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youuuimeanmee · 2 months

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Get ready with me to be surprised with

✨️Arnold Crowley✨️

Hint: Crowley

I was scrolling through Twitter/X, laughing and giggling at the cute DamiAnya and Loid tweets from the recent chapter 95, when I stumbled on a tweet about Arnold Crowley.

Btw, Arnold is one of the character I'm looking forwad meeting the most because he's the top scorer in the classical language test. His score must be 90 or above, which is kinda insane when we know classical language is a dead language and barely taught anymore. I previously made a theory that the reason why Anya is so good at classical language is because she came from Covenia, the equivalent of Romania irl; which language derived from Latin language. That's why I was intrigued with Arnold Crowley; I want to know how is he able to beat Anya's score. Like, did he come from the same place as Anya, or, does his family have a medical/researcher background; stuffs like that

Anyway, back to the tweet. Some people are weirded out with Arnold Crowley's hairstyle, which is not surprising, because me too.

I clicked the comments when I saw this.

What. The Fuck. Is That.

The hair/hat reference! The same last name!

Suddenly everything about Arnold clicked. Why I feel weirded out not just from his hairstyle, but also from his bow tie (which reminds me of a moth's wing pattern). Why his polite demeanor is lowkey making me uneasy. Why he is so interested to meet the runner-up of his strong subject. Why he is so good at classical language.

I was scared. I am scared.

But I was still excited to learn that Crowley was a real person, so I googled him just to make sure.

Oh FFUCK.

Dear God what did I discover.

Arnold Crowley or his parents might be based on Aleister Crowley.

Aleister Crowley is an occultist.

He practiced spells.

Spells often comes from Latin words.

He is also a poet.

A poet also often uses Latin language.

Do you see what I'm seeing here.

Summary:

Arnold Crowley or his parents might be an occultist or poet; that's how he's able to be excelled in classical language.

If Arnold's family is a poet, then thank God.

If Arnold's family is an occultist, I am really scared for Anya. What if he wants to learn if Anya is a fellow occultist like him. What if he wants to invite Anya to join his cult. What if he finds out about Anya's telepathic ability. What if he somehow trigger Anya's bad memories with his magic skills(?). I really want Anya to get tf away from him now.

And here I was so excited with Arnold's appereance, I even joked he'd become Anya's new classmate or even the 2nd ML, lol. But now? I'm really not sure. I better keep an eye on him from now on.

Yah that's about it! Thank you for following me in this short journey! 👋

*Edit: I missed the fact that Aleister Crowley is from British. Now I imagine Arnold speak in British accent and I can't stop laughing 🤣

#spy x family #sxf #spy x family manga #sxf manga #spy x family spoilers #sxf spoilers #spy x family manga spoilers #sxf manga spoilers #spy x family 95 #sxf 95 #spy x family theory #sxf theory #arnold crowley

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iuciferic · 2 months

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I usually don’t make text posts on tumblr because I use this site as an archive for the artwork I post online and I think keeping boundaries online is good. But it’s way too long for Twitter and I’m thanking people who use tumblr in it. But I’ve been self reflecting. Well actually, I’ve been reading the work of Nagata Kabi so it inspired me to write this. This is NOT a negative post btw.

TLDR: if I don’t believe in myself, I gotta believe in the people who believe in me

So. I’m my biggest critic, constantly annoyed at how slow my skills progress, unable to see the good or a single quality in it, basically just posting it the same way you’d hand over a test you clearly failed but at least you tried. Well, today I was scrolling my own blog and scrutinizing my own work. But in between all the work there were all those asks from people who made the step forward to come and express what they think about it. Usually when this happens I brush it off as “oh well, they’re just trying to be nice. I will thank them because I appreciate their kindness in trying to make me feel better”. But if it was the case, they’d probably just leave a like or, they don’t know me so they’d probably just ignore it. I kept reading everyone’s asks inbetween criticizing myself and it made me realize, while criticizing myself is GOOD (it means I see my past mistakes and I’m one step closer to improving), I focus too much on the negative. Some asks were pointing things I never notice about my own work. I think it’s like our own appearance. Many of us will think it’s nothing special but other people will like it. Actually this might be a bad analogy.

I wanted to thank each person (who was off anon so I could directly message them) individually but I’m actually a very shy person and I felt embarrassed like “hey, uhh, yeah that asks you probably don’t remember you sent? I read it 2 months later again and I’d like to thank you again”. I assume replying to old stuff is universally seen as weird by other people. The people might be weirded out. But in case any of you read it (anon or not, know that I am really thankful for everything and it’s thanks to you that I’m having this surge of happiness right now).

This triggered a lot of memories. Back in October, when I was drawing a lot of armored core stuff, I got an email in Japanese. At first I thought it was some google translated bot but, it was actually proper Japanese (if easy to make the difference, even if your level is low). The person was complimenting my armored core stuff and later they actually revealed themselves on twitter. It made my week to know that someone would write such a long email just because they saw what was to me a picture online I just felt “meh” about, saying that they wanted to learn to draw now. (The email was very long, I can’t just dismiss someone writing all that)

Also since I was laid off from my studio job last year, I still received freelance work doing concepts and IU for smaller games (and was even requested to do more work for the previously mentioned studio) and was able to live comfortably thanks to that. But to me it was nothing, like I refused to acknowledge my own achievements. I mean everyone has a job. Why would I congratulate myself? Because you’re doing the job you’ve always dreamed of. Yeah, it’s not a in-house permanent contract, sure I’m not working on AAA, but freelance work is still work and small indie games are often the ones doing unique and interesting things. Plus it’s not the 90’s anymore where you could have a part time job on something that would become a cult classic. The joy I felt the first time I’ve seen my name in the credits roll of a game felt like a victory after a long battle. So yeah.

I still DO need to improve drastically if I want to grow as an artist and get hired on bigger projects and have the career I dream of. (I also need to keep studying for my N2 haha). But I’m happy of what I’ve achieved so far and I’m thankful from the bottom of my heart for the people who voiced themselves to remind me to stop looking at a small detail instead of the bigger picture. We’re all works-In-progress so even if we’ve been shitters so far, doesn’t meant it’s over and we can’t get better. Also I’m conscious I’m lucky enough to have people voicing their feedback, while smaller artists don’t. If anyone has ever complimented your artwork, I would advise to read what they said again.

Also I’ve been contracted to do creature/monster design on a console game starting next week so I’m going to go and beat FF7 Rebirth in 4 days before I’m unable to play it for the rest of the month. 🫡

#this felt therapeutic to write #Kyou.txt #humans are hard to draw - machine and monsters better

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hotwaterandmilk · 10 months

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I'm still not well so this isn't going to be articulate, but I wanted to say something anyway.

In the wake of Grease: Rise of the Pink Ladies (amongst other titles) being purged from streaming I've seen countless posts saying "This is terrible, we need to stop this practice -- they might purge a good show next!" and yeah, for sure a lot of titles being impacted by streaming purges/lack of physical media/a decline in archiving right now aren't going to be remembered for changing the world.

However, I think it is vital that we fight to preserve these titles for their own sake not just because "What if next time it's something we actually like?!" There is value is preserving things widely regarded as "bad" not just because I have firm beliefs about the absurdity of taste, but because who gives a shit if something is deemed "good?" Actual human people put their time and energy into realising these artistic visions. Even if the results are arguably not "good" or "popular", should the efforts of these artists be lost to the sands of time? No, no they fucking shouldn't.

I share a lot of art on this blog from titles very few people consider culturally important or valuabe. However, I don't look at the things I collect & share like that. Even some of the most objectively absurd titles I own are still pieces of art that were developed, published, and consumed by humans in the real world. Whether they've turned out to be broadly memorable or not is irrelevant because they existed and that in itself makes them worthy of preservation so that others can choose to familiarise themselves with them long after the original creative team is gone.

So yes, we should all be trying to preserve the media that's important to us and not let corporations try to stamp out every trace of a financial (though not necessarily artistic) misstep. However, it shouldn't take the threat of something we, personally, like being taken away to stir us into giving a shit.

Even the demise of less admired works should concern us and make us start to burn copies of Grease: Rise of the Pink Ladies because it might not mean anything to you or I right now, but to some kid in 20 years it could be a seminal experience that leads them to follow their dreams. Or it could become a cult classic that people reflect on at watch parties years in the future. Or it could continue to be a footnote in the history of television that nobody really cares about.

Ultimately I don't think it matters what level of value we arbitrarily assign to media now or in the future, we should be trying to preserve as much of it as possible so that generations from now people can enjoy the option of engaging with these titles should they so wish.

#personal #idk i just feel strongly that even trash should be allowed to exist #and all of us be able to access it if we so choose #some of the most meaningful film experiences of my life have involved B movies and other “low” culture properties #i'm not well enough to even start rambling about high and low culture and the rich #but as an audience we should be able to select what we want to consume #and we should be able to access it regardless of local laws or cultural norms #that's why the efforts of archivists and media preservationists from the lost media wiki to the louvre are so important #“but this spongebob ad had no impact on society who cares if it is accessible or not?”#you can't determine the value of something based solely on your own experience with it #so yeah spongebob ads and episodes of wheel of fortune should continue to exist #and so should the trashiest shoujo manga in the world #god and i haven't even touched on how disproportionately things like this affect work by artists of colour #queer artists and disabled artists #it's super fucking shit and i refuse to let streaming take away these media choices #ok back to my covid sick bed

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lesbianboyfriend · 2 months

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can i ask for lesbian book recommendations 🥹🕺

yeassss ofc my love <3

erm and obligatory disclaimer for any who might read that i don’t think “queer” or “lesbian” is a necessarily coherent category of books or adequate descriptor for a novel which is why i’ve also provided the actual genres here (sorted into which ever one i felt best fit) and descriptions. and these books have much more going on than just being about lesbians. however all books are undeniably awesomer with lesbians so yayyyyy

FANTASY:

-the salt grows heavy by cassandra khaw: fantasy horror; murderous mermaid and plague doctor come across a cult of children (could be read as not lesbians bc one character is nonbinary but i choose to read as. lesbians)

-the empress of salt and fortune by nghi vo: political fantasy; monk unravels the tale of exiled empress’ rise to power

-when the the tigers came down the mountain by nghi vo: political fantasy; monk unwinds the tale of a tiger and her scholar lover to prevent other tigers from eating them (stand alone sequel to empress of salt and fortune)

-ship of smoke and steel by django wexler: ya fantasy; girl has to steal a ghost ship to save her sister’s life

-the mermaid, the witch, and the sea by maggie tokuda-hall: ya fantasy; pirate falls in love with one of the ship’s hostages, a girl being sent to an arranged marriage against her will

-tremontaine created by ellen kushner: political fantasy; there’s a lot going on in this one okay just trust me that it’s really good esp if you love political intrigue (this was released serially and is easiest to acquire an electronic version)

-the deep by rivers solomon: fantasy/spec fic; African slave women thrown overboard gave birth to mermaid-esque descendants. one holds these traumatic memories for her whole people and must grapple with that pressure

-wild beauty by anna-marie mclemore: ya magical realism/fantasy; a family of women who can create flowers and whose lovers always tragically vanish fight to keep their land and to unravel the mystery of a strange boy who appeared

-siren queen by nghi vo: historical magical realism/fantasy; girl’s rise to stardom amidst the monsters of hollywood back in the days of the studio system

-gideon the ninth by tamsyn muir: sff; um. how to explain briefly. gideon wants nothing more than to leave the ninth house, but her nemesis harrowhark needs her sword skills to pass the emperors trial and become immortal. sure. (caleb i know you’ve read this just adding for any other viewers yayyy)

HORROR:

-white is for witching by helen oyeyemi: horror fantasy/magical realism; a house with women in its walls calls to miranda silver while the people she leaves behind struggle to make sense of what happened to her

-plain bad heroines by emily a. danforth: historical horror; when filming a movie about the macabre history of a boarding school, its past starts to become the reality for the stars and author of the novel it’s based on

LITFIC:

-girl woman other: contemporary litfic; the intersecting stories of Black british women told in verse

-nightwood: classic literary; i feel like i can’t describe this one well but nora and jenny are obsessed with robin, whose penchant for wandering and inability to commit drives them crazy. toxic dyke drama at its best

-the thirty names of night: lit fic; transmasc syrian american unravels the history of artist laila z who encountered the same rare bird his mother saw right before her death and realizes their pasts are intertwined

-under the udala trees: historical lit fic; coming of age set against the backdrop of civil war in Nigeria, two girls from different ethnic communities fall in love

-everyone in this room will someday be dead: contemporary lit fic; that moment when your ocd lands you a job at the catholic church even though you’re an atheist and also your relationship is falling apart

-stone butch blues: historical lit fic; butch lesbian realizing and grappling with her identity throughout the 40s-70s

-the color purple: classic lit fic; story of two sisters separated in their youth—one is forced into an abusive marriage and falls in love with her husbands mistress, wondering what became of her sister

-oranges are not the only fruit: semi-autobiography with slight fantasy elements; exploring growing up lesbian in a deeply religious pentecostal sect

SCI-FI:

-the weight of the stars: ya sf romance; aspiring astronaut is forced into friendship with a girl who waits on the roof every night for radio signals from her mother in space

-the seep: sci-fi/spec fic; what if aliens invaded and formed a hive mind of everyone and also your girlfriend turned into a baby again. wouldn’t that be fucked up

-the stars are legion: political science fiction; an awakes with no memory amid a group of people calling themself her family who claim she is the only one who can save their world

-not your sidekick: ya sci-fi; superheroes are real and they fucking suck

SHORT STORIES:

-sarahland: contemporary/spec fic short story collection; various stories about people named sarah

#jules.txt #asks #bookshelf

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randomvarious · 2 months

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Today's compilation:

Monsters of Rock 1998 Hair Metal / Hard Rock / Arena Rock /Heavy Metal / Pop-Metal

Good lord, this had to have been one of the most heavily advertised albums of all time, man. I don't know how much ad money the Razor & Tie label shelled out for all of their 'As Seen on TV' comps back in the day, but the commercials for Monsters of Rock and Monster Ballads were fucking inescapable throughout the late 90s and early 2000s, especially. Like, you'd be watching something on cable, and the commercial for this album would come on, so then you'd change the channel, and the same commercial would be playing on there too! And then you'd just force yourself to sit through it, and eventually, through repetition, the entire sequence of little song snippets that gets played throughout the ad would become a permanently etched medley inside of your goddamn mind, destined to haunt your soul for the rest of eternity:

🎶Cum on feel the noize, girls rock ya boys…my, my, my, I'm once bitten, twice shy, babe…poison!…*synths from Europe's "The Final Countdown"*…round and round, what comes around goes around, I'll tell you why…she's my cherry pie, cool drink of water, such a sweet surprise…we're not gonna take it, no! we ain't gonna take it…she's only seventeen, seventeen…here I go again on my own…I'm no fool, nobody's fool, nobody's fool…so hold on loosely…🎶

youtube

Now, the hair metal era may have been the dumbest and most ridiculous period of mainstream rock that we've ever borne witness to—and it's very difficult for me to think of another commercially successful subgenre in which rank stupidity has been such an inherently defining trait—but thanks to a combination of my own nostalgia for these damn Razor & Tie ads and my sometimes weird and ironic affinity for bad shit, after listening to this album, there is really nothing more that I want to do than hitch a ride back to 1990 so I can live out a super corny fantasy as a badass suburban high school senior who cruises through town in a boxy, red sedan with the windows down as these silly songs blare out of my speakers 😎.

But like I said, I am also under no illusion here; I'm fully cognizant of just how patently absurd so much of this music was. And when it comes to the pinnacle of pure trash, I really don't think anything ever quite managed to top Warrant's signature 1990 anthem, "Cherry Pie," which is obviously on this album. Like, have you heard or thought about this tune recently? It really might be the single-dumbest song that's ever been recorded in human history. And as the single-dumbest song that's ever been recorded in human history, it has thankfully and, I guess quite fittingly, been memorialized in some way, since…*checks notes*…you can currently go see the pizza box that its lyrics were originally transcribed on at the Hard Rock Cafe in Destin, Florida… 😭.

🎶I scream, you scream, we all scream for her Don't even try, 'cuz you can't ignore her!🎶

Also, Winger's "Seventeen." Yikes; you can probably guess what that one's about! Talk about songs that haven't aged well at all 😩:

🎶She's only seventeen (seventeen) Daddy says she's too young, but she's old enough for me🎶

Yeah… This one's catchy and all, but, um…no. 👎👎👎👎👎👎👎👎👎👎👎👎👎👎👎👎👎 Really glad we've finally realized as a society that, at the very least, fully-grown adults singing lustily about minors is a very unacceptable thing to do. I mean, it took way too long for us to get here, but at least we've finally made it to this point, right? And I think "Cherry Pie" is probably about a minor too, by the way, but that's also up for debate 😑.

To be clear, though, not every song on this album is embarrassingly dumb and/or skeevy hair metal. I happen to think Living Colour's alt metal classic, "Cult of Personality," is a genuinely great banger. And I also dig the southern rock smoothness of a song like .38 Special's "Hold On Loosely" too; but most of the rest of these are just pure dunderheaded hair metal classics, and a key, overarching feature of this stuff was just how fucking maximally mindless it all was. It's hard to put a finger on what exactly allowed this madness to spread so widely and flourish for nearly a whole-ass decade in the first place, but thank goodness grunge came along when it did and dethroned this stuff from its perch as rock music's top subgenre in the early 90s, because, seriously, this shit was so excessive and outrageous.

All that being said though, and as good and necessary as grunge was back then, I can't help but imagine what a kick-ass time it would probably be to have almost any one of these Monsters of Rock songs come on at the bar while you and everyone else around you are in a highly intoxicated stupor; like, "Black Hole Sun," "Man in the Box," "Interstate Love Song," "Even Flow," etc., might be total jams in and of themselves, but songs like those are probably not gonna do the same trick as something like Alice Cooper's "Poison" can in that type of situation. I mean, when you're fully committed to annihilating some brain cells, it's good to have music that's way ahead of you in order to accompany your experience, right? 😅

Highlights:

Quiet Riot - "Cum On Feel the Noize" Great White - "Once Bitten Twice Shy" Alice Cooper - "Poison" Europe - "The Final Countdown" Ratt - "Round and Round" Warrant - "Cherry Pie" Whitesnake - "Here I Go Again" Winger - "Seventeen" Living Colour - "Cult of Personality" Twisted Sister - "We're Not Gonna Take It" Judas Priest - "You've Got Another Thing Coming" Cinderella - "Nobody's Fool" .38 Special - "Hold On Loosely" Autograph - "Turn Up the Radio"

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onebedtorulethemall · 13 days

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Okay, as you know I just finished Bad Omens, and it was probably the funniest fic I've ever read. THANK YOU for writing this masterpiece.

I adore your sense of humour. Can I ask what inspires, feeds, or fuels it? Because if there is a movie, book, or show you can recommend with more of these vibes, I'm RUNNING to it. I need more of this humour in my life. pronto.

Wishing you well <3

Oh no. You've asked about my favorite topic, I fear. (For anyone else who wants a rambling response from me, feel free to drop the words "Bad Omens" in my ask box.)

Unfunnily, I came by my sense of humor the old-fashioned way—by being fairly ignored as a child. I had a whole comedic routine I'd launch into any time I thought an adult might be about to pay attention. This behavior generally results in either wildly famous adults or extremely annoying ones. I am lucky I have writing to channel it into because I lack basically all the skills to become any sort of performer.

Ok. Obviously, the humor in this fic was mainly inspired by Good Omens. I dissected the book before and during writing to try to get as close as possible to the feel of the original (limited, of course, by the fact that I'm not Neil or Terry). I looked at sentence structure, joke setup and payoff, how and when those narrative asides were used... I remember being amazed by how much of the humor relied on clever adverb usage. Mainly, though, it's the dramatic irony doing the heavy lifting. You swap a muggle for a witch (or the Antichrist for Baby B) and tell the reader you did it, and they're already doing half the work for you. They're ready to laugh. They're bought in. They're spinning up hilarious scenarios in their mind before I've even told the joke (I know this because my comments are full of them).

That's a very long way of saying: I love anything that says "we've set up this absurd scenario, now let's watch it unfold." (Although I don't like when it gets too stressful. That's why the Bad Omens narrator was there to hold your hand through it.)

What We Do in the Shadows is the absolute best for this. Plus classics like In Bruges and Hot Fuzz, both of which I've been casually trying to find a way to adapt into a Dramione for a year now. It's not really the same humor, but I have cried laughing at Veep.

Darker comedies: Fargo and my favorite, Barry. There's an episode in season 2 (ronny/lily) that veers straight off the cliff into surrealism. It's FANTASTIC, and I was absolutely thinking about it when writing the Bad Omens war date. I looooove that feeling of "what the actual fuck am I reading/watching right now?"

And on that note: The Locked Tomb series. Just, please go read it. Join the cult. It's kept me in a book hangover for about two years and I think the only way out is to pass it on to someone else, The Ring-style.

I'll cut myself off here. Thank you for the ask, and for reading and loving my silly little fic. I am first and foremost its #1 fan, and it's just fun to get to talk about it.

(stealth edit because omgggg I can't believe I forgot O Brother, Where Art Thou? Comedic PERFECTION. Couldn't be a Dramione. Snakes buddy comedy, maybe?)

#you asked #i rambled #someone go read gideon the ninth so i can have my brain back #and I forgot to add Discworld #can't get closer to Pratchetty humor than from the man himself

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multiverselab · 5 months

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[SPOILERY]

I think what makes Scott Pilgrim Takes Off feel like such a genuine and welcome addition to the canon despite technically being an AU is a few key factors:

Every character in the series still acts like themselves, and reacts to the new world order accordingly. We get character interactions that we never would've gotten before, especially with the evil exes now having time to evolve. We got to spend more time with everyone in ways that wouldn't have been possible in a straight-up sequel, given how many of Scott's friends dispersed as the series progressed.

When you get down to it, the plot hasn't actually changed. Seven exes must be confronted before Scott Pilgrim and Ramona Flowers can date. Along the way, the two have to confront their own past mistakes that seem to continue to sabotage their present, and evaluate whether it's even worthwhile to continue the quest when their relationship might not even survive it. An all-powerful evil ex waits at the end of the story that can only really be beaten by coming to terms with one's self. The same story, but with different elements.

I don't think anyone expected Scott and Ramona to enjoy a perfect relationship for the rest of their lives after it was all said and done, even if feels good to imagine that they did. Once all the villains are defeated, the only person standing in the way between Scott Pilgrim and a happy relationship is himself. Just because we had room to hope that Scott went on to become a better person that never relapsed on bad habits doesn't mean that the story isn't free to point out just how much of a struggle that'd actually be for him, or for Ramona to fall back on her own unhealthy habits.

We're all older. The millenials are no longer the primary audience of young adult pop culture, and our understandings of how relationships develop and remain have changed accordingly. To have the opportunity to re-evaluate a cult classic story like this with a new outlook on life is a rare opportunity, one that I'm glad Bryan Lee O'Malley and his crew took.

#Also I really don't miss Gideon's mind manipulation shenanigans #Scott Pilgrim #Scott Pilgrim Takes Off #Scott Pilgrim spoilers #spoilers

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jayahult · 10 months

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Spell Alignment in TTRPGs

So. a while back I saw a post about D&D (and close cousins Pathfinder and similar games) and the sort of implicit problems with the morality systems of those games as it relates to magic. As a really basic example, a lot of spells are cordoned off as being considered basically, fundamentally evil, particularly if they relate to necromancy. From a meta perspective this sorta makes sense. The default party is assumed to be either explicitly on the side of the righteous or at the very least mercenary enough to realize that the Cult of the Demon of Backstabbing Machiavellianism are not good business partners, or some combination of the two. You cordon off certain spells to be "baddie only" and you can essentially tweak those abilities however you please and not really upset player balance, while still keeping the option open for an "evil" party.

The problem comes with how spells are labeled as "evil" and the sort of underlying implications of those labels. The classic example is raise dead. You take a corpse, and turn it into a mindless servant that does whatever you tell it to for a period of time. The underlying assumption here is sort of obvious: you're desecrating a corpse and using them as a slave, which is always an evil act. The problem is that this creates a dissonance with basically any contact with reality. The soul has already quit the body, left it behind, and the corpse is a shell. Animating raw clay or iron to serve you is a morally neutral act, but when that raw material used to be a person, it suddenly becomes taboo because of underlying assumptions the creators have about corpses, not because the act of using those raw materials is inherently immoral. And this isn't even getting into the fact that, theoretically, someone could willingly consent to have their corpse brought back as a servant. After all, in real life, people donate their corpses to science or to donate organs all the time. Plus, that servant could easily be used to do good or neutral acts. Nothing really prevents you from running a farm or building a house with undead servants besides maybe the fact that they've got bad ability scores for it. I guess you could argue that you're undercutting the pay of living workers, thus it's evil, but you get the idea.

This dissonance only gets amplified when you start looking at combat-oriented spells and classes that are cordoned off for being evil. To really get into the highest level of this disparity, we can look at The Book of Vile Darkness for 3rd Edition D&D. TBVD was designed explicitly as a sourcebook for more options for evil characters, whether in the party or on the DM side of the screen. Some of these spells make sense for why they're explicitly considered evil. For example, befoul and despoil poison and kill water and food supplies on a mass scale, something often considered a dick move across cultures. However, a lot of them are just... cartoonishly violent? Slash tongue is an eeeevil cantrip that instantly cuts your opponents tongue. It deals one whole point of damage and makes them take some penalties for a few rounds from pain. Sorrow is an eeeevil enchantment spell that makes someone really sad so they take a -3 on all rolls for like, a minute or two at most. Drown is an eeevil spell that makes a target's lungs instantly fill with with water, which you might think would instantly kill them but rules-wise it just makes them start to drown on dry land, with associated penalties to anything to do with speech using their lungs. My point is, when you look at a lot of these spells, they aren't inherently more evil than a lot of the stuff you'd give to players. Acid splash is a very basic spell available to a lot of spellcasters in most editions of D&D that does what it says on the tin: you splash magically-conjured acid onto a target, dealing acid damage to them. In real life, that would be called, you know, an acid attack, and is widely considered to be one of the more heinous forms of assault that can be performed on someone because in addition to being potentially lethal in the right circumstance, it can also leave someone with permanent, visible and disfiguring scars. Fireball, a mainstay of wizards throughout D&D history, is essentially an incendiary bomb that turns enemies into charcoal. The ways in which you could abuse dominate person or polymorph barely need mentioning. Perhaps most weird out of the bunch is the vermin lord - essentially a prestige class who functions sort of as a druid, but for bugs. And they're evil!... because bugs are gross? It's really unclear why vermin are inherently more evil than other animals besides sole, out of universe disgust factor on the part of the creators.

So, how do we resolve this problem in D&D? I dunno. I mean, let's be real here. D&D is not really the best TTRPG for the fineries of moral debate over whether your wizard is breaking international law by casting cloudkill. It's not really that sort of game in any edition. There aren't really hard and fast rules in the base game for determining what alignment particular actions fall into, just general ideas and concepts that are nebulous and shift from edition to edition and even adventure to adventure. The game, mechanically speaking, is not particularly interested in the exact morality of a character, and it's become less interested in this over time across editions. Paladins in 5e, for example, are no longer limited to being lawful good, instead having a specific code of conduct that they adhere to. And from a pure play perspective, I think this change is probably for the better. Without both a strong mechanical system and consistent outlook, all alignment does is 1) delineate what targets are acceptable, 2) delineate what mechanical options are available to certain kinds of players and 3) create arguments at the table with no answer in the rulebook that grind play to a halt.

(This whole myopia did incidentally inspire the only real D&D adventure that I'd like to run someday. The core hook is that one of the player's friends is being attacked by devils, and no one is quite sure why. The players do some fighting, try to figure out the mystery, and then eventually a higher-up from Hell intervenes. He apologizes and explains that the friend in question was targeted as part of a clerical error; a person who was trying to avoid damnation got confused with the friend, and he'll gladly pay for any damages - this sort of thing rarely happens anymore, the first slip-up in a few millennia. When the players inquire further, or get mad at his failure, he will explain the actual structure of the universe. It is, inherently and irrevocably "just." Every good person gets a good afterlife. Every bad person gets a bad afterlife. Every neutral person gets a neutral afterlife. In history, no good deed has ever gone unrewarded and no bad deed has ever gone unpunished. The gods actually engineered the exact scenario that allows adventuring parties like theirs to proliferate. This is because adventuring parties are able to deal with things like vampires, ghosts, liches and other semi-immortal creatures, which are seen as basically trying to "cheat the system" and get out of their just desserts. And then he reassures them that they're doing great work, leaves, and lets the party sort of stew in that revelation. Their reaction - hopefully to try to overturn the system - then becomes the overarching metaplot.)

There is something there to the design element of "action / morality tied abilities" in the context of TTRPGs, though. I think if you really wanted to go all out with it, you'd have to crib a bit from White Wolf-style morality bars, where players have sliding scales representing where they are morally, but instead of relating to humanity, it could relate to different kinds of and levels of magic. As you unlock more powerful abilities and magic, the restrictions you face are more and more stringent. A level one life magician can only take a life if it would prevent another person's death, whereas a level ten life magician has to literally watch where they step lest the crush an insect beneath their foot and lose some of their power. I think there's something there as a design idea that naturally plays into roleplaying.

#ttrpg #dnd #my writing #design thoughts

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the-chosen-none · 1 year

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Harold’s Accidentally Horrifying Vault

Okay, so I’ve made a post here before several months ago alluding to what I picked up on about Vault 29, which is where Harold came from, and I also made a post about it on the classic Fallout subreddit a while back, but I’ve decided do a deep-dive into it here because it is a perfect example of how different writers presumably not communicating with each other plus writers treating something obviously bad as not being that big of a deal accidentally created something way worse than what they might have originally intended.

True, most of it comes from Van Buren and the Fallout Bible, the former becoming very different for New Vegas and the latter being more of a suggestion that writers can use or discard, but a reference to what became of Vault 29 in New Vegas seems to me like it was meant to be an Easter egg for the fans who knew about Van Buren to tell them that this idea created for Van Buren still exists in canon one way or the other.

So basically, Vault 29′s experiment was to put a bunch of kids between 5-16 without their parents to be raised by machines and see what would happen. Depending on if you look at the Fallout Bible or VB, the parents were either originally with the kids but they were elderly and died off soon afterwards, or the kids were separated from the parents immediately. I’m going with the latter, since the former is pretty stupid. I’m skipping a lot of other story stuff surrounding 29 like the whole Derek Greenway part, but this is the gist.

Then, a terminally ill woman who had her brain uploaded into a computer system named Diana Stone learned about the experiment and was horrified, so she took it upon herself to take over the Vault’s computers and raise the children herself.

However, rather than doing this purely out of kindness, Diana decided to play god and raise the children to believe that she was a divine being. When they left the Vault, Diana set up a village for her flock to live in, and much like Arroyo, the so-called “Twin Mothers tribe” would pretty much cosplay as Native Americans, in this case the Anasazi, to live in an agrarian society away from the rest of the world.

My memory is a little fuzzy on what was supposed to happen in VB, so correct me if I’m wrong, but because your player character was a carrier of a plague, they had to find a way to cure it, and so by helping Diana re-establish herself as the ruler of the Twin Mothers, she would help you out, and the cure had to do with the fruits growing from the tree on Harold’s head.

As far as I know, Diana was supposed to be seen as a good person, or at least helping her continue to keep the Twin Mothers in isolation is supposed to be the “correct” decision, even though she started a cultural-appropriating cult which she made herself the spiritual leader of, keeping her people ignorant of the outside world. It really IS Arroyo all over again, except at least Arroyo eventually abandoned their former way of life.

Okay, so most of this has yet to be acknowledged in canon... however, Ulysses does mention the Twin Mothers in NV, and that they were either absorbed or destroyed outright by Caesar’s Legion. Like I said, I think this was meant to be an acknowledgement to the fans who had followed Van Buren’s development, so we can assume that the general outline of the Twin Mothers’ origins could be canon.

Before I move on, I should acknowledge that Vault 29 did get a reference in Fallout 76, where a university student bemoans the thought of having to work with supposedly spoiled teenagers from affluent families, though because this character was not actually working with the Vault when she talked about it, we can assume that she’s not entirely correct in her assessment of the Vault, since the Fallout Bible pretty clearly stated that it was both young children and teenagers in there.

Anyway, so Harold came from a cult? That’s not great, but maybe it doesn’t sound quite horrifying to some of you yet. Oh, I haven’t even gotten to the worst part!

You see, the final piece of canon information about Vault 29 comes from the Tell-Me-About function from FO1 where, if you ask Harold about his Vault, he says that the people had to leave because there was too many people and not enough food and water to go around. If we consider the FO Bible, it says that Harold, and presumably the rest of the residents, left in 2090, 13 years after the War.

A Vault originally made entirely of minors had to leave in just 13 years because of overpopulation, and remember, due to the nature of the Vault’s experiment, these children would have had to be selected before the War, and it wasn’t a case of random people from all over running inside...

At best, Diana ignored what was going on and let the kids run wild because she wanted them to be free-spirited and one with nature and all that, OR she deliberately manufactured this overpopulation either to make as many people as possible for her cult or as a controlling method, real cults have been known to set up marriages and make the victims have children to discourage them to leave.

It’s honestly pretty likely that the writers of Van Buren either forgot or had no knowledge of the Tell-Me-About line, and if they had included the Twin Mothers more in New Vegas, it’s likely that they would have ignored it, but because they have not yet talked about them in more detail within canon, what we’re left with is pieces that have accidentally created something both more disgusting yet interesting than the racist-sounding original idea for Van Buren.

Poor Harold. It’s amazing he turned out as kind and somewhat well-adjusted as he did.

#long post #fallout #fallout harold #fallout van buren #fallout meta

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sepyana · 10 months

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JJBA Stardust Crusaders Ep. 25-29 Thoughts

Aka I ramble on about the N'Doul episodes and some manga differences.

Ep 25 is the start of the second half of SDC. I have been a bit slow so far so I've decided to pick up speed. It's gonna take me 2 months to finish the anime otherwise. I've watched episodes 25 to 33 but I have some extra things to say today, I'm gonna split the post in two.

First of all, the opening. It starts off all mysteries but then the rest of the song is like the first one. It even has Star Platinum's ORA ORA's in it. My favourite part is the start and the sequence with the white lines in it.

Ep. 25-26 (N'Doul)

There is a dog. The dog has a stand, The Fool. To be fair, he is a really anthropomorphized dog, way smarter than the actual thing. They kind of have to do this if he is gonna be part of the team with a stand and all. (Jotaro smiling while Iggy is biting Polnareff's face off was pretty funny. Mr. Emotionless over here thinks this is hilarious.)

It's honestly a crime that N'doul shows up for only two episodes. His design, abilities and personality is sick as hell to me. My fave DIO goon, maybe? Most of the time stands are way more interesting then the goon using 'em. Basic bitch pick, I know. Sometimes things are popular for though.

^ Kakyoin being a piece of shit here was pretty funny. They were arguing so much that N'Doul could sense them. Good work guys.

Episode goes from 1 to 11 real quick when N'Doul slashes Kakyoin's eyes. And he passes out from the shock. Kakyoin getting hurt to show how dangerous the new threat happens a lot, but it seems actually serious this time. I don't think Araki is bold enough to make him lose his eyes for real, but It'd be really interesting development if he did. I'm just saying.

Advol says "No, that's wrong" He says the thing! Guys!!! He also gets his neck cut too ig lol. I'm sure he'll be fine.

Jotaro uses the secret Joestar technique of running the fuck away (to divert attention away from the people he cares about). Classic. He makes sure to grab Iggy on the way.

^ Jokes aside, I thought Jotaro throwing Iggy to not get hit by Geb was really smart. It makes so much sense but I couldn't think of it at all.

I know Iggy is just a dog, he didn't ask for this yada yada I don't care, if the bastard didn't wanna get thrown at 20 mph he shouldn't look so goddamn puntable. Every time I look at him I am filled with rage. I want to kick him like football.

Okay but for real, Iggy is gonna be a hard sell for me. I don't like small dogs but I dislike fart jokes even more, which he unfortunately delivers in spades. I know part 3 has a lot of piss shit and fart jokes in it but Iggy isn't helping!!

Okay the stand-off between Jotaro and N'Doul was excellent. The animation, the soundtrack and the sound design worked really well. And then Star Platinum going HUUUUAAAHHHH

If you didn't think Dio wasn't building a cult before, you'll surely do now. Even Jotaro comments on it. Cults give people a purpose and answers, so...

I do feel a lil bit bad for him. Dio finds the most isolated and depressed people to use them, letting them depend on him. As much as I've been trying to avoid them I get recommended jojos when I search for clips. N'Doul's line "I do not fear death. Just as long as [Dio] doesn't abandon and murder me himself." in one of the games puts it plainly.

It's hard to wrap your head around Dio being charismatic but when you hear his interactions with them it becomes obvious. He acts like he cares for them, whether that's genuine or on is up in the air. Considering everything in Phantom Blood, how much it took for Dio to finally respect Jonathan, I'm inclined to say no? He was definitely meant to be a pure evil Disney villain type of character there. SDC might shake things up, who knows.

Overall, these episodes are great. They have a lil bit of everything I like. Part 1 doesn't feel boring compared to part 2, unlike some other two parters. Not to mention the music picks.

Now, onto something I wanna talk about. I was sort of going thru the manga pages for the last few episodes and,

This line of Jotaro is given to Advol in the anime. And he is less stressed about it. (I know characters get major injuries only to be fine the next episode but like, Kakyoin losing his eyes is a big development. He doesn't show for the next 13 episodes after this.)

^ Too tired to change the lines.

Also, in the anime, It is Advol who holds Kakyoin. (Polnareff holding Joseph isn't in either.) Instead, Jotaro hangs with one hand while the other is casually in his pocket. Which is absolutely hilarious. And shows how anime and manga to treats his character.

I know people arguing over manga and anime Jotaro is -a whole thing- I would hear stuff about it while Stone Ocean anime was still releasing. I will think about this a lot more if I actually read the whole thing. Just talking about these two episodes here.

In the anime, Jotaro needs to look cool all the time always. I assume what they were going for was to make him more stoic so that when his cool guy persona (and it is a persona) starts slipping it has more impact. But the changes made seem kind of random. They changed some stuff in this episode but they have kept the Anubis one largely the same. He is not as agitated there but he is still on the back foot.

He is losing control in this episode. The only reason they made it out alive was because The Fool just happened to be able to fly, he was basically fucked before then. Him looking panicked at Kakyoin losing his eyes also makes sense. He can't do anything about the situation, so naturally, his stoic demeanor starts to dissipate for a while. Kakyoin and Advol has put him on a timer.

I don't think the difference between manga and anime Jotaro is that big but it is notable. I dunno. I would prefer Jotaro breaking the cool mask too much rather than basically never.

Another tidbit is, Star Platinum smiles in the manga way more. And I'm gonna be honest I prefer the anime in this. It goes back to the "Having it less makes the times where it does show up more impactful." thing. So, it can definitely be done in a good way.

Ep. 27 (Oingo Boingo Brothers)

One thing I found strange is how the English dub and sub treats the brothers' names. They normally call themselves.Oingo Boingo Brothers. The English sub calls them Zenyatta Monetta Brothers. The dub straight up doesn't mention their name at all.

Weirdly enough, the the other subs do call them Oingo Boingo Brothers. Is it a cultural thing, or a copyright one? I don't know.

I don't have much to say about this episode. So I'm gonna take the opportunity to talk about Kakyoin instead :D

^ This is from the next episode but there isn't much I can use.

I mentioned before how I thought it would be interesting to blind him. You never see legally blind characters in action stuff, unless they have an ability that let's them sense the environment. Like Toph or N'Doul himself. It's a pain to fight blind, it turns out.

Kakyoin should have a way to see, through the humanoid stand Green Heirophant (unless him being blinded makes Heirophant blind also). Like, It would have been really draining. Summoning the stand is a lot but also the chronic pain from his injury, but he could do it. He could use the eyes for battle situations, or Joseph could have SPW bring him technology that could help him in some way. I'm not gonna call this a missed opportunity, I can see why didn't go with that.

I'm guessing Araki wanted to shrink the cast for a while, like with Advol's "death". 5 man band casts are nice but it can be hard to work with 5 people all the time. Cast is divided again with Polnareff-Jotaro and Advol-Joseph. I went in to check when Kakyoin shows up again (grazing thru the manga) and he is not in the show for 13 episodes, excluding 2 scenes. That's more than quarter of the whole runtime. Advol was away for 9 episodes, and he was suppose to be dead.

I'm a bit conflicted on this, shrinking the cast builds relationships between the characters more in depth and it allows for new and interesting storylines. But at the same time, that's a lot of episodes. I just really like both Advol and Kakyoin, man.

Ep. 28-29 (Anubis)

FINALLY Some swordfighting scenes.

Polnareff goes off on his own, again. He comes across a stand user and gets almost killed, again. Yet he keeps going off on his own anyway. Never change king.

Anubis' shtick is that it's a stand with no user, that gets more powerful the more you fight it. It's like Nasus but way cooler. Not that that's a high bar to pass, anything is cooler than farming stacks for 20 minutes. I don't know where Anubis getting stronger with time comes from, since Nasus also has this It's probably part of the mythology. I know absolutely nothing about that though.

Anubis themselves is also a fun villain. Funny man with funny voice. Their design is the opposite of unique but it works for me. I like that him possessing the kid gives him lipstick.

Going back to Polnareff, I think people forget how powerful he is sometimes. When it comes to power and speed, only one stronger than Chariot in the group is Star Platinum. And Star Platinum is op as hell.

Jotaro vs Anubis drives that point even further, Jotaro is not even sure he can win against Polnareff with Anubis' speed added to the equation. The whole fight is just Jotaro sweating bullets thinking "Shit shit shit shit sh

When he does finally win, he says "What were you saying? You were gonna tear me into shreds?" while Star Platinum puts his hand like this. Just. I love it.

^ Compilation of Jotaro faces for this episode.

Overall, Anubis episodes were pretty nice. I think the Alessi epsiodes do a better job building Jotaro and Polnareff's dynamic though.

#sepya watches jjba #↪ posts

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mask131 · 2 years

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Alright, so... I saw posts and videos going around calling Hocus Pocus 2 one of the worst movies of the year or a bad movie because it is both “incredibly stupid” and “pro-feminism”.

The people who criticize the movie for being dumb clearly don’t understand the charm of Hocus Pocus itself. The original movie was heavily criticized for being dumb or stupid, and it was why it failed upon its release. But did that stop it from becoming a cult classic? No. Did it stop it from being extremely fun? No. Did it stop it from becoming a Halloween classic? No. Did it stop it from creating this unique... I guess I could say aesthetic? No.

I get it when people are not satisfied with the movie for being “less in quality than the first one” or for “not making as much sense as the first one” - because it is here a question of comparing a new sequel to a well-beloved classic. But there are also a lot of people that forget to add “It is stupid... but it is fun!” Because it is fun! It is a big old Halloween comedy. It is so fun - and it was clearly made by fans, for fans, with so many references, easter eggs and nods that sometimes only fans will understand. (And you can already see a wave of “fake fans” rising that watched the first movie a few days before the release of the 2 and yet claim they are die-hard experts with a long love for it ; or people that cleary only know the original from recaps online and try to pose as Hocus Pocus fans. I never thought the Hocus Pocus fandom would be the place where you have fake fans and impostors - but hey, apparently every fandom has it).

So yeah, it might be dumb in terms of plotline. It might be lesser than the first one. But it is just fun, and the people making this movie have fun, and the fans have fun - and if not good as a movie itself, it is still good as a... fan-experience I guess?

But then, the people who claim Hocus Pocus 2 is garbage because it is a “woke pro-feminism shit”... I can’t even understand what is going on in their brain. It just reveals that either A) they might just have a problem with female or gay representation, to the point of seeing any of it as some sort of “woke agenda” ; or B) they are really stupid. For the LGBT representation there’s also the option C) They are completely unaware of the long LGBT history and fame of Hocus Pocus.

I mean... One thing I was glad of when the movie was first released was that people had decent, normal reactions to it. People were either one of two ways: 1) This movie is good! or 2) This movie isn’t as good as the original, but it was still fun. I saw no one disappointed with the overall movie, just with little details or worldbuilding retcons, and overall it still was a good and fun thing (just like for the original Hocus Pocus - it has flaws, but it is still beloved and a classic). And now, ever since one or two days (but maybe more) there is this second wave of so-called Internet critics and online movie experts on Youtube that seek to bash the movie as hard as they can... Some I know for sure hadn’t even heard of Hocus Pocus before its sequel was announced, and just wish to ride shamelessly on the hype to get more views!

It is... it made me angry, but as I am writing these lines, it just makes me tired. Let the fans have their fun.

PS: The worst thing is that, in fact, while the plot itself might be dumber for some people’s opinion, in truth the characters themselves were made more intelligent than in the original. I mean, the Sanderson Sisters are clearly here much more talented, threatening and well-prepared dangers than in the first movie, thanks to them now being warned about both the modern worlds and the tactics they use. I did notice that, that the writing of the movie clearly was done while considering what happened in the first one, so that this sequel would be a logical follow-up in terms of characterization of the sisters, not just a remake of everything they did previously.

There is intelligence in this movie. The movie itself might not be intelligent, but there’s still some clever writing in it.

#hocus pocus 2 #hocus pocus #sanderson sisters

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wonderfulworldofmichaelford · 2 years

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Michael After Midnight: The Unbearable Weight of Massive Talent

There are actors, and then there is Nicolas Cage. Cage is less an actor and more a force of nature given human form, a man who can turn even the shittiest film he’s into a masterpiece with his bizarre yet brilliant acting. This man is the very definition of a character actor. And while he is indispensable in bad movies, Cage is all the better in truly great movies, making a genuinely fantastic experience doubly so by channeling his madness for the greater good. The man is just fascinating to watch.

The question then becomes this: Why the fuck did it take so long for the guy to get a movie that’s basically a giant love letter to his career?

The Unbearable Weight of Massive Talent is a movie about Nicolas Cage playing a version of himself who is quite a bit more egotistical than the real deal, though every bit as weird. It is stuffed to the brim with references to Cage’s oeuvre, and it features him going so far over the top he shoots up from the bottom to go over the top again. It is, quite simply, exactly the sort of thing we’ve come to expect from Cage. I mean, the dude makes out with himself in this one, I’d say it’s harder to get any Cage-ier than that.

But this isn’t just a showcase of Cage’s wild acting skills, it’s a film about why we love Cage himself, and the film would just completely fall apart if not for the Mandalorian, the myth, the legend that is Pedro Pascal. Pascal is playing Cage’s biggest fan, and the unlikely bromance that ensues from their meeting is the very heart and soul of the movie. These dudes play off each other so well, and their friendship is believable and funny. You really are rooting for these guys despite their flaws, and you definitely don’t want to believe Pascal’s character is a bad guy like the CIA are telling Cage.

Pascal’s wide-eyed hero worship of Cage is definitely played for laughs, but while the tongue is firmly in cheek there is a ring of truth to how he’s portrayed. It is quite obvious the filmmakers really love Cage, and that they were passionate about making a film that honored him. There aren’t really any cheap shots about his career, no mockery of his numerous schlocky acting choices; hell, The Wicker Man is given a shout out, and it’s not in a negative sense. The humor comes from poking fun at this version of Cage, a raging alcoholic jackass egomaniac who is well-meaning but seriously out of touch, not at the idea of the man himself.

The film very much is in love with the idea of Cage, and that might be where the only real issue comes into play. This is basically a movie that’s only accessible to Cage superfans, and even if Cage is a wildly popular weirdo actor, that’s still quite a niche audience. It’s no wonder the film didn’t do well despite rave reviews, there’s a very narrow audience who is going to truly ‘get’ this film. Thankfully, as I am a huge Nicolas Cage fan, I loved it a lot, but I can’t really speak for everyone.

Basically, if you love Cage, you’re gonna love this movie. If you don’t love him or have a neutral opinion on him, this might not be the movie for you as a lot of the content will either go over your head or just won’t be enjoyable without the love for Cage. I definitely think this is a fantastic entry in the large library of Cage Cult Classics, and on its own merits it’s definitely fantastic, but it still has such a narrow niche audience that it’s not hard to see why it wasn’t the smash success it deserved to be.

#Michael After Midnight #review #movie review #the unbearable weight of massive talent #nicolas cage #Nic Cage #Pedro Pascal #action #drama

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becthebooknerd · 1 year

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The Secret History by Donna Tartt

"Forgive me, for all the things I did but mostly for the ones that I did not."

Genre: Thriller Rating: 3 3/4 out of 5 Stars

I won’t lie, this book was a daunting one to even start to read. I’d seen it being worshipped on TikTok and was naturally a bit cautious about even buying the book (not saying TikTok has a bad track record of book recommendations - there have been some gems discovered - but some of the ones that get hype are questionable). However, the lovely bookseller who dealt with my many books transaction at the time assured me that it was an amazing book and one of her favourites ever. Her only warning was that it was a bit slow going at times but that I needed to stick with it.

Months later, I finally got around to reading it.

Set somewhere, I think, in the 90’s, although the year is never given and time seems ambiguous throughout, The Secret History is told from the perspective of Richard, a young adult from California, looking back on his time in college. He begins by describing his educational temperament and his many parental issues and both of those combined lead him to Hampden, a college, far, far, away from his least favourite place: home. Once at Hampden, he becomes obsessed with a small cult of classics scholars, led by an even more cultish professor. Naturally, he ends up joining them. Thus begins the descent into murder and the inevitable downfall of the group.

I have to say, I actually thoroughly enjoyed this book - not to sound too surprised at that, but I did. Every time I picked it up, I got sucked in. Although it takes an awfully long time for anything much to happen, I didn’t really find it all that slow. Except, perhaps, towards the end where I began to wonder how and where it would all end. In a similar fashion, I enjoyed the characters up until the end. They’re not supposed to be likeable, that was never the intention, even from the start. They are put on a pedestal by Richard and we watch as they all come tumbling down. That being said, I still became invested in them, I wanted to know more, I wanted to see more of them all. Thinking about it, this was probably Tartt’s intention, we are viewing this group through the eyes of Richard and he is the one who becomes fascinated with them. I found I came to start disliking them at about the same time Richard did too, so this solidifies my theory. In all honesty, this could all be incredibly obvious and I’m just an idiot.

With most books there are, of course, downsides. The main downside of this one? The chapter length. Oh boy did I think some of them were never going to end! Genuinely I think the chapters in this book must be the longest chapters in existence. Don’t even attempt to think you can read a chapter at night. They didn’t help towards the end either, especially after the aftermath. It all felt a little too drawn out, as though she was filling a word count rather than saying anything at all.

It might just have been because I was in a reading slump, which, to be fair, is on me for picking such a book to read while in one, but I have to admit that maybe this book didn’t quite live up to the hype on the internet. That being said, I did really enjoy it and I do think it’s good. But, like anything spoken about online, most of it is over-exaggerated. I do think this book is a bit like marmite: you either like it or you don’t. I think I fall into the category of ‘like it’ but you won’t know yourself until you read it.

#the secret history #donna tartt #book #book review #books #bookshelf #bookworm #book nerd

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annyankers · 2 years

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GOD OKAY-- NOBODY’S DAUGHTER and by extension DISSOLVED GIRL:

what is nobody’s daughter?

JOAN: What I always wonder about: The one egg, one sperm, one zygote before it split, there might have been a consciousness. Where did it become two consciousnesses? That may be what identical twins experience: the oneness that used to be, before it became twoness. JEAN: Maybe that’s why we feel more whole together than when we’re separated. — Two of a Kind, Vogue

I marathoned the entire series in oct 2019 (hard to say if it was for the first time or not since i VIVIDLY remembered parts of hush from my childhood, but we can safely say “for the first time i remember”) while i was doing inktober and a thought that came to me was “what about twins? How does slayerness work there”, from there I had little thought experiment which did not stay little. obviously. basically the thought is that where the slayer line reads fraternal twins as 2 separate people, it fails to do this with identical twins. Which means that while everything else about them remains autonomous, the slayer spirit or whatever is stretched between the two, linking them on a deep metaphysical level that cannot be undone and has serious ramifications.

Cue Brooke’s inclusion.

Nobody’s Daughter is a series rewrite that sets out to include Brooke, Buffy’s twin and several other ocs into the series and then you know, take their existence into account in the plot and stuff.

Brooke herself is more of the Slayer side of the Slayer and Girl conversation in macro that she and Buffy represent. Brooke is loud, physical, straightforward to the point of seeming rude at times, proud and bad at losing, an ex-soccer star who fell into drugs and Demon Crime™ when the watcher systems failed her when they were first called. Her style of fighting is more physical and violent. Slayers need a weapon? She has one. Herself. No stakes required. She’s also at what could easily be the lowest point of her life when we meet her in Miss World, having just got out of inpatient rehab after flirting with a drug problem and unable to really do much with herself after having always having a Plan.

She and Buffy aren’t opposites, they’re complimentary. Symbiosis and all that shit.

OTHER PROPOSED OCS: Kat Farwell — the heir of one of the oldest, most powerful and evil families in Sunnydale, her family was in league the Mayor and has ties to Wolfram & Hart. The family is part of a cult that worships one of the Old Ones, an Old One (of creation/life & death) and is generally involved in horrific things, very Silent Hill. Kat is part of a generations long plan/goal to bring their god forth into the world. Kat sees a lot of weird ass shit pm all the time. She’s a good person generally but forced into doing evil things to keep domino effects and such from happening. Even when she’s full blown Old One she’s not super evil more like iffy. The only other surviving art club member with Saoirse.

Saoirse Moran — Girl from Ireland who’s family moved to Sunnydale because of work stuff or similar. Is psychic and precognitive in a less specific way than the PTB seer is, closer to the more classical concept. The only other surviving art club member with Kat. Foresees that she’ll be turned into a vampire by Angel at first meeting and comes to terms with it over time and makes sure it goes through as it’s a critical point that will allow her to be there for a lot of very important things she’ll be needed for in the future. Is in active communication with her soul/ghost as a vampire and they team up on shit. Capable of a lot of weird ass and esoteric magic and shit because she’s just following w/ the voices in her head she’s channeling info from.

Sydeny — Australian Super Warlock. Not his real name. About as ethical as a dark magics guy can be. Very punk, like dyed mohawk, tats and plaid punk. Takes Brooke under his wing. Has absolutely had sex with her. He and Brooke started up a demon parts chop shop to take care of the corpses she makes on patrols which he then sold for profit.

Beck — Fairly similar to comic!Beck. Used in a ritual to house a fire elemental at a very young age, was found in the ashes of the ritual and returned to her parents but is unable to control her new powers and burns down the house killing them. This is a pattern for years as she’s moved from home to home to institute to institute, burned out buildings and bodies until she lands in Mosiac Wellness Center at about 14 and has been making progress with her pyrokentics and mental illness since then. Eventually comes to live at the Hellhouse as part of her attempt to reintegrate into society. Spike may become her legal guardian since she’s judged not able to handle things herself even as an adult.

Dr. Inez Price — Brooke’s therapist. A no nonsense witch from the 1900s who might seem mean but dang it she gives a care. Possibly married to a Vampire and has magic made kids.

Charlotte Worth — faith’s new watcher that Gwendolyn impersonates, she’s just Emma frost but a watcher/necromancer

ONE’S I’M A LIL IFFY ON NOW BUT IDK MAYBE I’LL STILL USE THEM??:

Mateo Torres — half demon that Brooke meets at either Mosiac or SDHS and becomes her best friend. Very stable and kind and not easily annoyed. He loves dance and music, wrangles Brooke into being his dance partner since half demon and slayer and forms a band with her and beck bc of her music therapy shit. Has a crush on Buffy from fairly early on but never pushes it, is fully in love with her by S4 but again doesn’t push things since he’s not interested in being a rebound or anything like that. Likely begins dating her tho at the end of S4 or in S5 tho bc Fuck Riley.

Maria / Myarazsta’shuatl — minor old one or insanity demon rank or two below that Dr. Nyth / Ny’thachamp — minor old one or fear demon rank or two below that

Kozrar Torres — Mateo’s dad. A [Strang] demon. Huge as fuck, built like a brick house and has a pretty chill attitude. Owns a gym.

Francisca Torres — Mateo’s mom. A potential slayer who aged out and was annoyed that so much of her life had been dedicated to training for something that never came and in a rebellious move started to spend more time in demonic spaces in the same vein as Willy’s and Carnitas and looking for work that put any of that potential training to use. She met Mateo’s father a [strang] demon (might just use that name bc it’s from the comics so semi-canon and means I don’t have to think of 1 myself but also gives me TONS of room) who she danced with and was utterly charmed by him and they hit it off. A whirlwind romance led to a loving marriage. Decides to teach the scoobies and Joyce some combat stuff.

Heidi Williams — girl Brooke saves from a vampire at a party. Attaches herself to Brooke, basically becomes her Pike. They start dating but it’s all very Woof bc of the timing and drugs.

THEORETICAL FICS IN THE SERIES ASSUMING I CAN FUCKING GET THIS SHIT WRITTEN:

(yes all the titles are Hole songs and yes they’re VERY RELEVANT to the THEMES OF THE STORY)

(also Dawn is here from day 1)

Miss World: I'm miss world, watch me break and watch me burn / No one is listening my friends, yeah / I made my bed I lie in it / I made my bed I die in it

Buffy is working her ass off to stay in denial land. Brooke just wants to be allowed out of the house without a chaperone. Someone still ends up dead in a puddle.

Jennifer’s Body: He said, "I'm your lover, I'm your friend / I'm purity, hit me again" / With a bullet, number one, kill the family, save the son / Himself / Himself

Angelus time. Protecting Buffy from her psycho ex and his loser pals sends brooke back into bad habits and off the deep end in more ways than one. Kendra survives because I say so.

She Walks On Me: Hold you close like we both died / My ever-present suicide / My stupid fuck, my blushing bride / Oh tear my heart out, tear my heart out

Buffy’s back from her depression job in LA and Brooke’s out of Mosaic Wellness Center again. Things are weird and awkward and made only more so when Brooke and Faith start sucking face and Angel’s around being even more broody than before. Ends with stabbings and comas and snakes.

Good Sister / Bad Sister (subject to change bc of possible plot changes): Good sister, bad sister / Better burn that dress, sister /Scar tissue, blood blister /Suck up on the dregs, sister

Philosophical differences about demons get between the sisters. Also Adam and Walsh are there. Brooke is anti-establishment, Buffy hasn’t taken those 101 classes yet. Saorise has left the cast and is in Dissolved Girl at this point.

Burn Black: Now you complain and say you want the keys / Over my dead body, baby, that's where they'll be / Forget the knots around your neck / You say you remember, baby, you forget

People all seem to finally have their shit together. Naturally that means everything has to fall apart on a new and utterly spectacular level. Twins fuckin’ Die.

Violet: When they get what they want, they never want it again / When they get what they want, they never want it again / Go on, take everything, take everything, I want you to /Go on, take everything, take everything, I dare you to

The afterlife and post death experiences of the girls are very different. Brooke steps up to take care of Buffy while she struggles to get used to being back. Also everyone is falling apart.

Heaven Tonight: Here comes the sun in the form of a girl / She's the finest sweetest thing in the world / Take you to heaven tonight

Twin sisters and their pet vampire have to get their friends to be Actual Helpful while they run the biggest sleepover this side of the apocalypse. Spike might live. Saorise cameos.

What is Dissolved Girl?

Dissolved Girl is the ATS companion series to Nobody’s Daughter that follows the lives of Saoirse, Angel and Faith, then later Kat when she joins their cast in s4. Naturally it’s all dark and moody and shit. Deals with things like fate, destiny, mirrors and cycles and the facets of identity. Very much just in development/notes world only atm for obvious reasons.

(yes again all song titles and yes all relevant to the season Vibes)

Season 1: Pull Out The Pin Season 2: Cover Me (Björk) Season 3: How Soon Is Now? Season 4: Space Oddity Season 5: Karma Police

#nobodys daughter #dissolved girl

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aurelion-cerulean · 2 years

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Turning Up The Fear

Now that I’ve finally rewatched S1 and reviewed my horror tropes, let's talk. How are they going to make S5 scary?

Issues:

We already know the bad guy.

We already know what he can do.

We already know that he is going to be defeated.

We already know (roughly) who is going to defeat him. (or we got some pretty good guesses)

TBH I am not envious of the creators. They are going into this final fight with both hands tied behind their back. We’re scared of Vecna, but after 2 years, there will be a sort of lack of said fear (by virtue of the gap in time). We know what he can do, so really we’re just worried about our faves being hurt, and yet at the same time we aren’t even sure they can die. Deep down, at least I have this feeling, there is probably a sense that the main cast can’t die. And either the creators are going to have to prove that this is wrong (and kill someone early) or make us think that it's possible that they will die (and possibly really injure others).

The second option is far harder than the first to execute, but the creators are so attached to the characters that I wonder if they’re going to have the guts to actually kill someone we care about. And if they are going to kill someone we care about… well then we have to go through the grief of that (and the fact of how that makes a quote “beautiful” ending.)

So, they have to make us tense. Hard enough. They also need to make us scared, but what can we be scared of when we already know the gimmick? And look, they can easily make it action-horror film scary. However, they said they wanted to go back to their S1 roots. Thus. That changes things. S1 was like your typical cult classic creepy horror, right? It was a mystery and a drama all wrapped up into one.

Now, we have a pretty good idea of the drama aspect of this season. We don’t really have a mystery. So it’s gonna have to be a different type of horror. Which I present to you as the: home intruder horror narrative mixed with Apocalypse.

Concepts:

Around every corner vecna, or a monster, could be lurking.

We will get fake outs but there probably will be jump scares and a lot of shadow work.

Lingering tension through the use of lighting, music, and things that we as the audience can see but the characters do not notice.

Creepy, unsettling, off kilter: the known world is about to become the unknown world in full. Strange shadows, tensions are rising.

This is going to revolve around subverting tropes. If we get someone Vecna’d. We might think it’s one person (Will) and it’s someone else (Mike). They are going to be forced apart even when they know they need to stay together.

Additional Possible Tensions:

Dangers they have to face and not being sure how to defeat them.

A lot of destruction in general.

I can see the military as an added tension, along with trying to convince the town, and the fear of either of them not turning on the group.

If we get a true Apocalypse season, we are probably going to see Apocalypse trope subversions.

One of these in particular is that in those settings usually big communities do not end up working, because of the distrust. If I’m right about the town needing to come together against Vecna, then this will be subverted as a trope.

There is also probably going to be a lot more fighting in general this season than before, and I would not be surprised if tertiary characters die.

In general, I’m predicting the last season to be darker, and more tense in most regards, so that they can keep the horror aspect going. However the general plot will probably be more uplifting (as it is a coming of age tale).

#stranger things theory #stranger things season 5 theory #stranger things season five theory

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