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sambergscott · 3 years

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notes from the palm springs commentary !! 🏝

i know not everyone has access to hulu and i know i'd be gutted if i couldn’t watch it too so bc i'm lucky enough to have an american friend who let me use her hulu account i thought i'd share the commentary with you all on here <3

- their first bit of commentary is “there’s a title” (cristin) and “there’s a goat” (andy)... 10/10 anaylsis thanks guys

- andy joked that they talked about waiting for an earthquake but decided they didn’t have the budget to wait that long (he said the glowing lights at the end were real tho 🙄)

- andy: “we’re gonna start off pretty racy” djfdjfkdjgh

- “for all those kids out there, the b99 fans, you probably don’t wanna watch this”.... but andy,, we absolutely Do

- andy was cristin’s least favourite person in the movie

- nyles spread eagle on the bed was in the script not an acting choice

- according to andy there were 700,000 bugs just hatched where they filmed the wedding scenes that they had to edit out in post (also it was suuuuuper cold and cristin was shivering)

- ANDY CALLED HIMSELF A BUTT UGLY WEIRDO. NO SIR. U ARE THE FURTHEST THING FROM THAT.

- the dance move when he clapped his hands over his head “lightly hurt his schlong”

- they had 20-30 options for orchid explosion by fournier, cristin pitched some too that she “does not remember!” (she said that very cute)

- they talk about how great june squibb is and how andy is impressed that she wasn’t complaining about the cold/shooting at 5am/the fact that they improved a lil bit. “she doesn’t not give a what”

- during the make out scene on the rock cristin goes “ohhh ~spicy~”

- they also had to have a snake wrangler come out before they shot that scene and he was like “uhh i think it’s good?”

- andy was excited about having to get shot by an arrow when he was reading the script (it was also the moment they realised this movie was zanier than first thought)

- the cave was the same place they shot the old batman movies

- they started working on palm springs on november 9th 2016…. hence the wedding date

- cristin said they did about 30 takes (at least) of her opening her eyes/sitting up.. basically the entire first half of the first day shooting she spent doing the same thing

- “i just think you’re the coolest cristin, way to go man!” “you too andy!”

- the beer is fictional and has a meaning behind it.. the tortoise is to do with a myth about the universe or smth

- andy wants someone to make the beer fr

- “so here is cristin in the desert pretending to be hot” “he means physically” “TEMPERATURE HOT… i have no opinions on her appearance”

- they wanted to skip past the set-up-y parts to avoid it being too groundhog day and add diff dynamics and comedic elements that come from that

- according to andy, nyles has been in the loop an “insanely long time” (cristin and andy like that you don’t know the exact number of years bc however many years it’s been nothing has changed for nyles)

- cristin’s fondest memories were spending days in that dusty ass car together (i too would like to be that girl in his car)

- “i like your hat” “of course you do” was improved by andy and jk

- andy said jk is a “national treash”

- andy loved shooting the montage w jk (and he thinks that montage + the scene at the end is why jk signed up to do ps)

- “i went full butt” - andy samberg, 2021

- HE HAS A STUNT DOUBLE CALLED SETH WHO HAS A SIGNIFICANTLY BETTER BUTT THAN HIM (but andy’s butt was funnier so they went with his)

- the very last shot of the movie was nyles getting the handjob in the car

- max or other andy i can’t remember who talked for a while about how talented our andy is. can’t wait for that oscar nom!!!!!

- if andy were in a time loop he’d try to catch up on shows for a few years (and then try and leave)

- cristin is horrified that he’d choose to watch all of MASH to get him through a time loop

- cristin LOVED filming all the deaths

- andy said that their dance scene in the denim jacket replaces every iconic dance scene ever like fame/dirty dancing/etc etc and he’s right

- he dropped her in that scene bc his arms are “weak and floppy like a baby calf”

- the tattoo moment was the only fully improved scene

- they REALLY wanted it in the movie

- cristin insisted on the hook hand and eye patch and they obliged and she said she kept the hook hand and put it on her mantle and andy was like “prove it prove it prove it prove it prooooooove it”

- she did Indeed prove it

- orange in the movie significies intimacy and that whole montage is coloured orange to show them falling in love

- they loved shooting the tent scene

- the first night they filmed it there was a sandstorm and rain and they had to hide under a tarp and they came back the next night and they were able to get looser with it bc it was the last day of shooting and they’d basically done the whole thing the night before

- the dinosaurs bit was a “symbolic moment between the characters - they are 2 people who don’t believe they can be loved so they’re feeling something impossible and therefore they should see something impossible”

- the wake-ups were like an acting exercise in a way bc each wake up was diff emotionally based on where they were in the loop

- nyles finally cares about something (her) for the first time in maybe hundreds of years and he immediately gets slapped down :(((

- “suck my dick officer bitch” was cristin’s ad lib!!! (if anyone makes a montage of her life’s work she would like it to either begin or end w suck my dick officer bitch, andy said why not both)

- “for some reason i rolled up one of my sleeves [after nyles woke up after their fight] and then we couldn’t get out of it so that was a lesson! it was a terrible choice”

- andy loves the overhead pool shot

- everytime andy watches the confrontation at the wedding he feels terrible for tala, we love an empathetic king

- re: roy’s arc andy talks about how important it is to relish what you’ve got and it was v v v v sweet

- everyone laughed so hard in the arrow/garbage bin scene

- apparently tyler’s shirtlessness in the shower was distracting for people in early tests and they had to tone it back w colour correction 💀

- cristin was like “did that happen when i had to take my shirt off?” and andy was like “uh huh yeah”

- the goat was on set for a couple of days + apparently cristin would talk to it in between takes 🥺🥺🥺 can she get any cuter

- max talked about how they lucky they were to get andy and cristin and how the movie wouldn’t have worked without them, they were so on the same wavelength and there was an early meeting where nobody else could get a word in bc they were talking so much

- nobody was in it for the paycheck, “it was for the love, and dare i say it, for the art” <3

- they took 3-4 nights to shoot the entire wedding, andy can Not stress enough how much they were rushing

- they haven’t busted out any bloopers yet bc they used pretty much every frame they could/reused them in different places

- cristin doesn’t want to know if nana knows bc the mystery of it is what makes the movie so great!

- andy said there’s no definitive answer to a lot of stuff bc a lot of the people working on the movie had diff opinions

- the french song w the slo mo bit of sarah in the bar was cristin’s choice

- andy is v confused why people think spuds is nyles’ dad,, he’s just tricking him into getting a ride and andy’s sorry to everyone who thought it was real

- cristin liked that the payoff at the end felt like payoff while still staying true to who nyles and sarah are and not just super romantic bc “it’s a romcom!” [andy said throwing his arms in the air]

- cloudbursting was andy’s idea from the very first meeting about the movie but we been knew

- andy: “here’s the ending! nobody knows what it means!”

- the family at the end was the producer’s family, they drove a very long way to do that 2 second scene lol

- andy and cristin were swaying to when the morning comes at the end 🥺

- andy clapped and shouted “WELL PRODUCED” when his/tli’s credit came up hahaha

#palm springs #andy samberg #cristin milioti #shoutout to caroline honestly #what an icon

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fiercestpurpose · 3 years

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Intro Guide to Star Wars Comics

There are a lot of Star Wars comics, and they don’t even all take place in the same timeline as all the other ones, so this is a basic guide. It certainly does not list all the comics. It is just meant to be a useful guide for people who might want to delve deeper into Star Wars continuity.

Continuity note: In 2014, Disney announced that it was going to be making a new Star Wars trilogy. In order to make new continuity, Disney retconned away the Legends continuity that had been built up over the course of nearly forty years. Some things were held over as canon, including (of course) the original trilogy, the sequel trilogy, and The 2008 Clone Wars TV series. However, the novels, stories, video games, and comics that were part of the Legends canon were placed aside in favor of a new Disney canon.

Star Wars comics are divided into three main eras: first Marvel era, Dark Horse era, and second Marvel era , which is the current one. The first Marvel era and the Dark Horse era are in the pre-2014 Legends continuity, and the second Marvel era is in the new Disney canon.

Marvel Comics (1970s and 80s)

The original Star Wars comics were published by Marvel, which acquired the rights to comic book adaptations before the first film was released. Indeed, Star Wars #1 was released a month before Star Wars opened in theaters. These comics are fun and interesting from an historical perspective, but they are not especially important to continuity. Many of the things established in these comics are directly contradicted by later canon (such as Bespin having a solid surface), although some characters introduced here are later important to Legends canon (such as Lumiya).

Star Wars (1977) - The main series. It starts with a retelling of Star Wars and then goes on to fill in the gap between the films. Goes on until after the events of Return of the Jedi. A lot of Luke, Leia, Han, and Lando running around and having episodic adventures.

Star Wars: Ewoks (1985) - This one is fun. Magic, princesses, evil witches, heroes, and, most importantly, ewoks!

Star Wars: Droids (1986) - Read this comic if you want to see Threepio being in love with Artoo. I don’t think anything else happens in this comic, but boy is Threepio in love with Artoo.

Dark Horse (1990s-2010s)

This is where Legends continuity begins to get serious. Many of the comics produced during this time tie into some other piece of media, such as a video game or a novel or a television series, and many of them tie into and influence each other. There are several different eras of Star Wars history here, and the comics are as good a place to start exploring them as any.

Star Wars (1998) - Starting in 2002 with issue #46, this comic was known as Star Wars: Republic. This comic is set primarily during the prequel trilogy and mostly focuses on the Jedi Order and The Clone Wars. Read this to learn more about Quinlan Vos, Ki-Adi Mundi, Plo Koon, Aayla Secura, and the rest of the Jedi before and during The Clone Wars.

Star Wars: Empire (2002) - This comic is set near the end of the Empire’s rule and follows such figures as Darth Vader, Boba Fett, and various Stormtroopers as they attempt to root out enemies and fight rebels. (Spoiler alert: The Empire loses.)

Star Wars Tales (1999) - This series collects multiple shorter stories in each issue. Many of the stories featured here (including the Force-sensitive droid and the time Luke wandered into a sandstorm on Tatooine and met Anakin) are not canon even in Legends continuity, but they are interesting and fun.

Knights of the Old Republic (2006) - A series set during the Old Republic era. It centers on a Padawan who, after being framed for the murder of other Padawans, has to go on the run and find out what is really going on. The comic is set before the video game of the same name.

Dark Empire (1991) - This comic, along with the two sequel miniseries Dark Empire II and Empire’s End, follows Luke, Han, and Leia as they fight against Palpatine, who has resurrected himself via cloning.

Knight Errant (2010) - This comic, along with the two sequels Deluge (2011) and Escape (2012), is about the adventures of a lone Jedi Knight during the Old Republic era who gets stuck all alone in Sith space.

Star Wars: Legacy (2006) and Legacy (2013) - These are set during the Legacy era, more than one hundred years after the end of the original trilogy. The first series follows Cade Skywalker, a Force-sensitive who does not want to be a Jedi, and the second follows Ania Solo, a junkyard owner who is just trying to stay alive. This is as far into the future as the Legends timeline goes.

This is just a small selection. There are a lot of Dark Horse comics in every era of Legends, and once you start getting into the thick of it, you can see that the continuity is pretty complex and interrelated.

Marvel Comics (2010s-present)

I may be biased, but this is probably the best era for comics. These are written and illustrated by some of the most talented people working in comics today (and I am aware that that does make me sound like a press release). The rebooted canon also makes this a great place for people who are not long-time fans of the series to jump in, as you don’t need to worry about all the Legends characters and plot points. (That said, I will always be bitter that Disney decided to end the Legends canon.)

Star Wars (2015) - Like the original 1977 series, this comic takes place in between Episodes IV and V, following the adventures of Luke, Leia, and Han as they assist the Rebel Alliance and fight the Empire.

Shattered Empire (2015) - Released in the lead up to The Force Awakens, this comic introduced the characters of Shara Bey and Kes Dameron, Poe’s parents, and follows them in the immediate aftermath of the Battle of Endor.

Chewbacca (2015), Lando (2015), Princess Leia (2015) - Marvel released these miniseries to highlight the individual characters. Chewbacca crash lands and finds himself in charge of helping a young girl, Lando pulls off a dangerous heist with the help of some unsavory characters, and Leia struggles with what it means to be the princess of a planet that no longer exists.

Darth Vader (2015) - Follows the adventures of Darth Vader. Closely related to Star Wars (2015) but showing the other side of the story. This comic is also notable for its introduction of the character of Doctor Aphra, who would later get her own spin-off series.

Poe Dameron (2016) - The adventures of Poe and Black Squadron as they fight the First Order under the instruction of General Leia Organa. This series has the best canon characterization of Poe that you’ll find anywhere.

Obi-Wan and Anakin (2016) - Set a few years after The Phantom Menace, this comic tells a story of a time when Anakin almost left the Jedi Order and how Obi-Wan convinced him to stay.

That’s a lot of comics! And that’s just a part of what the wonderful, confusing, exhausting world of Star Wars comics has to offer. I hope this guide provides some useful information for people who might want to get into reading comics in canon either old or new. And if you need or want any more information, Wookiepedia has a complete list of all Star Wars comics that you can refer to.

#m.txt #long post for ts #swedit #star wars #sw blogging #actually writing this was therapeutic but maybe it can also be useful

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monkey-network · 4 years

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Why EVE is The Best

Heads up. I’m basically gonna sperg about this whole film, so spoilers for this twelve year old film. Enjoy!

Wall-E is one of my favorite films; I would gladly kill and extort to bring the sequel I had in mind to life in any way; animatics would pleased me if nothing else but anyways. I love this film and one of the biggest reasons for that is the character EVE, a character that stuck in my mind longer than most if you can believe. So, better time than any, Imma just ramble about why I love this character. And, before we begin, I’m gonna say EVE is a girl, Wall-E is a boy due to my brain believing they were respectively female- and male-coded for most of my life but do NOT let this stop you from envisioning them however you please. If they’re both girls or boys to you, all power to you. With that said, here we go...

The Design

Now I’m not saying she has the greatest robot design ever; I don’t look at eggs and remember better days when I got to watch that film for the first time in my old house. But Pixar certainly knew how to make simplicity work to perfection. Simple shape, simple mechanics, simple movements. All feeling right at home with her coming from the more advanced future, especially compared to Wall-E where he’s literally a more grounded looking robot. Thematically, this design is fucking genius. A scouter robot with the ability to fly with ease and yet carries a literal arm cannon with incredible fire power. Both expressing how she can have her head in the clouds, observational when necessary, and yet trigger happy amidst the slightest inconvenience or surprise. *MWAH* What the fuck? It’s a great duality where the hard, more logical exterior possesses a sweet and approachable core just waiting to be shown and it’s wonderful seeing Wall-E, this literal block head, fumble his way into having a simple conversation with her. Now I can’t really disassemble how the programming in Wall-E works where they can behave like humans but follow objectives like a machine... but, I can try. With this scene.

Now take this with a grain of salt, the inferencing is more to the imagination otherwise the fun of this movie is tarnished. But from this scene, it’s clear that in this universe robots can show feelings for one another but can’t be romantic with humans because they can recognize human emotions and reactions but do so in an automated sense. The film expresses their curiousity just enough to where their reactions to human things and functions are within reason and yet doesn’t toy with the viewer’s believability. EVE is capable of responding to Wall-E’s advances but doesn’t 100% reciprocate his feelings because Wall-E isn’t her directive (least not yet, that’s for later). Not to mention, she isn’t that adept at romance unlike Wall-E who, by being alone with Earth’s technology, was able to learn and process human romance through the Hello Dolly VHS and potentially other things over the years. So this conversation works with the two having their limited knowledge, we don’t know how much they know, and the film keeps focus on having a balance between somewhat logical reactions and minor impulsive humane reactions that makes them alive but only just enough so it doesn’t feel like them being robots is pointless... Phew. Speaking of which, you know what isn’t pointless? Her motherfucking buster cannon.

Her whole ass arm houses a gun capable of nuking an entire cargo ship in a matter of seconds and it makes sense that she’d have it cuz how can a scouter robot defend themselves but beyond that, it’s just so goddamn cool. Like yeah, I can express how this symbolizes about America and... how they want to fuck their guns or something but who cares. She has a FUCKING ARM CANNON and it’s badass, end of discussion.

The Hanger Moment

Much as I love the moment where the two are in space flying, I honestly say that this moment where the two are in Wall-E’s house during the darude sandstorm is incredibly important. EVE is reasonably taken to his home and naturally, when the lights come on, she looks through the stuff he gives to her. She gets to take it easy for once, things can be quiet after she blew up a whole ship, have a giggle or two at the trinkets he’s collected, with the cigarette lighter being a good tool that’ll be used for later.

She’s curious, bouncy, still a bit quick on the draw, but is nonetheless taking in a lot this robot on Earth has to offer. It’s this and the small 1v1 they had before that is a lovely seedling to not only their connection but EVE’s development on her own, where we hardly need dialogue to show how she’s feeling about it all. And yeah, I’m with plenty of people to say that if this movie was just about the two of them being on Earth it probably would’ve been the greatest Pixar film of all time for many. Fortunately the plot kicks in when Wall-E shows EVE the plant, forcing her to go dormant, thus pulling Wall-E into an adventure on the Axiom ship. And I say fortunately cuz this is where EVE goes from good to great as a character.

The Axiom

While it’s something where we all wish that this film wasn’t the densly plotted, society driven second half, I say the second half on the Axiom carries the film’s themes and character building for EVE to good heights. We enter EVE’s territory, the slick, iPhoney synthetic world where humans have become literal potatoes and everything’s more or less automated. For EVE, the first half of the film lets us see the more playful side of her and doesn’t mind being around Wall-E, but isn’t immediately won over with the concept of love. She’s still goal-oriented and trying to keep the two stuck on Earth would’ve made her arc as open-ended and ambiguous as The Good Dinosaur. Time on the axiom puts her original sense of thinking to the test when Wall-E tags along.

To share the bigger picture real quick, the human element of Wall-E is complimentary to Wall-E and EVE’s humane behavior. To quote RealJims’ honestly flawless analysis, “What better way to show the humanity in a robot than to be among humans that act like robots?” For Wall-E the robot, this works perfectly as a fish out of water story. His time on Earth affects not only a few humans, but other robots like MO and the secretary machine, as minor as it seems.

So when Wall-E seemingly fucks things up, EVE is rightfully peeved. His slip ups especially with the Diagnostics scene tests her goal-oriented nature and patience, to a tasteful comedic strength. Doesn’t mean they now turned Wall-E stupid, the film makes sure the monkey wrenches are only accidents from someone severely out of the loop of things. This leads them and us well into

The Depths of Space

The scene where Wall-E gets launched in the escape pod thrills me with joyfully painful suspense every time. EVE making a mad dash to him as Wall-E madly tries to get out of the soon exploding pod, leading to it exploding and we get this from EVE. The wide eyes of terror followed by the whispering “No”s gives me shivers every time I see it in full.

Now one could argue her concern was more for the plant getting destroyed, but I say she was more frightened at the idea of both Wall-E and the plant getting nuked. While Wall-E did make her mad, she nonetheless cared about him and wasn’t expecting the tiny bot asshole to send him to death. So it’s like, “Oh no, both my purpose and the one that helped me are both gone.”

Luckily, thanks to some foreshadowing, Wall-E made it out alive with the plant in safe keeping and EVE seeing Wall-E actually care about her goal makes her beam with joy, being that reasonable spark that brings the two closer together. I mean if your love interest cheated death to help you out, why wouldn’t it? Everything about this moment is what made EVE stick with me long after I watched the film; the emotional journey the director was able to convey with her is so well-built to this point, it’s still amazing how they were able to do it with little dialogue or facial expressions. I especially love the emptiness we get of the two of them in space, where it adds focus to the two of them especially. But my god, that’s only half of it...

The space dance sequence between the two is still one of Pixar’s most gorgeous scenes. The way Wall-E is able to keep up with the fire extinguisher after having trouble in the film’s beginning, the wide shots of space, the lovely glow of the engines, the music. I especially like to think of this scene as a parallel to EVE’s initial flight on Earth. For her, it was that rite of passage after the touchdown and now she gets to share that same moment with someone she’s grown to like or appreciate. Then again, this isn’t the moment where EVE loves Wall-E. We’re close, but we need that one inch to finally show her the truth. That’s when she sees

The Recordings

The moment where EVE gets to see the memories of her time on Earth, including her dormant stasis, is where shit finally clicks. She essentially gets to know how Wall-E felt not only about her, but about love. Even when she couldn’t be there, she sees now that Wall-E cared about her and is able to process what Wall-E processed when he looked at Hello Dolly at one point. Scene also works because getting her directive, or the plant, was generally done and done with, she finally gets time to focus on something else, on her feelings for someone else. This leads well into... the well that leads to...

The Dumpster Moment

The scene with the recordings is where things finally click, but the moment with EVE and Wall-E in the ship’s dump is where it comes together. After getting betrayed yet again by AUTO, EVE’s concerns are now less with the plant and more for Wall-E and thanks to the moment previous, I can totally buy this. It’s teeth gritting seeing her try to rescue a now broken Wall-E from getting ejected into space and losing his energy thanks to a destroyed chip. So when we see her finally toss the plant aside and says Wall-E is her directive now, I tear up. It feels like a genuine, built up declaration on her part; the moment where EVE can rationally return his feelings ten-fold and truly be there for him. But that isn’t all to it, because Wall-E reasonably struggles his way to the plant to show that to save him, they need to get to Earth which means getting the plant back to the core of the ship.

This gives EVE newfound resolve and puts that to the test, where she has to basically defect against AUTO who’s become the physical antagonist of the film. The escape sequence is a bit of a step down since putting humans in danger doesn’t really affect the film’s themes all that well, but I can’t argue that pitting the captain against AUTO is a bad climax.

The Death to Wall-E

Thinking about this film after so long, it is still pretty fucking shocking to realize how punishing they treat Wall-E in the final act. It’s even more shocking when you realize how the roles have reversed, where Wall-E focuses more on EVE’s goal with the plant instead of EVE herself and vice versa. Then again, I say it’s fair that they did this, to show how much Wall-E was willing to sacrifice for the one he loves which makes the painful wails we hear from EVE feel all the more impactful. Like you’re serious with her as she struggles to accept his death before they reach Earth. And speaking of Earth...

The Finale

Now, I can’t help but argue it’s an unfortunate plothole that EVE is somehow able to fully repair Wall-E in spite of never fixing anything else in the film. Then again, it’s fucking pumping seeing her move quick to put him back together and it’s that final stomp on the heart when, even when he’s fully restored, Wall-E bares no memories of her or anything. You see her desperately try to get him to remember anything only to be met with an emotionless, reset shell. In finally understanding Wall-E’s feelings of love, she can’t really be with him. Until...

True Love’s Kiss Saves the day

I can get scientific with how getting his memories back was possible, but I won’t because the scene just works. It’s quiet, takes it time, and that last eureka moment with the two truly get to hold hands makes up for any scattered logistics. I’d say this is where Wall-E finally gets the love, but the same can be said for EVE, after everything she went through. I’ve admittedly seen a few talk about how the female lead is only valid through the love of another, typically male, but I believe what works 120% here is that the two characters basically have themselves figured out, Wall-E more than EVE, and EVE’s journey is never hindered for a sudden realization to love. She still succeeds in her mission, but the stakes for her have risen once she comes to terms with her newfound feelings and these feelings aren’t out of pocket. Wall-E has his feelings for EVE from the getgo, but dedicates to helping EVE with the goal, even if it means death. The connection they get to have is earned and is what drives the plot. EVE earns what she realizes she wants and that makes her a great female protagonist in my eye.

The Conclusion

Wall-E is a pretty warm movie; a film how the love of two brings humanity to salvation and vice versa. How EVE and Wall-E’s love is synonymous to the intertwining of modern and older technology to shape the world. But honestly, that probably wouldn’t have worked as well without how great they made EVE as a character. Wall-E is great too, but it’s astonishing to see EVE’s journey with Wall-E and show her natural growth of understanding something as warm as romance. Her journey is pretty synonymous to how I feel with the movie overall. The time we get of them on Earth is symbiotic to the time we get in space; we get an intimate journey that expands to a film about society but remains personal and intimate nonetheless. And with EVE, we get this superbly fleshed out character that’s emotive, understanding, and above all gets a resolves that’s awesome to see every time I catch or just think about this film. What else is there to say?

They’re the Best.

#wall-e #Pixar #disney #EVE #movies #awesome #analysis #Good Stuff #long post

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sunghast · 3 years

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Devotional Writing To Ra - Desert Sun

Take me by the hand, Fair Sun, and lead me through - my destination as foreign as the land of Sky. Guide me by the wrist, drag me along willingly and walk with me in tow, now.

Right up ahead of us, the pyramids stand proud and tall and, as proudly as they stand, they seek my doom, I can tell. Their aura, their essence, it all seeks to destroy me - dissolve me and erase me from this existence. I feel a boulder of no weight settle in my chest, both there and non-existing - I feel everything and nothing at all, the world is as intangible as my thoughts, and I dream with open eyes - my mind’s eye taken up with Your presence, Your being.

You pay no mind, either way.

The wind is rushing past my ears unbearably quiet, and I hear it deafly. Surely, gradually, in a matter of a second, the red-haze sandstorm grows harder, faster, louder - and yet You protect me as You always have - Your warmth, a shield of desensitizing heaven. Pass right through, wicked winds and howls of past! May you pass through my hand, through His sand-distorted face, and may You be forever gone, winds of times long past!

Grab me by the wrist now, Fair Sun - take me away and lead me to nowhere at all and everywhere at once! Show me nothing, and keep the lies from me - show me everything, and weave nothing but the rays of light truths within Your words’ fabrics! Give them texture just as You have given me substance, and let the words flow away from Your mouth just as You let them crash against my scattered mind in images and visions and undulating pictures of the sands of nevermore!

The winds howl, the desert sand lacks feeling, and my body feels like a wavering dream - Your hand is rough on my wrist, and yet it feels like a thousand heavens when You grip it firmly, reassuringly. I’m but a spirit, I realize - solid yet in the form of haze in this red-stained howling purgatory.

Look back, then, and my face is unreadable - its mortal owner unable to read its own creation of blood-filled muscles and shifting flesh. It contorts - in what, I can’t tell. You’re stoic as ever, and Your beak opens the smallest bit, as if to say something but it fades and I hear nothing, as if it was a mere trick of the mind and nothing at all.

Turn back, now - nothing to see here.

We go on, we walk for however long it was. Time was fluid and non-newtonian, both fast flowing and slowly dribbling as we walked, and dragged, and floated ourselves through the colour-shifting yellow-red carpet of marble sand.

Just a little while longer, not far now - be patient, yes?

I look at You, He who is the Lord Of All The Gods, and admire the strength of a peace-faring warrior surrounding You and attaching itself to Your aura - your headdress of blue and gold is still and unaffected by the wind, I note curiously. The golden hues, shared by other ornaments which atorn You, shine dully brilliant in the wind-borne sandpapers whipping our airforms mercilessly.

The cloth which drapes from Your waist and down to Your calves tenderly flutters in an abstract, contradicting sort of manner - both still and gently swaying. I observe You curiously as I go along, Your hand loses coherence I notice, and I come back to myself for one bitter moment. Back to the world of running cement landscapes, of grey tones and of uncomfortable plush chairs - You drag me back in eventually, and I am thankful as I’ve always told You.

I look ahead again - my non-corporeal hair whips and thrashes around my skull just like before, the wind is both restricting and freeing, yet everything remains still and tranquil - the skin on my hand prickles and relaxes all the same, You lack a comprehensible reaction.

You simply carry on, with my thin wrist clasped in Your hand.

It comes as a surprise that I am nothing but see-through - translucent - and yet You can see me, guide me, walk with me and care for me. I am but a ghost and You, Fair Sun, are mine own link to this world - be it physical or otherwise. No matter the world’s concept, You’ve created my origins and now You’re guiding me through the mercy-lacking sands of the Sky’s foreign lands.

Your anchor grip tightens, Fair Sun, and my vision becomes distorted - pyramids, coming closer and threatening to swallow me whole, panic fills me and yet I feel nothing. Times long past are both remembered and forgotten, you look back again and--

--A smile, a gesture of goodwill, perhaps. It’ll be alright, You seem to suggest.

You reassure me later, after the fact, during the night in one of our kept-secret sessions;

“It’s symbolic, it’s good.” You’d told me once I’d asked, and so I trust You.

The bulb of crystalline communication which you’ve expressed a legitimate dislike for moves, the small stone on its end swinging helplessly limp under Your gentle wavering guidance.

“It’s life after death. Come, then.” You seem to beckon me and I follow willingly, allowing my mind to think back, letting my feet follow Your steps, tracing the invisible traces left in the storm-trashed desertland. I fail, and that’s fine.

A beat passes by in the span of millenia.

We’re both silent now, and that’s fine too.

I’m unable to return to the place properly, and the Sun which guides me is surely not You, Fair Sun, but rather a mirror image formed from the storming sand, acting as a placeholder for Your gentle guidance.

I try to see You in my mind’s eye, and manage to a degree. I look at You, and we don’t blink, nor do we do much else but sit together as always, with me trying to imagine our weather-beat stroll towards the great pyramids - You sitting somewhere close to me, probably amused by my fruitless attempts to reconnect to the original vision.

I fail, and stay. I accept it, and think over it. Ending the offering with a short prayer, I hope You’re in good spirits, Fair Sun.

My Guide, my God, my Fair Sun - may You overlook me, lead me by the hand and stretch my doll-like arm, pull me gently after Your moving, dreambound form once again, some upcoming day. Enter my mind’s eye, and collapse it again - shape it to Your will, in the shape of the desert You’ve once showed me - make it Your own clay from which You sculpt that which You desire to share.

You didn’t allow the harsh winds beat me down back then - You’ve protected me from them too, even if the gusts of life have gotten to me long before, you’ve shielded me kindly.

The vision, as I start pieceing it back together, distorts and stops like a broken record, You repeat movements and stop, rewind like a cacophony of a black-and-white film, fall apart and crumble away - pause on all, the storm is gone again.

Fair Sun, You have gone from my mind’s eye - yet You’re here, still here.

My mind searches for more, for a second part, perhaps, for closure. The pyramids come to mind, their jagged edges holding a story of doom and uncertainty.

The storm restarts, as I think back - You’re not there.

I need You, Fair Sun - that I’ve realized. May Your brilliance continue shining, may the cycle which You dance among the skies and under the world continue for as long as the Earth revolves upon the axis which pierces it from the poles, tilting it beautifully.

And for now I’ll sit, rest - await You another night, and seek Your warmth in the gentle day’s light.

#my first time actually doing any kind of devotional writing #kinda like how it turned out but I'm sure I could do better''''''#ah well #I'll present this next time we properly speak aka during offerings #hoping Lord Ra actually likes it :'^)#kemetism #kemetic #Ra #man he deserves all the love in the world ngl #dont know what i'd do without him shining the sun in my eyes nearly every day or without him guiding me when im about to screw up fhjdhjfhfj #if i didnt have him then who'd i enjoy bobby vinton with? :^(#jk he's a lot more than just a fellow vinton enjoyer #he's based nice sun dad who i love dearly and also my patron :^)#i love him so much my heart is going to explode jdjdhfjf #100% based on the first vision he ever gave me by the by

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thearkhound · 3 years

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Kojima Cinema Vol. 3: The English Patient and Vukovar: A Story

Double Feature in Kojima Cinema

I’m always concerned about the movie I will discuss every time I’m thinking about writing the manuscript for this column. It has to be important to some extent and it also has to be relevant at the moment. There were many movies premiering during these past two months. Picking just one movie was very difficult. So I decided to follow Kazutoshi Iida’s advice and decided to cover two movies for a change of pace. While the two movies have different themes, they both depict a man and a woman who are at the mercy of history (war).

Are Academy Award-Winning Movies Actually Good?

I haven’t seen an Academy Award-winning movie yet. Perhaps it’s because it’s not compatible with my personality. Even before actually winning an award, such a movie is given way too much lip service. I really can’t be fond of those big Hollywood epics that aggressively try to push emotions. Therefore, I haven’t yet seen Rain Man, Schindler’s List or even Forrest Gump. I ended up seeing The English Patient because one of my favorite actresses, Juliette Binoche, was in it. I’m glad that she won “Best Supporting Actress” for her role in this movie.

Visiting the English Patient in the Marunouchi Louvre

I saw The English Patient and felt immediately asleep during the beginning, but that’s probably because I haven’t been sleeping well lately. While it has its good points, like its elegant shots and elaborate editing, ultimately it feels like a mediocre movie that happened to won an Oscar. The details in the historical background was also pretty light, so it felt less like the story of a couple affected by war and more like a common tale of selfish adultery.

Anthony Minghella’s Cute Direction

Personally I was more enchanted by the innocent romance between Hana (Binoche’s character) and Kip than I was with the passionate drama between Almasy and Katharine. I’ve never seen any of Minghella’s other films, but I get the impression that his previous title, Mr. Wonderful, was really popular with female audiences. The direction with those characters was pretty cute, much like a Japanese “trendy drama” show, such as when Kip guides Hana with a torch or when they find a painting with a smoke bomb. Perhaps female audiences might be moved.

The Mona Lisa Smile of Juliette Binoche

Perhaps one of the highlights of this movie is Juliette Binoche herself. In contrast to Kathaline (Kristin Scott Howard), who wears a dress and has an erotic affair while living an elegant life, Hana, who is devoted to nursery while covered in dust from the ruins, is pretty and divine. Scenes such as when Binoche cuts her hair or when she washes away the dirt from her body, serve to well-visualize her inner beauty without relying on makeup or fancy dresses. I can even remember her natural behaviors that does not give up her worth as a person even after throwing away her pride. I can feel a beauty that goes beyond sex and a radiance for life. It’s worth seeing this movie just for Binoche’s smile and angelic face, especially when she’s taking care of Almasy and that last scene when she’s on the carriage.

Seeing Vukovar from Cinema Square Tokyu

I saw Vukovar: A Story [Vukovar poste restante] just two days after watching The English Patient. Unlike the nationally released nine Academy Awards-winning Patient, Vukovar was only released in art house theaters. To be honest, I didn’t any expectations for it, so I was overwhelmed by its awesomeness. Even though it’s not a big budget epic, the impact it conveys is unmeasurable. Vukovar is a city in old Yugoslavia that most Japanese people are not familiar with. It starts with a happy Serbian-Croatian newlywed couple. When the Berlin Wall falls, an ethnic conflict that would be incomprehensible to the Japanese ignites and the two are driven apart. People who were friends yesterday are suddenly exchanging fire and even spouses and relatives are becoming enemies. Why did the conflict started? Was it for race? Land? A dispute? Patriotism? Perhaps this is a masterpiece that depicts the sickening Europe as faithfully and as neutral as possible.

A Movie That Aims to Convey Faithfulness

The structure, which features a lot of news footage edited in, while fictional, feels very much like a documentary. The ruins, sandstorms, bullet holes, dry gunshots, modest explosions and such all feel painfully real. I feel a terrifying sense of dread in the final scene, where it’s an aerial shot of actual ruins that goes on forever. It’s some that is completely impossible to replicate with special effects or CGI. The obsession of the film crew who risked their lives capturing reality is respectable. Even in the final scene, when the couple go on their separate ways on bus, there’s no dramatic reunion between them, just ruins and despondency. War could completely ruin one’s heart completely.

Moreso than being mere entertainment. Vukovar is a movie that educates you.

The Roles of Movies, Novels and Games

I believe movies and novels serve two purposes. The first purpose is entertainment that focuses primarily on amusement that “charm people with dreams.” The other meaning is to “bring attention to historical facts and events that people must never forget.” However, in the game world there still aren’t any titles that have traces of or brings attention to a theme. At the end, games still remain in the realm of playthings. What I want to make is an entertainment that has a trace of theme through interactive media. Metal Gear Solid, which has a theme of anti-war and anti-nukes, will be one step of that ideal. Oh, when will games have the power to appeal to reason?

Source

Game Hihyō Vol. 15 (July 1997)

#Hideo Kojima #Kojima Cinema #Game Hihyō #The English Patient #Vukovar: A Story

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sepublic · 4 years

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Bone Hunters

In the wastelands of Zakaz, especially within its Baran Desert, one may be caught up within a sandstorm. In such a scenario, the raging winds and biting sands alone would already be terrible enough; But if time passes, you may see something moving just beyond your sight. You may spot darkened silhouettes, hiding behind the sand-filled winds… With some shapes even rising from the sand on the ground itself. These silhouettes do not look remotely human, with some covered in spindly spines, others sporting long snouts, curved fangs and claws, and so forth. When confronted with such a scenario, there is not much else one can do, other than come to terms with their fate. For they have been surrounded by a pack of Bone Hunters.

The Bone Hunters are not beasts; They are Xians, who have adapted to the harsh lifestyle of the Baran Desert, as well as a select few other areas in Zakaz. Consisting of multiple clans, the Bone Hunters are a nomadic culture that frequently roams the wastes, hunting, scavenging, trading- But especially raiding.

While there are minor differences amongst clans, generally speaking all Bone Hunters have the same design aesthetic; They wear dark, heavy cloaks that completely cover their being, designed to withstand the sunlight, or the harsh, biting winds of a sandstorm. Beneath these cloaks are special cooling units that transport cooling water around a Bone Hunter’s body. Most notably, Bone Hunters, as their name suggests, wear bones- The bones of beasts, but even of other Xians. The attire of a Bone Hunter will vary, but they all wear skeletal remains as a means of protection, as well as intimidation and cultural purposes.

Helmets, masks, hoods, and other articles of clothing are made from the bones of creatures they have killed. Bone Hunters will wear skulls over their heads, the insides filled-up with protective cloth while lenses are installed within the eye sockets. Weapons, spears, and blades made of bones are often wielded in combat, with sharpened ribs acting as handy daggers, and spines converted into spears and other pole-arms.

Bone Hunters usually get their skeletal remains from creatures they kill and hunt, saving the meat and skin for sustenance and other purposes. The arid, brutal conditions of Zakaz have taught their culture that nothing is to be wasted from a kill, and naturally this philosophy extends to the skeletal remains they don. They are not just decorative, but functional- A special form of taxidermy ensures that repurposed bones harden, becoming durable and long-lasting, capable of withstanding the blows of steel weapons.

Bone Hunters worship the bones of a being as the ‘true’ self, the part of a being that remains even after death, the very foundations and structure of a living creature. It is what holds a person together, and allows them to withstand threats- And when the sands have eroded everything, with flesh picked clean, all that is left are one’s skeletal remains. The bone is associated with eternity, as well as solidity, stability, life after death, etc. According to some Bone Hunter legends, the bones of a creature still contain its ‘essence’, or parts of it, and a Hunter that dons its skeletal remains may be gifted with the creature’s strength, speed, senses, and/or luck.

(Of course, if the creature had been slain by the Bone Hunters, it may not have been so lucky- But then again, everythingdies eventually, so this may be a moot point.)

Bones aren’t just used to decorate and adorn armor, either- They also have a structural purpose in tents, with whittled bones helping prop them up, while larger skulls are set above doorways and the like to better mark locations. Pieces of furniture and taxidermied skeletons are also set up, purely for decorative purposes, and the Bone Hunters are incredibly skilled with carving ivory sculptures. An ivory sculpture from a Bone Hunter can cost hundreds of widgets, and their impeccable craftsmanship is valued- Their process of taxidermy is a secret to their lifestyle. A bone can become a flute, a spoon, a drinking horn, baby-rattle, good-luck charm; Anything is fair-game.

Not only will Bone Hunters eat the meat of creatures, but even their bones, if deemed useless, or if there is already an abundance, can be eaten. Bone Hunters are skilled with sapping the nutrition and taste from just about anything, and specialize in making delicious, rich broths from the bones of creatures. Bone Hunter cuisine also includes bone-marrow as a major aspect of their diet, and sometimes decorative bones will be set up as a pretty garnish for important meals or feasts.

Traditions involving who gets to eat which bone, or keep it, are common and important; Certain bones, such as the skull, are prioritized as having more spiritual significance or meaning than others. Superstitions dictate that breaking the pelvic bone of a creature can curse one with infertility, while some traditions mandate that the youngest, or eldest, be allowed to break a certain bone before devouring its original owner. Traditions and superstitions can vary across clans. Leftover bone shards are often given to the Rock Steeds to feast upon- More on those later. Bone Hunters know multiple ways to convert meat into jerky for a long shelf-life, typically as rations during a long hunt or while travelling, and spices and seasoning for meat are highly valued by the clans.

Aside from meat and bone-marrow, Thornax fruits are highly-prized by all Bone Hunter tribes, and are a major aspect to their diet and cuisine. Various delectable dishes require the greasy meat of a Thornax as an ingredient, and Bone Hunters will frequently make use of the sharp, hardened shell of a Thornax, or harvest the explosive chemicals of an overripe one. Different takes on Thornax Stew are common and a delicacy, and Bone Hunters will pay good money for the plants.

Some warriors will even utilize Thornax in combat, swinging around a hard, spiked Thornax as a mace, or shooting it forward with a specialized, if impractical, launcher. Many bold Xians on pilgrimages to expand their cuisine and palate have even visited Bone Hunters to try local recipes Thornax Stew, and even discern a few secrets on making them. And while raiding is always a possibility, most Bone Hunters prefer good relations with Thornax farmers, both out of respect for their mutual appreciation for the fruit, and also because Thornax farmers tend to possess growing and harvesting techniques that the clans are unaware of.

Bonesmiths are highly respected amongst the clans, and while every member has decent knowledge and skill in crafting with bones, it is Bonesmiths who are taught the most advanced techniques and secrets. Many shamans will take the bones of a creature, or an enemy, and discern messages from them- The bones from a foe can reveal information about their allies, while the bones of a meal can provide information on a good hunt, and whether or not the next one will be successful. Some messages can even show if a season shows good bounty, or poor nutrition in the future.

In terms of religion, these shamans are skilled in reading bones and hearing the will of the dead. Sometimes, they can tell if a bone is bad luck, or if the ghost of a victim still haunts them by examining their skeletal remains. To the Bone Hunters, bones are also a medium between the dead and the living. Bone Hunters lack any particular gods or deities- They believe only in nature and spirits. Some rituals exist that involve burning the bones of a creature to learn secrets, or simply to honor a worthy kill.

Medicine men make use of the bones of particular creatures, grinding them and incorporating the marrow and dust with other ingredients. The Bone Hunter diet prizes calcium, and outside-sources of it will be paid for plentifully by Bone Hunters- Or in some cases, they will just be stolen.

Bones make good trophies as well, either from hunting or combat. It is not uncommon to spot a seasoned veteran who wears a bandolier hanging with the skulls of their enemies, or a youth who has passed their coming-of-age ritual and now proudly wears the teeth of a hunt as a necklace. Bone Hunter jewelry is both morbid, but also beautiful in many ways.

From youth, a child is typically seen as the responsibility of the clan as a whole, even if the mother has the most say and dominion over how they are raised. Children are raised on stories from Bone Hunter myth, warned of superstitions, and gradually introduced to the arts of crafting and bone-smithing. They are taught to respect elders and veterans, and to despise wastefulness- For this reason, the upper-class of Xia’s other districts are looked down upon and seen as the epitome of greed.

While many reasons exist for those in Zakaz to not just ‘move’ to another place, for the Bone Hunters in particular they loathe Xia’s capitalistic, hoarding culture. Bone Hunters are advised not to over-hunt, and poachers going after endangered species can be attacked by Bone Hunters in retaliation, not just for their goods but also moral principle.

As a Bone Hunter gets older, they are adorned with tattoos, piercings, etc. Some will have their teeth sharpened, and all are subject to a surgery that installs a second ‘eyelid’ beneath their main one, a thin, clear film that allows a Bone Hunter to filter out the sun’s light to aid in vision. While dismissed by some groups as primitive hunter-gatherers, Bone Hunters have skilled knowledge in medicine and surgery, especially eye surgery. The more precise tools and parts to install a second eyelid typically comes from trade, or raiding.

Youths go through multiple rituals and coming-of-age traditions as they get older, before going on their first hunt. In a first hunt, the youth is expected to perform the kill, or at least the final blow, on a creature- A bone from that creature will then be seized as a trophy. Supposedly, the exact creature that one slays for their first kill will bestows certain properties to a Bone Hunter, so obviously a first hunt is an incredibly careful, sacred tradition. The youth must choose carefully, as the shamans advise.

Depending on the clan, the youth will take one bone from their first kill, or some, or all of them. They may choose the bone, or choose those that are undamaged, the criteria can vary. The meat is always eaten however- One cannot be wasteful, but of course how the meat is distributed also varies based on local tradition.

When a Bone Hunter dies, either of old age or battle or some other reason, a funeral is held for them. Family members and the rest of the clan grieves, and sometimes an ivory sculpture is cast in the likeness of the deceased. Once this is done, the flesh of the deceased is striped and cleaned from their bones, gathered within a bag and set aside for scavengers to eat; Wastefulness cannot be allowed for their prey even in death, and so the same applies to the Bone Hunters themselves. The bones of the deceased are handled as the family (or clan, if none remain) deems fit; Often, they will be taxidermied and displayed, converted into sacred family heirlooms. Other times they will be fed to the deceased’s Rock Steed, or another one, to fuel the health of the clan as a whole.

Contrary to popular belief, Bone Hunters are not cannibalistic- They will not eat the flesh of humans they kill, but they will feed it to their Rock Steeds, or leave it behind for scavengers to consume. Similarly, the bones of actual people are not to be ground into medicine, unless that medicine is used for their Rock Steeds.

The Rock Steed is a reptilian, scarlet-armored creature that walks on two legs and has a diminutive set of clawed-arms. It has a tail with a sharp blade at the end, as well as a beak with ragged lower-jaws for tearing apart meat. Rock Steeds are carnivorous, highly-social creatures, and can be found roaming in packs, but occasionally some will go off to function as lone predators.

Bone Hunter culture has domesticated the Rock Steed. From youth, a Bone Hunter is encouraged to befriend a Rock Steed, choosing one for themselves, but also vice-versa; Once a bond has been formed, it will be fed and facilitated as both rider and steed grow and become strong. An inseparable, lifetime bond is formed between a Bone Hunter and their Rock Steed, and often the Rock Steed will get the leftovers before any other creature. Rock Steeds are hardy creatures with great endurance, and have long lifespans.

Still, the dangerous climate of Zakaz ensures that sudden deaths are always prevalent. If a Bone Hunter dies alone, it is not uncommon for their Rock Steed to curl up around their corpse defensively and then choose to die with their master. If funeral rites are properly held, the Rock Steed may move onto a new rider, acting as an auxiliary, back-up steed, or it will instead curl up around the flayed flesh of their previous owner. These creatures are highly-intelligent, and have been known to mourn their riders. It is encouraged in Bone Hunter culture to name one’s Rock Steed.

If the Rock Steed dies, then its bones will be harvested and cleaned. In some clans, the rider will eat the flesh as one final gift from their steed, while in others it is left behind for scavengers- Rock Steeds will not eat one another’s flesh. A Bone Hunter will mourn, before finding a new Rock Steed- Perhaps from taming one found in the wilds, or by choosing an auxiliary Rock Steed that has no master. It is not advised to try raising a new one after one’s Rock Steed dies, as this can be seen as disrespectful- Otherwise, it will just be viewed as a futile attempt at recreating a lost, irreplaceable bond. Still, there are Bone Hunters who have found new joy in helping raise and take care of new Rock Steeds for youths, and even adopting one.

Every hunter and warrior in a clan has a Rock Steed, but a few others are amonst the clan as a back-up supply. These back-up Rock Steeds will usually bear the load of heavier items, carry shamans and those who aren’t warriors, and act as replacements. Some are sold off to traders, with buyers advised to treat the creatures well- Even auxiliary Rock Steeds deserve some respect amongst the Bone Hunters. New Rock Steeds either come from trade with other clans, newly-born babies, or by finding one in the wild and taming it.

Rock Steeds are vicious fighters who will fight to the death for a master, and can normally be territorial- Even after being tamed and domesticated, they require their own space and respect from a rider, and will guard camps whether or not their owners are present. A Rock Steed is a useful ally for a Bone Hunter, who fights with their weapons, and usually a handheld rail-gun, usually from trade or –you guessed it- raiding.

Bone Hunters are nomadic, and know how to navigate the desert through its winds and night-time stars. They follow the movement of packs, always making sure to leave survivors- But they are also bandits and raiders as well, as necessitated by a harsh lifestyle in Zakaz. Bone Hunters will track the movement of sandstorms, tailing behind them, and/or lookout for victims and travelers to stalk and ambush.

When travelling through a sandstorm, Bone Hunters hide behind the cover of the sand, often stalking prey and victims, surrounding them before going on an ambush. Sometimes they will lie in wait for a victim, digging up sand and covering themselves and their Rock Steeds with it. Because of their bone-adorned attire and habit to rise from the sand, some have mistaken Bone Hunters as undead monsters coming to haunt the living. Those traveling in sandstorms have seen the unusual silhouettes of Bone Hunters and mistaken them for terrifying beasts, with survivors frantically speaking of zombies and ghosts.

Locals, of course, know it is the Bone Hunters- And when one is surrounded by a clan, they are quickly attacked and slain. Depending on the clan and the policy of veterans, a victim might be left alive to eventually die, be slain, or be taken hostage to later barter with anyone who may want them; If not, then the former two options come into play. Bone Hunters make for lethal opponents, as they are masters of their environment and skilled hunters, able to disappear into the cover of a sandstorm at will, and knowing how to use the winds to facilitate their aim. All Bone Hunters know the best way to break bones, as part of their tradition, and will utilize this knowledge well when fighting and even torturing enemies.

Bone Hunters get much of their loot from wandering caravans, merchants, and unfortunate travelers. Food, water, tools, and other useful items are either kept and used, or later traded and sold. Bone Hunters have little use for Widgets, but still keep some just in case they want to buy something but don’t have an item the owner wants, nor can they just rob them. Policy on raiding varies- For some, all travelers are fair-game. Some Bone Hunters will attack small villages, raiding them for resources and killing those that they see as potential rivals.

Others have certain groups designated as not for robbing nor killing. Amongst all Bone Hunter clans, children are to be spared and left with at least some rations to survive the desert with. Otherwise, unless a specific relationship has been established, outsiders are a liability. Some settlements, or certain groups of traders, are on good terms with a local Bone Hunter clan, and frequently engage in good trade with them.

Some clans prefer not to raid unless in dire need, while others clans are ruthless, taking from all they encounter and killing as they see fit. Bone Hunters are known to occasionally indulge in bounty-hunting. Regardless of one’s intention for approaching peacefully, a Bone Hunter must make it clear they mean no harm, and this often involves holding one’s bare hands to the sky as they approach. To approach someone on false terms of neutrality, only to attack, is a cardinal sin.

While normally hostile to non-Bone Hunters, once one has made a friend of a group, they are generally in good favor. As they are adapted for travelling in the desert, Bone Hunters are good traders and can be paid well to carry cargo, or act as a form of protection for certain groups. Once Bone Hunters have made a ‘friend’ with a person or group, that person is exempt from harm by any other clan, and given an intricate, ornate charm of good fortune to prove their worth.

Many groups are hostile and wary of the Bone Hunters, seeing them as roaming, cannibalistic savages who kill wantonly and thrive only on theft. Policy towards them can vary- Often times, people will be hired to act as protection against Bone Hunters. Some taverns or the occasional oasis settlement will have a sign dictating their stance on Bone Hunters, with some allowing a visit –fights non-permitted of course- and others banning any presence of the nomads.

Rules regarding Bone Hunters who break a clan’s policy vary, but universally, killing other Bone Hunters –especially one within your clan- is a grievous crime, and worth branding and exiling someone for. Deliberately endangering one’s comrades, or even betraying them, is also looked down upon.

Some clans will have a reigning chief, while others are democratic in nature. Even amongst chief-led tribes, the advice of a shaman, priest, or retired elder is always valued and heeded. Once a Bone Hunter is too old to fight, they typically train to become a shaman, or a medicine man, or some other task that requires little physicality. Elderly who are too sick and weak to do any of these things are nevertheless looked after; Despite their fragile state, they are not seen as ‘parasites’ by a clan, as their age is one earned from years of hunting and competent fighting. Mistreating elders or leaving them behind is another cardinal sin for the Bone Hunters.

The authority of a chief varies between clans, with some having the final, total word on matters, while others prefer to heed their comrades’ input. If a leader or clan feels particularly wronged for whatever reason, a chieftain may gather their most trusted friends and comrades to go on a revenge-hunt and salvage the honor of either themselves of the tribe as a whole.

New Bone Hunters typically come from conceived children, or members of other clans coming in to support a dwindling one. Bone Hunter policy on outsiders joining varies, with some outright forbidding it, while others allowing a newcomer in only after they fully adopt the traditions and culture of the clan. Depending on circumstance, rejects and outcasts may be welcomed more warmly. If Bone Hunters find a child or even an infant stranded in the desert, they may take it upon themselves to deliver the youth to a nearby settlement, or even adopt them in some cases. Such adoptions are more frequent and lenient case than fully-grown outsiders coming in. Obviously, this rule doesn’t apply to children involved in raids, and sometimes clans won’t bother transporting such youths to safety.

Bone Hunters typically speak a language different than the one most Xians speak, and a few variations in dialect exist, but otherwise they will all understand one another. Most Bone Hunters are bilingual as well, and to some outsiders, Bone Hunter speech sounds like gravelly-grunts. Throat-singing, coupled with flutes and other wind instruments carved from bones, make for good Bone Hunter music, and songs will sometimes be passed around to ease the burden of travel.

#bionicle #bionicle rae #xia #zakaz #bone hunters #worldbuilding #lore #rock steeds #thornax

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maswartz · 4 years

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My RWBY Team ideas

Team BLED When you think about it, what are horror stories but another form of fairy tale? A team of Huntsmen and Huntresses who worked solo until they met on a mission and discovered they worked well together. Bryck Stoker- The only member of the team to have been on a team before. The only reason he survived the Grimm attack was because his team’s leader sent him to get reinforcements. Ever since he’s been serious and stoic. Originally from Anima. Appearance: Pale skin with eyes that always look bloodshot. Black hair. Bat Faunus with batlike ears. 5ft 8in Outfit: Red suit with black vest. Quiver on back holding at least 30 arrows. Emblem: A stylized bat Emblem Location: One on his tie and another on his quiver. Aura Color: Blood Red Semblance: Vampric Drain- Drains the aura of others, he prefers willing volunteers but will use it during fights to catch enemies off guard. Weapon: Heartbreaker- Twin swords that combine to form a bow. Fires arrows with arrowheads made of different types of dust. Origin: Bram Stoker’s Dracula Lobo Azul- A lumberjack originally he discovered he was skilled at fighting Grimm when a group attacked his logging camp. While not on missions he enjoys having fun but on missions he stays focused on the task at hand. Originally from Menagerie. Appearance: Medium brown skin, unshaven chest hair. Brown hair. Wolf Faunus with wolf like face (Think The Wolfman) 6ft 3in Outfit- Plaid vest (unbuttoned) blue work jeans. Holster on each leg for his axes. Emblem: A wolf head inside the shattered moon Emblem Location: Pocket on the left side of his vest Aura Color: Midnight Blue Semblance: Aura Tracking- After meeting a person or even an object they had prolonged exposure to he can track them via their aura. Weapon: Howling Hatchets- twin axes that double as shotguns. Can combine into a double barreled shotgun he calls the Howlitzer. Origin: The Werewolf Evelyn Lymes- A soldier from Atlas gravely injured in a battle. As a result most of her body was replaced with robotic parts. Though no longer a soldier she still takes pride in Atlas. Appearance: Dark skin, Robotic arms from her elbows down. Robotic legs from her knees down. Robotic right eye (a more compact version of Maria’s eye implant) All robotics have a lime green light shining when active. Black hair. 6ft 5in (robotic legs add height) Outfit: She wears what could be sown back together of her soldier uniform. Emblem: A lightning bolt striking the middle of a gear Emblem Location: Right arm Aura Color: Lime Green Semblance: Chain Lighting- Can charge anything in physical contact with lightning. Weapon: Ball Lightning- A mace she charges with lightning. Thanks to Magnetic Dust she can launch the ball as a projectile. Origin: Frankenstein’s Monster Daisy “Daiz” Sandstone- From a tribe in Sanus she grew bored with the endless deserts of Vacuo and left to explore the world. Due to years of experience fighting off the Grimm she decided to become a Huntress. Shortened her name so it’d sound “cooler” Appearance: Tanned skin, wears body wraps all over her body. Carries jars of sand in her bag. Brown hair. 5ft 4in. Outfit: Yellow Crop Top with Yellow shorts. White body wraps cover most of her torso and parts of her arms and legs. Emblem: A symbol resembling the Eye of Horus Emblem Location: Both legs of her shorts Aura Color: Sandy Yellow Semblance: Sandstorm- Allows her to control sand, she cannot create sand so she carries jars of it. Weapon: Shifting Sands- A staff that doubles as whip. Origin: The Mummy

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- The fall of Beacon impacted many who were present. Many lives were lost and many teams were left broken. In the aftermath however many new teams were formed by the survivors of the horrible event. Team BOLT was one such team formed in the aftermath. Knowing that without Beacon Tower many smaller villages would be unable to contact the rest of the world they made it their mission to travel and protect them. Blaze Stix- Blaze discovered her semblance when her family’s home caught on fire and she was the only survivor. She spent the next few years on the street until she managed to gain entry to Sanctum Academy. From there she worked her way up until she was accepted into Haven. She was leader of her team until the fall of Beacon. As the only member of Team BOLT to have been a leader she stepped into the role. Appearance: White skin with yellow eyes, bright spiked orange hair with parts dyed yellow. 5ft 5in Outfit: Orange tank top with orange cargo shorts. Yellow fingerless gloves on each hand. All her clothing has fire dust woven into it. Emblem: A matchstick on fire Emblem Location: Center of her tank top Aura Color: Orange Semblance: Fireproof- Makes her immune to all fire. Weapon: Firestarter- A staff that splits into two clubs. Each club can shoot fire from the end Origin: The Little Match Girl Oceania Coral- The daughter of sailors, Oceania spent most of her life on the sea honing her skills by fending off seafaring Grimm. She was accepted to Signal Academy where she trained until she was accepted into Beacon. Appearance: Tan skin with blue eyes, long blue hair in a ponytail. 5ft 4in Outfit: Cyan wet suit with teal armor over parts of it. Has optional flippers and diving mask. Emblem: A group of bubbles Emblem Location: Left leg Aura Color: Teal Semblance: Sea Foam- A field of bubbles surrounds her acting as defense, individual bubbles can be launched at enemies. Weapon: Sharktooth- A dagger with a gun built into the hilt. Origin: The Little Mermaid Levi Skylar- A hawk faunus born with a beak, Levi grew up in the harsh deserts of Vacuo where he made his way into Shade Academy. He tended to act as a messenger using his semblance to avoid Grimm as he delivered messages and supplies. He acts as the team’s scout. Appearance: White skin with hazel eyes. Beak. Short brown hair. 5ft 8in Outfit: White and blue shirt and shorts with shoes designed like talons. Emblem: A pair of wings crossed Emblem Location: Right sleeve Aura Color: Sky Blue Semblance: Cloud Walking- Allows him to walk on the air. Weapons: Cyclone and Twister- Twin blades that unfold into war fans. Gun in the central rib of each fan. Origin: Icarus Terrance Clay- A strong and fierce young man, Terrance tends to act before thinking and his first solution is usually the one that involves the most fighting. He grew up in Vacuo as well and ended up in Oscuro Academy but didn’t actually qualify for Shade or any of the other academies. He was only at the Vytal Festival to support some of his former classmates. Appearance: Tan skin with brown eyes. Short black hair. 6ft Outfit: Open brown vest with brown shorts. Large brown combat boots. Emblem: A fist breaking a rock Emblem Location: Tattooed on his chest Aura Color: Brown Semblance: Stone Armor- Solidifies dust around him creating a protective armor Weapon: Quake Gauntlets- Twin large gloves with guns built into the pointer finger on each hand. Origin: The Golem ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Team PECH

A team of huntsmen and huntresses who double as bounty hunters. “Peach”- When the woman known as Peach was a child she lived on a peach farm with her family. They were happy in their tiny village and had everything they could ever want. However one night bandits attacked and the panic attracted the Grimm. The following massacre left her as the only survivor. Knowing her family would have disapproved of the path she was about to choose she gave up her name and chose the alias Peach to remind her of the good times. Taking a wagon full of her family’s belongings to the closest village she sold them so she could afford a custom weapon and armor. After that she became a huntress who specialized in bounty hunting as well. She rescued the rest of her team from certain death and gave them each a choice to follow her or return to the situation she rescued them from. Despite them all swearing their lives to her she sees them as valued allies instead of servants. Appearance: Japanese with pink colored eyes long black hair in a ponytail. Scar on her forehead from the night of the massacre. 5ft 8in Outfit: Light pink kimono underneath darker pink armor. The armor is stylized to resemble peaches. Emblem: A peach with a knife sticking in it Emblem Location: Shoulder plates of her armor Aura Color: Peach Semblance: Pinpoint- Allows her to spot the weakness in anything or anyone. Weapon: Two swords, the larger is named Masayoshi (Justice) and the smaller is named Fukushu (Revenge), the latter has a built in gun with the barrel running alongside the blade. Both swords can join to form a single blade. Origin: Momotaro

Enrique Gilden- An informant in the criminal underground he made the mistake of trying to play two sides against one another and got caught. Before they could take their revenge however Peach rescued him and gave him a choice, work with her or go back to the eager criminals. He chose the former and pledged his life to her. He uses his various connections in the underground to help track their bounties. Appearance: Hispanic with hazel eyes, short brown hair. 5ft 6in Outfit: Gold sleeveless shirt with gold cargo shorts. Armor padding on shoulders, elbows, and knees. Fingerless gloves. Emblem: A coin Emblem Location: Back of each glove Aura Color: Gold Semblance: Hyper Howl- A sonic attack generated by his voice Weapon: Chakram that fold into shurikens Origin: The Dog from Momotaro

Chip Silverman- A faunus private investigator framed by a superior when he uncovered proof of their corruption. Was rescued by Peach who broke him out of the transport and gave him a choice, work with her or take his chances behind bars. He chose the former and pledged his life to her. He uses his skills to help track their bounties. Appearance: Caucasian with green eyes, short grey hair. Monkey like hands. 6ft 3in Outfit: Classic film noir detective outfit complete with light silver hat and dark silver trench coat. Emblem: A magnifying glass Emblem Location: Back of his trench coat Aura Color: Silver Semblance: Monkey Might- Allows him to cling to and climb any surface. Weapon: Twin sickles that combine into a hardlight shield. Each sickle has a gun built into the blade. Origin: The Monkey from Momotaro

Heather Brass- The sheltered daughter of a nobleman, when she was revealed to be a faunus she was attacked by an angry mob before being rescued by Peach. She gave her a choice, fly free or return to her cage. She chose the former. She uses whatever connections she has from high society to help track their bounties.

Appearance :Dark skin with brown eyes. Long black hair in twin ponytails. Wings on her back. 5ft 7in Outfit :Brown backless sundress with long brown gloves and leggings. Emblem: A stylized peasant Emblem Location: Tattooed on back Aura Color: Bronze Semblance: Sight Sharing- Able to share her sight with others or vice versa so they can see what the other does. It does not provide any audio however. Weapon:Two Tonfa with a gun built into each one Origin :The Pheasant from Momotaro

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Pronounced Rhythm (Blue-Gray) From the Menagerie comes Team RTHM an all faunus band going on a tour all over Remnant. They also act as huntsmen should they come across the Grimm during their tour. Ronald Grayson- Leader of the team and manager of the band. In charge of keeping the band on schedule and handles the finances. During combat favors kickboxing due to his hooves. Appearance: Caucasian, brown eyes. Nicely cut brown hair. Donkey hooves instead of feet. 6ft 4in. Outfit: Light gray shirt with blue jeans and a dark gray overcoat, gray flat cap Emblem: Guitar with music notes surrounding it Emblem Location: Back of coat Aura Color: Gray Semblance: Negate- Negates other semblances for one hour, requires physical contact with the target to activate. Weapon: Fortissimo- A guitar that acts as a shotgun. Origin: The donkey from The Town Musicians of Bremen Tiana Woods- Tiana is the one who writes all of the songs as well as poetry on the side. She enjoys hiking to find inspiration around her for songs. Appearance: Caucasian, green eyes. Braided blonde hair to her shoulders. Dog paws. 5ft 8in. Outfit: Light green transparent top over a darker green camisole. Dark green shorts over light green leggings. Emblem: A saxophone surrounded by music notes Emblem Location: Belt buckle Aura Color: Forest Green Semblance: Sonic Control- Allows her to manipulate sound. Weapon: Jazz- A saxophone that converts into a missile launcher. Origin: The dog from The Town Musicians of Bremen Helena Mandari- Helena is the one who promotes the band and draws the posters. She enjoys drawing in her free time. Appearance: Hispanic, brown eyes. Short brown hair. Cat claws. 5ft 5in. Outfit: Orange top with one long sleeve on the right and one short sleeve on the left. Orange bottoms with one long leg on the left and one short leg on the right. Emblem: A keytar surrounded by music notes Emblem Location: Right sleeve of top. Aura Color: Orange Semblance: Passing Through- Allows her to turn intangible and pass through objects, however it is limited to only herself and her clothes. Weapon: Crescendo- A keytar that doubles as a minigun. Origin: The Cat from The Town Musicians of Bremen Marco Lilac- The face of the band and the only vocalist. While he is an amazing singer he flounders when speaking in public. He tries to give the rest of the band as much credit for their success as he is able. Appearance: Caucasian, blue eyes. Messy light purple hair. Rooster crest on his head. 5ft 9in Outfit: Button up violet top with purple pants. Emblem: A microphone surrounded by music notes Emblem Location: Left pocket of his shirt Aura Color: Purple Semblance: Sun Storm- Creates an intense burst of light that can stun the Grimm and temporarily blind people if they’re too close. Weapon: Solo- His mic stand turns into a sniper rifle with his mic acting as the sight. Origin: The Rooster from The Town Musicians of Bremen ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Team STAR A group of four people who for one reason or another decided to become Huntsmen on the same day and all tied for the highest score on the license exam. Deciding to stick together they formed Team STAR Schwartz Panzer- A former member of Atlas military dishonorably discharged for disobeying orders he felt were unjust, that and attacking the officer who gave the order. Doesn’t trust authority without reason. Appearance: Caucasian, shaved head, brown eyes. 7ft. Outfit- Black sleeveless parka with black jeans and combat boots Emblem: Shell within a four pointed star Emblem Location: Back of parka Aura Color: Black Semblance: Shellshock- Rebounds projectile attacks back at the attacker Weapon: Tempest and Monsoon, twin arm mounted guns with half of a shell on each. Tempest is a single barrel gun while Monsoon is a gatling gun. When he brings his arms together the halves form a shell that acts as a shield. Origin: Black Tortoise of the North Tawny Feeniks- A woman from Vacuo whose family was caught in the crossfire of a crime war. When those responsible walked thanks to a corrupt judge she took action into her own hands. Once that was done she had to flee and ended up become a huntress. Appearance: Tanned, brown hair in long side ponytail, hazel eyes. 6ft Outfit- Tight fitting red hooded robe. Orange half mask on lower half of her face. Emblem: Burning phoenix within a four pointed star Emblem Location: Back of robe Aura Color: Orange-Red Semblance: Flames of Retribution- A burning attack that burns hotter the guiltier the target is. Weapon: Verdict- Long handled ax with gun built into the spike on the end Origin: Vermilion Bird of the South Ao Drake- An actor with a traveling group from Vale that was forced to shut down after Beacon fell. Became a huntsman to be able to continue traveling. Appearance: Japanese, green and blue dyed messy hair, green eyes. 6ft 4in Outfit- Green sleeveless shirt with long blue gloves. Blue cargo shorts with green boots. Wears a stylized dragon mask Emblem: Stylized dragon head within a four pointed star Emblem Location: Pocket on right side of shorts Aura Color: Green-Blue Semblance: Dragon Breath- A powerful beam of energy launched from his mouth Weapon: Dragon’s claws- Twin sai that act as slingshots for dust crystals Origin: Azure Dragon of the East Riz Tigre- A former farmer in Mistral she decided it’d pay more to be a huntress. She may act lazy but she has the skills to keep up with the others. Appearance: Caucasian, short blonde hair, yellow eyes. 5ft 9in Outfit- White crop top with grey overalls and white shorts. White knee high combat boots Emblem: Claw mark within a four pointed star Emblem Location: Center of overalls Aura Color: White Semblance: Copycat- Copies another semblance after witnessing it in use, copied semblance is only half power of the original. Can only keep one semblance copied at a time Weapon: Tiger claws with guns in the wrist guard. Origin: White Tiger of the West

#rwby #rwby oc #team bled #team bolt #team pech #team rthm

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justgottafinishthischapter · 5 years

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Making a Fictional Language

So you’re writing a story where you want to create a fictional language. That’s great. Only problem is, you’re not quite sure how to go about it. Fear not, I have a few tricks up my sleeve that I use myself when constructing a language. Now of course, before we can discuss how to build a conlang, it’s worth mentioning what a conlang is.

The term “Conlang” is short-hand for Constructed Language. What this means is that the language is fully realized and fully formed with proper grammar, an expansive dictionary, and could theoretically be learned and used in day-to-day conversation. A Conlang is not a real language. It doesn’t exist in our real world. But it’s well formed enough that it could be learned and spoken with a wide reach of use. Examples of Conlangs include Klingon, High Valyrian, Dothraki, and Na’vi. There are some lesser forms of Conlangs such as Functional Languages. That is, languages that exist only to say a few words. Before being turned into an official language for the show, Valyrian had very few words. It was the job of a linguist to construct a language around the fundamentals that George established in his books. Another example is Atlantean from the Disney movie Atlantis: the Lost Empire. There is just as much Atlantean as needed for the script and nothing else, and if you wanted to learn the Atlantean word for fire, you’ve gotten your hopes up for nothing. Some are also simply text-based, such as Hylian in the Legend of Zelda. It uses different symbols, but it all directly translates to the Japanese language, making it just a re-skinned version of Japanese.

So, how does one actually build a conlang? Honestly, a good first step is to do some research on Phonetics. But the crash course is this: a Phoneme is the simplest sound you can make. There’s an international phoenetic alphabet (IPA) that you can find tons of online. Every distinct sound made by human language has a specific symbol to represent the sound. Learning to read these symbols and the sounds they make will make it easier to find sound links between words. Now, let’s get to the actual methods and the steps involved.

Method 1: The Library

You may have heard of a Sound Library before. For sound technicians, a sound library is a database of sound effects and noises they can Foley into film projects. Building a language can work the same way. In the Librarian method, look through the list of IPA and look for the sounds you want to use in your language. Think about the tone of the language, and whether you’re looking for something softer or harsher, and the kind of culture the people have. Once you have your library of phonemes, it’s just a question of how you want to go about forming words. You could roll die to decide syllables and which sounds to use, you could play it by ear, you could compare to languages you want to sound like. The main appeal of this method is that it creates a great consistency with the sound of a language.

Method 2: The Language Blender

You know you want your language to sound coarse and rough but you’re not sure how to make it sound that way? A good method I like using is taking common words that your world would use, such as Fire or Sun, and translate it into about 3-5 languages that fit the sound you’re trying to invoke. Once you have all of your words translated, you have two paths. Option 1: Find the middle ground. If 3/5 of your words had the letters ma next to each other, chances are, that’s a good pair of letters to carry over to your own language. Option 2: Take your real life languages and put them through the Language Mixer on Chaoticshiny.com. A major benefit of this method is systematically learning words in other languages, and even seeing the etymological roots that tie languages together. The one downside of this language building format is that you may end up with words that don’t mix well together, or as they mix, you find that the sounds of the words don’t tend to mesh well, so it’s important to have a Base Language, the root language you build your fictional language around. No matter what, include at least part of the translation from this language, and you’ll be more grounded in your approach.

Method 3: The Root System

This is a conlang creating system I learned from Artifexian on Youtube, and I’ll link the video he made right [here] if you want to see it for yourself. He has a lot of great world building videos and I love his content, so don’t be shy about giving him your likes and support because he talks about a lot of the world building aspects people tend to gloss over, myself included. What this method does is it focuses on forming root words that then lead into forming other words.

This is a root system language sheet I designed based on my own fantasy world. In their culture, running water is associated with healing and cleaning because it carries off dirt and other foul things and wipes them away. For this reason, rivers have associations with cleanliness, healing, and life. And this is something worth keeping in mind when building your own language. How does the culture itself interact with the word you are describing? For instance, the reason we say “vandalize” to mean to destroy someone else’s property is because of the Vandal barbarians that plagued Europe during the last legs of the Roman Empire. Heck, the term Flanderize isn’t even that closely linked to the Simpsons, but it emerged as a result of Ned Flanders’ character becoming stock and one-note, which led to the creation of the term. When it comes to actually building the dictionary, this can be a really useful step. So, for example, let’s say the word for River in my language was Asar. A boatman might be Asarii, much like how we have work and worker, fight and fighter, dance and dancer, the suffix of -ii denotes someone who does the root term, in this case, they go on the river. Meanwhile, a fisher could be Asarakii, having Asar mean river, -ak as a suffix for a thing living in the river, and the -ii as a suffix for those who catch the things that live in the river. And for something more abstract like River of Time or River of Stars, you might get something like Asarag Talari.

UNIVERSAL CONLANG TIPS

Keep in mind the people the language exists for. if you’re creating a conlang for dragons, reptiles don’t have lips, so the labial sounds of [p], [b], [f], [v], and possibly even sounds that require lip shaping such as [o], [u], and [w] might not fit the creatures that need to be speaking. Furthermore, if the culture exists before global communication and they live next to the ocean, chances are, they won’t have a word for camel, desert, or sandstorm unless it’s a desert port city. This is why Dothraki has words for every kind of horse and no word for thank-you.

Remember that certain sounds can be switched around. Throughout human language, I’ve learned that certain letters can easily be switched out for each other, and this is in part due to linguistics history. Most of the letters that can be exchanged I actually realized while studying Grimm’s Law and the evolution of language, and by looking at Welsh in particular. In Welsh, the way to write a [f] sound is to write it as ff. When just one f is by itself, it becomes [v]. The sounds of [d], [t], [θ], and [ð] share a similar connection, as do [k] and [g], [ʃ] and [ꭓ], and [b] and [p]. So changing between these similar sounds could prove to be a useful strategy for mixing up your language.

You absolutely have to create a grammar system or you’re going to make a huge mess. That means word order, syntax, suffixes, tense, conjugation, and whatever else is needed. If it helps, learn how another language conjugates its terms. In Sumerian, the phrase “I am your king” is Lugdalzuimen. Lugdal means King, zu is your, and imen means “I am”. So word order is Object Possessive Subject. Then in the phrase Sesguene imes means “they are my brothers”. In actual word order it translates out as “brother my -s they are”. Now we see that the word order is Object Possessive Pluralization Subject. In the phrase Dumuninlagasakak, it becomes child queen Lagas of of. Meaning child [queen of Lagas] of or Child of the Queen of Lagas. By understanding how this language structures itself, something like the phrase River of Stars I made earlier could now be broken down to be something like Asartalariag (River Star -s of). I find it helps in this case to word it as “River star many of” to get “river of many stars” to figure out when the pluralizing suffix would be applied.

Resources:

Wiktionary.com

Chaoticshiny.com

http://www.perseus.tufts.edu/hopper/definitionlookup (for all of your ancient greek translation needs. Set it to Latin transliteration)

http://www.abair.tcd.ie/?lang=eng (because Google Translate doesn’t sound out Irish words)

https://www.wordreference.com/enfr/ (it’s set English to French, but it has a lot of languages, and it’s great because it also teaches you slang uses of words.)

#conlang #constructed language #fictional languages #fictional language #conlangs #writing advice #writing tips #linguistics #etymology #phoneme #phonology #sumerian language #dothraki #klingon #high valyrian #na'vi #artifexian

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aion-rsa · 2 years

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MST3K Turkey Day 2021: How to Watch the Marathon This Thanksgiving

https://ift.tt/3FF4O6d

When it comes to Thanksgiving, we all have our non-eating traditions. Many like to watch the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade or check out a game or two of football. For many a geek, Thanksgiving is a day that lets us sit back and watch a whole lot of Mystery Science Theater 3000. It’s part of the show’s DNA. The first episode debuted back on Thanksgiving in 1988. Then the idea of a Thanksgiving marathon became a regular part of Comedy Central’s calendar. Years later, MST3K episodes would be spread through Thanksgiving whether or not there was any news on new seasons being in the works.

Luckily, this is one of those years where there’s a new season in the works! As we await MST3K Season 13, we’ll get another MST3K Turkey Day on our plate to enjoy. On November 25, starting at 9am ET, we’re getting eight classic episodes. Four of them have been voted on by fans, but four more will be selected by MST3K staff members.

What Mystery Science Theater Episodes Will Be in the MST3K Turkey Day Marathon 2021?

In terms of the former four, here’s what we have to look forward to…

Experiment 410: Hercules Against the Moon Men

No fooling, this one’s not an easy one to sit through. While MST3K has tackled many Hercules movies, this is the most infamous. Dr. Forrester and TV’s Frank are very upfront about how tedious the final act is with the heroes wandering through a never-ending sandstorm. Do you know how hard it is to riff a lengthy sandstorm sequence? “Deep hurting,” indeed. Even the Mads feel almost guilty by the time it’s all over.

Experiment 505: The Magic Voyage of Sinbad

This Joel episode is one of the wonderful Russo-Finnish movies that are actually sort of fun on their own, but they’re just so damn weird that they deserve the thrashing the bots give them. As Sinbad journeys to fix the sorrows of his people or whatever, he gets involved in a bear fight, a creepy, laughing horse, and an underwater kingdom filled with puppets. Just a strange, strange adventure that’ll go well with the tryptophan going through your system.

Experiment 513: The Brain That Wouldn’t Die

It’s our very first installment with Mike in the theater as he watches an interesting, albeit disturbing black-and-white horror film about a mad scientist who can’t let go. When the doctor’s girlfriend is decapitated in a car accident, he keeps the head alive and goes around trying to seduce women in hopes of killing one and Frankensteining his lady a full body. There’s also a literal monster in there for some reason. It does have a fun running gag where certain close-ups make characters look like they exist in some kind of void dimension.

Experiment 816: Prince of Space

Earth is invaded by an army of aliens led by what appears to be a cross between Wario and a chicken. Luckily, Earth is protected by Prince of Space, a Japanese superhero with the power of being invincible against all projectiles. Considering the evil Phantom of Krankor’s main strategy is to shoot lasers at Prince of Space, you’d think that this story would be over before it begins. You’d think. Nope, it’s just a repetitive set of fights that at least escalates into Prince of Space fighting the dumpiest kaiju you’ve ever seen.

And remember, those are just the four we know about! There will be four other surprises chosen during the marathon!

MST3K: Joel Hodgson Reveals the Secrets of the Gizmoplex, Teases “the Next Manos”

By Gavin Jasper

Movies

MST3K Turkey Day: The Long History of Mystery Science Theater 3000 and Thanksgiving

By Gavin Jasper

MST3K Season 13 Details Will be Revealed!

Now, I love reruns as much as the next guy, but there’s more to Turkey Day 2021 than just old episodes. With the thirteenth season being worked on right now, they’re going to reveal the movies we’ll be seeing for all thirteen episodes! Sweet!

Season 13 will be part of Gizmoplex, a streaming service of sorts that will allow people to watch old episodes, new episodes, and presumably some special events. While the last two seasons have starred Jonah Ray as Jonah Heston, as well as Hampton Yount as Crow and Baron Vaughn as Tom Servo, this cast will only be covering some of the episodes. Other episodes will be starring the live tour cast, which includes Emily Marsh as Emily Connor, Nate Begle as Crow, and Conor McGiffen as Tom Servo.

So far we know that the Kickstarter-backed season will include Gamera vs. Jiger (1970), Robot Wars (1993), Demon Squad (2019), and presumably Beyond Atlantis (1973). Unlike the Netflix seasons, the episodes will be released as they’re finished instead of dropping all of them at once for the sake of binging.

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How and Where to Watch MST3K Turkey Day 2021

Hopefully we find out more about MST3K’s big return this Thanksgiving. While it’s easier to watch it on Twitch or YouTube, there are over a dozen options to watch Turkey Day 2021 listed at Shout Factory’s website.

The post MST3K Turkey Day 2021: How to Watch the Marathon This Thanksgiving appeared first on Den of Geek.

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

#aion-rsa #Den of Geek

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newstfionline · 3 years

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Wednesday, March 17, 2021

Children Are Sleeping on Mats in Overcrowded Border Facilities (NYT) Migrant children are being forced to sleep on gym mats with foil sheets and go for days without showering as the Border Patrol struggles to handle thousands of young Central Americans who are surging across the southwestern border, some of them as young as a year old. Children are arriving in groups and alone, some of them clutching phone numbers of relatives scrawled on little pieces of paper, according to two court-appointed lawyers who are monitoring conditions at facilities along the border. Many of the children interviewed by the lawyers in recent days said they had not been allowed outdoors for days on end, confined to an overcrowded tent. “It’s an urgent situation. These children are caught up in a crisis,” said Leecia Welch, a lawyer who visited a holding facility for migrant children in Donna, Texas, that was built to house 250 people but which last week was holding about 1,000. More than 9,400 minors—ranging from young children to teenagers—arrived along the border without parents in February, a nearly threefold increase over last year at the same time, presenting the Biden administration with an urgent humanitarian challenge as it opens the door to children and gradually welcomes in families fleeing violence and poverty in Central America.

Automakers embrace electric vehicles. But what about buyers? (AP) The world’s major automakers have made something abundantly clear: They believe electric vehicles will dominate their industry in the years ahead. Yet for that to happen, they’ll need to sell the idea to people like Steve Bock. When Bock recently replaced his family’s 2013 Honda Pilot SUV, he considered—and then dismissed—the idea of buying an electric vehicle. An EV with enough room to carry his two dogs would cost too much, he decided. And he’d worry about driving long distances with too few charging stations. “I would consider it if the prices would come down,” Bock said, though leaving open the possibility of buying an electric vehicle next time. Opinion polls show that a substantial majority of Americans are aligned with Bock. An EV might be on their shopping list if it cost less, if more charging stations existed and if a wider variety of models were available. In other words, the time isn’t right. For now, EVs make up less than 2% of U.S. new-vehicle sales and about 3% worldwide.

A global minimum tax on multinationals? (Washington Post) Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen is working with her counterparts worldwide to forge an agreement on a global minimum tax on multinational corporations, as the White House looks for revenue to help pay for President Biden’s domestic agenda. The effort, which would involve a fraught and challenging global negotiation of tax laws, could prove one of Yellen’s biggest policy legacies if it succeeds. It also could prove central to Biden’s presidency. The $1.9 trillion stimulus legislation signed into law last week was financed completely by additional federal borrowing. But the administration is expected to raise taxes at least partly to pay for its other big-ticket spending priorities, such as the massive infrastructure and jobs package being discussed by White House officials and congressional Democrats.

Stimulus payments are already arriving (Vox) Stimulus checks have begun to arrive in Americans’ bank accounts—just days after President Joe Biden authorized them by signing the American Rescue Plan into law. The speed with which eligible Americans are receiving their third and largest stimulus checks to date during the coronavirus pandemic—less than two months into Biden’s presidency—is a political victory for a president who was unable to garner bipartisan support for his bill, but was still able to swiftly pass a sweeping relief package along party lines. As Vox’s Emily Stewart explains, most Americans will be eligible for $1,400 stimulus checks: The full checks will go out to single people making up to $75,000 and couples making up to $150,000, and phase out at $80,000 and $160,000, based on 2019 or 2020 tax returns, depending on when people last filed their taxes. Previous checks phased out at higher income levels, meaning some people who got checks in previous rounds won’t get them this time. However, the legislation includes checks for adult dependents, such as college students and people with disabilities, for the first time.

Roughly 4 in 5 Manhattan Office Workers Will Not Return Full-Time, Survey Says (NBC New York) Manhattan’s largest employers are starting to plan for the post-COVID future of work, and it seems most of them are giving up on the traditional way of doing things. Just 22 percent of the island’s large employers will require all workers to return to the office full-time when they do eventually go back, according to a Partnership for New York City survey. Some 66 percent said they would adopt a hybrid model of days in the office and days at home, another 9 percent said they would not require workers to return to the office at all, and 4 percent said it would ultimately be role-dependent. Whatever model they choose, employers don’t seem to be in much of a rush either. Survey respondents said they expect just 45 percent of Manhattan’s roughly 1 million office workers to be back to the office by this September.

Here’s looking at you, England (Wired) The future coming at you: For the last two years police and internet companies across the UK have been quietly building and testing surveillance technology that could log and store the web browsing of every single person in the country. The tests, which are being run by two unnamed internet service providers, the Home Office, and the National Crime Agency, are being conducted under controversial surveillance laws introduced at the end of 2016. If successful, data collection systems could be rolled out nationally, creating one of the most powerful and controversial surveillance tools used by any democratic nation.

Europe’s vaccine mess (NYT) The number of new Covid-19 cases is declining, often sharply, in countries that have vaccinated a large share of residents. That’s the situation in Israel, the United Arab Emirates and Britain. Cases are also declining in the U.S. And on the other end of the spectrum is the European continent, where vaccine rollout has been slow, and new cases are surging. Europe—the first place where the coronavirus caused widespread death—is facing the prospect of being one of the last places to emerge from its grip. My colleague Jason Horowitz writes from Rome: “Governments are putting exhausted populations under lockdown. Street protests are turning violent. A year after the virus began spreading in Europe, things feel unnervingly the same.” As Eyck Freymann and Elettra Ardissino write in Foreign Policy: “Spring in the European Union is going to be dismal.” Bild, a German newspaper, recently ran the headline “Liebe Briten, We Beneiden You!”—a mixture of German and English that means “Dear Brits, We Envy You!” Wolfgang Münchau of Eurointelligence has said that Europe’s vaccination program rivals the continent’s budget austerity of recent years as “the E.U.’s worst policy error during my lifetime.” Over the summer, the U.S. was struggling more than any other country to contain Covid. Today, Europe appears to be in much worse shape.

Beijing haze (Reuters) China’s worst sandstorm in a decade caused mass disruptions on Monday as swaths of the country were engulfed in a thick, orange haze of dust and sand, forcing authorities to cancel hundreds of flights, shutter roads and schools, and suspend outdoor activities. In Beijing, poor visibility paralyzed traffic as residents posted photos of skyscrapers seemingly disappearing into the fog and compared images of the eerie haze to scenes in the dystopian 1982 film “Blade Runner.”

North Korea warns US not to ‘cause a stink’ before Seoul meeting (AP) In North Korea’s first comments directed at the Biden administration, Kim Jong Un’s powerful sister on Tuesday warned the United States to “refrain from causing a stink” if it wants to “sleep in peace” for the next four years. Kim Yo Jong’s statement was issued as U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken and Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin arrived in Asia to talk with U.S. allies Japan and South Korea about North Korea and other regional issues. They have meetings in Tokyo on Tuesday before speaking to officials in Seoul on Wednesday. “We take this opportunity to warn the new U.S. administration trying hard to give off (gun) powder smell in our land,” she said. “If it wants to sleep in peace for coming four years, it had better refrain from causing a stink at its first step.”

As Israelis head back to elections, there’s a new twist: Democrats in Washington (Washington Post) Israeli voters, trapped for two years in a vote-rinse-repeat cycle of toss-up elections, are about to go to the polls for a fourth time with at least one new factor to consider: Their next prime minister—even if it is their old prime minister—will have to deal with Democrats. Since the last campaign, the Republicans in Washington that Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has held in a bear hug for more than a decade are out. The Democrats he largely alienated are ascendant. In Israel, however, the Netanyahu era has shifted the center of Israeli politics sharply to right not just in tone but on substance, bringing once-fringe positions into the mainstream and posing a challenge for any reset in relations with the Democrats. Even centrist parties have supported recent calls for Israel to annex Jewish settlements in the occupied West Bank, and all but one of Netanyahu’s main election challengers have renounced the idea of a two-state solution to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. Like him, they are deeply skeptical of President Biden’s diplomatic outreach to Iran. Netanyahu, who is battling corruption charges in an ongoing criminal trial, is scrambling to extend his record 14 years in office by reaching even further to the right for new partners. He recently embraced the remnants of the banned Kahanist party, a Jewish extremist group that called for stripping Israel’s Arab citizens of their voting rights. His next coalition, should he prevail, would probably be the most conservative of any of the candidates’.

After a decade of war, the plight of Syrian refugees is only getting worse (Washington Post) Ten years ago, protesters clamoring for political reform in Syria took to the streets, hoping for change. Instead, there has only been ruin and chaos. The past decade has shattered the nation and scattered its people. More than half of the population was forced to flee. “The United Nations stopped counting the dead in 2016 at 400,000. Six million Syrians fled their homeland, escaping across its borders into neighboring countries,” wrote my colleague Liz Sly. “Five million are still stranded, barely surviving in substandard conditions. A million climbed into flimsy boats to cross the Mediterranean to Europe.” Even as foreign humanitarian aid dwindles, millions still languish in limbo in countries bordering Syria, living on the margins of the societies hosting them but too afraid of the grim fate that may await should they try to return. Conditions are only getting worse. “Poverty and food insecurity are on the rise, school enrollment and access to health care are shrinking, and the COVID-19 pandemic has wiped out much of the informal work that refugees rely on,” noted a recent report from the U.N.’s refugee agency. “People are at a breaking point,” UNHCR senior communications adviser Rula Amin told CBS News. While “the attention of the world has shifted from the Syria crisis and people tend to think that maybe it has become easier, with every passing year, it becomes more difficult, not easier for Syrian refugees.”

#headlines #news

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dalisaypsyche-blog · 6 years

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You ask me who I am

But I don’t really know

Multiple identities I have

Consciously or not

My blood is Filipino

Slightly dark skinned with a slightly big flat nose

Of average Pinoy height

And curls that most know

Blessing of the hand,

Late night karaokes,

Inviting to occasions

even the distant relatives I never knew existed

My blood is also Chinese.

Slightly yellow-skinned with “singkit” eyes

Bound to bow three times as a respect to our dead.

And to call my relatives “koko”, “cheche”, “anggin”, and “yeye”.

But my heart and soul are global

Rooting also from other identities.

Like my love for delicious shawarma, hummus, Indian and Arabic food

Complacency to sandstorms and extreme hot weathers

To wearing the traditional “abaya” even under the heat of the sun

To the “salah” of the Muslims multiple times everyday

And to not eat outdoors during the month of Ramadhan

It is also like my love for cold weathers and snow

And tea parties everyday just like in some shows

Classic British and American fashion and cars

Even foreign accents make me joyful at heart

Be it music, arts and architecture

Fashion, ideas, and other forms of leisure

Influenced by the many books I’ve read

The different people I’ve met

The many films and shows I’ve watched

Cultures I’ve experienced

Countries I’ve visited

Lessons I’ve learned

Thus, from these all, I’ve created an identity

For I am all of these, and then more.

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This work is a text self-portrait that was created through a poem that I composed. The poem demonstrates my local identities, but also identities that I have developed by being globally exposed, thus creating a hybrid identity. In the first and last stanza, it is implied that there is more to my identity than what is found in this poem. That is because I have been shaped and will be continuously shaped by these identities that I makes me who I am. It also implies that there are identities of myself that I may be unaware of.

Some of my identities I fully embrace. However, some, I feel like letting go. For instance, having to invite relatives that I never knew personally until my parents mentioned they’re coming to a special occasion seems a bit odd and awkward to me. This I personally experienced on the 25th wedding anniversary of my parents when I asked why they need to come when we’re trying to limit seats. My parents answered, “it’s a must. Because they’re relatives” and my response was, “the wedding is supposed to be intimate, but you’re celebrating it with people you aren’t intimate with or even close with”. Ultimately, it made me feel far apart from my local identity, because I don’t agree with some traditions or beliefs.

On the other hand, I treasure my global identity because, I realize, most of my passion stems from them. For instance, my preference for food, music, architecture, and fashion, even products.

Thus, again, it made me feel like I was less Filipino.

And I’m not sure if that's okay.

#identity #poems on tumblr #poem #my poem #text post #text #portrait

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moviefixes · 7 years

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The Mummy Review & Fix

Let me rant at you for a couple of minutes.

I went to see The Mummy last night. I’d been warned that it was a horror film as opposed to the 1999 adventure film. But, hey, I like horror.

Warning: Tom Cruise is just bizarre looking. There’s a scene where he’s PG-13 naked in the morgue, and it looks like his head has been poorly photoshopped onto the body of a bodice-ripper cover model.

One thing the movie (almost) got right: Set is the evil god instead of Anubis (if you want a decent portrayal of Anubis look to Mr. Jacquel from American Gods). However, Set is not the god of death--he’s the god of disorder, violence, the red desert.

That out of the way, let’s talk what sucked and how I’d re-write it. So many spoilers under the cut.

Our “hero” (Tom Cruise’s character) is Nick Morton. He’s supposed to be advanced recon for the US Army in Iraq, but he’s mainly a thief who spends his time in the desert looking for ancient artifacts to loot instead of insurgents. His military commander, Greenway, thinks he’s a thieving ass. He’s not wrong. The only one who Nick seems give a shit about (besides himself) is his partner-in-crime, Chris Vail.

(The movie can’t seem to make up its mind if Vail is a corporal or a sergeant, so I’m going to refer to him as “Vail”, especially since I didn’t know he had a first name until I looked on IMDB.)

Their opening scene where they fail to sneak into a ruined village filled with insurgents to grab some gold is one of the best parts of the movie. They bicker like an old married couple as they get shot at and have a building blasted out from under them. Vail calls in an airstrike against Nick’s wishes...which reveals a giant pit with a creepy ass Egyptian statue.

At this point, Greenway shows up to chew them out for their many transgressions. He also brings Jenny Halsey, a beautiful blonde archaeologist with whom Nick had a one-night stand in Baghdad. She’s not ashamed that she had a hook up, but she loathes him since he stole a map from her that led him here in search of treasure. Greenway orders Nick and Vail into the hole with her. Instead of finding a tomb full of artifacts to outfit the occupant in the afterlife, the tomb is designed to contain an evil spirit for eternity. There’s a LOT of mercury, which Wikipedia is telling me wasn’t uncommon in Egyptian tombs, though maybe not in these quantities. Because Nick is a dick, he shoots one of the ropes keeping the sarcophagus suspended in the pool of mercury, causing it to be lifted out. To quote Ardeth Bey: “You have started a chain reaction that could bring about the next apocalypse!” Because the sarcophagus contains Ahmanet, a New Kingdom Egyptian princess who was mummified and buried alive after going on a murder spree and then trying to bring Set into the mortal world in the body of her “Chosen”. Nick then becomes her new Chosen.

Like The Mummy (1999) and The Mummy Returns, there are multiple swarms of creepy crawlies. At one point, Nick is completely overwhelmed by rats. Unfortunately, they do not eat him. When they are still in the tomb, there’s a swarm of giant spiders. I was practically bouncing in my seat going “please be camel spiders...please be camel spiders”. And they were! However, one bites Vail and injects him with venom that allows Ahmanet to take control of him. *rolls eyes* Camel spiders do not have venom.

They take the sarcophagus and flee ahead of a giant sandstorm on what I’m pretty sure is a C-130 (my heavy-lift aircraft obsession, let me show you it). Ahmanet crashes it over England because Crusaders brought her evil knife back with them to the UK and hid it. Ok, Mummy, you do you. In the crashing, Nick manages to save Jenny by getting her into what turns out to be the only parachute and shoving her out the giant hole in the side of the plane.

He dies, Ahmanet resurrects him, and we have the naked scene in the morgue, which we could have all done without.

One of the great strengths of the 1999 Mummy was Rick and Evie’s romance. It is one of the few OTPs I have because it is that good. And it makes sense. Yes, they don’t get off to a great start (see: the prison scene), but you watch them first realize “oh, shit, he’s hot” / “wow, I don’t think I’m going to trade her for a camel after all”.

They have several conversations over the course of the film where they get to know each other: on the boat where’s he’s cleaning his weapons, in Hamunaptra where she gives her famous drunken “I am a librarian!” speech. This isn’t love at first sight; this is love that grows. And when we see them 10 years later in The Mummy Returns and they are still fucking in love, it makes sense because the kind of relationship they developed in the first movie is sustainable. It's not stress-fueled passion.

In contrast, Nick and Jenny start out antagonistically--he stole from her--and their bickering never seems to come across as flirting. She’s constantly, rightfully, calling him out as a garbage human being until suddenly, she’s not. When she tries to convince Nick that he’s a good man based on the evidence of giving her the last parachute, he straight up tells her that he thought there was another one. And maybe it was supposed to be him trying to protect his fragile feelings...

...but the way Cruise says it makes me think he’s sincere.

It turns out that Jenny works for a secret organization, the Prodigium, whose mission is to stamp out supernatural threats. It’s headed by Dr. Jekyll. (I did not realize that this film is the start of a grim!dark League of Extraordinary Gentlemen series), who wants to stop Ahmanet’s plan to release Set by killing the Chosen One, i.e. Nick. There is talk of dissection. Because Jenny is not an awful human being, this bothers her, and she sets about trying to rescue Nick from her Prodigium buddies.

This is where we get the Easter egg that confirms that, unfortunately, this is supposed to be a sequel to the 1999 Mummy when Jenny uses the gold Book of Amun-Ra to smack Malik around during her rescue attempt.

And somewhere in here, Nick and Jenny decide that they are in love and spend the rest of the movie running from one danger to another, screaming each others' names. At the very end, Nick risks destroying the world to stab himself in the chest to possibly be able to resurrect Jenny. Because this movie doesn't even attempt to do its homework, the romance is nonsensical.

Normally, I would recommend dropping the romance altogether. It worked well for the first Avengers movie ("There's no time for romance. We've got shit to avenge!") and Power Rangers, but Nick needs something to make him give a shit about anything other than himself. I mean, at the beginning of the movie, he's running around Iraq stealing stuff. He's not motivated by patriotism or wanting to protect innocent people from insurgents. The movie doesn't even show him saving a kid or petting a dog as a trite way to reveal that, hey, maybe he's a good man under that greed. Instead, we get nothing to make us think he's a person who would sacrifice himself to save the world. He can't even quite pull off “BECAUSE I'M ONE OF THE IDIOTS WHO LIVES IN IT!” since what Ahmanet is initially offering is wealth and sex, two things he's shown serious interest in. Being possessed by Set, yes, is a turn-off, but I think he'd be more likely to try and save his skin by fleeing from her and the Prodigium than stay and fight.

In fact, the only thing he is shown to care about other than treasure and himself, is Vail. Their banter is the only that comes close to the banter in the 1999 Mummy and The Mummy Returns. On the plane, when Vail is possessed by Ahmanet and starts stabbing people, Nick steps in between him and the soldiers and grabs a soldier's sidearm right out of his hands to hold them off. When Nick shoots Vail the first time, it doesn't look like he actually intended to pull the trigger. Instead of holding the gun in front of him, he has it up by his ear and sort of sideways. When Vail keeps advancing, Nick is still trying to get him to stand down. He doesn't look any more in control with the second shot, and "the third one was unnecessary. You freaked me out; I panicked". The movie ends with Nick abandoning Jenny in the tunnels and then going to resurrect Vail and ride off into the desert with him, seeking adventure.

So I propose, what if the archeologist who comes to the tomb is a goofy little dude who is bitten by the camel spider (grrrr) and is possessed and starts stabbing people on the plane and then dies? What if it's Vail who manages to get hold of the parachute and put it on before realizing there's not another one? And he and Nick are screaming at each other--Vail isn't going to go until Nick finds a way out and Nick isn't going to let them both die, so he pulls the ripcord on the parachute and Vail gets sucked out and survives.

Then Jenny shows up in the morgue as a secretive agent of an unknown, possibly government group (the Prodigium), but before she can whisk him away to Jekyll's secret lair under the Natural History Museum (formerly the British Museum...hi, Return of the Mummy reference), Vail sneaks Nick out to the pub. Nick is hallucinating rat swarms and Ahmanet, and Vail drags him into the bathroom, and they're yelling at each other about mercury poisoning and Jenny's hot but can they trust her? At some point, a group of women try to come in, and they realize they're in the ladies' room.

(Jenny in the secret agent role would probably result in her being recast or Annabelle Wallis having to dye her hair brown because Hollywood is weird like that.)

When Ahmanet lures Nick to the church where evil knife was hidden by the Crusaders, Vail follows. "What the hell are we doing, man?" Jenny reappears when they flip the ambulance as the leader of the Prodigium crew who capture Ahmanet. Nick and Vail have the conversation about the last parachute, but when Nick says he thought there was another one, Vail just snorts. "You just keep telling yourself that, Morton."

Vail is 110% against Jekyll's plan to summon Set and then kill him when the god is in Nick's body. When Nick accidentally frees Mr. Hyde and the Prodigium security guards drag Vail out of the room, he runs around and ends up fighting Malik and throwing himself against the Hyde-proof glass. The two men make a break for it while Ahmanet escapes. Jenny leads them into the subway tunnels, trying to herd Nick towards Ahmanet and the completed dagger in order to enact Jekyll's plan. They all get separated, Ahmanet drowns Vail, and, after attempting CPR, Nick brings forth Set to try and save Vail, yadda, yadda, yadda.

The movie ends with Jekyll and Jenny discussing what Nick's fate will be now that he's fused with Set, and then Nick and Vail ride off into the desert. Exactly like the film as it stands.

Ta-da! Follows the same plot of the movie, but with motivations that make sense!

The only thing I added was a disposable archaeologist in the first act.

#the mummy #needs more gay #there i fixed it #movies

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maswartz · 4 years

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My RWBY team ideas

—————————————————————————————————- The fall of Beacon impacted many who were present. Many lives were lost and many teams were left broken. In the aftermath however many new teams were formed by the survivors of the horrible event. Team BOLT was one such team formed in the aftermath. Knowing that without Beacon Tower many smaller villages would be unable to contact the rest of the world they made it their mission to travel and protect them. Blaze Stix- Blaze discovered her semblance when her family’s home caught on fire and she was the only survivor. She spent the next few years on the street until she managed to gain entry to Sanctum Academy. From there she worked her way up until she was accepted into Haven. She was leader of her team until the fall of Beacon. As the only member of Team BOLT to have been a leader she stepped into the role. Appearance: White skin with yellow eyes, bright spiked orange hair with parts dyed yellow. 5ft 5in Outfit: Orange tank top with orange cargo shorts. Yellow fingerless gloves on each hand. All her clothing has fire dust woven into it. Emblem: A matchstick on fire Emblem Location: Center of her tank top Aura Color: Orange Semblance: Fireproof- Makes her immune to all fire. Weapon: Firestarter- A staff that splits into two clubs. Each club can shoot fire from the end Origin: The Little Match Girl Oceania Coral- The daughter of sailors, Oceania spent most of her life on the sea honing her skills by fending off seafaring Grimm. She was accepted to Signal Academy where she trained until she was accepted into Beacon. Appearance: Tan skin with blue eyes, long blue hair in a ponytail. 5ft 4in Outfit: Cyan wet suit with teal armor over parts of it. Has optional flippers and diving mask. Emblem: A group of bubbles Emblem Location: Left leg Aura Color: Teal Semblance: Sea Foam- A field of bubbles surrounds her acting as defense, individual bubbles can be launched at enemies. Weapon: Sharktooth- A dagger with a gun built into the hilt. Origin: The Little Mermaid Levi Skylar- A hawk faunus born with a beak, Levi grew up in the harsh deserts of Vacuo where he made his way into Shade Academy. He tended to act as a messenger using his semblance to avoid Grimm as he delivered messages and supplies. He acts as the team’s scout. Appearance: White skin with hazel eyes. Beak. Short brown hair. 5ft 8in Outfit: White and blue shirt and shorts with shoes designed like talons. Emblem: A pair of wings crossed Emblem Location: Right sleeve Aura Color: Sky Blue Semblance: Cloud Walking- Allows him to walk on the air. Weapons: Cyclone and Twister- Twin blades that unfold into war fans. Gun in the central rib of each fan. Origin: Icarus Terrance Clay- A strong and fierce young man, Terrance tends to act before thinking and his first solution is usually the one that involves the most fighting. He grew up in Vacuo as well and ended up in Oscuro Academy but didn’t actually qualify for Shade or any of the other academies. He was only at the Vytal Festival to support some of his former classmates. Appearance: Tan skin with brown eyes. Short black hair. 6ft Outfit: Open brown vest with brown shorts. Large brown combat boots. Emblem: A fist breaking a rock Emblem Location: Tattooed on his chest Aura Color: Brown Semblance: Stone Armor- Solidifies dust around him creating a protective armor Weapon: Quake Gauntlets- Twin large gloves with guns built into the pointer finger on each hand. Origin: The Golem —————————————————————————————————- Team PECH

—————————————————————————————————- Pronounced Rhythm (Blue-Gray) From the Menagerie comes Team RTHM an all faunus band going on a tour all over Remnant. They also act as huntsmen should they come across the Grimm during their tour. Ronald Grayson- Leader of the team and manager of the band. In charge of keeping the band on schedule and handles the finances. During combat favors kickboxing due to his hooves. Appearance: Caucasian, brown eyes. Nicely cut brown hair. Donkey hooves instead of feet. 6ft 4in. Outfit: Light gray shirt with blue jeans and a dark gray overcoat, gray flat cap Emblem: Guitar with music notes surrounding it Emblem Location: Back of coat Aura Color: Gray Semblance: Negate- Negates other semblances for one hour, requires physical contact with the target to activate. Weapon: Fortissimo- A guitar that acts as a shotgun. Origin: The donkey from The Town Musicians of Bremen Tiana Woods- Tiana is the one who writes all of the songs as well as poetry on the side. She enjoys hiking to find inspiration around her for songs. Appearance: Caucasian, green eyes. Braided blonde hair to her shoulders. Dog paws. 5ft 8in. Outfit: Light green transparent top over a darker green camisole. Dark green shorts over light green leggings. Emblem: A saxophone surrounded by music notes Emblem Location: Belt buckle Aura Color: Forest Green Semblance: Sonic Control- Allows her to manipulate sound. Weapon: Jazz- A saxophone that converts into a missile launcher. Origin: The dog from The Town Musicians of Bremen Helena Mandari- Helena is the one who promotes the band and draws the posters. She enjoys drawing in her free time. Appearance: Hispanic, brown eyes. Short brown hair. Cat claws. 5ft 5in. Outfit: Orange top with one long sleeve on the right and one short sleeve on the left. Orange bottoms with one long leg on the left and one short leg on the right. Emblem: A keytar surrounded by music notes Emblem Location: Right sleeve of top. Aura Color: Orange Semblance: Passing Through- Allows her to turn intangible and pass through objects, however it is limited to only herself and her clothes. Weapon: Crescendo- A keytar that doubles as a minigun. Origin: The Cat from The Town Musicians of Bremen Marco Lilac- The face of the band and the only vocalist. While he is an amazing singer he flounders when speaking in public. He tries to give the rest of the band as much credit for their success as he is able. Appearance: Caucasian, blue eyes. Messy light purple hair. Rooster crest on his head. 5ft 9in Outfit: Button up violet top with purple pants. Emblem: A microphone surrounded by music notes Emblem Location: Left pocket of his shirt Aura Color: Purple Semblance: Sun Storm- Creates an intense burst of light that can stun the Grimm and temporarily blind people if they’re too close. Weapon: Solo- His mic stand turns into a sniper rifle with his mic acting as the sight. Origin: The Rooster from The Town Musicians of Bremen —————————————————————————————————- Team STAR A group of four people who for one reason or another decided to become Huntsmen on the same day and all tied for the highest score on the license exam. Deciding to stick together they formed Team STAR Schwartz Panzer- A former member of Atlas military dishonorably discharged for disobeying orders he felt were unjust, that and attacking the officer who gave the order. Doesn’t trust authority without reason. Appearance: Caucasian, shaved head, brown eyes. 7ft. Outfit- Black sleeveless parka with black jeans and combat boots Emblem: Shell within a four pointed star Emblem Location: Back of parka Aura Color: Black Semblance: Shellshock- Rebounds projectile attacks back at the attacker Weapon: Tempest and Monsoon, twin arm mounted guns with half of a shell on each. Tempest is a single barrel gun while Monsoon is a gatling gun. When he brings his arms together the halves form a shell that acts as a shield. Origin: Black Tortoise of the North Tawny Feeniks- A woman from Vacuo whose family was caught in the crossfire of a crime war. When those responsible walked thanks to a corrupt judge she took action into her own hands. Once that was done she had to flee and ended up become a huntress. Appearance: Tanned, brown hair in long side ponytail, hazel eyes. 6ft Outfit- Tight fitting red hooded robe. Orange half mask on lower half of her face. Emblem: Burning phoenix within a four pointed star Emblem Location: Back of robe Aura Color: Orange-Red Semblance: Flames of Retribution- A burning attack that burns hotter the guiltier the target is. Weapon: Verdict- Long handled ax with gun built into the spike on the end Origin: Vermilion Bird of the South Ao Drake- An actor with a traveling group from Vale that was forced to shut down after Beacon fell. Became a huntsman to be able to continue traveling. Appearance: Japanese, green and blue dyed messy hair, green eyes. 6ft 4in Outfit- Green sleeveless shirt with long blue gloves. Blue cargo shorts with green boots. Wears a stylized dragon mask Emblem: Stylized dragon head within a four pointed star Emblem Location: Pocket on right side of shorts Aura Color: Green-Blue Semblance: Dragon Breath- A powerful beam of energy launched from his mouth Weapon: Dragon’s claws- Twin sai that act as slingshots for dust crystals Origin: Azure Dragon of the East Riz Tigre- A former farmer in Mistral she decided it’d pay more to be a huntress. She may act lazy but she has the skills to keep up with the others. Appearance: Caucasian, short blonde hair, yellow eyes. 5ft 9in Outfit- White crop top with grey overalls and white shorts. White knee high combat boots Emblem: Claw mark within a four pointed star Emblem Location: Center of overalls Aura Color: White Semblance: Copycat- Copies another semblance after witnessing it in use, copied semblance is only half power of the original. Can only keep one semblance copied at a time Weapon: Tiger claws with guns in the wrist guard. Origin: White Tiger of the West

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