then I listened to her earlier work and they were also amazing. Good Riddance is for girls in their 20s who feel like they mess everything up (it's so evermore-coded).

Books

1. All For The Game

I read a lot of great books this year but this is probably the only one I've been properly obsessed with. Every single word in these books made me cry, it just made me feel so much; angry, sad, happy, but mainly hopeful.

2. She Who Became The Sun

This is objectively the best book I read this year. It's eloquent and complex and interesting and deals with subjects like gender and sexuality in such a fine, delicate way. I wanted to savour every moment with this book, read every word slowly so I could properly understand it. Ouyang is up there with Adam Parrish and Lyra Silvertongue in my Favorite Characters List.

3. Conversations With Friends

This book made me feel seen, while deeply hurting me. Turns out I kinda like the Miscommunication trope and I think it's mostly because I love it when characters feel like real people and nothing is more real than not saying what you should or saying the wrong thing.

TV Shows

1. Succession

I came to realize that what makes me love a show/book is mostly the characters. I love complicated characters that feel like real people. I love it when I can't decide whether I hate or love a character. Even my least favourite characters (Logan and Tom) were well-written and had a very satisfying storyline. I did not understand a single thing they said when talking about finance (at least I learned what a Bear Hug is...sorta) and that didn't stop me from enjoying the show and following the plot and to me that shows how entertaining it was.

2. Better Call Saul

Everyone should watch this show. This is one of the greatest corruption arcs I've ever seen on TV and Jimmy is an excellent protagonist, I love the way the writers build his character's arc and his relationship with people around him, mainly his brother but also Kim because their relationship was amazing. They were so cute and doomed by the narrative. Personally, I enjoyed every season and wasn't bored at any point. This show was done with so much love and you can feel it.

3. Totally Completely Fine

I love it when I stumble on a show because I have nothing else to watch and it turns out to be a favourite. Totally Completely Fine has everything: Humour and wit, discussing important, sensitive topics in a very appropriate manner, and an incredibly real sibling relationship. The show gives a voice and empathy to the eldest siblings, the youngest and the middle child and I'm never getting over "you took all the air."

Please watch it because I want a second season.

Films

1. The Whale

Idk if this a controversial opinion or not but I found this film very moving. To me it's a story about healing and forgiveness being a possibilty for everyone. I really felt and cared for the main character.

2. El Camino

The Breaking Bad writers are just very good at their job. I love Jesse and I love this additional story to the universe.

3. Loving Vincent

The entire film was made by oil painting. How can I not include this? It's a beautiful film telling the story of Vincent Van Gogh's death. I encourage everyone to watch it.

[animebw]

Short Reflection: Haikyuu: The Dumpster Battle

It's been a few years since I've talked about Haikyuu on this blog, so if you're new here, let me catch you up to speed: Haikyuu fucking rules. It's unquestionably the best sports anime I've ever watched, a thrilling, fist-pumping ride with one of anime's greatest ensemble casts, spectacular animation and directing that makes every volleyball match spring to life, and a real human touch that can make even a non-athletic slug like me care about sports as much as any tailgater. And this movie, in particular, has been a long time coming. Karasuno vs Nekomata. Crows vs Cats. The beasts of the garbage dump, friends and rival and training partners from the earliest days of the show, finally facing off on the stage of nationals. And this showdown takes up the entirety of The Dumpster Battle, a movie-length volleyball match that sends Haikyuu to the big screen for the first time (not counting the compilation movies, but who does?) At long last, Haikyuu is cinema... though this approach isn't without its drawbacks.

See, while I haven't read the manga, I know that the Nekomata vs Karasuno match is much longer than a single movie could realistically cover. And I know fans have been nervous about how much would need to be cut to fit the match into this runtime. As I am anime only, I don't know what exactly was left out, nor am I interested in criticizing The Dumpster Battle from that angle. An adaptation should stand on its own regardless of its source material's context, and this movie should rise or fall on its own merits. That said, you can definitely feel the time constraints affecting how Nekomata vs Karasuno plays out. But it's not that the pacing is rushed or you feel like you're skipping important scenes. Quite the opposite, in fact; whatever edits the scriptwriters made were remarkably seamless and keep the story flowing smoothly without any obvious "Oh yeah, this should've been longer" moments (save for maybe a messy start to the final set). If I hadn't known beforehand this match was much longer in the manga (Side note, how many chapters was this, exactly?), I doubt I would've been able to tell.

No, the way the shortened runtime manifests in The Dumpster Battle in its narrowing of focus.

See, most Haikyuu matches are, by nature, ensemble pieces. There's never just one or two players robbing all the attention; almost everyone on both sides of the net gets important character moments, with Karasuno especially rotating often between who gets to take the spotlight at any given moment and between matches. The reason all the matches are so long, with almost every point given attention by the narrative, is because all that time is necessary to weave so many different characters' stories together and find so many different moments to afford everyone. Which works to emphasize the show's themes of teamwork and mutual growth by showing how everyone on the court- even a bit player like Enoshita- matters.

But of course, while a TV show can afford to spend multiple episodes watching such lengthy and interconnected character work play out, a movie doesn't have that luxury. And to account for that, the scriptwriters made a decision: focus all the character work down to just the most important players. In this match, Hinata, Kenma, and Kuroo are the only players that get Haikyuu's usual intricate character treatment, with Kageyama and Tsukishima picking up some minor support as well. Everyone else is just there to smack some balls around and offer up big personalities to keep the action exciting and fresh. Honestly, you could argue that the movie's structured to make Kenma the protagonist; it's his point of view we're first shown, its his character arc that forms the backbone of the match, and it's his inner monologue we spend the most time with. Moreso than any other Haikyuu match, this movie feels like the story of one kid's journey, every serve and spike and strategy centered around this easily exhausted introvert's full acceptance of volleyball as something he genuinely loves participating in, warts and all.

And honestly? I think this was the best approach. If the screenwriters tried to squish every last moment and character detail into this shortened timeframe, The Dumpster Battle would become an incomprehensible mess. Tightening the focus so much lets this movie stand on its own as, well, a movie instead of a rushed highlight reel. The story remains focused, the pacing stays tight and tense without spiraling out of control, and the emotional throughline of Kenma's growth gets all the time it needs for the climax to soar as high as it does. On its own terms, it's as successful as it could possibly be. But of course, this movie doesn't really exist on its own terms. It's part of a series we've been following for close to a decade, and it's a series that's built up expectations of what its storytelling is able to accomplish. The Dumpster Battle itself has basically no issues; the only issue is the question of whether it was a good idea to turn Haikyuu into a movie at all. And unfortunately, it's that issue that hangs heaviest over this movie.

Because those intricate ensemble-piece showdowns I talked about earlier? Those nail-biting point-by-point slugfests where every character is a critical cog in the narrative machinery? Those can only exist in the space allowed by the TV format. It's only over the course of so many episodes, week after week, that Haikyuu can weave such spectacular webs of character growth, camaraderie, tension and release. This kind of lengthy, multilayered storytelling needs the runtime of a TV show to play out in a satisfying way. And as good as this movie is, it just doesn't capture that. It can't capture that, with so little time to focus on anything except the main characters. The Dumpster Battle is probably the best possible result of turning Haikyuu into movie format, but that also makes it undeniable proof that Haikyuu itself cannot be at its best in movie format. I want to see all the other characters' thoughts and struggles over the course of this match. I want to feel that sense of interlocking parts as everyone's emotional threads come crashing together. I want to see Nekomata and Karasuno's ensemble story, as richly detailed and fully realized as any of the matches that's come before. And while not having such a broad focus isn't necessarily a "flaw," it's a step back from what this show is capable of at full power.

Thankfully, the switch to movie format isn't a one-sided loss. Because while we may lose in the breadth of its storytelling, the trade-off is getting to see Haikyuu's spectacular volleyball action on a movie budget. And sweet buttery Christmas, it is a sight to behold. From start to finish, this movie is nothing but the most explosive, dynamic, pulse-pounding sports animation ever put to screen. Every single play, from quick smashes to the lengthiest of volleys, erupts with kinetic motion and stunningly detailed artwork that twists and bends with the speed of each movement. Every impact hits like a wrecking ball. Every mad scramble for a dropped ball feels like a gale-force hurricane blowing by. Every wide shot showcasing both entire teams in motion feels like a minor miracle of staging and blocking. It also helps that after season 4's weird stylistic diversion, the character designs and art direction of the first three seasons have returned and god I fucking missed when Haikyuu looked like this. And seeing those richly textured designs blown up with such spectacle, captured with such confident and free direction, is nothing short of a visual marvel. The final POV tracking shot that brings the match to a close had my jaw on the floor minutes after it was over. That was fucking insane.

So make no mistake: The Dumpster Battle is a good movie. It's a great movie, even. All that lets it down is the fact that this format doesn't allow it to fly as high as we know this show is capable of. Its resounding success on its own terms is, at the same time, a conceptual failure in context of the show as a whole. But it's hard to complain about an experience this exhilarating when its only real problem is just not being able to do as much as it could be. Maybe I'd feel different if I'd read the manga and knew what parts had to be shaved down, but if I ever become the kind of person who cares more about an anime's source material than the anime itself, do me a favor and ship me off to a glue factory or something. Anime deserves to stand on its own, and that's exactly what The Dumpster Battle does, narrowed focus and all. So I'm happy to give it a score of:

8/10

And there's one more finale movie to go. Perhaps the anime team will be able to push the movie format even farther now that they've got some experience under their belt? We'll have to wait and see. Until next time!

[mermaidsirennikita]

i'm rewatching the crown s5 and god the charles propaganda is working over time. i didn't even realize how heavy handed it was at the time because i was too much in shock over how bad the season was but they really're pushing how modern and progressive he is! look at all the good work he has done! poor charles diana and the press are so mean to him :( the tampon gate episode literally ends with him breakdancing with some kids (???) with text saying how many people he has helped with his charity work. pray tell what brand of crack cocaine was peter morgan smoking?

I honestly have no idea, dude. Because if you were to ask me beforehand, I would've said:

Season 1--Great TV, if a little more conventional than other seasons; dominated by EXTREMELY good and character-setting performances across the board (I feel like Peter Townsend was the only semi-major player who didn't stand out, but in s2 it became very clear that Townsend being boring was The Point). Jared Harris wasn't even a true lead and he made me cry multiple times. Claire and Matt (and I say this as someone who generally doesn't care for Matt Smith) are superb. Lithgow? Knocked it out with a VERY well-known personality who's been played by other major actors. Vanessa Kirby? A definitive Margaret. Elizabeth gives Philip the ol' kneel and deliver. Amazing.

Season 2--Probably the best season of the show (even if the Kennedy episode was.... bad.... I feel like every one of the first four seasons has an episode that isn't great and is kind of totally out of step with the rest, and now I realize it was a harbinger of doom). Makes you root for a pair of objectively horrible people in an objectively miserable (if oddly loving...?) marriage. Matthew Goode shows up and does 60s excellence with Vanessa Kirby. No major standout PM performances on a Lithgow, but still, really good ones. (And I've come to realize ever since s5 and s6 dropped the ball--getting really good actors to play the PMs and seeing random glimpses of their lives was such a mainstay of the first four seasons, omg. HOW IS TONY BLAIR SO BORING???? WE KNOW THIS JACKASS.) Philip almost does a murder suicide with tiny Charles in that plane. It's GREAT.

Season 3--I wasn't as big a fan at first, but it's aged into a really solid season of TV. I think it took Olivia, who I think is one of the greatest actresses working right now so this isn't shade, a while to feel comfortable in the role. Tobias Menzies was immediately fab casting, though; I don't think I've ever seen a less than good performance from him, tbh. Helena Bonham-Carter isn't as good as Vanessa, but still entertaining and fun; and while Tony is not nearly as good in this season, he's barely there. BUT even if it's not the strongest season, you get Josh O'Connor and he is SO. AMAZINGLY. GOOD. He turns an awkward community theater performance by Charles into this intense monologue (was Charles that good an actor? No but who cares). He talks wistfully about how he'll only get a life after his mom like, dies in a helicopter crash or something. "mUMMY I HAVE A VOICE"/"NOBODY WANTS TO HEAR IT" hands down best Olivia line reading of the season if not her entire tenure on the show.

Season 4--Fabulous TV, dials up the soap opera drama, Emma Corrin is a perfect young Diana and Josh gets into his full bag as Charles. Olivia sets this tone between total unfeeling frost and a weird goofy humor that leads to the frankly hysterical "DO I have a favorite kid???" episode, where we don't know that it's Andrew but we kNOW. It's Andrew. The sense of doom builds up. Gillian Anderson devours as Margaret Thatcher. The ending with the cameras going off as we pull in on Emma Corrin's teary reflective eyes after Diana is lowkey??? Threatened???? By Philip???? Much more affecting than Diana's literal death in s6.

Yeah, man. I don't know. Peter has always very clearly been a royalist to me, but he seemed for a long time like a royalist more focused on Elizabeth and his fascination with and vast empathy for her. Charles... always got a sympathetic enough edit, sure, but in the sense that you got WHY he's such an emotionally deficient doorknob. Season 4 portrays him as outright emotionally abusive and? Tbh? Surprisingly predatory. That's something I think gets glossed over a lot. But Peter doesn't make Charles devoid of physical attraction to Diana, which I think a lot of takes on this story do. And he wasn't devoid of attraction to her. There were brief bright spots in their early marriage where Diana as much as said she couldn't keep him off her (and this was Charles so that was probs like thrice a week I dunno). There's been a lot of speculation that he and Diana DID sleep together before their wedding day; it wasn't this sterile thing it's often depicted as, at least not always.

And I think that the perceived sterility of the relationship has led some to overlook the fact that Diana got engaged to him before she was 20. She met him when she was underage and he was dating her sister. The Crown SHOWED that. Josh O'Connor PLAYED IT like Charles was checking out a 16 year old girl while he was all of 28 and about to go out with her sister within minutes. It's so deliberate? I don't know why anyone would ever be able to... not get it. So we go from that to "well yeah he had this awkward moment with his mistress, but everyone actually saw it as two people being in love" which just isn't historically accurate lmao. Charles and Camilla still get dogged out by that to this day. And look, I'm not judging what people are into--I more so judge the nature of the relationship in terms of how it pertained to, I don't know, his wife and kids, and this idea that people were NOT weirded out by it at the time lmao. Even people who aren't actively against Charles... the vast majority don't see him as this GREAT CHARISMATIC CHANGEMAKER lmao. Unless you're writing a biography of him in which he's feeding you sources.

I mean, I'll give credit where credit is due--he does seem genuinely into environmentalism, even if that's subsequently contradicted by his actions (though perhaps not as badly as is the case with Wills). He apparently dislikes Trump. Cool! But lol, this idea that Charles was really changing the world by like... doing charity work... that all royals do...................... Topped off by breakdancing......

It's SO cringe. I don't know if Peter got threats lmao. I don't know if he saw how much he made the audience hate the royals in s4 and went "oh no, that wasn't my intent" (and I will say--I do think that actors can affect things here; I don't get the sense from Josh's interviews that he is, ah, into Charles as a person, and maybe he went harder because of that) and tried to course correct...?

But he clearly made a huge change and it's such a bummer because the 90s are arguably some of the most interesting years for the Windsors and he just kind of flushed them down the drain. And he also got a perfect older Diana casting and wasted her.

[fireheartwraith]

GUYS I'VE JUST FOUND THE GREATEST THING EVER

Maybe I'm the only one who struggles with it, but I have a really hard time dressing up my characters. All of them end up using The One Dress I know how to draw, just in different colors. Maybe some Loose Pants & Tunic combo.

But that’s boring!! I want them to feel unique, to show their personality through their wardrobe, I just can never figure out how to do that.

And that’s where this site comes in! It’s on meiker.io and it works like picrew, only this one is focused on the outfit!

It's not so extensive that you will get lost among the options, but it has enough things that even if you are an absolute moron like me you can get many ideas on how to dress your characters up.

This was a randomized outfit, so some things overlap weirdly, but you can see how many different items you have on the right. Notice how the top is separated into body, lower half, sleeves, and collar?

You can also change the color or add a pattern to certain things.

And you can also lightly costumize your character to make sure you are capturing their spirit! This includes skin tone, general hairstyle, scars, freckles and a couple of other things. There’s not a lot since the focus is on the clothes, but it’s loads better than just having a generic mannequin.

Here's how I used it!

I was having trouble designing the main character of the webcomic I'm planning because I couldn’t find a balance between "unique enough that you know they are the main character but still fits into their world" and "simple enough that I won’t go crazy every panel they’re in while also not making them look generic". So, I went to the generate and started planning an outfit from scratch.

I kept in mind that she’s 12, rich, a bit spoiled, into fashion, not afraid of getting her hands dirty to achieve her goals and will go to hell and back for those she cares about. Also, her whole motif is the moon and the night. I ended up with a patterned dress of sensible length (not so long that it will drag on the ground or stop her from running, but not too short either) with a heart-shaped neckline and flats.

When drawing her in her new fit, I decided the dress should have this upside-down V opening, some ruffles, and some simple cap sleeves. Her shoes now have a very small heel. The only jewelry she's wearing is a braided belt and a hair piece.

In the end, she ended up looking like a tween that is going to a party dressed up as a princess, but who will kick their shoes away to play tag with everyone else.

Even though the final outfit the generator gave me is really simple, it helped me figure out how to best convey what I wanted without going overboard with it, and I finished my sketch in record time. This new design is miles above my last one that, although not terrible, didn’t really tell me anything about her other that she's probably a student who likes stars.

So definitely give this outfit generator a try if you also struggle with this or just want to have fun!

[lavender-laney]

tag game, writing questions

Thank you @lexiklecksi for the tag! Their post :)

These writing questions were fun to answer!

What is your absolute all-time favourite ideas you’ve ever had?

Probably the concept of Acrylic Body? It's an issue because I love the idea but I'm having trouble executing it, so I think that's how I know it's a good idea lol.

Is there a question you’ve been asked in the past that really stands out to you, and you still think about sometimes?

Probably not exactly what this question was looking for, but! A few times I've mentioned to people that I'm a writer, and they'll say something like, "Oh, what have you written? Can I read some of your work?" and I have to say no because I've never actually finished anything! I don't have something I can hand over and be like "Oh, here's a short story I wrote," or "Here's a book I'm trying to get published!" This is one of my greatest motivators, and why I think about it often. I want to finish a project so I can have something to show for being a so-called writer.

What is your favourite part of being a writer? What parts could you take or leave?

I love the feeling that comes with being inspired. I love when I'm in the zone where I'm just writing restlessly, my fingers can barely keep up with my thoughts, and I'm feeling like the story is playing out in front of me. I could definitely do without perfectionism and writer's block, though.

What is your greatest motivation to write/create?

Kind of like what I said in the second question - having something to represent my hard work. Less shallow, however, I do just love writing. I always have. I love coming up with things, re-reading parts that I'm proud of and knowing I made that. I can't say feedback from other people isn't also a huge motivator, though. If I hadn't had a reputation as writing being my "thing" growing up, I'm honestly not sure if I would've stuck with it.

What is the best piece of advice you’ve ever read or been given as a writer?

I love this quote from Jodi Picoult: "You might not write well every day, but you can always edit a bad page. You can't edit a blank page." It really helps me focus less on my work being perfect and more just having some sort of base to start with, even if it sucks.

What do you wish you knew when you were first starting out writing?

When I first started writing in elementary school, I was very much innocent and starry-eyed and thought I was the most amazing writer, even when I was writing silly little Warriors fanfics. I wish I'd known to hold onto that optimistic and confident attitude a little tighter.

What is your favourite story you’ve written to completion? Link it if you’d like and can!

Still haven't written anything to completion, buuut I am very much planning to reach that goal with Choking on Sea Salt!

What is your favorite out-of-the-box quote?

Probably that same quote by Jodi Picoult! It's one of the only ones that has really stuck with me. Plus, just anything by Mary Oliver always stays with me.

Which of your characters would you say has the most controversial mindset? Why do you say so, and how do you personally feel about their ideals?

In terms of protagonists, I think Sadie's unending curiosity and hunger for knowledge can (and will 🤭) lead to some questionable ways of getting information. In terms of all characters, though, the main antagonist of Choking on Sea Salt (who will be revealed in chapter 2) is definitely unhinged and not in a fun way. Let's say there's a reason he's being haunted by malevolent forces.

If you, when you first started writing, met you now, what would younger you think?

I hope she would think I'm cool! She might be a little disappointed I haven't written a book yet or been published or become a world famous author (11 year old me was very ambitious), but I think she'd like what I'm working on. She'd probably be very confused that I'm a reporter of all writing-related careers, though. I'm confused about that too, though, to be honest lol.

[lserver362reviews]

Is this the dreamiest film ever made? Seeing it on the big screen was really something for me and my mom. When it started and those florals came up, I got chills. I'm a huge fan of florals and I have to wonder if this movie is why. Growing up we had a lot of VHS tapes and they would play various ad for home video releases, including certain collections like this one: www.youtube.com/watch?v=vXD0ohY0GHw. So this is how I even found out about or heard of My Fair Lady. Either one of those collection ads or this ad: www.youtube.com/watch?v=OQPaaeon778 was on my VHS tape of The Wizard of Oz. I'll have to pull it out and check sometime. I was always intrigued by the marbles going into Eliza's mouth (I thought it was candy) and the shot of Rex Harrison standing outside of his door during I've Grown Accustomed to Her Face as well as his outburst for Let A Woman in Your Life on the staircase. Then one year when my parents went and celebrated their anniversary they left my sister and I home with a VHS rental of My Fair Lady (on 2 tapes) so we could finally watch it. I fell in love. Since then I've watched it countless times on dvd and have seen a touring broadway show of the production. I decided to do a deep analysis of On the Street Where You Live (a song I sang for my chorus class in high school) in a college class on musicals. If I ever did theatre again, I'd want to be Eliza Doolittle. All this to say, I love this a lot and have no way of knowing what it's be like to see it for the first time or see it without having seen clips. I guess it's been a constant in my movie watching life. I've grown accustomed to its ways. Watching it today I was struck by how broad the brush strokes of the themes are (class, education, the soul, ideas of gender). Nothing is handled with nuance and a lot of the characters are low-down meanies! I think it would never be made today, but for a stage show it works so well. It kinda adds to the dreaminess, it's set apart from reality in its black and white structure. It's also not an investigation into anything it presents. I also think that there's a really queer reading to it. Henry Higgins is a queer man with no queer community. He is in love with Colonel Pickering and also platonically in love with Eliza Doolittle. He just wants to live together with his friends who he loves, but he's also such a big baby and hates feelings (can anyone else relate?). I love Eliza Doolittle and her journey. I think there are some really good lessons about compromise. I also sadly love Freddie and how he's a lowkey stalker-just hanging out on her street every night. I know it ain't right but much like Knox Overstreet in Dead Poet Society-he makes my heart melt because he's so caught up with being charmed by this new person! Having a crush can be one of the greatest feelings in the whole wide world! Please nobody stalk anyone though. The costumes, the sets, the songs, this movie is just stellar. It will always be my favorite musical and seeing those soft focused filters on the big screen was just loverly.

[artblock-insomniac]

Sokka

He held his own paired with arguably some of the strongest benders of each element. His planning and quick thinking has saved the group more than once. And his own growth as a character is one of the greatest representations of growing up I've ever seen in media.

Putting a read more because it's 5am and I'm about to ramble into essay mode

He starts the show as a child, a teenager but still a child. Every other member of his tribe but the women and children were off fighting the war and sokka was left behind because he was a child not ready four that level of responsibility.

Yes his dad said he was left so he could protect the village but that feels like what your would tell a kid who's not old enough to fight or understand why he has to stay. And after he leaves with aang and katara, we see him slowly start to grow up.

Throughout the first season a lot of sokka's world views and beliefs are challenged.

We know sokka is a misogynist and given his life before now it's not surprising. Everyone off to fight except the women and children? That must mean women can't fight, right? And what women did he have in his life for role models to tell him otherwise? His older sister and his elderly grandmother? He loves them yes, but they don't challenge that idea that's in his head. Nothing challenges that idea until he meets suki and the kyoshi warriors. And suddenly the thing he's believed for a majority of his life is proven wrong.

Another example is the realization that not all firebenders are evil. After meeting Jeong Jeong he can no longer think of every fire bender the same. To a kid it's as simple as "bad guys vs good guys" but sokka is realizing that it's a lot more complicated than that. That it's the people in charge that continue the war. It's easier to lump the entire fire nation and it's citizens together as the enemy but that's no longer something he can believe. He starts to see the war as an adult.

I'm sure there's other moments of his childhood idea being challenged or changed but I'm very sleep deprived so sue me.

Then at the end of book one, he experiences a painful loss. I wouldn't say losing someone is a requirement to growing up, but it certainly can play into it. It's a beautiful and heartbreaking moment and I think it really instills an idea of what losing the war means. Yes he's lost his mother already, but we see him admit he barely remembers her. Of course he loves her but it's different when you lose someone you grew to love, someone you have memories with, someone that you remember. The war is now personal in a way it wasn't before, and sokka is scared of what losing means. Next time he sees suki we can see how scared he is of losing someone else.

I'm going to wrap this up because I have work in an hour and haven't slept yet but

We see sokka go from am ambitious kid to a fully grown adult by the end. We see him in all of his mistakes and misfortune as he's pushed to mature. We see him as his understanding of the world changes and I don't think that's something depicted in media very well if at all.

okay my twin needs this for a research essay so here:

my twin would love for y'all to explain why they're your favorite character, btw!

Please know that anything you write might be used (and cited) in his essay :D and thank you for participating and giving him data

[thisamericanlush]

Top Movies of 2022

My thoughts on my top 3 new movies of this year. I've missed a lot and there are others that I saw and loved (Mad God, for instance, is incredible), but these 3 really hit the spot for why I go to the movies.

3. Nope - Jordan Peele

Sci-fi and horror, two great tastes that taste great together. Movies love to be about movies and for good reason. Peele invites us to observe the world he makes, insisting that observation is consumption and consumption is destruction. Daniel Kaluuya and Keke Palmer deliver perfect sibling dynamics, living in the love and frustration of people who have known each other forever dealing with everyday and otherworldly tragedies. Yeun is given only a few scenes, but his monologue about the defining event of his life is delivered masterfully and serves as a warning to our protagonists about the dangers of their business, even if the character delivering it can't see it.

2. Jackass Forever - Jeff Tremaine

America's greatest living showman, Johnny Knoxville, assembles his crew 12 years after their last outing. Some faces are missing and new faces are brought in, but the formula remains as potent as ever. Jackass has always been a sadomasochistic, sensual love letter to the body's resilience, and that is felt even more seeing the faces we know show their age. Knoxville is of course king of the crew, and he holds the crown by being willing to take as hard of hits as anyone else. He's just as happy (if not more so) to laugh at his own suffering as his crew mates', pushing aging bodies to their limits and bringing in new faces to carry the torch. Of the old crew, Danger Ehren shines brightest, enduring some of the harshest torture for our pleasure. And newcomer Rachel Wolfson is a charmer every second she's on screen. A swan song, victory lap, and rebirth all at once, Jackass Forever is proof that a movie doesn't need a plot to be perfect cinema.

1. Crimes of the Future - David Cronenberg

The person who gave me the most hope about humanity's ability to survive the climate crisis died this year. She was my friend, fiercely intelligent, endlessly clever, and maybe the funniest person I'll ever know. I don't know if she ever saw Crimes of the Future but it makes me think of her. 79 year old David Cronenberg returned to body horror this year to show us the future we're barreling towards: a ruined environment, people anaesthetized, trying to survive and find meaning in the new when the old bits of joy just don't work anymore. This exploration comes via Vigo Mortensen's Saul Tenser, an uncomfortable artist who has surgery as performance art when he isn't being catty about other artists and shifting around uncomfortably. Tenser and his partner Caprice, played by Léa Seydoux, use his bodies adaptations to our ruined planet to explore humanity, even as outside forces try to regulate Tenser and his ilk and deny their right to exist. The climate change aspects are at the front and center of the film but as the hostilities towards trans people by right wing ghouls continue to ramp up it's hard not to feel that Crimes of the Future is as much about now as it is about later. As gross as it is tender and hopeful, Cronenberg's latest shines the future in our face, inviting you to find and love pockets of warmth as the world grows cold.

[niconebula]

First of all thank you 'silverlady7' on Reddit for discovering the following, I would not have known at all myself. I think we can pretty reliably figure out who The Collector is because of this - so this is just going to be my full analysis post. Long read ahead.

The Collector is most likely based off of Yugi from Tenchi in Tokyo, which did air on Toonami in the early 2000s. Yugi was an incredibly powerful child who was imprisoned in a tomb for three thousand years after she and the creatures she created ravaged the planet she came from, though in her mind they were just playing. It seems she was conscious all those years, but completely alone, and never aging past the mind and body of a six year old.

The thing that locks this in is that we already have a reference to this show - Eda's design and personality was directly based off of Ryoko.

It makes it more interesting with the use of these floating rocks around the Collector's little prison bubble, which can be seen in the anime as the way to seal / defeat Yugi where she's literally begging not to be left all alone in the dark again.

She's ultimately redeemed at the end by the main character (in one of the fastest redemptions I've literally ever witnessed from watching the clip, lol). It's fair to say we can expect that to happen in the end with The Collector - and I'd prefer it greatly, I'd like Belos to remain the main big bad.

It bodes well for the idea that King and the Collector will become allies too. Not during the redemption part, but before that. Even while Yugi has reawakened and is doing her most villainous deeds on Earth, she creates an alternate persona for the sole purpose of being able to play with her only friend Sasami (who is in another connection, the princess of the planet that Yugi destroyed thousands of years ago).

So, up to this point: The Collector was literally just a kid drunk with the sheer power he held, who one day went too far and was imprisoned for it. They learned to want revenge solely for the sake of it, after being lonely for thousands of years.

Now, part 2.

The Collector wasn't even from the Demon Realm. They're from a third celestials dimension.

Now this is a very famous painting called the 'Garden of Earthly Delights' by Heironymous Bosch depicting eden, earth, and hell. Bosch was a big inspiration for The Owl House - Dana cites him and his works multiple times as the aesthetic behind the Boiling Isles. Boscha you might notice, is also named after him.

Oh yeah, the whole show is based off of religion. I first got the idea of the Collector being a (fallen) angel because of the oddity of Belos deciding to put so much trust within him - despite the Collector also being magic and an inhabitant of the Demon Realm.

The theory has a lot of weight with his aesthetics and the mural paintings from King's Birthplace. Their design directly invokes the sky - the sun, the moon, and the stars.

The Collector's imagery is all over the temple, but in this mural I believe the comet coming down could be a sign that the Collector was 'born' from a comet falling from the heavens, which stranded them alone on the Boiling Isles those thousands of years ago. Furthermore and back to Yugi, she was likewise sent out on a comet that eventually found it's way to earth.

The mural and whole design is also an interesting signal that the relationship between the Collector and the Titans may not always have been so fraught, or really wasn't that much at all. I don't think you'd decorate a temple / your baby's nursery with the symbols of your species' greatest enemy all over the place. I believe it may have just been the fallout of two kinds of godlike beings who's ideals eventually clashed with each other; which carries on every other theme in the show so far about families being torn apart.

[uhhhitsme]

ok, so i wasn't going to respond to this post when i originally saw it but i've been summoned now 😭 so sorry op for the essay you're about to receive im about to infodump my unwarranted opinions about agent curt mega all over your original post, please tell me to fuck off and i absolutely will delete it if you want me to.

here's the thing: i never really see the point of describing curt as like this stupid, bumbling idiot before the fall, because it sort of defeats the whole point of his character arc?

his whole Thing after owen's death is that he's battling with insecurity about who he is as a spy, his capabilities as a person, and how he's terrified of not being that same, incredible spy he was before. he used to be confident (way too fucking confident. borderline egotistical), but he had a little bit of a reason to be, at the start. he isn't just a well-known spy, he's specifically painted as once being the greatest spy in the world, and i think that the point of this being a repeated statement by others in the show is less because he was a bad agent who fucked up so much every one knows him for his mistakes, but he was such a good agent that despite working in secret, his triumphs were so incredible it managed to make him infamous within the spy world. he was good enough that he didn't need to be cautious, in his eyes. he was good enough that other agents (like owen), still trusted him when he made stupid decisions for the fun of it, because they knew he could handle it.

the whole point of the beginning, and the repeated hammering in of this idea that he was once well know, the greatest, is that it casts this sort of shadow over the curt he is now---this overly emotional, out of his depth, traumatized and grieving individual that just needs to prove his worth. who isn't anywhere near as cool or as suave as he once was. who isn't confident, and trying desperately to cover up the fact he's lost faith in his own abilities. it's what his character battles with for a good chunk of the show: if i can't be the person i was before, then do i have any value at all?

that's what makes one step ahead so powerful, in a way. because the owen we meet in a1p1 supports curt. trusts his capabilities. sees them as equals, even if he is very uncomfortable with certain aspects of the way curt handles things (*coughs* alcoholism? *coughs*) but in one step ahead, our introduction to the new owen carvour doesn't. he repeatedly hammers in home the idea that he isn't the same person, that they're not the same people, that curt is stupid and foolish and will never be a good spy again, if he ever was. it feeds into his insecurities. is it true? in some aspects, imo. i also very much was on owen's side the first time i watched that clip, and definitely thought he would've won if he hadn't had any lingering love for curt. although i definitely disagree with the idea that owen was significantly better than curt pre-fall---the two of them saw each other as equals. i would trust pre-fall owen's judgement, he doesn't seem like someone who would play up other's abilities for no reason. but that's besides the point. i think a much more interesting way to look at one step ahead rather than from a "who was right who was wrong" perspective, but more of a glimpse of how fucked up their relationship is now, after the fall. to examine how this plot development tears down the perceptions both curt and owen had of each other during the four years they were apart, and how it effects the way they go about the scene that follows. if that isn't too pretentious lol

I was listening to « one step ahead » again and. Jeez. Everything Owen says is true.

Now, I don’t really like Curt Mega (the character of course). The guy - already before the fall - is careless (eats, drinks and throws his food on the job), foolish (hEy leTs tImE oUr dEaThS tO be QuIcKeR WhiLe I pUt mY tImEr tO 3 miNutEs iNsteAd of 4), easily caught (literally the first thing we know about him is that he’s a bad spy. I mean. Come on.) and everyone knows his name (which proves my point even more AND gives me big Spies in Disguise vibes). In a word, he kinda sucks.

« One step ahead, that's how it's always been

No matter what you do

You'll always lose

And I will always win »

And when you think about it. Yeah. He should have won. He could have won. The only reason he lost is because he chose to lose. He chose to reveal himself to Curt (to see the look of horror and despair on his face), he chose to explain his full plan (to savor the horror and despair), he chose to tell him where he was going so Curt would follow (to prolong the sweet blade of vengeance that’s been bleeding him dry for 4 years). Even before his fall, he was one step ahead (with him being in disguise and Curt being caught by the russians) : « Don’t deny, I was the better spy » YES ? This whole song made me forget I was supposed to be rooting for Curt.

And finally, he choses to let Curt kill him. As the DMA, he deflected I don’t know how many shots from Curt and immediately took the gun to shoot back, unfortunately for him, without any more bullets inside. At end the, he chose to just stand there, unarmed, completely vulnerable.

Owen should have won. He just gave up.

[mirrorfalls]

Character Bingo: Kogoro Mouri, because I'm predictable--

Sorry, old man, looks like Bingo isn't your game either. Maybe give the track another try? (43,658th time's the charm!)

You know how canon - and fanon - shortchanges him better than I do, so I'll not get into that too deeply, but first off I'd like to say that the older I get, the more I find myself liking (and relating to) even his most superficial butt-monkey traits. I don't know if canon will ever confirm anything of the sort, but I sense a certain streak of "grew up on cop/P.I. movies as a kid, still clings to some idea of them being The Pinnacle of Cool at 37" in him. P.I. work especially - you get to set your own hours, tell half of Japan's social norms to go fuck themselves, and get paid doing it. And if business goes limp, there's plenty of room for your inner slacker to come out and play - drinking and chain-smoking are practically mandatory for staying in-character!

(Tangent: Canon will probably never show this, but logically speaking Kogoro has to be in tight with some barmen and regulars at the local pachinko places and whatnot, right? Ones who see and hear a lot of things even Shinichi might not be able to access easily...)

Now, on an overall thematic level? I've come to think he's one of the most important pillars of the series, for... reasons probably less groundbreaking than I think they are, but hear me out. Known Associates put the seed of it in me (like it did for only about 10,000 others), but it was really Circumference's brilliant translation of Intelligence War that let me put it in solid words: Kogoro's life and perspective is that of a detective, Old. No matter how much the Cool Young Detectives outpace and upstage and (sometimes justifiably!) flat-out mock him, he's the one who's been doing this for a living ten-plus years, blessed with maybe one percent of their photogenic plot-armor. It's easy to tout #DetectiveLife when you're Shinichi or Hattori or Sera, with nice rich parents and big dramatic cases and made-to-order childhood sweethearts waiting on the homefront. But for a man like Kogoro, who's seen the job's glory days long past (if they ever came to him at all), who makes mistakes with lasting consequences and fell in love with perhaps the worst person for him, who probably scrapes together his daily bread on adulterers, lost dogs, and even less dignified? For him to want to keep being a detective, and every so often still excel at it?

Somewhere in a subconscious corner he dares not even consider, I think Shinichi might see that as the greatest inspiration of all.

So let's all raise a beer to the old man, the only one with any real right to look at our infallible wunderkind protagonist and say:

《年轻人，路还很长呢》

(Character Opinion Bingo! Accepting entries till further notice!)

[metamelonisle]

my kirby's epic yarn review bc i couldn't fit it in the google reviews

i found this game at a Big Lots for $7 in 2012 and i think that is the greatest insult to any game ever. also this game singlehandedly led me to one of my closest friend groups and led me to a strong interest in physical crafts which has gone on strong even today so i have very strong positive opinions toward this game.

Oh, you wanted me to talk about the game itself. Let's just say this game EARNED all five stars to start things off.

Epic Yarn is a solid platformer with absolutely gorgeous visuals. Like. I cannot possibly articulate with any string of words or letters how PRETTY this entire game is. More on that later. The level design is fairly good and each level has a coherent theme with good use of antepiece (which is like a tutorial of a task to introduce it) and setpiece (the actual task) to showcase the mechanic of the level. No part of the game feels like it's too difficult to proceed or like there isn't any clear direction of where to go. You don't feel like you're being led by the hand to the goal, but you don't feel too lost. It's all and all a very refreshing game.

The game is extremely beginner friendly, to the point that my older sibling, a person who is normally very aversive to games and has little experience or skills with most platformers, was able to pick it up fairly quickly and clear the game with me, having much fun while doing so. This game stands out as lacking a health or lives system, which makes the game very easy and relatively stress-free to play. It's the sort of game you play to feel good after a bad day, or just to unwind, like a warm bowl of chicken noodle soup when you're under the weather, or a warm fluffy blanket on a cold winter night.

The story is rather simplistic, but it fits rather well with the aesthetic. Yin-Yarn is an evil wizard who wants to take over Patch Land, and Kirby and Prince Fluff have to stop him! The game's story is primarily told through lovingly animated cutscenes resembling a pop-up storybook, and the calm and comforting narration makes the whole experience feel akin to a bedtime story.

The music of Epic Yarn is quite varied, and all of it is wonderfully composed. Each track has an entire music team's worth of love packed into it, and it shows. From the peaceful piano of Kirby's Pad, to the mystical and adventurous violin of Fossil Reef, to the jaunty steel drums of Meta Melon Isle, the music of the Kirby series is a good portion of its appeal, and for good reason. This title pulls out all the stops for a one-of-a-kind musical experience.

The character design of the game works quite well for how simplistic it often is, which is arguably one of Kirby's strong points as a franchise. Prince Fluff's design of being remarkably similar to Kirby lends well to his identical playstyle, making him suitable for a second player, not to mention absolutely, cheek-pinchingly adorable. The design of the enemies, allies, NPCs, and bosses are all extremely clever, cute, or both, with the 3rd and 4th bosses standing out in particular.

And to address the beautifully crafted patchwork elephant in the room: the visuals and design. This game is gorgeous with a capital "G". This game, in terms of file size and coding, is one of the largest Wii games, and for good reason. All space on that disc is put to excellent use to show off the most impressive visuals I've ever seen in any video game. The entire landscape feels like a grand artpiece put together by a team of master quilters and knitters and even though the world is plush, it feels so distinctly alive. Patch Land feels like the sort of world one would dream about as a child or read about in a bedtime story, and the visuals and music portray this EXPERTLY. There is an incredible amount of love put into this game, and it shows in every aspect of its visuals and music. This game knows exactly what kind of experience it wanted to be, and went all in with it.

All and all, this game is a beautifully unique masterpiece with solid gameplay, good music, and a wonderful aesthetic. Definitely worth more than $7.

[lokiondisneyplus]

Warning: This post contains spoilers for Loki episode 5.

The penultimate episode of Loki introduced several new variations on its titular mischief-maker — including Jack Veal's Kid Loki, Deobia Oparei's Boastful Loki, and Tom Hiddleston's ill-fated President Loki. But of all these new faces, perhaps the most memorable was Richard E. Grant's aptly-named Classic Loki — an older, world-weary version of the Asgardian god we know and love.

Decked out in the familiar green-and-yellow suit from the comics, Grant's Loki is older and perhaps a bit wiser than his younger counterparts. Years of isolation have left him disillusioned and lonely, missing his brother Thor, but that spark of mischief is still buried deep underneath — and he ultimately sacrifices himself to help Loki (Hiddleston) and Sylvie (Sophia Di Martino) escape the Void.

It's a delightful showcase for the 64-year-old Grant, who says he's thrilled to be able to carve out his own chaotic corner of the Marvel Cinematic Universe. Ahead of the series finale this week, EW caught up with Grant to break down his big sacrifice — as well as his newfound friendship with Owen Wilson and his pitch for a Loki spin-off series.

ENTERTAINMENT WEEKLY: To start, I have to ask about your costar: How was working with Alligator Loki?

RICHARD E. GRANT: Alligator Loki was fantastic because in reality, he was three stuffed sofa cushions that had been sewn roughly together to react to. [Laughs] The fact that I was the only person that could understand what he was saying was just fantastic. I think it's the perfect segue into having Classic Old Loki and Alligator Loki as a sub-series to go to next.

So it's safe to say that you would be willing to reprise this character down the line?

If I had a muscle suit, most certainly. I was denied that. I saw the costume design, and I was very familiar with Jack Kirby's original illustrations from the '60s, so I thought, "Ah, this guy's got muscles!" As I had been born without any, I was finally going to get in a muscle suit. I got to Atlanta [to begin filming], and they said, "There's no muscle suit! You're just wearing this!" I said, "But I look like Kermit the Frog!" They said, "Nope, you're not having a muscle suit." So I was very, very upset about that. [Laughs] Short-changed!

I was going to ask about your first impression when you first put on the costume!

That's what I asked: Where are the muscles? Where are the Stallone/Schwarzeneggers here? Because they're missing! This is what people will expect! This was in the costume drawing, and they're not here, and I don't have them! I was very upset.

When they first asked you to join the show, what was that initial pitch like?

I had known Tom Hiddleston socially for some years, and we'd always joked that we could feasibly play father and son because of our vague physical similarities and hairlines, certainly. So when I got this offer at the beginning of last year, before COVID, I thought, "Alright, this is that moment that I had hoped would come at some point." I thought I would play his father, but I'm playing a variant of him. So that's how that came about. I was thrilled.

Tom has been playing his version of Loki for a decade now. Did you get any guidance from him, or have any conversations with him that you found particularly helpful?

He is a walking Loki-pedia, so he was very, very informative about the whole etymology and the history of the Norse gods and Loki. He's also brilliant at imitating people. He goes on chat shows and imitates famous actors absolutely to the letter. I don't have that talent. So when I read the script of episode 5 that I was offered, I saw that [this older version of Loki] described himself in his backstory of being the god of outcasts — rather than the god of mischief, which is so absolutely embedded in Tom's interpretation of the role. So I thought, well, [if he's] the god of outcasts and is somebody who's been isolated for years and living on these planets and is willing to betray himself by going back and being arrested by the TVA and making the ultimate sacrifice, offering himself up to Asgard, I thought, well, this is somebody who is more in the twilight zone of his life, as am I. As opposed to a young man, who's full of mischief still.

So, I thought that was a way into interpreting this character, rather than trying to do — and something I couldn't possibly succeed at doing — a pale imitation of Tom Hiddleston.

I'd imagine that would be tricky, but it would also be a fun challenge: You're basically sharing scenes with all these different versions of the same character.

Exactly right. And I love the fact that he was the one person who could communicate with the alligator. I love that.

So would you now consider yourself fluent in alligator?

Indeed. I am the Doctor Dolittle of the Marvel universe when it comes to speaking to alligators. I speak alligator fluently. Put that in the contract of when I'm doing a series as Classic Old Loki, with muscles and the alligator. It'll have subtitles, so the audience can hear what the alligator is saying, and everyone else is saying, "What is he saying? What is he talking about?" That'll be the way.

I also wanted to ask about your big finale, where we see your Loki conjure Asgard. What do you remember most about filming that final moment?

Huge wind machines, blue screen in every direction, and following a camera on a crane that was maneuvering around the ceiling of the studio, and then swooping down. I was having to shout at it, and then finally laugh in the face of my own immolation. So it was a great thing to do, with these huge air turbine wind machines that were blowing four tons of air at me from every direction. It was exhilarating.

Did you have any practical elements around you at all, or did you have to imagine and conjure it all yourself?

Most of it you had to imagine. The actual landscape that you walked on was real grass and this sort of rocky landscape, but all the other elements — all the ships and all that stuff — was put in afterwards. We didn't see any of that.

The Loki palace that looked like a sort of bowling alley, that was all for real. Everything that you see in that scene was actually built and practical.

Was it chaotic to film in the bowling alley with all those different versions of Loki, bickering and bantering?

Because there was so much action involved, it was paint-dryingly slow, because action takes much longer to do than five pages of dialogue. I prefer talking, as I'm not exactly an action man, as you can see. [Laughs]

Was there anything about joining the Marvel universe that you weren't expecting or that really surprised you?

I didn't expect to find true love with Owen Wilson. We're having a surrogate baby together in October.

Oh, congratulations!

He was just so hilarious to work with. He's just one of the greatest characters I've ever met. He is so open and curious and amenable, with this sort of dry sense of humor. There seemed to be no divide between Owen Wilson acting his part and then just being Owen Wilson. I don't know if he was scamming me, but he was an absolute delight. I loved him.

Was there a particularly memorable day on set with him?

Yes, when we conceived our twins. [Laughs] No, my daughter encouraged me to post this thing on Twitter and Instagram, where he said, "Richard, I'm going to give you some acting advice. Put your camera on." I said, "Yes, okay!" I owe him for that because it got like 640,000 views already in a few days, which on my Instagram feed is off the chart. It's nothing for Beyoncé, but for mine, I'm pretty gobsmacked.

[the-portrait-of-seraph]

June's Review...

I completely forgot about this, please forgive me

Lolita: Nabokov, Vladmir

A great book in the way it's written! I greatly admire Nabokov's style and prose and I think it's pretty hardcore that he translated his own book (Lolita) into Russian. But does that make it Russian or European literature???

Humbert is the only unreliable narrator I don't like, I wonder why. Maybe it's because he was pining after a freaking twelve year-old? I know that this books gets a lot of hate for its depiction of pedophilia, but Nabokov had stated that this book was written for the opposite intention, to show the disgusting nature of pedophilia and even had specific instructions for the book's cover, which many did not listen to-

It's an interesting book to say the least, the characters, the plot, and even the setting really plays into Nabokov's masterpiece.

The Grapes of Wrath: Steinbeck, John

Ugh, I love this book!!!! The Grapes of Wrath is oftentimes considered Steinbeck's greatest work (I can refute that lol) and for good reason. The story is about the Joad family, who travel to California in hopes of a better life, but when they get there, life isn't all that it seems, and Tom Joad finds himself caught up in a worker's revolt.

Honestly, the stars of the show were the Ruthie and Willie interactions. They're so cute haha, especially when they see a flushing toilet and thought they broke it-

Rose of Sharon,,, she's so lovely. I felt so bad for her and her baby, and she was so excited too.

Connie really just left her because the responsibility was too much? Ran away and began studying hard to become the president of the U.S. huh?

There's a lot to unpack, but I am such a horrible explainer. It's not only the Joads, but the Reverend and the revolt also have so much more depth and allegory in them.

The Idiot: Dostoevsky, Fyodor

Myshkin,,,, I loveeee youuuuuu. No but seriously, I loved Myshkin throughout this whole book, he was the light in the dark dingy world of 19th century Russia. Truly a holy fool.

There was so much happening in this story??? The Rogozhin/Nastasya/Myshkin drama, the Aglaya/Myshkin development, the Rogozhin/Myshkin rivalry???? How Myshkin vehemently denounces Catholicism? The Rogozhin/Nastasya escape? Nastasya's death??? It will be hard to keep up with, but I promise you, the Idiot is so good.

Man, I love Nastasya Fillipovna. Fuck Trotsky though, he literally molested Nastasya throughout her time as his ward, that's not cool. And how Nastasya just burns a hundred thousand roubles, has two men wrapped around her finger, and ends up with neither of them? Gaslight, gatekeep, girlboss!!!

Sonya and Raskolnikov wanted to be everything that Nastasya and Myshkin were/j (Take a shot everytime Hyeji says Nastasya). Myshkin had pure intentions and saw the good in Nastasya/wanted to help her, and Nastasya absolutely lost it fr.

First Love: Turgenev, Ivan

I liked this one! First Love tells the story of Vladmir Petrovich and his love for his next door neighbor, Zinaida. However, Zinaida is aware of her good looks (as she should!!!) and has a lot of men vying for her hand, Petrovich being only one of them. She goes on to play her suitors against each other, while Petrovich is not aware of his real rival (spoiler, it's his dad).

Turgenev describes love as a summer torrent that changes a person once it's over, and he was damn right. As much as I wanted to root for Petrovich, I was also hoping for some sort of tragedy to act as character development.

It's very short, so you could read it in one sitting! I highly recommend it, if you like the feeling of hand sanitizer on half-healed cuts.

Poems of James Joyce and the Exiles

Okayyy, I see you Joyce!!!! I've only really considered James Joyce as an author, so reading his love poetry and only play really paints him in a new light!

Ugh, his poetry describes everything that I've ever felt about every person I've loved. I don't know if it's a lot, but I'm digressing. And his play??? Gorgeous, but sort of messed up? You have Robert and Bertha, the unmarried couple with their son Archie; they return from Rome to Ireland, to run into Richard, Bertha's ex and Beatrice, Robert's ex. Harmful hijinks ensue. I know that this play wasn't as successful as his other works, but I really liked it.

In Search of Lost Time: Proust, Marcel

I didn't not enjoy this as much as I thought I would. That doesn't mean I hated it!!!! I do admire Proustian writing style, but there wasn't that sort of compelling force that wanted me to keep turning the page. It certainly was interesting, I have a love and hate relationship with this series though haha.

June was not my month, too many things to do and now its my summer break!!! Going to try and be more active here now :)