#also has anyone seen that new scifi show on there

[vintagegeekculture]

RIP Tracy Tormé, Creator of the "Holodeck Malfunction Episode" and Sliders

Tracy Tormé’s most enduring legacy in popular culture is that, while a writer on TNG’s tempestuous first and second seasons, he created the entire concept of the Holodeck Malfunction Episode.

Yes, even people who suggest you skip TNG’s first couple seasons say that “The Big Goodbye” is one you don’t want to miss. And there was a very nice tribute to Tracy Torme in an episode of Picard, which had him as the author and creator of Dixon Hill… which he is, and deserves credit for this.

I suppose I should mention I had a personal encounter with Tracy Tormé at a convention. The main thing I remember was that he looked absolutely terrified when someone asked him about what happened with “The Royale,” far and away TNG’s worst episode except the clip show, about the crew getting trapped on a hotel they can’t leave from a badly written book. To his great credit, he took responsibility for the episode not working and did not pass on the problems to the production crew.

The most extraordinary thing about Tracy Torme is that he had a Forrest Gump like ability to appear in the background of scifi culture’s greatest moments.

Not only was he inside the TNG writers’ room in 1987-88, he was around during the production of Terminator with James Cameron. Tormé was the one who, hearing about the production of the film, squealed on it to Harlan Ellison, telling Ellison that it was based on his old Outer Limits episodes, with a visual based on his script for “Demon With a Glass Hand.” In other words, he was the Gavrilo Princip who got that entire conflict started, where two of the most proud personalities in scifi butted heads, James Cameron vs. Ellison. Cameron, to this day, insists that the film company gave Ellison money and a credit because it was easier to pay him off than to go through litigation (which rings true, frankly, for risk averse production companies), and to this day Cameron insists, with his absolutely expected big dick swagger, that Ellison is a “parasite” who received money for nothing, and if it had been up to him, he wouldn’t have given him a dime.

It’s also worth mentioning that Torme also created the TV series Sliders.

Has anyone else noticed that Sliders is an incredibly right wing show? Seriously, watch it again if you haven’t seen it in years. If you haven’t watched this show since the 90s and you were a kid and all that went over your head, it’s kind of amazing how Limbaugh/Newt Gingrich era right-wing Sliders actually was. It made 24 look like Doonesbury. The targets of Sliders were 90s New Right satire: health care systems, infuriating hippies, the nanny state disallowing the public smoking of cigars, California weirdness, the drug culture, the USSR. Torme’s right wing views were less John Millius-style “blood alone moves the wheel of history” stuff, but more like that of a slobby regular joe in the 90s, Dennis Leary’s character in Demolition Man for instance, who mostly just wants to smoke cigars, ogle girls, and eat hamburgers without getting scolded by his wife. He was less “Passion of the Christ” and more “Animal House.”

I am not saying this as a negative, but merely a description. Contrary to popular belief, right wingers driven by bizarre sexual pathology and weird grudges produce amazing art, as Millius and John Swartzwelder show. A lot of Steven Universe fans love to say things like “all good art is about empathy and kindness” and I reject that notion. Good art can also be about reflecting things in the human experience like fear, trauma, cruelty, and paranoia.

For that reason, it doesn’t surprise me that Tracy Torme’s best movie script was a horror film about a traumatic experience, Fire in the Sky. An ominous movie about a vanished ranch hand who was the victim of alien abduction, in the earned finale the film’s tension builds toward, our hero remembers the true cause of his missing time: an abduction by aliens, who’s motives are emotionless and incomprehensible, and who subject him to horrific vivisection that we see in excruciating detail. Travis Walton is treated not with sadism or cruelty, but with icy detachment, by alien superintellects that view him as no different than cattle, and are to him as we are to cattle. The most terrifying detail of the film is that the classic “gray alien” look turns out to be spacesuits, revealing a far more frightening appearance underneath.

#tracy torme #tng #sliders #terminator

[theriverbeyond]

have you seen any breakdown of the political situation on New Rho (in New Rho? is the rest of the planet also populated? I think at one point someone says "down in Ur" but maybe there is an application of 2-dimensional direction terms to 3d space I havent yet thought of). Like who do they mean by militia, who is the government (who is the police?), is there any official house presence, what is the status of the barracks, who manned the spaceport, what power does BoE hold and how are they viewed in the population (Hot Sauce denounces them but who is her faction-that Pyrrha saw her with-then?) and do they know how splintered and farspread it is? what is the siege the blurb is speaking of, just the imperial emissaries showing up?

Also assuming the BoE wings are all named after different planetary settlements which seem in turn to be named after cities in the ancient near east (ur, merv, ctesiphon), why isnt new rho? but i might be misinterpreting this.

Also where does the Empire want non-House humanity to end up? They seem to be turning planets left and right with no endgoal. And how many settled planets might there be?

Sorry I'm dumping this all at you, I havent seen any worldbuilding discussion here on tumblr at all really so maybe you can redirect me somewhere.

Thankies, keep up the good work (posting)

I HAVE seen posts about the political situation on New Rho including analysis posts that were very interesting and I have utterly failed to tag them appropriately, I am sorry -- if anyone who sees this has links to that meta pls add on/reply to help anon!

But to cover the rest of your points:

What is Ur?

Ur is mentioned twice that i can find, in ch 16: Ianthe says that the end has come to the "rebels of Ur", and a person in the crowd says "Ur is fighting".

EDIT: big thank you to @eskildit in replies: "There are four total references to Ur- Corona also says that Judith is in the Ur facility and Kiriona says that the 6th house is "parked outside the Ur system". Could be that Ur is the planet New Rho is located on. While we refer the nine houses as planets, canonically the houses are actually "installations" on each planet with quite small populations. New Rho alone, which is specifically stated to be just one city on a resettled planet, is 3x the size of the 6th house"

It may have been mentioned more times, but Kindle search is giving me the 2,320 times the letters "ur" were used next to each other so I'm ngl I cannot sift through that. Rather than being a city, though, I actually am assuming that Ur is another planet entirely! This is due to multi-planet SciFi in general treating entire planets like countries or even big cities. Like…. planets are huge. There are thousands of different cultures on a planet, but in SciFi planets are often like. One Big City. One Big Country, if you have a particularly ambitious worldbuilder. See: Star Wars, the Nine Houses themselves, etc. not saying that Ur cannot be on New Rho, just that I don't think it is because this is multi-planet Sci Fi.

The militia/civic government?

In chapter 6 a distinction is made between "the militia and the old civic govnerment". Following that, I think the civic government was probably installed by the Houses, as a ruling party that is friendly to them/House interests. I think the militia is a non-unified population of hired guns, that probably revolted at some point priot to the story. It does seem like at least some section of the militia is in power in most of the city, but I do not think there is one coherent government at the moment

Official house presence?

Yes, because there are official cohort barracks. I don't think they have much political leverage by the time NtN rolls around, though

Barrack status?

Under siege due to the people of New Rho hating them/political instability/possible militia revolt, doing badly otherwise because any and all necromancers are suffering from Blue Madness/RB proximity, as seen in ch 20 when Ianthe mentioned some of them were so poorly she had to put them down.

Space port?

I am assuming the civic government/House was originally in charge. unsure of who is in charge during NtN

What power does BOE hold?

Unclear. It seems like BOE itself is fractionated, with a lot of animosity held between different factions, and a lot of both animosity AND collaboration between different factions of BOE, the militia, the population, and the old civic government. It is a very decentralized resistance force, despite sharing a name. BOE do not appear to BE the official government, or BE the militia, though, but I would not be surprised if some groups had ties to one or both. It seems like they have influence both socially and politically but it is unclear what that power is... some factions have some amount of power. Over some parts. But!! it seems that during the events of NtN they had more power than in the past ("best hand they were ever delt", chapter 1)

How is BOE viewed by the population?

My guess is they have mixed reviews. I think a lot of people probably rely on them for resources/protection even if they don't like or fully trust them. I think a lot of people probably see them as extremists and wish they were less extreme (the liberals, u could say). Like Hot Sauce and the gang, a lot of people probably think they aren't radical enough and wish they would resist more, harder, differently. I think a lot of people probably deeply support them, either physically by being part of BOE or by providing resources/etc, or quietly because they are afraid of retaliation by the House or civil government. A lot of the population probably has opinions about BOE versus the militia, BOE verus House, BOE versus the civic government, based on their own interests/position/power. This is a really long answer that can boil down to "idk"

What is the siege?

I think the siege is the cohort being sieged into the barracks. I am guessing there was some sort of revolt in the local government, probably related to Blue Madness weakening the cohort, and they have pushed the cohort into the barracks. , as described in chapters 1 ("the cohort dies like anyone else under seige") and chapter 20 ("the barracks siege").

What group is Hot Sauce in if she denounced BOE?

Hot Sauce specifically calls BOE "fat cats" and "zombie lovers" in chapter 15, after noting that she, Honesty, and Born in the Morning, as well as Born in the Morning's father, are "active" in with an unnamed group at the park. It is unclear what group that is, if it has a name, or if it is organized in any capacity. From what little we know, it appears it is a group of people who are more radical than BOE, which I think is either ex-BOE members that were pushed out for their radial choices/beliefs, or civilians/other freedom fighters that aren't satisfied with what BOE is doing. But beyond that I have no idea

BOE wing names vs New Rho?

So BOE wings are named after historic Earth cities. Ctesiphon, Troia, Merv, Valencia (which is not historic to us, as it exists today, but WOULD be history in 10k years). They are named by BOE, likely to keep connection to Earth, just like BOE people-names. "New Rho", on the other hand, is likely named by the House. Rhodes is a place on the 7th house (see: 7th cavalier is the "Knight of Rhodes"), and I assumed that New Rho was like. The house naming shit. Like how New York is named after York in England, even though that area of land already had a name (Lenapehoking, I think?).

Specifically this difference is important because like, the House is a imperial colonizing force here, and they are naming things after their home system as a part of the imperial violence they are enacting. In As Yet Unsent, Judith notes that the non-house people call New Rho, "Lemuria" -- HOWEVER, in NtN chapter 17, the Angel mentions Lemuria twice in a way that is phrased like Lemuria is Somewhere else, and is Not the city they are in right now ("I was born on Lemuria", "there's still a facility on Lemuria") I am not sure what happened there, honestly. Perhaps an oopsie?

Where does the Empire want non house humanity to end up?

Unclear. Coronabeth notes in As Yet Unsent that even she (who has studied the war in-universe) has no idea what the real goal is. My guess is nowhere, because a forever-war has no end goal. It's a war for resources gained only by literal blood and death. Many analysis could be made about this as an allegory to to oil based forever-wars of today -- I read a few of them and as said before unfortunately failed to tag them, so if anyone has a link and can share with anon that would be awesome! But anyway, I do not think I am smart or learned enough to say a lot beyond this but, yeah. I think there is no end goal to the war besides meaningless revenge and the resources gained via murder, because that's the point. We could learn different in AtN tho! who knows

How many settled planets?

No idea! Thousands. Hundreds of thousands? Hundreds? Unsure! 10k years is a long time, and there are a lot of planets out there in the fantasy universe that could be habitable. EDIT ty @eskildit, unclear how many planets were settled over the course of the Empire, but there are three settled planets by the timeline of NtN: ""Everyone was crammed on one of three planets now, and they all agreed that this planet was easily the worst", from chapter 2

-

Thanks for sending this!! I really enjoyed answering it, and I hope it helped -- sorry if I missed any. Ask more any time!!

#new rho #nona the ninth #HOPE I DIDNT MISS ANYTHING #TLT META #the locked tomb #this took like 2 hours BUT i was smart and typed it in a google doc so i didn't have #a situation where i misclicked and lost it all. i have LEARNED #tlt thoughts #anon #ask #long post #yayyy

[freezing-kaiju]

ALRIGHT, IT'S TIME!

THE SECOND RYUKI-AND-BLADE-ACCOMPANYING ANIME POLL IS NOW HERE!!!

SO, MEET YOUR CHALLENGERS!

AJIN Demi-Human

We start with a dark horror and possibly scifi about ethics in science, immortality, and an outlaw fugitive alien plot as a boy finds himself part of a group of immortals declared legally inhuman. While I have some misgivings about Oh No I Was Secretly A Creature All Along plots, I do fucking love horror and there’s a lot of ways for those plots to hit hard in the trans and gay and autism organs and be really important!!!!

Dimension W

The New Tesla Energy Corporation has monopolized the fourth dimension and the coils that connect to it. A duo of bounty hunters, one human and one robot, make money via repossessing illegal coils and seek out the answer to the mysteries within the dimension. I really wanna watch this one for a few reasons, the primary one of which is 'there are multiple fat women'. It seems to have freaks and weirdos and fun times, and its comedy is emphasized more than most of the other ones on this list so it might give some needed levity!

Kyoukai no Kanata

A bumbling monster hunter with blood powers meets an immortal via trying to shank him and ends up in an arrangement where she'll keep trying to kill him to boost her confidence while hunting monsters in what I hope is a monster-of-a-week show that came highly recommended by a friend as her favorite anime, or one of her favorites, so i have high hopes! Script's by the hibike euphonium guy and the power system seems quite interesting!

Air

A puppeteer (if he’s as good as Sakon will remain to be seen) stops his Road Trip To Meet A Golden Sun Jupiter Summon to stay for a bit in a town and, as happens to anyone who stops for too long, gets attached to the place and also meets a girl who might be said jupiteresque being. My friend informs me that it's gorgeous, sounds amazing (so I'll make sure to get clips), and has "nice sad vibes"!!! And it’s…listed in a “provincial horror” listing… hoho

Heike Monogatari

A child who can see ghosts and the future walks tirelessly through the tragedy of the war between the Taira and Minamoto families before the dawn of the first shogunate. It's wildly beloved by a friend of mine, and also centers a historical event i know some but not all about and definitely need to know more about the Taira side of. Seems like a beautiful drama, one I could lose my heart over.

SSSS Gridman

Digital kaiju! Digital hero! Digital amnesia! A monster of the week show about an unknown amnesiac summoning and merging with Hyper Agent Gridman to fight digital, possibly virtual monsters while making friends(?) in the real world! It's the one thing Tsubaraya Productions has that isn't Ultraman, and I expect some tokusatsu vibes from it along with the mecha stuff, i've also heard it has gay girl megatron??

Akudama Drive

It's a prison break and crime story set in a tech dystopia, starring a scene girl shoplifter, and featuring a bevvy of unpersoned convicts in what seems like an excellent ensemble clusterfuck!!! The Danganronpa crew made this thing! It's also beloved by a friend of mine, and I've heard it'll be a generally excellent tragedy of a time

Canaan

A reporter gets saved from assassins by a woman she might do yuri with, and the summaries I’ve found seem to imply a plot about terrorism and mystery! It’s a Type-Moon work that isn't part of the fate, tsukihime, OR melty universes! It might still have magecraft, but it's tagged sci-fi too, and a type moon take on scifi sounds interesting... it’s also based on. *checks wikipedia* a…perfect-Famitsu-score visual novel for the Nintendo Wii. So I might need to dig out some old hardware to watch this thing. For fun’s sake!

Killing Bites

A guy unintentionally becomes the underground wrestling promoter of a ?werewolf? Woman who murders his friends and wins him a shitload of money. The end goal? According to the summary, control of the economy!!! This was recommended as garbage and good lord I need garbage so much good god I need to put some trash inside of me.

#kj grabs a megaphone #kj watches anime #polls #IF YOU WANT TO VoTE MULTIPLE OPTIONS PUT IT IN YER TAGS

[charkyzombicorn]

is Sun's Personality still going on?

also, one piece but with mechs for an idea if you want to do something new to do

I take input for any of my aus at any time (except rn because my inbox got unruly so it's down for a few days) but I tend to have phases where I post a lot abt one au before forgetting abt it for a while, so short answer: yes SP au is still a thing I just haven't been thinking of new content

Also: ONE PIECE MECHS??????

That would be so cool-- okay

I haven't seen anything mech-related so I'm not really basing anything off a specific show BUT

Luffy's has a monkey-theme

I might roll this into a scifi au prompt actually

Okay WORLD BUILDING >:3

It's like 2319 or smth, human population is almost all living on ships because earth is essentially a mandated 'No-Poach Zone', been like that maybe 5 or 6 generations, and kinda like an exaggerated version of what happens to astronauts, humans bones are more spread out and thinner because there's less gravity. But scientists still needed to check on earth - make sure the scars left by humans aren't affecting the earth too too badly, make sure the planet will still be habitable if need-be. Their solution? MECHS. Large enough to properly depressurize the person inside, precise enough to sample a single pine needle from a tree, a modern scientist's solution to not getting their organs crushed like a tin can. Sadly, the army heard 'science equipment' and heard 'upgrade', and then tech companies heard 'profit' and suddenly anyone with enough money can buy a clunky old bot and explore one of the planets that the human race is starting to terraform, or one of the ones they couldn't. Of course, humans did what humans do. Now there's always a nut job who sold their house for a nice mech, police patrol in shiny metal muscle, underground mech fights kill at least 100 people a day, people use their mechs to get to other ships illegally, if you don't have a mech you're nobody.

Luffy was born in a small colony, a small ship branched off a much larger one, a few hundred people, almost never any strangers. Most of them spent their whole lives on the small branch. But Luffy wanted more. Garp offered it to him, when he visited in his shiny silver mech. Luffy didn't want that, either. Then his colony was invaded by pirates. Pirates were an epidemic, ever since mechs entered the market, but even more after a man named Gold Roger claimed he'd found a paradise planet with everything anyone could want. Shanks mentioned him, a few times. He also told Luffy about the galaxy waiting for him, and Luffy would have done anything to have Shanks take him with him. Tried to, but then some thugs with a mech they fixed themself tried to test it on him after he failed to punch their boss, and Shanks lost an arm getting him out of the blast. And he told Garp he wanted to be a pirate, so Garp dragged him to earth kicking and screaming, ignoring pressure change warnings even when Luffy's eyes started bleeding and his leg broke under his own weight. Garp could stand it, so Luffy had to.

Luffy was taken to a group of "earth poachers", people who hid so they wouldn't be forced into ships. People who were raised with 9.8 newtons of force on their backs that could breathe the air and stand up straight without any mechs at all. Garp introduced Luffy to a boy a bit older than him and said they were brothers. The boy did not seem pleased

#one piece #Uhhh au name #Also I have so many more ideas for this #Gum gum mecha au #Curly says so

[takadasaiko]

There's something very off about the Coruscant scenes in Mando

When I watched 3.03 with Dr Pershing on Coruscant, it felt like an entirely different show was dropped in the middle of a Mando episode. Even when Din showed up in BoBF, it didn't feel as jarring as our visit to Coruscant that included a five-year-in New Republic (presumably finding Mon Mothma and Leia with high ranking positions in the government) that was really nothing more than the Empire Lite. This new government is already bogged down by a severe lack of imagination that doesn't fit the scrappy rebellion that won the war, but instead acts as if they just usurped everyone left over from the Empire that was willing to fake it and keep on like nothing had happen. Can you see Leia Organa standing for that? I can't, and I certainly don't think that as involved as she and other high-level Rebels would be at this point we'd see the depths of bureaucracy that look like it's piled up over decades and suffocating the innovation of a relatively small group of people willing to face off against the the dreaded Empire. We have the lights and the buildings of Coruscant, but the people that fill them don't make sense.

Then there was the acting... or the writing or the direction. I never could pin it down, but Elia Kane was clearly setting Pershing up the whole way with no subtly to be found. With the exception of the bookended scenes with Din, Grogu, and Bo, the episode felt misplaced in the Mandalorian.

I watched 3.04 the following week and things were back to normal. Okay. Even excellent shows have fluke episodes. It wasn't until 3.05 dropped that I started thinking it was intentional.

The production design for Mando has been fantastic. The planets, the aliens, the costumes… all very well done. When they’re sneaking into Imperial locations, it’s sharp and cold, but in the caves of Mandalor it’s dark and broken, shadows leaving all the dangers hidden until the last second. The design teams use the sets and the costumes and the lighting to elicit the appropriate emotions out of the scene. We’re there with Din. We believe, if only for that time, that we’re in a galaxy a long time ago and far, far away. It’s lived in and it fits the world that so many of us have loved since childhood.

Then we get back to Coruscant. It's not like we haven't seen it before. The Clone Wars did an excellent job of showing the contrast of a planet we only skimmed the surface of in Episodes 1-3. We saw grand chambers in the Prequels, and there are plenty of those, but in that series we were introduced to the lower levels. The citizens that often didn’t work directly for the government. It felt gritty and real, but it fit the world, even when introducing something new.

Then we had Andor which also had a high production quality. While TCW showed us the governing class and the lower levels of the city-planet, in Andor we were introduced to what is likely the middle class - the lower level bureaucrats, the everyday people on the surface that filled the endless positions of paper-pushing - lived and worked. The colour was sucked out of their world, but it still fit the galaxy far, far away.

But then we have Coruscant in Mando and it just feels wrong. From the cubicles (much close to what you'd see in a real, modern office space than what you see above from Andor)

to the colonel's cheap costume with noticeably poor quality rank badge

to the way they speak and the utter lack of subtly in their dialogue that anyone on Coruscant with half a braincell should be able to pick up on, yet only Teva did. Only someone outside of the Coruscant bog.

It’s so jarring and so fake that it drags you out of the story entirely. You’re no longer in the galaxy of heroes and villains, Jedi and Sith, Rebels (or even the New Republic) and Empire…. You might as well be watching a low budget scifi film of some different story.

So is that done on purpose? The more I see it, the more I question that. Having been spoiled on the slow build by storytellers like Timothy Zahn post-RotJ, I'll admit to having an extreme bias against this Coruscant and especially this New Republic that they're painting here, but we'll see... Is there something else at play? I suppose only time will tell.

#the mandalorian spoilers #mando spoilers #Coruscant #star wars #it really just feels like an entirely different writer is in charge of the NR scenes than the rest of Mando #Leia Organa #she gets her own tag because I'm pissed on her behalf #she'd never let this happen

[deliciouskeys]

Since you brought up the question of Homelander's suit, I can't get out of my head something I noticed about it between seasons and I hope it's not just me who's noticed this as I find myself watching different scenes over and over just to confirm I'm not crazy, but I haven't seen anyone else discuss it.

I don't think the suit is consistent. Or maybe Starr isn't consistent? Or even a bit of both. I remember reading that he didn't particularly want to bulk up for the role repeatedly or pull a Hugh Jackman of sorts, and I get that. Logically, padding makes sense (and is frankly normally used regardless because the actors tend to lose a lot of weight during filming). I also remember that the suit he wore kept making him overheat, but that's kinda beside the point. Kinda, since that would make him lose weight and that much is relevant.

The suit seems less... I guess fitted? In the second season vs. the first, and even the third. So it does look like he probably lost weight. But its definitely still formed to his basic muscle structure (Thanks Banshee) as far as I can tell, probably custom even. Beyond that, and there's one scene I can really think of that shows this more definitively than others (the final fight in the last episode of the third season, the suit almost looks velvety in some scenes), but it almost seems like the texture changes in some of his fight scenes, and the suit itself looks a little leaner?/form fitted in those scenes. It definitely did seem to fit him best in the first season though.

For another reference, compare the suit at any point in the first season, and then look at it when he's about to push Ryan off the roof. It doesn't look like it fits him as well there as it did before.

Maybe they're just changing the material because of the overheating and they do a decent job of making that transition mostly?? seamless (since either no one else has noticed or said anything, hopefully I'm not crazy), or they use CGI to make things a little smoother so his suit doesn't look messed up in fight scenes, but I don't know. It could just be Starr's weight fluctuating (or a bit of both).

I will say there is one distinct place on the suit that I do not think is so much padded per say as... Definitely made to highlight the area to an obscene degree.

His... His crotch. Um... So there's this scene at a specific angle in Banshee that sorta y'know not precisely but kinda implies ehem and I'm just gonna stop there. Mostly. But also it definitely for sure reminds me of the episode from Almost Human where Urban says "Oh my g--... is that all for one person???".

...

Homelander's crotch.

...

Okay. I'm done. About that. Mostly.

But also, my answer to that question is scifi logics! I tend to like a different approach to super suits. Plain fabric and padding is just an impractical choice because it would absolutely explode every time the task at hand is remotely strenuous or requires superspeed or something. And really all you'd get is a naked Superman/Homelander more often than not.

The New-52 gave Kal-El a Kryptonian nanotech suit that was indestructible armor, and lots of people complained about this being pointless for him but I saw the perfect reasoning behind it. Bitch is gonna end up naked every goddamn time if he doesn't have something that can withstand him and what he does.

For Homelander, that idea gets more complex obviously because Vought would not have Kryptonian nanotech, but they might be able to lace steel or a very strong metal into a fabric in his suit, or make it from some kind of compound V jacked plant fiber material so it at least lasts longer than something normal. Or both.

...

Unless they just legit do not care how often his already obscenely highlighted crotch goes on display for people, outside of the suit. Who knows, maybe they want to give everyone but Love Sausage dick envy with Homelander.

But please tell me I am not the only one who noticed the suit/weight inconsistency?

As far as I know— which isn’t far— it’s the same suit since season 1, but they have altered it a bit every season.

Regarding the cooling, here’s the system they use (looks like some kinky shit lol) (presumably don’t need it when they’re shooting outdoors in Toronto in the winter months) (presumably it’s used between takes and waiting for scenes, not IN-scenes lol).

Regarding changing body, um yes, Antony Starr has lost a lot of weight. Can only speak to his legs, ass, and face though lol since we don’t see him shirtless until S3. But you can compare S3 to Banshee, or the movie he filmed right before filming S1. TL;DR: his weight changed a lot, most of the change is obscured by the suit.

Here are S1, S2, and S3 bare legs (first pic is S2 but filmed in S1). Granted from different angles, but I think this explains why the suit may not seem as fitted in S3.

As for crotch… not sure if you’re asking this but yes irl it’s padded lol. I guess we would have definitive proof if they showed us this picture from the back:

As for the suit’s indestrucibility, I would argue it doesn’t really make sense, but it could be a very heavy material that only looks like matte cloth but is some kind of metal. Don’t know how you’d have any flexibility in that and don’t sound like you’re walking around wearing armor with every footfall though. 🤷‍♀️

#not sure I answered all your questions #just answering to the best of my knowledge #thanks for the ask! #homelander’s suit #homelander #the boys #the boys tv #costume logistics #the boys bts

[um-let-me-think]

suuuper late pinned post :)

hello! you can call me lee! i make a lot of bad jokes and a lot of fanart. i'm mostly a doctor who blogger at this point but i do post about other things a bit!

other favorite medias include community, mob psycho 100, re-animator, tma, and chnt. im obsessed with tv, especially horror, scifi, and sitcoms. (silly scifi movie binge watching rn so i'd love scifi media reccs if anyone has any!)

doctor who stuff... i’ve been getting back into dw media since the summer of 2022 after like four-five years?

i’ve seen the whole new series quite a few times, a bit of the original series (mostly third doctor), some eight audios with charley, and a bit of eda. i’ve also started torchwood recently! :D

anyway, that’s it for now, i’ll probably update this later some time. and!!! feel free to chat or anything. tho i have a bit of social anxiety, i love talking about silly characters from shows and anything else. <3

us 🤝 doctor who

#you might know me irl but also. no you dont... #op

[samthetrekkie]

I thought this finale was not as great as they could've made it. the plot was pretty predictable and I think there were a little too many plotholes for my taste (e.g. why are there two borg queens suddenly and what happened to agnes?). I'm also confused to what happened to the borg since nemesis in general. I generally loved the borg episodes on voyager, also because the jump scares and the atmosphere in the cubes were always so well done - so I was pretty disappointed when there were barely any real drones around. and the the whole thing was king of rushed, the resolution of the situation came way too quickly and easily. the whole finale plot could've easily be expanded into two episodes which would've added so much depth. it reminded me a lot of the tng movies (I have seen like 3 of them), which are usually based on good plot ideas, but then the actual execution is way to simple and mostly focuses on the characters instead (which I like and get why, but still). the episode just wasn't as full circle as it could've gone story-wise imo.

I guess I was expecting a bit more since the last couple of episodes were really good - but maybe that was mostly my binge watching brain speaking. it also probably had something to do with the fact my dad had watched the episode without me already and was kind of distracted (and distracting)...

at any rate, I think this season really brought the star trek spirit back to this show even though I actually enjoyed the urban scifi style in season 2. it simply was another soft reboot. and it made me excited about what's to come. seven as captain <3 has the taste of a very possible new show. I do think they tried to tie in the voyager references, but I'm a bit scared they will go to great lengths to avoid talking about chakotay (since raffi is right there) and generally her time shortly after voyager's return, as well as the rest of the crew, just because some actors don't want to come onto the show. also, the tuvok scene was a bit too distant for my taste - they were really close towards the end of voyager.

so while the idea of a seven-centered show or at least one with seven as a clear main character sounds great, I would love to see a borg prequel. why hasn't anyone come up with that? maybe it's not enough for a whole show, but a larger plot line within a show would be great. let me talk to cbs real quick-

p.s.: am I the only one who thought they were gonna name the refitted titan u.s.s. picard and not enterprise-g? Idk but g is such a ridiculously high letter in the alphabet at this point.

#star trek picard #season 3 #episode 10 #star trek picard spoilers #borg #seven of nine #enterprise g #tuvok #star trek

[titconao3]

5, 4, 3, 2, 1

thank you @perverse-idyll for the tag! Oh dear, remembering and choosing… not my strongest points ;-) chugs coffee also, i'll cheat, sorry ^_^;; because my focus is bad, and has only gotten worse with every passing year, so i find it harder and harder to read, watch, etc. i'm also very, very bad at rereading/rewatching, in part because i don't want to be disappointed and find flaws or discover my tastes are different and what i'd invested in just isn't my thing any longer. So, some of this stuff is more about what was formative, touched me at one point, than things i'm necessarily still into.

Tagging whoever is interested! i'm uncomfortable tagging specific people because i don't want anyone to feel like they must, or alternatively that i forgot them.

Five Essentials:

- Quiet and alone time.

- An Internet connection: most of my friendships happen online, it's vital for work, and of course entertainment. Preferably on a desktop, if not then a laptop, if i must... fine, my phone.

- Silly mindless computer games. It used to be card games, these days it’s computer mah-jong. i used to love an old… Wikipedia tells me in English it’s called a breakout game? You're throwing a ball at a wall of bricks to break them. Mine wouldn’t work when i was playing something on Winamp at the same time, back in the day on my first computer. Never found one i liked as much, sadly! i need those games to forget myself and drop into some sort of trance-like state, though it's not working as well as it used to. (Where's that bricks game when you need it) Some games that sound like they should fit my needs stress me out, like snake, minesweeper, Tetris.

- Fandom. Once the Internet became more widely available and my English was good enough, 20+ years ago, i jumped in and never looked back, though at some times it’s a looser connection than at others. It’s given me language knowledge, cultural knowledge, the escapism I sorely need at times, skills (especially once I started organising events), friendships <3 …

- i won’t go out without a colour-changing lil necklace - don’t think it still changes colours but who cares? i may or may not have a pile of mood jewelry. @pixelbypixelfanfic has its twin and that’s why i <3 it. LOOK AT HIM

Four films/Shows

- Star Trek:TOS, including the films. We will not mention here the more recent Treks, of which i haven't seen much anyway - in big part because i'm so done with the constant retconning of Spock's life and fam, like cmon guys, as if Sybok hadn't been more than enough already. i may or may not have invested too much into Spock as a kid, although i love them all. First fandom, even before i knew what fandom was.

- Blade Runner (haven't seen the new one), because of the music, the visuals, the nods to Metropolis and how it also shaped the scifi that came afterwards, because of That Death Scene on the roof (yes, i know the speech by heart) and also Zohra's and oh noes Pris and that time i stepped into the Bradbury Building.

- i was #shook by a couple of Mamoru Oshii films in the early aughts, Ghost in the Shell & Avalon (music by Kenji Kawai), and since it was my Japan Era there was also Jin-Roh, that film we won’t talk about (Grave of the Fireflies), the Kenshin OAV (the one about his early years. TOMOEEEE!! i even bought the music. yes, me. music. bought. look it was a long time ago), and a couple more. Neon Genesis Evangelion, of course :-b (NOT Shinji ;-)

- Back when i was in uni, there was a cinema club where they showed films in the largest auditorium. i went almost every week, and that's where i watched Buster Keaton's The General (i dragged a friend who was horrified at the idea of a B&W silent film... he laughed out loud for 75 min straight\o/ ), Some Like It Hot, but also more recent stuff like the early Tim Burtons (this was the early aughts). The seats were horribly uncomfortable, some of the films were 3h+ long boring adaptations of boring books (no, i really do not like Madame Bovary), but it helped fueled my cinema-going years. i watched Korean films in tiny independent cinemas, that kind of thing ;-) Today, it takes a lot for me to go pay lots of money, sit still for 2/3 hours, grit my teeth while people keep noisily munching on pop corn and slurping sodas or whatever; i try to time my cinema-going for viewings with smaller audiences, but... So, i'll go a couple of times in a year, for something that will be entertaining and silly and won't ask me to focus too much (because it's not at home, where i can easily go back, pause, take a break to absorb and process, take my time, etc) like Jurassic World or John Wick.

Three books:

- The Discworld series as a whole, for its humanity and humour and on-point commentary and… and… flails everything

- Let’s add some manga i loved: Gunnm though i think in English it's titled Alita Battle Angel or something like that (one of the sources for my What-does-human/personhood-means kink, though it probably started as early as my first encounter with good old Spock), City Hunter, Saint Seiya (don’t think about the dubbing don’t think bout the dubbing don’t think about the dubbing). Also, Please Save My Earth, though i much preferred the OAVs visually. Liked the music, too.

- i used to be a voracious reader. Then, i studied literature for reasons, and it sucked all the joy out of reading books. Took years (and, to be honest, fandom) for me to start loving reading again, but i could never go back to ~The Classics~ . i read the entire Search For Lost Time at the time i started to disconnect from reading, and i remember nothing of it. i liked it, it just left no trace in me. So now i'll read the Vorkosigan series and love it, but don't ask me to pick up some Dickens. These days, i can't.

Re music, well - i don't really listen to music. i listened to some stuff as a teenager, probably in no small part because it was expected, i even took music lesson as an adult because i wanted to know how instruments worked. But as time goes by, i grow more and more intolerant to noise, and music is noise to me. i'll have the occasional YouTube trawl-through because i'll remember some old thing i liked way back when (liked, or more accurately that i associate with someone/thing), but often not even finish the song or piece of music. It's like, idk, ballet or skating for me: i can recognize the hard work and artistry that goes into it; it just doesn't do anything for me, beyond maybe a bit of nostalgia (until i remember that aside from less creaky bones and stiff joints, i don't want to go back in time and i don't miss my younger years). i used to listen to some film scores, and sometimes songs used in shows i enjoyed. Haven't done that in a long while, though. Now, if i want to shut out the world when i'm in the train or something, i'll put on a podcast or some white noise app.

Quote: nah, fandom’s free and i won’t put a price on it (whew, dodged that one ;-)

#tagged #tagging game #about me i guess

[sunriseverse]

tagged by @transgenderotachi (thanks for the tag!!!).

last song: godhunter by the aviators

last show: legion i think? or possibly dark (trying to learn more words and spruce up my grammar a bit haha).

current show: wwdits!!! i haven’t seen the latest episode but i’m loving nadja, marwa, the guide, and guillermo this season especially.

currently reading: echopraxia by peter watts, which i picked up on title and promise of scifi alone. so far it’s not what i was expecting based off the cover, but it’s very interesting! it’s been a while since i read hard scifi.

current obsession: if we’re going by most recent, probably art!! i’m at a place now where i genuinely like what i’m drawing, and my new dotted notebook setup allows me to more easily do studies/practices. finally buying csp has also been a huge gamechanger—it’s so much more versatile than mdp is (the gouache blender alone has made such a difference).

tagging @eddiemunz @mhaccunoval @mylovesickvalentyne @holyverse @trademarkhubris @malewifefirestar and anyone else who wants to do it!

#tag meme #c.txt

[mugasofer]

Thinking about the worldbuilding and power-scaling in Worm.

I think a big part of why Worm has developed such an intense fanfic community - disproportionate to its popularity, even - is that the world makes for a perfect sandbox.

Winslow High in Brockton Bay in America in Earth Bet in the Entities' multiverse, each layer defined both by the layers above it (in ways both visible and invisible) and by the fascinating cast of that layer. You can drop pretty much any character in, no matter how weak or how powerful, and know they'll slot into one of those power levels and encounter an interesting cast of characters there.

All of Wildbow's stories follow heroes who grow in power and competence and deal with increasingly powerful parts of their world, but Worm is the most pure and blatant in its escalation spiral. We follow Taylor from struggling desperately against the street-level characters that define her hometown and the bullies in her school, all the way to struggling desperately against the hidden gods that define her multiverse. This means that, as a natural consequence of the story structure, we get to experience this fractal world that is interesting at every level.

Obviously, the Wormverse isn't alone in having characters of different power levels. It has this feature because it's copying traditional superhero worlds, which also have characters ranging from the mundane to the cosmic. But they don't have quite the same fractal structure; rather, you have isolated bubbles of characters around each main character and keyed to their power level. Metropolis is full of Superman-level planetary threats and Gotham is full of Batman-level street-level threats; Daredevil's New York is full of human Daredevil-level ninjas and Spider-Man's New York is full of Spiderman-level animal-themed supervillains and the Fantastic Four's New York is full of Fantastic Four level high-concept scifi threats. Crossovers between these series happen, but they are - and feel like - crossovers. Batman may stop Darkseid eating the multiverse one week in the JLA comic but he'll struggle just as hard against the Mad Hatter next week in his own comic. Outside of very occasional events like Civil War, there's little sense that that there's a global stage where things happen that affect the entire setting the way we get with the PRT and Cauldron, nor is there a sense that characters can graduate to that stage given enough power; the JLA and Avengers include a mish-mash of heroes at all power levels based more on popularity than logic, and lots of individual heroes do stuff that's supposedly impacting the entire country/planet/universe/multiverse in their own books without it showing up in anyone else's.

One might compare this to an old-school sandbox game of DnD. The players start off attached to a small town "base", or crawling between hexes dealing with disconnected local threats. But as they get more powerful, they start picking up quests from kings and powerful wizards to defeat threats to entire kingdoms or journey across the globe to retrieve powerful artefacts; they've graduated from a map of the local villages and caves and forest to a map of the world with kingdoms marked on it. They can go back to those little villiages marked on the hex-grid and find that, by saving or overthrowing the kingdom they were in, they've affected what used to be their whole world (although most of it will still be there.) In time, they grow so powerful that the entire world no longer really has any threats that can realistically challenge them, so the DM breaks out the books that detail specific gods and arch-demons and other cosmic beings; they've graduated from a mere map of the planet they were on to a planar cosmology of the multiverse and its rulers. Their actions now affect the entire setting; the patrons of entire religions they previously encountered can live or die as a result of their adventures, the very forces that underpin the universe might shift.

Put Superman into the world of, say, Avatar the Last Airbender, and he completely breaks the setting. Put the Last Airbender cast in DC Comics, and they can work OK as street-level heroes, but you need to be more specific because it's really a bunch of disconnected settings; they could have an interesting story in Gotham, not so much in Metropolis fighting Brainiac. Put either of them in a D&D setting, and they both work; Superman as an epic-level hero vulnerable to magic, the Avatar cast as middling-level characters each with their own unique brand of magic. Put either in Worm, and they both work; Superman is playing with the Triumvirate, Scion, Endbringers and the like; while Team Avatar would fit in nicely in Brockton Bay alongside Taylor (or any of the other cities we've seen described, like Chicago or New York or the setting of Ward, or indeed a fan-made city with original heroes, but Brockton Bay is the most richly detailed).

Now you might be wondering, where's all the D&D fanfic, then? Doesn't this completely undercut my whole hypothesis? But of course, D&D fanfic makes up most of the fantasy genre.

#worldbuilding #fanfic meta #worm #parahumans #gaming #rambling #long #by me

[smalltownfae]

In or Out Book Tag

I saw this tag on youtube so I wanted to do it too. Simple as that. Original creator: here.

Questions:

1. Reading the last page first

Out. I know a person that does this and I never got it. Why does someone go out of their way to spoil themselves like that?

2. Enemies to lovers

In. Unfortunatelly it's seldom done well. The only example I can think of that I like is Vilanelle and Eve from the show "Killing Eve".

3. Dream sequences

Out. I don't care for them. Maybe if the dreams are short and meaningful, but otherwise it's a no from me.

4. Love triangles

Out. Overdone and once again I can't remember ever seeing it done well.

5. Cracked Spines

In. I don't mind them and if I have to crack the spine in order to read the book then I will. If I am afraid to crack the spine when I can barelly read the text it will be a terrible experience. Not worth the effort.

6. Back to my small town

In. I like the small town as a setting for a mystery or creepy story a lot.

7. Monsters are regular people

In. I've seen people interpreting this one in two ways and I like both: monsters that do what every other human does and humans that are the real monsters. One has the potential to be really funny and the other really philosophical.

8. No paragraph breaks

Out. Please let me rest.

9. Multi-generational sagas

Out. Did anyone ask for that Boruto thing because I sure didn't ask for the continuation of Shaman King with Yoh's kid. It can be done right, but more often than not I would just prefer to read another book instead of following the kids of my fav characters, which I have to get attached to all over again if I ever do. However, if Hobb ever decides to write more books about Bee I will read them. I already consider the Fitz and the Fool trilogy as Bee's books and a separate thing from Farseer and Tawny Man anyways. I also enjoyed the 2 Sevenwaters books that I've read.

10. Re-reading

In. 100%. I really like re-reading my favourite books and finding new stuff or change my mind about certain things. That's the beauty (and pain) of it.

11. Artificial intelligence

In. Scifi is not really my thing, but the AI is usually my favourite part in movies (Space Odyssey is super boring but the scenes with HAL are spectacular). I am pickier when it comes to scifi books, but I really like AIs and robots usually. The story just needs to be more than that.

12. Drop Caps

In. They look classy.

13. Happy endings

In. I prefer bittersweet endings, but what matters the most is that the ending fits the rest of the story. So, if the happy ending fits I love it. An example is "Howl's Moving Castle" by DWJ.

14. Plot points that only converge at the end

Out. I like multiple povs that intersect at some point in the story, but not when it's only at the end. What is even the purpose of that if I don't even see the characters interact before?

15. Detailed magic systems

Out. As you all know I don't love Sanderson like magic systems. I like my magic to be mysterious instead of looking like science. I like to foccus on characters instead of pages of explanation about how the magic system works.

16. Classic fantasy races

Out. Maybe shocking for some, but just like I don't like pages of explanation about the magic system I also don't like it when it's done to explain races. I can enjoy it when it's naturally inserted into the story like in "The Goblin Emperor" but more often than not these races belong in really high fantasy, which I am not much into. Don't get me started on the racist origins of some fantasy races too...

17. Unreliable narrators

In. Love them. All I care is that the characters are complex and interesting and I think it's very human to make ourselves look better while telling a story or to make ourselves look the worst due to lack of self-esteem or something else. A character as a narrator will always have their own interpretation of events that aren't always the reality and I love finding contradictions that make sense in the text.

18. Evil protagonists

Out. I like morally gray characters, but not a character that can be defined as evil. Evil is as little complex as good and characters that can be put in those simple boxes aren't usually the most interesting. Good and evil is what people do not what people are.

19. The chosen one

Out. I like when the trope is subverted, but I hate it when there is that one single character that saves everyone or something of the like. Besides that, it's an overdone trope. I prefer group efforts to save the world or whatever it is and just average people being caught up in dificult events.

20. When the protagonist dies

Out. I am following this character for what? Unless I have been following more protagonists or the main character dies at the end I am not fine with it. If I kept reading that means I was attached to that character so stopping that in order for me to begin getting to know a different character sounds odd to me. Maybe people said "A Game of Thrones" for this one, but Ned wasn't the only protagonist and I didn't even care much for him so... :x

21. Really long chapters

Out. Look, I like to take breaks and I often say "just one more chapter". I don't like stopping in the middle of a chapter, but that always happens if it's a long one.

22. French flaps

In. Most books translated in portuguese have french flaps. I really like them. They look nice.

23. Deckled edges

Out. I don't mind them, but I prefer if the book doesn't have them. I own two books like that and it's a bit odd even if the effect is sort of pretty.

24. Signed copies by the author

Out. I only care if I get to see and talk to the author and take a photo with them. Otherwise I don't care if books are signed or not. The same way I don't care for autographs. I just don't see the point. It doesn't add anything to my experience.

25. Dog-earing pages

Out. I used to do it a lot as a kid but now I have a bunch of bookmarks and other stuff I can use to mark the place so dog-earing just seems unecessary. I would do it as last resource though.

26. Chapter titles instead of numbers

Out. I like chapter with titles AND numbers. I hate having to count in order to tell someone in which chapter I am because it doesn't have a number... the title is longer than writing a number.

That is all. Please feel free to do this tag if you want to. I think it's fun and an easy way to beware of my book tastes.

#in or out book tag #book tag #books

[the---hermit]

Tag 9 people to learn about their interests!

Tagged by @just-a-cup-of-anxietea thank you 💜🌿

MUSIC

Favourite genre?

I grew up listening to metal and rock, and that's where my heart is. Expecially symphonic metal. But I also listen a a lot more.

Favourite song?

I could say so many songs, if I really have to pick just one I would say Fear Of The Dark by Iron Maiden. That's the song that made me fall in love with music as a kid.

Most listened song recently?

Lately I have been really into Rain Paris' covers, she's really good.

Song currently stuck in your head?

Below My Feet by Mumford and Sons

5 fave lyrics?

Although I felt like giving up

It's not the road I chose

The path less often traveled

Held the highest, the highest of hopes

(The Curse Of The Fold by Shawn James)

Man, he took his time in the sun

Had a dream to understand

A single grain of sand

He gave birth to poetry

But one day'll cease to be

Greet the last light of the library

(The Greatest Show On Earth by Nightwish)

The first thing I ever heard

Was a wandering man telling his story

It was you, the grass under my bare feet

The campfire in the dead of the night

The heavenly black of sky and sea

(Song Of Myself by Nightwish)

And suddently Hades was only a man...

(Epic III from Hadestown off Broadway)

You can be every little thing you want nobody to know

(Wilder Mind by Mumford and Sons)

radio or your own playlist | solo artists or bands | pop or indie | loud or silent volume I slow or fast songs | music video or lyrics video | speakers or headset | riding a bus in silence or while listening to music | driving in silence or with radio on

BOOKS

Favourite book genre?

I have a thing for the very first horror/scifi/fantasy that bloomed in gothic litterature at the end of the 1800s. I have no idea if that counts as a genre, but I have always had a thing for that part of litterature, and when I don't know what to read I usually just go for something that falls under this category

Favourite writer?

Neil Gaiman, and many others, but if I have to pick just one that's him. His writing style, the topics, everything is just perfect for my taste in writing.

Favourite book?

I usually say Frankenstein by Mary Shelly cause that is a great way to present the type of story I like. I was also lucky cause I read that book in the perfect moment of my life to connect with it amazingly. At the same time I feel like I am lying because to only pick one single book is so reductive.

Favourite book series?

I have commitment issues, I don't usually go for series. I would like to cheat by saying The Lord Of The Rings, but Tolkien considered it a whole book. Other than that the only full series I have read is Harry Potter. ( I have also read a few books from the Percy Jackson series, which I enjoyed at the time. And last year I started reading The Witcher series, which I am really liking but I am only two books in and I don't know if that would count).

Comfort book?

The Humans by Matt Haig. Anyone who knows me, or has been following me for a while knows about this, amd no I will never shut up about it until everyone has read it. It just gives me hope in a way didn't think was possible. (Also shout out to The Hobbit cause it just makes me feel so good)

Perfect book to read on a rainy day?

Okay so not an easy question. I think I would either go for a short book that I could read in one sitting or a collection of short stories. For the first category my first thought was Tarocchi Magici E Cavallereschi : La Vera Storia Di Rolando by Marcello Simoni. I have no idea if this was translated but It was a great retelling of the medieval story of Rolando I read last year, I'd love to re-read it. For the second category any short story collection by Neil Gaiman. I particularly love Trigger Warning.

Favourite character?

How can you ask me to pick just one? I love the Creature of Frankenstein, I connected so much to that character. But also Herger from Crichton's Eaters of the Dead is a character I love. I adore his positive spirit and his way of seeing life. At this point I should also mention Bilbo Baggins from The Hobbit, one of the characters that I feel more close to me.

5 favourite quotes from your favourite book(s) that you know by heart?

Beware; for I am fearless, and therefore powerful.

(Frankenstein by Mary Shelley)

A paradox: The things you don’t need to live—books, art, cinema, wine, and so on—are the things you need to live.

(The Humans by Matt Haig)

Don’t aim for perfection. Evolution, and life, only happen through mistakes.

(The Humans by Matt Haig)

Herger said to me, "Be thankful, for you are fortunate."

I inquired the source of my fortune. Herger said in reply, "If you have the fear of high places, than this day you shall overcome it; and so you shall have faced a great challenge; and so you shall be adjudged a hero.

(Eaters Of The Dead by Michael Crichton)

Then something Tookish woke up inside him, and he wished to go and see the great mountains, and hear the pine-trees and the waterfalls, and explore the caves, and wear a sword instead of a walking-stick.

(The Hobbit by J.R.R. Tolkien)

hardcover or paperback | buy or rent | standalone novels or book series | ebook or physical copy | reading at night or during the day | reading at home or in nature | listening to music while reading or reading in silence | reading in order or reading the ending first | reliable or unreliable narrator | realism or fantasy | one or multiple POVS | judging by the covers or by the summary | rereading or reading just once

TV AND MOVIES

Favoutie tv/movie genre?

I have no idea. I don't know if I feel different about the genres I watch the most. You know what? I'm gonna go with animated movies because at the end of the day that's always the best option when you don't know what to watch.

Favourite movie ?

There is so many movie. In my family we religiously rewatch a bunch of movies every year, how could I pick just one? I'm gonna go with Young Frankenstein cause that movies is hilarious, and everytime I rewatch it I laugh as if I didn't know all the jokes already.

Comfort movie ?

Honestly it depends on what type of comfort I am looking for. I could go with a couple of my favourite disney classics like The Emperor's New Groove and The Lion King. But also The Hobbit and The Lord Of The Rings movies. This list could go on for days honestly.

Movie you watch every year ?

The list would be way too long, I am a serial rewatcher. I can say a few I haven't mentioned yet. Big Trouble In Little China, the Pirates of the Caribbean movies, Wasabi, The 13th Warrior, Lo Chiamavano Trinità and A LOT of other movies.

Favoutie tv show?

The answer to this has changed many many times through the years, but I can confidently say Brooklyn Nine Nine.

Comfort tv show?

Brooklyn Nine Nine, Friends, and I know there's something else but I can't think of any title at the moment.

Most rewatched tv show?

I could say Supernatural, but I really don't want to say Supernatural. I have watched The Mentalist a fair amount of times (the first couple seasons). Now that I think about it I have seen Lie To Me a lot of times aswell. B99 too but I disn't awant to be too repetitive.

5 fave characters?

I don't know if this is supposed to be on tv shows or movies so I will randomly list a few from both. Bilbo Baggings from The Hobbit (yes I am saying it again BUT you don't understand how much I feel like him cause I also both want and not want to go on an adventure). Rosa Diaz from B99, Patrick Jane from The Mentalist, Elizabeth Swan from The Pirates Of The Caribbean. I know it's just four but I can't think of anyone at the moment.

tv shows or movie | short seasons (8-13 episodes) or full seasons (22 episodes or more) | one episode a week or binging | one season or multiple seasons | one part or saga | half hour or one hour long episodes | subtitles on or off | rewatching or watching just once | downloads or watches online

I tag (no pressure) : @anxiousoptimist101, @contre-qui , @justanotherstudyblrinthecrowd , @starrystvdy , @sage-studies , @occhicerchiati , @fly-away-from-here , @illuminatingnun and @outsassing-nero, plus whoever whats to do this just pretend that I tagged you!

#i wrote this the other day after i had slept till 1 am e then travelled for like 5 hours #i have edited it once but my brain is still kind of a mess which means there might be a few errors here and there and for this i apologize #i will probably spend the next two weeks editing this everytime i look at it #ANYWAY this was really fun! #tag #tagged #tag game #get to know me #studyblr #bookblr #just a cup of anxietea #mutuals #friends #the---hermit #cris speaks

[strangertheory]

I'd love for Will to be able to have the power of reality alteration because him being the most powerful one would be a very nice plot twist. But. Do you really believe they make him more powerful than El? I keep finding crazy comments on social media, suggesting it's the "El show" 😪 *sigh*. And I know some people who say it'd be anti feminist since Will is a boy. Thx

That’s a lot of interesting questions to think about.

I’ll attempt to address each thought that you’ve shared one at a time and provide you with my own opinions and theories about each:

You said: “I'd love for Will to be able to have the power of reality alteration because him being the most powerful one would be a very nice plot twist. But. Do you really believe they would make him more powerful than El?”

I have a lot of conflicted feelings about the way that the fandom often talks about characters’ powers and supernatural abilities in Stranger Things. (I also really dislike the way that the fandom has decided that they can’t appreciate and support both El and Will’s happiness and that their happy endings and successes are somehow mutually exclusive, but I’ll address the topic of their powers first.)

Fans often focus on the abilities and superpowers of characters as something desirable and cool but fans rarely spend time considering what it cost those characters to develop their abilities in the first place. Neither El nor Will suddenly woke up one day and had superpowers that they had conscious control over.

Certain impressive skills that people have in the real world might also be developed under extremely traumatic and undesirable circumstances and not because they wanted them: the powers represented so far in Stranger Things are very much like that variety of skillset.

El’s powers and her ability to control them are canonically shown to have manifested during her imprisonment, abuse, isolation, and manipulation at the Lab. As Kali says “They stole your life, Jane!” Due to El’s isolation from society and from love and affection and from having a family and from everything else in the world beyond the Lab she has a significant amount of early childhood social and psychological development that was stolen from her that she can never truly get back. A healthy, loving, safe environment for development and self-actualization that children deserve to have was not provided to El and she has suffered so much and she has had significant delays in her opportunity to grow and become her own person because of what was done to her. So yes, El has psychic powers that give her a variety of unique abilities that are very useful. But at what cost? If El were given the choice to abandon all of her powers in exchange for a loving family, a community of friends that she’d had the opportunity to know and spend time with since early childhood, a variety of passions and hobbies that she chose for herself over the years as she was growing up and engaging with the world, an extensive understanding of the world outside of the Lab based on her own exploration of the world and not only what people tell her or what she sees on television, and most importantly a sense that she is treated kindly because people truly love her and not because they want to exploit her and her powers for their own purposes: wouldn’t she make that trade?

Do I currently agree with the theory that Will’s subconscious mind created the Upside Down, the Mindflayer, the demogorgon, and even most probably created many other characters and fantastical plotlines that exist in the story? Yes. But I believe it has (so far) been unintentional, entirely subconscious, and is a mental coping mechanism in response to extremely traumatic circumstances that Will has faced throughout his life. Would Will’s subconscious mind creating significant parts of the Stranger Things universe represent a certain level of “power” that is greater than El’s? I don’t personally think they’re comparable. There are things that Will can probably do that El cannot, and vice versa. They will surely each have their own strengths and weaknesses and their own limitations that we may or may not always be shown in the series.

But what does "more powerful” really mean to us, and why does that question even matter? It was not El’s choice to have powers and it was not Will’s choice to have powers. Much of what I believe Will has incidentally created is creating a lot of confusion and suffering for him and for others that he cares about. If the story were about real people I’d be offended at the question of who’s more powerful and feel as though that question and debate is the sort that Dr. Brenner and his colleagues would have: “How useful is this child to me? Which child is more powerful?” I dislike the question because it feels like asking a parent which child is their favorite. I care about them both, and I don’t care about them because they happen to have superpowers: I care about them because they are nuanced characters that are very well-written and that I can empathize with as if they were real people. I respect why it’s a popular thing for fans to debate over which X-Men is the most powerful, for example, but that’s never been what draws me into scifi and fantasy stories. What characters choose to do under unusual circumstances and with unique resources (such as superpowers) is far more important to me than the nature and intensity of the powers themselves. I believe that the Stranger Things fandom does these beautifully written characters a disservice by focusing too heavily on their abilities and not enough on their feelings, choices, relationships, dreams, goals, and experiences that humanize them.

I love Stranger Things because of the humanity of each of the characters and not because some of them can throw cars through walls.

You said: “I keep finding crazy comments on social media, suggesting it's the "El show"”

El is definitely an important character in the story at this point in the show and she has some really fascinating abilities in the Stranger Things universe that often give her iconic moments and provide her an opportunity to be in the spotlight.

I believe that there is a reason that the writers have decided to develop many characters in the story and in my opinion it can seem hard to pin-point a “main” character at times. I think this is absolutely intentional on the part of the writers, and I predict that we will learn how Will’s, Hopper’s, and El’s storylines intersect in season 4. I think we will learn something new about each of the characters.

I do not personally believe that it is the “El show” any more than it could be argued that this is the “Steve show” or the “Hopper show.” But I do appreciate that fans have grown to love El’s character.

I strongly disagree with anyone in the fandom that insists that Will is not important. I can tell that the way that he was quieter in season 3 inspired some fans to dismiss his role in the series entirely, but I think they’re mistaken. Quiet and less assertive doesn’t mean irrelevant in a story like this one. I believe that much of what Will has been through is at the heart of the entire series, and I think that he will play a very critical role in future seasons. If some fans passionately dislike Will then they might need to steel themselves for some severe disappointment.

You said: “And I know some people who say it'd be anti feminist [for Will to be more powerful than El] since Will is a boy." 

I would argue that El embodies many traits that are often presumed to be stereotypically masculine by certain incorrect and outdated schools of thought: assertiveness, the ability to win in combat, determination, resilience, and bravery (among others.) There were eras in which these traits were not always valued and respected in women, and arguably there are still many circumstances under which they still aren’t. El is a complex character who is not written as a gender stereotype and I think that is powerful and important.

We need more characters of many different genders that are written as people. Complex, multi-faceted, and capable of many different things regardless of their gender.

Yes. Will is a boy.

Will is a young boy who has been bullied for having certain traits that are very often stereotypically seen by society as feminine. As being “womanly.”

I believe that feminism needs to be intersectional and seek to address the ways that all people and all genders are harmed by a society that devalues women and devalues traits, work, and skillsets that are associated with femininity.

Feminism should not be reduced and oversimplified to “girl power.” Anyone that reduces feminism to that does not, in my opinion, understand feminism.

“Feminism is the belief in the social, economic, and political equality of the sexes.”

Devaluing admirable traits when someone of one gender expresses them but then deciding to value those exact same traits when they are expressed by a person of a different gender is prejudiced and anti-feminist because it maintains the false idea that certain traits only have value in people if they are a specific gender. 

El is a wonderful, empowering character and I appreciate that she is very well written and admired by many fans. But I worry when certain fans are more willing to appreciate a kick-ass fictional young woman that defies outdated and incorrect gender stereotypes but are not also willing to embrace gentler, more sensitive, less stereotypically masculine young men like Will with similar enthusiasm and affection.

Will is bullied and devalued by his small-town community for having traits and interests that are perceived as feminine and therefore, according to closeminded bigots like his dad, not allowed and are deserving of abuse and bullying. Will is arguably also devalued and dismissed by the Stranger Things fandom because he has traits that are perceived as feminine and undesirable in a young teen guy in the eyes of certain fans, too.

The devaluing and dismissal of gentle, kind, emotional young men is a feminist issue.

A character doesn’t have to be a girl in order to represent feminist ideals within a story. I know that there are probably plenty of feminists that will disagree with me (because there will always be people with their own opinions) but I strongly believe that Will's story is feminist as it has been explored so far (just as El's is.)

Anyone in the fandom that considers themselves a “Feminist” but that spends significant amounts of time criticizing Will Byers by dismissing him as “boring” and criticizing him for being quiet, sensitive, gentle, and emotional should take a good look in the mirror and reflect on what their personal brand of feminism stands for and whether their goal truly is “the equality of the sexes” or if their goal is simply hating men and only valuing and promoting stereotypically masculine traits in our society.

Feminism’s goal is not to make women more powerful than men or to make men less powerful than women, it is about the promotion of the “equality of the sexes.” 

Stereotypes are constructs our society has built and that impact the way we all currently relate to each other. Until society stops treating traits associated with society's currently constructed idea of femininity as something weak or bad then it is important to appreciate these traits in characters of many different genders and to value these traits in men (both in real life and in fictional stories) too. Anyone of any gender can be sensitive and sensitivity should not be seen as a weakness but rather as a strength and as something that's a valuable aspect of our humanity, and the same can be said for many other beautiful traits that society has wrongly decided to put into boxes and assign gender stereotypes to.

This complicated topic is incredibly important to me as a fan of both El and Will. I believe that both El and Will are feminist characters and that the series is very empowering and is challenging society’s gender biases through both of their stories. I hope that my response to your question was successful in communicating how I feel and resonates with you and with perhaps other fans who also care about El and Will and feel their own experiences, feelings, and identities validated by their story arcs.

Will some fans still whine and cry “sexism” and attempt to brand Stranger Things as “anti-feminist” if their hope that El will be the solo main character of the story and not have to share the spotlight with a boy is dashed? Sure. But I think they’re wrong, that their concept of feminism and sexism is incorrect, and that their priorities and their understanding of El’s value as a character is unfortunate. El is more than her superpowers. El doesn’t need to be “the strongest” or “the most powerful” in order to be an inspiring, complex, well-written, relatable, and empowering character.

Thank you for your Ask! I hope you don’t mind how long this response is. You mentioned a few things that I have some very complicated opinions about.

#will byers #el hopper #stranger things #stranger things analysis #stranger things theories #will byers is a feminist character #el hopper is a feminist character #feminism is for everyone

[theradioghost]

I don't know if you're still doing podcast recs, but if you are, I really like dramas, horror, sci-fi, honestly anything that gives you the feels (especially if it has lgbtq+ rep). I am not much of a comedy person though unfortunately. The only podcast I finished was tma and I really loved it.

The recommendations are always on tap here, whenever my askbox is open! You might wanna check out:

Archive 81, for a found-footage horror about mysterious archives of tapes full of encounters with otherworldly horror, dark rituals, cults, and a long-suffering archivist with the same name as the show creator who plays him, which despite all that could not possibly be more different from TMA and yet easily matches it as one of the best horror stories I have ever enjoyed. The sound design on this show is basically unparalleled – where TMA has fairly minimalist sound design, A81 goes all out. Quite a few lgbtqa+ folk also.

I Am In Eskew, for a surreal, Lynchian horror about the city of Eskew, where it’s always raining and the streets are never the same twice, as narrated by a man who is trapped there and the woman hired to find him. Take the most viscerally disturbing episodes of TMA as a baseline for how intense this show is, then imagine the Spiral built a city and invited all the other fears over for a party. Also right up there as one of my favorite horror things ever, and recently ended, so you can listen to the whole thing right now.

Within The Wires, for a found-footage scifi dystopia, telling stories from an alternate-history world. Three of the four seasons focus on lgbtqa+ leads, and the first season, a set of instructional meditation tapes provided to a prisoner in a shadowy government institution, is still some of my absolute favorite creative use of medium and framing device ever.

Kane and Feels, for a surreal noir-flavored urban fantasy/horror hybrid, about a magically-inclined academic (and sarcastic little bastard man) named Lucifer Kane and his demon-punching partner with a heart of gold, Brutus Feels. They share a flat in London, they bicker like an old married couple, and they fight supernatural evil. This show WILL confuse the hell out of you and you will enjoy every second of it.

Alice Isn’t Dead, for a weird Americana horror story about a long-distance truck driver, criss-crossing the US in search of her missing wife. Along the way she discovers that both of them have been drawn into a dangerous secret war that seethes in the empty and abandoned expanses of America, and that inhuman hunters have begun to follow her. Also finished! And as the title kind of gives away, the lesbians do not die!

Janus Descending, for a sci-fi horror miniseries about two scientists sent to survey the remains of a dead alien civilization on a distant planet, only to learn all too well why the original inhabitants have disappeared. You hear one character’s story in chronological order and the other in reverse, with their perspectives alternating, which is done in an incredibly clever way so that even technically knowing what will happen it still holds you in suspense right to the end. Also, it made me cry, a lot.

SAYER, for a sci-fi horror with a touch of dark comedy, and probably the single best use of the “evil AI” trope I have ever seen. Tells the story of employees of tech corporation Aerolith Dynamics living on Earth’s artificial second moon, Typhon, in the form of messages from their AI overseer SAYER. The first season is great, the second season is okay, and the third and fourth seasons are fucking amazing.

Tides, for a really interesting sci-fi about a lone biologist trapped on an alien world shaped by deadly tidal forces. It’s different from just about any other sci-fi I know, focusing more on the main character’s interactions with and observations of this strange new world, where she’s very aware that she is the alien invader. (Also I don’t think any of the characters are straight.)

Station to Station, for a thrilling sci-fi mystery where a group of scientists and spies on a research ship (the ocean kind) discover that the time-warping anomaly they’re studying might be causing people to vanish from existence. Corporate espionage and high-stakes heartbreak abound. (And once again I’m not sure anyone is straight.)

The Strange Case of Starship Iris, for Being Gay And Doing Crime IN SPACE! Or, decades after a war with an alien species leaves humanity decimated and under the control of totalitarian leaders, the lone survivor of a research mission joins up with a ragtag crew of rebels and smugglers to figure out why the very government she worked for tried to kill her, and to stop them from inciting a second war. 100% lgbtqa+ found family in space heist action and it’s glorious in every way.

Unwell, for the horror-ish Midwestern gothic story of a young woman who returns to her hometown to help her estranged mother after an injury, and discovers that there is something just a little bit wrong, not just with her mother, but with her mother’s house, and with the whole town. Subtle and creepy. The protagonist is a biracial lesbian, one of the other major characters is nonbinary, the cast in general is super diverse.

The Blood Crow Stories, for an lgbtqa+ focused horror anthology! The four seasons so far have been the stories of an ancient evil stalking the passengers of a WWI-era utopian cruise ship, a dark Western mystery about a group of allies trying to stop the mysterious killer known only as the Savior, a 911 operator in a cyberpunk dystopia who starts getting terrifying phone calls from demons, and strange and deadly goings-on at a film studio in the golden age of Hollywood. Everyone is Very Gay and anyone can die, especially in season 1.

The Tower, for a melancholy experimental miniseries about a young woman who decides she’s going to climb the mysterious Tower, from which no one has ever returned. Quite short and very, very good.

Palimpsest, for a creepy, heartbreakingly sad and yet incredibly beautiful anthology series. Season one is the story of a woman who suspects her new home is haunted, season two is a turn-of-the-century urban fantasy about a girl who falls in love with the imprisoned fae princess she’s been hired to care for, and season three is about a WWII codebreaker who begins seeing ghosts on the streets of London during the Blitz.

Mabel, for a part-horror, part-love story, the kind of faerie tale where you feel obliged to spell it with an E because these are the kind of faeries that are utterly inhuman, and beautiful, and dangerous. Anna, the new caretaker for an elderly woman, leaves messages for her client’s mysteriously absent granddaughter Mabel. An old house in Ireland has a life and desires of its own, few of them friendly. Two women fall in love and set out for vengeance against the King Under The Hill. Creepy, strange, and gorgeously poetic.

Ars Paradoxica, for a sci-fi time travel Cold War espionage thriller. Physicist Dr. Sally Grissom accidentally invents time travel, landing herself – and her invention – in the middle of a classified government experiment during WWII. As the course of history utterly changes around them, she and what friends she can find in this new time must struggle with the ethics of what they’ve done, and the choices they’ll have to make. An aroace protagonist, Black secret agents, time-traveling Latina assassins, Jewish lesbian mathematicians, two men of color whose love changes the course of time itself, this show says a big fuck you to the idea that there’s anything hard about having a diverse cast in a period piece and it will break your heart, multiple times. Also finished!

The Far Meridian, for a genre-bending, poetic, at-times-heartwarming-at-times-heartbreaking story about an agoraphobic woman named Peri who decides to begin a search for her long-missing brother Ace after the lighthouse in which she lives begins mysteriously transporting to different places every day. I can never forget an early review that described this show as “the audio equivalent of a Van Gogh painting.” Suffice to say it is beautiful, and fantastically written and put together.

What’s the Frequency?, for a Surrealist noir horror mystery set in mid-20th-century LA. I’ll be honest, I’m not sure I can really explain what goes on in this show, but it features a detective named Walter “Troubles” Mix and his partner Whitney searching for a missing writer. Meanwhile, the only thing that seems to be playing on the radio is that writer’s show Love, Honor, and Decay, which also seems to be driving people to murder. Fantastically weird, deliciously creepy.

Directive, for a short sci-fi miniseries about a man hired to spend a very, very long trip through space alone, which doesn’t seem all that sad until suddenly it hits you with Every Feel You’ve Ever Had, seriously I don’t want to spoil it so I won’t say anything more but listen to this and then never feel the same way about Tuesdays again.

Wolf 359, for honestly one of the best podcasts out there, containing all of the drama and feels, seriously this show ended over two years ago and I still cry literal tears thinking about it sometimes. It has definite comedic leanings, especially in the first season which reads a bit more like a wacky office comedy set in space, but it takes a sharp turn towards high stakes, action, and feelings and that roller coaster never stops. Take four clashing personalities alone on a constantly-malfunctioning space station eight light years from earth, add some mysterious transmissions from the depths of space, toss in some seriously Jonah-Magnus-level manipulative evil bosses, and get ready to cry.

or, may I suggest Midnight Radio? It’s a lesbian-romance-slash-ghost-story completed miniseries about a late-night 1950s radio host in a small town who begins receiving mysterious letters from one of her listeners, and I have been assured by many people and occasionally their all-caps tweets that it provides ample Feelings! (also I wrote it.)

#holy fuck when did this answer get that long? #anyway I uh. hope at least one of these sounds good to you! #podcast recs #bobbie recommends things #Anonymous #asks #my posts