#toy story 4 trailer

[authenticcadence18]

I wonder how much money Toy Story 5 will make

[nadia-cannot-think-straight]

W-where is... furious five?

[joethetoonfanandoutcast]

Hypothetical Commercial: Toy Story 4

Now, Toy Story 4 did not have "The Boys Are Back In Town" in its trailers or commercials like the first three Toy Stories, and it's understandable as they wanted to break tradition and the fourth installment had a 'girl power' theme going on, so for trailer/commercial music, they went with gender-neutral songs like "God Only Knows" by the Beach Boys and "It's a Living Thing" by ELO (because the toys are living things), but one opportunity blown was a commercial focused around a toy's loyalty to a child, to say nothing of Woody's loyalty, and Bryan Adams's classic ballad, "Everything I Do (I Do it For You)", would have been perfect for that. Universal used it for a TV spot focused on Minions: The Rise of Gru and the Minions' loyalty to Gru, but honestly, Disney should have done that as it would have been more meaningful, not just to the fourth film, but the whole series with Woody's loyalty.

I would love if someone did a fanmade Toy Story 4 TV spot done a lot like the Minions: Rise of Gru TV spot with the exact same song.

[dixons-sunshine]

Sweetest | Daryl Dixon x Fem!Reader

Summary: Wounded and benched from runs for the week, Daryl was asked to watch the kids in the prison while you and some of the others worked on repairing a breach in one of the fences. One of the kids asked Daryl how he met you, his wife, and it made for a rather sweet tale.

Genre: Fluff.

Era: Prison, pre season 4.

Part of the Shopping Spree, Hangout Dreams AU.

Warnings: None.

Word count: 1.6k.

A/n: This turned out worse than I hoped, better than I expected. I don't really know how to explain it, but I hope you like this! (Thank you @ddamm and @dixondystopia for giving me your favourite moments from the entire series to add to this! They were pretty much the same, so great minds truly do think alike, as they say.)

“Mr Dixon?”

At the sound of his name being called, Daryl looked up from his baby girl and locked eyes with a little girl—Mika, he believed her name was—who was staring at him with a big smile. “Yeah?” he replied, slightly bouncing his knee when Hazel began fussing a little.

Mika giggled slightly, sharing a look with her sister, Lizzie, before turning back to the archer. “Mrs Dixon is your wife, right?” she inquired, bouncing slightly on her feet.

Daryl's lips involuntarily twitched up at the mere mention of you. He nodded and shrugged his shoulders. “Yeah? Why do ya ask?”

“Well, my dad likes to talk about how he met my mom. Mr Greene has told us how he met his last wife a million times. We wanna know how you met Mrs Dixon!”

Almost as if for added emphasis, the other children all perked up and voiced their interest in knowing the tale of how Daryl met you, his beautiful wife. The archer, both amused by the children's nosiness and embarrassed by the metaphorical spotlight he was placed under, let out a small scoff and adjusted Hazel in his arms, allowing the small girl to happily toy with his fingers. “It ain't some big love story or nothin'. It'll only bore ya.”

“No, it won't,” Carl added from his position atop one of the tables. The teenager had been sulking because Rick had forbade him from helping fix the breach in the fence—where several walkers had managed to crawl through—but the chance of getting to know some insight to one of the most talked about couples in the prison brightened his mood somewhat. You and Daryl were the only couple that dated back before the outbreak, and everyone was eager to know how the two of you got together, and how you managed to keep that spark alive. “We wanna know. Come on, Daryl. Please.”

Daryl let out a small groan and rolled his eyes at the young Grimes' insistence. “Why dun' y'all go pester Glenn or somebody? M'sure he'd be more than happy to tell y'all 'bout how he met Maggie.”

“But he's told us that story a zillion times already,” one of the kids groaned. “We wanna hear your story. Please, Mr Dixon.”

Daryl let out a deep sigh. From somewhere behind him, he could hear Carol chuckle, closely followed by the chuckles of a few of the adults that were taking a break from their chores around the prison. Daryl shook his head and pursed his lips. “Y'all really wanna hear?” Almost instantly, all of the kids perked up and simultaneously voiced their clear interest, trying to talk over the other. Daryl raised his eyebrows and let out a small chuckle. “Woah, calm down. I ain't sayin' nothin' 'til y'all quiet down.” And just like that, it got so quiet, one could hear a pin drop. “Y/n and I go back many years, long 'fore all'a y'all kids were born. We're closin' in on three decades'a knowin' one another.”

“Thirty years?” Carl voiced in a disbelieving tone. “That's basically forever!”

Daryl chuckled and shrugged. “Guess ya can say tha', yeah.” Daryl shushed Hazel when she began fussing a bit, lightly tickling her stomach to coax a laugh from her. “We met when we were twelve, 'side this river in the woods outside the trailer park we lived in. I admit, I didn't know wha' to think'a her at first. Refused to talk to her fer a whole month, but she never gave up. She kept pesterin' me 'til one day, somethin' happened and I broke my quiet facade. Tha's when we started becomin' friends.” Daryl stopped and tried to hide the smile that spread across his face, but to no avail. “She, uh... She quickly became my best friend after tha'.”

“When did you start love-liking her?” one of the kids asked with a giggle, closely followed by the mischievous laughter of the other kids.

Daryl hummed and shrugged. “After she did somethin' fer my sixteenth birthday. I liked her fer a while 'fore tha', but tha' occasion was my wake-up call. My feelin's fer her slapped me righ' in the face tha' day.” He stopped and let out a small sigh before continuing. “I didn't have the balls to confess to her fer 'nother year after tha'. And when I did confess, it was righ' after we went and bought pa—” Daryl cut himself off, painfully aware of the immature teenage boys that would freak out over the mere mention of pads. Because of that, he altered the truth a little. “...Pasta fer dinner tha' nigh'. Things escalated and we kissed, and then her mom walked in.”

“No,” Beth gasped, slightly tightening her grip on Judith as she thought of the embarrassing scenario.

Daryl chuckled and shrugged. “It was embarrassin' as shi—crap, tha's fer sure, but we lived. Her mom was nice 'bout it all. Definitely didn't mean we could escape her teasin', though.” He pursed his lips as he thought of that moment, the embarrassment still fresh in his mind, even all those years later. “Her teasin' got even worse when Y/n and I eloped. She was kinda upset 'bout it, but she soon went straight back to teasin' us fer not bein' able to wait to have a proper weddin'.”

By that point, unbeknownst to the archer, the group that had been working on fixing the fence—a group that included you—had silently stepped into the part of the prison everyone was in to alert the kids to the fact that they could go play. However, once they heard what the crossbow-wielding man was talking about, they stopped and remained quiet, eager to hear about it all. And you stayed quiet as well, quite shocked that your husband was willingly telling stories about his past with you. He preferred to keep that part of his life private, but there he was, happily talking away. It made your heart swell with love and affection for the man.

“The two of you stayed together for all those years?” Zach—Beth's boyfriend—asked, leaning against the wall. When Daryl nodded, he continued. “How?”

Daryl shrugged and adjusted his daughter in his arms again, feeling her head begin to droop as she was beginning to fall asleep. “I love 'er. And fer some reason I still don't understand 'til this day, she loves me. Ain't tha' hard to stay committed to the person ya love the most. Relationships ain't always all sunshines and rainbows, but when yer with the person ya love, s'all worth it. Y/n taught me tha'. She's the sweetest person ever. I dun' know wha' I did to deserve her, but I thank my lucky stars every day tha' I get to call her mine.”

It went silent after that. The only sound that could be heard was the distant sound of walkers groaning outside the fences. That is, until Rick spoke up from behind the huntsman, startling him and alerting him to the fact that essentially everyone had heard him practically rave about you.

“Well said, brother. Well said,” Rick complimented him, a faint, teasing smile on his face. He turned towards the younger ones in the group and gestured towards the door. “Y'all can go play now. Just stay away from the fences.” And just like that, all the kids—except Carl—had forgotten their need to hear about Daryl's love story with you. They all excitedly darted out the door, their laughter fading as they disappeared out the doors.

Michonne smirked, playfully hitting you on the back. “Y/n, you never told me you found such a keeper. And you found him early on, too. You're so lucky.”

“Yeah, she is,” Carol chipped in, a teasing smile on her face as well. “Did I ever tell you about this one guy in our old camp that insulted her and Daryl instantly put him on his ass? He did accidentally reveal her pregnancy while doing so, but that's besides the point.”

“Was it Shane?” Rick asked, sighing when Carol nodded. “Yeah, of course it was,” he mumbled while he shook his head.

“Not to mention how he nearly killed Jenner because he wouldn't let us out—well, wouldn't let them out. He didn't care much for us back then. We all know he only wanted the doors open so that Y/n was safe,” Glenn piped in.

“Aw,” Michonne cooed teasingly. “That is so sweet, Daryl. You're just a big teddy bear.”

Daryl ducked his head in embarrassment as the others joined in on the teasing as well. He could feel his cheeks flush, and he would've gotten up and bolted from the embarrassing situation, had it not been for the fact that Hazel had just fallen asleep, and he didn't want to wake her.

The feeling of your hand being rested on his shoulder almost instantly made him calm down, your familiar touch bringing a sense of comfort to him. The rest of the group were to busy relaying their favourite moments they had seen between the two of you to notice this interaction, and the archer was glad about that. He was also glad that they couldn't hear what you whispered in his ear, because although Daryl Dixon wasn't a selfish man, the others didn't have to hear these words you clearly meant just for him:

“I'm proud of you. You climbed out of your shell today and did something I know you don't always enjoy doing. You're amazing, Daryl Dixon, and I love you so much.” You placed a soft, tender kiss on his cheek. “You really are the sweetest person ever.”

©dixons-sunshine 2024. I do not give permission for my works to be copied, modified, adapted or translated to any other site or platform without evidence of my given consent.

[trashmouth-richie]

𝟹 𝙰𝙼

↳ eddie x fem!reader

↳ summary: just some sweet little smut between you and eddie before he goes to work

↳ A/n: wrote this awhile ago & I thought maybe I’d turn it into a series but nah, enjoy 😉

↳ warnings: smut 18+ only, smut with a plot. p in v, oral.

the soft whirring noises from his nose wake you before his alarm does. 

  Swing shift at the plant had Eddie’s sleep schedule completely out of whack. Some nights he’d be falling asleep at the table during supper, long curls bobbing as his head jerked forward. 

  There were days where you’d find him snoring, splayed out on his back on the thick rug on the floor of the baby’s room. Toy blocks in his hands, trying to be the dad he promised himself he would be. A dad he didn’t have. 

  And earlier tonight when he came home with grease lined under his fingernails, exhaust from the heavy machinery freckling his face, he let out a deafening yawn. 

  “Gotta be back in at 4,” he said after hugging you tight and tickling your sides. His soft lips pressed to the crown of your head. 

  You crane your neck to meet his lips and nod at him. The bags under his eyes were prominent tonight. Instead of going to bed early like you had suggested, after supper he spent the evening curled up in his recliner, rocking the baby to sleep while he read story after story. 

  This is why you loved him so much. 

  Both of you had come from broken homes, and when you wound up pregnant senior year, the odds were not in your favor. 

  But Eddie stepped up. You both finished high school early. Earning diplomas in December and he immediately started working at the plant with Wayne. Long hours for a decent paycheck. He was determined to not fail.

  When the neighbors next to Wayne’s trailer moved out after a death in the family in Texas left them millionaires, Wayne marched into the landlord’s office and put a down payment on the trailer. 

  $250 later the trailer was home. Eddie danced with you under flickering lights as he held you from behind, pressing kisses into your neck. Promising you a good life. His thick hands on your growing belly, rubbing it softly. 

  Auntie Robin and Uncle Steve helped on the weekends to clean the smoke stained walls and provide the latest gossip from Hawkins High. 

  Chrissy Cunningham? Caught blowing Mr. Higgins in his car during first period. 

  Steve had a date with Nancy Wheeler tonight. 

  Dustin took over as DM for Eddie and was doing really well. 

  You smiled through Robin’s fast paced words and when her and Steve left that night Eddie asked if you missed highschool, hanging his head in sorrow at fucking things up for you. 

  Not a chance when I have you. The promise splayed thick on your smile, sweet against his neck. 

  When the spring flowers bloomed in May, you had the baby right after Eddie’s birthday. 

  The best birthday present ever. 

  He had said with tears in his eyes, you knew he would be the best dad, he spent his lunch breaks reading books on parenting. He saved every dime from his paychecks— determined to make enough so you wouldn’t have to work. 

  He was a good man, the best dad you could ever imagine. And he deserves the world. 

  So tonight when the alarm went off at 3 o’clock, you turned it off before he could wake. Tip-toeing past the baby’s room and into the kitchen to make some coffee. 

  Scooping two heaps of the off brand coffee into the white paper filter you press the on button and watch as the brewed coffee gently tinks into the glass pot. 

  Painted toes skip over the creaks in the floor and back to your bedroom, where the man who made all of your dreams come true laid to rest, bare chested with two names inked over his heart, yours and the baby’s. 

  His arms were curled over his head and his snores were light. Untucking the sheet from its place under the mattress you crawl beneath it careful to not knee anywhere on Eddie.

  Up paled legs sat a pair of blue checkered boxers, the button undone from moving around during the night. And beneath them the delicious treat you were after, soft but still fairly large and thick, nestled with a pinked sack and a dusting of curls. 

  Trailing your nails along the waistband of the patterned blues, you work them down his hips with ease. Tired from already working 55 hours this week, Eddie doesn’t stir. 

  His cock springs out with a thud against his thigh, asleep like it’s owner, but enormous in size. 

  Dribbling a line of spit from your puckered lips you let it flow over his pink mushroom head like you were icing a cake, spreading it around with your thumb, rubbing the slit deep. A few jerks from your spit covered hand and Eddie moans in his sleep. His thick cock at full alert, veins on display for your lips to suckle. 

  You run your tongue from his sack up the shaft and around the peak. Kitten licks at first then long broad stripes. When you take his head into your mouth and swirl your tongue like you’re tasting a popsicle, Eddie finally wakes. A moaning grunt and then immediate panic. You pull the covers off your head and wipe your mouth while smiling wildly. 

  “Babe? Wh—what’s going on?” Eddie says sleepily, his hair askew and eyes still blinking from the sandman’s sleep. 

  “Shhh..” you shush, looking into his eyes and taking him whole into your throat in one swift gulp. 

  He moans and bucks his hips up into your face. 

  “Fuck,” he groans, his breathing erratic and breaking as you swallow him further, hands working double time in a twisting upward motion. Your spit running down to his balls. 

  You release him with a slow slide, gasping for breath as he holds your hair in his fists. 

  His eyes were squeezed tight and open immediately when you lick his slit, hungry for the salty seed. 

  “Bend over,” Eddie grunts, “now.” 

  Throwing the blankets off of you both and standing fast. He grabs your vibrator from the nightstand and clicks it to the on position, giving it to your waiting hand between your bent legs, your face smashed into the mattress. 

  He hikes the sleep shirt up your hips and sucks in a breath when he finds you soaked with no panties on. Glistening from the street lamp shining through the thin curtains, a feast for the taking. 

  “Jesus Christ,” he says, slapping his hands hard against the plush of your doughy ass, “my perfect fucking girl.” 

You whine when the vibration hits your clit, humming along into the mattress to soften your expecting screams. 

  Eddie’s thick head slips through your folds and you moan deep. Mirroring his own as you wiggle your hips for more.

  Burying himself inside your gummy walls you suck him in tight. A cozy wet hug around his dick.  

  “I swear to God this pussy was made for me,” he groans into the open air, pistoning his hips deeper and smacking against the fat of your ass.

  When a drop of spit hits the button and his thumb runs circles around it you squeal in pleasure. Puckering around his thumb, giving him a small kiss and begging him to go deeper. 

  He moans and mutters under his breath. Fucking into you harder. 

  The vibrator is working overtime on your swollen clit as Eddie bucks harder into you, his cock thick and hard jutting deep into your aching hole. You scream out as your legs start to shake and Eddie begins to twitch inside of you. 

  Before you can both come, he flips you over and scoots you both up on the bed. Your legs wrap around his hips and he dives into your lips. Kissing them sweet then harsh, the same way he kissed you for the very first time when you were both thirteen. 

  You were sitting on the handlebars of his bike, your bare legs wrapped around his black jean styled waist, the studs of his belt making indents in your calves. He was standing on the gravel, the bike balanced in his strong hands. Dust circling around you after he skidded to a stop around the curve of the trailer park road. Your lips teasing him for far too long that summer. 

  His hips thrust into yours and his lips moves down your neck, the sweet spot above your beauty mark acting as an ‘x’ for pirates treasure. 

  His hair tickles your skin and you hold his head in your hand and press him further into your neck. When your walls tighten and you whine out he cums hard too, filling you up full. 

  He presses sweet i love you kisses into your collarbones and licks a path up the curve of your chin. Devouring every ounce of your skin he can. 

  “Mrs. Munson,” he teases, lips grinning goofy, “I must have been a good husband to deserve such scandalous behavior at 3 AM.”

  You tickle his under arm and wiggle your way from beneath him, “Mrs. Munson?” you question, an eyebrow quirked into your disheveled hair. “Since when are we married?” 

  Eddie stretches on his back and fumbles into his drawer, wrestling the wrapper off a blue raspberry ring pop. He holds it up to you like a prized possession, “a placeholder for when the layaway is done being paid off at JCPENNEY’s.” 

  You giggle like a child and hold your out hand.Eddie threads the ring on your finger and licks the diamond shaped sucker. 

  “You keep waking me up like that we’re gonna have a whole litter of Munson’s running around, and besides,” he says, kissing up your arm and biting your shoulder, “I kinda like you,” 

  Kissing him deep you giggle. 

  “I kinda like you too.” 

[wellpullmystring]

My thoughts on Toy Story 5 at D23

I MISSED WOODY SO MUCH AND THE REST OF THE GANG BUT ESPECIALLY WOODY I LOVED SEEING WOODY AND CO.

It seems the little girl they're all staring at in the concept art is Bonnie. And she doesn't seem that much older. This is one of the most interesting things to me. I figured TS5 might have a significant time skip to keep some weight from the ending to TS4. We know that at least a year has passed from the credits in TS4. But I don't know if having them reunite so quickly will be a good idea. If the gang gets right back together, Toy Story 4's ending could lose some of its meaning. I never thought a permanent separation would ruin the ending to TS4, but having them come back together so quickly could potentially jeopardize the emotional stakes of TS4.

How is Woody even back with them so quickly? What circumstances would have them all together again in such a timely manner? Did the toys explicitly ask Woody for help?

The reunion of the gang was done in such an unceremonious manner. I knew the gang was gonna be shown together in the promo. But they didn't even build up their reconciliation in the quick video they showed.

Bo Peep isn't mentioned. Bo Peep isn't in the concept art. Bo Peep is nowhere to be found. Does Woody separate from her? Is Woody simply going on an adventure with the old gang before planning on returning to her? Is she with him and just not in that particular scene?

Woody and Buzz (also Jessie) are the only ones that were mentioned in the plot summary. I find this interesting. They are also the only characters to appear in the video that was shown. I get the feeling that we're going to see a return to the TS2 and TS3 style of leads.

Toy Story 4 was hardly shown as they presented images from the previous films to pull us in. I also found the language being used to be very interesting. "Loyalty." "Friendship." "Growing up." There wasn't much that could be directly linked to Toy Story 4. The only image shown from Toy Story 4 was a flashback scene with Andy. Does Andrew Stanton not care for that movie?

I find the fact they went with the "toys vs. technology" route interesting. This has been a suggested plot since before TS4 released. I think it could be a great way to weave together the messages of abandonment or fear of rejection and insecurity that the series has long studied into a cohesive fifth installment. My only worry is that it could seem boomerish or like it's pandering + perhaps date the film.

They're really doing the whole "delusional Buzz" plot again lol. TS4 was the only movie to not fully do this. I worry that facing an army of Buzz Lightyears could seem a bit childlish. But it depends on how it's done in the movie. I hope it doesn't feel like another contrived way to get TS1 buzz back.

A lot of my thoughts on the movie will depend on how much of an emphasis these plot elements have on the movie. Are they an inciting set of moments to set the events of the movie into motion? Are they subplots? Are they main focuses? The plot summary of Toy Story 4 that released with its teaser trailer would have you thinking the entire movie was about Forky. That proved to not be the case at all. My primary worry is that the movie will feel like it doesn't add emotional components to Toy Story as a franchise while acting like filler. This was my concern for TS4. I hope they can do it right again. The initial details aren't the entire picture of the emotional crux of the film.

What will the end goal be? It'd seem redundant to have Woody reunite with the gang and leave once more. But I also think it has a higher chance of happening with the fact that everyone seems to get back together so quickly. These characters are going to be faced with a sad truth: Kids don't care about toys as much now. With this in mind, I can think of a few immediate options. Maybe they'll now all become lost toys with Woody. Maybe there's an option we haven't considered. Maybe they really will bring the only child on the planet in who could reasonably have an emotional connection with this random string of toys for a suitable period of time: Andy's kids. This could be a fascinating existential idea. The toys have established they can find new purposes when their owner is done with them. What happens when there is no more purpose in the world for them period?

[inkabelledesigns]

Clearly I must be in the mood to talk about indie horror games, because I have another one for you. Disclaimer: I do not care for Poppy Playtime. Which, probably surprises people. I love indie mascot horror, I love dolls and toys, it sounds like this would be a perfect fit for me on paper right? Yeah no, it is not my vibe. Poppy Playtime feels extremely corporate compared to other indie games, and that combined with the way it exploits children, a story that doesn't feel rewarding, and an art style/toy designs that just don't do it for me, it's not my cup of tea. I only remain aware of it because I have friends that are into it, and I check in to understand what they're talking about/in hopes that it'll get better. So far I have yet to be convinced of that, but I'm open to the possibility of that changing.

https://x.com/mobgamesstudios/status/1841161203701121122

But we're not here to talk about any of that (at least, not for a few paragraphs). We're here to talk about the Nightmare Critters. So teasers for Chapter 4 have just recently been released, and we have some newly revealed toys called the Nightmare Critters: an edgy, dark counterpart to the Smiling Critters we met in Chapter 3. I'm not opposed to their concept. It makes a lot of sense for a toy company to have a variant toy meant to appeal to an audience of middle schoolers and teens who think they're too old and "cool" for toys but still like toys. Like, what do you think Monster High was in the 2010s? XD Okay, that's oversimplifying MH, it wasn't made solely for that purpose, but you get what I'm saying right? It makes perfect sense to me for Playtime Co to be covering their bases in that way, they are a fictional company seeking fictional profit after all. That would be profitable in all likelihood! I'll even say I like the idea of having a poison dart frog as a plushie with Icky Licky (though the small tongue confuses me). I don't love the design, but I do love the idea of taking a less common animal for a plushie and trying it out, we need more good frogs to cuddle.

No, my criticism of the Nightmare Critters is that they do not feel like a natural progression of anything in this world with the story we've gotten so far. And there's many reasons I say that. Last chapter, there was a LOT of emphasis put on our Bigger Bodies Dogday being the last of the Smiling Critters. And that sequence was incredibly heart wrenching where he straight up gets eaten from the inside and his corpse is possessed. It feels like having a new group of critters diminishes that. Like, yes, they're a different brand, but they're still in the Smiling Critters style, and you expected them to be done with that after how much time they got in Chapter 3.

It leaves me wondering if the devs got the wrong message from Chapter 3. Because let me tell you, the Smiling Critters were not the thing that brought you success my dudes. They are a Care Bears parody that were designed for horror monsters first, cute toys second, and they fall into an uncanny place that makes me wonder why any kid would want this as a toy. Like, when you're twisting it into horror, it should be uncanny, but you gotta start out at least a little cuter to fake the audience out. The mouth design is very not to my taste, I might go as far as to call it ugly, but ugly is incredibly subjective.

But no, the things that made Chapter 3 stand out were in the shock value. Which, I still don't get why they literally spoiled one of their better scares in the marketing. Huggy coming out of the TV should have been a surprise, that was one of the most unnerving things they've done in its presentation. The speaking directly to the protagonist, the change in his demeanor, the way he's animated, it was SOLID, and they had to spoil it in the trailer AND on their Twitter. It annoys me so much, don't ruin the surprise of one of the scariest things you've done in this game. X'''D Who is responsible for that marketing, Mob? But that rant aside, Chapter 3 was shocking because it was NOTABLY darker and more complicated than what came before it. Getting into the orphanage, the gruesome death of Dogday on screen for us to watch, the TV scare, those were some of its best moments. This is when the game said 'we're not baby's first indie horror game'. Which, a lot of people are praising, but I took issue with it.

I have no problem with Poppy getting darker, that's perfectly fine, but I DO have a problem with them not having a clear age rating or content warnings on their game to accompany that, and then selling merchandise directly to children. Like, no, you do not exploit the children, Poppy merch should not be in the same aisle next to Mario and Pokemon, it should be in the collectibles aisle with the stuff for older toy enthusiasts. Toys are for everyone, but these are toys from a story about murdering children where murder is shown on screen. We should not be selling that to kids specifically. There should not be a "back to school" sale, there should not be things meant to be brought into an elementary school for these kids for a horror game that, in my opinion, you probably shouldn't play if you're under the age of 16. Steam as a service may be geared towards teenagers and older, but there are still plenty of neglectful parents that let their kids play anything on there. And while it isn't Mob's responsibility to parent these kids, it would be nice if they made an effort to give parents a clear warning that hey, this is probably not something little Johnny and Susie are ready for until they're a little older. There is no excuse for why Poppy Playtime doesn't have a T rating, ESPECIALLY after Chapter 3. Like, kids can handle horror, there is absolutely horror out there that isn't dumbed down that kids can partake in and be perfectly fine, but Poppy Playtime is not one of them. But that's not gonna happen, because the children are the audience members that keep this game profitable. It was likely built on appealing to them and getting their parents' money, and I don't like that. Maybe it's that I have a kid in my life and have seen the inappropriate things kids his age bring to school, because their parents aren't researching anything their kids are into, but it just bugs me something fierce.

The Nightmare Critters, to me, feel like a marketing move first and a plot move...not second, no, this is like a solid fifth priority. The Nightmare Critters are there to sell a toy. They do not feel like a natural progression of antagonists or toys to focus on in this world, and it's frustrating to see Mob neglect all the other toys they've established. Like, okay, where is Catbee? Where is Boogie Bot? I would kill to interact with Boogie Bot for a chapter. Where is Candy Cat trying to eat us alive or holding victims captive in its body? Where is a living Bron in something other than those videos outside of the game? Why do we have the little wuggies but not a variant of smaller Mommy Longlegs and her two family members? Why is Boxyboo in your spinoff game with no trace of him in the main game? Where did the flower you replaced with Bunzo go? As much as I don't love it, where is the Freddy Fazbear on the toilet toy? You littered the shelves with background toys, and most of them have never been expanded upon. Like, you have made SO MANY toys in this world before this point, why are we making even more of them instead of utilizing what you already have? I love getting new characters, but it sucks that we don't get development on the old ones. And also, it's more expensive! Like I knew these Nightmare Critters were coming early because the trademarks for their names leaked. Trademarks get expensive, and when you're introducing so many new characters that are also being merchandised as real world toys, that stacks up in a hurry! That's real money.

We know over the course of the last year that several of the key people who worked on Poppy have left Mob to pursue other things. And the marketing for Chapter 4 makes that very obvious. The fact that there have been tweets showing someone from Mob saying on Discord that the teaser trailer was made using an early build of Chapter 4 and it'll look different in the future doesn't inspire confidence. Why are you releasing a trailer using outdated materials that doesn't reflect the current quality of your game? That sounds like you aren't really ready to be releasing a trailer. Why release a trailer or teasers now anyway? Because it's October? Because the holiday season is coming up and you want to sell toys? Because other major indie horror releases are doing a lot right now and you want a piece of the pie? (BATIM Chapter 3's seven year anniversary, Zoochosis releasing, I'm pretty sure FNAF has been doing a lot too following its own 10 year anniversary). Like, does this make sense to be doing right at this moment? Is there something else coming that made it so there was pressure to do teasers right now? The next chapter comes out in January of 2025, but it begs the question, how far ahead do you have to be to effectively market that? I don't know, I don't do marketing statistics, but I'm sure they have someone on board to who does that thinks this is a good move.

I'm just...disappointed. I want Poppy Playtime to be better than it is, but it continues to miss the mark. Once the shock value of Chapter 3 being darker wears off, you're going to have fans complaining again that it didn't go far enough, or even that it regressed. There will always be people who love it and hail it as the best indie mascot horror ever, good for them, I'm glad they're having fun. But this thing isn't as good as it could be by any stretch of the imagination. And I don't get why. The chapter based release thing also plays a part in it all. Now, I'm not hating on chapter based releases, I actually like them. They offer a very natural space for theorizing and combing through the details to predict what will come next, and it gives people more time with your characters to get attached to them. By all means, it's not a bad strategy. That said, the devs have talked about having a clear vision for the story all the way through, but the game throws so much disjointed stuff at us each chapter that it leads to some doubts on that. Like, I get it when Bendy had that happen. BATIM was very much an accident, they didn't intend to make a full game after the first chapter's demo was up on Gamejolt. They did it to capture the lightning in a bottle and made it up as they went, and I'm more lenient because I understand the circumstances (though Dark Revival I'm not so lenient on). But Poppy has no excuse. Their moves are very calculated and corporate, and it feels like it's here to sell merchandise first and tell a good story/be a compelling game fourth. And that's probably going to continue. It's a shame.

There is one upside though. The fandom has a way of making this world compelling and fun. Seriously, the fan content is great, mad props to all of you fan artists of all mediums for putting your heart and soul into it. I think this is why Mob thought making more critters was a good move, there are so many fun pieces of critter fan content. But like, that's because the Smiling Critters are super easy to make a fan character or AU out of. Like that is a template. There's just enough characterization and vagueness around them that you can make a lot of things work with them for a story and have it sound sensical to most of the fanbase. And there's a lot of fun interpretations to play with. Is it my cup of tea? Most of the time, not really, but I admire the effort and passion that goes into it. That's valuable!

In conclusion, I don't think the Nightmare Critters are bad or even a bad idea, but I don't think their execution was handled well. Had they been foreshadowed in the previous chapters or featured alongside their smiling counterparts, maybe I would be singing a different tune. But as it currently stands, they feel out of place/out of nowhere, they have a real associated cost with trademarks, they take away time that we could be using to explore other established toys, and it feels like they exist for marketing and merchandise rather than a natural progression of the world. Maybe I'll be wrong and they'll actually be a fun and creative addition to Chapter 4, I'm open to that possibility. But as it currently stands, they don't inspire confidence for me personally.

That said, I am mildly curious for what Simon Smokes is gonna be. Like, we know we're getting a mako shark and an alligator, but Simon Smokes could be many animals. So far I've heard either a skunk or a dragon, y'know to be a counterpart to Craftycorn. I'd actually like to see their take on a dragon, could be interesting.

Don't expect me to talk about Poppy Playtime often. I tend to keep my more negative thoughts to myself because I find that to be kinder, especially with indie games and productions. Like, who am I to yuck someone else's yum? My belief is that indie games come from a place of passion, a desire for freedom to create in ways you can't at a triple A company. It's about the art and making something that is meaningful on an individual level. Making an indie game is a real risk, it's vulnerable, it's scary, and I applaud anyone brave enough to put themselves out there and try. That's NOT easy! But Poppy Playtime, at this point in time, is handled by Mob, which, for all intents and purposes, operates as a company. They may be classified as an indie, but they don't appear to have the same heart as other indies. And that's part of what turns me off from them. You can make amazing art and be conscious of the bottom line/make profit, by all means, that's important and doable, you need that to survive. Just, sometimes it feels like this leans more in the direction of the profit than it does the art. And there's something about that that I don't vibe with. But maybe I'm wrong. Maybe they do have that heart and I'm just not seeing it, maybe I have it all wrong. I think, framing it as "this is how it appears to me" rather than "this is definitively what it is" is valuable.

I was chatting with my mom recently about leaving reviews on things, and her insight was really interesting. My mom reads a lot of books from independent authors, and she tends not to leave reviews, but she definitely doesn't leave negative reviews, even on the worst books with horrible grammar and no cohesive plot. She said she'd feel awful doing that, because that's messing with someone's livelihood, and you just don't do that. I see where she's coming from. I also don't want to mess with something that puts a roof over someone's head and keeps food on their table. It's tough to know where to draw the line between being constructively critical for the sake of being informative/educational about creating better art and doing something that will negatively affect someone else's life in ways beyond that critique. Like, I have the hardest time talking about Bendy critically because I don't want to hurt anyone, be that other fans or the people I know who have worked on it and put their all into that. I don't know if I'm doing the right thing by talking about all of this in a Tumblr post. I want to be thoughtful, I want to analyze media, really think about the "why" of it all. But there's got to be a way that does it that makes sense and respects all parties involved. Because regardless of how respectful those around me are, I want to be respectful. That's my standard for myself. I'd love to hear your thoughts on the matter. How do we go about being critical while also being thoughtful?

[astoundingbeyondbelief]

Kaiju Week in Review (December 31, 2023-January 6, 2024)

Episode 9 of Monarch: Legacy of Monsters was a huge one, wrapping up the flashback storyline with gut punch after gut punch and dropping half the cast into a new realm of the Hollow Earth, Axis Mundi. I'm being vague because there's a very big twist at the end. Chomping at the bit for the finale.

@quazies has graced us with another animated Godzilla short, this one focusing on Rodan and wringing surprising emotion out of the daffy bird. And I continue to get a kick of out this Animal Crossing-esque Monster Island. This is their fourth Godzilla video; if you're unfamiliar with them, correct this immediately.

The new issue of TotalFilm has a sizable article on Godzilla x Kong: The New Empire. My notes:

Trapper (Dan Stevens) is a sort of Titan veterinarian.

Emphasis on filming in real places; the Hollow Earth is a mixture of Greenland, Iceland, Hawaii, and Australia. Also mentions some sort of physical Kong prop and another full-sized HEAV.

Apex isn't in this story "in a literal way," but Monarch seems to have copped some of their tech; Kong's B.E.A.S.T. Glove is implied to be one example. Sort of disappointing that the Monsterverse continues to avoid having a recurring human villain, but then it would've been hard to keep Apex in the picture, between the Mechagodzilla scandal and all their key members dying.

Rome is mentioned as a location in the film, which was reinforced this week with a Japanese trailer showing Godzilla astride the Colosseum prior to his evolution. As a half-Italian, I'm thrilled.

Wingard is aiming for late-Showa Godzilla vibes. Not possible on a nine-figure budget, says I, but I'm curious to see what he comes up with. Adds that he "wanted the color palette of the film to resemble the experience of what it was like to walk down a toy aisle in the 1980s[.]"

Wingard on Skar King: "[He's], in a way, the closest that the human threat has ever been juxtaposed onto a titan itself. The Skar King almost represents an upscaled version of the worst parts of humanity, just as Kong represents some of the best parts of humanity."

Now, about that cover... they're doing the bisexual lighting on purpose at this point, right?

The new Godzilla Battle Line units are Orga and Kiryu Kai (Heavy Arms Type). Orga's pretty fun, dropped into the arena by the Millennian UFO and respawning with half health once defeated. The new Kiryu is a major addition, dealing 30% more damage to units that cost 7 energy or more.

This is my first Kaiju Week in Review covering 2024; for a look back on all that happened in 2023 in kaiju film, television, and video games, I'll refer you to this excellent video by @zagorudan. @vintagehenshin has one out on indie tokusatsu as well.

This is a year ending in "4", so a lot of Godzilla movies have big anniversaries on the way. The biggest, of course, is Godzilla vs. Mechagodzilla, turning 50 on March 21. Toho wasn't celebrating golden anniversaries in earnest when the other non-Godzilla members of the Big Five reaches theirs, so expect a Full Weapon Strike of merch, comics, and short films. We already know Mechagodzilla's in the next Godzilla Rivals issue, though not top-billed. Ultraman Leo, ESPY, Evil of Dracula, and Prophecies of Nostradamus also turn 50 this year.

[thehyperfixationcorner]

Sometimes I forget this is a disney blog XD so here are my thoughts on the animation news from D23! (That I know of):

Moana 2 ⛵️: trailer looked great (the big sis lil sis moment??? AAAAA (Certified sibling dynamic enjoyer over here), animation is crisp and beautiful, story sounds interesting, LOVE Moana's redesign and that there are more characters for the journey! Only worries are the repetitive elements and no LMM, but I'll keep an open mind!

Zootopia 2 🐰🦊: we only got a few small details but I'm happy to see Ke Huy Quan in another movie, plus the few images we got really reminded me how I love that film! The one image of Nick and Judy radiates such energy

Toy Story 5 🧸: look, no one loves this series more than me, and no one is more terrified of this sucking. BUT. The tech plot line sounds promising. Just hope ruining 4's alltimer sad ending is done well, somehow

Incredibles 3🦸‍♂️: we just know it's happening. Please be better than 2. Please.

Hoppers🦫: YEAH BABY THAT’S WHAT I'M TALKING ABOUT! This shit sound crazy! Plus, We Bare Bears guy! However, I do get people's annoyance at yet another not white Animated lead spending most their time as an animal or something

Win or Lose⚾️: such creative animation, and my kind of concept! I think this could take tumblr by storm!

Tiana show 🐸: I just wanna SEE IT ALREADY

Mufasa: The Lion King 🦁: sigh... at least the acting and expressions are a little better. Skipping it anyway.

Snow White 🍎: ahem... NO. Put aside how bad it looks, the exclusion of dwarf actors, frikin Gal Gadot, or the animals straight out of a Facebook AI commercial. This is the movie that PROVED ANIMATED MOVIES CAN WORK. Every single person who put their soul into that movie is rolling in their fucking Graves.

Lilo and Stitch 👽: ...At least he doesn't give me nightmares.

Phineas and Ferb ☀️: already gave my thoughts in an ask for a different blog, but I'm cautiously optimistic!

Dream Productions 💭: eh

Frozen 3 ❄️: please be better than 2, please be better than 2

[kittyball23]

Before you saw Trolls Band Together, what were your predictions when you first saw the trailers??

Ohhhhh boy, I had a lot of predictions! 😆

Most of them were compiled as oneshots in my Trolls 3.0 fic (posted on AO3, Fanfiction.net, and Wattpad) Some of them never made the cut and stayed living in my head, but I’ll be glad to share the ideas from both right here 😊

At the beginning of the movie, I knew there was most likely going to be a prologue, since Trolls and Trolls World Tour both started off this way. I had figured it would either start with Velvet and Veneer actually kidnapping Floyd, or with a musical number by the band (which of course is what ended up happening)

I had thought that the argument/breakup was a result of everybody getting on each others’ nerves, instead of their anger directed towards one of them in particular, in that case, John Dory

I thought that perhaps John Dory and Floyd had reunited at the time that Velvet and Veneer had captured Floyd. Like, say JD and Floyd were singing, the duo heard them, and intended to catch them both so they could have one Troll each, but only managed to swipe Floyd, where JD escaped, promising his bro that he would come back with the other bros as backup to save him (Kinda think along the lines of Toy Story 4, where Forky and Woody tried to make their escape from Gabby Gabby)

I thought that there would be little flashbacks and stuff of the bros in their teenage years scattered throughout the movie (in particular, Floyd and Branch flashbacks, and further their bonding)

I was hoping there would be almost-kisses between Branch and Poppy also scattered throughout the movie (I would’ve been going bonkers collecting screencaps of those) and maybe a scene where Broppy had a mini-date or something and the bros (JD, Bruce, and Clay) harmonized and set the mood for them (think along the lines of Rio’s bus ride scene)

I thought that maybe there would be a scene where Branch chose to give himself up to save Floyd, switching places with him so that his bro could be free of the diamond, but he would be trapped there instead

I thought that maybe the fight scene would be this magical, song-battle thing with Velvet and Veneer’s negative energy battling against the Trolls’ positive energy (think Equestria Girls: Rainbow Rocks’ climax)

I hoped that there would be an implication to Viva getting together with one of the bros (particularly, Clay, since she has already known him for years and they seem to have a good friendship)

One of my BIGGEST wishes was for the Broppy wedding! Like I have mentioned in a couple other posts, Branch’s “let’s go get married!” is what – as Bruce put it – created a seismic shift in my brain 😂 I was pining so much of my hope for them to finally hook up with the marriage and the reception and the kisses and possibly even kiddos… but, I suppose we shall have to wait and see what the franchise’s future will bring us. I guess I’ll just way that I don’t think a Broppy wedding is ruled out completely

Anyway, those were some of the wild things I thought up 😆

[authenticcadence18]

this is not really my brand at all but I’m just going to rant about Toy Story 5 for a hot second because the D23 sneak peek made me so mad.

TLDR: Toy Story 5 (and 4) ruin what made the first three films so special.

I’ll start this off by saying I ADORE Toy Story 3. It’s one of my favorite Pixar films. I was 10 when this movie came out, I remember going to like three Walmarts just to find a Jessie doll, and carrying her around with me in my bag all summer. I still have that doll, she’s very special to me.

Part of what makes the first three films so good is the passage of time. First two movies came out within 4 years of each other (1995 and 1999), third movie came out 11 years later in 2010. Andy is a kid in the first two films, maybe he doesn’t age exactly four years between 1 and 2 but he doesn’t have to we’re still in the range of childhood years, in the 90s. When the third movie came out a significant amount of time had passed in the real world, and thus it had in TS3. We quite literally felt the passage of time in that movie along with the toys. THAT is what made that movie so captivating and special, those trailers were so bittersweet and magical and REAL. I remember it so well. The third movie also FEELS like 2010 that movie EXUDES early 2010s it’s so comfy and nice (minus the traumatizing fire scene ofc)

(more below the cut)

Nine years later TS4 comes along and even tho the animation is prettier and the film seems to take place in the 2020s. everyone is the same age. Bonnie has aged what, a year? Over the course of nine real years? whereas Andy went from kid to college bound in a similar amount of time? where is the real world connection?

but ya know I gave the film the benefit of the doubt, I saw it I liked it I loved forky. But the emotional connection wasn’t there the way it was for TS3. But oh well that’s it right? How do you continue the franchise after that ending?

but OH! NOW TS5 is coming out in 2026, seven years later and GUESS WHAT!!! BONNIE IS STILL A KID. Look at this concept art!! She is very clearly still a kid.

she’ll have been a kid for 16 years at this point!! what is this, despicable me? (that’s a rant for another day shdjdjdj)

And she’s an iPad kid now which I mean. Yes. That’s a relevant issue for today’s kids. A GREAT concept for a TS movie. But Bonnie is not the character to portray this storyline. She’s not one of today’s kids she is a kid of the 2010s she was born in like. 2005. BONNIE should be in college and/or starting her own career now. Not an iPad kid. The toys should be with someone else, maybe a younger sister or cousin.

Plus!!! Guess who’s back in Bonnie’s room! Woody!!! so much for him saying goodbye to the others forever to be with his one true love right? The end of TS4 was not my favorite initially but I applauded the writers’ decision to make such a bold choice and change to the status quo. It echoed TS3 in a way, even if it cheapened the end of that film somewhat for me (in my heart the true TS canon ends at TS3 and TS4 is just a possible timeline it could branch off into).

But I guess the moving sacrificial end of your film doesn’t really matter when you can just change it in the next film!! 🙄

I love the sequence of the first three films so much, I love how they take place in the eras they come out in while also moving the timeline along.

Bonnie going from being born in 2005 to the late 2010s AT THE EARLIEST for these films to make any sense makes no sense. and if she’s born in 2005 how is she an iPad kid??? TS4 should’ve come out way sooner, and it should’ve been about a different kid.

(and I KNOW lots of movies and shows have a floating timeline where the kids never age. Charlie Brown, Phineas and Ferb, The Simpsons. but for those shows the setting changing with time while the characters don’t is part of the charm. The Toy Story franchise could’ve been that way but Toy Story 3 fundamentally changed that.)

(And look let’s say the movie takes place in 2012 and Bonnie has a rudimentary IPad 4 or something. why are we just seeing the movie now in 2026?? the timelines don’t match up it doesn’t make sense no matter what.)

I feel an emotional connection to the Bonnie of TS3 because she belongs in that time period, in the early 2010s when cellphone technology was just starting to pick up, when I was still a kid. And I think of TS3 and my brain screams 2010S!! MIDDLE SCHOOL!!!!!

whereas when I think of TS4 I’m like “has it actually been five years? it feels like it came out like two years ago” bc there’s no passage of time within that film to anchor it to the year 2019. That film came out the year before covid and it STILL feels like it came out like two years ago. that is telling to me.

Seeing Bonnie still be a kid 14 (and what will be 16) years after her debut feels inauthentic to the precedent set by Andy and TS3. I’m sure the movie will be good bc Toy Story movies are always good. But they’ve lost that sense of realism, of moving time, of leaving something behind and NOT being able to pick back up right where you left off. That kept the TS movies grounded in bittersweet reality, that’s kinda the whole point. :/

[lulu2992]

Exploration of the now-offline Far Cry 5 official websites

Part 2: Game Info 1 (America)

Recovered content

Here are screenshots of what we could find on the official American website on May 27th, 2017, between an invitation to watch the Announce Trailer, some news, and a link to pre-order Far Cry 5 (which, at the time, was scheduled to come out on February 27th, 2018). For the first time, there was information about the game:

THE CULT Whether through coercion, starvation or forced baptisms, this fanatical cult will use every resource available to build a following in preparation of The Collapse.

THE RESISTANCE Committed to restoring freedom to Hope County, The Resistance has rallied together in order to stop the Father and his followers. And they’ll only succeed with your help.

TOYS From shotguns to slingshots, plus a few trusty farm tools, this toy chest is stocked, locked and loaded with every piece of steel you’ll need to take down the Cult.

GAME FEATURES There's no shortage of mayhem to be had in Hope County. Whether taking down the cult solo or with a wingman, you’ll find adventure around every bend – not to mention some seriously boss rides. Build your character and carve your path through the largest, most customizable Far Cry game ever.

Between June 10th and June 17th, 2017, two of the images (for The Cult and Toys) were replaced:

The text, however, stayed the same, and the appearance of the homepage remained unchanged until it was modified sometime between May 1st and June 10th, 2018. The Game Info section then looked like this:

ANYTHING CAN HAPPEN. EVERYTHING WILL. Game Info: Discover The Weapons, Vehicles, and Features of Far Cry 5. Story & Characters: Hope County has been taken over by a doomsday cult. Join the Resistance and restore freedom to Hope County! Far Cry Arcade: Jump into Far Cry Arcade and enjoy infinite Far Cry experiences built by a robust community of creators. Far Cry 5 Season Pass: Face off against hordes of zombies, ruthless Vietcong soldiers, and Martian Arachnids with the Season Pass.

This is what we got if we clicked “Learn More” for Game Info (I split the page into 4 parts):

ANYTHING CAN HAPPEN. EVERYTHING WILL. Welcome to Hope County, Montana, land of the free and the brave, but also home to a fanatical doomsday cult—known as The Project at Eden’s Gate—that is threatening the community's freedom. Stand up to the cult’s leaders, Joseph Seed and the Heralds, as you spark the fires of resistance that will liberate the besieged community. Join the Resistance now with Far Cry 5. Available now on PlayStation 4 system, Xbox One, and PC. STORY & CHARACTERS You’re the new Sheriff’s Deputy in town. The only problem is, your badge is pretty much useless. Cut off from the outside world, you’ll need to use your wits, willpower and the helping hands of Hope County’s townsfolk to remove the plague that is The Project at Eden’s Gate. TOYS Your arsenal is vast, and the way you wield it even more so. Throughout your campaign, you’ll gain access to weapons mods based on the folks you meet and progress you make. GAME FEATURES Far Cry 5 is a massive gameplay arena that’s filled with something new around every bend. The enemy AI behavior is more realistic, and the exploration is endless. Even when you feel like taking a break from the campaign, you can take in some leisurely fishing before diving back into your quest. It’s your mission. With it comes to freedom to take on a world that hits back by any means necessary. RALLY THE TROOPS THE RESISTANCE NEEDS YOU There’s no better time than now to start rallying your cult-fighting friends, dialing in your arsenal and planning your strategy to take back Hope County from Eden’s Gate.

What I mostly wanted to “Learn More” about were the Story & Characters, but there was interesting information on the Game Features page as well.

Commentary

The initial description of the cult said the “coercion, starvation or forced baptisms” were ways for them to “build a following in preparation of The Collapse”. This is still close to what we see in Far Cry 5, but they already had a following when the Reaping began and the open violence started. The vast majority of the cultists we encounter in the game joined because they had faith in Joseph, not because they were forced to. NPC dialog from the E3 2017 demo suggests, like this text, that the early version of Eden’s Gate wouldn’t hesitate to literally beat people into following and believing in the Father long before the Reaping began.

Under the cut are all the available source files, saved directly from the website, of the images you see in the screenshots:

[sirenjose]

Andrew's 4th Letter and Who's With Him

(Doing this for @LEx2THA on twitter's request)

We know:

3-0-1 is Andrew, 3-1-3 is Antonio, and the Will brothers (Polun) are with them. 3-?-2, 3-1-4, and 3-1-5 are the unknowns.

Polun I suspect is 3-?-2, as Andrew's 3rd letter mentions 3-?-2 and 3-1-3 having "noticeable emotional expressions". Based on Polun's personality + the fact they wear masks, they'd fit the "noticeable emotional expressions" descriptions. Then there's how in their 2nd letter, they mention Andrew started avoiding them after they asked him to "play a supporting role in their performance". This matches with Andrew in his 3rd letter stating he avoids 3-?-2 (and 3-1-3).

And Polun's 2nd letter mentions them getting dizzy after a feast, and 3-1-2 is described to be 1 of the first to be affected by the drugged wine during a "dinner party".

3-1-4 and 3-1-5 are harder to determine.

What we know about 3-1-4 is that they are polite, have themes involving trauma and faith, and are eliminated after being involved in arson beneath a stage.

My best guess at the moment is that 3-1-4 could be Sangria, who also has themes of faith and trauma in her story (faith related to the red lady, and trauma such as how her father beat her offstage and saw her as a toy). The ending of her backstory and deductions, where she leaps into a fire after a performance would fit with potentially being eliminated after a fire near a stage.

My current issue with her is I'd like confirmation Sangria is alive/real (not saying she is or isn't, just I wish I was more certain), as dead hunters aren't participants of the games (ex: Mary, Wu Chang, etc…).

There is Matthias, who we know burns Louis backstage and causes his parents' deaths would relate to the arson/elimination bit too, but the faith bit doesn't seem to fit with him.

There is someone like Ann, who does have faith themes in her story, but we know she's with Alva (based on her 2nd leter), who doesn't appear to be one of Andrew's teammates, and ergo I don't think she's here either.

That leaves 3-1-5. We know that they're good at disguising their true intentions, at sensing other's emotions, are hostile to Andrew, and wear a "facade created through acting" (uses when he lies to Andrew via fake praise). And they may eliminate Andrew and 3-1-4.

Honestly, based on the little we know about Florian from his recent trailer, I wonder if he may be 3-1-5. In a sense he is in the "spotlight" based on the whole bit with him being a "miracle" and how he "learned to play along with the stories" to receive more sympathy and donations, though we know from his trailer and hints from his backstory that he likely starts a fair number of fires (like in the scene where he drops a match with some nun not far away). So he would be the type not to be bothered by endangering or eliminating others. And it's also possible, based on his outlook about his parent's love still being with him, just "absorbed into the flames", and him being a miracle due to their sacrifice, which alleviates his pain at not seeing them, could be why he might be hostile to Andrew.

Andrew's mother did all she could to protect Andrew, but Andrew wants to die to be with her.

Compared to Florian, who may believe he is a "miracle" resulting from his parents' love, parents that did all the could to protect him.

Maybe he'd dislike the idea of Andrew throwing away his life after all his mother did to protect him?

I don't know, it's a bit hard for me to describe my thoughts rn, but hopefully I got at least some of it across.

(And we really do need Florian's deductions to know for sure.)

[prince-toffee]

So, I rewatched the trailer over and over again, I stepped back, organised my thoughts, and I think I get it.

So first the Bad, then the GOOD, because there's actually a lot to like here.

The Bad:

So, the trend of companies kicking actual voice actors onto the curb and replacing them with celebrities continues. I remember being really angry when they first announced the voice cast, and I still am. It's quite literally the most boring, generic casting possible. You can not get much more white bread, milk toast than a Chris and Scar - I want to play an Asian woman and trans man - jo. Also, why is Chris Hemsworth here? Do he really need the money? Did Thor 4 damage his pockets that bad? There are so many talented voice actors that could've been Orion, David Kaye is a prime example Animated Optimus and Beats Wars/Unicron Trilogy Megatron, beloved by fans, if he was announced people would've been over joyed. I love Brian Tyree Henry, and he actually has some experience with va work as he voiced Jeff Morales in Spider-Verse, my original criticism still stands.... And Kegan, oh Kegan, I love you so much, Key and Peele was my childhood, and the Toad performance was perfectly fine, endearing even. But as Bee? I'm sorry, but no, that's not BumbleBee that's just actor/comedian Kegan Michael Key, I can't hear anything else. And it doesn't help that he's handed the worst lines.

Which brings us to the comedy. First impressions are EVERYTHING. And if you fumble that that hurts your film, and the perception of your film. I think that's really the problem here, it's a bad trailer not necessarily bad content. Packing the trailer with jokes for the sake of jokes and having that samey Hollywood liscensed music cringey feel to it. Like the guitar riff that played when the 'This Fall' card came up just made me turn off the video immediately. That's why I recommend watching the trailer without sound. Bee's jokes don't really land for me, I'm sure kids with love it tho, and that's good. But I'm sure all the jokes won't be bad, the final door gag is actually really funny. So I think it was just a bad joke that soured out feel of the tone at the beginning, which is unfortunate because like I said first impressions are everything. Because this is Josh Cooly, of Up, Inside Out, Toy Story 4 fame, I'm sure the film will have an emotional core to it.

A minor thing I don't much care for is having Bee be in the same age range as Orion, in my mind he's always constructed during the war at like the half way mark or near the end, he's the little brother of the group, and now he's old enough to remember Op and Megs before the war. Also he sounds way too old.

Oh, also I don't like Orion's personality.

Good:

Now for the good; I think the animations style is gorgeous. Would have I liked something Spider-Verse/Mutant Mayhem-esk, of course, but what are you gonna do? The stand out here is the environments, a visual feast. This might already be my favourite Cybertron, it's so different yet reminisant of the Cybertron we know. The fact that the surface transformers and shifts and changes is genius, very IDW Phase 2 inspired. And the fact that Cybertron is a techno-organic hybrid world ala Beast Machines is crazy! I love that, and wildlife! I bet that's how we get the cassettes. The character models are great too, you can actually tell what emotion is happening on a person's face. Gone are the days of faces being made up of razor blades and mandibles BECAUSE THEY'RE NOT INSECTS FUCK YOU MICHAEL BAY. THEY'RE PEOPLE! There's the nose, the lips, the eyes, and I can tell where one begins and ends. The eyes are gorgeous and detailed, and the face surface detail has smuges, wear, specs of dirt, metallic texture. Like, you nailed it! It's a person but a robot, you got it!

We see what we assume are the 13 Primes, Alpha Trion being the only survivor, maybe they were killed by the Quintessons and they took over. D-16, a ref to IDW and his toys designation in the toy catalogue, he'll obviously name himself after Megatronus ala TF Prime. He seems to have the Decepticon insignia before meeting The Fallen so maybe Megatronus' face is some sort of religious iconography, the Primes are a religion on Cybertron after all. It's all so fascinating, I can't remember the last time I was so excited to learn more about a new TF continuity.

Orion and D-16 are both miners and or workers, that's a refreshing take, no coptimus here. They've suffered the same way together, I bet story will be about dealing with that pain, what justice means, how far one is willing to take it and where justice stops and injustice begins. I know people are mad that the origins are a little different, but I ask you, different from what? Which continuity are you talking about? TF has never had a consistent singular timeline, and that's what I love about this franchise! It builds on itself with each new continuity! Take a bit of the old, mix it with new ideas and create something fresh, then that old guard leaves and a new team takes over and does the same and the franchise continues to evolve or should I say transform. Like a box of chocolates, you never know what you're gonna get, and new incarnations always give second chances to improve apon what came before. No Reboots, no risks means no Skybite, or Nemesis Prime, no Stasis Pods, Sparks, Protoforms, Energon ore, no Star Saber, Hot Shot, Knock Out, Airachnid, no All Spark, no Sari, no Bulkhead, no old grumpy Ratchet, none of that. Reboots are a part of this franchise's DNA. I sense the people that are complaining are the people who only value one continuity and discard all others.

It's really neat this universe's version of The Cast System is lower class worker protoforms being denied a Transformation Cog, it seems like it's reserved for the higher classes, the very thing that makes their species special and unique is denied to them. Also I didn't notice it the first time, but Alpha actually pulls the t-cogs out of the dead Primes which kind of signifies a passing of the guard, the old Primes failed, now it's your turn, and of course history repeats itself with the downfall of Megatron.

I like how Trion is covered and intertwined with moss and vines and has a beast mode, showcasing that he's of an older era now gone and forgotten.

Some other smaller stuff:

The sun looks like a holographic simulation, which makes me wonder, Cybertron doesn't usually have a sun, but there's plant life now, so what's up?

The cave that the dead Primes and Trion are in kinda looks like a Dweller.

Megatron's black helmet is a ref to Marvel G1.

That spin kick where Elita twirls her entire waist around is sooo satisfying. I love it.

AIRACHNID!!?!!!! MY QUEEN HAS RETURNED!!!!!!!

I think that's a good point to end on. So, yeah, v excited.

[alphabetbill]

Macabre [ HEMLOCK GROVE ] - Chapter 5

~ description ~

A werewolf whose only skill is running from his fears, a half-upir with no idea of the true darkness lying inside of him, and a girl found alive in the woods months after her mysterious death.

Some secrets in Hemlock Grove should have just stayed buried. In a town that isn't so sleepy after all, monsters of all kinds are wide awake under the surface, crawling their way up.

~ warnings~

This story will contain mature and heavy themes that may involve potentially explicit content, gore and murder, talk of kidnapping and stalking victims, animal death, supernatural/paranormal/religious themes and trauma, any other themes not covered in the general description will probably be tagged here at the start of the chapters that other significant warnings apply to.

A list will be linked here upon completion and upload of each chapter:

Cicada and the Snake

Chapter 1

Chapter 2

Chapter 3

Chapter 4

Chapter 5

____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

c h a p t e r    f i v e .

Roman Godfrey

<<>>

ROMAN FINALLY UNDERSTOOD THAT JUDE WAS DEAD. It came like a pin drop, like a sudden realisation of something his brain had refused to let him acknowledge before now. It felt much like a sudden jolt, like the ceiling had fallen, like a sudden blow to the gut that ripped the air from his lungs like a parent snatching a toy from a misbehaving child. 

Staring down a tunnel of trees, he felt something shift in his chest, something that squirmed around, rotten and sickly. All of a sudden he didn't want to do this, but Peter was already out of the car and Roman wasn't about to pussy out and leave him to walk this trail alone.

As he got out of the car, lingering at the start of a dingy forest trail, it hit him in the face as though a wall of air had slammed up, begging him to stop, begging him not to go any further into the trees.

He had not been expecting the sadness that came with standing here in this moment, not the terror or the disgust. Somewhere along this trail, his best friend's body had been left to rot. It left him disturbingly interested in a single question- was she still alive when she reached that ditch?

He thought about the dreams, the woods, the torch, the deer. He wondered if she had felt like he did, trapped in place, surrounded by an unseen enemy, unable to run until it was too late. He wondered if it was quick.

He swallowed thickly and followed Peter like a lost dog into the night.

It was just like the dreams.

Pitch black on all sides with the occasional glimmer of town lights over far-off back fences. The reserve trail began on one side of town, and cut all the way through to the other, separating the trailer park from the rest of civilization with a good few hundred metres between, establishing a clear divide between those who belonged and those who didn't. The Godfrey Estate was on a hill, a spectator, floating above it all, removed from everything and always watching. 

The rhythm of the crickets was jangly and distorted as though they were screaming over the top of each other, like a broken record or a scratched CD. The moon was a claw in the sky and not enough light could tear through the foggy pine needle canopy, so they ended up walking in near-complete darkness.

Roman tried to ignore the ball of ice in his gut, the way his skin prickled every time Peter’s flashlight swept through the underbrush.

"So what are we looking for exactly?" he asked, trying to squash out the tremor in his voice.

"Not sure," Peter said again, the same answer he had given the past four times Roman had asked the question but forgot he asked it. "A clue, feeling, sign, scent. Anything that just feels off".

"I don't know about you but this whole thing feels off man," Roman answered as he rummaged through his coat pocket, "might wanna be more specific."

His fingers shook and he almost dropped the cigarette as he lifted it to his lips, fumbling to get the lighter working.

They found the ditch after about twenty minutes. The police tape was gone, but flowers remained there against a nearby tree with a score mark on it. The cheap fake ones that looked nice but meant nothing, not the real ones. Jude didn't even like flowers. They died every time she tried to grow them, she always thought they brought her bad luck. 

The two boys stood up on the ridge and looked down. 

"Fuck!" Roman cursed, stumbling back, his heart in his mouth.

He was staring at Jude's body. 

She was lying on her side, her auburn hair muddy and knotted. Those wide eyes stared back at him but saw nothing anymore, blood spilling, maggots worming through grey flesh. A jagged sob tore from his throat when it flashed into view. 

It vanished when he blinked his eyes open again. Like a glitch, a snag in the folds of reality, she was gone. 

He did not want to blink again.

"You okay?" Peter asked.

"You...you mean to tell me you didn't just fucking see that?" Roman paced, dragging a hand over his face. He sucked on the cigarette, his heartbeat skittering. He wanted out he wanted out. Away from that fucking ditch, away from where he would have to see. 

He felt sick, and his hand fell to his stomach as though to soothe himself. 

"What? See what?" Peter placed his hands on his shoulders as if to shake him out of it. 

"She was here she was-" he gulped. The ditch was still empty when he looked back down. "She was just lying there. For a second I swear to god I saw her."

"I've seen her before too. The first day you dropped me home I saw her sitting in your car," Peter told him. 

They looked at each other in silence.

The shared dreams and the shared visions. 

"Shee-it."

"Shee-it."

Roman and Peter exchanged a tense look before Peter dropped his gaze, searching the ground as though the answers would materialize in the dirt beneath his boots. He moved a few steps away from the ditch and crouched, combing his flashlight over the area, inspecting every twig, every scuff in the mud. Roman kept his distance, standing with his back to the ditch just in case he saw it again.

"The grass is flat right there," Peter said, rising from a crouched position. He jumped down into the ditch, the ridge at about knee height, and stepped up onto the other side where the grass blades were crumpled, crushed in a distinct line that led further into the trees. He gestured for Roman to follow, and he clenched his jaw, hesitating before hopping down and following Peter’s lead.

They didn't go very far along the path of flattened foliage, just far enough that they could still see the path behind them if they turned their flashlights back in that direction. The further they moved, the more far apart the trees seemed to be, the more darkness that swelled between them.

Eventually Peter smacked his flashlight as its beam began spluttering in a weak glow, before it died. 

“It’s dead,” he muttered, shaking it. 

Roman flicked his own flashlight off and back on, but it only gave a dim flash before it went dark too. Both of them stood frozen, his breathing shallow. "Oh you've got to be fucking kidding me," he cursed, anger coinciding with his growing fear.

He strained his eyes, peering into the darkness, but there was nothing—no movement, no sound, just the dense weight of shadows pressing in around them. 

He saw them, outlined only by the moon straggling through the canopy.

A line of deer. They stood silently and still in a small bit of clearing, staring out from between the trees with blank, glassy eyes. Five of them, their bodies rigid, all too aware of the two boys sharing their presence. Beside one of them, standing by a doe's legs was a smaller shape—a small fawn.

Roman took a step back, his heel crunching against a twig, and the animals darted off once again and back into the trees as though that moment of limbo, that moment in which the deer had seemed so grotesquely aware, had never occurred.

They made their way back to the walking trail and the flashlights stuttered to life again, neither of them in possession of the words to explain it as they walked back the way they came. Something in the air was telling them to leave, and for the first time in his life Roman was happy to listen.

When the two of them got back to the car, Jude was standing beside it.

____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

mmm. not sure how i feel about this one.

[blueikeproductions]

So I’ve been thinking of the EarthSpark children’s books again.

Besides the Guidebook, these two seem to be the only ones out atm that are original stories and not recaps/adaptions of episodes of the cartoon. I personally prefer original stories set roughly during the cartoon’s universe, and to no one’s surprise I’m naturally a big fan of the RiD15 books being all original stories.

However, my nitpick with the EarthSpark books is they’re too short and … safe. There’s no real conflict or if there is one, like Racetrack Recon, it’s resolved instantly…

Now kids books or not, I think most of us want some kind villain for the Autobots to fight, which the RiD books excelled in. My favorites being Scuzzard from above, Liege Maximo starting trouble because he was bored and needed a cheap thrill, and Drift meeting up with his old Decepticon crew. So what can the EarthSpark books do?

Well for starters:

Use Swindle. He’s perfect for low scale conflict, and you can get a lot of mileage out of him starting trouble with a guest star that the Terrans have to stop. Obviously you could experiment with other villains besides him, but still.

Book idea 1: Items have been going missing from Witwicky. The culprits are Swindle and Chop Shop.

Besides trying to make a quick buck, they also seek to steal important GHOST tech to benefit the Decepticons still roaming the Earth. Dot and Optimus have to keep Croft and Schloder distracted so the Terrans can put a stop to Chop Shop’s kleptomania.

Book Idea 2: The Decepticons need energy if they plan to still take over Earth and stick it to Megatron and GHOST. Swindle, seeing an opportunity to make some moolah, gets Octane and RatBat to join him on a fuel syphoning scheme.

I feel like it’d be a Jawbreaker and Grimlock story as a gag on fossil fuel.

Book Idea 3: Revision of Recon where Swindle fixes the race using the RiD15 originated Stunticons. I already talked about this one.

Book Idea 4: Tarantulas runs afoul of an old lab partner, the insane Autobot scientist Flame.

(For a potential toy, I feel Flame would be a hybrid design of these two, taking more from the one on the right for ease of toy design.) Flame, fed up with the humans treatment of Transformers, decides to release a Cyber-Virus bio weapon Tarantulas developed during the Great War, and use it to Cyber Form Earth into something more palatable. Tarantulas needs Nightshade, Wheeljack and Hashtag’s help in a race against the clock to defeat Flame’s mad ambitions. Akin to RiD15 Grimlock with Simacore, Nightshade gets their first arch rival in Flame.

Book Idea 5: Nightshade and Sam team up to take down crime in Philadelphia, playing up a bit of the superhero side to the owl. Playful parody of 60’s Batman, using Animated supervillains like Angry Archer and Nanosec.

The supervillains are part of a larger scheme by the Decepticon Malignus.

Of which Nightshade and Sam need to call in the rest of the “Teen Terrans” and Bumblebee to help deal with.

Book Idea 6: Optimus Prime’s trailer/Combat Deck starts malfunctioning and causing a rampage around town, causing a headache for GHOST and the Autobots.

It’s discovered the jailhouse Decepticons implanted a computer virus into the trailer via Bombshell’s Cerebro Shells to spite the Autobots. Twitch, Robbie and Hashtag have to jack in and defeat the computer virus within, Kremzeek, in a video game showdown while Jawbreaker, Mo, Thrash, Nightshade and Megatron try to contain the Combat Deck on the outside. There’s a fun visual of Roller effortlessly pulling the trailer around town in its rampage.

Book Idea 7: GHOST develop their own Navi program in TORQ III from studying Cybertronian technology and Teletraan 1.

A hybrid of the G1 episode, Marvel UK’s Raiders of the Last Ark, and TFP’s Flying Mind, TORQ finds GHOST inefficient and seeks to apprehend every remaining Decepticon on the planet with his own methods, regardless of the consequences to the Autobots, and humans like the Maltos. Optimus, Elita and Megatron have to stop TORQ and his mind controlled Decepticons from starting a new Machine War.

Book Idea 8: The elusive Mirage, based on the RotB version with his body being closer to RiD01 Mirage, returns and pays a visit to the Malto household to see what all the hubbub is.

Mirage, Robbie and Thrash become fast friends, and team up to put a stop to the latest scheme of Swindle’s. Battletrap, Transit and Scorponok are present as part of further RotB synergy.