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yetanotherbuffyblog · 3 years

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Buffy: The Slayer of Vampyres

Documentary episode, I guess.

So Andrew’s making a documentary video about the Slayer, and he’s going around being obnoxious by filming everyone and everything. There’s this problem going on in the school though--with the seal on the Hellmouth lit up, it’s causing things to go haywire. A lot of the types of things that happened with the Hellmouth’s influence are happening again, except it’s all happening at once, and it’s driving the student body crazy.

Buffy and Wood decide to get Andrew and ask him about it, since he’s the first one to spill blood on it. After getting him to recount all his memories about how he got to the seal with magic, they get the knife he used to kill Jonathan and upon researching it, think they can get him to shut it again. They have to go back to the school after hours though, and by now it’s been trashed by rioting students.

While Spike and Wood hold off students mind-controlled by the seal, and he almost tries to kill Spike because REVENGE, Buffy takes Andrew to the seal and, after fighting some cultists of the First, tells him what they need is his blood to stop the seal, and that she’s planning to kill him. She holds him over the thing and talks to him about how horrible he is, about how he’s telling his life as a story to avoid responsibility, and he murdered Jonathan because he’s garbage, and he eventually owns up to how terrible he is and cries on the seal, which deactivates it. Which is what Buffy wanted all along.

The episode ends with Andrew admitting that he killed Jonathan, that he’s probably going to die, and that he deserves it.

Notes (many of which were written while I was watching, because it helps me get posts out faster)!:

-This, uh, Andrew introduction. I mean it fits with how Andrew sees himself, and he can’t pronounce words to save his life when he’s trying to sound smart, I think. But it’s a very odd change of pace for the series. I do wonder how the fans reacted when this episode first aired.

-Also the bathroom isn’t a great place to film. Not that I know from experience.

-Being filmed on the Slaying job is probably VERY distracting.

-Are there other Hellmouths out there? I assumed it was THE Hellmouth, but Andrew refers to it as ‘a’ Hellmouth at one point, so I don’t know if there are others or if Andrew, not being an expert, is being imprecise. I wonder where they would be? The Buffy fan wiki probably has answers.

-Andrew is correct--the First’s minions are very mobile for blind people.

-Thing is, Andrew is one of the least interesting characters to me? I don’t know if he’s just overshadowed by all the other characters in the show, or if he is actually not that interesting, but I don’t much care about him. I don’t want anything bad to happen to him necessarily, but I do wonder why he’s still on the show. This episode is, I imagine, a chance for the makers to play around with the show and characters and do something completely different, and maybe with the way things are going they decided we need a breather.

If we had this one episode for Andrew earlier in the season, then I would have been more interested in this setup? It’s not a bad episode, and not a bad arc for Andrew, I just don’t find him that interesting at this point in the story.

-Oh someone turning invisible because she’s not feeling noticed! That was a thing that happened earlier in the show.

-Buffy is remarkably chill about a guy exploding in the school.

-The show really does bring up that Xander left Anya at the altar a lot, which maybe it should because it was a terrible garbage thing to do, but it does seem like we’re stuck on a character/plot point that happened a year before, and refuse to move on from it. Especially considering there’s so much else going on? I feel like this is, like Giles would say, not a problem for right now.

-Is there a way to bury the seal? Or magically bury it.

-Spike actually goes for the documentary thing Andrew’s going for? Albeit by pretending that he’s not.

-Andrew ships Xander and Anya. Who knew?

-Thin is that Xander and Anya are so out of synch with each other, and have been for a while, I kind of think this should be dropped? Anya seems to think of it as really over, just as Xander thinks of making it A Thing again. I don’t like this long running Will They/Won’t They drama right now?

-Jonathan and Andrew shared a bed in Mexico. Huh.

-He put the MURDER KNIFE with the utensils?! In the kitchen?! Yeah he washed it but that’s still gross.

-Oh hey a riot at school. Riot scenes hit a bit harder these days.

-Is this… how the First gets followers? They get possessed by the seal or whatever, and then doa creepy ritual and sew their eyes shut?

-Like I said, I don’t dislike this episode, but I don’t like Andrew that much? And I would have appreciated something like this earlier in the season. Or maybe I’m just taking too long to watch the season that it feels like it should have come earlier and it’s on me.

I did like the episode though, and I like Andrew’s arc in it.

-You can buy t-shirts based off of this episode.

#Andrew Wells #BtVS #Buffy Summers #Anya #Xander Harris #Spike #Robin Wood #7x16

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rainbowamory · 4 years

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Mansfield Park (1999) Review

The film I am reviewing is the one that came out in 1999. There is actually another film made in 2007.

I want to start by saying that I was a fool. I take back everything I said in my first post about this film. I had been reluctant to watch it for the reasons I explained in the previous post, but I finally pushed myself to give it a chance and… by the end of the film, it went from being my least favourite cousin love story in a novel to one of my Top Favourite films exploring this kind of relationship. I want to explain why I loved it this time round and what my impressions were of the book vs. the film.

The truth is I read the novel by Jane Austen years ago, so I don’t really remember the exact details or what the film might have changed. The main love story is still there. They might’ve just changed some details of the scenes here and there. But I remember that my first impression of the novel was that Edmund was indecisive and took forever to realize Fanny’s worth. Or that’s how it seemed to me, and that was the main reason for the bad impression I got of the book. It’s possible I misremembered or simply misinterpreted the book’s version of Edmund.

As for Fanny, I thought they changed her personality completely, but that too was a misunderstanding. The first time I tried to watch this film, I had only watched the opening scenes and I was irritated because I didn’t like the creepy stories that Fanny was reading out loud… I recall the book version of her being more sensitive, so I was put off by those opening lines because it seemed on the surface that the film version of her was harsh and unfeeling.

But the fact it, sometimes Fanny is cold on the outside, but she’s a sweetheart on the inside, and always faithful. (Wait a minute. Isn’t that my type?? So how could I possibly dislike her?) I think if they changed anything about her it was just that they made her personality more vivid and passionate in the film. They didn’t change her core character traits or values from the book.

The 2nd reason I had a negative impression of Fanny was that before I watched this film, I had seen some screenshots of the 2007 film, and I noticed two males in the picture, which sometimes indicates a love triangle. My personal preference in ships has always been monogamous pairings. The only scenarios in which I am ok with non-monogamous ships is if all characters involved are truly poly. I don’t care for stories where one person leads on two people and acts like the center of attention. In the 1999 version of the film, it’s clear that Fanny’s heart is always with the one guy: Edmund. There is no ambiguity there. If Henry Crawford feels like a third wheel, it’s his own dumb fault because no one is leading him on....

As I watched more of the film, it became clear that the dilemma Fanny and Edmund were really going through was the dilemma of a second-born son being in love with a woman from a lower class. Their marriage would not have been “advantageous” in a material sense in their time period. That was a huge part of what was holding them back from getting together.

So Edmund actually had a good reason for his hesitations. He was struggling inside because he felt he didn’t have enough to offer Fanny if she were to be his wife. And the only reason Fanny went along with the courtship with the other guy was because she too was trying to make the best of her circumstances and the fact that being with Edmund was not initially an option.

➤

[Typo in the captions below. It should read “I hope you know how much I shall...”]

Edmund and Fanny were always each other’s first choice. And they were always honest with each other every step of the way, even when they were going in separate directions. There was no sleezy deception. It’s this fact that ultimately won my heart: this consistent mutual respect. It’s what made them worthy of each other in the end.

There were a number of other things I also loved about this film. Often times, when consanguineous pairings are handled in fiction, especially more modern fiction, they tend to set the pair in a “broken family backdrop”. That’s something I really hate—this implication that incestuous relations only happen in unstable or “dysfunctional” families. Mansfield Park appears on the surface to follow this stereotype, but there’s more going on. Fanny’s uncle is a very sick individual who gets away with horrific crimes, but there was unfortunately nothing Fanny could directly do as she didn’t have the power to expose him. To add to that, Edmund’s mother is emotionally absent, Fanny’s parents are always struggling with poverty, and Edmund’s siblings are troubled in their own ways.

So one can say that Edmund and Fanny really only had each other. But it’s clear that the “broken family backdrop” is not the reason they got together.

I look at the common Cousin Dynamics to see where Fanny and Edmund would fit, and they actually don’t fit into the 3 main categories that are most typical. They grew up separately up to a certain point, and they didn’t seem to see each other as siblings, so it’s not Dynamic 1. But they did grow up together under the same roof for a big part of their lives, so it’s not Dynamic 2 which involves more distance. It’s not Genetic Sexual Attraction, because they did not fall in love upon first meeting. They had developed a bond and shared history before they fell in love.

They were playful and mutually supportive and they just seemed very in synch with each other’s personalities and values. It was a bond that came with the build-up of trust over time, familial and romantic at the same time. The “broken family backdrop” in this scenario did not force any of that. If anything, it only brought two already close people even closer. Dysfunction in their families was a circumstance, not the catalyst for their love.

Would I recommend this film? YES. However, you should know it’s not a plot-heavy story. It’s more a “slice of life” kind of story. When I watched it with my partner, half-way through she asked me, “Is this one of those stories where nothing really happens?”

My answer was that actually a lot is happening, but it’s in subtext. The themes that we see in subtext include women’s social expectations, inequalities between genders, classism, and the darker undertones of what was happening with slavery in those times.

But the main story is focused on the inner conflicts and coming-of-age of two characters.

It’s a refreshing exploration of a relationship that is allowed to form without the added stigma of the “incest taboo”. This is also due to the time period in which the story is set, in which cousin marriage was not automatically seen in a negative light.

As the 2nd born son, Edmund will not inherit the main wealth of the family. So their future is that of a clergyman and a clergyman’s wife, a humble middle class couple. This is an interesting alternative to the usual stories about royal couples or rural stereotypes. And something tells me they will not be the blind, bigoted type of religious people. Edmund’s comments about the music at church and about Fanny’s character traits, and Fanny’s own ability to see through falseness in others shows they are people who can see the very essence of things.

Watching this movie was like watching a dream. It was beautiful and very charming and satisfying. The symbolism, the subtle humor, the way it was filmed, the acting… every decision fit the story and the themes. I was getting worried near the end whether it would end the way I was hoping it would, and when he started confessing to her, this was my reaction:

YES. SAY IT YOU SON OF A B*TCH. SAY IT. APOLOGIZE TO HER. THAT’S RIGHT. YES. NOW KISS HER.

And after that moment, all was forgiven in my head…

It was really a treat for a romantic with an open mind. And I regret dismissing it before, but now that I’ve seen it in full, I love it so much I would actually like to make a fanvideo for it eventually.

#Mansfield Park #Mansfield Park review #consanguinamory #Jane Austen #romance #cousin-cousin

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wonderfulworldofmichaelford · 5 years

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Psycho Analysis: The Sanderson Sisters

(WARNING! This analysis contains SPOILERS!)

Ah, Hocus Pocus, everyone’s favorite campy Halloween cult classic. Objectively speaking, the movie is probably no better than a made-for-TV cheesy 90s Disney movie – and funnily enough, this film’s director would go on to make plenty more of those, seeing as he would do the High School Musical movies and The Descendants – as it has all the hokey writing, late 80s/early 90s cliches you’d expect, and some truly boring main characters.

But, thankfully, it has three of the most charismatic women you could imagine camping it up and firmly cementing their status as Halloween icons for all time: The Sanderson sisters, Winifred, Sarah, and Mary. These three are the reason this movie is held so near and dear to people’s hearts, and frankly, without them this movie would just plain suck. With them, it still sucks, but in a fun way, elevating it beyond “so bad it’s good” and into the realm of endearing camp alongside such masterpieces as Venom.

But enough of all this; just like when you’re watching the movie, you’re here for the girls, so let’s talk about them.

Actor: The leader of the bunch is Winifred, and she is played by Bette Midler. Bette Midler has called this her favorite role ever, and seeing how she acts in this, it really shows. A running theme with these three is that they just absolutely ham it up, and Bette Midler goes above and beyond with Winifred – she’s not just a ham, she’s the whole damn hog. In fact, in a lot of ways, she hogs the spotlight, what with her hamminess being so magnetic and the fact that she is clearly the brains of the operation. But that’s not to say the others are bad.

Sarah Jessica Parker plays… Sarah. Funny how that worked out. She is the hot and dumb one, and boy oh boy does she play that role to perfection, though of course she does manage to be creepy and sinister when the scene calls for it – that song of hers has become iconic for a reason.

Finally we come to Mary, played by none other than Peggy Hill herself, Kathy Najimy. Najimy does a great job, she plays her role well, but out of the three I feel like she has the most trouble standing out. Which isn’t to say she’s bad, far from it – she doesn’t have the bombastic personality of Winifred nor the complete ditziness of Sarah.

Here’s the thing, though: if any of these three weren’t here, or weren’t portrayed by these specific actresses, they’d fall apart, the movie would fall apart, game over man, game over! The film only works because these three have such great chemistry, such great interactions, and such great weirdness to them that if even one of them were gone or they just weren’t in synch, things would be a lot less fun.

Motivation/Goals: Like most evil witches in fiction, these three want children, specifically so that they can drain their vitality with a magic potion so that they can be young and powerful forever. This gets them hanged 300 years before the main story starts, and when they come back, they reuse this goal with a bit more urgency: they now need to drain the vitality from children before the sun rises and turns them to dust, as their resurrection is set to only last a single night otherwise. Frankly, the fact that their goal is killing and sucking the life out of children is the only thing that’s keeping the audience from rooting for them, because the actual protagonists of this film are so unremarkable and cliché that it’s pretty hard to want to see them stop the funny and charismatic witches,

Personality: Winifred is clearly the one who got all the brains, which makes sense as she is the leader. She’s a lot quicker on the uptake and realizes things more quickly than her ditzier sisters, as well as a lot more proactive and pragmatic in general. She does the spellcasting, she brews the potions, she just inhabits the role of leader naturally. It helps that of the three she has the most outwardly intimidating presence.

Mary is the middle child, and her personality is somewhere between the two sisters: she’s ditzy, but not to Sarah’s level, and she’s got some common sense and wits, but definitely not on Winifred’s level. This is kind of why I said she has a hard time sticking out personality-wise before, as she’s the epitome of the awkward middle child. However, she does excel at her role as a predatory child tracker, able to sniff out their victims with ease. It’s also implied, but not outright stated, that she’s a much bigger eater than her sisters; she is noticeably chunkier than the others, after all. And considering their diet… it’s definitely not a good idea to undersell that Mary is definitely a wicked witch.

Then we come to Sarah, who is an absolute ditz and the epitome of a dumb blonde… and yet, she is also one of the most dangerous, as she has a sort of siren-like power to draw children to her with her singing. In fact, while she does come off as a ditzy goofball for the most part, her interactions with children paint a rather… uncomfortable picture, one that reveals her true nature.

I think it’s worth noting that despite how ditzy both Mary and Sarah are, both of them also have the common sense to point out to Winifred that, when Sarah has called numerous children to their house, they really don’t need to bother with the protagonists anymore. In this moment, Winifred decides to reject common sense and go after them because one of the heroes called her ugly. It sort of highlights just how petty and irrational Winifred can be, and how despite her disdain for her sisters, she’s really not so different from them in the end. It’s also worth noting that Mary and Sarah, while clearly evil due to their association with Winifred, are actually pretty nice and mostly harmless otherwise, to the point where you could make a case that without Winifred around, they’d probably not be villains at all.

But if that were the case, we wouldn’t have a movie, and then we wouldn’t be here, huh?

Final Fate: Of course these three fail to suck out any vitality by sunrise, with Winifred’s stupid little vendetta damning her and her sisters. The rays of the sun turn Winifred to a statue and cause Sarah and Mary to explode, with Mary even getting a moment to wave goodbye in resigned sadness as she bursts into a dust cloud. After her sisters are gone, Winifred’s statue explodes spectacularly.

Best Scene: I don’t think there’s really anything that comes close to the sister’s spellbinding performance of “I Put a Spell On You,” at least in regards to all three of them together. I mean, if you get a singer like Bette Midler to star as a villain in your movie, why would you not have her sing? Only a complete hack who doesn’t know how to properly utilize actors would waste a singer in a role where they don’t sing.

The thing is, these three are together all the time, so there’s not much room for individual moments for them to shine otherwise… or there wouldn’t be, if they didn’t showcase Sarah’s absolutely terrifying power, leading her number “Come Little Children” to being her standout moment, and the moment that really drives home the incredibly uncomfortable undertones she exudes.

Best Quote: I think Winifred gets the best quote in the whole movie, which occurs when her zombified ex Billy Butcherson (played by Doug Jones, who you may remember for his critically acclaimed role as Mac Tonight in the McDonald’s ads). Billy tells her to go to hell, and she retorts with: “Oh! I've been there, thank you. I found it quite lovely.”

Sarah, of course, has her villain song: “Come little children, I'll take thee away / Into a land of enchantment / Come little children, the times come to play / Here in my garden of magic.”

And, unfortunately, in this regard I think Mary gets the shaft. Despite her definitely being funny and entertaining, she just doesn’t have the same level of standout quotes as her sisters.

Final Thoughts & Score: So as I was writing this, I was thinking of what their score could possibly be. I thought I’d probably have to lower their score, because aside from them, this movie is just corny early 90s cheese… but then I thought, what’s wrong with that? And why should these three suffer a lower score due to the rest of the movie’s failings? That isn’t their fault. Hell, these three are the reason to watch the movie. If anything, the movie’s failings are drowned out by just how charismatic and enjoyable they are to watch.

Much like their fellow child-hating hag the Grand High Witch, the Sanderson sisters are blessed with fun, funny, charismatic actors who aren’t afraid to ham things up and know just what kind of move they’re in and absolutely revel in it. They saw they were playing three stereotypical fairy tale witches and decided to have a blast with it, and in doing so they managed to transform an otherwise corny Disney film into the Halloween legend that this film is. I wouldn’t say these three are particularly deep or complex, but they have a very fun dynamic and add a lot of spice to an otherwise bland plot. Between them and Doug Jones, they give you a lot of reasons to come back and watch this film over and over.

Obviously, these three are getting a 9/10, only held back from a perfect score because yes, sometimes the camp can be a bit much, even for me. But I’m just not heterosexual enough to give these three ladies anything lower. I still have to unfortunately say Mary is the weak link here, but it’s only comparatively speaking, and I’d probably bump these three down to a 7 if she wasn’t here. I really can’t stress enough that there dynamic is so utterly important that even one of them not being there would spoil things. They just don’t make evil trios like this anymore.

#Psycho Analysis #The Sanderson Sisters #Winifred Sanderson #Bette Midler #Mary Sanderson #Kathy Najimy #Sarah Sanderson #Sarah Jessica Parker #Hocus Pocus #Disney

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allowed2bloud · 6 years

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A reaction post to this piece of trash 1. You felt great bc you just drank a junkie 2. The voice over is pissing me off, almost as much as pink haired girl fake southern accent 3.johnathan Davis should be ashamed his voice is coming out of that douchecanoe 4. He really looks like kiera knightly 5. His fake pale skin looks worse than Rosalie from twlight 6. The costume designer had to be about 15 and had an unhealthy obsession with hot topic, and had never been to a rock concert before 7. Why is it dawn and he's outside? 8. Hello. They are witches... didn't the screenwriters read the books??? 9. This David should be older.. like who cast this 10. The fucking voice over again.. I seriously hate Townsend voice 11. Again who the fuck cast these people.. 12. Ok I know I read this book when I was like 14.. so like 22 years ago, but I remember lestats creation story happening way differently... 13. Why does living lestat look like a drunk Joaquin Phoenix playing johnny cash.. 14. And why the hell is his fangs ALWAYS out... 15. Oh look.. let's take something that was a key plot point in why lestats so fucked up... except the violin player isn't a female.. uggg. Read the book 16. Oh wait... lestat doesn't play the violin... that would have been his lover 17. Why can't we stick with one color pallet for dead lestats skin? 18. Bc hiding the switch to the secret room in the wall under a trunk isn't obvious at all 19. And obviously who ever cast Townsend didn't remember that lestats is french... that accent is not French 20. I honestly think lestat has on more eyeshadow than I do 21. Awkward bdsm scene where murius says we have the same mother. 22. And murius gets jealous bc mommy didn't pick him 23. Why does Townsend accent keep changing? 24. That time Jessie was all of us, falling in love with a fictional character 25. Wtf why does Jessie get her own voice over 26. Given the sound track, why are we playing the song from ghostbusters.. 27. And then lestat looks like the genie head from pee wees playhouses 28. Well now we know where twilight stole that weird fast movement effect.. And why do vampires moving sound like snake rattles and skidding noises 29. Blending... omg his,face isn't the same shade as his neck... or his hands... 30. Again, 22 years later.. I'm pretty sure he couldn't fly until after he wakes akasha 31. And still not some gypsys violin. 32. Why is he listening to his own music? I mean yea he's a narassistic bastard 33. Why are they whispering... no one else is there. I'm seriously over changing the volume to watch this.. I'm having flash backs to 94 when I snuck out of bed to watch interview with the vampire in the middle of the night 34. His eye bruising is really bugging me.. like put some cucumbers on your eyes man. Maurius is older.. And his designer bags arent near as heavy 35. Why do the vampires all look like 90s euro trash? I mean yea they are in London so they are technically euro trash.. but it's like really bad euro trash 36. Akasha has eye teeth fangs... no one else does... why???? 37. Seriously forgot how much I love this album.. I should have just skipped this train wreck and listened to this cd.. 38. Not gonna lie kind wish i could set people on fire with the flick of my wrist.. 39. Oh johnathan Davis... you are a horrible scalper, nice cameo though, I mean it's the least they could do 40. Why do all these groupies keep volunteering to be killed.. And what happened to that girls face 41. A London goth... aka Jessie looks like a 13 year old MySpace scene girl trying to do her eye liner 42. Who the hell was the mua.. Seriously pick a foundation 43. Again.. lestat is not super man... he can't fly like that 44. Omg omg omg.. I just realized Townsend was the basis for Kristen Stewart's Bella swan.. emotionless and moody 45. Only thing the make up ppl can do continuously is make sure Jessie scratch is still there. 46. ANd seriously, disturbed would never settle for opening for this douchebag.. 47. So much manic panic 48. Townsend is not good at lip synching. Didn't he just spend a whole night listening to his own songs in his coffin? 49. Why do all the other vampires have cavemen foreheads? 50. Like were the speed movement effects done by the same people that did the matrix? 51. Hey akasha that's some pretty spiffy high school drama club stage entrance you got there. 52. Why does she sound like she's talking into a fan? 53. I know that akasha is Egyptian... but she's been a statue with out blood for how long? She really shouldn't be that tan. 54. Oh wait.. it's that one deftones song that is on everyone's bdsm dungeon play list... I loath that about this song 55. Can we please read a book.. in tale of the body thief lestats becomes human and has sex for the first time in hundreds of years... vampires don't have sex.. they are basically like the angels in dogma 56. Hey Jessie took the voice over microphone back.. 57. Why does maharets eyes glow.. she's a fucking witch... uggggg 58. Fire the make up artist... day walker lestat should not be that pink 59. Kingdom of corpses would be a great band name 60. Oh wait did lestat just realize the crazy vampire bitch is crazy and that's why she's been a statue for all these years... 61. I forget.. is that blonde baby faced thing supposed to be louis.. Bc no.. 62. Again.. 22 years ago.. is one of these chicks supposed to be Pandora or lestats mom.. is one of the guys supposed to be Armand... what was the point of having random vamps in the movie and never naming them. And if that grey haired guy or the blonde one are Armand or louis seriously read a fucking book 63. Everyone else gets bit on the neck.. Jessie why you trying to be sexy letting him bit your breasts.. 64. Townsends face looks like bad cgi. Like his eyes are black holes 65. Where the hell is maharets twin sister.. 66. Akasha has some serious ab muscles to be holding that arched back pose for so long damn girl. 67. Can we remake this and let Giles from Buffy be david.. 68. Yes bc when you become a vampire you automatically get bruises around your eyes... Seriously Jessie looks like she rubbed her eyes and forgot she had on make up 69. Maurius just seems like that creepy pedo dude.. 70. Oh and then the ending scene is totally stolen from that spice girls music video. Seriously I'm going to have to get my books and re read them all.. Bc I don't know why I wasted an hour on that piece of shit. 15 years clearly wasn't long enough.

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pikkington · 6 years

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All right, I'm gonna try and purge all this RPO stuff and just let it allll go by throwing out my AU thing for it, or what I would have liked to see but didn't and that's okay because it's just a frigging book.

This is all just personal stuff I would have wanted, and it's certainly not a list of what would have made the book good. It's just a purging exercise. It's also going up at 3 AM, because it's the only way I can let things go.

Daito and Shoto are still hikikomori but throughout the story both attempt to re-integrate themselves into reality. A neighbor worries Daito isn't eating and drops off food, even though he ordered a pizza, so he goes over and shares it with the neighbor so she doesn't have to cook or something. Daito and Shoto meet each other before this, and they're the first people they've interacted IRL with in a long time, so it's what makes their bond even stronger. Daito admits to Shoto he's been trying to reconnect, but is killed as per the usual. Shoto is devastated, but vows to be like Daito rather than let his death drive him further into seclusion. It's a hard process but he succeeds by accepting Morrow's invitation to his estate. Shoto also slowly begins to pull away from samurai culture, as it's tangled up with Daito so much that it becomes painful to indulge in.

Wade is the same but his obsession with Halliday is played up to unhealthy levels, culminating in an absolutely ego-crushing blow when IOI arrests him that leaves him barely able to function during his time there. He learns that his hero worship was unhealthy and the reason it alienated him from his friends (because when you worship a tool you become a tool), and becomes a better person through it, figuring a way out and escaping from there. Bonus points if he leads other arrestees out, too, and most of them are PoC or very obviously from poorer income areas and that IOI has been unfairly targeting them because they know they can't pay off their debts.

(Wade looks back at his time at his apartment as an awful time because all of the generally bad, unhealthy things he did there. Yeah, he got fit but he shaved off all his hair just so he wasn't distracted when he played on OASIS. What the heck.)

Aech is the same, and Wade's a little thrown off because she isn't her avatar, but gets over it because of character development from before. It's made clear he wouldn't have accepted her had he not gone through that.

I THINK IT WOULD BE COOL IF ARTEMIS WAS AUTISTIC OR SOMETHING. Like, she's super into Halliday because open world sandbox games and history, especially the 80s, are part of her special interests, and she gains popularity as being really good because she plays so much and indulges herself in her interests. And her character isn't here, I was toying with idea of her being nonverbal because it's easy to communicate through text, and it's why she kind of breaks down and insists she's ugly (and Wade DOESN'T make it about him like the petty douche he is) in the middle of the book, because she's not what her avatar is and she's afraid Wade's gonna drop her 'cuz of it, but then he meets her IRL and he's just blown away by her because she's not her avatar she's this great person, and they hold hands and he kisses her with her consent or she kisses him. Alternately there is no love plot and they're just good friends. Or, Wade, Artemis, and Aech all hook up and form a poly relationship. Either or.

Halliday is portrayed as this eccentric shut-in that the world idolizes but the audience just...feels uncomfortable with that. And then holo-Halliday says this at the end that he lived this creepy, unhealthy lifestyle and people were okay with it. Maybe Morrow was the one that tried to shut that down, Halliday threw a hissy fit, then realized he goofed as he was dying and apologized.

IOI has this huge stake in OASIS because they produce the majority of the gaming hardware and are the biggest ISP, and want OASIS so they can shut down the smaller companies that contribute to it and make a monopoly from it, drive up prices, etc., etc. All the main hunters rely on service providers that aren't IOI, or some of them do and just don't want IOI to make a monopoly off it, and it's part of their fight to find the Easter egg.

In addition, the magic and tech rules function differently. You can build your character for both, but only one set can be active at a time: you can use your tech powers, but can't use your magic unless you switch to your magic set-up. Worlds can offer using both, but you can only have one active. So there are characters that focus on tech but are useless on magic worlds because they have no magic powers, and vice versa.

No synch flicks stuff. I found that rather unappealing. it's all fights based off video games where you're actually in the game, or puzzle solving. Sometimes it looks like a fight but it's a puzzle, and sometimes you solve a puzzle by fighting.

Also there's at least six animatronic pizza places on Archaid, stuff for Pizza Time Theater, Showbiz, a Chuck E Cheese with a 3 stage, frick even the lesser ones like Tex Critter's and Rocky and Bullwinkle. There's also a Freddy Fazbear's. Fight me, Ernest Cline.

Thing I'm on the fence about: future memes that are only funny and understood by the characters. I've yet to play an online game with chat function that didn't involve someone, somewhere, memeing. On one hand it would be accurate, on the other, it would throw the reader off because there's this weird reference they don't get or doesn't make sense.

#lifequest #ready player one junk under the cut

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