#the tonal changes are like slaps to the face and i mean it in the best way possible! so so fucking good good lird

[automatonknight]

*stumbles out of the video game covered in blood* have you guys heard of sigcorp

[smol-warrior-1258]

What's The Point Of A Faithful Mario Adaptation?

Obvs this is very focused on video games to movies, but honestly the discourse on adaptations writ large is exactly how I usually talk about it. I've had the conversation so many times talking about adaptations (typically book to movie/tv or remakes of movies/tv) and how any adaptation should be looking at how the new medium can be uniquely leveraged to reimagine the same content. If I ever find the time I want to check out some of the references he uses and read more.

That's basically the tl;dr bc the rest is a lot of assorted thoughts on adaptation & meta content without a ton of cohesive flow. I have a lot of feelings on the topic and not a lot of structure while expressing them . . .

A huge example of missing the mark re: changing medium is all the live action Disney remakes. I personally find them somewhat disappointing across the board simply because they don't use the live action-ness to any substantial effect. It reads much more as "live action is the ultimate goal in cinema on principle" than "live action would provide genuine enhancement to the material in ways the original animation couldn't" which feels very hollow as a viewer. (Not even considering The Lion King and it's souless and still ultimately animated 'realistic' animals) The engaging aspect of retellings as discussed in this video - ie that they're a fundamental aspect of the human condition re: storytelling - is to cast new light on a beloved piece of content and, in doing so, shine up one facet of a larger jewel. That will inherently mean deviations to some extent, but those deviations ideally work in conversation with the source material and other adaptations, and changes are made with a purpose that will theoretically make up for anything lost in the process.

On that topic, changes - large or small - are a very slippery slope. I am generally inclined to hold the first version I encounter of a particular story (whether that is the original or not) much closer to my heart, and prefer that all the little details that make it up remain untouched. It seems to me that without all those little things, the story simply wouldn't be precisely what it is, and tweaking elements can have a major ripple effect. All that said, changing mediums fundamentally changes the tools you're working with and therefore your ability to convey the same narrative. For example, the most common change from book to movie is simply to cut and/or shorten scenes. Books can be a lot longer/narratively dense than movies can and it is unreasonable to make a 6hr movie just to include every scene. They are tonally very different mediums, and the audience expectations differ as well. Much as I hate to see scenes cut, I can understand the limitation. Similarly, movies & tv are subject to ratings that books are not. Many adaptations have to tone down violence, gore, and other mature or taboo content just to reach the same audiences as their source material and therefore cannot be wholly text accurate (Game of Thrones and Outlander would definitely fall into that category). Those types of adjustments are all understandble even if they take away from the viewing experience for some people. A quick call out for things like Rent or Little Shop of Horrors where the endings were completely changed in specific recognition of the fact that character death is much easier for theatre audiences to stomach than to see on screen bc you get to break the immersion at the end. The real problem, in my opinion/experience, is when changes are made with no clear goal/rationale/purpose - or worse, when source content is removed but then new material is added without justifying the switch (especially when that then causes plot holes or other narrative problems that need to be resolved!) Those kinds of things not only feel like a slap to the face on principle, but can radically alter the larger tone and miss more foundational aspects of the source material (at best; at worst they can actively go against characterizations, plot points, or worldbuilding established in the source material - a personal pet peeve of mine).

There's also a whole conversation to be had about the phethora of movies adapted from books where they had to drastically expand the scope in order to fill a runtime. This mostly applies for picture book to movie adaptations (Cloudy With a Chance of Meatballs, Horton Hears a Who, most versions of The Grinch Who Stole Christmas), but also for longer form novels that are just less involved (idk if that's the right word for it) than movie producers would like (The Hobbit though that's a topic unto itself and overdiscussed to boot, A Wrinkle in Time, I would even place Cats [the movie] in this category) Just as another aspect to consider, particularly when it comes to the video game to movie adaptations he talks about in the video, but I think it's a separate enough topic to not get into here.

This video also naturally made me think of fanfiction (my husband & I actually paused it to have a sidebar on the topic) and how it often serves the retelling function discussed in the video. There's the stuff like describing scenes from an alternative character pov, writing in scenes that were skipped/glossed over, expanding on background moments, etc which are fundamentally about producing more of the existing content but a little to the left, as it were, while generally operating within the confines of canon. We, as consumers of the source material, simply want to have more of a thing we like and thus the lovely creative fans of the world produce content to fulfill that desire. There is also the wide variety of truely adapted content in fanfiction like AUs, canon divergence, role swaps, non-canonical shipping, or introducing realistic elements to stylized and/or sanitized source content (cursing, violence/injury, sex or other explicit material, diverse characters, etc) which by & large enhance the overall experience of engaging with the source material even while altering it. Even the act of speculation & extrapolation in the form of headcanon-ing helps audiences participate in the process of storytelling and subsequently enjoy it more as an active process of engagement, rather than something passively consumed.

There is also a conversation to be had about using adaptation as a vessel for accessibility to larger, newer, or different audiences. This is both on a logistical level (ex audiobooks & visual adaptations for those with dyslexia, cinematic versions of broadway shows for those who cannot afford to see it on stage, etc) and on a more abtract level (ex recasting a story with a female lead like His Girl Friday does with The Front Page in order to examine how the same circumstances play out differently, using a modern setting to make a statement on society through the lens of a known story like West Side Story does with Romeo & Juliet, etc). Many current remakes & adaptations of beloved franchises are no doubt motivated by profitability, but it doesn't change the fact that a variety of new viewers are being exposed to the source content for the first time. We as fans hope that will only be the gateway drug introducing fresh faces to the entire fandom, but even if it doesn't (or if the adaptation is intolerable to those who were already fans) there is some intrinsic merit to expanding that audience. Fanfiction also often operates to open source material up to marginalized audiences in ways mass produced content doesn't, and allows sidelined stories to be told through known material.

Idk where I really meant to land with all this, but the video really helped me solidify my existing Adaptation Thoughts and I wanted more people to see it and engage in a very interesting conversation!

[oplishin]

things from Daniel Makabe vs. Nicole Matthews that made me very very happy

as someone who mostly watches american tv wrestling + the odd old njpw/roh match, this was very different from anything i've ever seen! and i want to gush about it. it's a great match, and you're going to watch it.

this match takes place in the lion's gate dojo, which means the setting is an empty warehouse. the characters are daniel, nicole, the referee, and the one camera-person. the whole thing is shot in one shot. the match feels so quiet and intimate and real because of that. i almost feel like i'm intruding, these two clearly know each other So Well.

i will get into this later, but these 2 are such good technical wrestlers. everything feels Real because you can see each wrestler's thought process in every move, in every attempted submission and every attempted counter. it's mostly a grappling match, except for the last heated 5 minutes.

based on the little i know about these two, this seems like a much more tonally chill bout than some of their previous matches. it's makabe's last match in canada, and his friend's sending him off. :')

the rest of this list is mostly going to be individual cool things that happened:

nicole tries to get daniel into an armbar, which he counters with a head scissors (i have to apologize if i get my terminology wrong, that is a real blind spot in my wrestling knowledge!!!)

the transitions between holds to counters to holds are all sooo fucking smooth in this match, it's unbelievable

well tumblr's annoying so the rest of this list is no longer a list.

the steady camera angle makes it very easy to see what's happening with this move: nicole's trying to counter makabe by holding her arms together, she gets distracted by her hair (which she puts up in a bun later in the match), and he immediately takes advantage of it

if i tried to gif all the fun counters and failed submissions i would be here for literally the entire match! so i'm going to be more judicious

i like this bit, where matthews realizes makabe's going for a cattle mutilation and rolls with him.

i also like this bit, where she tries to get him in the cross face and he visibly and audibly goes "nope nope nope nope." also like her trying to elbow him out his defense. it feels great when she eventually gets it later

most of this match is the two of them knowing each other So well and having an answer to everything the other person does, so when nicole finally cinches in the arm bar and daniel FREAKS OUT it feels huge. it's over pretty quickly, but it marked a change in pace/intensity to me

they get into a striking thing 11 minutes in, and makabe's first open handed slap to nicole rings out so jarringly in the relative quiet of the warehouse. they make the small stuff feel so fucking big in this match, my god.

makabe locks in the figure four at minute 12, and that really, finally shifts the match in his favor. he continues working her leg with brutal kicks that nicole sells really well.

they look better with sound i promise

makabe blocks nicole from getting at his leg and bringing him to the mat, laughs, and goes "nice try, nice try" before immediately getting snap suplexed by her

NICE!

FAVORITE MOMENT FROM THE MATCH:

makabe escaping this manuever by driving his own head into the the thigh he figure-4ed to get her to let go. sicko shit i like it.

i like the meanness with which he locks in his finisher. again the strikes are a lot better when you can hear the impact i promise hahaha

also shoutout to his finisher!! the seated cattle mutilation

nicole taps out, and that's a wrap on daniel makabe's last match in canada!!

i can't get over how Real everything feels. i don't think i've ever watched a wrestling match where i forget that everything is scripted, but this is just a very good technical showcase where Everything Makes sense and i don't have to get my brain into "accept that things in wrestling are kind of just like that" mode.

i'm objectively late to the makabe party, given the fact that he retired on friday, but he seems like a very cool wrestler whose stuff i should seek out. nicole matthews is also still kicking, and she rules too. i need to get that SHIMMER subscription to see more of her stuff,,

[fatuilady]

— 𝐜𝐫𝐲 𝐚𝐛𝐨𝐮𝐭 𝐢𝐭. (NSFW)

✦ word count : 1.7𝐤

✦ feat : 𝐆𝐍 𝐫𝐞𝐚𝐝𝐞𝐫 , [𝐠𝐞𝐧𝐬𝐡𝐢𝐧 𝐢𝐦𝐩𝐚𝐜𝐭] 𝐜𝐡𝐢𝐥𝐝𝐞

✦ cw : 𝐝𝐨𝐦 𝐫𝐞𝐚𝐝𝐞𝐫 , 𝐦𝐢𝐫𝐫𝐨𝐫𝐬 , 𝐨𝐫𝐠𝐚𝐬𝐦 𝐝𝐞𝐧𝐢𝐚𝐥 , 𝐰𝐡𝐢𝐩𝐬 , 𝐝𝐚𝐜𝐫𝐲𝐩𝐡𝐢𝐥𝐢𝐚 , 𝐦𝐢𝐥𝐝 𝐝𝐞𝐠𝐫𝐞𝐝𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧

𝖎𝖓 𝖜𝖍𝖎𝖈𝖍 :

— a certain fatui member is insistent that those of his level of importance don't have time to spare to waste on crying. little did he know, his rival intended to take him up on his statement all with the intent to conclude just exactly how much it takes to make a harbinger cry.

'Harbingers don't cry. It's below somebody of my position.'

The fatui's most valued redhead wore his confidence through his infamous, upturned smirk. He held his relaxed arms knotted together in definite security, crossed against his chest as he lifted his chin to further assert his prior statement. Though he spoke in a self-assured tonality, cockiness resonated in his ultimatum.

It was surely said to coax a remark from you, it was too obviously laced with brimming arrogance to not be some form of verbal mouse trap. It was amusing, how he attempted to retain his mirage of false strength.

'Is that so?'

You pursed your lips, allowing him to add to his curiously delusive ideology. His impudence was mildly beguiled and for the first instance in the whole of your passive-aggressive rivalry, his nerve began to agitate every one of yours. Challenging him with a simple three-part chuckle, you observed him as he shifted his posture. Just how much would it take to change his thesis?

'Tears come from weakness, something that I refuse to display.'

On it's own, it was a rather insensitive statement, considering he was by no means unshakeable. You both knew very well that he was going to contradict himself strongly in due time.

He was going to eat those words.

And he was going to like it.

You tied each finger into the auburn wefts atop his head, stray hints of frustration collecting together as he writhes, shifting and squirming. It was something you had discovered in the moment: he was incredibly hair sensitive. The way your nails dug into his tender scalp, pulling on every fibre sent electrical pulses through his skin.

Tugging sharply, you craned his head to the left. From such stark force, he stumbled, both on his feet and on a choked out groan. It was laughable, how quickly the tables turned at your hands.

'Harbingers don't cry?'

His previously smirking lip now quivered as you projected your words right into his ear. Admittedly, he made his statement with an absent mind. Would he have expected such a one-dimensional outlook would leave him back exposed, red-kneed as his rivalling other half forced each of his four limbs into the hardwood?

Would he have expected to warm up so easily to the situation?

No, but it was more likely than he thought.

You alleviated your grip on his hair, consequently dropping him onto his palms. He flinched once more as his forearms quaked, barely able to support the weight of your hefty boot on his lower back. He should have been thankful you blessed him with permission to keep his pants, however the elemental energy you emanated stung his bare back, torturing him as he shivered with anticipation.

'Pathetic, really.'

With utmost care, he peeked behind him through the space between his quivering forelimbs.

Childe's usual front, being the fatui's most infamous prodigy, didn't allow him to show any sign of submissiveness, however, what he saw flushed him with a feeling he'd never even considered before. It was one of desperation.

One of want.

One of need.

A critical shadow cut across your face, cast sinisterly over your newfound sadistic smile. It bore into him, made him feel queasy, weak at the joints. It was wrong for him to feel excitement prickle upon seeing you assert him in such a way. It was wrong for him to betray the very rules of his nation in the name of his own masochistic desire. It was wrong for him to want to brand the outlines of your sick face into his mind with a hot iron. It was wrong for him to indulge in the very actions he enjoyed inflicting on others.

Yet, it felt right to entertain them.

It felt right to submit and toss the coin to it's most opposite face.

It felt all too right to fall prey to his feral instincts.

'P-please...'

The address was barely audible in ordinary circumstances, but in a barren room, it was alarmingly loud. So loud that Childe couldn't recognise his own voice. It was subordinate, faltering and breaking apart with every syllable. The eleventh harbinger had never uttered such a word in his life; it was an address to a superior, something someone of his recognised status would never dream of choking out underneath someone he held such strong taunting against.

You caught ear of what he uttered, much to his controversial dismay. It was indeed a delight to hear on your part. Pressing your boot further into the base of his spine, you revelled in his weary whimpers. For such an accomplished warrior, he seemed particularly weak to human touch. Perhaps it was a double-edged blade, performing so well that no opponent could touch him also meant that in this irregular instance, he upheld the resistance of a flimsy piece of parchment when it came to withstanding another's force. Entertaining this now obvious forbidden fantasy of his, you unsheathed one of the two foils, a particular favourite from your personal arsenal, from the holsters on your back. It was thin, made rigid with elemental energy in the same way that he materialised his own blades.

They suited you well in previous duels, never once had they failed you against the tyranny of the Fatui, so it was unlikely they would betray you against an unarmed, unhelped and so clearly sexually frustrated opponent.

Such a weapon would not have intimidated him usually, in fact, he also knew how to use it perfectly well and precisely. This time, it struck a kind of taboo enjoyment within him. You performed much differently to him in the dance of battle: he was a jack of all trades, you were more concentrated as a master of one. As you leaned into him once more, you traced the charged edge over his shoulder blades, feeling the muscles underneath contract and tense under your fervorous guidance.

Your control was indeed as masterful as he expected, possibly even too much for him.

'What was that?' You mused, through an invasive grin.

He gasped, the last of his depleting reasoning was begging him to come to his senses. It was quickly fading away into mere electrical impulses that made him twitch with every subtle move. Sabre now pressed to his throat, he felt the power of your vision burn into his skin, adam's apple resting uncomfortably on top of the honing edge.

You were waiting impatiently for a response, minutes elapsed and you quickly discovered you would have to coax it out of him. Digging the blade in further, you forced him onto his knees just so he could avoid an accidental demise.

Truthfully, he wouldn't have minded going out this way. If it was to a more despised enemy, he'd turn his nose at even the thought, but with you, his mind wandered like a lost puppy.

'p-please, m-m...'

He seemed as though he was going to choke out another few syllables, but caught himself, or more likely, became tied up on his own tongue.

'I want that in words,'

'f-a-ah~ p-please, [NAME] I-I'll beg, I swe-swear-'

Before he could finish his statement, you disenchanted your foil, allowing it to lose its structure, falling into a long strand connected to a handle. With a careless flick, it coiled around his neck thrice, all whilst leaving an arm's length of cord, more than enough for you to tug on sharply. He jolted upwards, vocals breaking as he wailed.

'Then beg.'

Childe's eyes widened, the sheer cold was like lightning, superconducting across his skin. It felt euphoric, pinning and placing freezing, soothing pressure on each and every torn muscle. Brimming tears started to swell in his waterline.

How utterly humiliating.

'[N-NAME]...m-ma-' he took a moment to swallow back the saliva pooling in his mouth at the sultry thoughts beating him up below, 'm-make me cry.'

'Is that what you want, pretty boy?' He crumbled at the nickname.

'p-prove m~me wrong...'

And there was all the confirmation you needed.

Taking your chance to dual wield your two rapiers, you disenchanted the other and with one forceful swoop, lashed it right across his bare back.

The initial sound was one of pain, but in mutual desire, he melted into the succeeding throbbing, the stinging coaxing unholy sounds to tumble so effortlessly from his lips. He was very well already on his way to Cloud 9, mind spinning with wishful stars as his vision became blurred.

'youre so pretty when you cry,' you cooed, knowing his pants would be far beyond uncomfortable at this point. Another lash.

'f-gahh~ pl-plea-'

Again.

'It's- too- too much,' you leaned down to kiss his blushing earlobes, listening to him sob over his embarrassing request, 'I- n-need t-'

Again.

'Touch yourself? how crude.' Biting the handle of the cord around his neck, you used your now free hand to hook around the front waistband of his pants. 'Go ahead. That is, if you're so desperate to be vulgar.'

You traced the wicked serpents tongue over his back this time.

A thought quickly came to pass. Your vision trinket illuminated a gentle hue as you crystallised the surface in front of him. Puzzled, initially, he only realised it's purpose when he suddenly saw his reflection gaping back at him, scarlet faced with glazed eyes. You had made the surface reflective with elemental energy, all with the purpose of allowing him to see himself come undone at the seams.

'Are you going to begin? or are you to embarrassed to watch yourself?' Leaning into his other ear, you could feel the hot air from his panting, 'would you rather me drag you like a dog all the way back to Snezhnaya so the Tsaritsa can look upon you in this condition?'

The sounds of his muffled moans and wet slapping of raw skin started to fill the room. Just like that.

'I hope you intend to clean this mess you're making, Ajax, you're leaking all over the floor.'

You were more intent now just to watch him cradle himself to desperately over your mere presence alone, how could you resist disrupting him with occasional thrashing, causing him to jerk his hand harshly.

The eleventh harbinger was foaming at the mouth, growing more non-verbal with every shot you took at him like he was merely just a discarded hilichurl training dummy. It was a cocktail of eroticism, pleading whines, tortured whimpers and shameful cries all shaken up as one.

Childe wasn't usually one to complete his process so quickly, mostly saving the build up, so this was something new for him. He made eye contact with you through the makeshift mirror, the look in his eyes telling you he was about to pop. He had discarded his concern for volume long ago, keen to ride out the feeling under your stern supervision. He figured it was drawing to a close soon, so gave it his all.

You didn't like that.

One of your whips wrapped itself around his working hand, tugging it forcefully away from his work. For a brief moment, he had allowed himself to indulge himself to a point where he forgot who's mercy he was under.

'Ajax.'

You trailed your tongue across his salty cheek, the intoxicating taste of your victory turning the flavour sweet.

'Just who said that you could finish?'

It was a guarantee that you would make him cry about it.

This was a mistake on his part.

But boy, was he glad he made it.

© 𝖋𝖆𝖙𝖚𝖎𝖑𝖆𝖉𝖞 .

[shortyisweird9]

'Lonely ghost serie'

"Babysitting is hard when you ,yourself, are a gremlin, baby"-part V

Tw⚠️: swearing, angsty vibes ( I think)

Your body moved in distress, turning the sheets all over as you left out a gasp of terror, your face clenching in pain. You have a nightmare, a usual occurrence that happens when you are stressed. Having such a big imagination, your dreams/ nightmares came vividly, with excruciating details. You could see them in colour however the images were blurry, hazy almost.

This nightmare was about Fatima, the sketch artist from up top. She was a senior here and usually the person in this block turned for guidance, relief and peace. She was from the South part of Sudan, fact that she lets it known by her traditional style fashion, her food and her drinks and the occasionally loud conversations she has with her folks back home. A peaceful artist with beautiful brown skin with yellow undertones, an oval face with a big smile plastered on it and shinning black orbs. An angel in disguise that you often seek when the world proved too much for you. Fatima never really showed her own worries and fears but you were one of the privileged few who did see her at her lowest, an experience that motivated you , scared you and hurt you. The amount of times your heart clenched those times matched with how many tears left her orbs.

You were ejected vertically on your bottom as your mouth left a silent scream, tears dropping from your eyes but you didn't have time to think it over since loud noises came from upstairs,Fatima's room. In your paranoid state you didn't question the musicality of the sounds ,chosing to ran out the door ,slapping it shut and jumping two steps each time till you reached her door.

Fatima was enjoying her second favourite types of music, Afro-Latina songs when a storms of pounds hit her door. Confused and terrified, she grabbed the nearby mop before she opened the door. It was just you.

You stood there in black shorts made from former leggings to long for your short legs, white ripped shirt stained with old paint from when you helped her renovate and messy long hair and tear filled puffy eyes.

"Y/n! My girl ,what happened?"

There she was, with a long white fit dress that ended in a curve at the start of her feet and silver grey hijab wrapped around her head. She look energised despite being 5 in the mornina Most importantly she was Most importantly, she was safe, unharmed and happy.

Your noise picked up the aroma of her handmade mix of tea that filled the textile of her dressing where now your head rest as your body convulse in a breakdown again. Shocked and confused, she wasn't stopped however from showing you the comfort your soul may need.

She caressed your long hair and rubbed your back as you two sat on the white tiles of the entrance. The door long close by her other roommate, Catherine Blank - a 26 years old from Dublin.

On Fatima's commends, the red haired freckled woman brought you a knitted blanket and a cup of water. Her hands found their way on your cheeks when you finally calmed down,rubbing them on your wet skin as you drank the water. Your eyes fell down in shame for disturbing them.

You didn't know why it happened. Just two hours ago you finished talking with Corpse and went over your notes one last time.

You seemed fine, too busy for any bad thoughts to bug you or anything such as. Yet here you are.

"Jesus ,girl. You scared us." Came the heavy accent voice of Catherine.

You looked at her standing in black leggings and a black top, skinny hands on round hips and a scowl of worry on her square face. Green eyes softening when they met yours.

"I..um..."

"You don't have to tell us right now, sweet girl. Come, let's enjoy each other with some select songs."

You all three burst in laughter at the ridiculous pompous tonality Fatima chose to express herself with.

You followed, grasping the extended hand of Catherine as Fatima rearrange the blanket around your tattoos covered body.

————————————————————

It was morning when you finally return back into your apartment. The door closed itself with a heavy thud that resonated within the insides of your shaky lungs. You calmed down significantly since that explosive outburst of fears and terrors.

You cleaned your eyes as the light of the morning painted you in a sick look: eyes blood shot, red nose, puffy face and pale skin. You looked like you died and came back alive, well maybe a fragment of your sanity died tonight who knows? Your shredded sigh echoed in the empty apartment ,the others already gone to work/university. Essentially you were alone. Again.

You cleaned your eyes as the light of the morning painted you in a sick look: eyes blood shot, red nose, puffy face and pale skin.

You looked like you died and came back alive, well maybe a fragment of your sanity died tonight who knows? Your shredded sigh echoed in the empty apartment ,the others already gone to work/university. Essentially you were alone. Again.

Your soul long desired the touch of another: to be grasp tightly and lovely by their hands, to be enveloped in their smell as they whisper sweet nothings into your ears, to have their warmth dry your tears, to bring comfort to your pain. You resigned years ago that you were never meant to experience this sessions, merely observed them. But your heart craved them and craving it did, as you watched in fake disgust the romantic displays in Ace's romances.

Right now, after crying your eyes out, your burns needed that comfort, needed that care and love but again you were denied of them, you can only thank yourself for that.

The cup was slapped in foolish fury as you tossed some hot water in it. The tea bag falling towards the end of the cup.

Three knocks were heard at the door and you curiously turned, cup left forgotten.

Opening the door, Omar was standing there with a little albino boy with clear big blue eyes and curly locks. He was wearing a red blue and white checkered shirt with beige church pants. He smelled nice ,his cologne hitting your your long narrow nose immediately after opening the door.

You raised a brow as he sheepishly smiled.

"Nice kid."

"Thanks."

Then silence.

You continued drinking your tea,staring at the man who finally realised that you didn't know the motive of his visit.

"Alma didn't tell you?"

"What?"

"She said you agreed to watch over Tj today."

Wait.

Your panicked grew was your eyes turned to the calendar to the right of you. There in bold yellow numbers the day of 5th November was left clear with the exception of being circled over with a gold marker.

"Shit ,it was today? I mean ...fuck. Sorry, Omar. It totally slip my mind."

The man laughed ,his brown eyes were warm and forgiving, no offense taken by your skip of mind.

"It's fine,Y/n. So it's alright if I leave this little guy with you for a bit?"

"Y-Yeah. But I don't have-"

As Omar entered the hallway, a grey bag you previously not seen was by the door , you picked it up before going to the living room.

He sat the kid dressed in a sailor white and navy blue stripped t-shirt and light grey sweatpants on one of the sit of your 1970s floral printed sectional sofa.

The kid was making sounds and hand gestures ,wanting to be picked up again by his father who was busy speaking with the 159cm tall woman.

"Tj here is a big of a love bug, get him to like you and you can't go anywhere anymore. Just like his mother I suppose. "

"Does he have any..um..food preference I should know about?"

"Um...Wait, Alma left you a notebook, ah well not you but me. Here ,it should have anything you will need. Again,thank you so much for doing this Y/n."

"Yeah, yeah. Don't worry about it." You said ,flipped the pages of the hard back notebook. Luckily Alma had a neat writing.

"Well, I need to go now. Be nice, little guy. "

Omar bent down to kiss his son's forehead, a sign of goodbye. The child stared at his father with a confuse look as he bubbled nonsense. His tiny hand reaching for the leaving figure.

Omar left soon after ,waving bye-bye to his son and almost kissing your forehead as a habit he picked up since he got together with Alma, their form of goodbye.

You stood there, staring at each other as the kid started to laugh and throw his toy at you. You caught it, he will throw it again and so forth.

You were tired however and knew the boy with too much energy will not be easily manipulated into sleeping. Opening the TV to the kid's cartoon channel , you settled on the opposite couch ,eyes falling victim to tiredness.

----------------------------------------------

You must have been asleep 2 hours and so begore the loud crys woke you up.

Crys? Shittt! The kid.

Shooting out of your crouched position, you ignore the stirring pain of your sudden movement. Your legs' thud brought the attention of the crying mop of hair.

A wrenches smell filled your nostrils as your dread grew when you realised where its source came from. Looks like it's time to change a diaper. Oh ,man!

With a mask over your nose, hair tied behind your back and gloves you started changing the boy in the bathroom, you cleaned and washed him and brought him back on the layed blanket on the couch. Your disgust grew as you cleaned the sink and disinfect it.

You groaned as you threw your equipment in the bin, a bing didn't let your stomach cringe at the memory of the smell. It was a message from Corpse.

'Hey :)'

You smiled, quickly texting him back.

'Hey!"

'Up to play something today?'

'A new stream? You just finished one tomorrow, I don't want you to burn yourself out.'

'<3 But no, I mean to play together in private, just the two of us.'

You wanted to text him back, teasing him with the proposition of a date but the sounds of broking glass was heard from the living room.

With a scream , you quickly typed out :' Cant baby in troble.!'

The kid was fine thankfully , grinning and laughing at your panicked state. What was not fine was the white porcelain vase with blue florals Sabrina brought for her collection. She wouldn't be mad per say but she wouldn't be happy either.

The kid ,now standing to ran around the room ,using the coffee table to his advantage, your legs screaming from the workout. Luckily the broken vase was behind you away from the child.

Unfortunately, your phone started to ring. Who the fuck would call me now? Oh! It's Corpse. Wait..Corpse!

"H-hey Corpse ! What are you - come here you little block of swiss cheese."

The man laughed as the phone's speaker vibrated on your right ear where you lodged it.

Tj laughed innocently as you grabbed him and hold him to your left hip. Your hair,nerves and mood all a mess.

"A-Are you okay?" Corpse asked after recovering from the fit of laughter.

"Me? Oh ,sure. I have a gremlin here who's more trouble than his worth. Hey! Stop that!"

The happy face of Tj turned in a cringy crying one as he wailed. Apparently you wanting to stop him chewing on your white banda, tightly nicely on the top of your head ,was too much.

"Sounds like trouble. By the way, you called me?"

"I did?"

Your eyebrows clenched as you look at your calls history,you did actually. The icon of the call must have been press on accident or that it was a sign from the universe that you are in dire need of assistance.

"Y-yeah. Look, Corpse l-I gotta go. I will call you-"

And you stopped, your breath becoming more fast as your nose flared.

"Um ghost? Are you...Are you there?"

"Stay on the line,Corpse. This kid just pissed on me."

With that another wave of laughter hit the man as he thrown himself into the chair.

----------------------------------------------

Finally, you changed the damn brat after cleaning him again and taking a shower yourself. You left a breath as you watched the chil playing with his blue rocket toy.

"Babysitting is much harder than the films makes it out to be." You grumbled, pouting as you listened to Corpse's chuckles.

They managed to calm you enough to turn the intimidating glare you had plastered all over your face into a more stern one.

Your body dressed in a clean pair of white jeans short, black tank top and blue checkered shirt over, leaned on the frame of the door. You were waiting for the milk to heat up, luckily the boy was only a month away from being an year old so you could give him cow milk without worrying.

"Babysitting is hard when you ,yourself, are a gremlin, baby." He said ,his voice making you visibly tingle.

You sighed, placing the phone near the wooden bread box and grabbing a cup. By now the milk should have warmed up.

"Um...goofball?"

"Yes,Corpse?"

"You...you are not wearing your voice changer. I..I am sorry, I should have told you from the start but I like the s-sound of it ,I didn't want it to stop."

You could hear the beads of his bracelets as he played with them, nervously waiting for your response.

"I-It's okay, Corpse. You don't need to be sorry."

You swallowed, this day really came for your neck. Your eyes stung as you fight them off, no reason to make Corpse's day shittier by being pathetic.

"You are not fine ,are you goofball?"

The kind and worried tone of this wonderful individual you became to take a liking of was enough to cause everything in you to break loose.

"N-No ,it's not. Everything been so fucking stressful and I-I don't know what to do Corpse. I try my might to fight these thoughts but everytime they resurface stronger and more disturbing. I can't keep them in control, Corpse. I just CAN'T. A-And I keep worrying about losing all: my friends, my belongings and my family. I feel like I will drive them away especially if I can't bring my share to the table. I don't even know why I tell you these to be honest, I don't want to scare you away but in the same time I ... FUCK!"

Your fists hit the table you been resting on hard , scaring the child in the living room. His cries only angered you more.

"Ghost. Ghost! Ghost! Gho-"

"WHAT?"

You instantly regretted shouting at him,stopping from your pacing too.

"Calm down,buttercup. I know how you feel and going down a warpath or an abyss of sorrows ain't the answer. Come, let me help. "

"You still want to?" Your voice came out timidly and shying away in fear, shielding your eyes in shame despite him having no possible way of seeing your face.

"Of course, you goof. Now let's see what we do with that kid."

You swiped a tear out of your right eyes ,smiling and nodding before remembering he couldn't see, just hear you. That made you more anxious now that you realised that he knows a close guarded information.

————————————————————

A smile ran down your face as you watched the child all wrapped up in his dark blue blanket struggle to jeep his bright eyes opened as his ears and energy were captured by Corpse's singing. It's was a lullaby about moon and love, being in Spanish you only understood unfortunately the words close to your mother language.

You almost lost yourself to the gentle hums , stringing of a guitar and over all wholesome cozy atmosphere when loud voices and thumbs came from the apartment near Fatima's.

An idiot called Tudor who plays the bass part in Sergiu's band lived there, he and his boyfriend Micah. Two assholes who had a bone to pick with everyone, well more like Tudor had ,Micah was a follower.

The sense of protection enveloped you as you caressed the child's hair and kiss his right temple, letting him with Corpse to fall asleep.

Your grey flippers cracked against the stone stairs harshly and quickly. Your glare being as cold as the staircase room.

You knocked furiously on the door, hurting your hands by the metal indentations carved into the door. Your ears picked up footsteps approaching the door in a lazy manner, the two making jokes about what kind of bitch could be bothering them.

The smirk on his long face vanished when his pale blue eyes meet your fiery dark ones. He puffed a lock of dirty blond hair , saluting you in a cocky but intimidated manner :

"I wonder why the Red Riding Hood is paying us a visit? What do you think ,Micah?"

He leaned back to let his dark skinned boyfriend take a look at you. His eyes showed fear but he continued the masquerade in order to please his scumbag of a lover.

"I don't know, babe. Maybe she wants a threesome."

Tudor laughed like then pig he is, Micah lipped an apology to you, his black gems cowering in shame.

Micah wasn't a bad man , he was just naive and a people's pleaser, with no sense of stern morals but even awareness to know he is the wrong. You never understood why he wasted his breath by staying at the side of this buffoon of a dude. You ignored his half-cocked insults, knowing they didn't really had a backbone to them.

"I will appreciate if you could tone it down a little. No one needs to know you two are making a sex tape."

This seemed to anger the taller white as mayonnaise man who dismissed his boyfriend with a wave of his painted hand and moved forward to you. The red door of his apartment shutting up with an echo.

You two glared at each other, not one of the other backing down. Your breath was forcefully calmed down by your anger , last thing you needed is for him to know he was affecting you by coming too close. Your hands shook in their tight grip and you were pleased you cut your nails earlier.

"Just because Sergiu lets you come with us when we play, doesn't mean you and I are friends. Got it, girly?"

His rough tone only displeased you.

"And just because you can string two cords and not sound like a dying cat doesn't mean you are a great singer either, buddy."

"Fuck you." He said that to you in a clasped breath, his teeth biting on his lower lip as his face appeared more furious.

If this motherfucker puts his hands on me ,I swear I will...

"Y/N? Y/N!"

It was Sergiu.

The man in a punk style leather jacket ran quickly up the stairs, his armored black boots clicking away.

His face was twisted into a fearing expression before turning into a more pissed off one. He knew of Tudor's dislike towards you and knew that the both of you won't hold back if this turns physical. He needed to be smart about this.

"Man, come on. Leave her alone."

He moved to come between you ,Tudor's movement of hand stopped him.

"Nah,man. This bitch thinks she come here like she owns the fucking place and tell me what to do? I am sorry, princess, but you got another thing going. "

"TUDOR ISAAC POPESCU!"

A female voice caused his blood to ran cold and you to smirk.

Behind Sergiu, a petite woman in her mid fifties glared at him. Her greying hair caught in a bun,her olive wrinkled face was in a madden frown as her blue eyes shield by fuchsia framed glasses stared at him. The madame in green suit pants and white and black blouse was his mother.

His mother, a teacher at your University, was a lioness of a woman, never detour from the right path of doing things and more importantly never afraid to tear down anyone if they being dickish. Not even her loved son.

Sergiu grabbed gently you without a word as you two left the mother and son quarrel in peace, a part of you already starting to feel bad. You hate when you argued with someone but your anger sometimes got the better of you. Today truly has been an exhausting day.

————————————————————

You are in your room,Corpse still on the phone with you. You already explained what happened and know you enjoyed just talking with him about everything and nothing at the same time,trying to not fall asleep for how calming his voice was.

"You sure you don't want me to end the call. You must be tired from all the noises. "

You stirred, cleaning the droll of your left wnd of your lips. Your head ache as you saw that night has befallen.

"Wh-What?"

"Goofball,I was talking if you wanted me to let you rest but you already beat me to it."

"T-Tj?"

"Your friends said they will take care of them. They were so surprised to find me singing to him, though."

"Ah,shit. Sorry Corpse."

"Nothing to be sorry about, pumpkin. "

"Pumpkin, seriously?" You asked ,snuggling back into the comforter.

"Yeah, why not? The fall season is still up for a month or so."

"Hmm, I prefer goofball better."

"If you say so, princess. You *yawn* you sure you don't want me to let you sleep?"

A panick arised into your soul as you quickly told him no.

"P-Please stay."

"A-Alright."

He began to continue the story one of his subscribers send him as your eyes shut. A smile on your lips at last.

————————————————————

Hey,guys!💖

Hope you enjoyed the fifth part of the serie. It was a roller coaster to write.

Anyway, stay safe!💗

Tagged💖:@moolujk @magenta-skyline @yikesyikesyikes95 @simonsbluee @cherry-piee @yoyoanaria @gaysludge @mythicalamphitrite

[gone-series-orchid]

I know you've said before that you think Caine and Drake are pretty one-dimensional (and I agree completely). I was wondering if there were any other villains that you wish had been explored more instead of giving those two more page time in later books. Or if there were any characters that you thought could have had villainous potential that were unexplored??

wow, interesting question! i think my main problem with caine and drake is that they’re just kind of blandly evil, one-dimensional like you said. i think, ideally, villains should feel like real people.

funnily enough, i think zil probably comes closest to embodying that in this series. he’s mean-spirited from the beginning, but it’s only under lance’s influence (from what i remember) that he becomes a real threat due to his gaining confidence. i think it would have been nice to see more of him in the series—he’s insecure in his role as leader of the human crew, which makes him fallible. he’s also kind of unnerved by lance’s neo-nazism. he’s arguably the most intelligent out of the crew aside from lance. he’s not sympathetic, per se, but he is compelling.

i would’ve liked to see him interact more directly with the protagonists—especially astrid, because i think she should get a chance to one-up him in some way after he was thinking creepy thoughts about her in hunger. also, i think astrid, being the smartie she is, would probably be most likely to try to persuade him to turn over a new leaf—she’s a normal, and a white, aryan-looking (gag) normal at that, which would probably satisfy lance, and she still has distinct power in the fayz. though zil could probably poke a hole in her argument by pointing out that she only really has that power because she’s sam’s girlfriend, which is true. anyway, they could have words about it.

i think zil is compelling because he has the potential to be redeemed. it’s a slight potential, because he’s already done some pretty evil things, but he’s not totally evil—he has to justify the violence he commits in order to accept it, which is more than caine or drake does. we never forget that, at the end of the day, he’s still an insecure, blustering twelve-year-old. he’s an anti-moof bigot, but he could change. i think lance, more than zil, represents total irredeemable evil. he represents what zil could descend into being. he’s the devil on his shoulder (astrid could potentially be the angel if she maybe switched tactics from lawful punishment to direct emotional manipulation).

i’m a sucker for human villains and natural disasters being the principal antagonists, which i think is why the first four books work so well? i think fear and light suffer from the gaiaphage taking control of the narrative, villain-wise, when i think it worked best when used sparingly. gaia is pure evil, nothing more. she’s fun to read about in her own way because she’s so villainously campy, but that’s kind of it. she’s not really interesting, imo.

i think the reason why i harp so much on the insufficient “humanity” of antagonists like caine and drake is because that’s the principal strength of books (lord of the flies, battle royale) in the “kids trapped in place and forced to survive” genre: what do the actions of the characters say about human nature? about society? about morality? in lord of the flies, the message conveyed is ultimately a bleak one: the kids all descend into savagery in one way or another, with the purest one of them all, simon (the jesus figure) being driven insane, and the intellectual (piggy) being murdered. the story is all about “the darkness in the human heart,” to paraphrase the last line of the book.

in battle royale, on the contrary, the message is ultimately one of hope. despite the characters living in a dystopian fascist society that sacrifices one class of students to a killing game, the main character shuya clings to the idea that he and his classmates can figure out an alternate way to survive the titular battle royale aside from murdering each other. his compassionate view of humanity is validated by the pov vignettes given to all his classmates. all of them are given distinct personalities; some are kind, like shuya and his allies noriko and shogo, and some are drake-esque sadists, while the majority fall somewhere in between (my personal favorite characters are the girls that team up with one another in order to protect themselves from possible sexual violence from the boys. they hole up in a lighthouse!). but all are tragic in the sense that they’re children thrust into an unfair and cruel situation. even then, though, the nobility of certain characters shines through.

for instance, there are two girls at the beginning of the game who are best friends and don’t want to kill anyone. they (foolishly or bravely) use a megaphone to call out to the other kids in hiding, asking if they can all band together. shuya and several other characters are tempted, but sadly the girls are both fatally shot soon after their announcement. they die in each other’s arms after affirming their friendship, tears in their eyes. shuya and several other kids are devastated by the girls’ deaths. while some more callous characters deride them as being stupid and naïve, the reader is ultimately meant to mourn their deaths and the lost potential of a class-wide alliance. they know that their enemy isn’t their classmates, but rather the fascist government that makes them kill each other in the first place.

anyway—tangent aside—i think those two aforementioned novels are really solid examples of the genre gone is in. gone has more of superhero vibe to it, given the focus on powers and mutations and paper-thin evil villains, but i almost think the way that’s executed almost detracts against the aforementioned “kids surviving, etc.” genre? like, that’s all about the messiness of morality and human nature and whatnot, and while superhero comics can weave that into their narratives (watchmen, the brat pack) those are usually deconstructions of the genre than straightforward examples of it. the superhero genre is usually morally black-and-white and really action-focused. this is why i think we get the strange tonal mixture of kids reacting realistically to the trauma of starving versus reacting fairly unrealistically when faced with brutal superpowered violence, such as when brianna decapitates drake like it’s nbd. or anything brianna does, really.

there’s a shift from the realistic to the unrealistic that’s fun, but tonally dissonant from each other. so there’s this sort of disconnect, at least for me. i sympathize greatly for astrid when she’s slapped by drake and forced to call little pete a slur, for instance, but how many times does drake or caine murder a kid in cold blood? at some point it gets...idk, old? as the violence gets more cartoony the less it interests me aside from morbid fascination, and there’s just so much of it. it gets desensitizing after a while. i think that’s why, even though i think it’s handled fairly believably in gone, i had a lot more trouble with the monster trilogy’s blend of absurdism (the animorphs-style mutations like dekka turning into a cat woman with medusa hair and another character turning into a praying mantis with super speed, etc.) vs. grimdark realism (ICE forcibly deports a character’s father, terrorist violence is a common theme, the san francisco bridge is destroyed, a baby boy is mutated into a giant fuzzy caterpillar and then gets blown up by the military—like this is budding dystopia-level dark and the narrative doesn’t seem to realize it). it just feels too heavy and too light at the same time. the contrast of tones does a disservice to both of them. idk what i’m saying let’s get back to your actual question lol

as for characters with villainous potential...hmmm. tbh i think astrid has villainous potential? i mean, i like the idea of her moral righteousness escalating in a way that makes her more morally gray. she’d have to probably latch onto more powerful kids in order to have any leverage over sam and the gang, given her powerlessness. maybe she could manipulate orc into being her bodyguard while she plots to usurp sam or something asgjsjk. i think she could be a powerful threat if she wanted to be! it’s fun to ponder. i heard of an au where she joins the human crew that i thought was sort of interesting!

what do you think, @goneseriesanalysis? any villains you wish had been dived into more, and/or characters with villainous potential you think would have been cool to explore?

[a-clockwork-justice]

Upgrade vs Loser Geek Whatever (and why I don't think the London production should've had both)

The difference between Upgrade and Loser Geek Whatever is fascinating to me - they start and end at the same place and yet the routes they take to get there are significantly different.

In the original Upgrade, we, of course, have the SQUIP imploring Jeremy to upgrade and we find out this means completely blocking out Michael. What’s interesting is that just before this happens, we get Michael being excited and happy for Jeremy even though he'd apparently been ignoring him all day, immediately forgetting his anger and inviting him to hang out like they always have. Jeremy of course then takes the upgrade and its all downhill from there, but let's talk about what runs through his head. The setup of having Michael invite Jeremy round vs the SQUIP's influence just serves to highlight the dilemma in Jeremy's head - at least, it should've. In the original Upgrade, Jeremy doesn't show much major conflict with this - he just says he wants to try something new, even if it's not entirely true to himself. So we have Michael, who's just shown himself to be an amazing supportive best friend, and then we have Jeremy, showing so little hesitation over abandoning him. Couple this with the fact that the melody of Upgrade is REALLY enthusiastic and upbeat; it just makes Jeremy seem a bit too happy about the whole thing. Overall, it comes across as a massive slap to the face for Michael and probably contributed a lot to the fandom thoroughly demonising Jeremy.

Then, we have Loser Geek Whatever, which has a significant change in tone (and works a million times better IMO) for several reasons. One is that it actually highlights the dilemma that many of us might have. It details Jeremy’s many sympathetic reasons for not wanting to be a loser - it's harder to blame him for wanting better. Moreover, he blames himself and his inherent nature for his loser status. He believed he was defective, wired all wrong - the problem had always been him.

Even so, he still has doubts - he knows that what he's doing is wrong, he knows that he'll be failing Michael, who's just shown his loyalty. Then, of course, he goes through with it anyway, but it’s less because he wants to because he's selfish and disloyal. It's more that he feels like he HAS to because it would be the "right" thing to do.

Like I said, it's a pretty significant change in tone.

That's why I take issue with how the London production did it. For those of you who don't know, they kept Loser Geek Whatever AND the original ending of Upgrade. Only, they cut out the whole section in Loser Geek Whatever about how his instincts sucked and took away a significant portion of the arc of the song. Adding Upgrade back in didn't work for me for the reasons I've just mentioned - they’re too tonally different.

TL;DR, Upgrade and Loser Geek Whatever are their own songs - Upgrade is (disturbingly) happy, Loser Geek Whatever is pained and conflicted. The London production tried to have their cake and eat it but they just did them both dirty.

[jimmythejiver]

For the first time in a long time I went to the movies in forever and then to Target. At Target I see some Godiva bars on discount yellow tags and I was ecstatic until I read 70% Cacao, Dark, Salted Caramel and was deflated.

Anyway that's how I felt about seeing The Green Knight. What you thought this was about chocolate?

No see since the pandemic I've been back on my perennial King Arthur kick. I've for a long time since I was a young preteen thought, someday I too will write my own King Arthur epic and it'll be gay, magical, gangster and culty too, but for now I'll make up my own stories for practice and then with every story I got attached too, it got too involved and convoluted to the point that when it came down to actually writing a novel, I threw it all away and made a space opera I only planned in two weeks and wrote in a month. Anyway...so now I've been writing this very gay, magical, gangster and culty take on Final Fantasy XV with my boyfriend and just fell in love with Somnus Lucis Caelum who nobody has any insight about him than to make him the Mordred to Ardyn's Arthur, which is a strange flex, but okay, I thought about what if I wrote a Dark Age prequel about Ardyn and Somnus, but Ardyn becomes king and Somnus his shogun and they play games of seduction and power because I'm twisted like that. Anyway...I was like I'm never going to write this and I have to keep making up characters based on FFXV characters and King Arthur tropes because there's not a lot of stories that take place during the Dark Ages, it's always some Roman Empire story, or High Middle Ages and FFXV gave no room for either society to happen after the fall of Solheim and the rise of King Somnus...so we left with Dark Ages, y'all, the King Arthur comparisons are obvious, but Ardyn is no Arthur and Somnus is no Mordred, Aera is only Guenevere if you make up an affair with Somnus, Gilgamesh is no Bedwyr/Bedivere, but uh...they both amputees and the oldest companions to their respective kings so...I guess. Anyway making an ancestor of Cor Leonis and deciding well he's Owain/Yvain, or am Ignis type as idk Sir Cai/Kay I guess, they both cook, but Cai's more like Seifer Almasy than any FF character... Anyway I'm losing people.

My plan was to just scrap the FFXV prequel, leave my Somnus ideas into Overtime (a gangster and gods story) and just plan an actual King Arthur adaptation. I'd have King Arthur the treasure hunter, leader of a warband turned founder of Camelot who fights giants, giant cats and dogheads, but also fights King Claudas of the Franks and King Aelle of the Saxons and Cerdic a Briton who puts in his lot with the Saxons, etc. It'd been a a glorified turf war, meanwhile Arthur's gotta make alliances with King Pelles, The Fisher King and his strange cult he's founded because, why yes I find the ends justifies the means prophecy of the Holy Grail Quest very culty because Christianity then does not resemble it now. Meanwhile you got the secondary plots of Mordred, Gawain, Lancelot, Percival, Tristam and other's going on because they matter and too many modern King Arthur stories sideline the knights.

So many have always sidelined Mordred as a final boss eldritch abomination in mortal flesh conceived of sin and give him no personality, or complex motives, or even just a relationship with Arthur. I also have noticed the general sidelining of Lancelot, or give him a chad villain upgrade if you must include him at all, and the villainizing of Gawain to the point that you don't even have to have Mordred, or Agravain as a catalyst shit stirrer in court, just slap Gawain's name on Liam Neeson in a top knot and you're good. Mordred can just be a child offscreen until last act...fuck that, while Morgan Le Fay can either be a villainess plotting her cabal through men, or a well-intentioned, ineffectual idiot. Fuck that.

Now Hollywood just be doing King Arthur first acts that suck ass, only for said director to get rewarded failing upwards by giving this same jerk the Aladdin remake. The tonally shitty, crammed in blockbuster mess of a cliche heroe's journey that sucks.

With that background I was excited for The Green Knight. I read an illustrative version as a kid, I read Tolkien's translation as a teenager, I read Simon Armitage's superior, but with liberties taken translation. I was prepped to go knowing that indie, or not they were going to make changes to weave the disjointed poem together. I'm excited that because this movie exists Project Guternberg's finally thrown Jessie Weston's prose rendition up on their website. I'll be reading that at some point when this blows over.

The movie adaptation makes a lot of...choices, many I wouldn't love, but would forgive had their been a payoff. There was none.

The journey was fine, the cinematography was a breath of fresh air after crappy slo mo, glossy action scenes ruined another. Guys, I don't think I want to see a Zack Snyder Excalibur, it'll marginally be better than Guy Ritchie, but that ain't saying anything. Leave Excalibur to the post-Star Wars 80s where it is impeccable for it's time. I liked Green Knight's breathable pacing, it's color palette's in the forests and mountains made up for the muddy grey of every Ridley Scott send up in the castles and villages in every other Dark Ages/Medieval story in the last I don’t know since the shitty 00′s. For all the dark tones when there was blues, greens, yellows or reds, they were vibrant in this movie to contrast the gloom of Britain. The soundtrack was good. This isn't all what makes a movie, but it enhances it so let's get to the story and what I did and didn't like.

Things I Liked: Gawain is still a novice in his career The Costume Dressing Everyone pronounces Gawain's name different. I pronounce it like Gwayne, or Guh Wayne, but here you got Gowen (like Owen), Gowan (like Rowan), or even Garlon who I'm pretty sure is the Fisher King's heir in some versions of that Arthurian story, so uh... The reference to Arthur slaying 960 men with his bare hands (Nennius for the win!) The Waste Land that is implied to be a site of a battle (an important aspect of the Arthurian landscape) The Fox companion No long grisly, drawn out hunting scenes. The Fox lives! No misogynist speeches

Things I'm Mixed: This being a dream, is the magic real? Are the giants? Is the Green Knight a figment of Gawain's imagination from a spell Morgan casted in him to hallucinate? Is Lord and Lady also figments? It's...a way to interpret the poem, but lazy and I don't see why it's got to all fantasy, or all dream...this movie makes it too vague you're stuck picking one camp than to accept it's a fantasy with dream and hallucinatory sequences.

Things I'm Meh: Morgan Le Fay as Gawain's mom. Look I fucking hate Morgause as a character and these two get merged and steal each other's aspects so much at this point the difference is who did they marry, King Urien or King Lot? Both are attributed to being Mordred's mom, Mordred is Gawain's brother...both practice magic depending on certain incarnations, both love and hate Arthur their brother and are in conflict with him. Saint Winifred. I actually liked this sequence, but I don't appreciate her as the tacked on wife in the later dream sequence as like...a contrast between the wife you should marry than the whore next door you don't respect anyway? I don't even know what lesson I'm supposed to get out of the damn dream sequence, or any of it? That Gawain should've married his girlfriend and then he'd be a just ruler? That he shouldn't be king? That he'd never have to make the same heartless, impartial choices? I don't know, he seemed like a king doing king shit because guess what? It never gets easier. Wars will be waged. The world didn't become better because he married the right woman, respected her and lived in obscurity. The world didn't become better because he made her his queen. We certainly don't know the world would be better Gawain had his head chopped off and dead XP They never reveal the Lord and the Green Knight as one and the same because of this shit.

Things I Hated: Arthur withdraws from the challenge because he's old. In poem he takes it on and Gawain takes it so he don't have to and he finds himself more disposable than the king. Gawain only takes the challenge because of arrogance. Arthur and Gawain had no prior personal relationship. I'd not have hated this so much if it wasn't compounded by it cancelling out the first two things. Gawain is portrayed as having no respect for his woman, or any woman, maybe his mother? He has to be pushed by Winifred to regain her head. Gawain is portrayed as arrogant, covetous and ready to pass the buck, or the bare minimum than have any honor or decency. It didn't matter the kid in the wasteland was shithead bandit, the way Gawain acted towards him, when he gets robbed, it almost feels like he deserved it and Gawain doesn't learn a damn lesson. I'll admit him taking the sword to cut his ropes and cutting his hands was a neat sequence, it shows him go from stupid, to almost clever and having will to survive...you know traits he had in the poem, but he stops showing these traits or growing. Basically Gawain has to be dragged kicking and screaming to help people and shows no fortitude when facing temptation, or when showing respect towards others, it's exhausting. You don't make this kind of journey story without character growth. Why are you skipping this? Also is it just me, or is this like when you take Frank Miller Batman and transport him onto a Bill Finger story? This is at best Thomas Malory Gawain (and this is charitable) transported on the earlier Pearl Poet's story. Stop it. It's not tonally correct and goes at odds with the story and the set up characterization you'd need to tell it. Speaking of which, you know how I get through the oof... of Liam Neeson Gawain in Excalibur? By pretending he Agravain instead. Here...I don't even think Gawain could pass as Mordred in spite of his covetous nature, lust and entitlement. Why? because I don't think even Mordred is this dumb to warrant this hubris. Essel being invented as a tacked on love interest just to be shit on utterly and for what? I don't think I have much commentary here as there is no Essel I'm aware of to compare, or stack up. I just notice this trope of like...usually if you include a sex worker in Hollywood she often has a heart of gold, she often has her own sense of values that goes at odds with society, but is more true and less hypocritical than a privileged lady’s. I thought that's what they would've done with the added trope of back at home sweetheart to contrast and pit her against the despicable femme fatale of Lady Bertilak and her adultery and her ladyship...and I'm glad they didn't...but you did nothing with Essel than to shit on her for existing when you made her exist, you know. Lady Bertilak being portrayed as the seductress devil incarnate. Look I know adultery is a touchy taboo, but uh her and Gawain hit it off in the poem, dammit! Her values and his values come to clash, but here it's played off as Gawain is stupid and covetous and Lady Bertilak wants to prove something because...? If my brother's theory that she's a figment of Morgan Le Fay's magic, then I'll take this as a lesson of Gawain is impulsive and covetous and his mom knows it, but he don't want to fuck his mom, but he wants her power, and Morgan wants to teach him a lesson... I guess. Hey we don't have misogynist speeches in this movie, but we'll make sure to have the movie drip with it with no point, or commentary. Pass. Lord guilting, extracting and initiating the same sex kiss and only once. Poem automatically better that Gawain don't have to keep being reminded to keep his part of the bargain and he does it willingly more than once. What he doesn't do is give up his belt...gods how did we get more homophobic as a society that the homoeroticism here is worse? Catholics of the middle ages officially had no issue doing same sex, passionate kissing until it lead to sex. The Ending: The gods damn ending. In the movie as is, Gawain waits to uphold his end of the bargain and get his head chopped off. He imagines, even though we don't get any fuzzy or distortion to indicate this is a dream, but I already knew this was coming, he runs away and comes home, is regarded a hero, he sees his lady, takes her from behind and if you saw Brokeback Mountain (I didn't, but DJ has) you know this is a sign of disrespect to women. He gets her knocked up, pays her off for the kid she wants to keep, he is crowned king, marries the ghostly saint lady he helped retrieve her head earlier from a lake in the movie (this right here is the damn tip off). There's no more dialogue by this point and everything is montaging, so you know by now it's a dream, though nothing is out of focus. He rules as a heartless king, his whore son dies from war he waged, he has a daughter, his wife dies. Gawain then takes off the belt that would've saved his life and his head falls off. This would've been the one good twist, except... In this sequence of events he never had his head cut off so uh... now we back in present day. He decides not to bitch out, Green Knight in a sexy way is like "now off with your head," movie cuts to credits with no resolve...uh what the fuck? What the fuck? This is not good. You wasted the one twist in your dream when idk, you could've...

How I'd fix it: No dream sequence at all. No Incident At Owl Creek twist. Gawain comes home a hero and survivor of this game and ordeal. He wears this belt of shame. He becomes a well-renowned knight, but he bears a shame. One day he goes to take off his belt and his head falls off because he cheated to get this belt and to survive this encounter. There. Done. Improved your high concept movie that couldn't play any of the lessons straight from the damn poem without making everyone an asshole for no reason! Ugh! But nope you had to end it on we don’t know if Gawain lives or dies...because...it's dream magic made from his momma's witchcraft...?

Last Thoughts So then post-credits scene because Marvel because Pirates Of The Caribbean existed. A white girl who looks nothing like Gawain's daughter we see who didn’t pay off, or any child I can remember through this whole movie picks up King Arthur's crown that dream Gawain inherited and puts it on her head. Who is this girl? Are we gonna have an indie equivalent of of the Marvel Movie Universe/Universal Horror Monsters thing with ancient British legends? We gonna get a Life Of Saint Patrick next that crosses over? I don't know. What is this?

[wings-of-a-storm]

SCENES THAT STOOD OUT AS A WTFOCK NEWBIE

I’ve found that one of my favourite scenes to indulge in is the Chernobyl reunion scene. I’m always hungry to go back and rewatch it because it covers so many emotions and is its own mini roller coaster.

First, Robbe’s big, bright smile as soon as he glimpses Sander for the first time in what feels like so long apart. He’s so openly drinking him in, you wouldn’t know anything bad was still happening between them. I can’t help but feel warm and fuzzy like Robbe does; it’s such a nice reprieve from the angst.

Then there’s the tonal shift of the apology. It is so satisfying to see Sander standing up for himself, of not letting Robbe get away with pretending nothing had happened.

And then you arrive at the ultimate sweetness of their reconciliation, with Robbe’s helplessly endearing explosion pantomime and all the subsequent soft smiles and forehead touches it unlocks.

It’s a clip that gives and gives and keeps on giving. It basically has everything contained in it.

My favourite of all these though is why this scene made it so emphatically onto my list:

7. THE HALLWAY RESOLVE & THE APOLOGY

I love how refreshing this scene(s) felt! The new ground it covers!

A Narrative Split In Two

Before I get into the apology though, I have to say I found it interesting that wtFock split the og’s first source of separation (ie. Isak’s verbal misstep with the mental illness remark and Even’s subsequent getting back together with Sonja to spare him) into separate events and under a completely different theme: homophobia.

In wtFock, the accidental verbal misstep is changed to a conscious slur from Robbe to Sander in order to explore the effects of internalised homophobia. It’s a theme that wtFock really chose to focus on and it hits hard because Robbe not only hurts himself and Milan with his internalised homophobia but he hurts Sander too. And not in a passive, collateral damage kind of way -- Sander’s person/character actually gets attacked. By Robbe. They really went there.

I mean, that scene outside Robbe’s building is brutally shocking; one that you don’t see coming until it has slapped you in the face and made your ears ring. Robbe didn’t just call Sander a slur; he accused him of being a predator. That is so heavy. But internalised homophobia is a powerful thing and you certainly can’t forget that after a scene like that.

And then of course their second separation comes from the opposite side of the homophobia coin -- a hate crime from outsiders. It means that this time around, Robbe’s and Sander’s separation isn’t caused by something Robbe does but is a consequence of something that is done to them. In essence, we still get a confusing separation born from Sander’s fear of hurting/destroying Robbe like the og, but this time the catalyst comes from the outside world.

This means that for the price of one og conflict, we get two different types of homophobia that change the trajectory of what otherwise would have been just an innocent (albeit messy) exploration of feelings between two teens. It should have been that simple. But we’ve still got a long way to go as a society, even in 2019/2020. Right Noor?

Back to Chernobyl though.

Robbe Apologising To Sander

I feel so much for Robbe having to battle such a poisonous thing as internalised homophobia (and with such a sparse support network to help him through it). It led to such a painful moment on that doorstep, of not just calling the guy he liked a horrible slur but actually accusing Sander of being some sort of malicious predator, scheming to take advantage of him. It was a very horrible moment with huge repercussions.

But once Robbe was in a healthier mindset, it was really fulfilling being able to see him take ownership of the hurt he inflicted on Sander; of letting Sander know his reaction was born from his own mindset and not from anything Sander had done.

And it was fulfulling not just because Sander deserved an apology, but because it was such a positive step for Robbe to take on his journey to self acceptance. After all, the act of reframing his kiss with Sander as something positive has the secondary effect of delivering some compassion to himself; of giving himself a break for enjoying a kiss with a boy.

As for the apology itself… Very teenage boy, what can I say?

Hurt Is Addressed

Another reason why I find the apology scene so fulfilling is that I really appreciate Sander’s hurt being addressed (and then more or less soothed). I mean, in the og, by necessity of Even’s enigmatic bigger picture, a lot of Even’s hurt, fear, and low self-worth was kept off screen after Isak’s mental illness remark. Isak’s actions later on more than make up for that comment, but a part of me still secretly craved watching Isak piece everything together and apologise for how poorly his offhand remark may have made Even feel about himself.

WtFock’s context is entirely different for Sander’s hurt (which is why there can be an apology in the first place), but that meant that Robbe’s apology was able to fulfill that secret need I had to see a hurt Even character acknowledged. (But obviously that’s just me and my personal preference for emotional closure. :))

Sander’s Resolve

And that leaves me with the last reason for why I loved the apology: because it was just so awesome seeing Sander stand up for himself and his own worth. Like you go boy! And the brilliant thing is, you can actually see the whole push-and-pull process of Sander trying to remain strong for his own sake in the hallway when Robbe shows up. It is so well written and acted!

It’s the way Sander’s smile fades when he first sees Robbe and turns to walk away because he cannot do this right now; he is not emotionally prepared... And then the really visceral way his jaw grinds so no words can sneak out and undermine his resolve after Robbe begs him for a chance to talk.

You really see that fight behind Sander’s eyes to stay strong and not cave because he knows it isn’t good for him to go down that path again, to risk feeling that sort of bone deep hurt from the boy he adores all over again. You see the moment his inner strength wins out and allows him to walk away with more finality.

The whole thing is just so powerful -- and all the more so without speech on Sander’s end. It is like a reverse O Helga Natt that hits you right in the gut. (And I’m so masochistic because I love that.)

It makes Robbe have to work hard for Sander’s forgiveness, which in turn makes their looming reconciliation feel more earned. It also makes that very first peck from Sander feel all the more sacred, even without Robbe’s eyes lingering closed for a while to cherish it. He almost lost Sander for good… Those kisses and forehead touches feel like oxygen... (That is another post though.)

So yeah, that whole journey from Sander’s hurt and anger to their super affectionate reconciliation is so well done and such a self-contained mini roller coaster that I will forever be weak for.

[some-creep]

Song of the Ancients SERIOUS REVIEW(s)

I was told to review every version of Song of the Ancients, so I did. I tried to stick to things that were released officially but I’m sure I’m missing some. I know there’s going to be a new version on the Orchestral Addendum that’s supposed to come out this month. Also I don’t know a fucking thing about music so this is literally 3 pages of straight rambling. Also they’re not really in any kind of order other than Nier Gestalt, Nier Automata, and Other.

Song of the Ancients: Devola - https://youtu.be/qCKEXPXtrEU

This is it, the first version of Song of the Ancient’s you’ll ever hear, and also the last. At least in Nier Gestalt. It’s a classic, and Devola has no idea what the words to it mean. And neither do we. But it perfectly sets the tone. It’s nostalgic, it’s sad, it’s mysterious, it’s sad but written a second time. I love Devola and would die for her. It isn’t my absolute favorite rendition of the song, but I can’t deny its importance. This is the one that gave us the rest. 9/10

Song of the Ancients: Popola - https://youtu.be/IZdnJLdmRlI

This song makes a showstopping appearance in Automata where it and the library meant nothing to me or anyone else because no one actually played Gestalt before Automata, let’s face it. The more subdued of the two character versions of the song, which, y’know, makes sense. Maybe a bit disorienting and trance like if you turn it up far enough and close your eyes. Sometimes I like this version a lot more than the Devola version, sometimes I don’t. It also gets a 9/10 for being a classic.

Song of the Ancients: Hollow Dreams - https://youtu.be/fxmP4eCFR4U

I fucking love this one. The Devola and Popola duet we all wanted with none of the… extreme angst. I also read a really good fan fiction once where [REDACTED] and it started with this performance so it ranks really high for me. It has a great sort of tavern energy to it (which, no shit, right?) and I don’t know. I don’t know I really love this one. The harmonization, the piano, the percussion, it all just works. 10/10

Song of the Ancients: Fate - https://youtu.be/ady--PNMsfI

My most unpopular opinion on this song is I don’t really like this version all that much. I don’t know why. Maybe it’s because I knew what happened already so it has no impact on me. It’s got a lot of drum. Maybe too much drum? I don’t know I’ve never totally vibed with this one. There’s an attempt but parts of it I just really don’t care for. That’s why it ranks so low.  It’s not the worst, and I recognize that it’s like. Super iconic. But eh. 5/10.

Song of the Ancients: Lost Androids - https://youtu.be/CfCEueBER5g

I just. Super. Do not fucking like this song at all. There’s so much happening in it and none of it’s very good. Devola and Popola’s sick techno dance party dot mp3. Easily the worst of the official releases of this song. It doesn’t help that the Nier Gestalt DLC just isn’t good either. Why did I beat the entire thing? The world may never know. 3/10

Song of the Ancients: Piano version from 15 Nightmares & Arrange Tracks

- https://youtu.be/orEoq7KFdrM

I’m biased and love all piano remixes and this one is good. I don’t know why there are two official piano remixes that aren’t the same, but there are. This one feels really emotional, sorta soft, and a lotta sad, but the remix-y part in the middle kinda falls off for me. Most of it is really good, but it doesn’t reach goosebump status for me which is a shame because most of the pieces are there. Overall, it’s pretty good. 7/10

Song of the Ancients: from the actual Nier Piano collection mix which is a different version than the one above - https://youtu.be/K_4HGh7Hh7w

It’s weird to think that two officially released piano versions of the same exact song could be so different but they honestly kinda are. This one feels stronger than the other, but it still isn’t quite there for me either. I think overall I might like it more, but the emotional impact of it is somehow less? Once again, it’s overall pretty good, but the vibes don’t totally match with me. 7/10

The Legend of Nier 8-bit Heroes from 15 Nightmares & Arrange Trakcs - https://youtu.be/LgvF_xRPoxs

This is kind of a bonus mention because it isn’t strictly Song of the Ancients, it’s a mix of a few songs from Nier Gestalt, but it just happens to start with Song of the Ancients. It hits pretty much all the notes from it so I’m including it here. I like it more than the hacking track from Automata, but only a little bit. It’s sad but also chiptune. However because it is quite literally only 1/8th of the entire song and for the sake of this list I refuse to acknowledge the other 7 minutes of music, I give it 1/8 / 10.

Song of the Ancients: Atonement - https://youtu.be/wNWShKuopic

You know it, you love it, and you’re crying thinking about it, it’s the Atonement version from Automata. It’s everything Fate wanted to be, but now much, much better. All of the music in this game is just, so intense and full of meaning and it just feels. Important. It’s what movie music would be if it didn’t suck. I think this one works really well in capturing the emotions around the twins trying to make up for crimes they straight up just didn’t commit. Devola and Popola make me cry. I love this song. Crying Creep emoji/10

Sonc of the Ancients: Atonement: Hacking Track remix - https://youtu.be/QD1F-staPms

So there’s like, not really a chance you’d ever hear this entire thing played out in game because of the way the hacking mechanic works. I think it’s a pretty good chiptune rendition though. I don’t care to listen to most of the hacking tracks on their own though, but there’s nothing offensive about this one. It’s Atonement, and Atonement is still a really good song on it’s own, so it just gets more points by cheating. 7/10

Song of the Ancients: from Arranged & Unreleased Tracks - https://youtu.be/lDYc9Ov4Mr8

Kinda love this one. It’s played on an accordion. Everyone I send this one to thinks it’s weird because of that, but I love it. It sounds like a romantic date in Italy. This might be one of the only versions that doesn’t make me want to start crying which is weird because it’s a remix of the Atonement version specifically again. I have really weird taste in music though. 10/10 gay dates in Italy

Song the Ancients: Atonement: from the Nier Music Concert: The Memories of Puppets - https://youtu.be/4z3wr0xATJY

Once again, Atonement fucking slaps. I’m always impressed by these things being performed live because the words aren’t real and they sound like they’d be hard to say. This is basically just a clearer version of the one from the game. I don’t like it more, though. It has a part where it slows down completely which is sexy, on it’s own. My heart tells me to give this a 9/10 though for reasons I don’t know. Perhaps because I haven’t used that ranking yet. In a hard to explain way I don’t like this version as much as the one in the game. So, 9/10.

Song of the Ancients DoD3 remix - https://youtu.be/SAJi9Q-RRmQ

This one starts out kinda slow, but when it picks up I think it sounds way more like Atonement than Fate. And when it sounds like Atonement I really like it. However I have this DLC for DoD3 and it’s the only song I ever had playing and I’m still not completely sick of it so that has to count for something. It’s not horrible but it’s not great either. It sounds like it belongs in DoD3 and none of the music in that game is great. 6/10

Song of the Ancients the… Music Video? - https://youtu.be/_iXT9eWgaMw

This one isn’t bad, but it’s really, really weird that it exists. I’ve never been able to really remember what this one sounds like so it can’t rank very high for me. It gets bonus points simply because it exists… at all. I think wikipedia told me this was like, official, or supported, I don’t know. Maybe it doesn’t count, maybe it does, but I wanted to mention it anyway even though it isn’t on one of the CDs. She does a good job at performing and it’s a unique remix that takes the aesthetic qualities of Fate and dials them back into something smooth and emotional. I definitely don’t hate it, but it’s not on my phone. 7/10

Song of the Ancients: Orchestral Arrangement - https://youtu.be/Ixk5zFXldCk

This was instantly and immediately my favorite rendition of the song and not much has changed since it first released. While it is without a doubt the most different of all the renditions, it has an almost magical quality to it. Tonally, it seems to follow the story of Devola and Popola as we know them in Nier Gestalt.  Maybe I’m just projecting random shit onto this song, who knows, I’m not a music major. People have said it has kind of a Disney movie feel at the beginning, which is true, but as it goes on it loses that sort of innocent, lofty feeling, and becomes more intense, and I don’t know. I just really fucking love the way this song goes. Compare how it starts to how it ends and it’s just. Ugh. This one is so good. What the fuck. If you listen to nothing else on this list, please listen to this one. 11/10.

[lordxgrinnyxboy]

listening to the london version, 3/4

a scar is born!

“Grinpayne? Grinpayne?!” Dea...when you find him...kill him.

“something is scorching the air ‘round my head” it’s your thots gwyn weren’t you paying attention

“Is this the truth? Is this the truth, now?” first of all Excellent Vibes but also can we get some Gwynplaine Trelaw + If It’s True in the club? Especially the Justin Vernon If It’s True? i yearn

i love osric. so much.

haha funny how he says he thinks Gwyn is “the only son of God” and Gwyn is fact the only son of Lord Trelaw. could go further but im low on braincells u-u

...this whole sequence is so weird.

“Is this the truth? Is this the truth, now?”   please just go lie down sweetheart you are too far gone right now.

“This exquisite boy” awwwww

i’m missing about 90% of what they’re saying actually

*googles lyrics* oh

the tonal dissonance between the way they sing it all cheerful and the fact that This Is Freaking Creepy As Hell with a side of Really Really Sad is just. :O

labyrinth

alright darling let’s see what you’ve got

The Good Stuff Right There

Theremin = Good

interesting he says “something in me is burning” and, at least in the bristol version, Dea makes comments about the Crimson Lethe ‘burning a hole’ in Gwyn’s heart

In the other one he didn’t really comment much about...anything that was going on, really. He’s just kind of there during the scenes where people react to his wound. But here he has a whole verse about it and that’s...different.

“The people say the Grinning Man’s opened their eyes/can they hear the future in my shattered cries” OOF

“Why in hell would I want to feel it again?”

“what if that monster could also change me” 😭😭😭 i am. *snort* vanquished. i cease to be, to live.

PROTECT HIM

are the ‘scorching’ thoughts supposed to be taken literally in this one i mean they keep bringing it up soooo

oh here we go here we go the Dea part let’s go

“and pain, the only comfort I could find” BABY

“Stories are her way of seeing” god i love this part

BUT SHE WOULDN’T LOVE ME IF HER EYES COULD SEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEUEH

go off theremin! love you!

“If they find laughter in my face, why should I run from their embrace?” HECK

“The dancing with the monsters in my mind” HECK HECK

“and touch it with a heart that isn’t blind” GWYNLIT FERMAIN TRECHARLIE CLANLAW YOU HUSH NOW

side effects of crimson lethe may include dumbass disease

he flourished the R XD

“FAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAACEUH”

i am. exhausted. this one can stay. how’d they fit so much more content in this one

Only a Clown

we’re. going from THAT, to- to th- okay

dambit barkilphedrno

“in truth, I felt like singing, so I did” cartoon villain u-u

this is another deeply unsettling one tbh like just the happy way he’s singing but while setting up the nooses and whatnot it’s just eugh

wait so earlier Gwyn says, “can they hear the future in my shattered cries” and here Barkilphedro says that he can “see a bold new horizon”

“imagine the blade of bilboa in your hand” *Legend of Zelda Link Impersonation* Gwynlit what are you doing

oh sh the “NOOOO” and “FATHER” in this one we actually HEAR the reactions? oh heck heck heck

*adds Tiny, Wretched, and Helpless to the ongoing list of things Gwyn has been called*

OH THIS ONE SLAPS they made a whole bop out of

awww he cryin in the background :((((

damn it bark il phed ro

oh heck this is creepier

FRICK SPIKE IS HERE THIS TIME WHAT TH

is spike still played by dirry-moir’s actor in this one too bc That Is A LOT

one small slice bitch you dragged him on that scythe three freaking times

LAUGHTER IS THE BEST MEDICIN

SHUT UP SHUT UP STOP PAUSE RIGHT THERE NOPE NUH UH NOT TODAY

brand new world of feeling ( reprise )

hello i am grateful to be here. what a fabulous place to find myself. that is, anywhere but the above. 

u-u Gwyn Makes Bad Choices: The Movie

Josiana CALM DOWN jeez you’re gonna scare somebody

oh yeah she definitely said Freak in this version.

“Love?” see now you’re asking the right questions 

no longer grateful to be here

music’s pretty though

wait no where’s the guard when i need them to show up

THANK YOU QUAKE, THANK YOU.

“Did this brute hurt you” *lizard impersonation* “quite the opposite” i’m going to go climb into my mailbox and die there. Why This. Genuinely Why This.

“The torture chamber, not the nightclub” EXCUSE? PARDON? WHAT?

Josiana i genuinely hate that u can sing like an angel it isn’t fair

the smiling song

what is a smiling song precious we are Not Familiar

ohhhhh nvm this is the “have him hold the giant puppet head and get everybody to surround him so the audience won’t see him putting on a shirt” song

who the hell is this

angelica???

DEA TAKE ME BACK TO THE PLACE

NO NO NO NO NO NO NO NO NO NO NO NO NO NO NO NO NO NO

Call him freak one more time Jojo. Call him freak again.

“I can’t believe that filth-ridden clown soon will be wearing my velvet gown” it’s funny Bark bc Gwynp could actually say the same thing,,,,,

THE DAY I WAS ALMOST A LOOOOOOOORD not as good

something something “Josiana, what did she see, could I see Dea the way she saw me” W H A T

so is he like. awake. in this version or.

[psyga315]

Fixing RWBY Volume 3

Volume 3 is most likely not going to receive a lot of changes due to how this is the lynchpin for which all other RWBY volumes make or break. It is because of Volume 3 that people were either turned off or were re-engaged by the tonal shift and it is because of Volume 3 for which people compare all other finales to, as well as scenes that were clearly made to recapture that feeling from Volume 3.

So, instead of going episode by episode in trying to change plot elements, I’m going to go in broad strokes with this.

Like before, I’d recommend Celtic Phoenix’s Fixing Volume 3 video, though only for the Vytal Festival Tournament and Cinder’s overall plan. After that, all bets are off.

Though, we need to address the Goliath in the room. Midway through Volume 3’s production, Monty Oum passed away and, if Shane Newville is to be believed (which, given how they used Adam’s V3 fight footage for V6, might be more likely), a lot of stuff was changed last minute, much to Shane’s chagrin. Now, some rewrites would simply go for “let’s go with the original plans” route, but I find that would be not only too easy, but would go into the route of “this is what Monty wanted”, which is not only a stupid complaint in more ways than one, but a real slap in the face to his friends.

Instead, I want to go with a somewhat more… meta route. I understand that this is a little more controversial, so if you wish, you may skip this. The long story short is that we’d be getting a 2.5 where we see the Vytal Festival Tournament and its ulterior motive is to get animators that hopefully would not lead to the fight scene drought of Volumes 4 through 5. Also, Jason Liebrecht is Qrow instead of Vic because Vic was busy in another role by the time RWBY finishes up with 2.5.

Those Who Treasure Monty

We begin in our world, on February 2, 2015, news of Monty Oum’s passing breaks out onto the web and a long, lingering shadow is cast over RWBY’s future. Even with multiple confirmations that RWBY will continue, it’s clear that without Monty Oum’s animation, RWBY would eventually slow to a crawl in fight choreography.

So, RT is forced to make a decision. They need to put RWBY off for a year while they figure out how to proceed. To ensure the RWBY fans stay sated and to search for talent that could either replicate or even succeed Oum’s, they create short, five-minute fights set during the Vytal Festival tournament that anyone with an animating talent can use. While some used Poser like RWBY, the fact that Maya is used more gets RT to thinking… Perhaps they should make the switch to Maya.

It’s been stated that Monty insisted on Poser when Maya was a superior option, and I wanted to reflect that in this meta-arc. This would also pave the way for animators to get RT’s spotlight.

In the middle of this hiatus, we’d also get Grimm Eclipse, which, given how not a lot of attention is given to RWBY proper, means that RT would funnel more support into the game’s first year than they did originally. This might also get Gray to try and put his name out by doing Gen:Lock, or at least releasing teasers for it, much like how Monty hyped RWBY through the four trailers.

The fights are in a purgatory of “semi-canon”, where it technically happened, but don’t expect RT to actually call back to it. Much like the DC Comics. HEY-O!

By the end of this hiatus, RT will most likely get their new talent and will definitely cut ties with Sheena and Shane, much like they did originally, but hopefully with less resentment given the cooldown. RWBY would get an October 2016 premiere which would be predated by RWBY vs. ABRN, JNPR vs. BRNZ, and SSSN vs. NDGO being the final three fights for Volume 2.5, done by people who would end up being lead animators for RWBY going forward. The last of the fights will end on a familiar scene.

“Wow, now that was a match!”

“Pheh, that was a mess…”

The latter of which being delivered by Jason Liebrecht. I reason that, in the time RWBY took to process the passing of their brainfather, Vic would most likely have been in another role and be too busy to do Qrow. This would also avoid the… unfortunate circumstance of which we shall not name.

With that, we shall properly proceed to…

RWBY, Volume 3, The Vytal Festival Arc

By the time 3 kicks off, we’re already done with the first round, having already seen most of it from 2.5. We instead open up with Ruby talking to her mom, the final moments of RWBY vs ABRN, and Ruby and her friends celebrating their victory, much like V3. What changes is that JNPR is also celebrating their victory over BRNZ.

However, it’s clear that not everything is bright. Ruby’s still scarred over the Breach, Blake is frustrated with the lack of closure they got and believes that the case is still not over, and Yang is thinking back to what Raven said, to which we get an extended flashback of Raven explaining that she saved her once and that Yang should not expect her to save Yang again and also how Summer was a pawn in a larger game. She doesn’t say much, but she leaves enough information for Yang to know who Summer was a pawn for: Ozpin.

We end Episode with a ship entering Vytal and Qrow deliberately going over to face it as Weiss looks on in a bright smile. Episode 2 kicks off with Qrow vs. Winter, now being a lot more vicious as Qrow believes Ironwood to be putting his jackboot over Vale and strangling what free will the people had remaining. We get to see his bad luck be put into motion as bystanders get attacked by debris and getting injured in the process. His Semblance is literally uncontrollable. However, the trick is to not show that this is his Semblance until Volume 4.

Glynda and Ironwood arrive and chew out both Winter and Qrow for their fighting. Even though they have differing opinions on Ironwood, Qrow is explicitly told that his drunken fits only help to cause fear, something Ozpin does not want in the Vytal Festival. Qrow brings up that Ironwood’s army is bringing fear and while Ozpin agrees, also agrees with Ironwood that it also brings some form of safety. Bottom line with how the scene plays out is that Qrow, while a valuable asset on the battlefield in more ways than one is outright a liability in social situations, made apparent when he hangs out with his niece(s) and only makes a bad situation worse by making his “cut one Taijitu head and now the other one calls the shots” speech sound way worse than it sounds.

However, there’s also subtle nods that imply that the only reason he’s such a drunken wreck with social skills so bad that he’s actively making things worse is because of the trauma he received from his days of being in STRQ and serving Oz. Basically, downplay the comedy of Qrow being drunk and show off that Qrow being drunk is a bad thing like in Volume 6.

Winter also has her hangups. Because of being raised by her abusive father, Winter inherited a bit of that. Think the DC Comics version of Willow. Weiss notably sees just how much like her father Winter’s become and Winter tells her that her ambition of being a Huntress has done more harm than good, bringing up her scar. Winter then tells her why she came. Not just to oversee the deployment of new robots, but also to warn Weiss. Jacques cutting Weiss off and constantly calling her is his way of saying “Okay, this is getting out of hand, come home or I will take you myself.” This kinda worries Weiss quite a bit.

The doubles match are the ones that are a major focus for episodes 3 & 4, showcasing Yang and Weiss vs. Neon and Flynt, Nora and Pyrrha vs. Sun and Neptune, Mercury and Emerald vs. Coco and Yatsuhashi, and Penny and Ciel vs. some random members of CRDL. Not a lot of changes here. With a whole episode to ourselves, we can spend that to see our cast one final time before the plot throws them into hell. Weiss talks to Ruby about her father, she assures her that RWBY will not leave her side. Blake tells Yang about her worries for the White Fang, especially since her name had been publicized by the tournament, even knowing that Yang is hiding something.

We end the episode with Glynda asking Ozpin if he’s sure about something and he reassures her that time is of the essence and that they have no other option. “The only one with a choice will be her.” Before we cut to Pyrrha.

Episode 6 is unaltered, except there’s a heavier emphasis of Ozpin pushing the issue onto Pyrrha and making it clear that it’s making her mentally unstable.

RWBY, Volume 3, The Fall of Beacon

Okay, the only thing that changes for Episode 7? NO BLACK SCREENS! It works for some mystery with the Grimm and Salem, but for meeting Roman?! So, no black screen. If you need to add mystery, just add dark shadows and for the Grimm, glowing eyes. The biggest change would be how Cinder interacts with Adam. Obviously, we keep how he acts in the flashback… But we get a bonus scene of Cinder talking to Adam and manipulating him into resenting Blake for leaving him. Boom. We got our transition covered.

The only change for Episode 8 is that Blake doesn’t go “lol, okay” when she gets Yang to say she’s sorry for kneecapping Mercury. In fact, she expresses doubt on Yang and does not change her mind about it, believing that the thing she was hiding had something to do with injuring Mercury. We end Episode 8 not with Ruby encountering Mercury, but Hazel.

Episode 9 remains relatively unchanged, as it’s the necessary lynchpin to cause the Fall of Beacon. Really, most of the final act can remain unchanged for the most part, save for some quality of life changes like “how come no one called out Emerald when she was in the middle of the crowd even though they were told that her team went home?” or all those tiny nitpicks that really makes Cinder’s plan fall apart if you think too hard about it.

The most that changes is that Hazel fights Ruby reluctantly. Obviously, he doesn’t want to fight Gretchen’s partner. Cinder would have no idea Ruby’s incompetence led to Gretchen’s death, so Hazel wouldn’t use that to guilt trip Ruby. He does, however, rant about the flawed system that Ozpin has made and it’s clear that this is him talking about how flawed the system is, not Cinder whispering sweet nothings in his ear. He lets Ruby go just as the fight between Pyrrha and Penny ends.

Yeah, this still takes place despite Cinder not knowing, since she lacks her virus for now. Cinder is smart and is able to put two and two together when she sees that Penny is doing a lot of the heavy lifting during her fights. I mean, it was obvious to us that she was a robot from Volume 1, Cinder didn’t need no fancy scroll to tell her “hey, Penny’s a robot.”

I should add that, throughout the tournament, Cinder had been rigging the tournament so that it’d come down to Vale vs. Atlas, using the narrative of the Breach to set the stage. She’s also making sure the losses for Mistral and Vacuo sting so the Grimm get attracted sooner. How is she doing this? Via the backdoor program she had. As I said previously, the virus feigns being dead and can only be reactivated by a backdoor program. However, this isn’t the full extent. Cinder is basically using the program to activate a few nodes in the CCT to rig the randomizer enough so that no one stops and goes “wait, this is fishy”. It doesn’t help that the way the tournament is held, each Kingdom representative is guaranteed to face an opposing Kingdom once per round, so if one Kingdom was really good, they’ll overcrowd the subsequent doubles and finals. Two Kingdoms? Then you essentially guarantee that the rest of the fights can be nothing but Kingdom A vs. Kingdom B.

Penny is killed and this becomes the straw that broke the camel’s back. I also would make it so that her big speech, while imposing and setting the tone for the fall, doesn’t sound like “I’m the big bad evil guy and I’m going to announce my terrorist attack!” Also, Adam can get involved too, saying how humans are so sad over a dead robot, but when it’s a Faunus, no one gives a crap, white guilting the crowd. When the Beacon staff cut the feed, Cinder goes “OMG! CENSORSHIP!” and riles up the crowd that way. Basically, her speech causes fear and panic. The Grimm and White Fang attack, we kick off the Fall of Beacon Arc.

One major change to kick off the finale: Port and Oobleck are killed. It doesn’t have to be shown, but it would be implied as Ozpin notices that he lost contact of the two. Really, this is your chance to get rid of all the characters that won’t make an appearance in later Volumes or wouldn’t really matter. After all, there will be no rest or love. Hell, kill off CFVY while you’re at it. Hammer home that the dark tone is here to stay. Also, the backdoor is the thing Roman puts on that ship and thus reactivates the virus.

Of course, the major change is Adam’s fight with Blake, since they fought before. Blake tries desperately to ask why he’s hurting people, but Adam gives her his response: “Because this world doesn’t reward the kind-hearted people. You should know that after what happened to your father!” This puts Blake in a lot of fear and anxiety, requiring Yang to interfere. The one thing I’ll change from this is that Adam does not one-shot Yang, because that horribly unbalances him in the grand scheme of things. Instead, he relies more on manipulation to put Yang in the absolute worst spot throughout the fight, absorbing the increased blows he got from Yang before letting it all out in his Moonslice, taking off her arm.

The other major thing I’d change is the handling of Pyrrha. The bit where they’re underground changes immensely as Ozpin explicitly instructs Jaune to wait by the door, thus separating him from Pyrrha. Ozpin and Pyrrha go to the pods, but as Pyrrha begins to have second thoughts, Ozpin activates the switch as Pyrrha screams in pain.

Meanwhile, Jaune finds Cinder entering the chamber via a superhero landing (No one’s gonna acknowledge that she managed to follow the group down a longass shaft?) and as Jaune tries to fight Cinder, realizing she’s the one who organized all of this, she tells him “I didn’t cause this… I merely exposed Ozpin for what he truly is… Arrogant and willing do to anything to win.” Jaune pieces together what Cinder could possibly mean and enters the chamber, seeing Pyrrha in pain. Just then, Cinder kills Amber and takes her power.

Ozpin decides to hold Cinder off while Jaune and Pyrrha go to get help. While this will be revealed in Volume 5, it’ll be revealed that Ozpin threw his battle with Cinder so that, not only would he reincarnate quicker, but also to avoid the Council chewing his ass out. This leads to the consequence of Cinder forcing Pyrrha’s hand, however…

Like with the show, Pyrrha fights Cinder by herself since Jaune did enough. We’ll have him try to contact Glynda and the others, but they’re unfortunately busy and it’s this poor communication that causes Jaune to panic call Weiss. The fight proceeds like normal and Pyrrha is killed by Cinder, making her sacrifice seemingly in vain before Ruby, having enough with all this bullshit, Silver Eyes the fuck out of Cinder and the Dragon, turning the latter to stone and Cinder into a cripple.

Ending remains the same, but give a lot more emphasis on Ruby and Yang coping with the new change and the losses of their friends. One day, Jaune comes by and asks Ruby if she and Yang would like to accompany them to Mistral, figuring that Cinder came from there and that they’d be able to find some answers. Ruby, having had enough of moping around, leaves much to her father’s chagrin. Salem’s speech remains the same and we get two stingers, split by Divide and Cold. Divide’s credits would be for the Volume and Cold would be for all the animators who helped out during Volume 2.5 and a tribute to Monty. The first stinger is Qrow following RNJR in bird form, the second is Cinder, literally on the edge of death before the parasite Grimm begins to heal and nurture her. She’s furious that Ruby managed to hurt her and this negative emotion causes a Grimm to stalk her. She tries to sing to it, but her voice gives out a rasp.

Just as the Grimm is about to kill her, it gets killed by an unknown assailant, who just scoffs to Cinder. We don’t know who it is, but the shadow of a scorpion’s tail and the creepy voice pretty much gives those with foresight a good idea who he is: “Poor, poor little girl… Bit off more than you can chew, hmmm?” before cutting to black with him giggling.

DVD Extra

This would basically be an encore of Volume 2.5, where animators that nearly made the cut were invited to animate doubles and finals battles and even have a speculative RWBY vs. JNPR battle for ol’ time’s sake.

And that’s RWBY Volume 3 tweaked. Only two more left to go and they’re the most… interesting ones to tweak. Well, with this isolation, I might as well give a little bit of time to this…

[cadaverlee]

hold my heart gently (in your familiar hands)

Summary:  “ It’s a rare thing when Sinbad gets so sentimental, but he notices that being with Ja’far in these moments does something to him that he can’t quite describe. It’s different than when they were still young kids, adventuring the world in search of new things. Their relationship had evolved on a deeper level from everyone else, they’d learned each other inside and out - quite literally.”

or, the one where Sinbad more critically analyzes what it means to him to wake up with Ja’far in his arms

Title:  hold my heart gently (in your familiar hands)   Pairing: SinJa Prompt: n/a Rating: lemon-y fresh with a side of orange & feels A/N: Despite having the day off, my body still commanded me to be up at ass o’clock early :)))))) I wrote a fic instead of getting out of bed

also find me on AO3

The air is hot and heavy between them. Sounds of skin slapping together at a rhythmic pace and gasping, moaning breaths the only things heard. The celebration in the courtyard below ignored in favor of indulging in the pleasures of the skin which so rarely gets a chance to be enjoyed in the months past. Ja’far’s head is thrown back against the pillows, his arms locked around Sinbad and hands clutching for dear life, so tightly so that his nails are leaving red streaks in their wake. Sinbad has his hand under one of Ja’far’s knees and he lifts it’s a little higher to fit a little better and—

“God,” Ja’far moans, body quaking with such suddenly intense pleasure. “There, Sin, right there— fuck— please!”

Sinbad’s smirk is enough to make Ja’far moan out again, his golden eyes so intense and focused that Ja’far feels like he’s being drowned and burned at the same time and it’s wonderful. Sinbad holds Ja’far’s leg under his knee just so and shifts into a brutal pace. He’s leaning forward to lick and bite at the juncture between neck and shoulder while Ja’far is losing his mind below him, and honestly? He’s nearly losing his own mind to the sound, the smell, the feel of his most trusted advisor. His best friend. Dare he even say… his lover, at least in this moment.

Sinbad let’s himself fully go when Ja’far reaches up to grab a handful of purple hair and pulls, rather ruthlessly. Were he in a clearer state of mind he’d damn Ja’far for knowing one of his biggest turn ons. But as it is, Sinbad just loses himself in the entirety that is Ja’far, who’s a babbling, incoherent mess as of now and neither of them would have it any other way.

When Ja’far finally comes, his whole body is shuddering, toes curling, and Sinbad’s name falling from his lips in a drawn-out moan. Sinbad doesn’t last much longer, and he’s murmuring Ja’far’s own name like a prayer into his neck when he finally reaches his own orgasm. They’re quiet for a few minutes, breathing together. Sinbad let’s Ja’far’s leg drop and he’s running a soothing hand up and down his thigh while Ja’far is carding his fingers through what of Sinbad’s hair he can easiest reach without moving too much.

They share soft kisses after shifting onto their sides, feather light touches against each other’s skin, and quiet murmurs of affection. It’s like this for a while, until Sinbad deems it quite necessary to clean them up lest Ja’far be cranky in the morning. And even though the process only takes minutes, Ja’far wraps himself like a starfish around Sinbad once finished, nuzzling into his neck and has now made up his mind to not move for, at the very least, several hours. Sinbad doesn’t mind. He’s wrapped up just as tightly around Ja’far, playing with his white hair in a manner he knows Ja’far likes.

“Feel better?” Sinbad asks quietly, the baritone of his voice rumbling enough through his chest that Ja’far can feel it. Like the thunder always accompanying Baal’s lightning.

He makes a content sounding hum. “Much.” And, after a few minutes, adds, “I must admit, Sinbad, I think I quite love you.”

“Funny you should say that, because I was just thinking the same about you.”

Ja’far hums again, Sinbad picking up the tonal change to mean contemplation. He says, “You can think about things the way you do tomorrow. Relax now.”

“I am relaxed,” Ja’far replies, stifling a yawn against Sinbad’s skin. “I just… am very, very relaxed. And grateful. You always seem to know when I need this the most.”

“Give me some credit, Ja’far. I can be observant when I want to be.”

“When you want to be.”

Sinbad only sighs. But it’s light, and they’re both smiling. Ja’far can feel the calloused tips of Sinbad’s fingers trailing against his spine, up and down, up and down. The motion is lulling him further to the point where he catches himself blinking heavy and ready to doze. He feels more that sees Sinbad reaching for the top sheet, pulling it over them.

“You should sleep, Ja’far. I’ll be here when you wake.”

And they both know it’s true - because after nights like these, it’s usually Sinbad to wake first in the morning, letting Ja’far sleep as long as he wants. So Ja’far takes Sinbad’s advice and lets sleep pull him under, Sinbad following along soon after.

    In the morning, the air is warm and carrying the ever present scent of the sea. Ja’far has his back against Sinbad’s chest, his thick arms wrapped securely around Ja’far’s slighter body. Their legs tangled together under the top sheet. Sinbad is awake but hasn’t moved hardly any. He can hear the easy breaths of Ja’far in his arms, feel his heart beat slow from where they’re connected at the chest level. He nuzzles softly into the crown of Ja’far’s head and idly wonders if waking up with Ja’far like this every morning would be just as calm and lovely.

He quickly deduces that it would.

It’s a rare thing when Sinbad gets so sentimental, but he notices that being with Ja’far in these moments does something to him that he can’t quite describe. It’s different than when they were still young kids, adventuring the world in search of new things. Back then was nothing but camaraderie and everyone was sharing sleeping quarters with each other. They were close even then, when they vowed themselves to each other and Sinbad had promised to give Ja’far a life he’d never known or otherwise would’ve had. But now it was different. That vow had gone beyond simpler terms of brotherhood to… this. Sharing intimate space, feelings, and words. Their relationship had evolved on a deeper level from everyone else, they’d learned each other inside and out - quite literally. Even if it wasn’t all the time.

And Sinbad suddenly found himself wanting Ja’far like this every morning. To wake next to the person he… loved. He realized he craved Ja’far next to him in every sense of the meaning. Found he wanted his advisor more than any concubine or dancer. They couldn’t ever give him what he really needed, what he hungered for. They couldn’t ever understand him on a level that Ja’far did.

Sinbad is jarred from his thoughts at the light skimming of delicate fingers along his arm. He kisses the back of Ja’far’s head with a smile.

“I can hear you thinking all the way over here,” Ja’far says. And there it is again - even in his sleep, Ja’far knows Sinbad like the back of his hand.

“Mm, sorry to disturb you.” He drops another few kisses on the back of Ja’far’s head, nuzzling into his hair softly. Ja’far is contemplating his next words, Sinbad can feel it.

“You’re awfully… calm this morning.”

“Would you prefer me pounding you into the mattress again?”

Ja’far slaps an arm curled around his waist. “No-not… no.” He flushes at the deep laugh Sinbad gives in response.

“Stop it, you. What I meant was, you’re very handsy in the mornings. Always ready to touch and kiss the moment I’m awake. Or even before to see how far you can get before I do wake. You’re… very quiet today. Is everything alright?”

Sinbad loosens his arms to allow Ja’far to turn and look at him, green eyes seeing right through him like they’re wont to do. He feels strangely vulnerable when Ja’far looks at him like this, but it only makes him squirm a little. He’s also not one to hesitate when he’s made up his mind about something.

Sinbad says, “I love you,” and Ja’far only blinks and smiles.

“Sinbad, of course I-“

“No, Ja’far… I love you.”

And then it’s there, out in the open. He can’t say it any other way. Sinbad only hopes Ja’far understands because he’s certain he’ll fail at words at this point. But, from the changing expressions, from confusion all the way to the dawning of an understanding, he’s confident Ja’far is catching his drift.

And oh, Ja’far is. He sees his king’s feelings bared and written all over his face. He knows Sinbad isn’t joking, isn’t using one of his usual tactics to keep Ja’far in his bed for a while longer. The gravity of it all is quite real.

“Oh, Sinbad,” Ja’far says quietly. He’s petting at his hair now, smoothing purple locks to give him something to do with at least one of his hands. He doesn’t know what to say, which he can feel is more or less terrifying Sinbad from the way he’s tensing. Ja’far’s hand travels down along the skin of his arm and back up to his shoulder. Back and forth. He sighs, one that Sinbad knows is one of defeat — more or less. “You’re so unfair.”

“Don’t misunderstand, Ja’far — I don’t want this if you don’t.”

“No, no, heavens above. I do,” Ja’far says quickly, eyes looking back up to Sinbad’s from where they’d wandered. “It’s so… complicated. It’ll be so complicated. We have a kingdom to run, Sin.”

“I know, Ja’far, I know. But… we’ve managed to make everything else work. I know you’re not one for public announcements or displays… we can start like this.”

“Like… like this?” Ja’far gestures to their position. Sinbad smiles, which eases some of the mounting tension in them both.

“Exactly like this,” Sinbad says, leaning forward to kiss Ja’far gently. “Slowly. Waking up together every day. I want this between us more than I want to breathe, Ja’far. And because of that, I don’t want to move quicker than you’re comfortable with.”

“How thoughtful of you.”

“I can be. But also, I’ve been thinking—“

“That’s quite dangerous.”

“Shush,” Sinbad grumps, nipping at Ja’far’s cheek. “I’ve been thinking that I owe it to you to decide where we go with this and when. You’re always putting the work in for me, so let me take care of you on this end.”

Ja’far is awestruck for a good minute. And when he comes unfrozen from his shock, he smiles so warmly that it makes Sinbad smile, too.

“I can’t believe how grown up you’ve become,” Ja’far says. While teasing, Sinbad also knows the words to be genuinely heartfelt.

“I suppose I had to be someday. I think you’re already having a good effect on me.” They share a few warm kisses before Ja’far is speaking again.

“Mmm, glad I can always be of assistance. Speaking of which, we need to get out of bed. Its well past my usual start to the day and you have work to do as well.”

Sinbad whines. “But Ja’far!”

“No buts. You’re still king, and kings are still responsible for running their countries. Don’t expect me to start coddling you now - in fact, you should expect me to be harsher,” Ja’far says, tugging Sinbad’s hair when he makes to lean in for another kiss. More like a distraction, really, but Ja’far had seen it coming a mile away. Sinbad whines again.

“You’re so cruel, Ja’far.” Sinbad is pouting now, and Ja’far is untangling himself from his king.

“Yes, I suppose I am,” Ja’far says, picking his clothing up from the floor to dress. “But do remember that you wanted this.”

“Yes… yes I did.” Sinbad’s agreement is a bit of a surprise to Ja��far, who is nearly finished dressing now. Sinbad huffs and sits up, swinging his legs over the edge of the bed.

“Very well. In the future, however, I may need something more persuasive to get out of bed in a timely manner.” Sinbad smirks up at Ja’far, who has rounded the bed to stand in front of his king.

“Maybe,” Ja’far hums. “But don’t expect me to spoil you, Sinbad. I’ll sooner lock you in your office for a week than have you make us late every day.” He leans down to give Sinbad one final kiss before departing to do his usual duties.

Sinbad grins and says, “Well, I suppose I wouldn’t have it any other way.”

[aion-rsa]

Darkwing Duck and the Slow Building of the Disney Afternoon Universe

https://ift.tt/eA8V8J

This DuckTales article contains spoilers for the recent Darkwing Duck special.

The people behind the new DuckTales are massive fans of Darkwing Dark. You can’t deny it after the recent big “crossover” episode aired on Disney, which finally brought Darkwing and his extended cast fully into the story of DuckTales. It featured a deeply compelling story about Darkwing, Gosalyn, and Launchpad, furthered DuckTales‘ current story arc, AND tons of references, big and small, to Darkwing and the Disney Afternoon.

Putting together an episode like that is not easy so we had to sit down with DuckTales Co-Executive Producer Frank Angones and Executive Producer Matt Youngberg to discuss the genesis of the episode, how they adapted Darkwing’s tone to DuckTales, and what this all means for the future of the “Disney Afternoon Universe.”

Den of Geek: Would you say that all of the new DuckTales has been leading to this Darkwing Duck episode? It feels like everything that you’ve done, all these episodes, has led to this moment.

Matt Youngberg: We’ve always joked that DuckTales was Frank’s long game for Darkwing Duck. It was very early on that I knew that as much as Frank loved DuckTales, he loved Darkwing Duck. There’s a different level of love. We always knew Darkwing was going to be an important part of the series. That was established in the first season. It was important to be able to combine it with DuckTales in a way that was very natural and that came through Launchpad. 

Frank Angones: Everyone else is an incidental character building to this exact moment. You’ll never see the McDuck family again. It’s just this for the rest of the season. (laughs) No, no. Here’s the thing, DuckTales is a crown jewel. It’s a crown jewel of Disney Television Animation. It’s a crown jewel for Disney Scrooge and Carl Barks. Practically invented the adventure genre for the next 100 years. In season three we started talking a lot about legacy. Part of the legacy of DuckTales is the Disney Afternoon. That was the one that cracked it. Without DuckTales, you don’t get Darkwing and Rescue Rangers and Tailspin and Bonkers and all these other things. The idea of paying homage to that legacy by having these Disney Afternoon characters become more and more prevalent (in the new DuckTales.)

Also, just as we’ve gone through the season, we’ve been asking the question, who are you going to be from now on? What’s your next thing? As the family’s been adventuring together, they’re trying to figure it out, all the characters. We saw that with Lena. We saw that with Gyro. We saw that with Huey, we’ll see that with other characters coming up. 

This was the natural evolution. We always introduced Darkwing within the context of Launchpad and Launchpad was introduced as a huge fan of Darkwing Duck as a kid. Then he got to meet the actor playing Darkwing Duck and then he got to meet a different actor playing Darkwing Duck and went through all this meta nonsense. We could only do Darkwing at this point in time, as the evolution (of) Darkwing Duck is very much a part of Launchpad’s legacy as a character. It’s essentially him starting his own adventure family. That was really exciting. It was both a shockingly difficult and shockingly easy episode to write.

Frank, I remember you posting on Twitter way back when Darkwing first showed up in DuckTales about how you’ve had ideas how to combine Darkwing and DuckTales since you were a kid. Was this alternate reality plot part of that idea?

Frank: Yes and no. Here’s the thing, DuckTales was grounded in golden age pulp adventure type stuff, right? Darkwing was always grounded in silver age superheroes and the multiverse is a huge part of that, right? Within just the original Darkwing Duck show, there was the regular universe and the Negaverse and Darkwing had 20 different origin stories, depending on how Tad (Stones) was feeling that day. It became interesting to me as we were talking about the core story that I had, as we do with all things in DuckTales, is we want it to build these characters as three-dimensional characters based off of the things that we knew about them. Part of the thing that we knew about Darkwing was that he was an egomaniac. We were like, well, why is he an egomaniac? It’s like, oh, he was an actor. That made sense. 

I always said that the story of Darkwing Duck as a show is a story of a father, a daughter, and a Launchpad. It’s that family, it’s that trio. To explore in the last (DuckTales) episode that introduced Drake and his reasoning for wanting to become Darkwing is selfish. He wants to be the superhero that he was as a kid and have that legacy and so much of it as caught up in the catchphrases and the motorcycle with his face on it and all that kind of stuff. Then the question was okay, but who is this really for? That’s where we introduced the idea of Gosalyn.

This is the story of a girl who, it seems like she’s just out for herself and she’s learning how to trust other people. It’s the story of a girl becoming a hero and a hero becoming a dad and it speaks to what Darkwing’s legacy is going to be and also what Launchpad’s legacy is going to be.

You mentioned how this episode was both shockingly easy to put together but also hard in a lot of other ways. It’s an episode that could have so easily devolved into only references, or just becomes a Darkwing episode guest starring Dewey. What was the balancing act of making sure that this is still 2017 DuckTales, but also, we’re bringing in all these Darkwing elements as well?

Matt: I think a big key for that was setting it as our mid-season tentpole for DuckTales. That made it really clear that it needed to be a DuckTales episode because from this two-parter we really set up the rest of the season. That doesn’t mean that Darkwing and Gosalyn are the main reason for the second part of the season, it’s still DuckTales from here on out. They’ll pop up, but it had to be a DuckTales episode first, that was the main thing. Even if Darkwing and Gosalyn get more screen time, the reason for the existence of this episode needed to carry the story arc that we’d been working on for the first part of the season and then kind of give it that change up that pushes the narrative for the second part of the season. That was the main driver of the episode.

Frank: It makes sense within the larger context of the narrative of the season, not just in terms of legacy, but also in terms of all of these Disney Afternoon characters who keep popping up and forming this Disney Afternoon Universe that we’re trying to cultivate. Part of the challenge of it, on top of trying to do justice to the original Darkwing show and ‘Darkly Dawns the Duck,’ which is the single greatest written episode of Disney Television Afternoon content ever, is the challenge of making it a part of DuckTales and making Darkwing a character in DuckTales. Tonally DuckTales and Darkwing are actually very different, right? Darkwing is so slap sticky, fourth wall breaking, but still grounded and the thing they share is that notion of comedy at heart. We don’t do a ton of cartoon slapstick on DuckTales.

cnx.cmd.push(function() { cnx({ playerId: "106e33c0-3911-473c-b599-b1426db57530", }).render("0270c398a82f44f49c23c16122516796"); });

We do a lot with Donald because that’s part of his DNA. So we had to figure out what is cartoon slapstick and what are these stories within a DuckTales context? Matt was the one who stumbled upon, oh, he’s Jackie Chan. He gets punched and he gets two punches for every one he throws. He’s always overwhelmed and he’ll take a lot of pain, but he’ll keep fighting. You love to see him get hurt, but you want to see him win. That became a big part of, not just how do we introduce the narrative of Darkwing and those characters within the context of our show and to the larger Disney Afternoon Universe as a whole, but also how do we adjust the tone of that show to fit within the tone of our show, was a really interesting challenge.

DuckTales airs Mondays at 7 p.m. ET on Disney XD.

The post Darkwing Duck and the Slow Building of the Disney Afternoon Universe appeared first on Den of Geek.

from Den of Geek https://ift.tt/3dHmBwN

[racingtoaredlight]

Tone - Amps vs. Modeling...a guitarist’s perspective

Guitar.com: Right. With the actual tones that I’m hearing on this recording… I mean, you’ve got stuff that sounds like almost sitar-like and all kinds of things…

Henderson: That is a sitar.

Guitar.com: Oh, okay.

Henderson: That’s one of those Jerry Jones electric sitars.

Guitar.com: Oh, okay. Cool. And how are you recording these day?. Are you using amps and mics? Are you recording through plugins? What are you doing?

Henderson: Amps and mics, man. I’m old school. Marshalls turned way, way up.

Guitar.com: Oh, really?

Henderson: A 4×12 cabinet with Greenbacks and ’71 Marshall. I wouldn’t do it any other way, dude. I hate all that bullshit — that guitar modeling crap, man. That’s so much bullshit.

Guitar.com: Okay. So, you just crank way up in the studio to get that tone.

Henderson: Yeah, man. Like a real musician.

Guitar.com: Yeah.

Henderson: I’m sorry I’m so down on that stuff. I just hear it, and It’s just, you know… I’ve had that stuff over at my house, and I just can’t do a single thing with it — all that Axe-FX and all that stuff over at my house. It just sounds like a joke compared to a real cabinet with a mic in front of it.

But, I understand that some people can’t turn up loud at their house, and I get that. And, you know, for the purpose of laying down some tracks for commercial purposes, I totally can understand how you could fool people into thinking that it is a real amplifier, but there’s no way in hell I can get my tone out of a rig like that. I gotta have the real deal.

*h/t...witasick420 i still can’t believe i can’t spell his screen name after all these years

Link to original article.

Thoughts after the jump...

***

There have been few moments in my life where I’ve felt completely overwhelmed by technology to the point where I questioned whether I legitimately had a fighting chance.  That feeling of helplessness that you’ve lived your life to this point, and your worldview was in danger of being wiped clean.

Towards the end of last year, I started a new project with a guitarist I had just met.  We’d played music a little bit together, but it wasn’t until our first rehearsal with a drummer where I experienced this full force.  In terms of skill, we’re very complimentary...he prefers playing rhythm, and while he has good chops, I have extra gears that are suited for lead playing.

I was playing my uncle’s amp...a Dr. Z Maz 18 (that I’m currently in possession of now) that is unanimously considered as one of the finest point-to-point wired workhorses on the market, through a speaker cabinet with 2 10″ very high-quality speakers.  He brought his Line 6 Helix, the guts of which are the 2nd image at the top, and ran it through the PA.

It was such an unmitigated beatdown, I legitimately had thoughts that all my time spent practicing was a waste, because with the Helix modeler unit, it gave you such a tonal world at your fingertips, it legitimately made up for a massive amount of real estate that skill usually had to occupy.

And I’m not saying that as some kind of slam, rather appreciating just how impressive and comprehensively brilliant a tool like the Helix is.  Immediately...and I am about to criticize it in a second...I knew that things like tube amps and the world of electric guitar that I love would be irreversibly marching towards obsolescence.

That’s how powerful it was experiencing one of these new modeling platforms...that was tuned up by someone who knew what they were doing and spent the hours programming it...after about a two and a half hour rehearsal.

***

BUT...

***

Then I played it.

***

As impressive as the unit was on the sidelines, it was missing a single critical element.  Something that you cannot objectify or put in marketing material or...honestly...explain, without having someone experience it for themselves first hand.

***

The reason that, after this and subsequent rehearsals, I remain fully committed to tube amps is because I’m a romantic.  After that first rehearsal, I didn’t need any more evidence...it slapped me in the face for 150 minutes.

AS AN AUDIENCE MEMBER...

I could not ignore how powerful a modeler is for making the end product.  When I had no physical connection to the thing...even with a great rig behind me...the evidence was impossible to ignore.  These things crank out studio quality sound...the Henderson interview was from 2015, these things today are quantum leaps beyond what was around back then...right there no matter if you’re gigging or in the studio or at home.  It’s easier to get a consistent, high-quality sound live.  It fits in a fucking backpack!

But I don’t give a shit about the audience.  I don’t play music for other people...that’s what professionals do...I play for myself and my enjoyment, first and foremost.  And, all this theory nonsense and OCD over equipment...it’s all a quixotic quest to find the combinations of notes and tones that get my entire body covered in goosebumps.

And modelers...as of right now...do not do that.

***

If there’s one aspect of music that I hope you all understand, that I’ve been beating you over the heads with for years, it’s that music is a physical being.

If you ignore this aspect of music, you are missing out on the aspect of what has made it such a strangely important part of global culture.  Those sensations you get from listening to music...it’s not the subject matter or the theory or subjective qualities of tone...it’s the acoustic signal created by a vibration being amplified and projected to your eardrums, where that signal is sent to your brain for processing.

And, no matter what emotional response you have to the word “artificial,” a modeler’s tone is legitimately artificial.  It’s digitally recreated.  While I can say that this doesn’t mean it’s worse, if I have a guitar in my hand it’s an entirely different story.

***

If music is in the hands of patrons and the audience...i.e. commercial purposes...who really cares about organic stuff?  Lets not pretend that music has any sanctity left over in Western culture that hasn’t been exploited and grotesquely copied.

But musicians playing music that they actually love and enjoy is a different story.  The stuff musicians actually have a passion for.  The shit they work to create themselves, for free, because that’s how nature wired them...

Here’s a great article about what went down in a semi-famous test where a bunch of Stradivarius and Gesu violins were tested against great modern examples.  

This study certainly doesn't tell us what happens between a player and a fiddle over a long-term relationship, and this is an important factor. Even over the course of this short testing situation, people's opinions changed and evolved. It's sort of like dating; that chemistry on the first date could be the prelude to a blissful, 40-year union. Or, on the third or fourth date, you could begin discovering that your new beau has unbearably bad breath, hates classical music and just wants to watch re-runs of the "Dukes of Hazzard" and listen to Asia.

***

The Helix is impressive for a number of non-digital reasons...things like touch sensitivity and replicating the natural dynamic response of tubes...but that missing ingredient I’ve been alluding to this entire time is a “feel.”

There’s a feel to tube amps that’s organic.  It might be an electrically produced signal, but the signal is organic and intact throughout the signal chain.  It’s never recreated by a digital processing board or run through a filter more advanced than a small bit of oil in a paper cap.  While it’s an electric signal, the guitar through a tube amp is very similar to a human’s voice...but that organic nature is diminished when the signal is digitally reprocessed.

The easiest way I can explain this is the difference between having sex with a condom (modeler) and without a condom (amp).

*just kidding kids, practice safe sex

[talbottoalam]

Mini-Research Paper

Photographer: Lauren Semivan

Website: https://www.laurensemivan.com/

Bodies of Work: 1) Observatory, and 2) Pitch

Photography, much like music, employs rhythm, repetition, harmony, and dissonance to evoke emotion. Lauren Semivan’s early background in music is a defining factor in both how she practices photography and her work itself. When asked about her practice in an interview for Thoughts on Photography, she said “I always feel like I have to work on my own even if I don’t necessarily feel like working. I know that if I let it go for too long, it’ll be worse to pick it up again when you’ve had too much of a break.” (McGuckin, 22:03-23:35) This kind of discipline is characteristic of musicians whose quality of performance relies heavily on consistent practice and muscle training. Although Lauren Semivan’s bodies of work Observatory and Pitch are supposed to depict two separate ideas, they are much like the lyrics and instrumental, respectively, of the same song. The lyrics offer a cerebral pleasure while the instrumental offers a visceral one. And through lyrics, the artist’s meaning is definable, but through instrumental it is not and only the artist knows the personal meaning.

Both Observatory and Pitch are entirely photographed in Semivan’s home, in her Detroit studio against a single wall which she dresses for each shot. She searches for, and collects the props and backdrop materials that speak to her with the intention of photographing them, and discovering why they spoke to her.  She does not merely rely on what she already owns. The backdrops of both bodies of work are composed with charcoal, paint, strings, wire and fabrics. Semivan always shoots on a large format tripod-mounted camera with black and white film, and she uses the silver gelatin process (Nawrocki). Her method of working tends to be uniform through all her bodies of work. She prefers the physical manipulation and choreography of a photograph to that of the digital, i.e. photoshop. She compiles photos by selecting the ones that evoke an immediate visceral reaction for her (Sam, “Ambiguous Photographs”). The aesthetic of her work changes gradually, if at all. Pitch, according to Jordan G. Teicher’s review is a “logical and confident expansion” of the “gloomy tonality and otherworldliness” of Observatory.

                                        July 1, 2013 © Benrubi Gallery 

Observatory (2009-2013) is a series of photographs, inspired by Semivan’s dreams, through which she examines a “tension that exists between irrational and physical worlds” (Semivan, Benrubi Gallery). Much like a dream, this series has an ephemeral and surreal quality to it. While some objects remain realistic, they are out of context and defy the natural rules of our universe: In July (2013), Semivan creates the illusion of cabbage leaves blowing in the wind like dandelion spores by painting short sweeping horizontal lines on the wall and lifting her skirt, perhaps using a fan out of frame; Then in Ink (2013), she photographs ink that has the consistency of chowder in a bowl that is adequately deep for soup. Any meaning or function originally assigned to the cabbage and ink must be reconsidered with regards to the bizarre and unfamiliar rules of this dream world. Further supporting individual interpretation, the titles of these photographs are largely literal, typically referencing the month that it was taken or a prop featured in it. 

                                          Ink, 2013 © Benrubi Gallery

Overall, the photographs are well-lit and many of the props allude to light, or contribute to the illusion of light, namely the lamp, mirrors, and photographs. Another category of props is natural objects: dried plants, wishbones, lemons and a fox fur pelt. The human element in this series is a notable and grounding factor: Semivan herself serves as a prop intermittently. Her presence adds a whimsical tone. In Sentinel (2012), she engages with a photo of a toy plane model with the physical rendition directly in front of her. This is the only photo within the series in which her face is visible although it’s only enough to express her undivided attention. Conversely, in both Black and White Rabbits (2008) and The Swan (2010), Semivan hides her face with random animal-related art as if she were playing peek-a-boo with herself. With her face and chest hidden, she could very well pass for a little girl. 

                                    Sentinel, 2012 © Benrubi Gallery 

                       Black and White Rabbits, 2008 © Benrubi Gallery

                                   The Swan, 2010 © Benrubi Gallery

The main goal of Pitch (2014-2017) , according to Semivan’s artistic statement, is to explore her relationship to photography as a “door into the dark” or a “tool for escape and an instrument for self-knowledge.” This body of work is more abstract than its predecessor Observatory and its name inherently lends it to abstraction. Pitch has various definitions, including “the blackness of night in winter,” “the height and angle of a roof,” “a steep mountain standing at an immeasurable distance,” and “the frequency of sound” (Teicher, “Pitch at Benrubi”). The titles of the photographs are predominantly non-literal, but the content is so undefinable it renders them useless. Take Glacier 2 (2017), nothing within the photo resembles ice, frigidness, or global warming. The lighting in this body of work is much darker, as is the tone. The space in front of the wall is mostly empty. The black paint on the walls is overwhelming, and makes the space ostensibly smaller. For the compositions in Pitch, Semivan relies more on the backdrop and sparsely uses props. 

                                       Glacier 2, 2017 © Benrubi Gallery

                                   Pendulum, 2015 © Benrubi Gallery

The photos in both series are shot straight-on, but the photos in Pitch feel flat and it is harder to gauge the space, it’s almost as if the wall is never-ending. Pendulum (2015) is composed with a unique arrangement of string, wire, fabric and dried flowers but none of it seems to move above the frame so there is no suggestion of something suspended from the ceiling. Observatory feels more dimensional because the furniture and Semivan’s figure make it easier to envision where the floor and ceiling might be; the beginning and end. In Pitch, we do not see Semivan’s face at all, or any face. We merely get to see the back of her head which is only slightly more personal than a mop head. She does not linger and inhabit the space whimsically, rather it feels like the space is a force by which she is rejected. In The Plumb Line (2014), it looks as if this force has slapped her across the face with great theatricality. She holds on tightly to the fabric in Augustine (2015), nearly wrapping her whole body around it, but ultimately this force steals her away.

                           The Plumb Line, 2014 © Benrubi Gallery 

                                   Augustine, 2015 © Benrubi Gallery 

Personally speaking, I am drawn to Lauren Semivan’s artistic vision. I appreciate the discipline with which she dresses and undresses her studio wall and the variety of photos she is able to create within this one space. As a writer, I share her philosophy that imposed limitations force an artist to be exceptionally creative. I respond to Observatory because of its human element and charming props. The concept of this adult woman playing in her mind’s playground, physically manifested in front of her, is more telling of Semivan’s relationship to photography than her abstract attempt to represent it in Pitch. It’s ironic to me that she considers it a more personal body of work than Observatory and perhaps it is but it doesn’t feel as vulnerable. The photographs in Pitch are “postcards from a strange, subconscious universe of her own design” (Teicher, “Pitch at Benrubi”). They are postcards, not an entry or invitation. Semivan wields increased control over her work by taking away familiar props and using less of herself in the photographs. At best, this body of work speaks to a comfort within a medium and willingness to take risks and at worst, it reflects an artist’s need for control and unwillingness to be vulnerable.

 Works Cited

“About.” Lauren Semivan, www.laurensemivan.com/about.

DeGalan, Clara. “Lauren Semivan @ David Klein Gallery.” 23 Feb. 2018.

Nawrocki, Dennis A. “81 Lauren Semivan.” Essay'd III: 30 Detroit Artists, 2017.

Sam, Laura. “Lauren Semivan - Ambiguous Photographs.” Metal, 2020, metalmagazine.eu/en/post/interview/lauren-semivan-ambiguous-photographs.

Teicher, Jordan G. “Lauren Semivan: Pitch at Benrubi Gallery.” Photograph Magazine, 2017.

-Claudia Wasielewska