#but like literally the movie is Not That Good (the musical definitely improved the plot and writing) but it’s got so much charm | Explore Tumblr Posts and Blogs

lowkeyrobin · 2 months

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hello! i absolutely love your writing and i was wondering if you could do something with mcyts, especially slimecicle and foolish (if you can’t think of anything for them don’t feel pressured! i don’t mind), and anyone else you want to write for x a reader that has a career in musical theatre? maybe something about them seeing shows reader is in and just overall hyping them up? feel free to ignore this, it’s just a little thought i had! have a good day 🫶

oooo yeah sure!! ; idk much ab musical theater but I tried lmao ; also added tommy bc I had leftover ideas + I was mostly only focused on charlie and foolish lol

MCYT ; musical theater

includes ; tommyinnit, slimecicle, & foolish gamers

warnings ; language

masterlist

TOMMYINNIT

"mean girls musical?? the fuck"

"my show is better, L"

he's secretly your biggest fan let's be honest

CHARLIE SLIMECICLE

he'll sit off somewhere you won't see him after the first night so he can just stare at you without you noticing, since you like to tease him about it afterward

taking pictures of you then posting them during the show like hyping you up and talking about the plot

there's one of you singing and looking up toward the sky and he posted a tweet w a pic that says "me praying to god" and it dramatically left the mcyt circle 💀

he'll go and watch the source material before show dates just to see what you're performing and he'll talk about the plot with you

"why the hell are you walking down the yellow brick road?? THERES AN EVIL WIZARD, GO THE OTHER WAY???"

he shuts up immediately when you're practicing vocals at home just to listen to you

sometimes he'll buy extra tickets last minute to get you guys some more money LMAO

he definitely helped with prop making idc

at least painting the backgrounds and set things

your biggest supporter istg

always hyping you up

helps you improv act within the character to get used to the character themselves to not make them another version of you

he can sing too, so yk damn well he's helping you sing/getting into another character to help you rehearse the singing parts at home

shows up to every show to cheer you and your colleagues on

he's all smiles and like in a trance watching you on stage

like literal stars in his eyes

after every show he gives you the biggest hug and literally bombards you with compliments

he's secretly taking pictures and recording the whole way through, he doesn't care about those rules /j

attempts to try on your outfit/s at home if you get to take them with you as well

he can literally pull off anything wtf

it's like that video of mckenna grace and aryan simhadri where they're both wearing red dresses and they both killed it like?? okay, power couple who??

he's always posting shit ab you online as well, pictures videos, just talking about how cool you are etc

you two do theater karaoke every once in a while on stream and its the funniest thing

FOOLISH GAMERS

"how do you sing like that??"

"magic"

also tries on your outfits 💀

if you're in newsies... it's over

he seems like the biggest newsies fan for some reason LMAO

he's always hyping you up before rehearsals/shows and showing off his support for you ❤️

he is mesmerized by your performance, hearts and stars in his eyes the whole time

you almost went on stage w his snapback on because you were messing around with your friends backstage 💀

the second you got a part in the mean girls musical, he was jumping up and down

he'd probably never seen the musical but 100% watched the original movie 9477391 times

you show off your theater singing to him every once in a while and he's just like 🤨😨

he gives the biggest hugs after a performance

"Oh my God that was awesome!!"

if there's any merch, yk damn well he's buying it

he'll watch your performances on stream as well 😭 just to show you off

your contact name is probably "Broadway star"

you have to make Broadway Baby jokes after that (broadway baby was abby lee millers dog back in the day, only dance moms haters would get it 😔🙏)

#lowkeyrobin #mcyt x reader #mcyt preferences #mcyt oneshot #mcyt x gn reader #tommyinnit x reader #gender neutral reader #gn reader #they/them reader #charlie slimecicle x reader #slimecicle x reader

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scope-dogg · 1 month

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What mecha shows did you enjoy but would not recommend to people (flawed personal favourites, shows with high entry barrier, etc.)?

Several come to mind.

Blue SPT Layzner: TV run got shitcanned prematurely and has probably the mast slapdash ending of any mecha show save maybe the TV run of Ideon. OVA adaptation opens with rushed compilation of first half of TV series that's dull to watch and not especially coherent on its own before it gets to the altered and much improved ending. Feels like there's no right way to watch it, you have to do both and piece it together in your head. Definitely one to check out after you've seen Takahashi's better work like Votoms and Dougram, though it's infuriating because the series has banger music and mecha design, and the hypothetical ideal version of the plot that you don't have to basically kitbash together in your head is really good.

Dancouga: Production values are amazing in first episodes and then turn to complete dogshit shortly thereafter, like they literally spent their whole budget up front and then had to pay their animators in loose change and leftover fast food. Very strange pacing. However I've always really liked the main protagonist Shinobu Fujiwara whose voice actor honestly carries the show on his back, and I've had a soft spot for Dancouga the mecha itself for a long time - but it doesn't actually show up until half way in. Yet somehow I can't deny the charm of the show despite how slapdash it is thanks to its interesting approach to the super robot formula, and it leads into Requiem for Victims which is the true ending for the TV plot and a followup called God Bless Dancouga, both of which are banger OVAs (and then another kinda shitty one after that but who cares.) Unfortunately they all make no sense without watching the TV run. It's a franchise for hardcore mecha fans only, though IIRC the 2000s sequel Dancouga Nova is basically disconnected and stands on its own, for better or worse. I've yet to watch it.

Tryder G7: 80s super robot show that's kind of like a part slice-of-life anime, honestly ahead of its time in a lot of ways. Would be my go-to recommendation for 80s super robot shows if there was a decent fansub. The one that exists is a Russian translation of the official Italian subs that then got translated into English and it's as disastrous as you might expect. Not only is it incoherent but even as a non-Japanese speaker I can tell it's often inaccurate. Frustrating because I can tell it's a good show that deserves a proper English sub for fans.

Cross Ange: Notorious show by the Gundam Seed creators. The concept and lore of this show is batshit insane, the mecha are cool, the main character turns out to be interesting and likable despite very negative first impressions, however there's no denying that it's buried under a thick vaneer of shallow coombait and it runs itself off the rails with zany plot at points. Honestly better than its reputation suggests but hard to recommend without looking like a pervert.

Shinkon Gattai Godannar: Basically the same thing, coombait super robot series, fun action, not a bad story. At the same time if you've ever seen a gif of absurd breast physics in anime from the 2000s there's a decent chance it's from Godannar. Good show at the end of the day, better than it has a right to be, artstyle is gonna be a big turnoff for many people and I don't necessarily blame them.

Gundam Build Divers Re:Rise: Probably the weirdest of the build series, also IMO the best. Downside: you have to suffer through the profoundly mediocre original Build Divers to get the most out of it and I'm not sure that price is worth it.

Probably more that I could add. Honourable mention has to go Gundam Seed Stargazer because you have to suffer through Gundam Seed Destiny to get to it, but I hear that the new Gundam Seed movie that's also set after Destiny is good so perhaps the cost-to-benefit ratio of suffering through Destiny has changed.

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muckmage · 1 year

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No one dies from love

Guess I'll be the first

Will you remember us

Or are the memories too stained with blood now?

You said, "Don't ever eat the acid if

You don't wanna be changed like it changed me"

You said, "All the edges got so jagged now

Everything you saw then can't be unseen"

Last night, I saw it all

Last night, I talked to God

I (I might)

I might kill my ex, not the best idea

His new girlfriend's next, how'd I get here?

I might kill my ex, I still love him, though

Rather be in jail than alone

So tell me

Why I should

Choose to stay

When you keep on

Treating me in this way

I am stuck in a game

I don't even want to play

So tell me

Why I should not just walk away

Are you still in love?

After all the distance, after all the drugs

After all of it, are you still in love?

Take me to the distant past, I want to go back

(Distant past, distant past)

Save me from the distant past, I want this so bad

(Distant past, distant past)

Take me to the distant past, I want to go back

(Distant past, distant past)

Save me from the distant past, I want this so bad

(Distant past)

Ok goodnight!

i like the synth! is- is that what it is? idk the noises tickle me i like it, and the beat that comes in is great too! i really like this, i kinda wish it was a faster song but i don't think it'd work if that were the case, no idea, good song!

ohh the noises and sounds oaughh this is also very good, and also a slow song! this is ok though i like the lyrics and the way it wiggles the air, and it definitely wouldn't be improved by being faster either

woag like that one movie, actually i googled the plot of kill bill and these things have literally nothing to do with each other, anyway, another slow song! it sounds good but not really my thing as much as the past two, i think it's mostly the lyrics i don't vibe with idk, it's actually so weird listening and feeling like this is a great song while also not like personally enjoying it.. y'know? i feel like english doesn't have words for the different ways you can enjoy or compliment something

this instantly made me think of trackmania?? lmao, instrumental so quick but slow lyrics still, relatable lyrics though- no i wont elaborate on that, anyway i like it! but it's odd, just about the slower songs in general, even though i do really like them i know that normally i'd practically never listen to- like they don't have the quickness or... something is missing, idk, but it's not like the last song where i just don't personally enjoy it like i do.. ffdhshsb there aren't enough words for this either, tbf i suppose i did listen to a lot of slower music like a year and a half ago so maybe i'll be stuck on the slower songs again sometime

aHh ahHHgghskk the souNds naAhHh there's so many noises, my initial reaction was don't like it but then i sat there rebooting for like 10 minutes and now i've actually decided it's pretty good 👍 still not really my thing though unfortunately

awuhgH this is really good!! but!! the chorus is so boring 😭 like if it wasn't so repetitive gaH i still really like this song though it's good, certainly something i could jam to for sure

#02.1

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nerdnag · 10 months

Text

So here are my completely uninteresting thoughts about the Miraculous movie, which I watched yesterday. First few paragraphs are spoiler free.

Overall impression while watching was honestly positive. It was well-animated, the tension and atmosphere were good, the voice actors for the main characters did great, the music was pretty good, and the nostalgia gave me warm fuzzy feelings several times. However, the day after watching it, I realize I have a lot of issues with it that weren't obvious to me at first.

I didn't mind it being a musical. But like everyone else, I thought the difference between Marinette's speaking VA and singing VA was jarring. It was jarring enough that it didn't feel like it was actually Marinette singing; it felt more like she was lipsynching along to a soundtrack, and I found it hard to take in what she was trying to communicate in her songs because of that. Adrien didn't have this problem; his singing VA was similar enough that it worked. As for Gabriel, oh man, was it a TREAT to discover that Keith Silverstein did his own singing. I literally had goose bumps the whole song, not because it was a particularly interesting song, but because Keith just did it so well (and it was so great to have him seamlessly start singing)!!

They changed or removed a lot of things compared to the show; the main reason for this was probably that the movie was only 1:32 in runtime (which was way too short even to convey some of the basic points of the plot). Some of the changes were for the better, I think. But many of them were for the worse.

(Spoilers below, though if you've seen the show, it probably doesn't matter very much.)

Some good changes:

Gabriel's characterization and character arc were WAY improved, in that his motives are clearly established, he's shown as suffering emotionally during the entire movie (while very obviously caring a lot for Adrien), and he had a redemption at the end that made sense. Gabriel was probably my favorite character in this movie. I almost wish it had centered more around him, lol.

This is maybe not a change so much as a choice of focus, but a major part of why I stopped watching the show two seasons back or so was because the new kwamis, heroes and identity switches were getting incredibly annoying, confusing and boring. The movie had only three active kwamis and only two heroes, i.e. it went back to the good old days of the show, and I appreciated that a lot.

There are also way fewer characters who get any screen time (basically their entire school class is only shown in the periphery), which I personally think is a good thing, because I never really found most of them interesting in the first place.

After their first couple of times fighting bad guys, Ladybug and CN get into a habit of meeting with each other to train or just hang out even when there are no threats around. That kind of casual interaction was something I think many of us wished had been a part of the show (it definitely was a major part of many fanfics).

Adrien is clearly shown mourning his mother, and I think that his withdrawn manner and the fact that he always wears earbuds at the start of the movie makes a lot of sense.

Marinette and Adrien are chosen as guardians in a slightly different way, and I think I like Tikki's movie introduction more than the one in the show (however, see another point about this further below). Also, the idea behind the ladybug and cat miraculouses was well explained in my opinion.

I really liked the first meeting between Ladybug and CN. CN was characteristically cocky, and LB was very reasonably annoyed with him throughout it all (more so than in the show, as far as I recall). While there were a few moments during the fight itself that felt a bit cringe, their interactions were still pretty great. I also liked how CN went from seeing himself as the main superhero with LB being his sidekick, to acknowledging that it's probably the other way around and that they work best as a team. Also, his pet name for her is pretty cute (though I kind of miss the names he calls her in the show).

Some bad changes:

The fashion-related connection between Marinette, Adrien and Gabriel was completely removed. Adrien isn't a model it seems (at least it was never mentioned), and it was only briefly shown at the start of the movie that Gabriel is a fashion designer. Marinette still does fashion sketches, but the whole reason for why she is obsessed with Adrien at first as well as the fact that she looks up to his father a lot is completely non-existent. The connection just isn't mentioned at all.

Adrien and Marinette are barely shown interacting outside of their first meeting, their resolution, and a brief montage in-between. It doesn't really make sense why Marinette is even interested in Adrien (see also my previous point). It doesn't even make sense that she would like him just because she's lonely and not used to attention, because movie Adrien barely gives her any...

Marichat and Ladrien have ZERO interactions. It's a shame and a huge minus.

The way that Ladybug's and CN's powers work is a disappointment. We're told that they have the power of creation and destruction respectively, and this is shown in a few scenes (CN destroys some things, LB repairs some things), but gone are all the clever strategies from the show where LB had to figure out a creative way to solve their problems. The way her powers are portrayed in the movie, it seems like Tikki does everything for her. Her yo-yo seems to have a life of her own and pulls her along without her consent a lot of the time, and she never has to think for herself about how to solve a problem because her powers miraculously show her exactly what to do. We do get a few cool scenes where LB and CN execute moves in tandem though, but that's about the extent of it. Basically, LB isn't a strong, clever superhero; she's pretty much a doll puppeteered around by Tikki. (A bit of an exaggeration but that is how I felt.)

The reveal between Marinette and Adrien feels underwhelming, both because of how little we have seen of their friendship and interactions throughout the movie, and because the reveal itself is done in a rather anticlimactic way. Marinette has already known who he is for a while at that point (it's unclear exactly how long), and Adrien seems to realize who she is as soon as she calls his name. They barely speak during the reveal and it is difficult to know how they feel about it all outside of Marinette's shy expressions and Adrien's shocked eyes. The whole ~masquerade reveal~ felt like an attempt at fanservice that unfortunately fell flat.

Alya was a good character in this movie, but I think she should have received more screentime. I would much rather have seen more of her and Marinette than suffer through her bad scenes with Nino (more on that below).

Chloé was done dirty. It's like they added her in just because "she's supposed to be there" without taking the time to making her actually fit in with the other changes they had made. Not only did she seem to fluctuate between three or four different personalities throughout the movie, she also made very light of the concept of bullying in a COMPLETELY unnecessary and shockingly badly written line at the end of the movie. (This is literally a direct quote: "Marinette, I hope you have a lovely evening, because next year, bullying's back on.") Also, she bragged about being favored by Adrien, even though they had zero interactions in the movie? (I don't remember them having one, at least.)

Plagg was done REALLY dirty. Every single scene he was in was cringe and badly written. His entire personalty was boiled down to "he fart lol".

Lastly, Adrien was also done dirty. He's barely given a discernible personality outside of "I'm sad and miss my parents" and "I'm a cocky superhero who loves puns". The way he handles being told that Marinette has another love interest is immature and spiteful, his first meeting with Marinette ends with him leaving out of nowhere and thinking that she's weird, and we never get to see how kind, shy, clever, awkward and perceptive he can be. The contrast between him and his superhero persona is badly explained; someone who hasn't seen the show wouldn't know that he longs for adventure and the freedom to express himself, because his struggles as a homeschooled model with few sincere friends are completely absent from the movie. Basically, he's made into a rather one note character (well, I guess two note, really, with at best a wobbly connection between the two sides).

Other things that weren't changes per se, but that I have Opinions about:

I'm torn on how they remade Marinette's "awakening". Just like in the show, she refuses Tikki's powers at first, before eventually accepting them and having her growth arc. I think this is an important part of her larger character arc. However, considering how short the movie is, it's my opinion that they dedicate a disproportionate amount of time to this arc, where I feel that there were important plot and characterization details they could have used that time for instead. I understand that they probably did this because they wanted to focus a lot on Marinette's "hero's journey" in this movie, but it was almost like they dragged it all out.

Related to the previous point, there is quite a lot of "be yourself" and "trust your heart" and "overcome your fears" propaganda shoved down the viewer's throat throughout the movie. I watched the movie with my partner, and every time that Marinette started singing, I jokingly went, "do you think this song will be the next 'Let It Go'?" I mean, it's a good message to give kids I guess, but it was so much that I couldn't help but view it cynically.

Nino could have been removed as a character. No, actually, he should have been. He was extremely one note in a way that borders on being a racist depiction, his romance arc with Alya was flat and unnecessary, his "romantic advice" to Adrien was cliche and cringe, and he fulfils no purpose in the story whatsoever (possibly apart from being Adrien's only friend at first, but that's so brushed over that I don't think it would matter if it was removed).

I liked almost all of the interactions between Ladybug and CN. They were fun, cute and mostly felt natural. The few issues I have are mostly present in the show as well, so I have nothing to complain about regarding the movie itself.

As a contrast to the previous point however, there were, in my opinion, way too many one liners and far too few sincere interactions between characters. Some of the interactions were so weirdly cut short that they felt jarring or superficial. I saw a good example of this in another post from the early parts of the movie, where Marinette is sad because she feels lonely at school, her mother tells her to cheer up and be herself, at which Marinette suddenly does cheer up and goes "you're right!!" (I'm paraphrasing, but the meat of the issue is that the change in her mood is unnaturally sudden, and it feels like there's so much more that had to be said between the lines for that to happen).

The climax felt somewhat sudden and uncalled for, both in how it started and how it ended. Hawkmoth's powers (which hadn't been very well explained before this) suddenly became completely different and no longer focused around the power of his kwami. Suddenly he could create storms, and levitate, and use telekinesis??? And while I appreciated the reveal between him and Adrien, it was weird to have Marinette standing nearby without ever seeing her reaction to CN's identity reveal. Also, the ghost hug from Adrien's mother at the end felt a little too on the nose for me.

Final thoughts: If they had spent their budget on a longer movie rather than on licensing 15 seconds or so of Careless Whisper, and if they had cut all of the musical numbers in favor of including some more plot and characterization, I think the movie could have been really great. As it stands, I think the main issues with the movie all boil down to it being too short. Still, I'm glad I watched it, and I think fans of the series will still have a lot to appreciate about it. As for the people who have never seen the show, they might think it's an all right movie, but they're missing out on a lot of the things that make the show so great.

The teaser for a sequel at the end was... Weird, btw. I really don't see how they're going to keep people's interest up for another movie when CN and LB already have had their reveal and romantic arc, unless the supposed sequel focuses on other people (crossing my fingers for a Gabriel-centered movie, I guess).

#Mlb #Miraculous #Miraculous ladybug #Miraculous movie #Miraculous ladybug and cat noir the movie #Nagnerd

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mst3kproject · 3 years

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The Neanderthal Man

Since I'm taking a break from fishmen, I might as well let Bigfoot catch up a bit. The Neanderthal Man isn't exactly a Bigfoot movie, but it’s along the same lines and its entire starring cast has MST3K pedigrees. Robert Shayne was in Indestructible Man and Teenage Caveman. Richard Crane was Rocky Jones, Space Ranger! Beverly Garland was in Swamp Diamonds and Gunslinger. Even the composer, Albert Glasser, wrote music for Invasion USA, Last of the Wild Horses, and almost all of MST3K’s Bert I. Gordon movies.

Some little mountain town in the middle of the Sierras (which the Portentous 50's Narrator takes some trouble to tell us is a primeval place where 'the defacing hand of civilization has fallen but lightly') is having a rash of saber-toothed tiger sightings! At first these are laughed off, but when the game warden himself sees one cross the road in the middle of the night, it's time to do something about it. The warden shows a cast pawprint to Dr. Ross Harkness in Los Angeles, who is interested enough to come up and see for himself. Local Mad Scientist Dr. Groves pooh-poohs the whole thing, which is enough to tell me that we're not dealing with a local cryptid here. Somebody is making prehistoric monsters.

So... I may not have actually run out of movies, but I seem to be running out of plots, because this is a remarkably similar movie to Monster on the Campus. The major difference between the two films is that Dr. Blake turned himself into a caveman by accident, while Dr. Groves here is doing it on purpose.

Another difference is that Monster on the Campus' story, while silly, was linear – events escalated in a way that felt logical, and there were reasons why things happened when and where they did. By contrast, The Neanderthal Man feels like a first draft. At the beginning of the film, we're dealing with the saber-toothed tigers that Groves has been creating by injecting cats with his de-evolution serum. We hear about these slaughtering game and livestock, and it seems like only a matter of time before they move on to human beings. The beginning of the film is quite upfront about the fact that Groves is responsible, too, as it is only mildly mysterious in its depiction of one of the creatures escaping his lab.

Sometimes the saber-tooths are represented by an actual tiger, usually filmed from behind or at a great distance so nobody has to put the prosthetic teeth on it. They do have prosthetic teeth, but they're only visible in a couple of shots. Imagine being at a bar and some guy tells you his job is sticking fake fangs on real tigers for a caveman movie! For close-ups, there's a hilarious puppet head that looks like the sort of thing you'd see mounted on a frat house wall as a joke. The director had the sense not to linger on this in motion shots, but later we see still photographs Groves has supposedly taken of his experimental subjects and they're even stupider-looking than we imagined.

Anyway, this goes on for a while with rising action, as the game warden goes to get Harkness and they manage to shoot one of the animals, only to have it vanish from the kill site when they try to show it to Groves (the movie never bothers to explain how that happened, incidentally. The ending suggests that the creatures change back when they die, but there's definitely no dead kitty cat at the scene, either). The whole movie could easily have just had the cats and their creator as the antagonists, perhaps even ending the same way as Dr. Groves proves his work to the other characters by injecting himself. That's not what happens, though. Instead, the story mostly forgets about the cats one we find out Groves has also been carrying on human experiments.

(Before himself, Groves' first experimental subject was his disabled Latina housekeeper. Another series of photos show her half-transformed into a cavewoman who for some reason is wearing drag queen false eyelashes. And as long as I'm talking about the movie being gross and bigoted, there's a bit where a woman is violently raped. This happens off camera, but the audience is not allowed to entertain any illusions about it.)

The problem is that before we see him give himself an injection in the arm, we have had absolutely no indication that Groves has been giving his serum to anything besides the cats! Cats are stealthy, cryptic creatures and if one of those has been seen wandering around killing things, then surely a full-on caveman beating people to death would not be able to stay out of sight! If what we were seeing were the first time Groves had tried the formula on himself then that would be an explanation, but his notes reveal that he's been doing it for so long that he's on the verge of losing control of the transformation and permanently reverting to a pre-human status, as indeed he does for the climax. Much like the stupid dinosaur in The Beast of Hollow Mountain, the movie's main monster is given no build-up whatsoever!

There's worse yet, though. The main characters, Dr. Harkness and Groves' daughter Jan, are barely involved in the 'caveman' part of the plot. They get phone calls about the various murders that Groves is committing in caveman form, and they snoop around the lab to figure out things the audience already knows. The same story could have been told without them, perhaps with the game warden and the hunter as protagonists, and it would probably have been more interesting. The script also repeatedly has Dr. Groves wander in and bluster about how the tiger sightings are hallucinations and tall tales, which seems a little unnecessary when we already know he's responsible. The film-makers can't seem to decide whether they want us to know that or not.

Dr. Groves wears glasses. Maybe the reason his primitive alter-ego is angry and breaking shit (although it does politely open and close the window it climbs out of, which made me laugh) is because it can't see. This is also my theory about why the Hulk smashes, and what do you know? In Avengers Endgame he's got Hulk-sized spectacles and only smashes when he's told!

The direction of The Neanderthal Man can probably best be described as 'serviceable'. It shows us what's going on, but doesn't particularly add anything to the proceedings. The 'Neanderthal' mask is immobile and uninteresting, not much better than somebody's Party City Sasquatch costume. Even the eyes are just painted on, meaning the poor guy in the costume can’t do much because he can’t see where he’s going.

The dialogue is often very strange, with characters talking like they're in a Jules Verne novel. If only one person did this, it might seem like a character quirk – it works for Dr. Groves, for example – but it's everybody. Seeing the cat carcass is gone, Harkness declares, “I refuse to believe in the supernatural! There must be some logical cause and effect to this unholy adventure!” Groves' fiancee Ruth berates him for ignoring her, saying, “I want you, the man I once knew! The good companion, the cheerful friend. I want the happiness we once found in each other.” It's bizarre to listen to, and often audibly awkward for the actors.

Monster on the Campus was kind of trying to be about how humanity must choose to evolve away from our inner savage, although the finale didn't bear that out. There's a scene in The Neanderthal Man in which this movie seems to be trying to go in the opposite direction, saying that we were never savage to begin with. Dr. Groves is speaking to a panel of scientists about the size of the brain in various 'primitive' species of human. He points out that by the time we reached Homo erectus we were already working with four times the cerebral jelly of a chimpanzee, and argues that our ancestors would have been recognizably human in their behaviour and problem-solving capacity.

(Amusingly, his chart of human evolution includes Piltdown Man, which was proven to be a hoax literally a few months after this movie's release. What makes this even more tragic for the writers is that their list of primitive humans seems to be the only place where they actually did any research.)

The problem with Dr. Groves' theory is that he already knows it's wrong. We soon learn that he's been experimenting on himself with his serum for a while already, and his notes show that he knows very well he regresses into a near-mindless animal. The movie does not even try to reconcile these ideas. If Groves were continuing his experiments in the hope that perfecting his serum would give him a more accurate reconstruction of ancient man, that would be one thing, but the script never goes there.

So now that we've had two 'man turns into caveman by injecting science juice' movies, of course I have to ask which one is better. Monster on the Campus wasn't a good movie but it was definitely an improvement on The Neanderthal Man in several respects, and although I don't have any way to find out for certain, I suspect it was an intentional remake. It's definitely more entertaining and gets bonus points for including the Meganeura dragonfly, but nothing in it is nearly as funny as The Neanderthal Man's fake tiger head. I guess if you're gonna watch one or the other, stick to Monster on the Campus, but if you're gonna watch both, start with The Neanderthal Man and do them in chronological order, the better to spot the inspirations and references.

Before I go, a fun paleontology fact: current thinking is that the saber-toothed cat's eponymous fangs actually didn't show when it had its mouth closed! There are zero cave paintings or ancient sculptures of a saber-tooth cat with teeth visible, and when scientists looked at the structure of the enamel in the canines, it suggested that in life the teeth were hidden by big, fleshy, St Bernard jowls. Google 'smilodon lips' and behold how this looks fully three hundred percent more ridiculous than you're imagining. I love nature.

#mst3k #reviews #episodes that never were #the neanderthal man #tw: rape #50s #curiously caucasian cavepeople

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meimae · 3 years

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Look at me, not being on time for my April Immersion Overview as is the usual. (・w・;

First, little blog updates to get out of the way:

I reached 100 followers! Got an influx of people checking out my 1 year update post, and got plenty of nice compliments on my data collection.

For those of you wondering just why I keep up with so much data, it's mostly because it can get really hard to notice how much you're improving in a language especially with something like immersion learning that for people who don't get it feels like a waste of time or a time sink.

Graphs showing consistency, improvement in reading speed, increasing vocabulary counts, and generally just seeing numbers grow turns language learning more fun and motivating for me, and if as a bonus, it encourages someone to try immersion learning then that would be cool!

With that said, whether you're here as a fellow language learner, graphs enthusiast (笑), or just want some Japanese media recommendations, ようこそ!

Also, made a tiny DP change - it’s チト from 少女週末旅行. Pretty sure it’s the first manga series I ever finished in Japanese (not the first one I started since ちはやふる is still ongoing), and I always felt a bit of a ☆connection☆ with her - between her book-loving personality and being a no-nonsense kind of person, there was no way for me not to enjoy her character. Great beginner anime/manga if you’re not into most beginner recommendations.

-☆-

April has been a pretty good immersion month, as I was able to dip my toes in a variety of media. A bit competitive, too! The club I joined has been pulling all the stops to get to the Top 20 Immersion Leaderboard in it’s first month. I was able to snag the 9th spot among a bunch of people of different comprehension levels (the majority being N1+ since they’re able to comprehend much more and in turn stand longer immersion hours). Lots of tiny complaints though of potential “whitenoising” content (”listening” and “reading” but not comprehending very well just to get a large number to post), but really what can you do? People lie all the time on the internet. Besides, it’s internet points that doesn’t do anything beyond being a little shiny I guess.

Enough about that, let’s get into the nitty-gritty details you came here for!

ANIME

フルーツバスケット

Might need to rewatch this one. Felt like I didn’t connect with the characters the way the rest of its fandom has. I’m kinda sad about it, since I normally love Slice of Life and Fantasy, and I know this is one of my friend’s diehard shows.

ラブライブ! School Idol Project S2

A filler anime to watch tbh. Nice and easy enough to follow for beginners. Pretty good songs. With regards to it being a show about music and moe, I still 100% prefer K-On! if I’m going to be honest, but for a show about non-toxic idols, it’s good!

魔法少女まどか☆マギカ

First read this as English translated manga when I was 13 or something. Mistakes were made. Let’s all just agree to throw キュウベえ into a pit of fire and never talk about it again. Great ending and a show that really reworked the magical girl genre. But seriously, I was traumatized by マミ’s death then and now, help.

四月は君の嘘

Already knew what was going to happen even before watching this so I didn’t ugly cry like I was expecting. Still got that awful sinking feeling though. 10/10 would recommend for a good cry. Also, I’m planning to read the manga, might enjoy that more, because I’ve always liked it more than anime actually. *shocked pikachu face*

ホリミヤ

Watched before I even finished the manga which felt like a mistake at first until I realized that it perfectly stops where I stopped reading. Nice and comfy anime, the kind I would have loved as a teen. Fun animation too, making parts very dramatic even though it wasn’t really that deep of an issue even in the manga. Just teens feeling feelings. Still salty that we lose bad boy styled 宮村, but I get why it had to happen.

AUDIOBOOKS

氷菓

Second re-listen. I understand it fine, but it’s very easy to drift off when you can’t catch all the words so I had to replay often. Will have to mine more from the anime/book.

君の名は

I mined from the anime, and was really pleased to be able to follow all 6 hours of this audiobook perfectly fine. Will need to read the book, because I realized just how seamless reading it would be after listening to it with hardly any issue.

BOOKS

キッチェン

Completed! Read my thoughts about it and see my stats on this post.

君の膵臓を食べたい

Still trudging on with this one. It’s not a bad story, it’s pretty well written actually, I just made the mistake of watching both the anime and live adaptation first, so I know exactly what’s going to happen and it’s killing my motivation to keep reading. I guess reading the book first before watching the movie still applies in any language with me. Really need to 頑張れ and finish so I can move on.

三日間の幸福

Started reading towards the end of the month, mostly because I realized that every chapter is only 5000-15000 characters long, and I was able to read up to 40k in a day with Island most days. Only two chapters read so far though because I got distracted by manga, but it’s shaping up to be a really good plot and potentially a really sad one, too, so I’m interested.

DRAMA

花ざかりの君たちへイケメンパラダイス

Heard this was a classic so I gave it a try. Loved 生田斗真’s character in this one the most especially all his internal dialogue acted out. Also, 小栗旬 in anything is bound to be a good watch. Simple and fun watch. They dragged the ending so much though lmao

ごくせん

Look, I see 松本潤, I click. Definitely the kind of show you should watch for some great life advice. Planning to watch the 2nd and 3rd seasons even if there is a terrible lack of 松本潤, because I love my strong female protagonists, and man, ヤンクミ is such a great character. Need to read the manga, too, if I can find it.

極主夫道

Oof, this was kind of hard. The yakuza talk was throwing me off, but the rest of it was enjoyable. Not really plot heavy as I thought it was going to be. The comedy side of it was fun and predictable after the first few episodes. Overall, pretty good slice of life, family story with a twist.

MANGA

Read a bunch of manga this month, mostly because I am struggling to find the next vn to read.

おやすみプンプン

Read a couple of volumes (6-7). This manga is so good, but it’s so depressing I need to stop to take a breather every once in a while. Please don’t leave any spoilers. The club has been reacting to me reading this, and it has mostly been a lot of crying emotes. It’s both been enjoyable to see and really worrying. 笑

チェンソーマン

Club recommendation. Only read the 1st volume so far. I really need to get into more 少年 anime/manga. That’s currently my 苦手 genre which is awful because literally all the top anime/manga is 少年 help. I just can’t enjoy it much still even though it’s comprehensible to me.

ちはやふる中学生編

Read Vol. 1, chill read to me at this point after reading 45 volumes of the regular manga. Look, it’s my favorite 幼馴染 manga in baby format, of course I’m going to read this! 太一 has been a flake way before season 3 confirmed. Don’t come at me たいちはや stans bc I also like his character.

約束のネバーランド

Volume 7. I’m taking my sweet time with this one, because I heard the anime for season 2 sucked, so I’m avoiding it like the plague. This is 少年 how am I enjoying this and not everything else what.

ヲタクに恋は難しい

Enjoyed the anime hated the movie why did they make it a musical that sucked (ps i normally love musicals hated this one)

The オタク jargon is kinda hard to read suprisingly but I do enjoy this ship very much. It’s a lighthearted take to otaku culture which is great because seriously it’s scary out there.

ツバサ -RESERVoir CHRoNiCLE-

It’s my childhood ship, obviously I will read this again (read in English several years ago). Still as plot twisty as I remember it being (now at a bonus hard level reading it in Japanese 笑). Really enjoyed reading this one (I finished it this May).

-☆-

I’m starting to really dislike furigana in manga. It was a great help as a beginner, but now it’s like training wheels that you can’t take off. I feel like the gains I’m getting from manga is much lower than it was when I first started which makes me both proud of how far I’ve come, but also sad because I love manga. Sad that I might have to start choose VNs over it, because it’s not going to challenge me as much going forward. I mean it didn’t stop me from reading a lot of it this month, but you get the picture.

VISUAL NOVELS

ISLAND

Completed! See my stats and read my long spoiler filled post here.

ファタモルガーナの館

Picked up this VN and finished two doors (15 hours) before stopping. On the fence about it, because it has been kind of predictable so far, and I don’t particularly enjoy the horror genre. That said, this is more psychological than anything, so it’s probably not that that’s putting me off. The language is not exactly difficult, too - maybe some oddly specific words because it is after all historical fiction (which is one of my favorite genres, btw), and 敬語 is definitely interesting to read for once after encountering so many お嬢様 characters in anime/drama so far.

I think maybe it’s the conversations that are kind of dull - dots (silence) every few clicks that keeps breaking the flow of reading. Probably judging it really harshly too early, because it’s rated so high everywhere, and I just have high expectations. Definitely not dropping it yet though, just taking a break and testing a couple of other VNs before I settle with whatever I end up choosing. It is, after all, going to be another 50+ hour read, and I just don’t want to not enjoy the process, because having fun with the process is a huge part of immersion learning.

Let me know if you’ve read Fata and if I should continue!

-☆-

That’s it for this month!

If you have any suggestions on what to watch and read next, please send me a reply, especially for VNs because I’m struggling over here.

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inkykeiji · 3 years

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Hello Clari! I'm not sure if you mentioned what you studied in college (or if you are comfortable sharing), but it seems like it was something related to literature/journalism/languages, and I was wondering if you could share (or if you know of) some of the exercises you did for creative writing or resources you know of to get the inspiration juice going and practice and improve your writing! Have an amazing day bb <3

hehehe hello!!! <33

i studied film with an emphasis on both golden age hollywood + screenwriting!!! and then i minored in literature c: ooooh i actually do have a lil exercise to share with you that my screenwriting prof taught me!! okay:

every day, write down three ideas. they don’t need to be fully formed ideas. they can be anything, a character (if you’re writing fanfiction maybe this can be an AU version of a character? or an oc/reader? or you can just skip character completely), a location, one line of dialogue, etc etc etc. it can literally be anything. you do this until you have 50-100 written down. then you pick ten, and write one paragraph for each describing the plot. THEN, you pick THREE of these and write one page summaries of their plots, much more fleshed out and all that. AND THEN, you pick one out of those three and write a script (or, in our case, a fic!)

i say this often, but creativity is a muscle—we all have it, all you have to do is strengthen it. how you strengthen it, how much you strengthen it, and how fast you strengthen it, is entirely up to you, because there’s soooo many different ways to do it, and none of them are the ‘right’ way, because creativity is such a personal thing and what works for one person may not work for another!!

in terms of practice (aka how much/fast you strengthen it) only you know the answer to the right amount of practice for you at this current moment. i write every single day—sometimes it’s only a paragraph or two, sometimes it’s thousands of words, but i’m exercising my creative muscle every day. if you’re new to writing, or you’re new to writing often, every day may be too daunting or too overwhelming (or it may not! only you know <3) and that’s entirely okay. i was saying this a day or two ago but we often have a tendency to jump head first into things and overwhelm ourselves with too much too fast, and then we ‘fail’, and then we get upset at ourselves for ‘failing’ when we were expecting too much of ourselves to begin with.

so with that being said, ease yourself into it. it’s okay if you’re only writing a few lines a day, or a paragraph every other day, or a paragraph a few times a week!!! only you know what’s right for you. be patient with yourself, pick yourself back up when you ‘fail’ and learn from it (failure really is one of our greatest teachers!!! look at it in a positive light! you are growing!!<3). my advice, if you’re having difficulty figuring out what to write for practice, is to try working with prompts!!! there’s a billion and one prompts on the internet, there’s whole tumblr blogs dedicated to prompts (idk any off the top of my head but i KNOW they exist) and there’s thousands on pinterest, too. there’s also different types of prompts; some of them are just a word, or an object, while others have much more detail. try them out and see what works best for you!

inspiration comes from everywhere (literally EVERYWHERE) but i also always say art inspires art, because it does. read books, watch movies, listen to music, go to art galleries, paint even if you’re awful at it, go to shows etc etc etc. look at the people you love in your life, look at the people you dislike in your life, look at your experiences both good and bad, look at the things that impact you the most; there’s inspiration in all of them, i promise you!

the last thing, and i used to discuss this with my profs quite a bit, is that when it comes down to it, there is definitely an element of self discipline in all of this. just like a physical exercise, where you have to push yourself to get through those last few minutes, or seconds, or reps, there will be days where you have to push yourself to exercise your creativity. and, just like with physical exercises, you can also go TOO FAR and strain yourself. this is, again, only a limit YOU know, because of course as you strengthen your creative muscle you’ll be able to push yourself further and further. my point, tho, is that there’s a fine line between pushing yourself and overworking yourself. be very careful of this. rest and rejuvenation are just as important as exercise!!!

aaah anon babie i hope this helps a little bit!!!!! please let me know if anything is unclear or if you have more questions; i love encouraging others to create and i think it’s absolutely something everyone can (and should!) do <3 i hope u have an amazing day too my luv!!!

#i have been VERY interested in languages and linguistics lately though #i’d love to go back to school just to study those for fun #maybe there are a few classes i can audit when i go back idk!!!!! but it’s definitely so so so cool #but anyway #literally just google ‘creative writing exercises’ and you’ll find a MILLION #again only you know which of those will work for you and which of those won’t!!!#the only exercise i personally use is the one i mentioned above from my screenwriting prof!! that and literally just writing every day #but i also have a billion (aka 34) WIPs so i have many things to choose from when doing my daily writing you know???#but there’s so many wonderful exercises you can find online #and absolutely no shame in trying a few out and deciding they don’t work for you!! through experimentation/trial and error you’ll find #what’s best for you personally you know???#aaaah good luck on your writing journey!!!! you can do it!!!!!!! i am on the sidelines rooting for you and supporting you!!!!! <33333 #as i said have a fantastic day my sweet anon <333 sending u much love n health!! stay safe!!#inky.bb #clari gets mail #clari gives advice.writing

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wheretoputyourobsessions · 3 years

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Alright I feel bad about not expressing how much I love this movie so I made a list of some of my favorite moments/details:

Emma looking like she’s gonna cry after they announce they are canceling the prom and all the reporters are swarming her

The Eleanor musical costume and theater bits

Very grateful that they changed that line at the end of ‘Changing Lives (Reprise)’

Trent wearing his Julliard shirt for (almost) the entire movie

Just before ‘Just Breathe’ When Alyssa walks by and the two of them just look at each other like: 😍

THE GODSPELL BUS

Barry and DeeDee talking about the cellphone incident

Hawkins’ reactions throughout ‘It’s Not About Me’

Literally any of Emma’s outfits

I actually enjoyed James Corden as Barry more than I thought I would (definitely still have strong opinions on Barry’s portrayal & story line though)

‘Dance with You’ was ADORABLE, the flowers and the spinning just 🥰

Are we not going to talk about Emma doing the little come here gesture near the end of ‘Dance with You”???

The almost kiss + Emma’s lovesick stare when Alyssa walks away

The delivery of “well this isn’t america this is indiana!” was on point and the PTA’s reactions made it even better

‘The Acceptance Song’ plus the scenes right before and after were very funny (even if they did cut it short)

“Apples and Bees”

‘We Look to You’ was awesome, seeing Swallow the Moon and DeeDee preforming was a great visual that you can’t get in stage musicals

BETSY NOLAN!! i love her, what an icon

We got to see Emma’s truck!

The shopping montage was really fun (remember when we could go outside?)

The school parking lot being empty and even if you’ve never seen the stage musical you know something is about to go wrong even before it’s mentioned (it hurt but I loved it)

ANGIE WIPING AWAY A TEAR AFTER EMMA TELLS HER SHES A GOOD FRIEND

Angie & Emma, their entire dynamic

THEY KEPT THE FANCY ICECREAM LINE

Emma clearly going through a bit of gay panic during ‘Zazz’

“Blueberry heart”

The romcom scene with DeeDee and Barry was really sweet (even if it did take away from Emma & Alyssa’s time) and Corden’s acting was fantastic

At first I was disappointed with the lack of the iconic ‘Lady’s Improving’ outfit but then we got more of Swallow the Moon and it was worth it

“Not charging for an apology is not a selfless act” “ What the hell?”

again the hesitant, “apples and bees?”

Emma and Alyssa holding hands during ‘Alyssa Greene’

That last line of the song being sung while Emma is walking away from her (again it hurt but it was good)

‘Love Thy Neighbor’ being as iconic and high energy as always

Andrew Rannells was an amazing Trent

THEY KEPT THE TAMBOURINES

Dramatic use of water foutains

DeeDee and Hawkins smiling and having a good time as they’re getting out of the elevator was so cute

The whole bit where Emma tells DeeDee that she won’t go on tv

“YOU OWE ME A HOUSE” “SHES A VERY PASSIONATE WOMAN”

‘Barry is Going to Prom” was really good and I liked seeing young Barry the whole thing was so well done

UNRULY HEART

IT ALWAYS MAKES ME CRY BUT STILL

THEY WERE ALL SO REAL AND RELATABLE???

i could rant about it for hours so i have to move on before i get distracted

DeeDee hiding when she knows they’re going to ask for money

Okay,,, the scene they added with Barry and his mom

I have very mixed feelings about that whole plot line but im trying to stay positive

The acting was phenomenal and very real so kudos to them

The way that Alyssa says “Well I think it’s brave” (honestly even though her development isn’t as obvious as in the stage version (at least to me) I love those moments where you can see her growing and getting ready to just be herself)

Hawkins and the flowers

“You guys are the best middle age people I’ve ever met” First of all, I know for a fact that the bar is on the floor, second of all their reactions kill me

I once again have mixed feelings, this time about the coming out scene because it not being as public took away from the impact it had and how nerve wracking it would have been for Alyssa as well as Barry’s speech to Mrs. Greene not happening

BUT STAYING POSITIVE: Kerry and Ariana’s acting was soo good (return of good but it hurt)

ALSO angies face while she was watching it go down :O

When Alyssa goes to try and hug her mom but she moves away: >:O

When Alyssa hugs Emma in front of everyone: :D

Emma holding the back of her head was 🥺

Emma and Alyssa walking into the empty gym but this time they are together and it’s only empty caus they are early, its a nice little parallel that I just noticed

another small detail that I saw was Alyssa being the one to reach for Emma’s hand before they walk in

Emma going around and hugging everyone at the start of ‘It’s Time to Dance’

THEM DOING THE SPINNY THING THAT THEY DID DURING ‘DANCE WITH YOU” AGAIN

Anything Angie did throughout the entire movie was just *chefs kiss*

All the couples coming in is always adorable but this was even better

also the wide range within the couples was also a nice touch

KAYLEE AND SHELBY HOLDING HANDS WHEN THEY COME IN WITH THEIR BOYFRIENDS IS HILARIOUS TO ME

The moment between Mrs. Greene and Alyssa after they hug was amazing and Alyssa dragging her mom into the room

HAWKINS AND DEEDEE KISS!!!

They kept the “do not let me destroy him” but cut the corset line :/

I don’t know why but it made me so happy to recognize the choreo (especially that Alyssa danced during the boys part like always, I was worried they would change it and i’m glad they didn’t. it’s a little detail that I’ve always loved)

THE KISS

You think I would make you read this and then exclude the kiss?

the way that before they kissed the actors were all watching to see what would happen

Alyssa turning to look at her mom after she kisses Emma

And her mom giving her a little nod to let her know she’s okay

‘Wear Your Crown’ was actually really good

And all the clips in the credits were so adorable

Especially Emma and Alyssa in the prom queen and king crowns

I’m very grateful that they kept the full versions of ‘The Acceptance Song’ & ‘You Happened’ on the soundtrack

We finally got ‘Tonight Belongs to You (Reprise)’ on an album but at what cost

I know there is more that I’m missing but this is already longer than I’d planned

#are we not going to talk about mrs greeenes dress????#the prom #im gonna make another one of these but i probably wont post is unless im asked about it #the prom movie #mine

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cherubcow · 3 years

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“Invincible”, Season 1 (2021) Review

Somehow both very cool and very fucking stupid :D

About Created and written primarily by Robert Kirkman (principle writer for The Walking Dead comic and TV show), this Young Adult cartoon basically synthesizes a number of comic book characters (e.g., Superman, Batman, Green Lantern, Hellboy, Wonder Woman, Gambit) and tries to balance their heroism with cynical twists and dark realities. It's an exercise like Brightburn (2019) in that it mirrors existing comic writing all too closely in order to make violent twists. The cool stuff arrives pretty much immediately. You can tell right away that the physics have some level of realism, and it quickly gets serious because of this. The easy comparison would be to The Boys (also by Amazon, also about violent heroes, and also very well-produced). So, if you like The Boys (2019–), you'll probably like Invincible only a little less.

(( Some spoilers but nothing too specific ))

Wrong Focus But, the stupid stuff comes from the same error that the Kick-Ass movie (2010) made: it focuses on the wrong person(s). In Kick-Ass, the error was focusing on.. well.. "Kick-Ass", an irredeemable loser and waste of screen time. Invincible makes the same mistake, focusing on.. well.. "Invincible", a (so far) irredeemable loser and waste of screen time. So, despite its virtues, this show cannot escape that it made the decision to go for the Young Adult viewing demographic. It reminds me of Alita: Battle Angel (2019) in that way too: some very cool adult concepts ruined by the dramatic devices of unrepentant teenage stupidity and irrelevance. I didn't even like that stuff when I was a teenager, though Jordan Catalano gets a pass.

Main Cast and Characters The supporting characters were also very stupid. The most annoying was definitely Amber Bennett (voiced by the otherwise cool Zazie Beetz from Deadpool 2 (2018) and Joker (2019)),

who is supposed to be attractive somehow to Mark Grayson ("Invincible", voiced by Steven Yeun, who played Glenn on The Walking Dead)

despite the fact that she constantly judges him, fails to understand him, often fails to give him any kind of benefit of the doubt, and continues to scowl at him and be hurtful towards him even when she has information that should change her outlook towards him. And because she is part of the love triangle shared between herself, Invincible/Mark, and "Atom Eve"/Samantha (voiced by the awesome Gillian Jacobs from Community (2009–2014)),

audiences simply have to bear with it that Amber's annoying character will be present and wasting time until Mark can realize that Amber is in fact toxic and that Eve actually understands him and can improve him in more positive directions. That love triangle should have been a 20-minute distraction, but I'm guessing that it will eat up a season or two more, especially if the writers become cowardly and fail to change things for fear of messing up a perceived "winning" formula. In my ideal story line, they would skip ahead 10 years, drop the teen drama, the love triangle, and the stupid jokes and have Invincible and Eve paired in defense of Earth, with the main tension being from their worry that the other would be horribly gored in front of them during lethal fights against cosmic enemies ;)

Aside, I am aware of Amber’s motivation for being a bad person, I just think her justification is not based in understanding, empathy, and a regard for the gravity of Invincible’s situation. In a strict political sense, Invincible should not commit a lie of omission by keeping her in the dark about his identity — even if for the “noble lie” reason of protecting her — but in a real sense, he is a fucking teenager who just developed his super powers. For her to pretend that he should reveal his entire identity to her — a potentially transformative and even dangerous decision — after a few months of teenage romance paints an absurd portrait of her mind. It does, however, align her with Omni-Man, because where Omni-Man forces Invincible to become an adult in the fighting sense (pushing with full force early on), Amber forces Invincible to become an emotional adult by getting him to understand that toxic people such as herself need to be given boundaries — and he needs to learn to clearly delineate and communicate his real desires. By knowing that he does not want Amber, people who regiment his free time, or people who do not suit him, for instance, he can realize why Eve was an obvious decision: Eve understands, can make time when they have time, and will let him find his decisions. Part of a coming-of-age story tends to be realizing what one actually wants, and Invincible’s hesitation in telling Amber his identity shows that he does not truly want her. This separates Invincible from, say, Spider-Man, who avoided telling Mary Jane his identity not because he did not want her but because he wanted at all costs to protect her.

The next most annoying character has to be Debbie Grayson (voiced by TV-cancer Sandra Oh and who luckily was not animated to look like the real Sandra Oh and who should have been voiced instead by Bobby Lee due to Lee's successful MadTV parody of Sandra Oh).

Debbie basically fills the role of Skyler in Breaking Bad, except that Debbie's character tends to be slightly more understanding before her inevitable and toxic Skyler-resentment and undermining behavior. Despite having an 8-episode arc of change, Debbie's character flips too quickly and lacks the empathy and Omni-Man motive-justifying that would make her interesting (the comic's development may vary). For instance, if she refused to believe that Omni-Man meant his own words, that would make her empathetic and perhaps virtuous even if misled, but instead she dropped their "20 years" of understanding after viewing Omni-Man in action, which makes her appear shallow, easily manipulated, and unsympathetic. That was a definite "Young Adult" genre move because it shows immaturity by the writers to break apart a bond of 20 years so quickly. Mediocre teens might accept such a fissure because their lives have not yet seen or may not comprehend that level of time, but adults know that even long-standing and problematic relationships (which, beyond the lie, Omni-Man's and Debbie's was not shown to be) take a lot of time to break — even with lies exposed.

Omni-Man The biggest show strength for me was of course Omni-Man, who in a success of casting was voiced by J.K. Simmons in a kind of reprisal of Simmons' role as Fletcher from Whiplash (2014).

The Fletcher/Omni-Man parallel shows through their being incredibly harsh but extremely disciplined and principled, forcing people to become beyond even their own ideal selves (this via Omni-Man's tough-love teaching of Invincible — comically, Omni-Man was actually psychologically easier on Invincible than Fletcher was on Whiplash's Andrew character). Despite the show's attempts to villainize Omni-Man, he, like Fletcher and also like Breaking Bad's Walter White, becomes progressively more awesome, eventually representing a Spartan will, an unconquerable drive, and a realistic and martial understanding of a hero's role.

To the show's credit, while it wrote Omni-Man to be outright genocidal and from a culture of eugenicists (again, Spartan), they could not help but admire him and his "violence" and "naked force" (for a Starship Troopers reference), giving him a path to redemption. That redemption comes in part because — despite the show's attempt to be often realistic and violent — its decision to be directed at young adults via dumb jokes, petty relationship drama, the characters’ reckless lack of anonymity and security in their neighborhood (loudly taking off and landing right at the doorstep), and light indy music also made the portrayed violence far less literal. With a less literal violence, the real statement becomes not that Omni-Man really did kill so many people (though he certainly did kill those people within the show's plot) but that he was symbolically capable of terrible violence but could be reformed for good. That's the shortcoming with putting violence under demographic limitations. If it's a PG-13 Godzilla knocking down cities, the deaths in the many fallen skyscrapers don't matter so much (the audience will even forgive Godzilla for mass death if it happens mostly in removed spectacle), whereas if it's Cormac McCarthy envisioning a very realistic fiction, every death rides the edge of true trauma.

By showing light between the real and the symbolic, it is much easier to identify and agree with Omni-Man. For instance, when Robot (voiced by Zachary Quinto of Heroes and the newer Star Trek movies)

shows too much empathy for the revealed weakness of "Monster Girl" (voiced by Grey Griffin), the audience may have thought, "Pathetic," even before Omni-Man himself said it. And this because Omni-Man knows that true and powerful enemies (including himself) will not hesitate to use ultra-violence against these avenues of weakness. "Invincible" can make his Spider-Man quips while in lethal battles, but he does so while riding the edge of death — something that Omni-Man has to teach Invincible by riding him to the brink of his own.

Other Cast/Characters and Amazon's Hidden Budget It was impressive how many big-name actors were thrown into this — a true hemorrhage of producer funding. Amazon has so far hidden the budget numbers, perhaps because they don't want people to know that the show (like many of its shows) represents a kind of loss-leader to jump-start its entertainment brand.

Aside from those already mentioned, the show borrows a number of actors from The Walking Dead (WD), including.. • Chad L. Coleman ("Martian Man"; "Tyreese" on WD),

• Khary Payton ("Black Samson"; "Ezekiel" on WD),

• Ross Marquand (several characters; "Aaron" on WD)

• Lauren Cohan ("War Woman"; "Maggie" on WD)

• Michael Cudlitz ("Red Rush"; "Abraham" on WD)

• Lennie James ("Darkwing"; "Morgan" on WD)

• Sonequa Martin-Green ("Green Ghost"; "Sasha" on WD)

There were also connections to Rick and Morty and Community, not just with Gillian Jacobs but also with... • Justin Roiland ("Doug Cheston"), who voices both Rick and Morty in Rick and Morty,

• Jason Mantzoukas ("Rex"),

• Walton Goggins ("Cecil"),

• Chris Diamantopoulos (several characters),

• Clancy Brown ("Damien Darkblood"),

• Kevin Michael Richardson ("Mauler Twins"), and

• Ryan Ridley (writing)

That's a lot of overlap. They even had Michael Dorn from Star Trek: TNG (1987–1994) (there he played Worf) and Reginald VelJohnson from Family Matters (1989–1998) and Die Hard (1988), and even Mark Hamill. Pretty much everyone in the voice cast was significant and known. Maybe Amazon got a discount for COVID since the actors could all do voice-work from home? ;)

Overall Bad that it was for the Young Adult target demo but good for the infrequent adult themes and ultra-violence. Very high production value and a good watch for those who like dark superhero stories. I have heard that the comic gets progressively darker, which fits for Robert Kirkman, so it will likely be worth keeping up with this show.

#invincible #tv review #robert kirkman #invincible tv series #invincible tv show

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ultrahpfan5blog · 2 years

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Retrospective Review - Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice (Ultimate Edition)

There are few movies in the world that have left me as disappointed as BvS. I tried very much to convince myself, after watching the movie the first time, that I liked it, but my insides just knew that it just wasn't up to the mark. To me, the film was just a gloomy mess of a movie, with bizarre editing choices and inconsistent performances. Later Ultimate Edition was released and people kept saying that it was a a masterpiece. I watched it and while I certainly think its an improved version of the movie, to me it is still not a good movie.

Don't get me wrong, this isn't the worst movie in the world. Its just the most disappointing to me. Making a BvS movie that is not fun should not be possible. Yet, that is exactly what we got. I was meh on MoS, but I felt the building blocks were there, but this film is incredibly convoluted and dull. Like with all Snyder films, it looks great. Zack Snyder knows how to present great visuals and set pieces. There are definitely a few visuals of the movie that I remember very distinctly. One is when Superman rescues a child from a burning building in Mexico and people around him touch him as if he's some sort of deity. The other is the Superman memorial at the end with the public holding a vigil. The use of music and visuals is exquisite in these scenes. The action is definitely very cool. The standout is the warehouse action scene. That is arguably the best Batman action scene ever but to film. The Batman and Superman showdown is exciting and the final Doomsday vs Superman, Batman, and Wonder Woman is really cool. Wonder Woman really gets to have a badass entry into the DCEU. The musical choices for the character were brilliant and she has some cool interactions with Bruce as an enigmatic figure that we don't know much about. Also, there are some interesting ideas here. The idea of Superman being a polarizing figure, with half the public scared of him and half adulating him. The fact that Superman's presence affects geopolitics quite significantly. These are interesting concepts to explore in this context.

However, what lets this film down is the plotting. As I mentioned before, the plotting is ridiculously convoluted. I mean, there are so many ridiculous coincidences and requirements for characters to act stupid in order for certain events to occur. Ultimate Edition is definitely a more coherent version of the film. There are story points like the whole Africa ambush subplot, which definitely make a lot more sense in the Ultimate Edition, and the UE definitely fleshes out the Superman side of the BvS conflict. But despite it being more fleshed out, the storyline is still very dull and plodding. The film has to go out of its way to have characters tell other characters what the audience should be feeling. Like how there is literally a character that tells Clark that someone like Batman should be killed because her human trafficker husband was killed in Prison because of the bat brand. Its a scene literally there so the audience doesn't miss why Superman should be resentful of Batman. There are similarly heavy handed scenes throughout. The Superman side of the conflict is poorly handled. Also, Superman as a character is just a dispiriting and miserable figure throughout the movie. The Batman side of the movie is better but still has a lot of problems. Batman's resentment towards Superman doesn't really work as an excuse for him to basically want to kill him despite there being no concrete reason to do so. It makes Batman look a little bit like a maniac. The film also requires Bruce to be pretty stupid because he falls hook, line, and sinker into Lex's plot.

The film also basically spends 2 hours before it delivers a proper action scene. The Batmobile car chase is quite literally the only scene we can consider an action scene until the 2 hour mark. And then there are basically 3 back to back action sequences in the last hour with the titular showdown, followed by the warehouse fight, followed by the Doomsday fight. While action scenes are good, there is also some serious stupidity on display in the context of these scenes. Like, if Batman wants to kill Superman, who would he use conventional weapons first when everyone knows that has no impact on him. Superman is trying to convince Batman to join him but he doesn't make much of an effort before he starts throwing him through buildings. I honestly feel that there are things that just make this movie overstuffed. They really shouldn't have stuffed Doomsday and all the awkward JL setup in this film. Even WW is not really necessary in this film. It just bloats the film excessively and makes the film a slog to get through. The film is also straining at the edges to make Lois Lane relevant. Her investigation into the Africa incident is a big part of the film but its one of those things that is hard to care about because we are already aware that Luthor is behind it all. It is only Lois who is finding out. The film then basically uses her as

In terms of performances, the film is very inconsistent. Without doubt, the highlight of the film is Ben Affleck and Jeremy Irons as Batman and Alfred. Ben Affleck delivers a very charismatic and visceral Batman. He looks intimidating and his performance definitely delivers the seething resentment. I am not a huge fan of the characterization of Batman, but I have no complaints of his performance in this film. I love the dynamic with Alfred and Irons delivers a very different Alfred than previous version. Alfred is more a friend and a mentor as compared to the father figure in past iterations. The interplay between the two characters is definitely the best aspect of the film. Henry Cavill is a very naturally charismatic figure, which is why its quite sad to be so stripped of charisma in this movie. He's let down by the script which requires him to scowl and grimace throughout the movie. Its really probably his weakest performance in the role. Amy Adams tries her level best and she's likable, because she's Amy Adams and its impossible not to like her, but she's missing a spark. Plus, there really is no chemistry between her and Henry, and given these films rely a lot on the Superman and Lois connection, it is a big sticking point. Gal Gadot is appropriately enigmatic and badass in the role. Jesse Eisenberg is another big casting stumble. He delivers and over the top and twitchy performance which is very grating at times. There are a few moments where he hits the right note of menace, but its largely a misfire. Diane Lane continues to be solid as Martha as is Laurence Fishburne as Perry. Holly Hunter has a pretty thankless role as Senator Finch. She's quite wasted.

Overall, while I am hard on this film, it is because this is not a film that should be hard to figure out. Whether it was WB or Snyder, this film really should have probably been two movies. It was definitely a big stumbling block from the DCEU from which it hasn't really fully recovered from yet. For me, there is still a certain thrill to be seeing Batman, Superman, and Wonder Woman on screen together and that itself makes it worth seeing but I genuinely think the problems with this are very apparent and hinder the film quite a lot. Unlike a Batman & Robin, which is so bad that you can enjoy the campiness, this film is so dark and serious that its issues stand out even more because it wants to be taken seriously. I would say it ranks at a 4.5/10.

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touchmycoat · 3 years

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I LOVE YOUR PORN AU!!!!! LIKE SO MUCH - and i'm just. if you don't mind me asking, how - the way you flesh out the characters, their motivations, and feelings in every scene in such an eloquent way, and just little things here and there, a habit or an activity that adds dimension to who they are, and - your prose is wonderful. you achieve this addictive, engrossing narrative space that readers just absolutely melt into, and i have to ask - how did you develop your writing style? 1/2

what books did you read that formatively shaped the way you write? or you know, what did you do to improve your writing? i'm so in awe of how you world-built and established the porn au - like lqg & hc being national taolu champions?? how do you come up with that stuff? i cannot comprehend the amount of research and effort that must've gone into porn au, and i'm just so deeply thankful that you decided to share that with us. i apologize if i'm coming on too strong, but wow. thank you 2/2

oh my god please don't apologize, when i saw your ask i rolled on the floor giggling hysterically for a solid 15 min, bless your heart

part of the answer to your question—i've taken like, 8 years' worth of creative writing classes/workshops! there was also a transnational literary component to my degree so whenever possible, i took literature classes fksjdfksd so whatever you see and like is definitely the result of a lot of work. My writing from not even 10 years ago but like, 5? horrid, ridiculous, wild, cringe. The Porn AU itself is the second draft of a MUCH more lackluster piece.

about my writing style. gosh, you really know how to make a writer blush. "I like your writing style" is literally an instant kill LMFAO okay okay, the useful answer: my primary criteria for choosing what to write is, don't be obvious, be interesting. Fiction tells us to show, not tell, right? Poetry is about concretizing the abstract. Screenwriting says cut all useless lines. A lot of writing rules and advice—never start with the weather, avoid detailed descriptions of the characters, don't use adverbs, etc.—are all really about this exact sentiment.

I once took a seminar on writing for horror movies. The golden rule of the horror genre is Never Show the Monster, because whatever the audience is imagining is always going to be scarier than what you actually show them. There are obviously exceptions to this (to all writing rules), but in my mind, it's all the same principle.

LONG answer under the cut

So you start with building a scene. I approach it like essay-writing—I state my thesis for the motivations/main propulsion of the plot. "In this scene, LQG and SY are motivated to save Cang Qiong's porn production, so they have sex on camera." Then you build the sub-motivations: "LQG is also doing this because he's pining after SY."

I learned this "thesis-writing" from theater, specifically from writing 10-min plays. Theater is all about characters being driven by their wants and needs, and the reason I say 10-min plays in particular is because longer forms of writing will give you more leeway, but in 10-min, you pretty much need your character motivations established from their very first line. That's why you need that very clear thesis for yourself—if you don't even know what the character wants from the get-go, then you can't establish who they are, what they want, and where they're going to go in a dynamic and interesting way.

So this thesis drives EVERYTHING that happens in your scene, just like an actual thesis for an essay, just like topic sentences for your paragraphs. Once I do this, I have the emotional direction & narrative scope of how much this scene will cover, I have a sense of where it begins and ends. "Begin with the dynamics of their sex. LQG starts showing signs of his feelings. Reveal LQG backstory for exactly what those feelings are and why he isn't telling SY. The rest of the scene implies that LQG's feelings may not be so unrequited, but also sets up the fundamental problem at the heart of the whole fic—SY's inability to comprehend his own feelings." This is kind of my new thesis now. They're having sex; LQG pines; SY doesn't know he himself is pining.

Now it's time to manifest. This is the "storytelling" part, and the hardest lmfao.

Personally, my approach is largely shaped by my very cool screenwriting teacher, who hammered into us: don't fucking waste lines. The Golden Rule of screenwriting is that every line should reveal something new. I found my old writing kind of repetitive, especially on the emotional front, so this is kind of my editing mantra now—is this line either propelling the story or revealing character? If it's revealing character, is it a revelation that has to happen right now, or is it slowing the momentum of the scene?

But these aren't rhetorical questions! "Momentum" doesn't just mean tumble forward as fast as you can, it also means taking the time to draw the bowstring back further, so your next move has even more propulsion. That's why you get the little "LQG has been in love with SY..." cut scene in the middle of the fucking (at least, that's my reasoning for putting it there). Every line has to bring a fresh revelation that "proves" your thesis further.

That brings me to the details. You said you like the details I inject into the world-building, and honestly that's so gratifying to hear, because that means I'm successfully manifesting my intentions, y'know? "Every line has to bring new info" kind of sounds like a tall order, but the most effective way I've seen it done in books and onstage/onscreen is with these hyper-specific details. If you're writing a scene in which someone feels dirty, never have them just say that—have them say they want to take a shower. Show them running out of bleach again as they scrub down the stall after they wash. Begin the scene like "Steve always washes his throat first now." Then pack the scene with even more revelatory details: "Soap in hand, he heard the pipes above his head groan for a half note on adagio, and readied himself for the blast of icy water that always followed." Shitty shower, probably not rich, is likely a classical musician.

By the same token, I want to build LQG's character. The "Liu Qingge has been in love with Shen Yuan" section is the first insight we get into his background and perspective, right, so: I need to establish LQG's emotional context for filming this scene -> I can characterize him as a nut for martial arts in the same stroke -> so this takes place at a gym, beating up sandbags is a classic way of showing manly emotional distress -> so give me more details on this gym -> Puqi Gym, XL the martial god is obviously the owner -> how do I have XL & LQG a relationship beyond gym owner & client? They spar together -> I want XL & HC's position in this AU to mirror their god/ghost king statuses in TGCF canon -> how can I concretize their fighting prowesses in real-world details? -> they're martial arts champions -> what's an actual competitive martial art form that involves weaponry? -> wushu -> wikipedia Wushu, find taolu weapons sparring

(I just realized that in my songxiao daycare AU, Hualian are Olympic gold medalists by the same narrative logic laksjdnflaksjdnflsd)

So, that's the flow of logic behind my world-building lmao. It's all in the details. Leverage is one of my all-time favorite TV shows and the way they build their stories is super inspiring. If their thesis is "the rich and powerful take what they want, we steal it back for you," they manifest it in the most specific and concrete narratives: mine workers who like the work but are fighting for workplace safety vs. the money-grubbing mine owner who will blow up their livelihoods if it means a bigger payday; the little girl from Iraq with refugee status forced to be an accomplice to antique smuggling vs. international smuggler with a fetish for British royalty.

Last pieces of writing advice I've gotten: pay attention to the real world. A writing exercise we did was just sit in a public spot and make concrete observations on our surroundings. There are stories in everything!!! I learned to observe things like weird holes in the concrete (earthquake? drilling accident? bullet mark?), odd patches of moss or bird shit (look overheard: it's an AC unit dripping water for the former and nesting swallows for the latter), ladies in flipflops walking alongside ladies in high heels (excited mother walking her antsy daughter to the bus for the daughter's first job interview—the daughter's shirt collar is unfashionable and she's taking the bus, so there's a good chance the shoes were passed down, maybe from an office lady aunt. Maybe she's even overdressed for the interview, so will her outfit be an unintended source of tension once she gets to the interview? Is it a group interview, to make the comparison more stark?).

Also, write what you know. You know why SY is a video editor in porn AU? Because I'm a video editor. One of my more popular MDZS fics is set in a plant shop 'cause I worked in a plant shop. SL was First AD in Bachelor!AU 'cause I was First AD on a set once. Concrete details like the editing software having a split-screen, always answering questions about how often to water plants, and being up until 3AM editing call-sheets are the ones that will fully immerse your readers.

And if you can't do the actual things, just watch someone who is, listen to them talk, pick up lingo, and fake it. I watched like a 15-min vox video on fencing for the fencing!AU and a 45-min music theory video on the hospital pianist!AU (also I started learning piano sklfjnlsdjlfkjsd). Of course, I just finished reading a wangxian fic that had me going, "holy fucking shit, the author is literally getting their masters in a music program" so my 45-min youtube video ain't shit, but if you just need a little bit of character establishment, then it's enough to do the trick.

Anyways, tl;dr. Find the details, find the tension. Never tell outright what the tension is supposed to be, manifest it instead. Make the manifestation as interesting as possible, and if it's meant to be funny, make it funnier.

Sorry this turned into a fucking lecture lskjnflskdjnflskd but last thing, someone asked me before if I had formative authors, and this was the list I wrote at the time:

Angels in America (play) by Tony Kushner

The God of Small Things (novel) by Arundhati Roy

The Penelopiad (novel) by Margaret Atwood

“Litany in Which Certain Things are Crossed Out” (poem) by Richard Siken

Night Sky with Exit Wounds (poetry) by Ocean Vuong

Giovanni’s Room (novel) by James Baldwin (and then Go Tell it on the Mountain and then his essays)

Franny and Zooey by J.D. Salinger

And, ooh, now that I have this list I think I can even roughly sort it as such: Kushner, Atwood, Siken, and Salinger I really latched onto for their dialogue and very present narrator voice—same is true for Go Tell it on the Mountain. Roy, Vuong, and Giovanni’s Room, I think, are texts more representative of the kind of saturated figurative language I like, and emulate. Of course they all do imagery and voice and overall structure amazingly, but that’s the rough dividing line I’d draw.

But yeah James Baldwin is my fucking hero.

#long post #about me #writing #jesus sorry i spent way too long on this laksjdnflaskjdnflaskjndflas #but anyways i'm super grateful you gave me the chance to introspect and articulate all this #i'm exceedingly grateful too to all the writing mentors i've gotten to have #personal #these are the principles and rules i've learned and #i still definitely screw the pooch #on them #so you know this is just what's on my mind #this is how i school myself

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unironicduncanstan · 3 years

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@alenoah and @icedancerhell did this and ik im definitely going to be cancelled for my taste but explanations below

prince of egypt: oh my gfucking god . bro the music. the ANIMATION. the story too like obviously its based on a religious tale but i mean the way its portrayed and interpreted and how it all comes across was so on point. and did i mention THE FUCKGIN MUSIC dude i would try to sing every song when i was a kid and i think attempting that literally improved my range growing up

shrek: ok when ur a kid literally all u want is to feel mature and cool. shrek was that in an hour and 30 minutes. all the adult humor. and even the shit that would fly over your head somehow still always registered as so funny. every line is burned into my brain bc i watched it so much it was so fuckgin funny and entertaining and the storyline was so depthful and important. shrek for president

sinbad: oh yeah he makes me wanna sin. Bad

rise of the guardians: oooohhg the plot was so cool and intriguing,,, the designs were so unique,,,, also i actually used to. cosplay jack frost when i was a teen osfkjskjfhksdjf i might have like One picture around here somewhere,

over the hedge: every character is perfectly designed and perfectly voiced and the humor was so good. me at like 8 years old watching hammy the squirrel drink coffee and frolic around in a slowed down world was the peak of comedy

madagascar: its just such a classic. another movie where every line is burned into my cerebellum bc i had it on dvd. id say out of this whole list this close to number one. idk where to even begin with how stupidly hilarious it was to me

httyd: lbr who didnt just do a full [lisa simpson face] when you got to the end and hiccup had lost part of a leg. the whole movie had this aura that it was like not tethered down somehow while still being great family friendly media. also im ace sexual and UHH big dragon

antz: unironically i think it deserves so much more than it gets. the anti war messages are great the designs are cool and it goes back into the shrek maturity territory where they get to say CUSS WORDS. p much my only qualm is that woody allen had to be there 😔😔😔

shark tale: ok dont cancel me but i really love the plot actually. i mostly love the mafia shark boy that dresses as a dolphin but even the will smith fish crash-and-burn fame hubris thing while annoying at times was rly intriguing. and the designs are the kind of thing that as a kid i loved but as an adult i do. struggle , w ith, a bit, but overall funny and entertaining story

el dorado: the music slaps so fuckgin hard thats another example of me tryna sing cartoon music to an embarrassing degree. also the Colorse . the designs . and the humor osjfsjdf the only downside is just a personal vibe bc the best friend conflict storylines make me anxious sometimes lol

flushed away: oh my god dont at me. some of the characters are so fuckgin annoying and some of the humor is just so much but i rly did like the worldbuilding and storyline. stupid posh ass rat was rly cool actually. also yet another mafia/gang violence plot in childrens media why is that so funny when ur a kid god

spirit: GREAT MUSIC GREAT STORY! i think the way the story goes like, its Better to be told with regular horses and narration rather than talking horses,,,, but my dumb whimsical child ass just didnt latch onto that style as much as the talking animal movies

shrek 2: rly good tbh all the new characters introduced are interesting and entertaining to watch, but i mostly remember it for i need a hero and human shrek. didnt rly hit the same mark as the first :/

httyd 2: another great movie with another great twist but it almost felt like too much at once for my little brain to handle. overloaded me with gay emotion

megamind: i love everything it stands for i just never saw it until like a year ago so its not that dear to my heart

kung fu panda: not my style of humor, i saw it once and can hardly remember it but i feel like the plot was wholesome and cute

the croods: so funny and good, ive seen it many times actually. but some of the humor just isnt my thing (its, well, crude, which also took me like 5 yrs to get that joke,)

bee movie: was pleasantly surprised the first time i watched it??? it was pretty good and it did kinda make fun of itself so idk why its so cringe to ppl. barry b benson entertained me unironically

chicken run: i saw it once when i was very young and it just didnt resonate with me also claymation most of my childhood terrified me

wallace and gromit: same as chicken run

entire never saw it tier: dotn hate me i just dont have a lot of time on my hands. i know i will be oppressed into watching peabody and sherman within the week and i accept the charges

monsters vs. aliens: someone got it for me on dvd and i hated it so much. its not even that bad its just a me thing like for some reason the part where the lady becomes a giant during her wedding or w/e was just like. the worst nightmare i could imagine i hated it and it made me scared to get married bc i thought that could happen to me. also none of the main cast is charming to me one of thems a bug and i have a bug phobia so i could never rly get thru it im sorry but i coudltn do it

madagascar 2: alex backstory was kinda good but the rest was forgettable for me

madagascar 3: visually kinda cool but. :/// felt really off compared to the previous movies, like an obvious cash grab. i mean who could forget the constant polka dot afro circus song advertisements

shrek 3: again mostly just remember it for the frog dad dying ,,,

shrek 4: i only saw it like 5 months ago for the first time. fiona being a warrior in an alternate timeline or w/e (if that was real and not a fever dream) was the only semi tolerable part for me

penguins of madagascar: the first few minutes with them as babies was cute the rest i physically could not keep my attention on. i dont remember anything else im sorry

#long post/ /#very long #original

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aylinaliens · 4 years

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I am officially caught up on Oxygen and I started it yesterday, so that’s a new record. I’m so freaking obsessed! And, I’d love some recs because I need more to watch. My first step into the world of Bls came from My Engineer which was brilliant and frustrating, but I loved it. Now, I’m just looking for more and more and more, and this started in July 😂. I’d love some recs and to pop in randomly to chat about the bls if you’d be up for it because they all kill me ~♉️

Sorry for the delayed response but I wanted to take some time to compile a list of recs for you. I tried to mainly rec ones that are mainly available on YouTube, Viki, Line TV, and Netflix but if you need help finding links to watch them let me know!

I highly recommend these (based on the previous ones you’ve seen or ones that I personally loved):

Cherry Magic: This is a Japanese BL that’s currently airing but it’s so good and easily my favorite of the year. It has a wacky premise but it’s very heartwarming, realistic, and soft.

Like In The Movies (aka Gaya Sa Pelikula): This recently ended like a week ago but it was a masterpiece. GSP accurately depicts the struggle of being the LGBTQ+ community and is just generally really well made in terms of the script, cinematography, and OST. There were quite a few BL’s from Philippines released this year but IMO this was the best.

He’s Coming to Me: Incredibly underrated which sucks because it’s really good. The premise is very unique and it’s another accurate depiction of the struggles that LGBTQ+ individuals have to go through. This is pretty angsty but hilarious/heartwarming/adorable at the same time.

Theory of Love: People either absolutely adore TOL or absolutely despise TOL. I personally adored it because I’m a big fan of angst, flawed characters (oh boy were they flawed), and OffGun so it’s one of my favorites. But fair warning the characters are frustrating. So frustrating that you’ll probably want to reach through the screen to smack them but if you hang on till the end it’s worth it. Plus they just released a special episode like a month ago and it really improved any issues I had with TOL.

The Untamed: this is technically labeled as being a ‘bromance’ because of China’s censorship laws but like...it’s extremely obvious that the two ML’s are more than just platonic bros. In the book it’s based on they were together romantically and the drama does a good job of expressing the love they share with subtle (and not so subtle) looks, dialogue, cinematography, touches, and music. The Untamed is very long and at times confusing but 100% worth it.

History 3 Trapped: This was my first introduction to BL and it spoiled all other ones for me. It’s about a gangster and a police officer who go from enemies to lovers. The plot is messy but the chemistry between the leads + second leads makes up for that.

Where Your Eyes Linger: This is a Korean BL and almost everyone I talked to ended up loving this. Sadly this is really short (only 8 episodes that are 10 minutes long) but it’s worth it. It’s about two childhood friends—one of them is the son of a wealthy family and the other is his bodyguard. It handles the friends to lovers excellently and plus the leads have a ton of chemistry.

Mr. Heart: Another Korean BL that was produced by the same company that did WYEL. It’s also short but it’s fluffy and adorable which is a big shift tone from WYEL but I loved both equally.

Life Love On The Line: Another Japanese BL! It came out this year and I feel like it’s really underrated. It’s based on a short manga so the length of the series isn’t that long (4 ep that are 20-30 min long) but it still manages to effectively tell a beautiful love story.

Kinou Nani Tabeta? (What Did You Eat Yesterday): I’m only on episode 1 but...woah. People need to stop sleeping on this. It’s a slice of life drama centered around two men in their forties who are already together. It’s wholesome, soft, and makes me feel all warm inside. Please give this a chance okay?

I Told Sunset About You: I haven’t finished this yet but it’s honestly a masterpiece. The cinematography...the OST...the acting...the script...I’m in complete awe of the whole thing.

Gameboys: Another wonderful PINOY BL! It’s set during this year when the pandemic is going on and it was really good—so good that it got a GL spin off (Pearl Next Door, I highly rec this too even if it’s not BL) and a season 2 which comes out next year.

Hello Stranger: Honestly the Philippines are thriving this year because this was another stellar BL! It’s kind of like Gameboys in how almost the whole drama is filmed over video chat/social media but it was very cute. I believe Hello Stranger is also releasing a movie next year.

Ingredients: This is literally just a very long supermarket ad that’s been going on for 8 months now but it’s adorable. It’s a very low stakes fluffy BL where nothing happens plot wise yet you can’t put it down. Plus...they were roommates ;)

Sotus/Sotus S: not one of my favorites but it’s one of the OG bl’s for a reason. So many people loved the first season but didn’t care for the second (but it was the complete opposite for me). This is kind of the one of the most quintessential Thai BLs out there so feel free to give it a try.

History 2 Right or Wrong: Bls rarely center around mature individuals let alone parents so when I found out the premise of this I was sold. Its only 4 episodes so it’s not the most fleshed out thing ever made but it was incredibly adorable, fluffy, and as honest as they can to address LGBTQ+ parenting. Basically it’s about this college student who ends up as a babysitter for his professor (yeah okay that premise is not for everyone so just be aware if you don’t like that kind of thing) and they fall in love. The whole thing is so fluffy and heartwarming!

Ossan’s Love: This is a Japanese BL about this thirty year old office worker who finds himself in a weird love triangle between his married boss and roommate. I know it sounds like a mess and trust me it definitely is but it’s hilarious. It was a wild ride start to finish but I loved (and hated) every second of it.

Diary of Tootsies: Okay this isn’t a typical BL I guess but it’s about three gay men + their lesbian best friend so you know what? I’m including it on this list. It’s hilariously dumb yet also addresses serious topics like homophobia/sexually transmitted diseases. It’s underrated and I’m so sad about it because it’s genuinely a delight to watch.

YYY the Series: do you know those crack videos on YouTube full of memes and references? Yeah. That’s basically YYY summed up. The whole thing makes zero sense because of how chaotic it is but despite how it’s constantly makes everyone ???? it also has a TON of heart. It’s so dumb but it had me reflecting on my life all the time. I really rec this not just because of how hilarious it is but also because it breaks the mold of other BLs! Don’t ever let anyone tell you that you can’t have a comedic show and talk about consent and how important healthy communication is in relationships because YYY does it perfectly and so much more.

Dark Blue Kiss: I didn’t love this but you might. It’s a sequel/spin off to like two other series (Kiss Me & Kiss Me Again) but you don’t have to watch the others to understand this. Just know that the leads have been dating awhile before the start of the series.

Great Men Academy: People debate if this is a real BL because the main character is a girl who can transform into a boy but I think it still counts. I really enjoyed this and thought the whole cast had a ton of chemistry between them—it was sweet, funny, and had the right amount of angst.

HIS: this is a Japanese movie (I know you said dramas but I enjoyed this so I figured I would include it too). It’s beautiful, angsty, and sweet. There’s a prequel series this is based on but you don’t have to watch it to understand what’s going on.

I have way more recommendations but I figured I would stop there. Hopefully if you give these a go you enjoy this and my asks are always open if you ever want to talk about BL :)

#♉️ anon #kay answers #bl recs #i left out so many because i didn’t want to make this really long + i wanted provide explanation as to why they were worth the watch #I also didn’t include dramas that just had bl side stories/characters

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365days365movies · 3 years

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January 17, 2021: Atomic Blonde (Epilogue)

I genuinely really enjoyed this film! And then...about 2 minutes after it ended...I started to think. And I continued to think. I wrote those two posts, and then took a little bit more time to think.

And then...I came to my final realization.

John Wick REALLY screwed this movie. Because the perception of this movie for most, myself included, was that of a new John Wick, with a female protagonist. A lot of people referred to it as “Jane Wick.” But it’s definitely not John Wick. It’s trying to be a spy movie, especially like James Bond films.

But the problem is...it isn’t either. To be a spy movie, it tries a little too hard with a pretty standard plot. And then, it intercuts that with John Wick-caliber fight sequences, detracting from the spy movie aesthetic. And then, because you do have those fight scenes, but still need to fit in the spy stuff, it creates a distinct disparity in tone and pace throughout the movie.

In other words...let’s get to the Recap. I have some more thoughts. And don’t worry! Many of them are positive. Just...not all of them.

Recap

Cast and Acting

Let’s start, of course, with Charlize Theron. Outside of the action sequences, Theron goes well as Broughton, portraying the tough character traits we see in spy characters like her and James Bond. And with the character she’s given, Theron does wonderfully. James McAvoy, on the other hand, seems like he’s having a HELL of a lot of fun with his role. He’s an underrated actor, honestly, and it’s very cool to see him play this sort-of anarchist punk spy. Sofia Boutella also deserves a shout-out for Delphine, playing her character’s naivete well, as well as remaining likeable. Also, Bill Skarsgård deserves a shout-out! I liked Merkel a lot, even despite his shorter screentime. Goodman, Jones, Marsan all do fine in their roles. The USSR characters...eh. They aren’t really given much spotlight...which is weird, given the fact that this is a Cold War drama, but OK. Basically, we’re going with an 9/10. Great; not the best I’ve ever seen all around, but still great!

Plot and Writing

Yeah...here’s the thing. I might like this movie, but the plot’s kind of a massive mess. Writing’s fine, but the plot is both extremely cliche spy movie, while also being extremely muddled in terms of story. Remember what I said up there about this film trying to be both a spy movie and John Wick, and that not working really well? Yeah, basically that. It attempts to balance the two concepts, but also corrupts what makes those concepts work in the first place. The Bourne Identity is arguably a better version of that combination. It’s too bad, because elements of the plot really take away from the rest of the movie.

And then...there’s the tacked on ending. Because, yeah, the whole American spy thing? Wasn’t in the original graphic novel. What I genuinely think they should’ve done was end it RIGHT at the interview’s terminus. Or, at least, right as she greets Bremovych as Satchel, as is done in the original novel. And, just to be clear, I thought this BEFORE reading the book. That ending feels...pander-y, for lack of a better term. I realize that we always want our protagonists to be heroic, but how great would it have been if Lorraine actually was kind of a villain? I dunno, I think not adding that extra twist at the end makes the movie stronger and more provocative, in a good way. Sorry, Kurt Johnstad, I know you did a good job on a technical standpoint, but...5/10 here.

Directing and Action

David Leitch, Jonathan Sela, and Sam Hargrave, the director, cinematographer, and stunt coordinator/fight choreographer, respectively. Full points for the action sequences, because MAN, those were some good action sequences! Rough and gritty, but extremely well-choreographed and shot at the same time, the action deserves the praise that it’s gotten. How about the cinematography? Stylistic, and very bold colors make this film very memorable. But...they don’t have much clear tie-in to the theming, and I think there’s some missed opportunity there. And the direction overall is great, even if I don’t think it’s perfect. It is Leitch’s first film as solo director, after all. 8/10!

Production and Art Design

Changed the title of this section! Turns out that I’ve been conflating the two concepts, so let’s include them both from now on, shall we? But OK, what did I think of it? Costume design was iconic...in the case for Charlize Theron, at least. James McAvoy a little bit, too, but it’s clear that Cindy Evans focused more upon Charlize than anyone else in the film, really. Which, for a spy, isn’t the best of ideas. Still, that combined with Zsuzsa Kismarty-Lechner’s art direction for the sets and set pieces (almost all of which are splashed with graffiti, in a very 1980′s flair) do bring you back to the time period in which the film is set. This, of course, is also due to the work of David Scheunmann, the production designer who’s actually from Berlin, and whose experiences were vital into making this film look as good as it does. If you’re not sold on the set design, check out the differences, obvious and subtle, between West and East Germany in the film. While some of it is clear, some of it carries some surprisingly subtle messaging (Stalker and Tetris, for example). So, even if Charlize got most of the costume attention, a lot of credit should be given to this movie. 8/10 for this one!

Music and Editing

Maybe the most well-known aspect of this movie, outside of the dramatic lighting, is the ‘80s soundtrack. Some love it, some criticize it quite a bit for overwhelming the film. And honestly...I think they’re both right? Here’s the thing, the music is great, and some of it is used in unexpectedly creative ways that critics didn’t seem to pick up on. Biggest and best example of this is Nena’s 99 Luftballons. That song if you didn’t know, is inspired by the separation between East and West Berlin. It’s literally a song about the cost of political strife, leading to war between countries over something as trivial as a red balloon. And when do they play it during the movie? When Bremovych is waging interrogating young East Berliners celebrating the culture of the west. It’s surprisingly profound! However...using Flock of Seagulls’ I Ran during a chase scene is...less so. That’s one’s a little on the nose, let’s be honest here. And that basically sums up the music for the movie. It’s all good music, but it’s either used well, or it just isn’t. Also, there actually is music composed for this movie, by Tyler Bates, and it is good...but I had to listen to the soundtrack to remember that it was even in the movie. So, yeah, not fantastic.

OK, how about the editing? The flashback sequence intercuts as part of the movie have been criticized by some for interfering with the pace and tone. And...eh. Wasn’t too much of a problem for me, to be honest. And other than that, it didn’t stand out too much to me. I’m finding that editing is the hardest thing to judge in these movies, but who knows? I think this little project might improve my film judgment skills. Also, those long shots? Not true long shots, as they were edited in post. So, good job to Elísabet Ronaldsdóttir! Overall, though, this category’s getting a 7/10 from me.

That’d be a...68% Really?

I’m legitimately surprised, because I do like this movie! Really, I do! But breaking it up piece by piece...it’s only really OK. My personal preference doesn’t necessarily dictate my score, and vice verse. So, I like this movie...even if it’s not as good as it can be. It’s a distinctive and stylish film with great action, and if you wanna see Charlize Theron be cool and kick ass, then WATCH THIS MOVIE!

And by the way, I didn’t touch too much upon the fact that this is the rare bisexual protagonist, and this is Tumblr, so I know that that’s something you guys know. And honestly...eh. Fact of the matter is that it’s a part of her character, but...we don’t really get to know the real her throughout the entire movie, so...is it? I’m honestly not sure. But, representation is representation, I get it. Also, fun fact, Delphine actually is in the graphic novel, but as a guy. So, interesting change, that!

OK, I think we’re done with the spy movies for a bit, now. Let’s switch subgenres a day. Let’s inject a little more adventure into this month, and let’s trade fists...with swords. It’s swashbuckler time.

January 18, 2021: The Mask of Zorro

#Atomic Blonde #David Leitch #Charlize Theron #Lorraine Broughton #James McAvoy #David Percival #Eddie Marsan #John Goodman #Toby Jones #sofia boutella #Bill Skarsgård #roland møller #365 movie challenge #365 movies 365 days #365 Days 365 Movies #365 movies a year #user365 #movie challenge #action january

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dappercritter · 3 years

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Once More Unto the Bre-er, Black, I Guess:

Quick Thoughts on that Pacific Rim Anime

Having given into my curiosity, I have decided to start watching Pacific Rim: The Black.

While, I am still skeptical of the significantly darker tone and how much farther they’ll take it before it becomes unwatchable, I am pleasantly surprised that that’s not all there is to it. The series is going to some bleak places, make no mistake, and this will no doubt turn off those who want lighter and more uplifting fare from their Pacific Rim content. But I was pleasantly surprised to see that the series has a good dose of heart and wit—with colour to boot! So far the series feels like an enjoyable blend of the pathos and heart of the first movie, with the escalated stakes and saturated colour and sense of humour of the sequel.

In a way it feels like a welcome change of pace and a course correction of sorts: It learns from the mistakes of Uprising while building on the foundation the original set in place.

The characters and story already have me engaged. Right from the get-go, you get a sense of how dire this fight is, being plunged right into the action at its most intense. You feel the stakes even before anything that serious has happened yet. The Travis family already shows a healthy balance of resolve, charm, and angst that even at it’s earliest, you can’t help but care for these folks. Hayley already strikes me as my favourite for her spunk and her soft-heartedness. Taylor is a bit rougher around the edges and can feel bit like a jerk at times, but he’s got just as much of a heart, and you quickly learn why it’s hardened. Loa is already stealing the show, as you can imagine a snarky mecha AI would. The first training scene gets special mention just for how hilariously inspired it feels.

When the tragedy does strike—and believe me, friends, it strikes fast here—you will be caught off-guard. I won’t ruin the surprise because I don’t want to overhype it or spoil it for anyone who wants to watch it too, but in short, you are lulled in a sense of secure tranquility. You get the feeling that things aren’t so bad where the story starts off. You get to know the other characters just a little bit, but you get a real sense of connection between everyone. Then just as when things seem to be getting fun, things take a drastically dark turn. There is a shocking loss, that while sterile in some ways, makes it clear right off the bat, that no one is safe in this world and it sticks.

Ordinarily, I’m not one for tragedies, but after Polygon’s last giant monster-based sci-fi tragedy, the infamous Godzilla Earth anime trilogy, it feels like a drastic even welcome improvement. In Gen Urobochi’s controversial high sci-fi take on the King of the Monsters, you got a barebones story where everything was either inferred, vague, or explained in an almost unbearable level of technical detail. You never got to see things at their best, or got an idea of what there was to care about or fight for. There was virtually no sense of connection between anyone, or a feeling that this universe was lived in. The characters had no real personality, defined almost entirely by their archetypes and positions, and some looked almost indistinguishable from one another. Here, the writing, art direction, and character design, all come together to create an undeniable sense of life. That’s right: not only is this an improvement over a Pacific Rim movie, but it’s an improvement over three whole Godzilla movies from the same studio. (Although having a Western writing team who is more accustomed to character tics and interactions probably helped in that regard.)

That said, the art and animation do leave some things to be desired. Again, while Polygon is clearly improving in some areas, this is pretty standard fare for them. While the character designs are nicely made and the cinematography easy on the eyes, with some shots looking beautifully rendered that I mistook a CG character for a 2D one at least twice, there are still some framerate and composition problems that stick out like sore monster thumbs. While only momentary, I did notice that sometimes the framerates for character movement would jump from smooth for a shot or two and then return back to Polygon’s normal stiff one immediately after, and while the backgrounds are beautiful sometimes it easier to tell there are CG characters walking on 2D pictures than others. Especially when it looks like the they are literally walking on a flat service at an angle.

Moreover, while the kaiju and jaeger design continue to impress in Pacific Rim fashion, they do feel like they suffer from similar problems as Uprising had. The jaegers you see in the opening and the main jaeger, Atlas Destroyer included, continue the trend of smoother and more vibrantly coloured mechas in the vein of Striker Eureka and G Danger/Avenger than the more characterized, robotic designs of the original, and if not for Atlas’s striking colour scheme and unique status as an unarmed training jaeger, probably would not stand out from any of the others. The kaiju are all looking good—and come from rifts that open on the mainland rather than the ocean this time—with distinctive new outlines and even new species for some added peril, but they do lack the monstrous alien aesthetic of the original movie’s monsters in some places, but not enough so to bother you. Although you will be wondering when the Precursors (or whoever made them, because Boy, does this show raise some questions fast) thought straight-up giant shrink-wrapped Dobermans were they way to go when it came to picking off humans, or when they decided to experiment with their colour palette. Most jarringly though, while the show does it’s best to regain that sense of weight and scale Jaegers had in the original film, they still feel lighter and faster like in Uprising, but with Polygon’s suddenly fluid framerate and stiffer range of motion, it might just stick out more here.

The music is alright. I’m not a fan of the subdued opening title music. I get it supposed to set the mood for the dire and dramatic tone and while it does, it also feels strangely too serious for a show from a franchise with as much punch as Pacific Rim. The main titles themselves are alright too, but they’re nothing too special. There’s some cool imagery and the stills of kaiju fighting jaegers remind me of the opening and end credits of the first movie, but some of looks less rendered than other parts and a lot of it feels just bland. (In short, my thoughts have improved since I first saw it, but not by much.) The series soundtrack itself is fine—it has a somewhat similar feel to the films’ scores but it’s also has some stock cues sprinkled throughout. So not much to talk about at the moment. The end theme is pretty good, since it reminds me the most of the original movie’s main theme. Hopefully we’ll get more of that.

I think my biggest gripe is one that simply cannot be overcome. The name: Why is it just “The Black”? Race-related jokes and unfortunate implications aside, it is just dumb. Bland. Uninspired. It reeks of trying too hard to seem nuanced and dark, but it just makes sound like it will be generic grimdark pretentiousness. Which is especially damaging when that is clearly not the case here. Even in the story, it makes no sense. From what I can tell about the plot and world so far, there was literally nothing stopping them from calling it “The Blackout”, which would have just been so much more appropriate. And don’t tell me “Pacific Rim: The Blackout,” wouldn’t sound even cooler.

(Or perhaps “The Mucky-Muck,” but maybe that’s just my Tenacious D fan-brain speaking.)

TLDR; the show definitely has it’s flaws and I’m concerned how far they’ll take the darkness with the series, but it’s pleasantly surprised me in a lot of ways. I look forward to seeing where it goes.

#pacific rim #pacific rim anime #pacific rim the black #pacific rim loa #hayley travis #taylor travis #atlas destroyer #kaiju #jaeger #mecha #monsters #anime #netflix #ramblings of the critter

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