gathering0gloom

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When you find a show with a name like Cleopatra in Space, you think 'That sounds mildly ridiculous'. But you watch a few clips, look at the trailer, and you see that it doesn't seem too bad. It has a real Owl House/Amphibia vibe to it.

So you watch the first episode and, while it isn't amazing, it's enough to make you want to see more.

#cleopatra in space

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Despite being a fan of the Scream franchise, I've never actually seen all the movies. I've seen the original, 2, 2022 and VI, but I've only seen clips of 3 and 4. So I'm doing a film series rewatch and finally have my own definitive ranking.

I've also only seen the first season of the show, but since it's gone from Netflix and I can't find it anywhere else, I'm out of luck on that front.

Right now, my current ranking is:

Scream 2

Scream

Scream (2022) (/Scream: Season 1)

Scream VI

The Scream that started it all... I like it. I did want a higher body count in the third act, but I wouldn't want them to just kill off a bunch of nameless extras to pad things out (cough, cough, Scream VI, cough) and introducing other characters would have taken time away from the pre-existing ones.

I really liked the characters who were killed off: Tatum, Kenny, and Arthur Himbry. Tatum was a great friend to Sidney, Kenny seemed like a decent guy who was just working with Gale, and Himbry was a bit harsh but, come on, he was being harsh on the right people. They all had the right amount of likeability that made me want to see more and feel sad when they were killed, but not in a 'they killed off that character, I hate this now' way.

Casey and Steve were fine, I don't really think about them, their characters did their job and the cold open set the tone for the series.

I like to believe that Billy killed Casey, and that he was a Ghostface chasing Sidney at some point during the climax (maybe the one who appears after Dewey is stabbed, and then when that GF vanishes, that's Billy sneaking back into the house to surprise Sidney). I want to think this because what's the point of making Billy the mastermind if Stu gets all the cool costume scenes?

The bathroom scene and Ghostface stalking Sidney and Tatum throughout the town, I believe those were just pranksters. The film introduced the concept and that explanation works so I'm going with that. The bathroom Ghostface didn't have a knife, and the stalking scenes were just too risky for Billy and Stu to attempt.

I really like Woodsboro as a setting. Small towns are my favourite horror settings and it is a shame that the sequels moved away from it. There were a lot of characters they could have explored - like Sheriff Burke. It's a shame he disappeared halfway through the film - he could have shown up in the climax, adding suspicion to his character before he is killed by Ghostface.

Part of me still thinks that the Ghostface mask looks a little goofy and not threatening. But it's still an iconic look... even if I can't take the robe seriously when it looks like someone sprinkled glitter over the sleeves.

Probably my least favourite part of the film is the ending. I don't like how abrupt it is, it feels like they're about to cut to another aftermath scene but instead, the credits start rolling.

Randy is in the film a lot less than I remember.

So, current ranking:

Scream

#scream #scream franchise #screammarathon

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Well, I woke up today and found out that Akira Toriyama. creator of Dragon Ball, has passed away.

RIP.

#akira toriyama #dbz #dragon ball #dragon ball super

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NOT ENOUGH PEOPLE HAVE WATCHED THIS OML PLEASE INTERACT IF YOU HAVE SEEN IT AND LOVE IT LIKE I DO

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Lu Ten and KOH?

I need more info, now!

Are you telling me we could have gotten possible Zutara, Azula redemption arc, AND a backstory about Lu Ten's death being caused by Koh in Book 4?

But it was all canceled for that God-awful live action movie?!?!

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A commission I did over the weekend of redemption!Azula and Suki! It was fun imagining what a redeemed Azula would be like!

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i mean this so seriously if you have any sort of creative project you can and should be a little obsessed with it. you should reread your own writing and look at your own art and brag about your ocs its literally good for your health

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Write Your Story

I just showed my 11-year-old son how many coffee shop AUs there are on AO3.

Why?

He sat down the other day to write a Minecraft story about three kids who go through a portal in their back yard and end up in the world of Minecraft where they have to battle all the big bosses (I didn’t even realize there WERE big bosses in Minecraft but that’s beside the point). He wrote three chapters with a little input from me – his first beta – and y'all?

He was fucking excited. To be writing a story.

Today he came home from school and seemed a little down, so I asked him about it only to find out that some little asshole at his school told him, “There is already a Minecraft story.”

Me: Okay? So what?

Lucifer: If there’s already a story, no one will read mine.

Immediately, I dragged him in and pulled up my AO3 account. My boys know I write fanfiction, so I showed him my account and how many subscribers I have. Then I showed him how many Teen Wolf stories there are. And then, because it seemed like the perfect analogy, I said, “What if I wrote a story where two characters meet in a coffee shop and fall in love? No werewolves, nothing at all to do with the actual Teen Wolf universe. Just Stiles and Derek meet in a coffeeshop and fall in love.”

He laughed.

I showed him Mornings Aren’t For Everyone. Showed him how many hits it had, how many kudos, how many lovely comments.

Then I said, “So do you think, if anyone else wrote a story about those exact same characters meeting in a coffee shop and falling in love… would anyone read it?”

He laughed and said, “No because you already did.”

So I clicked on the Sterek tag and refined to coffee shop AU. His mind was blown to see that they ALL had thousands of hits and kudos and comments. Then I clicked on JUST the coffee shop AU tag and showed him all the fics across all the fandoms written by countless different people.

I’m going to tell you all now what I told him because it applies to everyone.

Write your story. It doesn’t matter that someone else has written a story about that subject. They didn’t write YOUR story. Only you can do that.

And I want to read your story.

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An Azutara fic idea that I had at midnight.

Things proceed like in canon until 95AG Ozai seizes power and becomes Fire Lord. In this story, Iroh is slightly more bitter and vengeful about it. He comes back to the Fire Nation capital with his army and there's a battle between his troops and Ozai's supporters. The battle ends with Ozai disappearing and Zuko and Azula in Iroh's custody. Since Iroh is still grieving Lu Ten and massively projects his son onto Zuko, he names Zuko his heir and starts shaping him into a new Lu Ten; since Iroh projects Ozai on Azula, he throws Azula in prison.

In 99AG, a few weeks or months before Katara awakens Aang in canon, she is captured by the Fire Nation (Iroh maybe has a 'friend' in the Spirit World who tipped him off that there's one more Waterbender left in the South Pole) and taken to the Fire Nation capital. She's thrown in a cell close to - you guessed it - Azula's.

Back in the South Pole, Sokka (injured by the Fire Nation attack so he couldn't immediately go after Katara) somehow awakens Aang. Aang agrees to help rescue Katara and that leads to them going through some Book 1 events with just the two of them and Sokka

Azula and Katara help each other escape prison. Azula wants revenge on her brother and uncle and is in denial that her father abandoned her to rot in prison for almost five years, and Katara wants to end the war and find her brother. They start off as allies, then friends, then girlfriends (Azutara story, what else could happen?). They have run-ins with Zuko, maybe Combustion Man, and definitely Hama.

Here are a few lines I've come up with

Azula when she's first put in prison:

Azula: Release me at once! I am a member of the Royal Family, and I order you to release me! When my father comes for me, you are going to pay! Let me out! (the guard leaves and Azula starts to cry) Please.

Azula to Iroh and Zuko when they see Katara in prison

Azula: Why don't you leave her alone? Oh, wait, I forgot, picking on little girls in prison is the only way you two can feel powerful.

Azula and Katara after they've escaped and gotten new clothes.

Azula: Thanks for saying what you said earlier.

Katara: What?

Azula: You know, the thing you said to me.

Katara: You're welcome, but I said a lot of things.

Azula: That I was pretty, you said I looked pretty in my new clothes. It's been a long time since I felt pretty.

Azula to Ozai:

Azula: Do you know how long I spent, waiting for you to come back for me? I was so sure that you would. I barely slept in those first few weeks, because I didn't want to miss you arriving.

#azutara

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mutuals do this!!!!

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Yue: Hahn, you don't care about the environment.

Hahn: Hey, I am very passionate about the planet!

Zhao appears behind Hahn: Say Global Warming is a myth!

Hahn: It's a myth! Further study is needed!

Zhao punches Hahn in the stomach: That's for selling out your beliefs.

#princess yue #avatar #atla #admiral zhao #source: the Simpsons movies

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Wholesome Azutara headcanons

During Azula's first visit to the South Pole, Katara takes her Penguin sledding and shows her the Otter Penguin chicks.

When Zuko starts reintroducing parties to Fire Nation culture, Azula asks Aang to teach her the dance moves so she can surprise Katara.

Azula kept every letter Katara sent her before they started dating.

Azula gave Katara tours of all the secret tunnels she discovered in the palace throughout the years - including the ones she's never shown anyone else.

When Azula is under curfew as part of her rehabilitation (after being taken out of the asylum), Katara helps her sneak out so they can go on dates.

When Azula is taken out of the asylum, Katara stays with her at all times until Azula is certain she won't be sent back, thrown in a cell or have her bending taken away.

#azutara #kazula #atla #azula x katara #azula #wholesome

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I’ve always seen the Dai Li betraying Long Feng and siding with Azula as less about Azula herself and more what she represented. The world Long Feng was trying to maintain died along with the Air Nomads, and the Dai Li probably knew they were fast running out of time. In the previous five years, the Fire Nation had broken through the outer wall twice. The first time, the Earth Kingdom only survived because Iroh withdrew, and the second time, Team Avatar did all of the heavy lifting - the regular army was next to useless. If Lu Ten hadn’t died, and Team Avatar had been a few days slower, things would have been much different.

The Dai Li aren’t soldiers, they’re secret police, and against people who know what they’re doing (Team Avatar, the Freedom Fighters, Zuko and Iroh) they fold like wet paper. They weren’t capable of resisting the Fire Nation, and with Sozin’s Comet about to return, the Dai Li might have thought that the game was up and that following Long Feng would end with them all in an early grave. Plus, they had just watched Long Feng be outwitted by a group of children, and lose his influence over the Earth King. That doesn’t really inspire confidence. 

As for Azula, well she’s the heir to the Fire Nation throne. If they looked at her and were impressed, they must have been wondering what her father was like. 

Unpopular opinion the Dai Li shouldn’t have joined sides with Azula. It didn’t make any sense.

Agree.

I get why some people think that. A bunch of super secret, super strong men, fearing a little girl to the point they betray their boss and country for her, in their own country, surrounded by their own army, when the only backup she had was her two also little girl friends? The only reason I'm not picking "strongly agree" is because I get that the creators wanted to show that she's good at persuasion and potentially too powerful for them to defeat, especially with the power of Mai and Ty Lee. Still tho, that decision is entirely based on how they wanted to frame Azula's power and character instead of what made sense.

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I’m thinking of getting a beta reader for my upcoming fic. It’s a modern day AU inspired by shows like Scream MTV and Slasher. If you like that sort of thing and don’t mind being a beta reader, let me know.

#azutara

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No spoilers.

Would watching Scream Queens be worth if it I like shows like Scream MTV and Slasher?

#scream queens #scream mtv #slasher