#uglyville

[subwhizz]

Lou in Wonderland AU✨

Wonders. Part 3🎀

We´ve come to the part Lou accepts the isekai and decides to stays for a while. BUT NOT TO enjoy it. Of course. He will not do that

A new year hellride is coming, and I'll continue sharing my art obsessions as long as my studies let me. In the best scenario, I´ll come back in February ✨ ✨ 

Man, the last pages took forever. Who was the idiot that decided for them to be full colour with complex perspective and detailed backgrounds-

Extra~~

Prev/ Next

[flareheart8]

I saw the multiple concept arts for Uglyville and really liked the aesthetic each one had, so I wanted to combine the ones I liked into this piece. I'm planning to do the same for Perfection as I want to do a rewrite of Uglydolls and expand upon the world they live in.

This piece has Moxy arriving at Uglyville for the first time and being amazed at all the unique, weird buildings and structures. I have to where Uglyville takes place in the factory's old garbage pit and all the buildings are made from broken toys and trash. I'll probably make some more changes to it since this is just an idea I had, but I like what I did so far.

[phinjeet]

* watching a video abt that ugliez movie and i waz not ready 2 hear the name uglyville again

[bluepoodle7]

#Uglydolls #UglydollsUglyvilleResidentCreator #Slingo #Bingo #DetectiveToyOcs #UglydollsOc #DollOc #CharacterCreator

I remember making a uglydolls character from the creator.

I want to draw both of them someday.

She is detective and Bingo is her male doll partner that helps solve crimes both big and small.

The website is gone because the license in expired on the site and I wonder if the Powerpuff Girls 2016 creator is still up?

[ploppythespaceship]

Uglies - Movie Thoughts

On a whim, I decided to start re-reading the Uglies series a couple months ago -- so imagine my surprise when I found out it was getting a movie! Said movie is now out, and it was interesting to watch with the book being so fresh in my head.

Overall, it's... eh. It's not a complete train wreck, the way most critics seem to want you to think, but it is fairly bland and uninspired. It's a very watered down version of the book. It also has the misfortune of feeling like yet another a Hunger Games wannabe, despite the original book pre-dating that series by several years.

Spoilers for everything under the cut.

What I Liked

Based on reviews, I seem to be in the minority here, but I thought the cast was pretty good. People seem to hate Joey King as Tally, but I thought she was fine. Brianne Tju is easily the best in the cast, stealing the whole damn movie as Shay. Laverne Cox also gives an excellent performance as Cable, though I do think she should not have been given that role for other reasons (which I'll get into later).

I've also seen complaints that the characters aren't ugly enough. They talk about how ugly they are and point out their specific ugly features, when they don't actually appear that ugly. And I think everyone complaining about that is completely missing the point. The "Uglies" aren't actually ugly -- they're just normal people, who've been conditioned to think their imperfect features are hideous.

I was honestly unsure how the Pretties would be visualized -- in fact, I wondered if the book would just be fundamentally unadaptable because of it -- but they did a fairly good job. I think leaning on CGI and unnatural affectations was the right way to go. All the Pretties have this uncanny quality to them that suits the story perfectly.

The overall production design was solid as well. I like how Uglyville is all gray concrete and muted tones, while New Pretty Town is shimmering golds. Then upon reaching the Smoke, all the colors of nature finally come through. I do think that could have pushed that last one a little bit more, but it still works well.

Apart from that, I don't really have much to shout out. It's competently written, well-performed, well put together. I know it doesn't sound like I have much praise, but it is a competent movie.

What I'm Mixed On

By far the biggest change from the book is Peris becoming a Special. And I'm torn on it. On the one hand, it does make him a bigger part of the story -- he's honestly not much more than an inciting incident in the book. It gives him and Tally a unique arc that's probably the strongest through-line in the story. On the other hand, the Specials as a concept are so under-cooked (more on that later) and the actor is so bland that it still doesn't quite land the way it's supposed to.

What I Didn't Like

The pacing of this movie is by far its worst issue. We are flying through this plot. There is no time for anything to breathe, for characters to develop meaningful connections, for the bigger moments to feel earned. Some things do make sense to condense -- Tally's journey to the Smoke would have been incredibly boring without her internal monologue, so condensing most of that into a montage makes sense. But I do feel we lost too much. That's where a lot of Tally's characterization comes out, where we can see her bravery and ingenuity -- none of that comes across in the movie.

A lot of important beats are rushed. Tally agreeing to help Dr. Cable is over in a flash. It feels like Tally's in the Smoke for all of fifteen minutes. Tally and David barely interact, so their relationship has no real stake. Everyone is kidnapped by Special Circumstances, and then rescued immediately after. I almost think a 5-6 episode mini-series would have worked better -- but that might have introduced the opposite problem, where everything takes too long.

The movie also has frequent montages that don't really work. It seems like they were trying to show the passage of time, but it just makes everything feel even shorter.

The beginning of the movie has an exposition problem, as well. It opens with a montage explaining the entire setting... before leading into several scenes that also explain the setting through dialogue. We get fed the same details about the surgery and the Rusties and the flowers at least three times at the start, and it gets grating.

As already mentioned, Tally is pretty severely underwritten. In the book, she has a distinct personality and a unique presence. In the movie, she's just the main character because she happens to be the main character. Her intelligence and resourcefulness are pretty much gone.

I also think changing her motivation for going to the Smoke did her a disservice. In the book, Tally goes to the Smoke so she can have her surgery, and because she's convinced herself that Shay needs her help. In the movie, Dr. Cable tells her that the Smokies have a weapon, and she will be saving lives by helping to find them. I think giving her a more selfless motivation robs her of her character arc. She always comes across as someone trying to help, who wants to best for other people, rather than someone who had to consciously learn that.

The Specials are barely even a presence. I'm not sure they were even directly called Specials. People who hadn't read the book would never realize that there was an entire separate status of person here. You never see their disturbingly beautiful faces or their terrifying strength. Considering how pivotal the Specials are to the overall story, especially in the later books, it's really odd not to see them properly established here.

Like I said, Laverne Cox gives an excellent performance as Dr. Cable... but I think they should have thought twice before casting a trans woman. It's not necessarily that there's a trans woman in the villainous role, but that there's a trans woman in the villainous role who specifically wants to force people to have surgeries to brainwash them. Like... did the optics of that really not occur to anyone? At all? I think Cox could have played David's mother, instead.

[lousirs]

UD headcanons no one asked for!

my motivation has gone to get the milk and has not come back since, SO HEY! who wants to hear some random headcanons that have been microwaving in my head for the past year???

this is going to be a long one...

stuff under the cut vvv

Lou is the kinda guy to only pack nice looking outfits on a holiday. Do they suit the occasion? Probably not. But he wants to look the part every where he goes, even if he's wearing a suit during the middle of summer

He would also be the guy to complain that it's too cold, even though he was told to pack up layers of clothes for a hiking trip, and didn't. But when someone tries to give him a coat, he says "I don't need that, I'm fine!" even though he looks like he's going to freeze over.

He takes the coat not too soon after

On the other hand, either Nolan or Ox would overpack for a trip. Ox because he is basically the fatherly figure of the group, and wants to make sure that everyone has enough food, water, and layers of clothing for the trip. Oh, and he brings a first aid kit as well. Nolan however does it because "What if I didn't pack enough?? What if I need this oddly specific thing??" and packs more than he needs to

Speaking of Ox, he always came off as a character who really enjoys camping and exploring, ya know? He seems like the leader of a scout group who loves to sing campfire songs and tell spooky stories that no one believes. (him and Rhidian would get along well)

LITERALLY NO ONE TALKS ABOUT LUCKYBAT AND OX'S DYNAMIC AND IT'S DRIVING ME WILD. Hello?? A withdrawn and somewhat jaded mayor who is protective of those he's close to with his intelligent, caring and concerned assistant?? That sounds interesting!

I'm sure LuckyBat knows more than anyone else (besides Lou) of what Ox went through. Perhaps he didn't know about the Institute, but he knew ox went through some stuff outside Uglyville. Perhaps that's why he's so cautious to go into the pipe.

(And perhaps the reason why he decides to go to learn new stuff was for the sake of finding out what Ox doesn't speak about?)

Back to the Prettydolls, I always found it interesting that Nolan was able to run the gauntlet despite being imperfect, although Moxy and Mandy, two other imperfect dolls, were thrown into recycling. Why was Nolan allowed to run the gauntlet, huh Lou? Didn't you say that any unideal looking doll goes to recycling, Lou????

Personally, I like to think that Lou allowed Nolan to do training and was like "Haha watch this idiot fail". And turns out Nolan was really good at it (flashbacks to Nolan being buff in the novel). Lou is flabbergasted.

...Either that or Lou just allowed him to run the gauntlet to watch him fail immediately because "Haha funny" and also "Haha imperfects can't win. Suck it loser~"

Kitty is jealous of Mandy's makeup skills, and often copies her because of it, too embarrassed to ask for advice because she needs to learn on her own. After Lou gets overthrown, Kitty and Mandy help each other out on their makeup and hair

Tuesday is the girl to think that "Yeah I'm smiling, but inside I'm crying" is the deepest thing to ever exist. Kitty bullies her for it.

Also, Tuesday cry-sings "I'm a mess" by Bebe Rexha after Lou denied her 1244th love confession. She will try again tomorrow

Because Kelly Clarkson was pop-rock for a while, I like to imagine that Moxy had a rock-n-roll rebellious phase, and still has a few characteristics from that era of her life

During the scene where Lou is going up the gauntlet lift with everyone else, he is constantly moving about. Winking at Mandy to fake confidence, adjusting his suit...etc. I always saw this has him being nervous, because you know, he's about to expose himself for being a prototype after this gauntlet stuff is over. So I like to think that he fiddles around with his suit when he's nervous. Mainly readjusting the sleeves, tightening his ascot tie and flicking out his collar. Also pulling out loose threads, if there is any.

I thought for the longest time that when Lou's hair got slightly messier, it showed him being more genuine. There is one god damn strand on his fringe that goes from being in place to hanging out, and I thought it showed him losing his façade, very very subtly.

This might be a hot take but I always saw Loundy (Mandy/Lou) as being friends/lovers to enemies. Think about it: Lou and Mandy seemed to have some sort of connection, Mandy (in my opinion) basically being Lou's assistant, similar to the spy girls. She began thinking he was perfect, and they formed a (seemingly) close bond. But over time, as Lou's desperation for perfection increased, her opinion of him soured, and she realised he isn't as perfect as she thought. She kept the negative thoughts to herself, though. Who would believe her? The perfect doll with the flawless looks and endless talents, topped off with a charming personality... Why would he be unhinged? How would he be unhinged?

You know that line Mandy says to Lou at the gauntlet? "You know, Lou.. When I first got here, I thought you were perfect. I couldn't find a single thing wrong with you. But, I can see a lot better now." perhaps that wasn't just talking about the events of the film, as it probably implies. Maybe she knows how terrible he's been for a long time...

That's all I got for now, I may doodle some of these if motivation comes back, who knows..

[0perfectimperfections0]

What if Lou accidentally came to Uglyville before the uglydolls came to the Institute of Perfection?

Not sure exactly when you sent me this, but @subwhizz has a comic/graphic novel that they are working on called "Lou in Wonderland AU" and it is exactly what you're asking.

HOWEVER, I'm never gonna pass an opportunity to write out some ideas that sprung into my head. I do suggest reading the "Lou in Wonderland" story though. Sub is an amazing artist and an even better storyteller!

-------

The machines weren't perfect themselves by any means. Come to think of it, it would be pointless for Lou to even exist if the machines didn't intentionally create flawed dolls to a certain extent. But when Nolan popped into the Institute, Lou realized maybe the humans had let the factory go. There hadn't been that bad of a mess up since...

Lou shook the memories away, focusing on the never-ending tunnel in front of him as he walked. The flashlight flickered and the bulb made a static noise as it tried to warn Lou that the batteries were dying. He ignored it. Besides, the pipes only led to Perfection, so realistically he could just turn around and get back home easily.

It flickered again and Lou slammed the heel of his hand against it. "Stupid light..." He looked up, coming to a halt. "What in the world...?" The hole that normally led to the incinerator was blocked up with splintered wood and poorly driven in nails. No wonder he had mistakes like Nolan ending up in Perfection...

But that didn't entirely make sense either. The machines would realistically pop out a faulty doll out of every 100 or so made. He'd checked the math himself. That's what made Ox such a spectacle was that it was the first doll in years since the company started that hadn't been sorted correctly. But Nolan would still be recognized as a Pretty Doll. Despite his...differences, Nolan didn't have enough faults to him for the machine to deem him as a mistake.

So, if Lou hadn't seen any other faulty dolls...and the incinerator was blocked up...then where were mistakes going?

Lou blinked as the flashlight flickered one last time before dying unceremoniously. He sighed. This was a mystery for another day. Or whenever he could manage to steal the batteries from one of the robots again.

"Good thing the pipes all lead to--OHMYDOLL!" Lou screamed and felt his heart practically leap into his throat as he freefell into...well, it had looked like darkness before but now this was just liquid darkness he was slipping through. He desperately tried to reach his arms out in hope to grab onto something, but it felt like more pipe. But why was it going down!?

He screamed the whole way down, opting in closing his eyes despite not being able to see anything regardless, and praying that death would meet him quickly.

Light soon blinded him and he hardly had time to adjust his eyes before his whole body ached from crashing onto something hard. Luckily he landed on his back.

He groaned, eyes squinting in pain and still blinded by how much light there suddenly was. Some of it was blocked out suddenly by a weird, red figure. A wing-like appendage moved across his vision a few times and then he realized there was a voice connected to it.

Lou grimaced from the pain all through his back and head. "Please tell me I'm dead..."

The head of the figure tilted curiously. "I...w-well no...um...w-would you like to be?"

Lou put a heavy hand to his forehead. "Kind of. Are you gonna kill me?"

"No, but I do offer therapy sessions."

Who or whatever this voice belonged to had a lot more personality than the mindless dolls he trained on the daily. It didn't sound like such manufactured dialogue.

Something poked his side and Lou coughed as pain and a tickling sensation bubbled through him. "We have tons of food here too. You're awfully scrawny."

Lou waved the...it felt like an actual wing. What the heck. He opened his eyes blearily and finally got them to focus on...

A...bat? A red bat.

Lou scrambled back quickly. "What in the world are you?"

The bat looked surprised and a little put off by the reaction, but he spoke calmly. "My name is LuckyBat and I'm an UglyDoll, just like you!" He smiled with sharp fangs poking out of his lips.

"Excuse me?" Lou narrowed his eyes at the creature.

"Welcome to Uglyville! We never got an announcement of a new arrival. Did you get here through the flower?" LuckyBat paced a few circles around Lou, inspecting every inch of him.

Lou would lean a little ways opposite of wherever Lucky was as he revolved. "Flower?" The bat simply gestured upward. Lou followed up to the weird sunflower-looking thing jutting out of the cliff. "Yeah, I came out of that I think." Lou shook his head. "Where did you say this was?"

"Uglyville," Lucky straightened with a smile.

"Right..." Lou winced and forced himself to stand up. He rubbed the back of his head.

"I think this belongs to you. It fell out of the flower too." Lou squinted down. Lucky held up a dented flashlight to him.

Lou took it, already knowing it really wouldn't work anymore despite getting new batteries. "Thanks...What's your name again?"

"Luckybat." Boy, this newcomer sure had a bad memory.

"Why are you called that?"

"I'm usually very lucky. Lucky to have great friends, a great home, to be alive--"

Lou snorted. If this creature was here only because the incinerator was blocked, then yeah, he was lucky to be alive.

"What's so funny?" Lucky looked genuinely interested.

Lou shook his head quickly, going back to tinkering with the flashlight. "Nothing. I have another question."

"You're full of those, huh?" Lucky smiled.

The blond rolled his eyes. "Yeah. How do I get back up into the pi--flower?"

Lucky tilted his head. "You...want to leave?"

"Yes, very much so."

The bat seemed nervous now for some reason. "W-Well, I'm not so sure, but...I think I know someone who could help! She talks a lot about the flower and going through it. I'm sure she's got a million different ways to get up there!" Lucky bounded off ahead of Lou, not bothering to see if he was following.

Lou sighed, looking at the flashlight in his hand once before tossing it behind him and following the bat toward wherever.

The flashlight flickered back on behind them.

-----

I'll probably leave this right here for now and if you want a continuation I'll make the next parts longer.

Spoiler, I think I plan on continuing it anyway, but STILL.

It's also currently 1:40 in the morning where I am and I need to go to bed...

[tallysgreatestfan]

Changes to the book I actually liked in the Uglies movie (in no particular order):

Shay saving Tally just as she is about to be discovered by a warden instead of them just sort of stumbling into each other on the way back from the party towers, and then escaping in a daring hoverboard ride. It is not just such a cool meet-cute, it also shows even better how adventurous, mischievous and brazen Shay is

The Smokies defeating Dr. Cable by a full front blast of fire from a helicopter instead of Croy managing to sneak up to her and smacking her unconscious from behind with a power tool. It is not really shown in the movie, but you can feel it in every moment thanks to Laverne Cox amazing acting that Dr. Cable is an fearsome fighter. She also is a cyborg super soldier who not just is much faster and stronger than them, her senses are also much better, which would mean that she should have noticed Croy. It feels more realistic that it would take a lot to knock her out.

Tally and Shay randomly wolf howling while hoverboarding over the wild water. Such a small moment, but works well to both show how weird and how innocent they still are.

Tally jumping into a burning field to safe Shay. Ah the shipping!

Maddy and Dr. Cable meet on screen. I had hoped for this, since in the books they both were these powerful, smart scientist leaders, and they have a lot of parallels, but every time they meet is offscreen. Love to see them stand up to each other.

Maddy confirming that her, Az and Dr. Cable used to know each other already before everything went down. It was fanon, but it is nice to see it on screen.

Confirmation that, like Brave New World, which shares a lot of themes with Uglies, a part of this system relies on systematically estranging children and their parents, though not nearly to the degree of Brave New World.

Shays short hair. Oh my god it fits so much better to her tomboy and bi disaster personality to have short hair than to have long braided hair.

Not really that much a change as just not described in the book at all, but from her vibes I imagined Dr. Cable as rather butch. But it fits better into the message if she, the enforcer of this world, is very feminine. She also feels, for the lack of better words, very gender in the book too, but, unpopular opinion, Laverne Cox playing her adds a whole other layer to it. It fits into how the regime paints itself as being so welcoming of all differences, identities, ethnicities, for her to be black and trans, but in truth they only accept differences by making them align with their conformity and standards - which we see in her pale eyes, blonde, straight hair and feminine clothes.

The cultural norm for Uglies to only wear various shades of grey. Fits with their cultural perception of not being able to be beautiful or really just worth noticing.

On the same note Uglyville and New Pretty Town having different architecture styles.

The pig mask also containing a hologram. Always seemed strange to me how Tally with her shitty clothes, and, in the book, quite different body type to the Pretties would not garner attention, even with how unobservant they usually are.

Not just directly taking Tally to the Smoke, but instead letting her have to prove herself for a few days. Just seems safer.

[izaack-gauss]

hi pookie :3 i just wanted to say that you're awesome and nothing can change that, somebody in the world will always love you no matter what. i'm not sure why i'm saying this but whatever. paid a visit to uglyville and they said they've never heard of you, went to coolville and they said you're actually the mayor! *gives u a big hug and a kiss*

-⭐

Awwh! Why thank you, dearie..

[tsunflowers]

also i think it was a mistake to depict uglyville as a cgi brutalist megastructure. I haven't actually read the book in years so maybe that's accurate but I always imagined it as a shitty high school campus with some scifi touches that still look old and rundown. it would make for a much more effective contrast with new pretty town if uglyville was a real world set and new pretty town was cgi

[subwhizz]

Lou in Wonderland AU✨

Welcome. Part 2🎩

Give him a breath, he is proccesing a lot-

Five years in this fandom, and just now I learn how to draw the Uglydolls xD On top of that, how to dress them with a pretty basic Wonderland theme

THANK YOU FOR ALL THE SUPPORT THIS LITTLE THING IS HAVING. I MEANS SO MUCH ❤❤❤

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[flareheart8]

My redesigns for the Uglydoll casts. Haven't changed too much besides giving them little accessories, stitches and tears. I'm also adding more to their character.

For example, Moxy is more into exploring outside of Uglyville and her curiosity gets the best of her. She knows there's more out there as she tends to collect stuff that's relate to the outside world, and likes to record everything she sees into her notepad. While she does love her town, Moxy often feels trap inside this safe haven and wants to see what the outside world has to offer.

Don't let Uglydog's chill personality fool you as he's willing to defend his friends and family from any harm. He's the protective guard of the group and is willing to put himself in danger in order to protect his love ones (It's the reason why his tail is torn). He also enjoys making music and partying everyday.

LuckyBat is the shy, but wise one of the group similar to how he was in the movie. Often giving out the best advices and being the emotional support. Though, he wants to learn how to be brave and courageous like Moxy as he often feels like a burden to his friends due to how slow, and weak he is. Wearing his yellow cape makes him feel like a superhero and he never leaves without it.

If you need a certain item or good shelter, Babo's your man. He did helped Ox with building Uglyville in the early days and always lending a helping hand to anyone in need. He makes sure he has the right item for certain situations, and keeps his friends out of sticky situations.

While Wage can be very cynical and harsh to her friends, she doesn't mean any harm. She's a kindhearted chef who loves baking sweets for everyone in Uglyville and putting a smile on their face. Wage just wants the best for her friends and gives them a reality check when needed. She's especially like that to Moxy as she thinks Moxy is too obsess with this so-called outside world and tries to reason with her. Wage also isn't afraid to called out anyone out on their crap and won't hesitate when it comes to standing up for her friends.

Ox is the founder of Uglyville and mentor to all the uglydolls. He makes sure everyone feels welcome and safe, and give them happiness their deserve. As happy as he can be, he knows what's really going on and tries to keep it secret in order to keep everyone safe. Thoughts about his secret being reveal makes him paranoid, and can't imagine what would happened to his precious home. He dismisses Moxy's theories about the outside world and tells that Uglyville is all she needs. After all, nothing can get better than this, right??? The white jacket he wears is a reminder of the memories he cherishes with a certain pretty doll.

[susiephone]

it says a lot about scott westerfeld’s talent as a writer and the quality of the story that uglies can have locations named “uglyville” and “crumblyville” and “special circumstances” and “new prettytown” and have whole classes of characters called “uglies,” “mid-pretties,” “specials,” “new pretties,” “rusties,” etc and not have it sound incredibly fucking corny

[clonerightsagenda]

Uglies liveblog part 1

Voiceover lore dump…. did they take away the oil bug? That was iconic. Ofc Tally doesn't know the details until later so maybe that's why we don't hear about it now.

Didn't imagine Uglyville that brutalist

Is Peris hitting on her? Am I getting jumped by new dimensions of n-drangles? Behind the scenes Uglies lore is that Peris was originally Peri, a girl, and Scott changed it so their scenes had easier to follow pronouns. Wlw Tally slipping through the cracks buried under multiple layers of revisions…

Do they do this ceremony every single day or do all the IVF babies have scheduled batch birthdates

Shay: Boyfriend? Tally: Best friend. Shay internally: I have a shot

Wait why is the orchid their city's power source? How does that even work? Is solar power not good enough for you people

Thank goodness they kept the bungee jackets. There was a line where Tally goes "she was starting to feel like her life was a succession of falls from greater heights" and yeah, Scott, that's kind of a thing for you isn't it

20 minutes in and we've already got a hoverboard chase. At least they understood the true core of the series (hoverboard stunts)

Pausing to do my extensive braces teeth cleaning procedure but I appreciate they're giving time to Tally and Shay's friendship development before it all goes to hell!

[pleas3pretendimnothere]

I think seven books in a month is a record for me. Thank you, Narnia.

Uglies

By Scott Westerfeld - Haha, wow, this was a book. I remember growing up seeing the Uglies series populate library endcaps and book fairs. I remember friends toting the series. I don't remember anyone ever recommending it. Still, I respected that it was a piece of YA lit at the forefront of the dystopia craze, and I knew I wanted to read it one day. What luck! I found it on sale for all of ¥800, and I took it as a sign. It was time to read Uglies.

This book is nuts. While the prose is serviceable, the story explains so much to me about the YA dystopia cancer of the 2000s. The Hunger Games takes an idea and builds a frightening, believable world around it. Uglies takes an equally compelling idea and creates some real goofer-goober shit. I told myself Uglyville, Pretty Town, names like those were all a part of the satire, and I found myself having a grand ol' time. Until the middle of the book.

This is not a good book. Like Poor Things, after you get past the silliness of the world, Uglies has itself an intriguing, compelling narrative. A girl obsessed with her own appearance comes to realize this obsession stems not from herself but from the culture of her society. Beauty is subjective, and she is fighting to believe otherwise; beauty does matter, and she must not be ugly. A challenging narrator like this is a great idea, and she made me want to learn more about this fucked-up world. I wanted to see how it functioned, how beauty as a foundation for a society would change everyday living. I wanted the message to be in my friggin' face.

Would you believe that this book takes place almost entirely in the woods? And in an old timey, absolutely normal log-cabin town? No, not the dystopian city that intrigues you, not the interesting stuff. We're hanging out with the trees!! Exclusively!!

The story is bonkers rebellion bullshit. Chemistry between anyone other than Tally and Shay is rushed and unbelievable. The story squanders potential for adventure and exploration and instead parks the reader into normalcy ("Wow! This thing that the reader finds silly and boring is bonkers to us future-world characters!!") It seems like the second book explores this stuff better, but why couldn't it have been the first book? Because I'm no longer interested! You lost me!

Lots of good ideas about beauty standards and self-esteem in Uglies, but ultimately it's not worth anyone's time. The highlight is a narrator who sees appearance in everything; that is well done, but the plot is a whole lot of nothing. Don't waste any time on this one. SKIP IT!

The Horse and His Boy & Prince Caspian

By CS Lewis - Oh, Narnia. Such interesting reads as a liberal, female atheist in the year 2024. I could easily write up a hundred-page essay on this series, and I haven't even finished it yet. Yes, I am reading the books in order of the publisher's numeration, I don't wanna hear about the issues with that.

Horse perhaps is my favorite Narnia book so far--which is crazy, because no one else seems to feel this way. The book is full of problems that would not fly in today's worlds--the first being a poor little white boy is trapped in the savage desert land of heretic brown people who see Narnia as blasphemous beast country. Christianity and racism persist in every Narnia book though, so aside from how uncomfortable that shit made me, there was a great adventure story. Having a book set outside of Narnia was refreshing and expanded on the previously very small world. Horse felt far more adventurous than its predecessors; Magician and Wardrobe were mostly "things-happen-to-the-protagonists" kind of books, but Horse gives our main character and his partner real agency. This was a great bedtime story; I liked this one a lot!

And I didn't really care for Caspian! I know the Pevensies are the main characters of Narnia overall, but I seem to have the most fun when they're not around. Their return did nothing for me. Plus, the Christianity message in this one was especially strong, and that made me particularly uncomfortable (Ah, the religion of old usurps the religion of new, how joyous...). Outside of that, Peter is a flat, lackluster MC, and I never believed the siblings were ever as smart or strong or capable as Lewis tells me they are. Horse had me believe otherwise, so Caspian was a disappointment.

Will continue reading this series next month, hopefully! So far, my opinions seem to differ from the masses, but we'll see how that continues later!

Interview with the Vampire

By Anne Rice - When books are good, I don't have a lot to say about them. I don't have a lot to say about Interview, besides it's a masterpiece.

Not having a lot to say is always a good thing. Rice's prose is phenomenal; I more than once forgot I was reading a modern publication, instead believing I'd slipped into Lovecraft or Shelley or Wilde. The story is deeply emotional, just about to the point that I could not read much in each sitting because I'd start to feel ill. The mind of Louis felt so raw, so real, and the torment of his existence felt believably horrifying. The characters were incredibly compelling, and if I had a free month of time, I'd fully analyze this book front to back for its themes and messages and character relationships. This is stunning, deeply psychological horror. No wonder it's so loved today.

If you love vampires or horror or, hey, LGBT stuff (I'd count it), this is a must-read, and you don't need some random woman on tumblr.com to tell you that. BUY IT!

Black Sun

By Rebecca Roanhorse - I read the first half of this book in September and then put it back on the shelf. I didn't know if I wanted to finish it, but I decided to this month. I bought this book, after all, because it was so widely praised. It had to be good in the end, right?

Well, why did I put Sun down in the first place? A lot of reasons. I picked it back up for a couple reasons, too. The fantasy world is based on Colombian lore, and there's a heavy plot surrounding accension to godhood, which is one of my favorite types of stories. Crow gods and Jaguar gods were incredibly interesting. I liked the two main characters and their chemistry a decent amount, so for these reasons alone, I picked the book up again. Otherwise, I would have DNF'd.

I don't know where the praise is coming from for Sun. The prose is lackluster and at times laughably bad--I'd get horribly sucked out of the scene when a character just had to say, "I'm about to freeze my tits off." While two of the four characters are complicated and interesting, they still are stereotypes; all four characters are tropey, and Roanhorse does not shy from cringey, Marvel-esque one-liners. The plot gives absolutely nothing to chew on; characters set upon a goal and achieve them without complication. If something crazy does happen, the characters don't ever seem to react; they just carry on for the plot, unfeeling, or feeling the exact opposite of what I'd expect. The book is flooded with explanations--telling instead of showing--that leaves no impact on the reader; it's just noise. I rarely DNF books, but this one was close.

Sun is bad, and I don't know what I'm missing about it. The finale is incredibly bland because, as I said, nothing ever goes wrong. There's no emotion or fight in our characters; they just watch things go by. And by GOD, do I hate flashbacks, and this motherfucker is chock full of 'em. For the love of god, SKIP IT!

Children of Ragnarok

By Cinda Williams Chima - I read Chima's Seven Realms series and really, really loved them. So much, I decided I'm going to read everything else she's written. First, I'm reading the first book in her newest series, and I am happy to say Chima continues to satisfy my love of fantasy with Ragnarok.

The book suffers some pacing issues in the middle, but before and after that is some nonstop binge-reading. The intro sucks you in immediately; our two main characters are likeable and mysterious, though the male lead is especially compelling. Questions pervade his side of the story, and I was constantly trying to solve the mystery of his family. I've never cared more about the fate of someone's farm! Juxtaposed beside him, the female lead's tale offers necessary context for much of the male's story, but Chima has written an idiot. She is incredibly stupid, and the twists were very, "Well, no shit, sherlock." That made her half of the book fairly boring and...confusing? Why is she so dumb? How is she so dumb? Or am I genius??

The prose was acceptable, if not sometimes a little repetitive. How could Eiric's story be so good and Reginn's...not? There are intriguing element's to New Jotunheim in Reginn's story, but I was constantly wondering, "When do we get back to Eiric's story?" Eiric's character is harsh and complicated. His twists were frightening and shocking, his sister compelling and mysterious, his finale disturbing. How could one story be so successful and Reginn's so...meh?

Still, I loved this book. The world is rich and rooted in Norse lore, and Eiric's story was strong enough to carry me through to the end. Chima understands irony and pacing and good stakes, and despite the failings of Reginn's story and Chima's sometimes annoying prose, I'd still recommend you BUY IT!

Moloka'i

By Alan Brennert - I only tend to enjoy historical fiction if it somehow surrounds the suffering of women. Is that weird? Maybe, if not just cathartic. It's nice to read about women who are going-through-it.

Moloka'i follows the story of a girl's long life on the island of Moloka'i, where she lives inside a leprosy colony in the early 1900s. It details the trials and tribulations of living with Hansen's disease, all the while exploring how the illness impacts a person's life in this time period. It's a deeply moving story about love and loss and all the adventures of life, but more importantly, it transports the reader into a world mostly forgotten. The colony on Moloka'i is deeply realized and incredibly immersive. I often forgot this was historical fiction and not biographical. Brennert does a fantastic job paying tribute to the real people of Moloka'i, though I can only guess as much. He did inspire to me a wish to visit the island one day and tour the museums.

A greatly endearing piece of historical fiction about illness, prejudice, family, and spirituality. Not a page-turner for me, but definitely a tear-jerker. RENT IT!

[lousirs]

If you could add scenes or change certain designs to the uglydolls movie what would they be ? (Idk alternate institute design or random filler scenes)

For exemple i wish they insisted more onto the « doll school/training » thing.

Or another exemple, i had this idea where instead of Ox finding out bout Moxy and mandy being in danger with the printer thingy, he would’ve (seeing moxy’s missing) suspected Lou done something/has hurt Moxy and while running in the Pipe to the institute, he hears Moxy and mandy screaming for help (would’ve added a lot if you think bout it)

Gotta save this 65mill$ budget 💪💪🤩🤩

good question and wonderful ideas! i very much agree with the ox finding moxy/mandy scene. he should've been worried that he hadn't seen moxy in a while. sure, she was upset, but she is never so quiet... so he goes to check up on her, only to find an empty room, and panic arises. he tells the other uglydolls, and they go around town calling her name. and then ox reaches the sunflower pipe. realisation sinks in: "lou must've gotten her". and so the uglydolls help each other to get up the pipe, and through the darkness there is a faint red glow and screams for help.... dramatic... but maybe a bit too dark for a kids film, who knows xDDD

anywho, i have a lot of things i would change about the movie tbh, but to name a few: (buckle up everyone cause i got a lot to say)

first and foremost GIVE THE UGLYDOLLS (besides moxy and ox) A PURPOSE. babo, wage, luckybat and uglydog are the main characters technically, and yet they serve no purpose. if you removed them, and only had moxy find the institute, nothing would've changed. my fix? allow them to do what they are good at to win over the prettydolls.

from what is shown, i'm guesisng moxy is a reporter, luckybat is a fortune teller (or something like that), wage is a cook, babo is a builder and uglydog is a DJ. so! have luckybat tell the prettydolls fortunes (reading their palms or something idk), have wage cook them a nice meal, have babo build a cool contraption for them and uglydog host a dance party. and all the while, moxy is writing about the institute, life there, how lou is a big ol' meanie head, etc. this would've fixed so much, because in the film, the prettydolls turned on lou so quickly, so GIVE THEM MORE OF A REASON TO besides "ew prototype" and "he kicked a baby!!!". make the prettydolls warm up to the uglydolls, not due to their appearance, but due to who they are inside and what they enjoy doing. make them think that lou is wrong for being so cruel to them.

speaking of this, moxy writing down everything about the institute (perhaps to put into the uglyville newspaper) could be a point of tension! lou doesn't want his reputation to be smeared, so there could be a scene (i'd say after the training montage where lou is further trying to dissuade moxy) where lou tears up all the pages of her notepad, leaving her feeling devastated, but still determined to carry on despite the odds.

the only other point i have about the uglydolls is their designs. i would've loved to see them more like their original counterparts, cause they feel a bit too cutesy to be truly 'ugly' or whatever in the film. especially the stitches around the eyes, they should've kept that!! more of a handcrafted ragdoll look, i suppose!

for the institute... i feel like this is a hot take, but i like how empty it is. kind of shows how empty and artificial trying to be 'perfect' is. the repetitiveness of the institute also works to show that as well... buuut they could've taken it further. perhaps they could've gone for the more city-like area like they did in concept arts, but have it a lot more organised (too organised), so everything feels disorientating. for instance, the dolls houses are all clunked into a square area, same with the training course, etc.

this concept art, although looking sterile, still feels quite open and lively, like that of a big city. so they could make it feel more suffocating? who knows.

(i get that uglyville is quite clustered and tightly packed too, but that feels more like a comfortable closeness)(so the institute could be an uncomfortable closeness)

one scene they could've added for the prettydolls is the spy girls being hesitant to throw moxy and mandy in recycling. their expressions as moxy is going down the pipe shows fear and regret, and yet this brief, and they go back to being fine afterwards??? i get lou not giving a shit, but c'mon girls, you just helped kill two dolls! kidnapping isn't good either, but recycling innocent dolls is on a whole other level.

even if it was just a small piece of dialogue between the girls and lou, it would've worked... like:

"surely you aren't going to actually recycle them? that's way too far lou!"

or

"we didn't agree to this lou! you just told us to take them to you!"

and lou shuts them up and says how they'll be perfect yada yada idk. and that could be a breaking point for the girls, where they begin to distrust lou, because bro's a maniac.

i've mentioned this in a previous post, but i believe that the novel's version of lou and ox's backstory makes a lot more sense, in how lou stepped on the line ox was passing to make it seem like he failed the gauntlet, and the robots dragging ox to recycling. instead of ox making other dolls fail, and lou being like "imma show you recycling now. cya bub"

similarly, mandy getting the audience to coax lou into running the gauntlet makes more sense than him running the gauntlet on his own accord, fully knowing that he would be exposed. yay, peer pressure!

nit-pick here, but i wish they made nolan more 'imperfect' design-wise. although yeah, his hair and eyes are different colours and his uniform is too small, he has no socks and lost a button and has freckles, it all seems too... polished? like, his freckles are just around the cheeks, and although yeah, people can have exactly that irl, i would've loved if they went harder on it. same with his hair, the green parts are in a neat clump, that still matches the hair model of the doll. so fuck it! have him have messy hair with green strands randomly placed on his head, make his freckles heavier, so they cover his arms and legs etc too, make his uniform have hanging out threads and missing parts, etc etc! alsooo further push him having a long neck, small head, being tall, whatever. cause it's barely noticeable... (which i guess works cause lou picks up on the smallest of things but stillll i want a more 'imperfect' nolan xD)

that's all i can think of for now, and the post is long enough as it is sooo yeah xP