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reversecreek · 3 years

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hi it’s me... clicks across the linoleum of the dash wearing high heels w a spray tan like i’m a member of jersey shore suddenly..... best summary of willa is that she got moira rose as her #1 chara on a What Character Are You Most Like personality test out of thousands of options.... says so much. u can find her pinterest here n her playlist here 😋 like this or hmu fr plots!!

* ashley moore, cis female + she/her | you know willa deneurve, right? they’re twenty-four, and they’ve lived in irving for, like, most of her life, on and off? well, their spotify wrapped says they listened to watch me by the pom poms like, a million times this year, which makes sense ‘cause they’ve got that whole sticking gold stars over old polaroids until you can barely see faces, dressing as marie antoinette at your high school prom & delivering fake laughter to a bratz doll you’re pretending is a talkshow host thing going on. i just checked and their birthday is august 1st, so they’re a leo, which is unsurprising, all things considered. ( nai, 24, gmt, she/her )

HISTORY:

willa ws born to honestly like….. the perfect family not to honk my own tit bt……………. they were jst rly quite wholesome. her mum celeste was this larger than life person who could never b contained by the four walls of any room she was in. she hd the presence of a gold glitter chess piece on an otherwise mundane wooden board. her dad marlon used to always joke that he had absolutely NO idea how he landed her bc he was just this like. rly average guy by all accounts n purposes….. blended into the sea in high skl……. had a few close friends but was never rly Notable or made a proper impression anywhere…… he always retold it as him coasting thru life until he met her in college. kind of like he’d been half awake before. they just Clicked n no-one cld believe she’d chosen him bt she was jst. completely head over heels n didn’t care what anyone had to say bc that was That

willa always very much took after celeste…… there’s this one quote i remember reading that goes vaguely like “my mom and i would sit and listen to leonard cohen and joni mitchell lyrics together. from a young age i remember her being like "i’m playing this song and when it’s done i want u to tell me what’s happening in it” n she would give me a fake glass of wine when i was 8 and i would listen and b like. i think there was an affair.” which so much summarises their dynamic…… she ws just so like. dramatic n fun n always encouraged that in willa too. her mum was like. everything she aspired to be…… got scouted by a modelling agency in college n shot one campaign before blowing it off simply bc she was bored. starred lead in a play. spent a few weeks travelling asia selling handmade candles shaped like koi fish or curled up foxes or elegantly stretched hands. dated a parisian movie star during a break she and her father took n was featured in tabloids on his arm at the premiere. sm fun n exotic stories willa literally cldn’t get enough. whenever she’d tell them to willa as a kid her dad wld roll his eyes like ohhhhh here she goes again but it’d all b playful n he’d smile bc he honestly cldn’t get enough either. the stuff dreams are made of luv (lizzie mcguire stans rise)

(car accident & death tw) so u know when ur walking down a flight of stairs n then out of nowhere u miss a step n u get that lurch in ur stomach like ur in free fall? yeah. i won’t go into it too much but one night they were driving back from getting frozen yogurt and then suddenly they weren’t. she doesn’t rly remember much about it except for completely ignoring the doctors trying to give her the news and just saying “dad chose pecan. who chooses pecan?” n repeating that over n over n over until it didn’t rly register in her ears as english any more.

willa was uprooted from irving at 11 to go n live w her aunt in NY. this was like. a huge adjustment honestly….. her aunt blanche hd always been a little unconventional bt extremely glamorous. she lived in an old defunct theatre she’d bought out n came from a lot of money. willa’s mum’s side of the family hd always been well off bt celeste opted to live a little more Ordinarily shall we say after settling whereas blanche ws jst balls to the walls dripping w eccentric excess…. wld say she was never naked bc she ws always wearing black opium by yves saint laurent…… probably the living embodiment of la vie boheme….. she’d been admitted a yr early to a rly prestigious parisian design school n is an AMAZING seamstress. a corset she stitched a broadway star into got commissioned fr an actress’ red carpet walk at an indie film festival. rly just lived such a life rich w lots of stories n lots of talent too…… had that star quality essence tht her mum had n that was smthn willa found quite comforting everything considered.

(grief tw) u would think maybe a situation like this (one involving so much sudden change) wld cause a kid of tht age to withdraw into her shell bt willa only came out of her shell MORE. she coped w her situation by spinning it into a celebrity origin story inside her head. the tear jerker tale someone tells during their x factor audition to get the judges rooting for them. mentally streamlining things. repackaging all that hurt as a surefire ticket to success bc it had to be useful for something right? there had to b a point to it right? willa decided the point was she’s a star. KFHSGKFHGFKHGKJSFHG. get it girl….. she ws literally just like ok well clearly i’m destined to be famous n i’m the main character of this story. this story called earth. it’s all about me.

rly heavily immersed herself in her high skl theatre scene……. loved experimenting w fashion n literally wore the most outlandish things like. she treated the hallways like her milan f/w debut every new school yr…… a lot of the things she wore were actual like. costumes frm her aunt’s collection…… she has a multi-story closet u have to climb ladders to reach things in like a very rustic library…. it rly wasn’t uncommon for willa to turn up one day corsetted like a pirate with billowing sleeves or sporting the baby blue gingham of a swedish milk maid. it’s like she literally jst…… became a role. always. every day. the world ws her stage. the cameras were always rolling. her aunt only encouraged this tbh n honestly? icon. we love to see it. willa partied a bunch n rly lived a lax lifestyle where responsibility was concerned…. her aunt ws her best friend…… made rly gd friends with performers in the drag club scene n loved the glitz of that….. lots of wild nights turned grossly bright mornings

snagged an agent fresh into her first yr of college (she gt accepted to a pretty competitive theatre program at [redacted] in NY bc i haven’t looked into what that wld be yet <3 i’m merely a helpless british lass <3) n booked a few commercials n things….. when i say willa wld enter audition rooms like she owned the place i’m rly not exaggerating…. once she turned up to a casting call for MEN n just walked right to the front of the line scraping a random chair along the way n then took a seat w her legs crossed popping a bubble in her gum as they all glared at her like wtf is literally going on who are u. she received several complaints n she was just like “ur all acting so jealous of me….”

i feel like she got a pretty big role in a theatre production in her last yr at school. haven’t decided what yet. maybe smthn rocky horror or even mimi in rent. this was meant to b some like huge moment for willa like yes girl finally making it ur on ur way this is what u wanted n she WAS happy abt it but once it was wrapped she jst had this strange like Huh feeling in her chest……. n a la celeste w all her exciting stories was just like well i’ve done that so what’s next? i think she’d graduate n then jst suddenly decide to move to irving in a fit of impulse. to all her college friends she’d be like “ugh a beach retreat is so necessary honestly the city is sooooooooo toxic this place cld literally enlarge my pores if i wasn’t so rigorous with my skincare routine” bt like 🤔 what u seeking girl? results pending.

SO basically i feel like she finally moved back to irving little over a yr ago. she hd a brief stint starring on a reality tv show tht filmed in one of the larger beach houses where her dog gained a handful of fan accounts dedicated to him……. u maybe will see why in the first bullet point of her personality section………… FKGHKSHFGGKFSHKHG. honestly she ws received pretty well too (mostly bc she’s so fking dramatic n like a caricature of a person) bt it wasn’t anything to warrant actual Fame (despite what willa herself might think). she’s mostly jst like. chilling honestly. accepting scripts n flying out fr auditions still. she’ll nab the occasional part bt she’s looking for that One Thing that rly feels like her big moment….. otherwise i cn just imagine her treating irving like a little dollhouse compared to the roaring mansion of NYC n having fun playing around in it. strikes a pose w a hand on my hip…. and now to personality.

PERSONALITY:

got a very large n lithe greyhound n named him marlene dietrich bc she was a black n white hollywood starlet famously known for her affairs n “bedroom eyes”. willa was like ugh. icon status instantly. didn’t rly foresee the responsibilities tht came w owning a dog tht loves exercise n complains abt him being like “ugh he wants to run soooooooooo much 🙄 like where are u literally going”. having said tht loves him dearly n he can often be seen wearing little clothes. a baby’s bonnet. a quilted leather waistcoat. a custom dog boa. he’s very glamorous. willa calls him a gay icon despite no evidence to support this theory. she also says he can sniff out evil in ppl so she brings him sometimes when she’s first introduced to a friend’s new bf n if his nose quivers a certain way she’s like “marlene has spoken. it’s done”. her friends r like omg? what’s done? willa gets up n walks away without elaborating. marlene’s little paws clicking along the floor w attitude.

literally dressed as marie antoinette for her high skl prom even tho there was no theme pertaining to this. jst loves the spotlight. can fake cry and WILL to get out of a parking ticket or teach someone to watch their tone or even simply for the theatrics of it all. the Most dramatic………….. rly fits being an actress like when people find out what she does it’s very like oh that makes sense.

says she doesn’t get hangovers. she’s just like “i revoked that it doesn’t happen to me”. alludes tht this is bc she’s an all powerful deity that was Chosen to be Blessed bt really she’s jst great at bouncing back n acting fine even w a blistering headache. it’s about believing the performance so much that u even convince urself.

has an extremely elevated sense of self importance bc this is kind of the equivalent of several layers of bubble wrap to cushion her frm the world. strives to b extraordinary bc ordinary honestly feels like a death sentence n there’s nothing she’d want to b seen as less. despite this weight she puts on that she rly doesn’t tend to let ppl’s opinions affect fr the most part like she’s quite firmly set in this I’m Literally The Most Gorgeous And Beautiful Angel Star Creature To Walk This Narsty Little Earth view

probably an incredibly big fan of dramatic short lived love affairs. she wants the glamour of it all. the scandal. the randomly breaking up w someone in a public place n sliding on sunglasses after delivering the words over a freshly ordered coffee (tht she’ll leave without drinking bc that’s star power babey she waits fr no man or no hot beverage)…….. has no preference gets w any n all regardless of gender……… romanticises things so they hv a better spin or story in her head n doesn’t rly take things seriously like jst has fun in her fantasy world…. she’s like ugh chuck i know u wanted to marry me but i’m a beautiful bird in a cage n u literally need to undo the latch n set me free……. the guy’s like……. my name’s chase n we’ve only been on two dates….. willa’s like…… please don’t take this so hard i can tell ur besides urself but people r starting to stare……. gets up n leaves. no-one was staring. chase is confused n honestly probably semi concerned fr her welfare.

always has to b the hottest n most glamorous person in a grocery store…. probably goes to them when she doesn’t even need anything jst holding a basket nonchalantly over her forearm glancing over at a cashier in her wizard of oz corset seamed interpretation on a dorothy dress thinking he wants me soooo bad it’s not even funny….. seduces him over the check out counter jst for him to ask her to come back to his so she can lean back scandalised n cry “IS THAT THE KIND OF WOMAN U THINK I AM, PAUL?! YOU’RE A GHASTLY LITTLE MAN, YOU ARE….” with all the gusto of a telenovela. attracts the shocked glances of all surrounding elderly.

speaks fluent french. probably on her brief stint on tht reality show i mentioned earlier was like “ugh can you believe Deneurve of this guy?” n in her head was like this catchphrase is sensational it’ll catch on fast the twittersphere is abt to implode but it didn’t become a thing except for in a small isolated community. despite this she’s like “yeah it went viral….. go figure. just another day in the life.”

honestly like a lot of fun bt also a huge handful at the same time. keeps her real Serious emotions in a locked box bt is always overflowing w melodramatics n rly giving her all at the drop of a hat where Performing is concerned. probably Loves parties n sees them as another form of production in which she wants to b the lead. rly just. loves herself. except does she? 🤔 lifts my hand up like rihanna n winks. find out next time. lucky by britney plays as i slowly disintegrate in spiderman rp…..

WANTED CONNECTIONS

unrequited flame: willa burns thru people like matches. bright n fast. honestly i feel like she struggles to take romance seriously so it cld be fun to play around with someone who’s been singed by that in the past…. mayb they hd actual feelings whereas willa was just messing around n having fun…. living la vida loca so to speak…….. we can discuss a time frame or specifics to expand upon this but. sexy angst perhaps.

those she knew from childhood: willa moved to NY at 11 n i feel like it was very sudden n soon after the accident. maybe she didn’t even say goodbye. maybe they were rly close n all of a sudden she didn’t show up to school the next day n when they rode past her house on their bike the sign said sold and that was that. honestly very dramatic of her even at a young age. we love a disappearing act. houdini who?

acting rival: honestly jst feel like this cld be funny. willa’s so dramatic she’d be like i literally want them dead they’re a despicable little gremlin fr trying to steal my spotlight. cld be as simple as having auditioned a few times fr the same parts or something.

childhood sweetheart: i think it cld be rly cute n sad if there was someone that kind of echoed the dynamic her mum n dad had except she was the celeste n they were the marlon…. (open to any gender)…….. so like. willa was always very larger than life commanding attention in a room n they were more to the sidelines but they just kind of got each other n brought out the best in one another. added angst to the fact tht willa wld maybe want to avoid them as much as possible now bc it dredges up feelings she doesn’t want to confront where her parents r concerned n also in a way any possibility of them winding up together feels like sellotaping an expiration date to both of their foreheads in willa’s brain

someone who was either a fan of or also on the reality show willa was: i imagine it like a reinvention of the hills honestly except based in these irving beach houses…. probably didn’t run that long bt there was a bunch of drama on it mostly staged…… maybe they were willa’s love interest bt it was all fake fr the cameras…… it wasn’t like. a huge deal n didn’t rly catch flight so much where popularity’s concerned bt. cld be fun to play with <3

patti frands: jogs in high knees to translate that into party friends as i adjust my spectacles. willa’s very sociable bt she’s also like kind of full of herself n obnoxious so do with that what u will. KFHGKSHGKGHFSKG. she knows hw to have a gd time tho like growing up she was rly into the gay club scene n the drag scene in NY so like. let’s hear it fr the gays who know how to do it right <3

someone equally over the top: i luv the idea of willa having someone who just like runs with made up scenarios n roles she makes up on the spot n them hanging out is like a 24/7 improv session tht they reel random surrounding strangers just fr the fun thrill

the other woman: willa is quite detached n selfish so she wld easily be the other woman in a relationship n not care about it n this cld make for good spice <3

#irvingintro #death tw #car accident tw #grief tw #i think tht's all of them #smiles at u all w hand on hip #this intro's so beefy bt wht else is new truly just can't control myself apparently... shocked. aghast. shaken.

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theageofsims · 3 years

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Movies!

Just for Fun -- I tag @fuzzysebastianstan @ford-costner-brosnan and anyone else who would like to participate! Adding images is optional.

Here Goes...

- A movie you’ve seen most times in cinema.

I'm probably going to get stoned for this, but "Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull". Why? Because aside from Harrison Ford being the only actor (still alive) that I'll pay to go see (and see more than once), it was during a time where I was working and earning my own money so I could justify going to see it more than once instead of having my parents give me some money.

How many times did I see it? THREE times and with different people. I saw it with a co-worker friend on opening day. Then I went back the following day to go see it with a childhood friend and her then boyfriend, and then the day after I begged my mother and her man-friend to meet me at the theater.

I say stoned because there's so much hate for Indy 4 (and Indy 5 is facing the same sort of doom, I imagine), but anyway -- there's parts of the movie I could have done without, but as far as Harrison coming back as Indiana Jones? I give him an A++ because you know all the A++'s I've got in my bag are for him and him only. All my HF fan-friends say the same thing -- we'd pay to listen to him read from a phonebook and that's the goddamned truth of it all! :P

It'll be interesting to see how many times I go see Indy 5... times have changed, Covid is still lurking, forms of transportations are a little hard to come by, and the movies have gotten far more expensive than they were in 2008 (and in 2008 they were already expensive!), so this may be the only standing experience... no regrets!

I don't have to insert images... but I'm gonna insert images because this scene alone was enough to bring my behind back...and back...and back...

(Gotta shout out a fellow Ford Fan Friend [that’s A LOT of F’s!], @ford-costner-brosnan )

- Your most re-watched movie.

Most likely "Nightmare Before Christmas" and "The Grinch" (original 'animated' version) mixed in with "Christmas Vacation" and “Hocus Pocus”. Those were some of the movies I watched since I was a kid and into today where I go to during the reoccurring Holiday seasons.

- A movie you quote on a daily basis.

Far too many to count, but today my mom was reading about Chinese horoscopes and mentioned that my dad is an Ox. I just remembered, "Pool was right, you are an Ox...and a moron!" said by Sylvester Stallone in my most all time favorite movies, "Oscar".

- Favorite movie soundtrack.

Hands down -- "Pocahontas" and "Nightmare Before Christmas". They're both my heart and soul.

- Top 5 films of your favorite actor and actress.

*Harrison Ford

This isn't an easy question... I have top 5/6 characters, movies, and then his iconic films/characters (Star Wars, Indiana Jones, and Blade Runner) are in their own category... so like IS aid this isn't an easy question.

Characters: Linus Larrabee from "Sabrina" Norman Spencer from "What Lies Beneath" Quinn Harris from "Six Days Seven Nights" William "Dutch" Van Den Broeck from "Random Hearts" William Jones from "The Age of Adaline" Joe Gavilan from "Hollywood Homicide"

Films: “Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom” “Patriot Games” “The Fugitive” “Sabrina” “Regarding Henry” “What Lies Beneath”

*Cary Grant:

“Monkey Business” “Notorious” “Indiscreet” “Charade” “Suspicion”

- A movie storyline you wish you had actually lived.

I've never even thought about this, but if it involves kissing my favorite actors (or more)... show me where I sign! :P

- A movie that reminds you of your mom.

Any movie with Robert De Niro when he goes full-on Italian gangster... because that's my Italian mother for sure! I actually tell her, "Alright calm down De Niro!" when somebody or something set her off! :P

- A movie that reminds you of your dad.

A movie with a good soundtrack because I remember when I was a kid my dad just liking to put on movies sometimes to listen to their soundtracks. Anything from The Sound of Music to Nightmare Before Christmas, he just loved a lot of it for the score/music in it.

- Favorite movies from your childhood.

Far too many to count. We were always watching movies when I was younger. We enjoyed a lot of Disney movies like "Aladdin", "The Lion King", "Pocahontas", "Nightmare Before Christmas", as well as movies my brother loved. He's 7 years older than me so we watched a lot of Jim Carrey movies like Ace Ventura and The Mask as well as Weird Science and stuff like that. Oh... and Batman. LOTS and LOTS and LOTS of Batman... can't say I minded... Michael Keaton is the *only* Batman I'll ever care about...

(I guess it’s a good time to say that Michelle Pfeiffer is the only “Catwoman” to me as well...” ) - Favorite quote(s).

I don't have -- too many good ones!

- Favorite year for movies

1995 -- at least for me. I feel like all things films and music from 1995 I loved more than I can properly even explain or even know how to explain -- but seriously, if asked what my favorite Era(s) of movies were? I'd have to say the 50s, 80s and the 90s.

- Favorite Director movies?

Tim Burton -- hands down. I don't like everything he's directed, but there's nobody like him... he's incredibly unique and I really dig that.

- A film you wish you had seen on the big screen.

I really wish I could see a Cary Grant movie on the big screen -- any of them, but he was so-so-so before my time.

They bring classic films to the big screen from time to time, so there's that I can may someday get a chance to see. I'd love to see any with Cary or any of Harrison's stuff before 2008.

- A movie you’ve seen that you think no one else’s here will have heard of?

"Oscar" HAHA. I swear nobody outside of my family ever knows what I'm talking about when I mention Oscar.

- Favorite movie characters

Jack Skellington Indiana Jones Batman (Michael Keaton only)

- A film that was better than the book.

No clue... I've never been much of a reader.

- Best remake.

I'm going to say Sabrina because... well for many reasons. :P

- Your first favorite actor.

Matthew Perry and Luke Wilson I adored when I was a pre-teen, but soon David Duchovny won my heart as Fox Mulder by the time I was 13 and so the story went all through my teenage years. David was it for that stretch of life phase.

- Your first favorite actress.

Sandra Bullock. I’ve always loved Sandra Bullock in movies... so has my immediate family as well. She’s just the girl next door type -- love her.

- Favorite animated film.

"Nightmare Before Christmas" "Pocahontas" "Cinderella"

- Your most anticipated films.

Why -- Indiana Jones 5 of course (and whatever else Harrison signs on for.)

- How many movies have you seen (rough estimation)?

Uh....300ish? Not a lot!

- A movie that made you go ‘wtf was that’.

"Atonement" and "The Reader"

I do not watch period pieces that often and when I do, they have to do with my own country. I have nothing against other countries at all, but the stories... they feel like they go on forever -- honest to God. My mom loves them -- she's always watching some movie about castles, kings and queens, etc. where you literally see someone born on screen and live out their entire lives... hence why it seems like it goes on forever (and ever).

Anyway, pick these two movies because movies don't always bother me, but Atonement was sad as hell and just unbelievable. I can not believe the younger sister went that far and basically ruined the lives of her sister and the love of her life. All because of a crush? Maybe I understood it wrong... but it seemed CLEAR as day the year I saw it.

As for "The Reader"... I don't understand how that man continued to read to that woman all the years later. I mean -- he like dedicated his entire life or most of his free time to it, but why hadn't he spoken up when she was on trial? I get it -- he didn't have to or he couldn't... but she went to prison (right or wrong). That's where it should have ended. I know I know I know... it's called "The Reader" for a reason, but that movie just pissed me off.

- Most movies watched in a single day.

Four movies. It was sometime last year, sometime before covid and I watched Three Days of the Condor with Robert Redford (The only blonde actor I ever did love), and three movies with Greg Kinnear... can't remember the names but one was with Robert De Niro, the other with Morgan Freeman, and... can't remember the actress from the third one.

- A film that always makes you cry.

"Fried Green Tomatoes" always makes me cry... from the time I was a kid until yesterday. Legit -- truthful.

Also "Christopher Robin" made me cry... during the damn opening credits. I just... I can not. I went to go see it with my childhood friend and she leaned in to say, "Dude... I'm about to cry" and I told her, "Dude... shut the fuck up..." as I choked on my tears.

- Movies that you think everyone should watch (not necessarily your favorites).

I'm gonna go with Black and White movies/Classic Hollywood/Golden Age of Hollywood/Classic Hollywood. There's so many people caught up in modern movies (especially in my generation or the general youth). You're going to find things like old-fashioned behaviors between men and women, you're not going to find many non-straight people, and you're going to see whole lot of white people amongst a sprinkle of people of color -- but these films hold value and they tell really good stories.

- A movie that took you a couple of viewings to appreciate.

I hate to make this about Harrison, but... "Random Hearts". I had such a problem with the ending of that movie, so I watched it over and over...and over... and over again long before I started watching all of the HF movies over and over (and over -- don't judge me, over... and over...). Then I felt like I understood... even though there's still a part of me that doesn't. I guess I just wanted it to end a certain way and it didn't.

- Favorite child performance.

"Matilda"

- Favorite genres.

Action/Adventure/Comedy

- Least favorite genres.

Horror

#blurb

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aros001 · 3 years

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Going in blind: Watching season 1 for the first time. Random thoughts.

This show is kind of nice because I have no memories of the original She-Ra show, or even any of He-Man, honestly. I'm not sure if I ever watched the original, so I have no frame of reference for how the series is "supposed" to be. I can just take it and judge it as is.

Of the bat, all I know is that supposedly She-Ra and Catra get together as a romantic couple later, but I'm also a huge My Hero Academia fan and the fandom around me ships every character with every other character, so for all I know that might just be shipper wishful thinking I've been seeing and hearing. Given fandoms for Gravity Falls, Thor, and Supernatural ship even siblings together, I've learned not to trust anything except for what I see in the series for myself.

By the way, this isn't a review, just random thoughts and comments I'm having as I'm going through season 1 for the first time.

Episodes 1 and 2: Right off, I really like Catra's "No duh" response to Adora about the truth of the horde. She knows they've been lying to them and have been doing terrible things, she just doesn't care. If she and Adora play their cards right they could end up being the ones in charge and then they'd have all that power. Not necessarily to make things better but enough to where they could do whatever and live however they want. That's a good build for an antagonist. Not ignorant to the fact what they're doing is wrong, just simply so selfish that they don't care.

Episode 3: It really feels like there was no good reason why Glimmer didn't just outright introduce Adora to her mother and every reason she should have known it was a bad idea to try and hide her for a surprise. Being a former horde soldier she'd probably get treated with hostility if Glimmer brought her to the front gate but you'd almost guarantee Adora would get arrested or outright killed if she got caught while no one else knew she was there.

On the other side, we have Hordak being pretty intelligent in promoting Catra. He probably knows Shadow Weaver already doesn't like him, so it's not like he's losing anything making her upset with him, and it's clear she favors Adora way more than Catra, so that little bit of advancement towards Catra probably goes a long way in earning her loyalty to him and a person on the inside with Shadow Weaver.

Also, I'm not the only one who saw Madam Razz and immediately thought Adora had found her Yoda, right?

Episode 4: I don't know how it was in the original She-Ra and He-Man series but I kind of like She-Ra being this title from legend. Adora is not the first She-Ra, given what Razz was talking about with a Mara, so instead of being something new, impressing everyone with abilities they've never seen before, and creating the legend, Adora is placed in a position WAY over her head where she's having to live up to what came before her.

Episode 5: Calling it now, as long as her personality is genuine I think Scorpia is going to be one of my favorite characters in this show. She's...endearing, I think is the best word. She's like a mix of Kronk and a nicer Shego.

For a little bit I thought Mermista was voiced by the same actress who played Poison Ivy in the Harley Quinn animated series. She's not but they do have the same kind of Daria-ish inflections, thus by confusion. Given the prom episode, Sea Hawk feels kind of like her Kite Man.

Episode 6: Okay, now it's between Scorpia and Entrapta who are likely to be my favorites by the end of this. She's fun and quirky.

Episode 7: Quite the lore drop. Shadow Weaver was once a Mystacor sorceress known as Light Spinner. I like to imagine we'll get more on that later. Her haunting Adora reminded me of the Teen Titans' episode where Robin was similarly haunted by Slade. This didn't go as far as that but that's probably for the best, since TT had two and a half seasons to build that dynamic up with Robin and Slade while we're only now halfway through the first season.

Episode 8: Well dang. Again, I don't know for sure if Adora and Catra do end up together but boy do I buy why they're shipped together after that dance. Also, good on Bow for standing up for himself. It's clear that he'll always be Glimmer's friend and this won't change that but that doesn't mean he has to just accommodate her. I understand where her issues stem from but I am still glad he gave her a reality check. It helps him feel a little more like his own character.

Also, another nice little bit of lore and worldbuilding. Scorpia's a princess, the horde landed where her people lived, and they seemed to join them willingly.

Episode 9: Surprisingly don't have a lot to say about this other than I don't buy for a second that Entrapta is dead (EDIT: She's not). This was mostly action.

Episode 10: Not going to lie, this one kind of annoyed me a little, at least the first half. The conversation between Glimmer and her mother saved it a bit. It was a bit of a trifecta. You have the alliance breaking apart, saying that the loss of Entrapta only happened because they were all together...even though Entrapta only "died" because of her own machine obsession that caused her to deliberately walk back into the purging chamber. You have Entrapta who might be turning to the horde's side because she feels abandoned by the other princesses...even though they thought she was dead, and again it was her fault they got separated. And you have Glimmer refusing to tell her mother that Shadow Weaver's dark magic has caused her powers to go on the fritz and is causing her great pain. It just feels like none of this would be an issue if most of these people would stop being self-absorbed for three seconds and talk like any normal person would. It feels very CW drama, like something I'd see in a bad season of Arrow or The Flash. The only person whose issues I buy is Adora, who is basically a soldier who was never properly raised to deal with emotion or loss and is already struggling with the burden of being She-Ra, the legendary savior. I get why she's beating down on herself for not being able to do more even if nothing that happened was her fault.

Episode 11: JEEEEEEEEEZZZZ, that was such a good episode! Focused entirely on Adora and Catra and their past together. Like, just showing someone this episode alone could probably get them to want to watch the series. That was everything you needed to know about their dynamic and history together.

Also, that moment when Catra and her past self are looking at each other, while obviously Catra takes the opposite lesson, it reminded me of this fanart I'd once seen of Jason Todd, the Red Hood, looking at his past self as Robin. The past says to the future "You ruined everything". Catra could be happy but, ironically for someone who hates Shadow Weaver, she's probably going to be a lot like her, sacrificing everything for power and ambition.

Given the way she looked, I'm guessing Shadow Weaver is either addicted to the power of the Black Garnet or she suffered some kind of past injury and its power is the only thing keeping her going. Or both.

Episode 12: I'll be honest, Swiftwind being able to talk kind of gobsmacked and I needed a moment to recover. What a great voice they chose for that character.

So She-Ra is kind of like the legendary heroes from Rising of the Shield Hero, coming from a long line of people chosen to wield the sword. I tend to dislike chosen one types of stories because I think prophecy takes a lot of weight out of the character's actions, so this and Avatar are more what I like. The MC is special but not the only one who's ever been special and they can still easily fail. Their destiny was only to be able to use the weapon, not that they would succeed in any specific purpose.

And dang, Catra's turn against Shadow Weaver happened faster than I thought it would but I'm not complaining. That great "This is what you've really been preparing me for" speech and Hordak, again, being an intelligent villain. "Oh, this experiment could net me a MASSIVE gain and all it could potentially cost me is this rock I already gave away to someone who lately hasn't been producing any results and has been consistently disobeying me. Yeah, I'm going to let this play out."

Episode 13: That was kind of a brutal fight between Adora and Catra. Not the worst I've ever seen even in other shows for this age range (Samurai Jack, for example) but those punches are connecting and those claws are leaving marks.

Also, maybe I'm just misunderstanding the exact situation but shouldn't the good guys' side be called the Resistance instead of the Rebellion? Being a rebellion would imply they are rebelling against an established power or rule over them, but the actual conflict we are shown is the established power and rule that is the kingdoms of Eternia resisting an outside force that wishes to establish a new order over them.

Season 1 verdict: I'm into it. I'm definitely more invested in the villains' side of things but that's not a fault of the series, that stuff is just way more geared towards me than the current princess stuff. I actively am at attention whenever the horde main characters are on screen. For the good guys it's mostly Adora and the She-Ra stuff I'm invested it. That isn't to say I have any real dislikes for that side. Bow especially I'm liking much more than I thought I might. He has kind of this gravitational pull around him. You will be his friend regardless of how much you might want to resist. He's definitely the rock for everyone else to hold onto.

Minor side note, kind of like Korra in Legend of Korra, I love how even when her powers aren't active Adora is shown to still be pretty strong physically with how easily she was lifting people up at the prom.

And I was right, Scorpia is my favorite side character.

On to season 2!

Original Reddit post: https://www.reddit.com/r/PrincessesOfPower/comments/nyll2e/going_in_blind_watching_season_1_for_the_first/

#she ra #she ra spop #random thoughts #reddit repost

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joyofcrime-elinorhigh · 5 years

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Barbie: Princess and the Popstar REVIEW:

Hello everybody, my name is JoyofCrimeArt and I hate myself. Barbie.

The Direct-to-DVD Barbie movies aren't something that I, and I assume many of you reading this, ever really thought about to much. They we're always that movie that you would see in the Wal-mart "five dollar" DVD racks. Or maybe you'd see a snip-it of one airing on Nickelodeon at like, twelve o'clock on a Sunday afternoon. Compared to, say, the direct-to-DVD Scooby-Doo movies the Barbie movies seem to be a lot less attention. Which is why it came to such a shock to me that there are SO MANY! Thirty-six. As of the time of me writing this review there are thirty-six direct-to-DVD Barbie movies. And not only that, but they are divided into several different continuities and "seasons" as Wikipedia list it. The Barbie movies are a massive franchise! I just can't wait until their next film. Barbie: Infinity War. That one will make all the money! So in order to honor such a long lasting franchise, I figured it was about time somebody gave Barbie the respect she deserves. The movie we're going to be talking about today, Barbie: Princess and the Popstar is the twenty-third entry in what I have titled the Barbie: Cinematic Universe. I had actually seen this one a couple of years ago on Nickelodeon. And it is, as of the writing of this review, the only Barbie movie that I have seen. Why did I choose to watch this movie oh so many years ago do you ask? Well, it was because of the title. Princess and the Popstar. Most Barbie movies have kinda dumb overly girly titles, but this one takes the cake. Princess and the Popstar! Somebody was PAID to come up with this! And you wanna know the really crazy thing? This isn't even the first Barbie movie to be an adaptation of Mark Twain's "The Prince and the Pauper." There was another, I'm assuming more straight forward, adaptation in 2004. But I guess marketing decided that Mark Twain's classic novel just...didn't have enough pop stars to meet "Girls between the ages of 2-7" demographic. But hey, maybe the film won't be so bad. I mean the film is directed by Zeke Norton, who directed both Scary Godmother films. And those films...exist. Anyway, no more stalling. Let's dive head first to Barbie: Princess and the Popstar.

The movie begins with a pop concert. And honestly, I can't imagine it starting any other way. Famous pop star Keira (voiced by Ashleigh Ball.) is preforming a music tour in the fictional kingdom of Meribella, in celebration of the 500th anniversary of the countries founding. We see her preform her set. We then cut away the kingdoms princess, Princess Tori (voiced by Kelly Sheridan.) standing outside her castle's balcony, listening to the event from a distance. And if those voice actresses names sound at all familiar to you that's because our two heroines are voiced by Applejack and Starlight Shimmer, respectively, from My Little Pony.

UGH! As if I didn't already have enough reason to hate Starlight Shimmer! ... Starlight Shimmer is the one that everybody hates, right? Princess Tori wants to go down to the concert, but she is stopped by her Aunt, Dutchess Amelia. And I want you to guess, purely from her design, what her personality is.

If you said, stuffy old authority figure who's too focused on tradition and doesn't get the joke, than congratulations! You can predict a Barbie movie! Princess Tori wants to go to the concert, but her Aunt forbids it because Tori has to write and preform a speech for the kingdoms five hundredth anniversary event. And she hasn't even started writing it yet. But Princess Tori isn't one for all this "traditional, princess stuff." She's goofy, mischievous, and a bit of a prankster. She's just too much of a rebellious free spirit for all this noise. Like all princesses in animation she dreams of something more. She dreams of being able to live her own life, free from all the rules and restrictions that being royalty presents. But, y'know, she still wants all the riches and glamour. Cause hey, that shit is sweet! Meanwhile, Keira is busy dealing with all of her pop star duties. She's headstrong, and a bit of a workaholic. She runs every part of her tour, from lighting, costumes, to TV broadcast all herself. She doesn't even let her manager, Seymour Crider, do any of the work and ignores all of his advice. Keira is under pressure from her record label to write a new album. She says she's working on it, but with all the workload of running the music tour she just isn't feeling very inspired. And Crider is the one who has to deal with all the heat from the higher ups. Keira is just tired of all the pressure from the studio, and wishes she could not have all the responsibility of being a pop star. But, y'know, she still wants all the riches and glamour. Because, as we previously stated, that shit is sweet! I can relate with Keira. The constant stress of deadlines and work on other projects can make ANYBODY feel uninspired. Sometimes people will become so desperate that they'll be willing to do any half-ass project in order to to stay ahead of deadlines. Like doing a lazy Q&A, or reviewing a Barbie movie. ... Wait.... So as you may have noticed by now, none of the characters in this movie are named Barbie! So already, this movie is clickbait. As it turns out, a lot of these Barbie movies don't actually star Barbie. Rather they star "characters portrayed by Barbie" which is all sorts of confusing. But hey, it could be worse I guess. They could be portrayed by Amy Schumer. But luckily we still got a few years before that happens. Oh, by the way, magic exist in this world. Yeah, I know I bring that up pretty suddenly, but so does the film. Princess Tori has a magic hairbrush that changes her hair, and Keira has a magical microphone that changes her outfit. And nothing is really brought up about this. Like the characters in the film say that it's magic, but nothing else is really elaborated upon. Because outside of the magic, the world the film presents seems to more or less be the same as our world. It's not like it's some fairy tale kingdom or anything, it's set in contemporary times. It's never brought up where the magic comes from, it's just there. And it's even weirder because all they use there magic for is for changing there hair and outfit. Y'know, THINGS YOU CAN DO WITHOUT MAGIC!

Either that dress has a very large pocket, or this scene about to get a lot more uncomfortable. Anyway, the studio blames Keira's manager Crider for not having the album done already. Because like in the real world, pop stars don't have to suffer any responsibility for there actions. Crider is by far the best character in this movie. He is the most over the top, foppish gay man you've ever did see. We learn a bit about his backstory, as he was once a child star himself on this universes version of Alvin and the Chipmunks. But when puberty hit he fell from the lime light faster than Macaulay Culkin. So naturally he is not only bitter at Keira for having to be blamed for all her actions, but also because he is jealous of her fame. He's a great villain not just because of how over the top flamboyant he is, but also because he gives a refreshing breath of cynicism and bitterness that the movie is otherwise lacking. Also he's voiced by Rolf from Ed Edd'n Eddy. He doesn't sound like Rolf, like at all. But simply knowing that makes the whole film a lot more enjoyable. He tells his bumbling sidekick Rupert (Because why wouldn't he have a bumbling sidekick? I mean have you seen the type of movie this is?) that he plans on meeting Princess Tori's Aunt Amelia during a PR event, wooing her, and then inheriting all her money when she eventually passes away.

Crider, Rupert, and Keira arrive at the castle the next day and Crider begins his plot to woo the duchess. Meanwhile, Princess Tori and Keira and immediately hit it off. They are both huge fans of the other, and become fast friends. Tori offers to give Keira a tour of the castle. They begin talking about the problems that they are both going through. This is where they hatch the idea to switch places, and do so using there magic hairbrush and microphone, in order to make themselves look exactly like the other. Oh, and they also each have a dog. Because hey, little girls like dogs. There are some brief scenes we see between the dogs where they talk to each other in "animal language." but overall they don't contribute much to the plot, other than added marketability. Interesting side note, in the 2004 Barbie: Princess and the Pauper film they both had cats instead. Again, I guess dogs were just deemed more marketable. Keira and Tori, now disguised as each other, continue there tour of the castle. This is when Tori decides to show Keira, the person she literally just met, the castles most valuable secret. A secret that only members of the royal family are permitted to know about. And this is where the movies gets WEIRD! Okay, so they activates a secret passage and find a tree. And this tree, which only blooms once every five years, is a magic tree. That is guarded and cared for by a group of magically fairies. And the tree grows diamonds, which Tori says royal family uses the money from these diamonds to help the people! Though the fairies still give a diamond each to our protagonist. Again, it's weird because the world they create in this films universe SEEMS fairly real to our own. But then they just add random magical elements to it with no explanation. They could of at least included some backstory on where this tree came from. It feels like there just trying to check stuff off there "pandering to little girls" bingo sheet.

AH! BINGO! I GOT BINGO!

Unfortunately for our heroines, Tori FORGOT TO CLOSE THE SECRET DOOR PANEL BEHIND HER and Aunt Amelia ends up finding the two snooping around the secret garden. AND SHE DOESN'T CLOSE THE DOOR EITHER! How the heck has this secret been kept for five hundred years? She get's mad at Keira (Who's still disguised as Tori) and the three leave the chamber. But unbeknownst to them, since Aunt Ameila DIDN'T CLOSE THE FRICKIN' SECRET PASSAGEWAY Crider finds out about the diamond tree. And now he decides to change his plan from marrying into money, to just stealing all the diamonds for himself. But that conflict can wait, because we have pop songs to preform.

This movie has a lot of pop songs. Like, about a third of the movie is pop songs. And I have to say...there actually really good. If you're into that kinda pop punk type of music that is. The voice actresses each have a separate singing voice in the form of Jennifer Waris (Tori) and Tiffany Giardina (Keira) and both singers really knock it out of the part. Not only that but there is also some really well done choreography. Not only that, but the film also really takes advantage of the CG medium, with some impressive camera angles and panning shots. I mean it's not the greatest thing ever or anything, but for a direct-to-DVD Barbie movie, I was pleasantly surprised. I feel like this is where the passion was when it came to making this movie. Like the story was second to the music.

However, I would be lying if I said that the music didn't drag on a bit. Just due to how much is in the special. Not only that but several songs are used more than once, which isn't that bad because they sound really good, but it does make it feel a bit repetitive. That said though, I was suppressed by how good this aspect of the film was.

So Tori and Keira both begin trying to fulfill the role of the others. However, the both seem to have a bit of trouble living up to the expectations of there new roles. Typical stuff you would expect from a

"Prince and the Pauper"

adaptation. Tori, now being disguised as a low class...world famous pop star....decided to take this opportunity to explore her kingdom beyond her castle without escorts.

(Because, yeah, a pop star TOTALLY wouldn't have escorts with her when she's walking through the slums of a foreign nation.)

And Tori ends up coming across something she's never seen before. Poor people!

More specifically two poor little girls, who are taken a back by "Keira's" presence. We learn that, despite how glamorous the castle life is for the royal family, the kingdom itself is actually suffering. A major drought had occurred in the kingdom the year prior, and while the wealthy nobility we're not effected much the poor people are still suffering, and Princess Tori was completely oblivious to what was going on the entire time.

So now that Princess Tori has finally

Checked

HER

CIS

WHITE

PRIVILEGE!!!

-she decides to try to do right for the people by holding a free concert for all the underprivileged children. (Since the kids she met weren't able to afford to go to the concert at the beginning of the movie.) Not only that, but the whole royal family would be in attendance, and the concert would be broadcast live on TV to help raise awareness for the issue. Though Tori and Keira agree that they need to make sure they swap back before the concert starts.

Keira (disguised as Tori) begins to finally be able to relax without all of her pop star-ly duties. She begins to play and have fun with Tori's two little sisters, (who quickly figures out who she is.) And as it turns out, this break from all the stress of preforming and recording is what Keira needs in order to get re-inspired.

The day of the concert arrives, and Keira tries to meet up with Tori to swap places before the show begins. But rut-row, Aunt Amelia shows up and finds that "Tori" never ended up writing her speech. And because of this, Amelia refuses to let "Tori" go to the concert and locks her in her room. I do like that Keira actually does try to tell Amelia about the body swap ploy, in order to get her to let her out of the room. But Aunt Amelia doesn't believe her, and heads out for the concert.

As this is all happening, Crider and Rupert begin there plan to steal the diamond tree. They walk back into the castle claiming that the duchess sent them, and because plot the guards just let them in unsupervised.

Meanwhile at the concert, the crowd begins to get restless, and Tori is forced to go on stage and preform as Keira. She get's onstage, and is nervous. She begins to preform, badly. But then, with the power of "doing it her way"...whatever the hell that's suppose to mean, she is able to give a performance good enough that nobody is able to tell who she is in a pop song performance that last a total of five minutes straight in this seventy minute film!

The concert is a success. But wait, Crider and Rupert have successfully broken into the castles secret garden and have to face off against the fairies. Hey look, it's fairy vs fairy!

...

Am I allowed to make that joke?

Also Rupert brought bug spray to kill the fairies, which is pretty horrific for the villains bumbling side kick. Especially when you realize that this would be a Barbie movie that would have one of the villains using chemical weapons on his opponents. Granted, this doesn't happen, because Rupert accidentally bough hair spray instead, but still. It was his INTENT to use bug spray! Also, of course the villains of a Barbie movies use hair spray as a weapon.

Crider cuts the roots of the diamond tree all of the trees in the surrounding area begin to die. To which I have to ask....why? Is it like a redwood thing, where all the trees are actually just a part of this one organism? If that's the case than why don't all the tree's grow diamonds? Or is this a magic thing? Prior to this scene the tree was never implied to have any magical abilities besides growing diamonds. Was a jewel heist just not deemed an exciting enough climax, so they felt the need to raise the stakes here?

Keira, with the help of Tori's dog, are able to find a secret passage way out of the room and she and Tori both notice the dying trees and run to stop Crider from escaping with the tree. They also switch back into there real identity, and I just now realize as I'm writing this that Crider does not question this very much. HE DIDN'T KNOW ABOUT THE WHOLE IDENTITY SWAPPING THING.

Also, let me talk about something that bothers me. There was this character earlier named Prince Liam who's "potrayed by Ken." He had a few scenes early on with Keira (who was disguised as Tori at the time.) I didn't bring him up because he honestly didn't really do anything that was important to the plot. But then, suddenly in the climax, he shows up like he was a main character or something. And he's annoying. He feels really tacked on, like the producers realized that there wasn't a romance element to this film and decided at the hour mark that there needed to be one. Except that doesn't even work because he doesn't even end up with either girls. With I admit was a pleasant surprise, that neither girls in the movie end up with a love interest. But it makes Liam's existence even more worthless. Also he's kinda misogynistic, talking about saving the "damsels in distress." even though they save themselves. All Liam does is take down Crider's sidekick.

Crider runs to his limo, but is blocked by the dogs. Cause y'know, a pug and a King Charles spaniel just COMPLETELY BLOCK THE ENTIRE PATH! So he ends up be stealing a horse drawn carriage in order to make his escape. Tori get's into Crider's limo and we get a kinda fun car/horse drawn carriage chase striped right out of the end of Ouran High School Host Club. How is it that I've reviewed two things with that very weird and specific climax? Anyway, they cut off Crider's carriage, but he has an ace up his sleeve. Turns out his leopard print tuxedo is also a GLIDE SUIT and he jumps off a cliff to make his dramatic escape! And that's why Crider the best character in this movie. But then Keira just zaps him with her magic microphone and turns his suit into a dress. And Tori zaps his hair to make it look more feminine. The villain is defeated, but the tree is still dead. But Tori has an idea. They suspect that maybe the diamonds that grew off the tree could act as the trees seeds. They go back to the garden and take the diamonds that the fairies gave them earlier and plant them into the ground. The fairies use there magic and at first it doesn't look like it'll work. But then, the tree begin to regrow and all the life returns to all the other trees all over the castle. This is actually a clever twist, except for the fact that the tree still has diamonds on it, even though they specifically say that it takes five years for the diamond to bloom. BUT WHO CARES ABOUT THAT, WE HAVE A CONCERT TO FINISH! Yeah, Tori kinda just bailed in the middle of that. Tori and Keira both show up on stage, and preform together. Tori writes her speech and and talks about making changes to the kingdom's irrigation and social serves system to help the people harmed by the drought. Tori learns about responsibility and Keira kinda learns to relax...I guess? And the movie ends on a pop song. Y'know, a good book end.

Puffy Ami Yumi?... So that was Barbie: Princess and the Popstar! Overall what do I think of it? Well, to be honest, I'd be lying if I said I wasn't kinda checking the time while watching it. Heck, I'd be lying if I said I wasn't even a little bit tired of thinking about it while writing this review. The main problem is the basic premises. Princess and the pop star. The whole point of "The Prince and the Pauper." is that it's a rich person with a lot of responsibility and a poor person with no responsibility changing places. But here, it's a rich person with some responsibility swapping roles with....another rich person with some responsibility. There's no real contrast, and because of that we only get the bare basics of character development or an actual moral. The overall animation is...okay. You can see there's ambition, but the lack of budget really makes it look like a Sims 3 machinima. The main villain is fun, but the rest of the characters are pretty basic. And the pop songs, while being extremely catchy and well choreographed take up somewhere between a third and a half of the film. And I feel like if the film used more of that time on more important things than maybe it would of been better. If you want a movie with some so bad it's good elements (some actual good elements worked in) you MIGHT enjoy this film. But you have to have the patience to get through some of the more tedious bits. Also I feel like a REALLY little girl might like this. I know people say "Kids deserve good things too." and there not wrong. But it's important to remember that kids have different taste than we do. When I was a kid I loved the Pokemon and Yu-Gi-Oh! anime, so that should be evidence of that. But if you want a GOOD girl power type of show or movie....there's plenty better out there. Steven Universe, My Little Pony, Star vs, Hanizuki, the list goes on and on. Those shows are girly AND can be legitimately enjoyed by anybody, young or old. This really can't. That was my review of Barbie: Princess and the Popstar. If you've seen the movie by some...odd chance...tell me what you think of it in the comments down bellow. I would love to start a conversation. Anyway, see you next time for hopefully something better. Have a great day. (I do not own any of the images or videos in this review all credit goes to there original owners.)

https://www.deviantart.com/joyofcrimeart/journal/Barbie-Princess-and-the-Popstar-REVIEW-744926224 DA Link

#Barbie #Barbie Princess and the Popstar #Prince and the Pauper #review #direct to dvd

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roseisread · 5 years

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My Year in Movies: Favorite Non-2018 Feature Films (Part 2)

Continuing the countdown of my favorite movies I saw for the first time in 2018 that were released in previous years... for part 1 of this list, click here.

39. Tokyo Drifter (1966, directed by Seijun Suzuki, country of origin: Japan)

Seijun Suzuki pulls together his favorite tropes from the Western, film noir, and Yakuza genres and throws a post modern, new wave sensibility on top complete with lots of neon and surrealism. The end result is one of the most stylistically bold movies I’ve ever encountered, and its influence extends to modern auteurs like Quentin Tarantino, Jim Jarmusch, and Nicolas Winding Refn. Tokyo Drifter (which has nothing to do with the Fast & Furious franchise as far as I know) follows a gangster on the run, but the plot really is secondary to the overall feel of the movie. Really fun and one I can imagine revisiting a lot just for its aesthetic choices and action set pieces. Rent it on Amazon Prime; in the meantime, here’s a pretty decent fan-made trailer.

38. Born to Kill (1947, directed by Robert Wise, country of origin: US)

Hollywood’s original bad boy Lawrence Tierney stars in this nasty little noir that fully lives up to its violent title. Sam Wilde (Tierney) is a gorgeous, amoral social climber who doesn’t let a little trifle like murder stand in the way of getting what he wants. Helen Brent (Claire Trevor) finds herself strangely drawn to him, even as she learns of his criminal leanings. There’s a particularly lustful scene between Sam and Helen that could be a direct influence on Natural Born Killers, actually. The fact that this picture was directed by Robert Wise, best known for his work on The Sound of Music and West Side Story, makes it all the more interesting--this pulpy film doesn’t have any musical numbers but it certainly is well-crafted and choreographed. If you love a good antihero, you owe it to yourself to watch this. Available for rent on Amazon, YouTube, and Vudu.

37. Throw Momma From the Train (1987, directed by Danny DeVito, country of origin: US)

This comic riff on Strangers on a Train starts off with murder on its mind, but there’s a surprising sweetness lying just below the surface. I’m sure most people have already seen this film but in case you haven’t, you’re in for a hilarious and endearing story that showcases peak Billy Crystal and Danny DeVito. Anne Ramsey plays the titular “Momma,” and she was nominated for both the Oscars and the Golden Globes in this supporting role. There are lots of ways to watch this movie for free, including Amazon Prime, YouTube, Vudu, GooglePlay, and Showtime.

36. Johnny Guitar (1954, directed by Nicholas Ray, country of origin: US)

The title refers to Sterling Hayden’s outlaw cowboy, but the real star of the show is Joan Crawford as Vienna: a saloon owning, jeans wearing, piano playing woman who takes on the whole town in a showdown. Portrayals of women in Westerns vary, but few emanate such power and self-assuredness as Vienna.

Another woman, tellingly named Emma Small (played by Mercedes McCambridge), has set her sights on getting rid of Vienna and her establishment once and for all, and she will stop at no amount of violence or trickery to make it happen. So basically this is Mean Girls but in the Wild West. Offscreen, Joan Crawford was hooking up with director Nicholas Ray; and she’d previously been romantically involved with McCambridge’s now-husband. Both ladies also consumed a fair amount of booze while filming. This led to their rivalry bleeding into real life, and perhaps added to the tension we see on screen between the two.

This movie didn’t have the warmest reception when it premiered stateside (Bosley Crowther on Crawford’s Vienna: “...as sexless as the lions on the public library steps and as sharp and romantically forbidding as a package of unwrapped razor blades.”) But European audiences devoured it, and it became beloved of people like Francois Truffaut who saw it as a major influence. You can watch it now on Hulu or rent from a number of streaming platforms.

35. Sonatine (1993, directed by Takeshi “Beat” Kitano, country of origin: Japan)

Takeshi Kitano wrote, directed, and starred in this cult take on Yakuza films. In it, he plays Murakawa, a gangster who dispatches (often in creatively cruel ways) anyone his bosses happen to dislike. But he’s starting to grow weary of this way of life when he gets sent on a new assignment that has him mediating a dispute with a rival gang in Okinawa. He suspects that he may be the real target, but goes along with the order. While hiding out between confrontations, Murakawa and a batch of young recruits find ways to pass the time--shooting cans off each other’s heads, playing a roulette version of rock paper scissors, pretending to be sumo wrestlers, and more.

There’s not a lot of dialogue here, and Kitano plays his character with a stoicism that Buster Keaton and Alain Delon no doubt influenced. But the poetry and emotion are all in the action (and inaction) on screen. Here is a man whose main accomplishments are surviving bloody shootouts and racking up the body count for his employer--no wonder he hallucinates about self-destruction and walks the beach in a daze. There’s actually a good bit of comedy here too, as the movie isn’t afraid to veer into cartoonish moments and satirize the very genre it portrays. I also have to specifically call out the action scenes, especially one near the end--completely memorable, unique, and gorgeously shot. Watch this via rental on Amazon, YouTube, and GooglePlay--especially if you’re a fan of movies like Drive, Kill Bill, or Le Samourai.

34. Metropolitan (1990, directed by Whit Stillman, country of origin: US)

My first encounter with Whit Stillman came via 2016′s Love and Friendship, his adaptation of a Jane Austen story. When his debut film appeared on Filmstruck, I realized what a perfect fit Austen and Stillman really are. This movie follows a group of (mostly) wealthy teenagers in Manhattan, who attend debutante balls and gather at each other’s homes for long pretentious conversations and romantic sparring. If Austen were alive today, no doubt she would have written a novel in the same setting, filled with the same biting wit (no pun intended) that Stillman displays. If you like your movies with a lot of action and plot twists, this may not be your cup of tea; but if you enjoy the works of, say, Woody Allen/Noah Baumbach/Wes Anderson then you will definitely find this a subtle delight. No big names amongst the cast; and many of them only did one or two other projects after this, but I think that adds to the feeling of naïveté and naturalism. Random observation, but when I watched this movie I found connections between a number of its characters and the cast of The Breakfast Club--see if you agree. Right now you can rent this via iTunes, and since it takes place around Christmas and New Year’s, this would be a great time to watch.

33. Radio Days (1987, directed by Woody Allen, country of origin: US)

This might be the sweetest, least cynical movie in Woody Allen’s filmography. It’s a love letter to the 1930s and 40s, when families would gather around the radio (rather than the TV) for music, serials, and news of the outside world. Seth Green plays the Woody stand-in as a child, Mia Farrow plays an aspiring radio actress, Larry David pops up as the Communist next door neighbor--it’s a real hoot. The music (from the likes of Benny Goodman, Artie Shaw, and Glenn Miller) is gorgeous and it’s fun to see old New York recreated for this film. Suitable for all ages and utterly delightful, you can watch it on Hulu with a subscription or rent it on Vudu for $2.99.

32. Pickup (1951, directed by Hugo Haas, country of origin: US)

I caught up with this low-budget B-movie noir during Noir City Chicago, and fell head over heels for it. The director plays the lead character, a lovable but lonely railroad worker named Hunky (he does not live up to this name in appearance). When he encounters the gorgeous and sassy Betty (Beverly Michaels) at a carnival, he can’t believe a guy like him could hold the romantic interest of such a hottie. As luck would have it, though, she’s more attracted to his life savings than to him. What a golddigger. What sets this movie apart is the addition of a little plot twist: Hunky loses his hearing in an accident, which is just fine by the conniving Betty who can now scheme and talk trash around her husband. But when Hunky’s hearing unexpectedly returns, he doesn’t tell anyone and discovers that his beloved wifey is plotting his demise. Bonus: There’s a pretty adorable puppy in the mix. This isn’t available on DVD, sadly, but someone has uploaded it to YouTube and if you have 77 minutes to kill, I recommend checking it out.

31. Ghost (1990, directed by Jerry Zucker, country of origin: US)

Look, I love Demi Moore and Whoopi Goldberg and Patrick Swayze just as much as the next person, but for some reason I had always assumed that Ghost was this really cheesy paranormal romance. Wrong! It’s a charming murder mystery with some legit scary moments a lot of comedy, and, yes, some romance too. So if you have somehow missed this gem, you can catch up with it for 99 cents right now on Amazon or rent it for a Few Dollars More on other streaming sites.

30. One False Move (1992, directed by Carl Franklin, country of origin: US)

In part one of this list, I mentioned watching multiple Bill Paxton movies in 2018. This one features Paxton as a small town sheriff with illusions of grandeur--instead of settling small time domestic disputes, he’d love to one day solve murders and thwart serial killers and arrest drug kingpins in the big city. He gets his chance to do something bigger when a car full of murderous fugitives rolls into town. The LA detectives on the case don’t quite know what to make of Paxton; but he views them as heroes. When he gets his chance to show them what he’s made of, he doesn’t flinch.

Billy Bob Thornton co-wrote the screenplay and co-stars in the film, another connection between this and the other Paxton entry on my list (A Simple Plan). Here, he’s a vile and brutal sociopath (a role he’d go on to play in the TV adaptation of Fargo), with a girlfriend named Fantasia (Cynda Williams) that might be having second thoughts about their relationship. Director Carl Franklin is perhaps better known for the Denzel Washington neo noir Devil in a Blue Dress; and Franklin himself introduced a double feature of these two films at Noir City Chicago. He’s a brilliant, economical director with a deep well of classical film knowledge and a knack for capturing defining character traits in the space of a few frames. Rent this movie on Amazon, Vudu, or YouTube and prepare for a gritty, moving ride.

29. Peeping Tom (1960, directed by Michael Powell, country of origin: England)

I caught up with this out of print masterpiece (purchased at my local library sale for 50 cents on Criterion DVD!) during my October horror viewing, and immediately wanted it to find a wider audience. Reviled upon its initial release, it follows a talented but troubled young filmmaker whose obsession involves recording the final moments of his murder victims’ lives, as they realize their fate. Pretty twisted, I know. The exploration of voyeurism and the relationship between the camera, its subjects, and an audience really make this a fascinating watch, both from a technical perspective and as a critique of moviemaking and consumption. One can’t help but see the influence this movie has had on horror filmmakers from Wes Craven to John Carpenter, particularly in the way it forces us to identify with the psychologically damaged killer instead of centering the narrative on his victims. Massively underrated, and deserving of your attention if you consider yourself a fan of horror movies. Watch it via rental on a number of streaming platforms.

That concludes part 2 of the list! Stay tuned for the next segment, coming soon!

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duhragonball · 6 years

Text

[FIC] Luffa: The Legendary Super Saiyan (90/?)

Disclaimer: This story features characters and concepts based on Dragon Ball, which is a trademark of Bird Studio/Shueisha and Toei Animation. This is an unauthorized work, and no profit is being made on this work by me. This story is copyright of me. Download if you like, but please don’t archive it without my permission. Don’t be shy.

Continuity Note: About 1000 years before the events of Dragon Ball Z.

Previous chapters conveniently available here.

[25 May 234 Before Age. Interstellar Space.]

"Here's the short version," Pozet explained. "King Rehval created me and sent me to kill Saiyans for him so he would have an excuse to ask your wife Luffa for help. Then he had me kill the detective he hired to catch me, so that you would take over the investigation while he started putting the moves on Luffa. You actually managed to track me all the way back to the Pflaume system, where I was created, and that was a bit of a problem, since that's where he planned to lure Luffa so he could spring his trap."

While Pozet was explaining this, Zatte was trying to grab hold of the intruder, but Pozet kept dodging and batting aside her hands just before Zatte could reach her. The two of them leaped all around the bridge of Luffa's star-yacht, the Emerald Eye.

"How could he possibly trap Luffa?" Zatte asked. "She's the--"

"The Legendary Super Saiyan, I know," Pozet said. "I was created using tissue samples from your body, babe. I'm not really alive, and I don't know everything that you know, but I do share your attraction to her. Master's told me all about her. I must have seen that movie they made about her a dozen times, but the actress they cast to play her doesn't do her justice!"

"What did you think of her love interest, though?" Zatte asked.

"Rax Cosmo? I wouldn't kick him out of bed for eating crackers, but the on-screen chemistry was decent en--HEY!"

Behind Pozet, one of the control consoles exploded, showering her back with sparks and shards of hot polymer. It wasn't enough to hurt her, but the distraction slowed her down just long enough for Zatte to throw a punch to her face--

Only for Pozet to dodge at the last possible moment.

"You used your energy manipulation powers to blow that thing up," Pozet said. "But how'd you do it so quickly?"

"I know the ship pretty well," Zatte said. "Takes the guesswork out of how much energy it takes to destroy parts of it. But it looks like I'll have to try harder to catch you off guard. At least now I know you really don't have my memories, and you can't read my mind or anything like that. Otherwise you would have seen that coming a mile away."

Pozet grinned. "Oh, you're good," she said. "I can see why Luffa married you. Rax Cosmo couldn't hold a candle, even if he was real."

"I identify with him a lot, actually," Zatte said. "He's an underrated character. A lot of fans think Luffa should have ended up with the Fire Prince, but I don't buy it."

"You identify with him?" Pozet asked. They continued circling each other around the confines of the bridge. "He's a man!"

"Well, you have to use your imagination a little, all right?" Zatte said. "Or do you not have one, because you're 'non-living?'"

"Don't underestimate me, honey," Pozet said. "I'm everything you are, but better! I'm as strong as you are, and I'm at least as good a fighter--"

"Computer!" Zatte called out. "Run Program Zatte-630!"

Suddenly, the artificial gravity on the bridge switched off, then on again, and Pozet found herself stumbling backwards as a result. As she regained her footing, she found Zatte leaping directly at her. She tackled her into the navigator's chair and they began to struggle as they rolled to the floor.

Pozet's sudden appearance had been unsettling for Zatte. She had expected the killer to be a Dorlun, but not a strange duplicate of herself. Pozet's face, body, and voice were all identical to her own, but her skin was red instead of Dorlun blue, and her hair was blue instead of Dorlun red. Pozet wore an eyepatch like Zatte's, but on the left eye instead of the right. This was presumably an aesthetic choice, since it hardly made sense to create an artificial assassin and purposely injure her. She needed to understand her enemy, and Pozet seemed to defy comprehension.

As she contemplated this problem, Pozet suddenly stopped resisting her. "You know, I'm not very familiar with this ship at all," she said. "But then, I don't really need to be."

Zatte realized what she was alluding to, but barely managed to escape it. Zatte had shorted out a very specific power conduit earlier, based on a plan to corral the intruder towards in when it finally exploded. Pozet now did the same thing, only she overloaded the plasma conduits in the lights and environmental controls mounted in the ceiling. Being unacquainted with the ship's design, she simply overloaded them all at once. The result was much more destructive than Zatte's diversion with the console. Hot sparks fell all over the deck, and the ship's fire suppression systems activated, dousing the room with foam. In the midst of all this chaos, Zatte lost sight of Pozet, and was unable to find any trace of energy coming from her body.

"Having trouble?" Pozet teased. "You've got the same energy manipulation powers I do. We can both become invisible, and we can both detect ki energy and heat signatures, only my body doesn't put off any heat, and I've got no ki because I'm not alive."

That didn't make sense to Zatte. Through training, living beings could increase their ki power to greatly increase their speed and strength. Pozet seemed to have a power to rival Zatte's own, so if it wasn't ki-based, then what was it?

With the main lights destroyed, the only illumination on the bridge was the monitors and consoles of the bridge stations. This wasn't a problem for Zatte, as her powers allowed her to see a wider range of colors in the electromagnetic spectrum. But this meant it wasn't a problem for Pozet either, which left them in a standoff.

"Computer," Zatte called out. "Execute Program--"

"--619!"

The artificial gravity shut off again, then reactivated at half the strength normally used. Zatte had intended something else, but since she knew this program, she was prepared to cope with it.

"I didn't know what that one would do," Pozet called out. "But I figured a random number would be better than whatever you had in mind. Looks like the computer recognizes my voice as yours, too. Makes things interesting, doesn't it?"

Zatte muttered a Dorlun profanity as she considered this development. She had expected to fight a Dorlun, but never expected one who could so easily mimic her own voice. Pozet didn't even have to try; she just naturally sounded the same, and not even the ship's computer could tell the difference. It wouldn't be enough for Pozet to take complete control of the ship, but it would allow her to confuse the computer whenever Zatte tried to use it herself. As she moved around the deck, hoping to find some sign of Pozet's presence against the fog of fire suppressant chemicals, she noticed that it wasn't just fog. Some of it was smoke.

"Having trouble breathing?" Pozet called out as soon as Zatte began to cough. "I heated up the fibers of the carpet. Not enough to start a fire, but enough to get them smoldering. Smells good, doesn't it?"

Zatte winced as the acrid smell grew stronger as she moved towards the charred carpet. She covered her mouth and nose, but could still find no sign of Pozet. And then she heard a chirp from one of the bridge stations, and she realized that Pozet must have been crouching on top of one and accidentally touched a button.

"Oh, crap," Pozet said. Before she could move away, Zatte raised her hands and fired a ki blast from the palms of her hands. Luffa had taught her to do this, although Zatte preferred to rely on conventional weapons. Her ki powers were relatively weak and imprecise for combat, but there wasn't time to find her pistol or anything else. She simply targeted the entire bridge station and fired a blast large enough and powerful enough to destroy the whole thing before Pozet could get away.

In doing this, Zatte paid a heavy price. She inhaled more of the stale, smokey air, and went into a coughing fit. She needed to get off the bridge, but she couldn't leave until she was certain Pozet was neutralized. She tried to hold her breath and search around the deck, but after several minutes, she found nothing. And then something kicked her from behind, and she fell to the floor.

"That was a lucky shot," Pozet said. The smoke was thicker on the floor, but Zatte was still able to see Pozet, who apparently now felt confident to become visible. The homunculus' left arm was badly burned, but she seemed unconcerned by this injury. If the bad air was causing her any problems, she didn't show it. Pozet only breathed when she needed to speak aloud.

"I'm not here to kill you, Zatte," she said. "My master just wants me to keep you occupied for a while. I had meant to just play with you until he contacted me with further instructions, but you're dangerous. If I'm not careful, you might just find a way around me, and I can't let that happen. Luckily, I took out the life support system, so there's nothing to stop the bridge from filling up with smoke and suffocating you. So I figure I'll relax and wait for you to stop breathing. How's that sound--? Wait, what have you got there?"

Zatte had been carrying a portable air supply canister on her belt the entire time. She had been keeping it invisible with her powers, and had refrained from using it in case she would need it later. Now, with the smoke becoming unbearable, she had strapped the face-piece to her mouth and made it just visible enough for Pozet to notice, and she used this distraction to grab her by the ankles and fling her across the bridge.

The situation was untenable. Zatte had hoped to keep their battle confined to a small area of the ship, but between the smoke and damaged controls, the terrain was beginning to shift into Pozet's favor. The air canister she was breathing from would only last for so long, and now that Pozet knew about it, she would focus her efforts on destroying it or taking it away.

So Zatte headed for the lift, forced the doors, and leaped down the shaft to relative safety. It worried her to leave Pozet unchecked on the bridge, but until she knew how to fight Pozet effectively, she had to keep moving through the relative safety of the rest of the ship.

As Zatte made her way to an access tunnel that intersected the lift shaft, she wondered just how long that relative safety would last.

*******

[25 May 234 Before Age. Planet Pflaume.]

Moments ago, Luffa believed there were only two life forms on the ice giant world of Pflaume: herself, and Rehval III, the King of the Saiyans, whom she had followed here through a mystical portal. Luffa was wrong. A third Saiyan, her own son, now stood before her, though she could not understand how this was possible.

The only habitable settlement in the entire solar system was Pflaume City, an artificial biosphere which floated through Planet Pflaume's upper atmosphere like a great fortress adrift in a storm. King Rehval had it evacuated prior to this encounter. He had gone to great lengths to lure Luffa here, in order to propose an alliance that would betray everything Luffa held dear. Rehval III was unlike any Saiyan Luffa had ever met. He was a brilliant visionary and a powerful fighter, but he was utterly devoid of honor. Rehval seemed willing to stoop to anything to achieve his goals, which all involved shaping the future of the Saiyan species for centuries to come. Lies, treachery, sorcery-- Rehval was willing to use any trick and suffer any humiliation to get what he wanted.

And now, Luffa's son had come to King Rehval's rescue.

"Are you all right, Your Majesty?" the boy called to his sovereign.

"I am now," Rehval replied. Luffa had been torturing Rehval with a compression lock on his leg. He rose to his feet slowly, painfully, but he still managed to stand, which might have surprised Luffa if he hadn't been fixated on the boy.

"My lord, your arm!" the boy cried.

Rehval nodded and gripped the burned flesh of his left arm with his right hand. "It'll be fine, Xibuyas," he said, though he couldn't completely hide the anguish in his voice."

"I know of your powers, Sire," Xibuyas said uneasily. "That you can restore yourself from injuries far worse than these, but I still wish that you had summoned me sooner!"

"The enemy is swifter than I anticipated," Rehval admitted. He looked at Luffa and smiled. "And more clever."

"And more foolish!" Xibuyas shouted. "When you told me of your plan to offer her an alliance, I expected to find her kneeling at your feet, not torturing you! Move aside, King Rehval. Let me teach her the price of her defiance!"

Rehval raised his good hand to signal the boy to stand by.

"What have you done?" Luffa asked in a low voice. She was addressing Rehval, though she never took her eyes off the boy.

"Surely you can guess that for yourself, Luffa," Rehval said. "I told you of my knowledge of alchemy. You've seen the Pozet, the homunculus I created for you. I've told you of how I increased my own power beyond what little nature saw fit to give me. And you've seen my laboratory on Planet Saiya. You've seen the gestation chambers, which nurture embryonic Saiyans so they can be born with their maximum potential."

She didn't want to believe it, but it made too much sense for her to deny it. Years ago, the Tikosi captured her, and tormented her for months for the sake of their twisted "experiments". Luffa's own father had arranged for this, betraying her so that he could benefit from the fruits of their research. What no one had known was that Luffa had been pregnant at the time. The father of her child, Luffa's husband, convinced the Tikosi to surgically remove the boy from Luffa's body. They turned the remains over to him, and when Luffa finally escaped the Tikosi, she hunted him down across the galaxy, hoping to mete out justice for her son's death.

But she had only assumed the child was stillborn. When she finally caught up with her husband, Kandai told her that he had been hired by King Rehval to secure the fetus. Kandai himself didn't know what he intended to do with it. Like Luffa, he had probably never imagined that the child could have survived. But the Tikosi had keep Luffa alive throughout her captivity. Their experiments had been designed to bring her to the brink of death and back, again and again and again. Was it so impossible to imagine that they could have kept a prenatal Saiyan alive outside its mother's womb? Such technology was commonplace in the wider galaxy. Even the Saiyans used it, though Luffa found the practice revolting. To Luffa, motherhood was a sacred rite among Saiyans, or at least it was supposed to be. The idea of Saiyan mothers giving up their children to be midwifed by machines was so horrifying to her that she never considered that it could have happened to her own offspring.

Luffa wanted to believe that this was a trick, that the boy standing before her was another homunculus, or some other alchemical illusion cast by Rehval, but the boy's ki was unmistakable. The only thing that didn't make sense was his age. Her son should only be three years old by now. This boy looked closer to fifteen.

"You probably have some way to age people," Luffa muttered. "But that doesn't fit. "He couldn't have gotten so strong in only three years."

"Very astute, Luffa," Rehval said. His breathing was still labored from his injuries, but he seemed determined to remain calm and in control of the situation. "Xibuyas was not aged through some artificial means. He was trained in a special place, one revealed to me by the Guardian of Planet Saiya."

"Guardian?" Luffa repeated in surprise. She had encountered such beings before in her travels. They were supposed to be mortals who were granted the station of lesser gods. Their duty was to watch over their assigned worlds, though their power paled in comparison to mortal warriors like the Saiyans. It wasn't difficult to imagine Rehval's grandfather conquering an inhabited world, renaming it "Saiya", and destroying its indigenous population, all while their Guardian looked on helplessly.

"She was magnificent," Rehval said wistfully. "My grandfather had kept her alive, mostly to avoid any reprisal from on high, and because she was no threat to us. But where he and my father saw a figurehead, I saw untapped potential. When I was ready, I pitted my charms and talismans against her divine wisdom, and I bent her to my will. That summer I spent on her lookout was one of the happiest of my life. She showed everything to me, including a room where time passed more slowly on the inside. It was designed to seal itself after only two days of use by a single occupant, but I managed to work around that rule, and had the entrance relocated to my home on Pflaume City. In total, he has spent twelve days in that room, training with my servants. But inside the room, a year passed for each of those days."

"Then they're the ones who raised him," Luffa said bitterly. "Taught him how to be the obedient little bootlick to the Saiyan King, is that it?"

"I wanted you to rule by my side, Luffa," Rehval said. "I lied to you, but my purpose was sincere. I had hoped that even if you despised me, we could put aside our differences for the sake of our people. Perhaps you think me foolish for hoping you might accept my proposal, but I was not so naive that I didn't prepare for your refusal."

He gestured to Xibuyas. "If you insist on being my enemy, then Xibuyas will accomplish what you would not. You call him a 'bootlick', but he's far more than that. I've already arranged for him to be mated to one of my daughters."

"Like hell!" Luffa seethed.

"Whatever power he possesses, whatever secrets lie in his bloodline, they will be passed onto my grandchildren, and on down to the rest of the Rehval Dynasty."

"You know it doesn't work that way, idiot!" Luffa shouted. "If you could breed a stronger Saiyan, don't you think someone would have done it a long time ago?! Every one of us is probably descended from Chanisp, but I'm the only one as strong as--!"

"That only proves that our ancestors lacked vision," Rehval insisted. "They clung to outmoded beliefs, and useless sentiments, when they should have learned to understand the mysteries that rule our fate! Think of it, Luffa! A Saiyan nation ruled by its strongest family! Where the greatest warriors are allowed to marry into that family. Instead of waiting for gifted fighters to prove their worth, we can measure their potential before birth! A woman like you would be elevated to her rightful place, instead of languishing in the care of mercenaries living hand-to-mouth!"

"And what about the ones that don't have any potential?" Luffa asked.

Rehval shrugged his good arm. "They have their uses, I'm sure," he said. "The ones who can contribute to the gene pool will be allowed to do so. The rest will have to earn their acceptance, one way or another."

"And that's the great future you want for the Saiyan race?" Luffa asked. "That's the future you had in mind for my son?!" She began to laugh. "And they call me a monster."

"You are a monster, Luffa," Rehval replied calmly. "Not because of your yellow hair or green eyes, but because you represent the chaos that has benighted our people throughout our entire history. I wanted to make a place in my kingdom for you, but I see now that I was wrong. All I can do for you now is order your execution."

"You and what army?" Luffa scoffed as she pointed to the boy. "Bringing him out here might have saved you for a few more minutes, but he's not strong enough to save you--"

She approached Rehval and raised her left fist.

"Get away from him!" Xibuyas shouted.

"Stay out of this, Katem!" Luffa shouted back. "I'll deal with you in a minute. First, I'm going to make this slime pay for what he's done!"

Despite his injuries, King Rehval was still immensely powerful by the standards of normal Saiyans. As Luffa attacked, he leaped backward to roll away from her punch. Dodging would be impossible, but by moving away from her fist as she connected, he could at least reduce the impact of her blow.

However, Luffa was the Legendary Super Saiyan, and from the perspective of her transformed state, Rehval might as well have been moving in slow motion. Though using only a fraction of her full power, she had more than enough to leap forward after him, ensuring that her blow would still hit hard enough to crush his skull.

Then Xibuyas moved. Luffa spotted this out of the corner of her eye, but thought nothing of it. As powerful as he was, he was still too slow and too far away to do anything to save King Rehval.

Except, when her fist connected, it did not land on Rehval's forehead. Instead, she was caught in Xibuyas's hand. Somehow, he had managed a burst of speed that had allowed him to get between Luffa and Rehval.

Luffa was too astonished to react. Though she had the strength to pull free of the boy's grip, she stood transfixed and watched his eyes glaze over with rage. He started to hyperventilate, and then he cried out in a voice that Luffa couldn't help but find familiar.

And then she saw what looked like steam rising from Xibuyas' body, and he was suddenly engulfed with a golden aura. She noticed that his grip on her hand was getting stronger...

"What...?! No way!" was all Luffa could manage to say.

The part of the city they were standing in was some kind of promenade, with shops and restaurants lining the walls of the corridors. These were abandoned, but their signs and lighting were still active. As Xibuyas' power increased, the electronics closest to the Saiyans began to short circuit and explode.

"Twelve years, Luffa," Rehval said as he backed away from them. "I did everything I could to make him strong enough to defeat even you. I wasn't sure it would be enough, but now that I see Xibuyas in action, I have to say that I'm pleased with the results. Destroy her, Xibuyas! Now!"

*******

Xibuyas wasted no time, leaping after Luffa and striking her unguarded face. She went flying back, and the boy chased after her. With a burst of speed, he stopped directly ahead of her, and landed a powerful kick that send her flying off in another direction. For a minute or so, he bounced her around the promenade like a rubber ball, until at last he allowed her to crash into the deckplate below. Luffa's impact was so great that she gouged a trench into the thick metal.

"You're nothing but a fraud!" Xibuyas shouted. "King Rehval was wise to prepare me for this battle, woman! But you're no match for the power of a true Saiyan warrior!"

He wouldn't fail. King Rehval had been preparing him for this battle for his entire life. Failure was simply not an option. Xibuyas would crush this impostor once and for all, and prove himself worthy. The "Super Saiyan" had a fearsome reputation, and his power lacked experience, but he was sure that he could overwhelm her. He just had to stay focused and stand firm.

He readied an energy blast in his left hand, but before he could send it down at his target, he noticed she was getting up. Too angry to analyze this development, he launched his attack, expecting it to have the same effect whether she was standing or lying down.

The energy sphere was more of an amorphous glob. It was mostly yellow, with swirls of red, like it wasn't entirely finished. Seconds before it engulfed Luffa, Xibuyas saw her face. He expected terror, or perhaps surprise. Instead, her expression was one of... curiosity? He wondered if she might dodge it, and then the attack made contact, and he couldn't see her at all.

Only, instead of the usual explosion of red-and-yellow light that followed his technique, it all simply faded away. He saw Luffa looking up at him, smiling. In her clenched fists were what looked like pieces of his energy glob, as if she had somehow ripped it apart.

"What have you--?!" he began to shout. "How did you do that?!"

"It...it's really you," she said. Her smile faltered as she spoke, and her eyes widened. "I don't understand it, but it's really you. Maybe... maybe I should check again."

"Fool!" Xibuyas screamed. "If you want to spend your last moments of life babbling like an old woman, then so be it!" He launched himself directly at her, leading with his fists. "Now you will DIE!"

He crashed into her, his hands charged with ki energy which he fired into her abdomen at the moment he made contact. The raw power of the blow tore the deck apart, and he fell through to the level below. Xibuyas realized he was inside a large auditorium. Wreckage from the ceiling was still spilling into the seats.

"And that will be the end of that!" he declared. "All that's left for me to do now is search for your miserable corpse! Xibuyas is no fool, woman. I know all about your tricks, and I won't allow you to slip away like a dog so you can plan your escape."

He floated above the rows of seats, then hovered over the stage, thinking it would afford him a better view. "Of course," he said to himself with a laugh, "there is the possibility that my last attack shattered your puny body into a thousand pieces! King Rehval should hire a cleaning crew to gather them all up. Pity. I would have enjoyed taking your head as a trophy, woman! You were supposed to be my first great triumph, and you barely put up a struggle. Eh--?"

At last, he noticed the hole in the stage, where he found Luffa kneeling. Around her was a pile of theatrical supplies and sound equipment. She had her back turned to Xibuyas, and she was no longer glowing yellow like before. She appeared to be muttering to her hands.

"Alive?!" Xibuyas howled. "Impossible! I don't know what you're playing at, woman, but I'll give you some free advice: Never turn your back on the great Xibuyas!"

He aimed his hand at her back and bombarded her with dozens of energy globules, each of them exploding all around her. In seconds, the entire stage was engulfed in orange ki energy, and then he sensed her moving within it.

She walked out of the firestorm, across the stage, and hopped down. Xibuyas could almost see a slight refraction of light surrounding her body. Had she shielded herself from his attack? How could she maintain such a defense without showing the slightest sign of strain? Then he realized that she was still mumbling to herself. He watched her walk up to one of the seats in the front row, where she sat down and looked back up at him.

"I see it now," Xibuyas said. "It's a trick! You're using some kind of magic spell, or maybe a technological gadget to protect yourself from my power! Well be warned, female! A Saiyan warrior won't be so easily deceived! I-- are you even listening to me?!"

"It's really you," Luffa said. "It's the same power. Rehval couldn't fake that. He wouldn't know how. Right? I-I don't think it's possible, but..."

"Enough!" Xibuyas screamed. He dropped to the floor and rushed directly in front of Luffa. "I don't know what that incantation of yours is supposed to do, but it won't save you from my wrath! Now, die!"

He threw a right hand, aiming for the top of Luffa's skull. She had lowered her head as he approached, as if she couldn't bear to look at him up close. He could only assume that the witch was overcome with fear, which could only mean her defenses were at their limit. A single blow, and it would all be over--

She caught his fist in her hand. He didn't even see her move. In one moment, she had been powered down, and despondent. In the next, she had transformed, and his hand felt like it was caught in a vise.

"L... Let go of me!" he cried.

Though he tried to deny it, he could feel the fear growing within him. He had been as fierce and relentless as he had planned, and Luffa had shrugged off his attacks like they were nothing. Worse, she didn't even seem to be paying close attention to their battle. He couldn't help but wonder what would happen if he managed to hurt her badly enough to get her undivided attention.

She looked up at him, her face showing a mixture of emotions, but none of them particularly aggressive. "It's really you, isn't it? I never thought I'd sense this ki again. It's really you, Katem."

"K-katem?" Xibuyas finally managed to pull free, and he took a step back to assess the situation. It was as if she were defending herself by reflex, and she wasn't fighting back at all. Was she truly so confident in her power that she refused to fight him seriously? But if she had such an overwhelming advantage, why was she so troubled?

"Who in the hell is Katem?!" he asked as he shook his right hand to recover from her grip. He didn't realize how tightly she had held him until he was free.

"You are," she said ominously. "That's what I named you. Katem if you were a boy. And if you had been a girl..."

Tears were streaming from her face, and she rose from her chair to slowly walk towards him. More confused than afraid, Xibuyas took a step backward as she approached. She started to chuckle, and soon this grew into a sort of halting, broken laughter.

"My name," he insisted, "is Xibuyas! It was given to me by the King of the Saiyans himself!"

Luffa glared at him, then turned her head and spit on the floor. "That's what I think of the king," she said.

"You dare--!"

"He's a liar and a coward and a filthy kidnapper," Luffa said in a raw, ugly tone. "I failed you, Katem. I failed you so completely that I'll never be able to apologize to you properly. But I refuse to dishonor my own son by calling you anything else."

"Then that's your game," Xibuyas scoffed. "You actually think you can gain the upper hand by pretending to by my mother?"

"I'm not pretending anything," Luffa said. "And I don't expect you to believe me. I can hardly believe it myself. I'm just... I'm trying to make sense of it all."

"Oh, by all means, 'mother', take your time!" Xibuyas said. He raised his hands and fired a blast of energy from his palms, which engulfed her and every seat behind her all the way to the back of the theater. "You can figure it out in hell!"

When the glow of his attack subsided, Luffa was still there. Behind her was only a field of ash and molten scrap where the seats had been, but Luffa herself was completely unharmed.

"Well, you seem healthy, at least," Luffa said. "I guess I should be grateful for that."

"Wh- what are you?!" Xibuyas stammered. "That attack should have...! But you--!"

"Do you live in this place?" Luffa asked. "I never sensed your presence on Planet Saiya. Not that I would have thought to check for it, but... Well, what do they feed you here?"

Xibuyas threw a left kick, but she blocked it with her forearm. "Is that a stupid thing to ask? I... I just never expected this. I don't know what to say right now. I think... I think I'm losing my mind."

Xibuyas tried a punch to her face. Luffa didn't bother blocking. His fist simply connected with her chin, and nothing happened. She didn't even flinch.

"I'm sorry," she finally said, as if rousing herself from a dream. "You're trying to fight me, and I'm just sleepwalking through it. I'm embarrassing you."

She stooped low and swung her left leg around to sweep his ankles. Xibuyas thought he read the attack quickly enough to brace himself, but she knocked him off balance with seemingly no effort at all. Before he could even finish falling, she was suddenly on top of him, grabbing him by his shirt and striking his cheek, shoulder, and chest with the edge of her free hand. Then she tossed him to the ground.

Her blows were so quick that he barely saw her move, but the pain exploded from every part of his body where she had touched him. He clenched his teeth and tried not to cry out. At last, he realized that this creature was even more fearsome than King Rehval had led him to believe. She wasn't just strong. She was... emotional. Everything she said and did was disturbing to him. It was one thing that she kept claiming to be his mother. What made it worse was that she clearly had no need to play mindgames with him. Was she just doing it to be sadistic, or...?

"Hey, that was good," Luffa said. "I didn't think you'd be able to see me coming, but you did. Rehval kept telling me he's the strongest Saiyan after me, but I guess he was lying about that too."

"You're... not a Saiyan!" Xibuyas growled as he rose to his feet. He was clutching the spot on his chest where Luffa had hit him. "And you're not my mother."

Luffa extended her arm and curled in her fingers to invite him to try again. "Convince me," she said.

He saw the tears in her eyes, and the weary smile on her lips, and Xibuyas felt his mouth go dry from terror.

NEXT: Quality Time

#dragon ball #lssjluffafic #fanfiction #super saiyan #luffa #rehval #zatte #pozet #xibuyas #pflaume #i'm kind of doing a callback to the lord slug movie #not sure i got that across but there you go

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theskyexists · 5 years

Text

Resolution

Liveblogging

I LIKE how the romance actually made me feel fond of these random characters, it JUST made it past sappy. I know because I dread them suffering the consequences of digging up a monster.

Also tentacly thing in plastic bag. Yikes. Genuinely yikes.

Loved the custodians quite a bit. Loved that the fam went around to multiple new yearses.

They love doing continuous moving camera shots and I feel like they did better this time than on Ghost Monument - snappier.

WHO THE FUCK walks closer to a terrifying pulsating GIANT octopus on the wall??? THEN TRIES TO TOUCH IT. She's companion material. No fucking sense.

Instant assumption of authority - oiled teamwork! That's! What ! I'm! Talking about!!!

Ohhh this has really got her worried. That FACE after Yaz escorts em away. (!! Second in command copper Yaz!!)

Lin absolutely has been affected....physically. perhaps even...............taken over?

Is that your intruder alert or mine? - it's the doorbell - oh ha yes...

Hahaha

'oh' instant judgement in the Doctor's voice hahaha

Oh DAMN. Doctor. Wow!!! So! Fearlessly, ....KNIFE UNDER THE RIBS SHARP. That's none of that broiling anger and bluster. That's ....crazy

'dads are, so ive heard'

MORE REFERENCES TO DOCTOR FAMILY LIFE AND CHILDHOOD

Ryan deliberately calling Graham gramps in front of his dad!!!!

Lin didn't tell the Doctor that she swallowed a monster did she. That's what's gonna happen here Huh. She's gonna puke up a Dalek or whatever. Gotta hand it to Chibs. He's finally gotten better at horror.

Oh Yikes. YIKES.

Ok. Yeah. I think. He did well on the Dalek.

Ok uh but I feel like the voice exposition was unnecessary or ruined it a tiny bit

Yikes. Are they gonna delve into how Lin is still in there I wonder...

'dont like when you go quiet' :)) lil character note

Love the acting from jodie. Not sure about the diagonal shots.

Lin's actress does an impressive impression of what I think is an unedited Dalek voice

Hmmmmmmm. Forgot for a sec that police don't carry guns in the UK normally.

Wow. But I liked that speech though. From Ryan. Like his dad too. I can relate. But he shouldn't just explain himself. He should say SORRY.

LOVE LOVE LOVE LOVE!!! HOW RYAN STOOD UP FOR HIMSELF AND WHAT HIS DAD PUT HIM THROUGH!!!!! god Ryan tho. I love Ryan so much.

I'm really enjoying the pacing and the Doctor getting more and more worried and especially! Revealing so much. Finally

Even tho the companions don't even know how much. 'im not having this'

Ah dead LGBT character again huh. That's the problem with making all your side characters gay. They DIE. Moffat's really got that at least. Chibs.....very much does not. At least I can't get attached. They're literally throwaway.

'im your secret conscience.... Not really we both know you don't have one' lel good one doc

FUCKING BREXIT KILLED UNIT HAHAHAHAHAHHAHAHAHHAHHAHA

Why doesn't she have Kate's number holy shit

Aaron and Graham :'))) he grandads EVERYONE

all I can think is, that must have been one cool job!! Playing Lin!!!

Since hits to the heads have been shown to be non-lethal and effective at knocking a person out, the most effective thing Lin can do is knock herself out! Probably. Maybe then it can continue a central nervous system takeover no problem.

THE DOCTOR SENDS EM AWAY. good job. BUT Ok the TARDIS is safe, but they still gotta get there.

'me and a Dalek? It's personal'

Understated, but steel.

Why all this plastic shit, farmer? XD good effect tho.

Noice new design. But lol. That must have taken ages!!! Why did they show up so late when they have a time machine!!! Hahahaha

Love how this Doctor loves humans. 'theyve fought off so much. Even the worst of their own people' hmmm

Daleks and the Doctor, they never manage not to monologue at each other

THAT DARK GLEE AGAIN!!! That grin 'oh mate' (!!! I LOVE HER!!!)

That was weak lol

Doctor must be destroyed. BUT actually I'm flying away now because - other priorities??

They always SOMEHOW underestimate the importance of killing them.

How longs a WHAT? I cannot understand

The Doctor is a lot more generous with the TARDIS nowadays.

Who informed these soldiers that this thing called a Dalek is a Dalek and hostile? Ahhh a drone. Like that. Topical.

Commander says: run

Soldiers say: shoot and die!

This Dalek clearly needed a win or something. Wasted some rockets all that shit. Feel better? After that scary run in with the Doctor?

Why the country and not the world? Not enough juice? No, now I'm rationalising shit away.

Too much telling again.........like he needed to fill up the writing. Too much exposition too much reading from screens repeating the same thing again and again. WiFi internet yes it's all down.

And it makes me think. WELL WHAT ARE YOU GONNA DO ABOUT IT??? ITS FUCKING RAMPAGING DOCTOR!! THIS IS THE WORST CASE SCENARIO FROM 'DALEK'!!!

That was much too on the nose about New Year's Day. Smacked of 'technology destroys all relationships'

OH NOW! you manage to land - after it's enacted its whole plan and killed a WHOLE LOT of people

' I tried right I really tried' ahhh they're trying so hard. Trying so hard!!

Lol all you had to do was....run an alternating current through the casing???? THATS ALL YOU GOTTA DO???

For that matter, why not burn the goddamn Dalek fleshy bit back at the battle of hope. This broke the back of suspension of disbelief both for this plan and that battle.

One moment it can fly, the next it can be mobbed by ten people easy and get fried.

Absolutely and definitely ducking the question of 'is it dead'

Hahaha 'extended fam'

Taxi-ing a Dalek in a TARDIS - should be shivers!!!

Can you imagine if RYAN LOSES HIS DAD LIKE THIS AS WELL?? GODD NO!! Leave my kid alone!!!

Eh. Killed it. But it was life or death huh.

Ryan SHONE. But I dislike how....the Doctor has to fail for him to get that.

No idea what that goodbye from his dad meant.

'everywhere' means nothing to me. Eleven at least made it an abandonment thing ha!

Nice last shot.

#ok i really liked that #this time the conclusion was weak af #ill probably complain more later #dw #my stuff #personal #it is now three #why did it take so long!!!#vidi

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lightsandlostbells · 6 years

Text

Skam France S2.3 reaction

Gossip Girl’s legacy continues to thrive

Julie’s legacy of fuckboys getting out of cars, ehhh, not so much

Episode 3

Clip 1 - Birthday aftermath

Emma’s reactions to the random dude nuzzling into her neck were amusing.

Well damn, French Linn isn’t afraid to go off on her roommates.

French Linn (Lisa) being Manon’s cousin is, I assume, perhaps to make the living situation a little more realistic? In terms of why Manon would be living on her own at this age, since I’m guessing it would be unusual, and that moving in with a cousin makes more sense. (I don’t know if this would be the case for French teenagers, feel free to correct me.)

But since they’re family, that also makes me wonder if they have a close relationship, a distant relationship, or if it doesn’t matter because the show will never address it.

Also Mickael comparing Lisa to an annoying neighbor makes it sound like they’re not as close as Eskild and Linn, though it could just be affectionate complaining. And I mean, Eskild could complain about Linn, too.

Mickael … wow. “That’s my name bitch.” Damn this conversation got heated! Love it. I feel like he has a different personality from Eskild already? In Skam, this scene ends with Eskild teasing Noora about taking her place in the girl squad, telling her how pretty/smart/popular she is, and wrapping her up in a bear hug while she’s giggling. She’s not that upset with him. This scene with Manon and Mickael plays out like an actual spat, although not a very serious one, I’m sure. But Manon did still seem peeved by the scene’s end.

Clip 2 - The Most Important Scene in Skam

LMAO THEY CUT JULIE’S FAVORITE SCENE.

We don’t get a collection of handsome male youth emerging from an impressive vehicle, a clear shot of Alex’s battle-born bruise, perfectly timed wind rippling effects, Kanye West making dramatic proclamations (maybe for the best given his drama over the last week). It’s just Charles and Alex walking down a school hallway and Charles looking back at them, damn.

Lol, I was never mad that this was Julie’s favorite scene, it’s just very ???? in terms of all the amazing scenes she has produced, that this is the one that stands out to her. I can only guess something really fantastic happened to her that day or that the shooting went well or something.

But now I’m imagining like how they would stage a similar scene in the school … Charles and Alex dramatically emerge from the bathroom and Manon’s hair starts blowing in the wind, cut to a janitor turning on a large fan behind the girls.

This scene was such a non-entity that I have nothing more to say about it.

Clip 3 - Emma revealed as Gossip Girl fanfic writer

Was weird Clara the girl Alex hooked up with before?

Daphne sure wants to meet Manon’s secret girlfriend, huh. And what’s with that look Daphne gives Emma before mentioning lesbians … just wanting her to know she is A-OK with lesbians. More than A-OK. Haha Emma, we know what’s really going on, don’t we? Wouldn’t it be so funny if we made out in like two episodes, I mean weeks?

Emma’s reaction to connecting the Manon-Charles dots is amazing, she’s ascended to another plane of existence. Her sliding away from Daphne and then sliding back toward Manon … good timing, I actually laughed out loud. She’s so proud of her detective skills and living for the drama, and I love that she took the Gossip Girl thing a little farther than in the original.

Did they actually end this scene without music? Did they???? Character development for Skam France!

Clip 4 - I’m just combining all the Friday party clips here

Lisa seems like such a more trying roommate than Linn. Linn just flopped around and did her own thing, Lisa has more fire behind her, which might be nice in some respects, but she also seems like someone ready to explode the next time a fork ends up in the wrong drawer.

I’m enjoying Emma more this season but her drunk acting is not very good. She seems to be too … upright for her level of intoxication, lol. I get that everyone exhibits drunkenness differently, but it feels like her level of Drunk Speaking is way farther along than her level of Drunk Body Language, if you catch me. I don’t buy that she’s really wasted.

I’m not going to be too critical about this since I don’t know what the French standards for raucousness are, but that seems like a damn tame party to get the cops called on you. But I guess maybe it was louder before Manon arrived.

The staging of this part is so ridiculous!

Lmao, EMMA WAS RIGHT THERE, MANON. She was probably no more than 30 seconds away! Manon easily could have run out and caught up with her!

Also why did she think Emma took her stuff as opposed to any other rando with a similar coat who might’ve grabbed it by accident? I watched it a few times but I didn’t see how Emma was clearly the one who took her things?

Then she says she's going to call Emma and yet she immediately calls Mickael? Why didn’t she call her own phone, or Emma’s? Even with Emma drunk, she might’ve picked up. At least Mickael’s voicemail is great.

Like they could have, IDK, had Manon hand her things to Emma and go to the bathroom, and when she walks back out, the police are there and everyone’s leaving, Emma has gone, she briefly goes out to look for her with no luck.

I don’t think it makes sense even if you assume Manon ~wants to be there with Charles~ by this point and isn’t trying very hard to go home, because then why even bother leaving Mickael a message, when he could call or text back on Charles’ phone at any time and reveal that he’ll be waiting to let her in?

Charles offers Manon a drink when last week he said he knew she didn’t drink and that’s why he made cocoa. Seriously? This isn’t like Lord of the Rings or A Song of Ice and Fire where there are a million world-building details to remember, this is pretty simple stuff and it was said only one episode ago. Did no one on the cast or crew point this out? Usually I would check to see if the original show made the same mistake but because Skam France was being lazy, guess I will be, too. (And I can’t think of a reason why Charles would make this mistake intentionally, even a very convoluted one. If you can, please share.)

So now it’s time for this iconic scene.

Regarding the original, it’s one of the few Noorhelm scenes that I like (for the most part), though taken out of the larger context. But one slight issue I’ve had with it is that it feels like this scene is where we as viewers fall in love with Noora … when really this scene should have been about falling in love with William. Because we had plenty of reason to love Noora by now, flaws and all. She stood up to William for Vilde, she spoke out against sexism, she cheered up her friend Eva, she was cool and confident and had impeccable style. I’m highly charmed by Noora in this scene, and I’m glad Josefine got a chance to show off, and one of the few moments I like William is watching him watch her, because of course who wouldn’t fall for her at that moment? But like … you didn’t need to convince me to like Noora, Skam. You needed to convince me to like William.

Sure it helps that we see them having some cute interaction, but William seems kinda, well, passive through much of it? He’s reasonably helpful but a lot of it is in ways that make him a baseline decent person rather than an over-the-top great guy (I mean, Isak also lent Noora his phone in S1, and he barely knew her). The cocoa moment is sweet but she asked for it first. The guitar scene doesn’t tell us much about him when really it could have. I mean, for all that Noora mocks the cliche of fuckboy with a guitar ... yeah, it might have been good to see him actually play? Or at least talk about music? Instead of playing the predictable romantic ballad, he picks up the guitar and plays something goofy to make her laugh. Or we see him fumbling through it because he’s a beginner, and Noora ends up giving him some pointers. Shit, even him playing Wonderwall while staring deeply and earnestly into Noora’s eyes would give us a sense of his life away from school and Noora, his hobbies and interests. We learn some about William’s family situation, but I didn’t get much insight into him as a person. The part where they’re "fighting” in the bed is the most enjoyable part for me; it’s playful and cute and made William seem more like a person.

But anyway, on to Skam France’s take on this scene. I don’t have a problem with them cutting out the guitar playing, for whatever reason they chose. Maybe the actress can’t sing or play guitar. Sure, that’s fine, play to her strengths. We could have used the cocoa making scene, though, or if not that, some other enjoyable activity that they do together. I do think cutting out the cocoa/guitar playing hurts the pacing and makes it feel rushed - like in the original, I got how Noora was slowly easing into enjoying herself, feeling comfortable enough to stay, and there isn’t really a sense of that here.

It’s worth mentioning that this scene in Skam is about the length of this entire episode of Skam France. Again, I know, time restrictions, but I wish they could condense more effectively.

Lol, they cut the cocoa and guitar playing but left the part where he calls his mom a misogynistic word, thanks! That part in the original was the one sour note in that scene, TBH, especially because his response to Noora calling him out (“So you only want me to be honest if it’s politically correct?”) is dumb. Imagine if he called his mom a slut because hey, it’s honest. I so love when women object to men’s sexism and men don’t take them seriously. At least Manon seems unimpressed with his response.

Although I do want to clarify, I don’t know the intensity of those words in either Norwegian or French, I’m going off Noora and Manon’s reactions to them.

“It’s good to finally be alone with you” - I mean, you were alone with her last week? The fact that this scene is shortened makes him seem like he’s coming on quite strong since there’s not as much buildup to it.

I do think Charles has some more vulnerable expressions and mannerisms than William, which are nice.

IDK, I still want a version of this scene where we really, really learn something endearing about William/Charles. Something playful. Cut to Manon and Charles playing video games. Air hockey. Chess. Ping Pong. He has a model train set up somewhere. He’s into photography and has a wall where he hangs photos he’s taken. He has a fucking cat named something gross like Princess Pinkypaws that he dotes on. Like if you’re going to go with the “bad boy with a sensitive side” cliche, you might as well go all out and give him a cute pet to manipulate us into liking him. Imagine if Manon asked if he lived alone and Charles said, “Almost” and next we saw him pulling out this well-fed cat and snuggling it.

We know Charles plays basketball, at least, but it’s not like we know anything about why he’s playing, whether basketball means anything to him or if he’s just doing it for parental approval, etc. I need some more insight into who he is as a person. Like I know William’s kind of impersonal apartment might be the point, but think about when Isak walked into Even’s apartment and we saw that he had sketches he’s done on the wall, he had a Nas poster, there were Star Wars posters (the last ones might have been Marlon’s, I’m aware). And at that point we were inclined to like Even, who we hadn’t seen do anything negative yet, and we had already gotten some good insight about his passions via the Mikael video. William/Charles has done a number of crappy things at this point; he needs to win us over.

General comments

Manon and Emma seem flirty as hell in their texts and IG posts. Baby, wife...

Are Lucas’ laundry posts supposed to be a clue that he’s living on his own by now, or am I reading too much into it? We don’t know the timeline for Isak, obviously, but I figured he didn’t move out/into the basement until after Noora and Eva told Eskild about him possibly being gay. Because... how would Eskild know Isak otherwise, right?

I don’t speak French so I apologize if I miss some context, and feel free to correct me or elaborate.

If you got this far, thank you for reading!

#skamfr reactions

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tigerlover16-uk · 7 years

Note

I'm gonna be that person and ask you ALL of them! ;P (Also I've been meaning to message you lately!!)

... Well, I walked right into this one. Oooookay then, let’s do it.

1. selfie

N/A

2. what would you name your future kids?

Good question. I’ll answer you when I have any and I’ve made up my mind.

Seriously though, I have no idea. It’d probably depend on how I feel at the time and how my possible future wife would feel. I’d like to name any kids I have after characters I’m fond of, maybe Peter for a boy after Peter Parker. Probably give him Clark as a middle name too after superman. On the off chance I ever marry a Japanese woman though I’d insist we name our son Goku, but that’s a very specific situation so I don’t see it happening.

I guess if I ever had a daughter I’d name her Prima after my mother.

3. do you miss anyone?

My mother, my paternal grandparents, and all of my old pets that have passed away.

4. what are you looking forward to?

Tonight’s Dragon Ball Super episode and the My Little Pony movie. Also, my dog’s having puppies in a week, so that’s exciting.

5. is there anyone who can always make you smile?

My mum probably could have

6. is it hard for you to get over someone?

Are we talking in a romantic relationship ending sense or a friendship ending sense? If it’s the former I have no idea, no dating experience. It does take me a while to get over not talking to a friend anymore, but I cope pretty easily after a while. I like keeping to myself for the most part, I don’t have a lot of friends offline so it’s not too big a deal for me.

7. what was your life like last year?

Pretty meh, had a number of ups and downs, some really bad days, and some very good ones. And of course I discovered just how unbearably frustrating and depressing politics can really be and how much America and my own country make me want to bang my head against a wall. So, not a great year, but for me personally I coped alright. I just wish I’d done more to move forward with my life, like finding a full time job. i’m stuck in part time and I’m still looking.

8. have you ever cried because you were so annoyed?

I don’t think I’ve cried for that kind of reason. I usually only cry if I’m very sad or depressed over something, extreme annoyance tends to manifest in anger, ranting and fidgeting for me.

9. who did you last see in person?

My dad. He’s downstairs from me. Same as my sister. I just got back from seeing my nan aswell.

10. are you good at hiding your feelings?

Don’t think so.

11. are you listening to music right now?

12. what is something you want right now?

A cola lolly. I just finished the one I had.

13. how do you feel right now?

Alright.

14. when was the last time someone of the opposite sex hugged you?

My nan about an hour and a half ago when I left her house.

15. personality description

Nice and well meaning, and also a big idiot with low self esteem and easily frustrated, but ready to do whatever I can to help.

16. have you ever wanted to tell someone something but you didn’t?

Yes. Can’t think of any specific cases right now

17. opinion on insecurities.

They sure are worrisome?

18. do you miss how things were a year ago?

NO!

19. have you ever been to New York?

Nope. Only other countries besides Wales I’ve said foot in are England, Kenya, and Ibiza.

20. what is your favourite song at the moment?

None. I don’t really have favourite songs

21. age and birthday?

23 and February 7th

22. description of crush.

Non-existent.

23. fear(s)

Spiders

death

disappointing people

failure

24. height

No idea. I never measure myself. Around six feet though, I would imagine

25. role model

Real life: Jesus Christ, Lewis “Linkara” Lovhaug, my mother, Stan Lee.

Fictional: Peter Parker, Clark Kent, Son Goku, Steve Rogers

26. idol(s)

Isn’t this the same thing as role models? If so, then the above examples basically qualify. If this is the music term, then none.

27. things i hate

Pretty much every selfish, cruel, hateful and all around bad trait that people can have. Also, Sports. I HAAAAAAATE sports.

28. i’ll love you if…

You give me money :P

Kidding. I’ll love anyone just so long as they’re kind hearted, thoughtful and nice to me.

29. favourite film(s)

It always varies depending on how I feel at any given time. Some examples would probably include Spider-man 2, DBZ: Battle of Gods, Kiki’s Delivery Service, Wolf Children, The Hunchback of Notre Dame, Tangled, The Avengers and Rugrats: The movie

30. favourite tv show(s)

Dragon Ball/Dragon Ball Z/Dragon Ball Super, Spider-man: The Animated series, Rugrats, Ed Edd n Eddy, My Hero Academia, Power Rangers Wild Force, Justice League, Spectacular Spider-man, Digimon Tamers, My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic

31. 3 random facts

I named my first cat Socks.

I Didn’t realize there had ever been any cast changes on Mighty Morphin Power Rangers until Kimberly left because I missed the episode writing out Jason, Zack and Trini, so I somehow didn’t notice that the black and yellow rangers were being played by actors of completely different races in the later parts of season 2 and season 3 until years after the fact. No, seriously, I was just that stupid as a really little kid.

Once when I was a kid I drew on the walls of my parents bedroom to make the place look like a jungle, as well as drawing whiskers and animal markings on me and my sister’s faces. I don’t remember it honestly, but I can tell my parents were mad about it.

32. are your friends mainly girls or guys?

In school most of them were boys, same for at work because there are only two women at the kennels compared to two male co-workers and my male employer. Online I’m friends with more girls than guys though.

33. something you want to learn

How to make YouTube reviews in the style of Brony Analysts like Silver Quill and Commander Firebrand. I’d like to make reviews of animation and comics, and comics related media into a hobby. but I have no idea where to start.

34. most embarrassing moment

I tend to repress those memories straight to heck, so I can’t tell you

35. favourite subject

Anything involving learning about animals.

36. 3 dreams you want to fulfill?

Being rich.

have a pet tiger.

Bring about world peace.

Something tells me none of them are coming true any time soon though. But hey, most dreams are unrealistic.

37. favourite actor/actress

I sincerely have no idea. Very hard to pick, and I don’t follow any actors religiously

38. favourite comedian(s)

Linkara

39. favourite sport(s)

NONE!

40. favourite memory

My holidays to Africa

41. relationship status

Single

42. favourite book(s)

The Harry Potter series, the Dragon Ball manga

43. favourite song ever

N/A

44. age you get mistaken for

Hasn’t really happened to me yet.

45. how you found out about your idol

No idea.

46. what my last text message says

“Can you pick up the prescription on your way home please?”

-My dad, in relation to his and my sister’s medication I picked up from the doctor’s. I actually couldn’t pick it up until the next day, but I forgot to tell him that sooner.

47. turn ons

If you mean this in the way I think you mean, then I’m not answering.

48. turn offs

See above.

49. where i want to be right now

Marathoning One Piece. I’m going to do that in a minute.

50. favourite picture of your idol

51. starsign

Aquarius

52. something i’m talented at

Walking dogs

53. 5 things that make me happy

Cartoons

Cute animals

Video games

comic books

Anime

54. something thats worrying me at the moment

I have to book an appointment with the dentist soon.

55. tumblr friends

hayley566, perladelsur2000, dbzebra, and supersexyghotmew95 are the most notable. I’m not sure who else really considers me a friend, it’s not like I talk with everyone else a lot.

56. favourite food(s)

Fried chicken, pizza, salt and vinegar or sour cream and onion pringles, chocolate

57. favourite animal(s)

Tigers

58. description of my best friend

I can’t pick a best friend

59. why i joined tumblr

Just felt like it. Seemed like as good a website as any to start using, I followed a few youtubers I liked like Linkara and Joshscorcher on here anyway. Also, my friend Hayley566 was on here, so that was pretty convenient

60. ask me anything you want

Was there anything you wanted to ask?

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