#there are also cringey parts of star wars

[phoenixkaptain]

FNAF is so intriguing because it has the duality I crave in all media I consume…

It has murder. Horror. Large beasts with rows and rows of sharp teeth and claws. A fundamentally tragic story underlining everything, a story about loss and vengeance and trying and failing. There are legitimately horrifying ideas and scenes. There are scenes that send shivers down your spine and there are images that are brutal and the entire experience is set up to unnerve you, to make you uneasy. It does this so well. From the ambient noises to the music, the whole thing is primed to maks you uncomfortable, even if you never get jumpscared once. It’s fear of the unknown, fear of what you can imagine, fear of what your mind chooses to fill in the gaps with…

But also! Freddy has a cute lil tophat! Foxy as he’s trying to sneak out of Pirate’s Cove is so funny! Shadow Bonnie appears in Ultimate Custom Night just to turn off the lights and smile at you for ten seconds! Over half the known characters (who are not animatronics) are British people living in Utah (of all the places)! Helpy exists! Mr. Hippo rambles! Happy Frog!!! The literal trash! The jar of pickles!! Old man consequences, just a weird-lookin guy (is he an alligator? What’s up with he face?) fishin in the depths.

And that’s just stuff that happened before even the VR game came out! This game series is insane, man, it’s nuts, it’s absolutely wild, it always has been, the murderer is literally a yellow bunny, like, come on, that’s objectively hilarious, he’s killed by his own hubris and stuck in a rabbit costume for the rest of his life and his afterlife. He has to deal with DeeDee singing “How un-for-tu-nate~!” for the rest of eternity, that’s so fucking funny, dude.

It also has the added benefit of making people so upset because people decide to spend time debating the gender of robots. Like??? It’s so funny. “Bonnie’s a girl! Mangle’s a boy! Mangle’s a girl! Funtime Foxy is a girl!” My darling, none of them have genders, they are robots. We only perceive them as gendered because of a long history of contributing certain physical traits to an outdated binary system of gender. Why must the robots have gender? They don’t have to. They are robots. But by God, the discourse is funny.

The series is funny. The Nightmare Animatronics are comically terrifying. Bonnie doesn’t abide by the laws of physics. The Puppet’s walk-cycle in VR is a thing that really exists. FNAF World is adorable and I want to give all of the cutesy animatronics a hug. Mangle is absurdly huggable for a mess of wires. Michael literally became a flesh suit, regurgitated the endo-skeleton living inside of his body (one of the ghosts within being his own fucking sister), then just gets back up. “Father, I should be dead. Pretty sure that should have killed me. Convinced that most people would have died from this experience. Really, it’s a feat of scientific marvel that I’m still alive, if you think about it.”

William Afton, stuck in a bunny suit behind a wall, listening as the perfect test subject for research on remnant is just standing there, talking about how weird it is that he’s alive (“and purple, Father, I didn’t know- I kind of look like a blueberry”): “This is why I kill children.”

FNAF is so fucking funny and terrifying and tragic and funny, again, all at once, and the time-traveling ballpit is only a small part of that hilarity.

[david-talks-sw]

An allergy to the Prequels

While I'm putting together a post about the evolution Lucasfilm's transmedia strategies, this part kinda turned into its own thing!

So I'm not sure if anyone else noticed, but, uh... there hasn't been that much Prequel content since the Disney sale, right?

'Couple novels and comics, some episodes... but nothing meaningful.

The more I look into it, the more it feels like a deliberate avoidance to touch on anything Prequel-related - beyond the required quota, that is - to a point where they'd rather tell stories set during periods that are Prequel-adjacent (Dark Times, High Republic) than something set around Episodes I, II and III.

On-screen policy: "pretend they never happened"

I mean, this one's no secret. When The Force Awakens had been announced, with J.J. Abrams at the helm, everyone sighed in relief. "Finally, George Lucas won't keep ruining the franchise."

When Abrams had been announced as the director of Episode VII, I remember this cringey animated video started circulating online, titled "4 Rules To Make Star Wars Great Again" or "Dear JJ Abrams":

“Star Wars isn’t shiny and clean... Star Wars is a western.”

If you ask me, those two things are not mutually exclusive.

'Cause Star Wars has always been both, for many Prequel kids. Both clean and dusty, Coruscant and Tatooine. There was never a disconnect between the Original Trilogy (OT) and the Prequel Trilogy.

Even the documentary The People vs George Lucas shows Prequel-hating fans begrudgingly admit their kids felt all six episodes tied seamlessly.

Abrams, on the other hand, said: "I think [the "Dear JJ" video] was right on." Later on, he also said:

he considered "putting Jar Jar Binks's bones in the desert" on Jakku, somewhere, and

he intentionally made the lightsaber fights "rougher", "primitive" and "more powerful" unlike the fast-paced ones in the Prequels.

Later, we found out he wanted to blow up Coruscant.

It's clear he wasn't a big fan of the Prequels.

But y'know what? Not many fans over 20 were, at the time. And when The Force Awakens came out, most them celebrated it as a wonderful love letter to the OT.

Star Wars is cool again. Mission accomplished 🙌 !

However movies keep coming out, and references to the Prequels - if there are any - are literally just that... references.

Sometimes in the shape of a cameo ("hey look, Genevieve O'Reilly from the Ep. III deleted scenes is playing Mon Mothma again!")

Sometimes in a name (Luke name-dropped "Darth Sidious"!)

But nothing set during the Prequel era, and nothing treating the events that happened in that period as relevant or impactful, beyond subtextual nods.

In fact, the trend of avoiding anything Prequel-related continues as the final film in the Skywalker Saga comes out:

The Rise of Skywalker has a secret Sith society that chants the name "Palpatine" instead of his Sith name "Darth Sidious",

the film pretends the Kaminoans never existed,

and neither TROS nor Trevorrow's Duel of the Fates script even try to bring Hayden Christensen's Anakin Skywalker back on screen. Let that sink in, we're talking about the Chosen One, Skywalker Senior, whose sins caused this whole mess... and his name isn't even uttered once in the final chapter of what Disney dubbed the *Skywalker* Saga (or the entire Sequel trilogy, for that matter).

But hey, The Clone Wars got renewed for one last Season! That's cool right? So many stories had gone unfinished and somehow the animation looks even better than befo--

-- oh. It's not 22 episodes? Only 12?

Four of which had already been shown to us, but hey! We need to set-up the Bad Batch series, so let's shoehorn those episodes in there, and forget Son of Dathomir, Dark Disciple or Crystal Crisis.

*sigh* Better than nothing, I guess.

In other mediums: "just not a priority"

Now this is something that I'll explore more in the transmedia post (and purely my interpretation), but the noticeable change between Lucasfilm's transmedia strategy *post-ROTS* and the one post-Disney sale is that:

Before, the games, comics and novels were the main content. After all, Revenge of the Sith had been released, so that was it, for the movies. Thus, a variety of other content was being cranked out to keep the Star Wars franchise relevant. There were comics set 100 years after Episode 6, comics set 25,000 years prior, games set in the Old Republic era, other stories in the New Republic era, novels galore, a couple of parody films and an animated show, The Clone Wars, which sometimes received its own tie-in comics, novels and games.

After the sale and ever since, most of the transmedia products have had only one goal: promoting the films & streaming shows.

So while in 2015 you won't see an abundance of Prequel content... you'll see an avalanche of OT books and comics come out.

Why? Because the heroes of that era will be in the Sequel Trilogy movies. It provided context to the kids who hadn't seen the OT yet, and reintroduced those films to a new generation of fans, while priming them for the Sequels.

A multimedia marketing strategy that ultimately proved successful.

However, it continued even after The Force Awakens came out.

Don't believe me? Compare how many comics there have been set during the Prequel era vs the OT era.

If they make comics about the Prequels, they're limited runs.

Case in point: before the current Yoda series, the best any Disney Prequel-set comic series ever got was 6 issues.

Note: it's worth pointing out that the frequency of mini-series aren't just a Star Wars-specific thing, it's a comic book industry thing. The readership for comics is dwindling, many people are reading scans online, and so no publisher wants to commit to a story that lasts more than 4-6 issues. My problem is: there absolutely would be readership for a Prequel comic series to warrant an extended run instead of a mini-series.

Let's talk books. There have been give or 64 canon novels published since the Disney sale.

Only 11 of them are set during the Prequel era. And even those stories only came out when the planets were aligned.

Almost half of them were released while being a part of some bigger multimedia push.

Example:

Before the Obi-Wan Kenobi series was being released on Disney Plus, we'd had one novel and like two comic stories about him during the Prequels... released between 2012 and end 2021. That's about three pieces of content in almost ten years.

Clearly a low frequency.

Then, when the series is around the corner, two books and a comic story comes out in the space of months, plus an anthology book with an alt cover with his face on it and a comic with a story of him and Anakin in the first issue, all in 2022.

My takeaway: short of there being a film or series that needs to be promoted, you'll rarely get any Prequel comics or books.

And this is OBI-WAN we're talking about. The character who even the Prequel haters love. Imagine how little attention the other ones get.

Gaming-wise, Battlefront had no Prequel content at all (again, 2015 was the year where OT content was shoved down the consumer's throats to prep them for Episode VII), and Battlefront 2 only released Prequel content a full year later.

All that being said, we did seen some Prequel elements here and there. After all, some actors got to reprise their roles, books and comics came out featuring Prequel characters... but there's a catch.

The stories they appear in are set in-between Episodes III and IV, a time-period known as "the Dark Times" or the "Imperial era".

"Dark Times" being used instead of the Prequel era

It's easy to see the appeal of this era. You keep the same threat from the Original Trilogy - the Empire - but redress it with Prequel elements... while also cherry-picking the best characters of both the OT and the Prequels and giving them a chance to shine again.

The situation is more clear cut, as opposed to the complex one in the Prequels. Bad guys are stormtroopers, good guys are anyone else. And the stories no longer take place in the shiny capital, you're back on the frontier.

But at this point... it feels like a cop-out.

When you consider how much content has been set during the Dark Times, it's nothing to sneeze at. Since the sale, we've had:

2 movies (Solo, Rogue One)

4 series set in that time-period (namely The Bad Batch, Obi-Wan Kenobi, Andor, and Star Wars: Rebels).

2 video-games (Jedi: Fallen Order and Jedi: Survivor).

17 novels (such as Ahsoka, Lords of the Sith, the new Thrawn books, etc)

And just a whole bunch of comic book series & mini-series (like Kanan, Princess Leia, various Vader-centric comics including Darth Vader: Lord of the Sith, many tie-in mini-series promoting Rogue One, Jedi: Fallen Order, Obi-Wan Kenobi, etc).

There's been so much content made for this time-period that it feels like an unwillingness to do the work and create something set something during the Prequel era, let alone something that follows its Jedi.

After all, why make a story set in the Prequels (disliked by vocal fans) when you can just take the characters in that story and put them in an OT setting (which will appease the Prequel-haters)?

Maybe these stories get relegated to the Dark Times because:

there seems to be a perception that anything set in the Prequel era won't sell?

or maybe the current SW writers weren't fond of Episodes I, II and III, and don't find those Jedi characters likable, thinking they're too righteous and dogmatic which makes it hard to craft a story around them.

Or maybe it's because they're under the impression that the Prequel Jedi are bad. Like, canonically, in the narrative. Not just in a "I don't like them" sense, but also in a "the story is all about them becoming corrupted" sense.

Let's expand on that last point.

Retconning the Prequels as the "Fall of the Jedi" era

Somehow the rare stories set during the Prequels that we do get seem to automatically be about how "the Jedi lost their way/failed".

The series Tales of the Jedi is explicit about it...

... and I already explained why it contradicts what George Lucas established here and here.

You also see it in Rebels and the new season of The Clone Wars...

... in comics...

... in games...

It gets to a point where the Prequels era has now been redubbed the "Fall of the Jedi" era by Lucasfilm.

You wanna know what that period was referred to before the Disney sale? The "Rise of the Empire" Era.

Because - and I'll never get tired of saying this cuz it's factual - the Prequels aren't about the fall of the Jedi, they're about the fall of the Republic and Anakin, and rise of the Empire and Vader.

So in addition to being overdone, the "Jedi lost their way" is not even the intended narrative of the Prequels (if one puts any stock in Lucas' words). It's a minor subplot at best, hardly the focus of the films, let alone a whole time period.

But dubbing it "Fall of the Jedi" implies that there's another era in which the Jedi were in their heyday.

Because Star Wars authors are in luck! Yet another alternative has presented itself in the shape of a new transmedia initiative, and it's even better than the "let's set it during the Dark Times" solution:

A new transmedia initiative: The High Republic

You wanna deal with the Jedi before the Empire, but for some reason you wanna avoid dealing with the ones seen in the Prequels?

Look no further. Meet the Jedi of the High Republic.

Noble, adventurous, inspired by the Knights of the Round Table, they're everything the OT kids dreamed about when they heard ol' Ben Kenobi talk about the Knights of the Old Republic.

That's more like it!

Note: the High Republic was created for other reasons and has many more upsides than the ones mentioned above. Namely, a fresh new spot in the timeline that allows for creative freedom and a beautifully-coordinated transmedia storytelling effort where retcons are non-existent. However it does seem evident that not having to deal with the 'unlikable' Prequel Jedi and their "fall" is one of those upsides.

Another perk that the High Republic era offers is more freedom in terms of storytelling compared to the Prequels.

In 2016, Pablo Hidalgo tweeted he still quotes to authors the following excerpt of West End Games' guide for aspiring Star Wars writers, from 1994.

You can't write "this was the best day in Luke Skywalker's life", for example, because another author may want to write a better day than the one you just wrote.

My guess is that a similar approach applies to how all characters from the movies are treated. They're massively iconic. So you can't write a book that drastically changes how Mace or Yoda or Obi-Wan are perceived overall.

The stories need to be self-contained, disregardable if necessary, because you'll have dozens of writers coming up with new stories for those same characters, and you need to leave them some room.

Examples:

Notice how in the book Dooku: Jedi Lost we never see how Dooku turns to the Dark Side and joins the Sith.

Same goes for crossover comic book arcs of the Star Wars issues, like Vader Down or Crimson Reign... the characters don't really change by much in those comics. You could stick to just watching the movies and you wouldn't really miss anything.

But with The High Republic, you indeed can develop these characters as much as you want.

All stories featuring Avar Kriss leave an impact on her, you can nail down who she is perfectly in one book or one comic arc, both being just as meaningful to her character.

The fact that she's not as iconic/famous a character as Mace Windu means that authors can go to town on crafting an interesting and nuanced character arc for her that'll have a beginning, middle and end... something Mace will never really get.

CONCLUSION:

Back in 2015... let's not kid ourselves. The Prequels were unpopular and Disney is a multi-billion dollar corporation. Opting to make as much money as possible is what they do.

It's the same reason they decided not to go with George Lucas' original plans for the Sequels, in 2012.

I mean, imagine you're Disney. You just dropped 4 billion dollars, with a B, on this franchise. Your next Star Wars movie needs to be worth the price tag. Now, you can pick between two options:

Option #1 is uncharted territory and it explores the midi-chlorians (the cursed word…!) and the guy who presented you with this option also openly admits that a big chunk of customers won’t like it, but he wants this to be done because it’s his vision.

Option #2 is very simple: a soft reboot, that plays on nostalgia that the same chunk of customers (aka the 'boomer and Gen-X fans who grew up with the Original Trilogy and now have kids, grandkids and MONEY) will like.

It's a no-brainer. They gave the customers what they wanted.

But time has passed, the fans who were children when the Prequels first came out have grown up, and grew up with characters like Yoda, Mace, Plo Koon, Kit Fisto and other Jedi as their heroes, aside from main characters like Anakin and Obi-Wan and Ahsoka.

Can we maybe expand on them, flesh them out more?

No, let's either ignoring the storytelling potential of these characters or reducing it to them being "righteous, arrogant and dogmatic".

God forbid we get a story showing the Prequel Jedi in a *gasp* more positive light? One where their POV is more understandable, instead of the same old "we brought this on ourselves" storyline.

There's a whole decade between The Phantom Menace and Attack of the Clones... you're telling me there's no space to show us Anakin's training and how he formed bonds with the Jedi we later see in The Clone Wars? I tried my hand at it here:

Interesting or fun Prequel-set ideas from other pro-Jedi fans on Tumblr can be found here, here and here.

And y'know, part of the Star Wars intent is for fans to take the ideas in the movies and come up with their own stories. You're supposed to create headcanons.

What I'm saying is fans of the Prequels are being given less "imagination food" than the rest, and many of us who like the Jedi in particular are forced to rely on headcanons only. "Better than nothing" is no longer an acceptable standard.

There's a range of recognizable Jedi characters that have already been established in films and TCW, can we maybe expand on them, flesh them out more, instead of whole new ones?

[ghostedgrim]

Fandom Etiquette

It has come to my attention that today's fandoms just keep turning toxic, getting created and ruined within a week, and the etiquette we used to follow like law is vanishing. More and more people, especially minors, are joining fandoms, and they don't know the etiquette or unofficial rules that we once went by.

These "rules" are merely what I have observed through the years.

1) Understand what a fandom is- A fandom is a SAFE SPACE where people can talk about a show/movie/game/book + characters within it that they like. It is a space where people can be free to make headcannons, self-inserts, ocs, memes, shit posts, create and share theories, create fanart and fanfics.

2)Respect - If you don't want something happening to you, then don't do it to others. More directly: don't hate on other people for their preferences of reading, writing, and characters they like. So if someone likes character A because of __ but you like character B, that doesn't give you the right of hating on the other person fit liking character A. If a person sets a boundary: "I won't write _ _ and _," then don't push them to write it.

✨️Jingle Jingle ✨️sparkles✨️lemme keep your attention✨️✨️✨️✨️✨️✨️✨️✨️✨️✨️

3) Creators of a fandom (people who created the characters, movie, book etc that you like).- If they request something, respect it. "Please don't sexulize this character" so don't sexualize them. Do not force a creator into a fandom, don't be sending them fanart, graphic contents, threats to get a specific ship you want, etc. They are a person, treat them like one, if they want to be in the fandom and interact with it they will do it in their own time, don't force them.

4) 18+ spaces! 🔞- Now minors, I NEED you to understand this part. A person with 18+, 🔞 or MDNI (minors do not interact), don't interact ESSPECALLY if it's a group chat, discord, and/or rolepay. I emphasize this FOR YOUR SAFETY! As a minor, you can easily get groomed, no matter how safe it seems adult predators are there and will make you feel like they are the safest person to be around before they attack (I did an essay on this just a few months ago, trust me it's bad). Some people make an 18+ space because they fear a they cannot prevent a predator from going after minors who enter that space (predators will often be your friend before they attacked via grooming).

5) 18+ pt2- Many people create an 18+ space so they can talk about more adult related topics, or simply because they find it easier to talk to people their age when speaking about fandom related topics. Also it's weird being like 20 and agreeing with a 12 y/o that a character is hot, it's extremely uncomfortable for us adults when we realize we're having that conversation with a kid.

⚠️NEVER PRETEND TO BE 18+ IF YOU'RE UNDER 18 BECAUSE THEN THE ADULT YOU'RE TALKING TO WILL NOT REALIZE YOU'RE A MINOR, YALL TALK ABOUT ADULT CONTENT, MOM/DAD CATCHES YOU AND THEN THE INNOCENT ADULT GOES TO JAIL AND/OR BECOMES A REGISTERED CHILD PREDATOR!!⚠️

6) MDNI and 18+ tags!- These are warnings that a topic in a post is NOT CHILD FRIENDLY!! Also us adults can get in trouble if a child interacts with our 18+ content- a parent could see, report us, get us banned and possibly worse scenarios depending on the situation. Also adults don't want children reading 🌽, graphic violence etc.

✨️✨️💥✨️✨️stay with me now✨️✨️💥✨️✨️

7) Shit posts💕- I have not seen them in ages and I miss them. A shit post is just a funny, likely cringey thing you make at like 3am. They're funny, stupid, meant to make everyone laugh and cringe, they're not meant to be pretty. It can be headcannons like "Thrawn from star wars sucks at painting that's why he only admires art!!" Or self insert x character doing something stupid. Crack fics are some of the funniest things because you can read it and wonder if the person who made it was high in that moment. They're like memes.

8) Self Insert OCs- Idc if you hate them because guess what, a person has a right to create them, Hell a person has every right to make a fanfic with them. Yes, you're allowed to feel distaste when you see them, but don't give hate, it's stupid to hate on something so harmless. I got maladaptive daydreaming, and while it may be boring in a fanfic, I find may daydreams much more entertaining when I have powers and a backstory that's fictional.

9) Warnings- Put warnings on your post if it contains; violence, sa, abuse, sh, sickness, vomiting, and any other possibily triggering thing even I'd it seems stupid put the warning there please ✨️

10) Pro-shipping- If you do this you're not welcome, and leave the fandom. For those who don't know, these people support minor x adult ships, incest ships, dad/mother x their child ship, abuser x victim ships and likely sa ships too. There is no excuse, if you support them, make art, fanfics, headcannons, get out and leave the fandom. If you're so desperate for it then go make a bot for it on character ai. 👋 bye

10.5) If you make headcannons or stories romanticizing a character 🍇ing, and or sa and or abusing y/n, or another character you ship them with (especially if it's a minor x adult 🤢), get tf out. If you romanticize yourself sa, 🍇ing and/or abusing a character (especially if it's a minor) get tf out. LEAVE THE FANDOM

✨️Almost done, just a little further my friends✨️💕

11) Help support the people writing fanfics, writing isn't always easy, so leave the author a comment or preferably reblog it, it helps motivate them to write and keeps the fandom alive

12) Don't be toxic, it kills a fandom. Unless a person's opinions or creations are harmful just leave them alone if you don't like it.

13) Don't glorify Ai art, all the faces and smiles look identical babe, go for art created by a person. 100%

14) Don't whitewash

15) be inclusive

✨️ If you wanna read a story with multiple chapters you can find them on whattpad and Ao3. Ao3 is better at filtering out unwanted content and finding certain content you want. Tumblr fanfics are mostly oneshots, but multiple chapter stories do exist.✨️

16) Give support to authors writing multiple chapter stories bc those are hard af to make! Support via: Tumbler: reblog and comment. Ao3: kudos and comment. Whattpad: comment, and vote for it.

17) SUPPORT FANART ARTISTS! With Ai their motivation to create has weakened. Fancfictions and fanart are both vital in keeping fandoms alive, and artists are do much better at art than Ai. And we love the little comics the artists make, so give em some love

18) Cosplay- we all have to start somewhere and cosplay is expensive af. So support rather than critisize, and provide tips to help them (where to find affordable good materials, how to sew, good glues etc)

19) Writing is hard, some people like me are dyslexic and not everyone has English as their native language, ontop of that with grammarly (Ai based autocorrect) it's harder to notice mistakes and the autocorrect will also make incorrect corrections.

You made it!!!! I'm proud!!! Feel free to reblog, comment, and even copy then repost to spread the word, feel free to add, and summarize. People can't magically learn fandom etiquette, we have to teach them. Especially the minors

Now go be the weird nerds we all are 👋

[aeligsido]

Hiyaaaa! 🧚‍♂️

You said in this ask that you would love to talk about your OCs, sooooo... Top 5 OC? 👀🍬

Hiiii 🕺

I also do indeed!

1) how dare you make me try to rank my babies (affectionate) 2) top 5 oc of what!! So many things I could go off on!!!

Jk jk, but I did choose to list five of my first OC created in a fandom. Bc why not. Important note that some of them were created more than ten years ago (a bit reworked more recently)!

-

1- [Fairy Tail] Lyna Dreyar (technically now Dreyar-McGarden) . I genuinely don't remember much from when I created her years ago — I think I do have notes somewhere. She was always Laxus' little sister though. She was also a Dragon Slayer but now she isn't anymore jdjdjdb. I think I reworked her personality a bit too? She was more of an extrovert in my first drafts I think, but she's not as much anymore 🤔

-

2- [One Piece] Monkey D. Ceeli (previously Shelly). Once again, I created her a long time ago! And she changed a bit, too. (I mean, we also learned some more about this world since I created her lmao). She's Luffy's little sister (by three years). In my first drafts (I do have a fanfic with a few chapters posted with her as a character, over on my ff.net... not on ao3 bc i don't think I will ever complete it) she was supposed to have been raised with the ASL brothers, with a pretty serious personality and very interested by the Revolutionary in general. Also I don't remember what it was exactly but she had powers™. Now, she has a super powered haki (bc i can), she was raised by their mother (for... reasons), and Luffy doesn't know her (or that she exists). She's also way less serious and a bit more into the overexcited side.

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3- [HP] Daisy Potter (it... wasn't her first name when I first thought about her but I can't remember what it was now). Again, a very old OC! She wasn't that developed all that time ago, but she's way more present in my mind now haha. You will never guess, but she's Harry's little sister, bc i once found the HC that Lily was pregnant when she died and I ran away with it. Interestingly enough, I think that the explanation I have for her birth now and then is the same? And same for her fate in canon,,, (I mean, a canon where she's born). Rip (i love u baby). I put her in a lot of different aus now, where she grows up differently each time and things impact her differently, but I think at her core she's a very brave and smart girl who wants to do good. She's her parents' daughter all the way!

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4- [Star Wars] Letti Kryze. One of my most recent ones! So maybe five years old or so idk what time is. She's Korkie Kryze's daughter, a Jedi, eight years younger than Luke & Leia, and has the habit of causing accidental chaos everywhere she goes. I love her she's a baby. I remember after watching the first season of the Mandalorian thinking it would be funny if her and Din kept throwing the Darksaber back at each other bc neither of them want to be the big boss™. She's a tired teenage girl in the middle of an intergalactic war who just wants her father back and it shows.

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5- [DC] Emma Pennyworth. Alfred's granddaughter via his daughter Julia. She is, in general, done with the Batfam's collective bullshit, and wants to hold the braincell. She's also like, twelve, so there's that. I've written her a few times actually!! She tries so hard to be serious and mature and she forgets a bit to be a kid, but also her favorite sport is annoying Damian lmao.

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Bonus — this one time I was very into Hetalia and created an OC Bretagne, bc of course I did.

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Yes there's a common theme in all of those lmao. Interestingly enough, even when the OC is like... Cringey and a bit Mary-Sue and all, the goal was always to have them as part of the family and... That's it. Legit 0 of them have a love interest (I'm thinking of Cana for Lyna but that's a very recent development, and I do have a few ideas for Letti but it would be another OC)!! It's so funny in insight idkdkd

I also have a fair share of OCs that are like. The next gen (you know the type). So there's that. I'm giving so many characters kids and I'm not even sorry.

... Well kids or random family members lmao.

[ladyloveandjustice]

Fall 2023 Anime Overview: Pluto and Scott Pilgrim Takes Off

Pluto

Premise: Somebody- or something- is killing the most advanced robots in the world, along with humans involved with robots (either robot rights activists or scientists). Gesicht, a robot police detective, is trying to track this killer down. But has the detective himself been compromised? What is going on with these strange memories that keep appearing in his head?

Based on an arc in Osamu Tezuka's Astro Boy, this anime is a tense, tightly plotted robot murder mystery that kept me engrossed and invested. Stuff that deals with "android" rights can often feel cringey at best and insulting at worst, but Pluto avoids this by having a future where robots have already gotten their civil rights. It instead largely uses robots as a metaphor for being seen as a disposable tool in a corrupt system, for how if you resist being a weapon for violence and imperialism, those in power will either discard you or fear you. And it asks the question--can robots feel human emotions like hatred? What happens when they do?

Speaking of imperialism, there are some very obvious allusions to the Iraq War in this and I mean obvious like the "United States of Thracia" stars a war with the "Kingdom of Persia" under the pretense of finding "robots of mass destruction". The anime is deeply sympathetic to the, uh, Kingdom of Persia (and very accurate about how much the United States of "Thracia's" government sucks and is imperialistic), but it does feature content that can be tough to deal with (especially right now), and does have some Middle Eastern antagonists, though they're not one-dimensional . I don't feel qualified to dig into it too deeply, but I just have to note it. 

Pluto is impressive with it's sizable cast that all have their own distinct stories. It makes you feel for almost every character. A lot of the plot twists punch you in the gut, and the animation is generally stunning. I

I did find parts of the final episode fell flat. It was a solid finale, but the world-ending stakes and the focus on pretty predictable action beats were so different than the gripping, investigative stuff that came before it that it was a bit of a let down. And it really beat you over the head by constantly verbally repeating the central message.

 (I also hate the trope of a male character lying to a female character about information she's begging for and affects her deeply, and it being treated as a great kindness. I wish female characters got more to do overall in this, because the two we had were potentially very interesting. It did give a nod to the female robots being just as advanced at the male ones but that being ignored because they weren't advanced in a traditionally masculine way. But you could feel it's Astro Boy roots in how male dominated the cast was.)

Overall, this is one of the most well-crafted anime of the last few years-- a psychological thriller and meditation on humanity and conflict, rich with story and themes, with not a second wasted. I definitely recommend giving it a shot, you'll probably be hooked in no time. And expect it to break your heart. A lot.

Scott Pilgrim Takes Off

Yes, this counts as an anime. It was animated by a Japanese studio, the director is based in Japan and has worked in anime for years. But there are some spoilers in the premise itself here, so I'm going to put it under the cut.

You have been warned!

Premise: Scott Pilgrim meets a cool girl named Ramona Flowers and falls for her, only to find out she has seven evil exes he must defeat. Unfortunately, he seemingly dies at the hands of the first one. This leads Ramona on a journey where she must confront her evil exes and see if Scott is really dead after all.

So, I was a fan of Scott Pilgrim as a teen. Moreso of the comic than the movie, since the movie didn't have the interesting arcs for the female characters the comic did thanks to it's short runtime and what it prioritized. (Ramona, especially, was done dirty). I liked Ramona a lot in the comic, especially how she went from a mysterious figure to someone just as messy and screwed up as Scott is, and the "final boss" was actually the abusive relationship she was stuck in, and she was the one who really had to defeat it. I liked how Knives outgrew Scott, and I liked how Kim exposed Scott's fantasies as not real, and let her crush on him go. I liked how Scott's arc was realizing he'd treated the women in his life badly and that he needed to grow up and stop being so selfish. 

So I was a little excited to see a more comic-accurate version... but what we got was even better. A story that was more from Ramona's perspective, that centered her from the very beginning, and which focused on her understanding, and often reconciling with her exes, rather than them being enemies to defeat. I especially loved seeing Roxie finally get her due. (The comic handled Roxie better than the movie's bullshit, but it still left a lot to be desired). Ramona's ex-girlfriend finally gets treated as an ex-girlfriend, with no "just a phase" bs from Ramona and no Scott doing the straight guy "ooh lesbians so sexy" bs. Instead, it's a sincere, emotional look at their relationship and the ways Ramona hurt Roxie, along with a killer fight scene. 

It was also great to see Knives thriving without Scott around, and Matthew Patel getting more of a spotlight. The series has grown up over the years ,but the themes are as sharp as ever. It examines the bad decisions Ramona and Scott have made, and not only the fear of growing up as a young adult, but the fear of what you'll grow into. It explores the fear that relationships will become regrets, the messiness of people trying to connect, and how you need to keep trying to communicate and move forward and take risks anyway.

There were a few things I wish we could have seen more of- like Kim and Envy. (And small yet bothersome nitpick, I also disliked how when Ramona talked about her pattern of "running away" from relationships, Gideon was included, despite the fact he was abusive to her in this version too). The English voice cast was also weak with the voice acting sometimes (likely because most of them were more used to being on-screen actors)- though there were some stand out performances like Satya Bahba (Matthew Patel), Michael Cera (Scott) and of course Mae Whitman (Roxy) (I also think Winstead settled into her role well too)-- though I got used to it after a while, and the Japanese cast is aces.

The animation was also phenomenal, and it had a killer soundtrack.

I'm not sure how this anime would hit if you haven't seen either the comic or the movie, (I've heard some newbies say they liked it) but as a fan of the source material, I was very pleased and found it a treat. Definitely worth checking out.

[hanasnx]

I don’t really read smut anymore if I can help it unless it’s part of a story, not the point of a story, especially when it’s about Hayden Christensen the person, not one of his characters.

You see, I think he does look at stuff about him. Especially when he was researching everything he could find about Star Wars. He stated how he found interviews and fan art. I find it very hard to believe he didn’t read a fic or two about his character. There’s some amazing content, and as cringey as this site can be, I think it’s the perfect type of social media for him.

Tumblr is a place that you can geek out over your interests and say things, you cannot responsibly express in the adult world. It’s a place you can be proud that hundreds or even thousands of people, love your epic 100k plus word FanFiction you spend most of your free time on, without having to admit you prefer writing, over going to some smelly club.

I also really appreciate how little anybody’s opinion on here, actually matters in the big picture. You and some of your mutuals are guilty of this, but I just attribute it to your age. Nothing can effect you on here, so do what you please and no one is the wiser.

Except, when I think of Hayden Christensen on here looking at stuff, I can’t help but wonder how a self proclaimed shy introvert, might feel reading about things with his actual name. He might get sick to his stomach reading about himself fictionally making a controversially young fan, bleed from his rough sexual treatment. Even if she’s into it. I think because of how introverted and private he is, and the fact everyone in Hollywood thinks he’s a bit odd, add to that the things Rachel says about her past sex life, without naming him, but giving her age so everyone knows who it must have been, have effected him negatively.

When he was younger, several costars pre-Rachel stated how serious and confident he was. Even Rachel said how she admired how sure of himself he was. He was photographed at many social events, celebrating birthdays, going to the playboy mansion, hosting parties in Vegas nightclubs, racing his cars, going to F1, and Cannes, and even the MET Gala. He dated Reena Hammer, who was practically the British Paris Hilton of socialites. He’s also a world renowned model. His interviews when he was earlier in his career, he was playful and almost arrogant in some, very flirty.

At first I thought his aversion to people came from the Star Wars toxic fandom hate he received for the prequels but if you look at when some interviews and interactions with people occurred, they were at or after, peak hate era.

There’s one in Cannes where he shooshes the media and gives them a dirty look while up on the podium. Another time he’s at an award show getting heckled and fired right back at them. There’s that interview where he says he wanted to be in Star Wars ever since he was a baby, that oozes confidence.

Then he got traumatized by a combo of fellow celebs, fans being hateful or saying nothing matters but his looks, and the loss of his anonymity. He has stated how cringe it was to see his face on everything from chips, to cereal, to chicken noodle soup, magazines about him, more often than not, without his permission.

I don’t want to villianize Rachel Bilson, because I think she is just an empty headed, cute little nepo brat, that should be taken about as seriously as the movie Virgin Territory. She was in a wreck, in her teens and got a head injury so she has a hard time with long term memory. How it would be dating someone that forgets everything with time, cannot be great for your self esteem. Add to that her talking about how paranoid and depressed he gets, and publicly stated he has severe anxiety can’t help his anxiety. Then to mail that coffin shut, she spreads rumors he cheated with someone as embarrassing as Emma Roberts, said he never could make her cum, said her break up with Bill Hader was more difficult than child birth, has been linked to a bunch of men that she says she now has no issues orgasming with partners, and she constantly brings him up on her podcast that I think 75% of her listeners, listen in hopes she’ll say something about Hayden.

Living with social anxiety, brought on by trauma and over exposure, seems like it’d be something close to torture, never knowing what she will reveal about you next. Also how she talks about Briar all the time, even going so far as taking calls from her school, on the air has to make him feel very helpless.

I do appreciate one of your recent answers about how he doesn’t even know what sexy stuff he might be into, and while I hope he does find someone that makes him feel safe and secure, I think it’s better to stick to his characters. It’s not difficult to just make him AJ, or James, or even Jacob, if you’re sick of using anakin.

We should also be conscious that Briar is reaching the age where she is going to be looking up her parents. It’s just a fact. And as a fan of Hayden, you can’t just not give a shit about Briar. The man seems to love her more than anything, and we love him. Robin Williams suffered from similar mental health issues as Hayden does, and no one knows what pushed him over the edge, but I sure as shit don’t want to contribute to him having a breakdown.

And yes, I wrote a very sexual series about a celeb using their name before I realized how hurtful that had the potential to be. I went back and saved them all before deleting them all on here, and then I edited them all to be one of that celebs characters, and it actually did even better. Maybe one day I’ll share that with you.

I hope you don’t take this as an insult or me judging you at all. I think you are a very skilled writer with an amazing imagination. I enjoy dark fanfiction, and you have the ability to build worlds, and describe emotion that is quite rare. I used to write a lot more, and I always knew that smut equals instant gratification. Smut gets most of the attention, and some of them I wrote have thousands of notes, while the one I worked the hardest on, and am most proud of, has like 30. It’s heart wrenching and makes people cry though, and most don’t like to be emotionally wrecked by a fic.

You don’t have to post this if you don’t want to, but of course it’s yours now. I need to be anonymous with this because my main blog is very wholesome and pure, while my fanfiction writing is on a sub account I guess you’d call it off my main, and so is my Hayden fan account. We have interacted somewhat through posts you’ve liked and commented on.

well it’s a good thing that i don’t tag any of this with just his name and instead tag it with “hayden christensen smut” and “hayden christensen x reader” so that people don’t just come across it who are looking him up. you can filter those tags and my user too or if you’d like to give me your user privately i can block you. i don’t rly know what you were trying to do here because i never opened this discussion up and never planned to

[thatgirl4815]

BL/QL Ask Game : The Ugly, the Bad and the Worst

I was tagged by the lovely @waitmyturtles for this game! Thank you! It was fun! Admittedly though, it has been very difficult for me to pin down some of my answers. I know that there are definitely more bad BLs/QLs that I've managed to forget about (thankfully), so this is what I managed to come up with off the top of my head.

I'm learning as I'm doing this that I am much more equipped to talk about what I like compared to what I don't like, so apologies for unintentionally side-stepping some of these questions, haha.

*Original post can be found here

Worst soundtrack / weirdest song choice in a BL -> This might be an unpopular opinion, but the part of LITA where Payu sings to Rain stands out in my mind, because it just felt so forced in and uncomfortable. I also watched 2gether a long time ago, but I remember feeling like some of the singing just felt...off. I always find singing in BL cringey to some extent, so it's hard for me to judge any song fairly because I'm too busy squealing in agony.

Most cringe-inducing line (cute) -> To keep it recent, I'll say "Without wind, how can a windmill spin?" from Dangerous Romance, because it's so on the nose, but I'll admit it is endearing. The wind/windmill thing is giving me MAME, LITA flashbacks, and I'd just prefer to avoid those cliches altogether.

Most cringe-inducing line (actually bad) -> As I said above, I'm sure there are many more I could pick out with time, but the one standing out in my head is "If you don't have sexual intercourse within 2 hours, the poison will spread to your internal organs and you will die." For reference, this line comes less than a minute into the first episode of Tonhon Chonlatee. Suffice to say, I promptly closed my computer screen and that was the end of that. (I love Khao but they failed him here.)

Most stupid decision made by a character -> For Leo to give a single flying fuck about Fiat in Don't Say No. I know this sounds harsh, but I have such disdain for Fiat's character. All he did in TT season 2 and Don't Say No was whine...and yet Leo still liked him? He still wanted to be in a relationship with him? I'm failing to see what it is about Fiat that attracts him.

Worst plot line -> There are a lot of contenders here, but SCOY was pretty bad and ultimately pointless. And I don't think I've ever cringed harder for an extended period of time.

The most problematic show you've watched -> The fact that I'm going to put TharnType above KinnPorsche speaks volumes. At least KP was self-aware and eased us into the problematic content. TT didn't hold its punches at all.

A show people love but you find bad -> For me, it's probably A Tale of a Thousand Stars. Bad is a strong word, because I wouldn't say it was bad...it was just boring. I was really into it for the first couple of episodes, but the longer it went on, the more depthless I found Phupha to be. There was actually a point I remember thinking that Tian should be with Longtae instead. And thus my love for Khaotung was born.

A show people find bad but you will defend -> I'll say KinnPorsche too, because I also think it was a cultural reset for Thai BL in a lot of ways. I know a lot of people found Love Mechanics problematic, but I personally really like YinWar's chemistry and found the storyline compelling enough, so I'll defend it for that.

A show that is just objectively bad but you enjoyed it -> War of Y? Not sure if this counts since I didn't finish (but I'll give myself a pass since it does cover a bunch of different couples, so it's basically like several shows all in one). I think it had the potential to say interesting things about toxicity in the Thai QL industry, but it just...didn't? Or it tried to, but it ultimately fell flat. Anyways, the part that I watched (BillySeng's storyline, I think) was entertaining enough.

A bad show that you kept watching because you were intrigued/fascinated -> TharnType. I was fascinated to see if either of the leads (but mostly Type) could possibly get more annoying/problematic. Spoiler alert: they could.

A bad show that you kept watching because you were horny -> Hmm, maybe Big Dragon?

A bad show that you kept watching because of that one character -> This is so hard because I don't think Until We Meet Again is a bad show, but the first thing that popped into my head was Win and Team, mostly Win. I was getting annoyed with the main plot, but I looked forward to seeing my man Win whenever possible. (Plus BounPrem are cute together.)

A bad show that you would still recommend -> Goodness, idk...Why R U? was kinda fun. Even though I wouldn't say I found it particularly great (probably due to the cuts they made due to COVID).

The character that ruined a show the most -> Fiat in Don't Say No. That one's a no-brainer.

Most awful character that you hated -> Fiat. Get him off my screen.

Most awful character that you loved -> Vegas. I love to hate him.

A character that wasn't awful but that you just don't like -> Rain in LITA. I found him annoying. I get that his behavior was supposed to be cute, but he just came across as pouty and immature.

A hero that should have been a villain -> I kinda think Kim in KinnPorsche would've been a good villain? It would've been unexpected. Also, something about Jeff Satur playing a villainous character is just *chef's kiss* (if he had played Vegas, I think I would've lost my mind).

A morally bad character you're into -> Vegas from KP. Also Vee from Love Mechanics because the cheating stuff was bad, but I also just find him very endearing? He was having an internal crisis, which isn't an excuse, but I empathized with him. (Can I throw Ray from Only Friends in here as well? Not sure he entirely fits. Apparently I'm just looking for any excuse to bring up Khaotung, lol.)

A morally bad character you're not into and you wish people would stop being into -> I'm having a hard time with this one...my first thought was Boston because his behavior makes me sick to my stomach, but I think it's funny how other people are into him. Like I get it even if I don't agree with it (Neo is hot, in any case).

The show that disappointed you the most -> This one is hard. I guess I'd say A Tale of A Thousand Stars? As I said above, I loved it at first, but I started to get so bored.

The Worst Show of Them All Because of Your Own Reasons -> Don't Say No. Sorry Fiat.

Whew, that was much harder than I thought! Will tag some of my moots if any of y'all wanna play--as always, no pressure! :) @abstractelysium @thegalwhorants @nihilisticcondensedmilk @bird-inacage @aprilblossomgirl @dreamedofyou @firstkanaphans @itsmelb @k-white @way-too-indecisive @autisticbokutoenthusiast

And of course, anybody and everybody is welcome to play along!

[jackwhiteprophetic]

for the fandom asks, 1 and 23 !

1. What is the first fandom you were ever a part of?

Online speaking, the 911 fandom!!! I only realised recently that I kind of had my own little solo fandoms for different hyperfixations, here are some examples:

- I actually wrote myself into Star wars fanfic as a child (I had my own character and backstory and would write little gay love stories)

- I was also obsessseddd with glee and I had a bunch of Playmobil and would get them to act out glee (but all the couples were gender swapped to be queer- there were NO straight couples, and Finn and Rachel were brother and sister (in their own separate queer couples)

- I was really into stranger things like two years ago, and criminal minds a year ago, and I had collage journal things for both of them but didn't know really about fandoms or fan spaces or even fanfic stuff, so I never spoke to anyone or posted anywhere

23. Age when you started reading fanfics:

16!!! I've like... Really had to change my perspective on things and I've been trying to unmask autism and stuff and to forgive myself/celebrate hyperfixations instead of toning them down to be palatable for other people... And I think I was really scared to talk about fandom stuff BC some people perceive it as "cringey"- I have a few friends who were really fucking annoying about it, but I am getting a lot better at setting boundaries and I'm just really not willing to compromise my own happiness to try and be more neurotypical or "normal" about something... This isn't really related to the question oops but it just came to mind...

Thank you so much for the ask!!!

Send me questions!!

[impossiblesuitcase]

what movies do you think kaider would enjoy/watch together? as a part time film major and full time tlc stan i need your expertise

Hmm...this is a hard one. I imagine there'd be lots of third era movies and dramas which we obviously don't know. But Cress listens to a lot of second era (our era) music, so we can assume that second era movies are still present, probably as a 'trend' to watch.

Kai loves rom-coms. He is a demonstrated hopeless romantic, so he adores romance net-dramas and also the classic second era rom-coms. Cinder finds them incredibly cringey, but she also used to watch them with Peony so it makes her nostalgic (and she enjoys them more than she'd admit).

Now hallmark-type movies, Cress and Kai genuinely enjoy watching them, while Cinder and Thorne endlessly enjoy ripping them to shreds.

Being Mr. Royalty, Kai grew up watching lots of esteemed, 'artsy', highbrow films, as well as biographies. Cinder finds those films a touch boring or contrived, but hey, better than hallmark.

Cinder loves sci-fi and adventure films. She's watched all the Star Wars, Back to The Future, and Indiana Jones movies. Back as a mechanic she used to put on shows in the corner of her vision while she worked, so she's watched seasons of Star Trek and smatterings of other shows. Kai enjoys them too, but doesn't appreciate the more gory moments as much as she does.

Being Mr. Royalty, Kai grew up watching lots of esteemed, 'artsy', highbrow films, as well as biographies. Cinder finds those films a touch boring or contrived, but hey, better than hallmark.

They both love Disney, Pixar, Dreamworks and other animated films, although the CG animation is considered abysmal by this time. And when they have children, they find that they both love children's movies! Some are shockingly well done, funny and emotionally developed—although maybe that's their sleep deprivation talking.

Back when they were long-distance, one of their 'date nights' would be watching films together over comms and commentating on them. They don't always agree on what to watch but they always watch together because they enjoy hearing each other's opinions and laughing together.

And finally, Anime.

Reblog with your thoughts!

[via-l0ve]

hi ! 🎃 for supernatural !

i love horror movies and like 90’s -2000’s romcoms, i’ve watched all the classics ofc !! i love cringey disney shows, which is a weird combination. my fav shows though r supernatural, gilmore girls, boy meets world, and stranger things, and my latest obsession is star wars !

i like a lot of music but i don’t listen to country or rap. i like indie/classic rock but at the same time i love one direction and taylor swift. i am pretty into supernatural lore kind of stuff, like creatures and stuff r so interesting to me. i love rocks and astrology type stuff- (im an aries btw ) and i sketch sometimes, i don’t think im too bad at it but i mostly draw flowers and plants. i can’t draw people for the life of me. i’ve been a dancer for years and im mostly into hipop and modern dance bc i suck at ballet .

im pretty quiet and reserved if i don’t know u , but when i’m comfortable w someone i probably seem insane . i do love talking to ppl and i hate being lonely even though i am alone most of the time . ( i feel like alone and lonely r different )

i’m kinda into reading and i love romance and dystopian books and movies , but i wouldn’t say i’m a bookworm bc i go thru phases .

my style is kinda like utah girl if u know what i mean , like wide leg jeans, sweaters, leggings, converse, and i love jewlery. even though i’m not from there . but i love that style i think it’s so cute , and the downtown girl/2000’s aesthetic ! i’ve always wanted that ‘teenage love’ ride or die kind of romance. like fun and playful, but meaningful and sweet. my love language is probably physical touch and words of affirmation!

for physical stuff i’m like medium brunette and i’ve never dyed my hair, and it is pretty long. i have naturally curly/wavy hair too, hazel eyes, freckles, peachy/tan skin, like 5’1 or 5’2 and around like 110 pounds i think (i don’t rlly check)

i hope this isn’t to much and i didn’t overshare !! btw u definitely don’t have to answer this one, im sure ur chats are full of requests. i love ur writing, have a good day !! <3

AHHH YOU’RE SO COOL AND YOU LIKE ONE DIRECTION!! you def didn’t overshare this was perfect <333 thank you lovely!!!

okay soooo

i’d ship you with dean winchester! (he is so cute.)

i have a headcannon that dean is 200% a directioner and/or a swiftie. he would blast the songs and sing along with you whenever you wanted!! dean also 100% watches romcoms and he WILL cry at all of the sappy parts. dean fucking loves it when you dance. it’s completely mesmerizing to him. “how can you move like that???”

he also has the love language of a man who has been under a rock for his entire life and hasn’t felt love romantically ever so he touches you all the time. even if it’s just simple hand holding. he clings to you and cuddles you in bed all the time. he just needs the touch of a person and you’re his person!! he also def pokes your freckles everyday just to me cute or he kisses every single one on your face.

PLEASEEEE let him do styles to your hair!!! after a long hunt all he wants is a beer, to cuddle, and to play with your hair. teach him how to braid and he will take that to the grave. he also gives you his clothes to wear all the time <3

i hope you’re happy with this!!! love you bunches drink water and eat a meal <3

[trulyinspiringmovies]

The Guardians Of The Galaxy Holiday Special

“The Guardians Of The Galaxy Holiday Special” is inspired by a lot of holiday specials and doesn’t overstay its welcome.

Mantis feels bad for Peter Quill after hearing from Kraglin about how Yondu ruined Christmas for Peter at a young age. She enlists the help of Drax to get Peter the best Christmas present ever, Kevin Bacon. They travel to Earth in search of the legendary Kevin Bacon whom they’ve heard so much about.

I’m not going to lie. The reason why it took me over a month to review this 42-minute special is because of Marvel fatigue. I know everyone’s saying it now, but I’ve been feeling this way for a long time now. None of the newer projects really excite me in the way they used to. Still, I’m a fan of the Guardians Of The Galaxy and this seemed to be different from your typical Marvel fare. I’m happy to say that this movie was over before it overstayed its welcome. There was also a really good amount of charm, especially toward the end. That’s about all the praise I could give this movie. I had a lot of problems with this movie and I don’t like the idea of people giving this special presentation a pass because it lampshades. My main criticism is how much it tries to emulate bad Christmas specials that came before it. For example, the opening of this movie was rotoscoped in order to pay homage to "The Star Wars Holiday Special”. It looked awful in my opinion. The main defense for it is that it’s supposed to look awful because the original Star Wars holiday special looked awful. That doesn’t make the opening of “The Guardians Of The Galaxy Holiday Special” any less awful-looking. Then there were lots of parts from the movie that felt cringey to me, mainly Pom Klementieff’s Mantis. In a lot of the movie, she seems to be overacting in a way that desperately reeks of ‘loud equals funny’. I get that the character is supposed to be a little zany, but this was too much for me. Kevin Bacon also felt like he was phoning it in. There was a part when Mantis brainwashes Kevin Bacon to get him to be compliant and the delivery of his line just felt amateurish. I didn’t enjoy Groot’s new look in this special either. His physicality and personality don’t complement each other in a comedic way. It’s to a point where I can’t imagine this version of Groot growing up to be like the calm, lanky Groot from the first “Guardians Of The Galaxy”. I also felt like there was a scene missing from the movie, specifically in the middle of when Kevin Bacon is released from Mantis’s mind manipulation and runs away and when he gets on the ship with Kraglin to go home. One second, he’s running away in fear of these weird alien creatures, and then the next second, he’s calm and ready to go home. I know I praised this movie for not overstaying its welcome, but one more scene of Kevin Bacon being caught and calmed down would’ve helped with the whiplash I felt from the sudden character shift. I know that Marvel’s treatment of its VFX team is being criticized lately and it shows in this movie. There’s a part when Mantis is jumping around Kevin Bacon’s home and it looks awful. Also, whenever the characters jump and land, the landing is hidden with a bad cut and it’s so jarring to watch. This was a bit embarrassing to watch and no amount of lampshading and saying it was intentional will change the fact that it was embarrassing to watch. If the movie were longer or if it didn’t have that wonderful ending, this would’ve definitely soured my thoughts on Marvel’s new special presentations. If Marvel only makes special presentations when they’re truly inspired, then it might become my new favorite format. The only thing that would completely ruin that is if Marvel keeps oversaturating its movies and shows like they’ve been doing.

★★★

Watched on December 26th, 2022

[cosmik-homo]

Do you have any OCs? feel free to talk about them if you do

What was the first piece of media you engaged with on the internet? Are you still interested in it?

What's something you made or did that you're proud of?

What's something that made you smile this month?

I have some neat star wars ocs! I've actually announced an extra in the background of a crowd shot of a star wars marvel comics (my beloved) that for released years before I conceptualized the character is Definitely a canonical appearance of my oc Kyp, I'll go rebootle that post after I finish this, if I remember. Anyways all their content is in 'Star Wars Oc Tag', Kyp and Nawah are my two most developed and favorites. A fun Kyp fact is I'm addicted to calling them Kypling even though it's Definitely not their name. Also whenever I try conceptualizing the group they were on their backstory before the rebellion I end up with "if Kelsier's team was whatever that MCR Fictional post apocalyptic punk vagabonds were".

I think? The first thing was Hunger Games forums when I was like 8/9?? Loved cringey forum roleplay so much as a kid. That's where Emily came from- an oc from one of those- used to be my Internet Name for Years, and part of the reason I go by Emil now! I don't really engage with hunger games anymore, nah, haven't read it again in literal decade, but I'm glad when cool meta crosses my dash cuz good to see it was good and we've gotten beyond the YA Knockoff phenomenon to appreciate it.

Something I made or did I'm proud of: I honestly get astounded looking at some older art with how much time and effort I would put into each piece, I find finishing thongs more difficult today and prefer lots of small drawings to a big full canvas, but Quarantine was different mental times.

What's something that made me smile this month? A lot, honestly. My job is Not Terrible, I've been hanging out w friends and family, happy new hyperfix,, if I had to pick one thing, doing funny bits w my sister while watching Pertwee's doctor who run. She came up with an impression of the brigadier, Yates and Benton frolicking in a park wizard of oz style on eps where they're off screen for vacation reasons that was so fucking funny.

[kayedium-writes]

Kay's Movie Favs

@writingpotato07, you made my day with this tag! <3

I could go on and on about movies all. damn. day. This was the hardest thing I've had to narrow down in my life, but here we go. In no real order.

When Harry Met Sally (1989) - By far, my favorite take on the rom-com genre. I've watched it too many times.

Star Wars: Episode II - Attack of the Clones (2002) - listen, I know everyone's favorite prequel movie is ROTS, but I will not apologize for my love for this movie despite how cringey it gets at times. 😂

Steel Magnolias (1989) - The cast of this movie is incredible, and I always appreciated the balanced tone between emotional impact and humor.

Just Mercy (2019) - Bryan Stevenson is a fantastic lawyer, and person. His book was so impactful and I thought this adaptation was done really well. (Go read the book! It's so memorable and inspiring, but it will make you mad, and probably sad at times.)

Star Wars: Episode V - The Empire Strikes Back (1980) - I've seen this movie more times than I can count... Thank you, Carrie and Harrison, for that iconic scene.

Closer (2004) - I love the way this movie is told. The exploration of truth, and lies, and insincerity in relationships. They're so toxic, but hey!

Love Jones (1997) - Music, photography, poetry, and romance. There's a literal poetry slam in this movie.

Her (2013) - I have no real explanation for liking this odd movie so much, but I do.

The Lion King (1994) - it was my favorite movie as a child. I've seen it on Broadway, in other theater productions, live-action, rereleased editions, the sequels...

Avenger's Infinity War (2018) - I'm a big fan of subverting expectations in tropey films, and this is no exception. Also a big Wanda x Vision fan, and this movie is part of the reason.

Honorable Mentions????

Jackie (2016)

Singin' in the Rain (1952)

Pretty Woman (1990)

Star Wars: Episodes III (2005) IV (1977) and VI (1983)

Tagging: Open Tag!

[whumpbug]

what is archie's hottest star wars take? his favorite character? what does he think of the prequels? 🎤

HI ANON. this is such a fun question. (≧▽≦)

archie's hot take is that he actually doesn't hate the sequels. he thinks some plot points are a bit cringey and that some of the writing could have been a bit better, but overall he enjoys watching them and finds rey and finn and poe very silly and fun characters

his favorite character is by far either ahsoka or qui-gon jinn OR kanan jarrus. he thinks their usage of the force and their unconventional views on it are SO cool and also. they all have really sick fighting styles/lightsabers.

and the prequels are on the same level as the original trilogy for archie. he ADORES them and their aesthetic. he loves the characters and the cinematography and the FIGHT SCENES!! i don't think theres a part of star wars he hates tbh.

tysm so much for your questions anon!!!

[project1939]

100+ Films of 1952

Film number 129: Assignment- Paris! 

Release date: September 4th, 1952 

Studio: Columbia 

Genre: noir 

Director: Robert Parrish 

Producer: Samuel Marx, Jerry Bresler 

Actors: Dana Andrews, Marta Toren, George Sanders, Audrey Totter 

Plot Summary: Reporters from the Paris branch of The New York Herald Tribune find themselves deeply involved in a governmental crisis in Soviet Hungary. When one of them is arrested in Budapest and accused of being a spy, all hell breaks loose. 

My Rating (out of five stars): ***½ 

Another day, another Cold War noir... except this is how you actually make an enjoyable one! Unlike the last few I’ve seen, this one was interesting, it had lots of suspense, it had characters you cared about, and it didn’t hit you over the head with a patriotic shovel! (some spoilers)

The Good: 

Marta Toren!! She was a Swedish actress I had never heard of until now, and I am smitten! She was absolutely stunning- a woman so beautiful in so many ways it’s hard to look away. She reminded me of my great love Ingrid Bergman, before I even knew Toren was Swedish. She was also a good actress and easily one of my favorite parts of the movie. 

George Sanders. He always elevates whatever movie he’s in, and this was no exception. 

Dana Andrews. He’s lovely to look at with some decent acting chops. 

The character of Sandy, played by Audrey Totter. I love this kind of character in Classical Hollywood movies- a smart-talkin’ wise-crackin' worldly-wise career gal who steals scenes. Sandy was a slightly more serious character than an Eve Arden type, which made her more complex and empathetic.  

The acting in the film was top notch across the board. 

I cared about all the characters, which was something lacking in other Cold War noirs I’ve seen lately. 

The plot was intelligent and full of political intrigue, but the film never really spoon-fed the audience information. As a viewer you had to pay attention and figure some things out for yourself.

It got very suspenseful, especially in the final half.  

This, unlike the last two spy noirs I’ve seen, looked like the kind of archetypical noirs I prefer- its whole tone was darker and it used shadows and light in a very effective moody way. 

There was a lot of location shooting in Paris and Hungary that looked great. 

The score added to the drama without over-powering it. 

This film did a good job of showing why Communist countries could be harmful, rather than just giving us vapid mini political speeches. Big Jim McLain was especially guilty of the latter, and I think it’s much better to just show the repression, corruption, and fear of people, rather than cringey dialogue. 

I liked the ambiguity of the end. For a film as dark as this, it would have felt forced and insincere without it.

The Bad: 

The wrap up of the film was a little too quick and neat for me, however, even if I liked some of the ambiguity. 

The pacing in the beginning was a slow compared to what came later. The momentum didn’t really start until a half hour or so. 

I got pretty annoyed with Jim for the hyper aggressive way he pursued Jean. He just wouldn’t leave her alone. This was sadly rewarded, because for some reason Jean found it charming instead of suffocating. 

There was some noticeably bad rear projection in front of Notre Dame. Real location footage was used in a wide shot, but when the camera cut in for a closer one, the size of the cathedral behind Jim and Jean suddenly completely changed proportion. 

More blacklist B.S. This was Toren’s last Hollywood film, and one of the reasons was because her husband was suspected of communist leanings. It’s another case of a promising career needlessly coming to a halt. Even sadder, Toren died just a few years later from a cerebral hemorrhage. She was only 31. 

[chappell-roans]

People shit on Disney adults and yeah some of them are cringey especially the ones who make it their entire personality but at the same time it’s what they’re passionate about and it’s no different from other fandoms. I just think people have an issue with it cause they associate Disney things with kids and they think Disney adults should grow up it’s the same thing with Star Wars fans.

I think part of it is the monopoly on a large part of mainstream global culture that Disney has on top of it being seen as cringey to a lot of people. But more people like it than not so I don’t really see it as a loss idk. But yeah for sure. Thing is though lol Disney bought Star Wars. (And is driving it into the ground but making billions more so.) The consolidation of culture!!!

I absolutely think people should enjoy what they enjoy but critique should also be allowed idk. I go hard for Taylor Swift and also recognize she’s a billionaire who works in overdrive to craft the narrative of her life to keep people interested and to protect herself and her feelings and her interests and money, as well as caring about some things but like. Idk? This isn’t to shame you or even Disney adults at all but just yeah idk. It’s the capitalism of it all.