#like a cgi version not just moving things around

[bryce-bucher]

Basidia Post #4

Vintage CGI:

Modus Interactive and I have been spending the last week or so learning how to use Alias Power Animator 9 which is essentially an old version of maya. It was used on sgi workstations back in the day on games like ff7 and mario64 for all the pre-rendered stuff. For a long time Modus and I have been pretty invested in learning how to replicate the look of old pre-rendered stuff, and, as it turns out, the best way was just to do it how they did it. For so long I tried to wrap my head around how old cgi stuff was modeled because the sorts of shapes that were often created seemed like they'd be unnecessarily hard to create with polygons. The thing that specifically stumped me for a while was how they handled wrinkles in clothing and organic shapes. As it turns out, the answer was hidden right under my nose the whole time. They weren't using polygons at all! Instead they were modeling with NURBS! It seems very obvious in hindsight, but I feel like I deleted the memory of NURBS once I exited highschool, and nobody ever seems to talk about or use them these days. If you don't know what they are, it's basically a style of modeling that involves making a bunch of bezier curves and using them to define surfaces. It's a totally different style of modeling from polygons with a lot of pros and cons, but it achieves that smooth look we're after extremely well.

Scout Rifle Render:

As shown in the pics above, I decided to make a model of the scout rifle in Basidia so that we could use it for an item icon. The process was definitely a learning experience, and one of the things I learned is that modeling like this is super fun. It's like creating each shape is a puzzle where you need to theorize what is the best approach to take, and following through is always a multi-step process of defining a surface and slicing it up. I find it super satisfying to pull off, and making slapping materials on it is always fun as well. Moving forward we are probably gonna use this program and/or older versions of maya to create any pre-rendered item icons or backgrounds that we'll be needing. Modus actually made new versions of the vials in it as well which I will put right here \/

Wow there it is would u look at that. Power Animator just has an amazing way of outputting some unique, rich colors that are hard to get in modern software. I mean, just look at that cork. How do you make a cork have such interesting colors? Amazing. Fuck it, I'm gonna show off a little guy I made in power animator that has nothing to do with Basidia. I've been hyperfixating on this program since I downloaded it so I owe this to myself.

Here he is! Power animator has this amazing glow effect you can put on any shader that adds this bloom as a post processing layer. I used it on the head in this one, and I think it achieves a particular dreamlike effect really well. The sorts of shapes I can get for cloth out of NURBS is also super fun and rewarding, as shown with the cape here. Character modeling is something I'm always really excited about, and I'll definitely be modeling some Basidia characters in this thing.

Conclusion:

I am loving this program and I cannot stop thinking about it. Anyway, I have some commissions to take care of before switching back to midwest lost development, so I may or may not be posting about that game next week. I'm trying to buy an old sgi workstation with the commission money, and, if I can pull that off, then I will have access to all the old software they used back then (including the IRIX version of poweranimator). If you want to check out power animator yourself then here is a link to the program, and here is a helpful tutorial. Oke bye take care!

#lowpoly #power animator #maya #vintage cgi #old cgi #raytracing #indie game #indie games #game development #gamedev #indiedev #indiegames #indiegamedev #indiegame #the winds of basidia #basidia #winds of basidia #snow of basidia #the snow of basidia #3d art #screenshotsaturday #nintendo 64 #n64 #haunted ps1 #rpg #pre rendered #prerendered

[coulsonlives]

Mkay, time for my in-depth review of Zuko's scar in the live action ATLA, because I'm a lil salty.

This is the first shot of Zuko we see, and my first impression is: this isn't the best makeup. The first thing that stands out is the flatness of the scar. It's unrealistic, because burn scars usually heal in a lumpy way, it's called hypertrophy. See the burn scar from the Hound (Sandor Clegane) in GOT:

That lumpiness is super important for making skin appear like it had been burned by fire and healed over! But because it's not really there in Zuko's face, it just looks like he got a bad sunburn:

I understand Zuko doesn't need a super deformed face, or enormous textures in his scar, but we basically have just flat skin right now, and it doesn't sell 'bad scar' at all. The makeup should've been somewhere between those two things.

The second thing is the general inaccuracy of the scar itself. I'm not gonna nitpick how it doesn't go as far down his cheek, or how it's not affecting his left eyelid, but there are some major things I am gonna mention. In the animated show, his left eyebrow was burned away because the fire contacted the skin underneath it, and then went over that, up into his forehead:

Here's a crappy edit I made where the brow is mirrored, you can see how much the scar extends over it.

But in the makeup, it looks like the fire either stopped directly at the underside of his brow, or it did burn his skin under the brow, but the brow grew back somehow. It looks weird. Because the brow is still present, there's less contrast to draw your attention to the scar and subconsciously say 'this isn't normal'.

Here are two other edits I did:

This is what I'm talking about when I say the brow (and height of the scar) drastically changes how Zuko looks. He looks so much closer to the animated version now, but he's still free to emote because his eye isn't affected at all, and his brow could still move normally. It also helps give him that harsher appearance, which people tend to say exists with the ponytail hairdo! But it would also work great with his long hair look, which would soften everything anyways.

(For the second edit, I also tweaked the ear a lil bit.)

When it comes to the colours of the scar, I'm undecided. In the OG show, they probably had to change the colour of his scar so much to indicate there was even a scar in the first place, because it would've been annoying to add tons of line detail for the animators to deal with instead. At the same time, the live-action show could tone it down a lil bit. But it doesn't look bad, per se.

The third observation I have is Zuko's ear. If you look in the animated show picture above, his left ear (your screen right) is smaller than his right ear, because it's scarred over. I don't think it's practical to have that kind of effect in the live-action show, because it would mean even more CGI (they'd literally need to paint out the real ear, and then replace the ear with a digidouble ear). But if you look at the trailer capture, you'll see the scar colour doesn't even extend to his ear at all!

If you open the picture in photoshop, the scar around his eye and cheek has a reddish hue, but the skin on his ear is the same colour as the skin that isn't scarred. This isn't a cherry-picked sample, the hue is the same in each entire area. As soon as you stop sampling the ear and start sampling the cheek, it drops right into the reds/oranges:

I think the ear coming away unscathed might be a little unrealistic too, considering the scene where Zuko is burned by Ozai currently looks like this:

The fire is obviously going around the sides of his face, not just going directly into it and then bouncing away. It's kinda brushing around. With a scene like this I would expect the ear to have some kinda damage. Is it because they toned down the overall scar so much that any apparent damage on the ear would become nonexistent? Maybe. But right now, the scar just looks like a blob on his face, instead of a spot where fire actually flowed around.

And I just wanted to point out something else I've seen, not in the trailer, but in the fandom. Because I'm already tired of seeing it, it's dumb. Basically I was on a forum and I saw someone say 'if you want something like Two Face from Batman, this is the wrong property to ask for that'. I thought it was super unreasonable because nobody is asking for this:

And nobody is having a 'meltdown', like some other dishonest peeps are saying! People are just mildly upset that the actor's skin looks like it's been coloured in with dye, and there's almost zero hypertrophy to actually telegraph the fact that it's definitively a scar.

So those are my thoughts.. The scar is barely serviceable, they kinda dropped the ball imo.

Don't get me wrong, I totally understand the ~hollywood need~ to make things super toned down so you can see actors' glamorous faces or whatever, but some additional scar makeup wouldn't have harmed his ability to emote or anything. They didn't even need to do anything to his eye.. Just fix the overall first impression the scar gives, which would've worked with the stuff I mentioned above. So I'm not sold on 'it's to show the actor's face better' as an acceptable reason. It's an explanation sure, but it's just not good enough to justify the difference to me.

#if there's another explanation for this i'd love to hear it! i follow some of the news but i miss a lot of interviews/press junkets #atla #atla live action #zuko #atla zuko #atla netflix #dallas liu #burn cw #injury cw #body horror cw

[writingseaslugs]

Ignihyde: Halloween with Them

So this was totally inspired by the fact that the newest Outlast game that’s being released will be multi-player, and I am an absolute bany when it comes to actually playing horror games. I can watch it all day, but I am the biggest baby known to man when you put the remote in my hands. Also platonic Ortho because baby boy!

Disclaimer: All characters in this series are aged up. For more information about my version of this world and the type of reader you can expect, please do a quick read of THIS post.

Heartslabyul | Savanaclaw | Octavinelle | Scarabia | Pomefiore | Ignihyde (You're Here) | Diasomnia

Halloween with Them

Theme: Horror Games

Ignihyde simply did not do any unnecessary prep work for Halloween. It was home to some of the most reclusive members of Night Raven College, with their house warden being the biggest recluse of them all. So, needless to say, they weren’t doing any parties.

Of course, some students might’ve been working on some robotics or even programming horror games in celebration of the spookiest time of the year, but they weren’t running to other dorms and trying to get preparations for hanging out or partying done. Things like programming were best left to do alone.

Despite all this, they all bond over a few things. Watching horror movies and seeing the new special effects…or the biggest one of them all. Playing whatever horror game was released. There were always new games coming out around this time of year, so they’d want to play them.

Idia Shroud

“Oh my sevens, I want to go back to my world, Idia. This…this is terrifying. What are people in this world on to even come up with this concept?” You asked, shaking as you held the remote. Idia had invited you to try the newest multi-player game; you just hadn’t expected it to be this graphic. This was on the same level as special CGI in movies, and everything looked realistic. You swore you could see the subtle way that someone’s breathing stopped when their character died by how their chest moved.

“This isn’t even that scary,” Idia said, holding his remote in a relaxed position as he leaned back in his chair. He had a toothy grin on his face, and he was clearly enjoying how terrified you were with the whole experience. You shot him a glare that was anything but menacing with how you were also shaking.

“I call bull on that!” You said, not believing that he wasn’t even the least bit scared. Idia chuckled as he looked back at the screen, un-pausing it so you two could continue playing. Your grip on the controller was so strong that you feared you might actually break it if this continued. You tried your best, in all honesty, to keep up with him. Anytime something popped up, you tossed the controller in the air and shrunk back into the gaming chair. Every time it just prompted Idia to laugh harder at you.

Eventually, you got fed up with it and paused the game. Idia looked over at you, and you could see a flash of worry crossing his face as you put the controller down and stood up. He could feel the anxiety creeping through him that he actually offended you and you would just leave and never return. That was until he watched you approach his chair and pull it out. You lifted his arms, and he just went along with it, not knowing what you were doing.

That’s when you plopped yourself into his lap and grabbed your own controller. Idia’s hair burst into pink flames as he tried processing what was going on, “W-what are you…I…what?!” he shouted right into your ear, and you flinched from how loud he was. You did take pride in getting a rise out of him, though, after all the teasing he was doing while you were scared shitless from the video game.

“I won’t be as scared if I’m in your arms, Idia. Now come on, let’s play.” You clicked the play button as you began moving the character around. It kind of worked, but you also just enjoyed the comfort of how warm he was against your back. Anytime something scary happened, you instinctively leaned into him more and turned your head into his shoulder. Idia wouldn’t admit it…but he thinks this is the best way to play horror games now.

Ortho Shroud

“Your pulse has accelerated at an alarming rate in the past few minutes,” Ortho stated as you held the controller in your hand. You had heard about a new game from Ace and Deuce and were dying to try it out. The only problem was that it was a horror game, and you didn’t want to play it by yourself. That was where Ortho came in; when he saw you walking out of Sam’s with the new game in hand, he had asked you a few questions about it. Then you told him you were scared to game alone, and he offered to help.

“I am aware; I’m terrified.” You hadn’t even made it through the prologue of the game yet as Ortho watched you fumble with the controls. Your hands were sweaty from the nerves, and you didn’t know what to do. The game was one of those that kind of tossed you in and hoped you figured out the controls before the first chase scene.

“Perhaps it would be best to put the game away for the benefit of your health?” Ortho suggested as he came over and placed his hands over the controller, “Your stress levels are going haywire, and it could lead to issued later on if it continues.” Honestly, this boy was far too sweet for his own good. You sometimes wondered how Idia was able to program him to be such a cutie pie in the first place. Sure he had gained sentience that was beyond his AI, but from what you know, he was sweet before that too.

“Perhaps you’re right….” You admitted reluctantly. The horror genre in this world was way different from what you expected. Ortho was kind enough to take the controller from you and save the game before turning off the console. As soon as it was off, the room went dark before Ortho went over and hit the light switch, “Thank you for coming over and playing with me…even if we didn’t get very far.”

“It was my pleasure; I always enjoy time with you!” Ortho said, and honestly, he was melting your heart. That’s when you got an idea that might be able to help you sleep later tonight. You smiled as you looked at the small, robotic child.

“Hey, I heard they were carving pumpkins over at Heartslabyul…wanna see if we can help?” You asked and Ortho actually gasped in excitement. He nodded his head with a big smile plastered across his face.

“Do you think we can get big brother to join?” Ortho said and you hummed, tapping your chin.

“I don’t know if he’d wanna go to the dorms, but we can ask.” You said, and you could see the nervous look on his face, “If he doesn’t wanna come with us, we’ll just have to bring the pumpkins to him, though, right?” This seemed to cheer him up. He did a little happy dance before grabbing your hand, already dragging you out of the dorm and over to Ignihyde.

#Twisted Wonderland #Twisted Wonderland x Reader #TWST #TWST x Reader #TWST Wonderland #Twisted Wonderland Disney #TWST Disney #Idia Shroud #Idia Shroud x Reader #Idia x Reader #Ortho Shroud #Ortho Shroud and Reader #Ortho and Reader

[master-of-the-railway]

🚂Introductory Post!🚂

Greetings TTTE fandom! You may have seen me around as @electricfied-wolf, but from now on, all of my TTTE related posting/reblogs will be directed here! This is a sideblog, my main account is @itsorcatime, and here's some information about me!

First and foremost, I am a minor (Above 14) so if interacting with someone under 18 makes you uncomfortable, feel free to steer clear of me. I won't take it personally! Boundaries are important after all.

You can call me Wolf! My pronouns are they/them and she/her, but I heavily prefer they/them.

I am fairly new to TTTE, trying to watch it all but my mixed up self has decided I'm just going to watch the episodes in no particular order, so I might get things mixed up here and there. My favorite character atm is Hiro! (If that wasn't obvious enough already lol)

I am not an overtly negative or toxic person. I tend to see the good in a lot of things that most do not, everything can have potential if you dig deep enough. I also believe that people should be allowed to like what they like without people hijacking their posts just to tell them that their interest sucks. That being said-

I am a genuine fan of All Engines Go and will not tolerate hateful behavior about it on my blog. You are allowed to have your own opinions about it and are allowed to hate it, but when you enter my personal space and converse with me, you need to at least keep that hatred to yourself. When you go onto the blog of someone who enjoys something you don't just to tell them how much you hate the thing they love, you're just being an asshole. You have your own blog for a reason, post about how much you dislike it there.

Any queerphobia of any kind is also not tolerated on my blog. If you do not accept trans people/aces or aros, and so on and so forth, just block me so that we never have to see each other.

My hyperfixations switch on a dime at times, I am very heavily obsessed with trains and all media containing them at the moment, but I have no idea how long this interest will last. If I post less or not at all, I'm probably just moving onto another interest! But for now the trains are here to stay.

Tags for my ttte AUs!

Life On Sodor- A model/cgi series au which combines the two a bit more seamlessly (and includes the magic railroad!) as well as expands upon the characters and includes ships I am partial to as well as relationship hcs I enjoy. Basically a canon divergent au, or in other words:

Children of Sodor- An All Engines Go au that's similar to LOS, but has a little bit more of Mystery as to where the kids came from and if there will ever be more. Explores the idea of the AEG kiddos being the first machine children to exist, lots of cute family dynamics but definitely also includes some angsty content bc I'm a sucker for tragedy.

On The Horizon- A crossover between TTTE (specifically my own version so ig it's more of a crossover using Life On Sodor) and The Owl House. Luz, King, Hunter, and Willow are all transported to Sodor when they're all very young and end up being raised there, unaware of their birthplaces (except Hunter that is) and just having a good time. Meanwhile, Eda has been in turmoil over her adopted son having disappeared, she has an alliance with Raine and Darius in which they are attempting to dismantle the coven system. Eda wants the emperor dead, convinced that he has King.

Beasts of Sodor- Lady the magical steam engine is infected suddenly by a strange sickness that causes her to take on a beastly form. It's untraceable in origin, but she manages to spread it to Gordon and Diesel 10...and slowly, through various (not always intentional) ways, the disease begins to affect all locomotives.

#ttte #thomas the tank engine #thomas and friends #thomas & friends #all engines go #pinned post #introductory post

[silverpen-and-paper]

loki season 2 episode 5 spoilers!

NOOO DON’T SHOW ME THIS I DON’T WANNA RELIVE VICTOR’S DEATH

stimming so hard at this suspenseful intro that i hurt my muscles 

hhhHHHHHHHHH LOKI WHERE ARE YOU

OH NO WHERE’S EVERYBODY ELSE

GASP WHO IS THAT

GASPPP IT’S LOKI

OH HOLY CRAP THE DESK IS NOODLING THAT’S ABSOLUTELY TERRIFYING 

RUN LOKI GET OUT OF THE NOODLE ROOM

all the noodles were attracted to loki!! like magnets!! is that a plot point or just a very creepy thing?? i don’t know!!

AAAAAA THE INTRO LETTERS ARE DISAPPEARING 

prison?? is this where brad ended up mayhaps??

ooouuu that guy looks kinda dead

ohh silly me it’s a model to fool the guards

wAIT CASEY?! IS THAT YOU?!

where IS this?!

ooohhh neat!! they added a little branched timeline icon to the place/time intro! i don’t remember seeing them do that before

“if they catch us they’re gonna gut us like fish!” why hello other casey who apparently knows what fish are! but what happened to OUR casey 

oh correction, hello frank

!!! b-15 is a doctor in another timeline!! love that for her

MOBIUSSSSSS

he has a son?!

loki loki no you KNOW from EXPERIENCE that they won’t recognize you please don’t go all “why don’t you remember me” again that’s gonna break my heart 

nope nope nope can’t handle the secondhand embarrassment aaaaaah this is gonna be hard to watch

turned off sound and turned on captions and apparently that actually lessens secondhand embarrassment

single dad, HM? so he might still be gay, HMMM???

TWO sons?!

ouroboros!!

he’s a sci-fi author!!!!!!

awww buddy i’ll read your books! we can be friends and talk about them over lunch!

the post-it note wall from the end credits were ouroboros’ book plans all along?! idc what anyone says THIS is the biggest plot twist of the series

was his room in the tva built to match his weird building here?

surprise! it’s loki!

oh my gosh i love ouroboros so much a career plan after my own heart

mmmmm i don’t think anything’s gonna happen

this is just tom hiddleston’s acting process for timeslipping without the cgi ajdhsk

ouroboros 🤝 tony stark

        prodding others with a taser

just realized i didn’t catch the name of this version of ouroboros

oop there goes loki

at a house now? is this gonna be mobius’ house?

IT IS!!

since mobius is a dad here that means he’s an official dilf

kevin!! his son’s name is kevin!

and the other one is named sean!!

mm feeling kinda weird about the thor and loki parallels with mobius’ kids

oh no here comes the secondhand embarrassment again

ok that wasn’t as bad as i thought

JET SKIS!!

noooooo he had a wife? you know what. it’s not a problem. he’s pan now

nope secondhand embarrassment is back

you’re losing him loki you’re gonna need to show him proof

OUROBOROS!!

ouroboros had a wife too?? why are you trying to un-queer all our blorbos disney?? you’ll never win

SCREAMING THE TIME DOOR MOVING AROUND IN THE BACKGROUND IM

left the subtitles on and accidentally got a mobius name reveal hIS NAME IS DON?! i don’t know how to feel about this

B-15!!!! what’s her real name?

what did casey frank even do to get into alcatraz in the first place??

oh dear not an awkward slo-mo shot

oh no frank is stealing things

and next up is sylvie!

HELP BRAD HAS A VIDEO GAME

OHH i bet they’re gonna forget that brad was at the tva too and then it won’t work and they’ll have to get him

“i want my friends back.” WOOO FINALLY HE ADMITTED IT!! 👏👏 

cries sobs

noooo sylvie you can’t just leave him there like that

b-15 is reading ouroboros’ book!

the walls in the music store are painted like the aroace flag

why?? are we slowly zooming in on sylvie’s face?? it was cool for a couple seconds but it feels a bit awkward now

WAIT SOMEONE JUST DISAPPEARED IN THE BACKGROUND OH NO OH NO

OH NO HER FRIEND IS GONNA DISAPPEAR NO NO NO NO

NOOOOOOOOOOO

FRANK NOOOO

OUROBOROS NOOOOO

MOBIUS NOOOOOOOOO

B-15 NOOOOOOO

SYLVIE NOOOOOOOOO

EVERYBODY STOP DISAPPEARING STOP IT

LOKI!!! YOU TIME-SLIPPED!! HE DID IT!!

LOKI STOP PAUSING DRAMATICALLY IN THE MIDDLE OF YOUR SPEECH

WHAT YOU CAN’T END IT THERE DIRECTORS

oohhh that’s so neat the little credits lines around/underneath the names and stuff are moving and branching into timelines! i don’t think that happened before

oooooh and the letters are getting wonky!

boooo no end credits scene

WAIT SCREAMING I WATCHED TO THE VERY END OF THE CREDITS AND THERE WAS A RANDOM SOUND BITE OF BRAD’S VIDEO GAME CHARACTER SAYING “YOU DIED!! INSERT A COIN, LOSER!!”

this episode gave more “loki god of stories” vibes than any other mcu installment has

#loki #loki series #loki show #loki season 2 #loki spoilers #loki season 2 episode 5 #loki s2 ep5 #loki season 2 spoilers #loki s2 ep5 spoilers #loki season 2 episode 5 spoilers

[friedfriedchicken]

Fried live reaction to rewatching Akudama Drive ep 1 GO

YOU

His eyes are so big- even for the Rui Komatsuzaki artstyle that man's eyes are WIDE

She is so cute

3D MODEL COURIER

Gotta love Ordinary Person being so nice and throwing out Courier's garbage because she's so cool like that fr

Also there's like a convenience store opposite the Takoyaki stand- It would've been so simple for Ordinary Person to waddle in and find an ATM or a cashier willing to give her change but noooo get arrested girlie

:( She's just sitting in the car that's so sad

Man- I love the background characters in this scene. There's really nice continuity between different scenes showing the same crowd-fillers but also they're all just sitting around abnormally

Girlie :( also SNIPER SPOTTED YIPPEEE

CGI Courier spotted again

OMG THIS IS ACTUALLY THE UNCENSORED VERSION YIPPEEEEE

That guy's head wasn't as gorey as I thought it'd be- Made in Abyss did worse but I understand the precaution AD has. Maybe I'm used to it but at least I don't have the black blurs hehe

Courier's phone looks like an IPod

I love how Black Cat's messages for everyone seem specifically written for them. That's really cute in a horrific way 🥺

Doctor just sitting in the air bus like a normal person is funny to me. She seemed very nice and polite and somehow no one went "huhhhh didn't I see her on a wanted poster today?"

Man- Kansai really did just make every single screen ever tell people about Cutthroat's execution. Imagine watching Elmo then the screen turns black and red and it's telling you someone is going to die. F

Everyone standing against a dark sky with the red tower in the background looks so nice woaaa

"I'm not a Swindler!" Now you are bestie

Brawler literally moves so fast he's like a fly or something 🛐

All the people in the police station were just staring out the window to watch wwwwwwww

BLACK CAT!!!

Hacker's little drones open their mouths like :D as they turn into hover platforms 🥺

How did Doctor get in unnoticed? She's bright pink whuh??

Akira reference heehoo

Somehow I never noticed this ref before

Not Brawler hearing Courier whisper from 50 yards away 😭

Hacker :)

I'm really amazed that Courier somehow manages to drive his thick motorcycle through the police building easily. It's his thing but the doors- dude how are you getting through the doors

Courier with pink eyes

Genuinely so hard to watch this and NOT hear Leona Kingscholar's voice whenever Courier speaks- this is so sad 😔

Somehow Doctor works as a projectile to destroy a whole floor and doesn't break her back oml

Hacker is actually just a rat that they discovered hiding in the walls during demolition

"You're not dead?!" I FORGOT THAT SHE COULD DO THAT- still no idea how she could even reach her back but she's silly like that. Horrible painful foreshadowing mayhaps. Gotta love how she's just like "I wanna join hehe" while everyone is pointing weapons at each other

Everyone is out for MURDER until Swindler comes in with Black Cat wwwwwww

#FriedRamble #FriedTalk #Akudama Drive #FriedLiveReaction

[mae-i-scribble]

Thinking about the Thing (1982) vs the Thing (2011) is such an interesting topic to me, especially concerning the titular alien and how each movie chose to represent it and why 1982 is superior in almost every way. The obvious answer here is that the cgi from 2011 didn’t even look that good back then, and no way does it hold up now, meanwhile the practical effects from 1982 will never not look amazing, but to me there’s more to it than that.

I once heard the argument that in the 2011 version the cgi is a benefit because the Thing is allowed to be a much more physical presence/scarier on screen than the much slower 1982 Thing. However, I don’t think this is a benefit at all. Sure, it’s objectively true that with cgi it allows for much more mobile/dynamic designs that a practical costume would struggle to conceptualize as quickly, but that speed and such actively detracts from the Thing’s viability as an organism. In the 1982 version, transformations took time and effort. You could see exactly what the creature was incorporating mixed with the surreal. More than that, the time it took to achieve these transformations makes it more believable as a living thing and not just some monster(tm). From a scientific standpoint, having to create and move around massive amounts of tissues like that would take incredible levels of energy and coordination, so the prolonged time is necessary. Meanwhile 2011 is just a pure movie monster with just teeth and tentacles and anything they think looks more monstrous. Transformations happen in moments, as compared to the (usually) more drawn out transformations of the 1982 version.  It takes away what little believability offered and crushed it in favor of being flashy.

To be fair to the 2011 movie, this trend for flashier monsters isn’t exactly something it invented. It was simply riding off the changing tropes in american horror movies. As the years have gone on monsters have to become more dangerous, more indestructable, more optimized for killing dozens of people. The difference in tone is incredibly apparent across dozens of films taken from different time periods. Which I think is a sad loss for the tension drawn out masterpieces like the thing 1982.

However, on the opposite side, 1982′s version 100% could have benefited from a cgi model specifically for the final scene, where mac is facing against this giant abomination of creatures that is trying to stop him from detonating the bombs. Because this is supposed to be a scene of conflict between mac and the Thing, one on one, the lack of movement in the Thing becomes more apparent, and weakens the effect it has a threat. While the most dangerous aspect of the Thing is the paranoia it inflicts, supported by literally the entire movie, this moment also would have been made even better in my opinion by having the monster lunge and snap and terrorize Mac now that there’s no one left to be suspicious of. But hey, at least it’s not the final Thing from the 2011 version. Now that’s what you call a bad movie monster. Yuck.

#horror #horror films #critique #the thing 1982 #the thing 2011 #just some random thoughts floating around in my head #not articulated that well but it think my general points get across #anyways #the thing 1982 my beloved #2011 version can kiss my ass you pile of hot garbage #not even having a female protag could save you in my eyes

[whypolar]

Gundam Unicorn OVA 1: Day of the Unicorn

I enjoyed this quite a lot.

Banagher is a responsible father. Stick a "baby on board" decal on the back of his work mech.

I think it's probably pretty rare for fans who don't know Japanese to read the Unicorn novels before watching the anime. They weren't even fully translated until well after the anime finished airing. Even nowadays, when we have the full fan TL available, I doubt many people decide "Yes, I will read an edited machine translation of ten light novels, even though I know the series has been adapted into seven anime episodes of movie length and quality and I have never watched them". It was novel-only character information that first caught my interest, though, so I get to do it the unusual way.

Will this make a difference in my perception of the anime? Who knows. I don't actually know much about what fan reception was like back in 2010-2014, in either the west or Japan.

Thoughts below.

I'll start with complaints first, since I have only one:

👎 Removed all textual and visual indication of Banagher being multiracial / Syam being Middle Eastern.

Why did they do this. I was genuinely surprised and disappointed to see this from Gundam, since the franchise has a history of diverse casts all the way back to 1979. Gundam 00 would have finished airing just a year before this came out, and that had two brown-skinned Middle Eastern protagonists. Did they hit a quota or something?

Things I really liked:

👍 Everything is beautiful.

It's so pretty. The way characters and expressions are drawn is pretty. The mechs are pretty. The death lasers and the resulting explosions are pretty.

The backgrounds! Ship interiors, industrial sites, the signs and posters in the city. It's all gorgeous.

👍 Robot Status: Wow, Cool

I looove the design of the cockpits and UI. I'd already seen the same setup used in Hathaway's Flash, but it’s not any less impressive here. It's so cool. It's SO cool. I love watching the little markers for the funnels pop up.

The mixing of 3D and 2D for complex scenes is pretty seamless, except for the bit at the very end where the Unicorn transforms. My suspension of disbelief can easily survive a few seconds of recognizable CGI.

God, the robots are cool. I love seeing the Kshatriya in motion.

👍Great use of one of my favourite little Gundam things: characters moving around in zero / reduced gravity.

There are some real weird shots in this one.

I love specialized architecture and infrastructure for low gravity environments! I love characters who are accustomed to living in space being strangely indifferent to the concept of up and down! I love deliberately confusing or unsettling camera angles! Raaaaah!!!

👍👍👍👍👍 MUSIC

It's good music.

The part of the score where the violins start going sour while Cardeas threatens Banagher, until it's just an ugly atonal mess? Love that.

I like that spooky echo sound they use sometimes-- I'm genuinely not sure whether it's built into the music tracks or an added sound effect? I interpreted it at first as an indication of Newtype Shenanigans, but it also seemed to show up in other moments that were dramatic or had a lot of deaths. Though I suppose a lot of people dying is something newtypes would pick up, so maybe it still is meant to represent that. I don't know. The sound is cool.

Some miscellaneous commentary, mostly but not exclusively about comparisons the novels:

Things move more quickly in the OVA than the novels, and the audience knows less about the characters. This is an inherent difference of medium and format. We spend less time inside the characters' heads, and this can give a very different first impression-- particularly of Banagher as the protagonist.

My impression of OVA Banagher is that he's a daydreamer, longing for something he can't place. Novel Banagher can also be described this way, but at least to me he felt more worn down and resigned in his detachment. The anime version has more of a wistful, almost romantic vibe. Maybe it's just those big ol' eyes.

Once he's seen the Unicorn, OVA Banagher has some kind of switch flip in his brain. From that point on, as soon as he gets an impulse, he is GOING. We aren't privy to any of his internal deliberation, just the snap decisions as they happen. He seems a lot more confident without his internal thoughts narrating everything, but also less socially aware.

Here's an actual change for you: in the OVA, Banagher actively volunteers to help Audrey get to the colony builder when she starts to leave. In the novel, she directly asks for his help-- and he says no!

He felt a pull to help when he saw she was in danger, but after they crashed he could hear police sirens. He didn't want to get in any more trouble after his little stunt, so she called him spineless and ran off. He has a whole little arc where he tries to just go back to school like nothing happened until Marida shows up and literally twists his arm. The guilt of ratting Audrey out is the push that makes him change his mind and go after her.

Some of the scenes this change skips were cute, but getting more of Banagher hanging out with Mineva when they aren't being actively chased is nice. It's also just a smartly economical use of time. I do think the change makes Banagher feel meaningfully different, though.

I was fond of him being a little more conflicted and moody, but there's also something really funny about a guy who so single-mindedly barrels into situations. He really does seem supernaturally compelled.

Just a laser guided missile of a boy. Hyperfocus: maximum.

Knowing a bit less about characters like Audrey and Marida works very well. We know about as much as Banagher.

Audrey is obviously someone important, but they don't even say the word "princess" until the VERY end-- like four minutes left on the runtime. They never drop her real name. We get all that through narration long before this in the novels (as well as a lot more direct discussion of the Sleeves and Zeon in general).

We get ZERO interiority or backstory for Riddhe in this first one. His first introduction is saving Audrey and Banagher's friends. They pointedly show you his little airplane charm with a special sound effect for like, two seconds maybe, so quickly you can barely process what it is. Very interesting.

We also know less about Banagher's mom… not necessarily a LOT less, but enough to feel like she's being kept a mystery.

Trust the process, Banagher.

This whole scene-- especially the face journey Banagher goes through-- is lovely.

Marida's civilian disguise is better in this version. Like, in-universe, I mean. She's serious and imposing at a glance in this coat look, which is important when we don't get to see her terrorize and physically overpower Banagher. Probably the right choice to redesign the look, but I did like the novel's gag of her being dressed like sharp-dressed secretary except conspicuously wearing sports shoes so she can still run and fight.

Very fun framing here of Cardeas' dramatic lore dump about newtypes, where it's being told over cool mech combat for the audience, but then they cut back to Zinnerman, who is already sick to bastard death of this guy. Stop expositing, old man, I'm here for a business transaction.

I always love when characters see a Gundam and just say "Gundam". It's good every time.

Gundam.

#remibloggue #gundam unicorn #gundam

[vitospaghetta]

Hello~

Hopefully this isn't an out of the place question but i'll keep it on point

Do you think Remake is taking a different approach to the RE as a whole but also specifically Leon's character? While not entirely different from the OG and retaining some aspects he's also more organic and refined than OG version.

Which makes me wonder now just how much ground CGI movies will hold to this new approach given that they were always intended to run along the OG. That and what RE4R producer has said about things being different this time around. In any case, would love to know what you think about this, if you've got time to spare :)

It's not an out of place question at all, no worries!! It's been a while since I've posted any sort of character analyses on tumblr and I've missed talking about silly fictional guy stuff with other folks here so it's definitely welcome!

I absolutely think that Capcom is taking a different approach to RE as a whole and with Leon's character in the remakes for the same reason. Like you said, at his core, remake Leon still feels like Leon. However, his character is being approached from a more realistic perspective. We get glimpses of this in his later appearances (post OG RE4), where you can tell Capcom wanted to give him a bit more depth, but it was usually exactly that — a glimpse. I think the CGI films definitely made up for a lot of what was lacking in the games.

Video games never really focused on character development back in the day. They were more gameplay-focused, with an emphasis on visual storytelling, not so much narrative-driven storytelling, and it wasn't often that you found games rife with realism. They were fictional works, and there wasn't much attempt at making them seem like anything other than that. However, as time has gone on, players came to appreciate deeper explorations of thematics and character development, which led to game developers striving for more and more realism. That's definitely the direction that Capcom is taking with the RE franchise moving forward, both with the primary timeline (as seen in RE7 and RE8) and the remakes.

I think Capcom is approaching the remakes as an opportunity to explore things that were always there, but never properly brought to light in the games' narratives, as well as an opportunity to make the narrative more cohesive and logical which is why some things deviate from the original games. Leon's struggles in RE4 remake are things we could all assume he's felt, but they're being approached from a modern perspective that is very much grounded in realism. He's not being written so much as a character that is highly fictionalized, but as close to being an authentic human being as possible.

Regarding the CGI movies, they're not going to hold up at all with the remakes, but that's okay given that they're not supposed to. The remakes don't supersede the original games, they just created a divergent timeline with a slightly different narrative. The events of the CGI movies can only be applied to the original games, as that is the continuity in which they exist. They are not canonical to the remakes.

#anon #reply #asks: leon

[macgyvertape]

Shadow & Bone s2 thoughts

S1 of shadow and bone was a surprise favorite show; I’ve rewatched it a lot as something to watch when I’m cooking or wanted something familiar and comfortable.

After last season I tried reading the books; I didn’t finish Seige and Storm because I kept negatively comparing book Alina, Mal, and Darkling to their show versions. I did like the Six of Crows series but have no interest in the other books. So I’ve got a vague idea on the plot points unlike when I watched s1 

Oh I really like the map to cgi city transitions, and the wanted posters as establishing shots for storyline transitions

Sturmhond meeting the Crows like this, this is so much more fun than the book intro of him

I don’t remember seeing Jasper’s gun misfire in s1 or see gifsets of him fixing it.

Tolya and Tamar get a cool intro camera pan and theyre both really hot

Huh Darkling intro very different than the book, honestly he comes off as someone who spent a bit too much time alone by himself than menacing

How come in pirate clothes Sturmhond becomes the most baby faced of the cast

Love Alina’s stag antler embroidery dress, I’d love to wear a dress with that kind of neckline

Having one of Kaz’s plans go wrong and it not be something he accounts for, really ups the tension and makes Pekka Rollins a threat, and he’s actually more threatening than the Darkling. Wolf mask guy is just a creep, the costume kinda felt out of place

I expected the flying ship look more aerodynamic and either there’s a lot more flying ships or the show really glossed over them being repaired after being totaled because it needed characters to move around in ways they didn’t in the book

“Who do you want standing in that door when the lion gets hungry” then cut to a taxidermied lion. Lmao fun transition

This is one of the shows where I find basically all of the main cast attractive, very much including Inej in a knife fight

“All that matters is we know what’s real” with a political engagement, damn this is so much better than the YA jealousy drama of the books

OFMD AND S&B, edgy dude after his love abandons him starts cutting off the digits of the people who drove the breakup 

Rip to Matthias because the show didn’t seem to know what to do with him, I enjoy his plotline much more than s1 but its because he has such low screentime

The costume budget and workmanship is so good this show as it covers so many different styles and cultural influences

Bloody beaten up Kaz threatening as he gets his long awaited revenge is fucking incredible top moment of the season, especially because for Pekka “but for me, it was a Tuesday” he just couldn’t remember 

Genya’s really going through it this season and characters mistreating her is a more understandable and relatable evil than vague war crimes. “I should be your greatest shame!” and “ask me how I did it” she gets some great moments

Mal’s capture then causal return felt like an awkward plot point, like it shows up here because maybe it happened in the book

Huh for a major season 1 character and a global Big Bad threat the Darkling really isn’t getting much material this season, he just sits around and broods in a dark room while his underlings who wear lots of eyeshadow (to show they’re evil) do things. Like early on in the season he seemed sick but then he isn’t, then he just gives up all his action items about Grisha revolution to chase after Alina

Actually very curious about how much screentime Kaz’s dead brother gets vs the Darkling lmao

I didn’t realize at the height difference between Kaz and Inej until she hallucinated them almost hooking up. Eps 4-8 I watched playing a drinking game of take a drink for every romantic moment

The show really contrasted The Disciple and Neyar have such a good relationship compared to whatever the fuck toxic parent child relationship of Baghra and Aleksander 

Great that the Darkling and Mal can interact and bonus its in some weird fucked up way (dead peoples bones), there isn’t enough of that in fandom or canon 

The final battle has basically no tactics just people running around for cool dramatic timing, especially the Crows fighting in the frontlines

Darkling died in this show like he lived in s2, anti-climatically standing around downbad for Alina

Tbh there’s a lot of sex that could be done with gloves and clothes on 

Lmao where is Feydor he didn’t appear at all

Things I didn’t expect: David being killed off early RIP, Alina not losing her powers and faking her death to live with Mal but instead this weird non emotional breakup, and Zoya to not get more character backstory

Think it's interesting the contrast of the bee highlighted by the camera during the Darkling’s funeral as a subtle hint to the Elizaveta plotline vs the last few minutes throwing in: Jurda Parem, Nikolai’s shadow monster infection, a future war with Fjerda, Alina using shadows, all as continuation bait if it gets another season 

Verdict: enjoyable season 2, I’m so glad this season got about 15 minutes more per episode so it could cover the full Grisha trilogy in case it gets the infamous netflix s2 cancel. Still a favorite show because its  the perfect mix of drama, romance, and just enough writing cracks for fun AUs. The show covered a lot in the 8 hours with a fast moving plot that I watched over 2 days, so I’m very curious how my opinion of plot points will change with distance and reading others perspectives 

#shadow and bone #shadow and bone spoilers #Mac watches tv #Liveblog #My s1 notes were a lot more meta commentary #this season I watched with tablet in hand

[kylesvariouslistsandstuff]

A CHICKEN RUN Workprint & Such

Quite something that the year CHICKEN RUN: DAWN OF THE NUGGET comes out, we get a look at never-before-seen behind-the-scenes stuff for Aardman Animations' debut feature film...

This channel contains a workprint for the film that has quite a few alternate versions of scenes, alternate lines, and plenty of storyboarded bits to fill in the gaps. Temp music throughout, too. You know, the usual animated movie workprint stuff.

Even more enticing is an over hour-long collection of early test footage, of how the characters move, all on various sets, some of which very rough and simple, and likely intentionally so. Almost like a pitch pilot. There's even some CGI in there, for figuring out how the more mechanical things in the movie - such as the makeshift "crate" plane - work.

CHICKEN RUN has long been a favorite of mine. I saw it in the theaters when I was turning 8, and I absolutely loved it! I watched the VHS over and over, I even had a CHICKEN RUN lunch pack! It had Rocky on it, flying through the air on his tricycle. I've enjoyed all of Aardman's films, but this debut feature really hit the ground running. Just so good, so tight, everything about it is just so cool- BUT this isn't a review of Nick Park and Peter Lord's groundbreaking stop-motion made-of-plasticine movie, I could waffle on about this one for days... Anyways, a favorite of mine, and to see all this behind the scenes stuff is great.

I absolutely love watching workprints and rough cuts of animated movies, and reels of test footage and other such components. Up until YouTube came about, the closest I feasibly had to that was the carefully-edited "Work In Progress" version of BEAUTY AND THE BEAST, which was available to *me* via the 2002 DVD release. The actual workprint, as in what a specific audience saw at the New York Film Festival in mid-1991, was preserved on the original home video release's deluxe edition... Which I did not have back in the day. The DVD has a sweetened version for a more casual viewing audience. There was also the full rough cut of HEAVY METAL that was available on its DVD release, complete with an audio commentary by Carl Macek. Just so much informative stuff in what you're seeing alone...

It's been a great time for fans of this kind of stuff. This year, we also saw a partial workprint of THE LITTLE MERMAID from around mid-1989 get out online, which curiously capped off with the trailer for the movie that appeared on the VHS release of BAMBI later that year. A workprint of ALADDIN, made sometime after Jeffrey Katzenberg's complete rip-down of the project in 1991, floated around YouTube for quite some time. A full LION KING workprint, made around the time the whole middle section was being reworked in mid-1993, can be found on Archive. A good chunk of Richard Purdum's BEAUTY AND THE BEAST is around, too. As for Pixar, there's some TOY STORY and A BUG'S LIFE rough cut stuff going around as well...

One big lost media drop, for me, was last year with THOMAS THE TANK ENGINE's fifth season, like several VHS tapes of dailies and rushes that was like a day's length.

What I would like to see drop next?

Any Disney animated movie would certainly suffice, particularly some holy grails, like a pre-regime change version of THE BLACK CAULDRON that has the infamous melting soldier scene in it and all those extra Fflewddur Fflam dialogue bits. Or KINGDOM OF THE SUN, the film that was thrown out in 1998 and retooled into THE EMPEROR'S NEW GROOVE.

DreamWorks and Sony, too. A full workprint of the Chris Farley SHREK? Maybe B.O.O.: BUREAU OF OTHERWORLDLY OPERATIONS, the almost-done movie from 2014-15 that was completely scrapped? I've seen various completed scenes of it via various animators' resumes on Vimeo. Whatever was completed of BOLLYWOOD SUPERSTAR MONKEY and LARRIKINS, that too.

What I'd like to see, like on my mind right now... Two particular pre-acquisition Pixar movies... TOY STORY 2 and FINDING NEMO.

Like, a TOY STORY 2 that still had Al's Toy Barn in the suburbs and not right across the street from the penthouse ("all the way to work!"), a TOY STORY 2 that still has that weird Godzilla roleplay scene that landed Woody in the yard sale by accident, I want to see more of what that version looked like. An earlier version of FINDING NEMO with unfinished no-water scenes and wonky-looking humans is something I'd be down for, honestly. I love seeing this sort of stuff in the raw, before all the refinements. It gives everything a bit of an alien quality, honestly, that only makes it all the more fascinating.

Those, off the top of my head.

#Youtube

[xylem-3-keys]

Human Oliver and Toad

7/22/2023 Update: Changed Oliver's jacket, skin tone, and hairstyle. Toad' hair was changed along with his eye color. He now wears short overalls.

I got out of my comfort zone to use dark skin tone color for my original Oliver design. Can't think of a hair style so I went with what I had. Oliver's button shirt is black because his flat plate is black in CGI so I thought it looks cool. To me, it looks off if I gave Oliver lime green shoes like his suit so I made it dark green. For Toad, at first I was going to make Toad a midget but I scrapped that idea. I hope I didn't copy anyone's human Oliver and/or Toad's design. So this is the final results!

NWR 1-12 Height Comparison

Oliver's Age: 23

Toad's Age: 16

Oliver's Bio

He is best known to be a trustworthy great western enjoying working on Duck's branch line. Oliver is always confident in his work but sometimes his confidence goes over the roof when he messes up by himself. No matter how many mistakes he has made, he learns his lesson and never makes the same thing ever again. When it comes to people ever trying to lay one finger on him, Oliver doesn't screw around. He will give them a taste of their own medicine. He is just as badass as one of those wrestling champions who you don't want to mess with. Speaking of "wrestlers", he defends himself by using common wrestling moves against his opponents. Oliver is mostly protective of Toad and acts like a big brother to him. Those who try to bully him will become the worst decision they have ever made. Because of anyone's failed attempts to lay a finger on him, he was well respected by his friends around Sodor and will continue to make Sir Topham Hatt proud.

Toad's Bio

He is a polite teenager yet somewhat imaginative and a little optimistic.Toad is calm, obedient, and loyal to his work, especially with Oliver. He has a cunning streak within him and loves to have fun when it comes to his way. Sometimes, Toad gets curious about what it was like to work in other railways other than the little western. His manners are minded when he always refers to people he knows as “Mister,” “Miss” and "Sir.” He may be defenseless and weak, but he will always admire and rely on Oliver whenever he is in trouble. He may not be related to Oliver, but Oliver sees himself as a little brother. Sometimes, he would disagree with Oliver's wrongful decisions whenever he sees his confidence level go over the roof. Toad may have his differences with Oliver, but they almost always work together on the little western railway, and Toad is wise enough not to make a simple mistake.

Inspirations

Backstory

W.I.P

Old version

#artists on tumblr #thomas and friends #thomas the tank engine #ttte #digital art #ttte oliver #ttte human #ttte human au #ttte humanized #ttte humanisation #ttte toad #my artz #ik it looks bland

[wordsandrobots]

AO3 First Lines Tag Game

Tagged by @caparrucia​ and @thedancingwalrus-blog​.

Rules: Share the first lines of ten of your most recent fanfics and tag ten people. If you have written fewer than ten, don’t be shy and share anyway.

And I’m going to have to apologise in advance because the only other person I can think of tagging in this is @phynali​, who @thedancingwalrus-blog​ also already tagged so . . . yeah. Anyone who sees this and is a writer -- consider this a free tag and go for it!

1. Strategy (My Next Life as a Villainess)

Prince Geordo is, on paper, a master strategist, an expert planner and meticulous in the way only someone who has dedicated their life to statecraft can be.

These are the qualities he brings to bear on proving the depths of his desire for his intended. He takes care to learn her routine and contrive reasons to align it with his own. He engineers romantic occasions where the two of them may be alone together. And, when that is not enough, he is unflinching in steamrollering the opposition with the full majesty of his status.

2. Sufficiently Advanced Magic (Doctor Who)

The minute Gissel laid eyes on the Dark Tower, she almost turned back, and to hell with three days of hard trek through the forest.

When people talked of the house of the great magician, they always used words like dreaded, forbidding, intimidating. She had imagined a wicked titan of a building, lording over the landscape and making all who entered its shadow tremble. She had thought she would feel a bolt of fear run up her spine at the very sight of its terrible spires. She had, at the very least, expected the place to be in decent repair.

3. And we shall sow a garden upon the graves (Captain Harlock [CGI movie version])

“So let me get this straight,” said Júlio, in the tone of someone about to attempt a herculean task for which ey anticipated minimal praise.

The others around the table lowered their tankards and looked at em expectantly. Franz bit through the peanut he'd just flipped into his mouth and swallowed. “Yeah?”

“The captain spent a hundred years planting giant bombs across the universe because he said they'd make the Genesis Clock thingumy turn time back to before Earth was completely wasted. Only what they'd really have done is blow everything up and maybe even start it over again.”

“What's even the difference?” Owls wondered, staring into his drink, “Either way, we'd not be here to see what happened next.”

4. Untitled Alternative Episode Nine (Star Wars Sequel Trilogy)

The bowl of rock hangs in light-specked darkness, twisting slowly amid a cloud of rolling stones. Once upon a time, it was one miniature planet among hundreds. Now it is a husk, surrounded by what pebbles remain of its brothers and sisters, waiting in silence for the day when it too will be broken into rubble.

That day dawns in a rain of green fire pouring out of the black sky. From afar, it is beautiful. Up close, it is the end of the world. The ground cracks and cascades into the air. Vaporised permacrete balloons from craters that used to be buildings, roadways, people. Gantries scream like wounded animals as storage tanks shed choking blue smoke. Everything burns.

And through it all, the stormtroopers run.

5. A Handful of Rusted Petals (Mobile Suit Gundum: Iron-Blooded Orphans)

Everyone who made it out of Tekkadan alive kept something, though they all knew they shouldn't. This was supposed to be a clean break, their old lives discarded for the new. Taking things with them would only invite discovery and make the change harder.

Yet they each did anyway.

6. The Grandmaster (Mobile Suit Gundum: Iron-Blooded Orphans)

Rustal Elion detests chess. Always has. As a game it is tedious and as a metaphor? Useless. The world is not a board. People do not move in absolute, predictable patterns. And the starting conditions are never, ever equal.

One may dream of changing this. One may fervently wish to impose artificial order upon a cosmos that teems with chaotic interactions. But in the end, only material power matters. Not rules. Not cleverness. Not fanciful schemes resting upon the puppeteering of a legion of disparate individuals. Simply the ability to decide what one wants and to impose it with all the means at one's disposal.

7. Between Family (Mobile Suit Gundum: Iron-Blooded Orphans)

“I still can't believe we're doing this,” Shino blurts as they turn on to the street leading to Eugene's apartment building.

He's been alternating between nervous excitement and heated anticipation all day. Not just thanks to imagining what they're about to do, though that is a pretty huge part of it. It's also because Yamagi has been doing all these preparations: taking the afternoon off work, picking out clothes, making Shino shower – generally planning in a way that's weirdly arousing.

“Why not?” Yamagi asks. He's carrying a satchel, the battered old thing he normally uses for grocery shopping. “We're all getting something out of it.”

8. Of Obsessions and Erotemes (Mobile Suit Gundum: Iron-Blooded Orphans)

“What the heck is a 'Gundam'?”

Briar's habit of reading over other people's shoulders never fails to get on Almandi's nerves. He is obnoxious about using his height to this end and constantly assumes being in someone's presence entitles him to a conversation.

Unfortunately, humouring him is usually the quickest way to get rid of him.

They look down at the text on their pad. “No one's sure where the name came from. There are theories it's an acronym or a portmanteau, or even mythological in origin. It seems to be older than the modern usage, though records are contradictory.”

Briar kicks out the next chair over and sits down. “None of which is actually an answer to my question.”

9. Hope Against Hope (Mobile Suit Gundum: Iron-Blooded Orphans)

Kudelia's life has become a parade of voices without faces, the bland promise of a secure connection offering no clue as to whether she is judging each speaker's disposition correctly.

For Rachida Phiri, of the African Union's ruling council, she pictures disappointment, softened but not hidden by the rules of social etiquette. “It pains me to say this but Mars' actions raise serious questions about future cooperation between our two Unions. We must consider the cost of doing business with a state that would take such a reckless decision.”

Good luck, Kudelia thinks, given the price of Martian half-metal compared to the alternatives.

10. Fata Morgana (Mobile Suit Gundum: Iron-Blooded Orphans)

Argi Mirage is a simple man.

Some people will tell you that means he's dumb as a rock and, true, he's never going to be the sharpest knife in the drawer. But he's smart enough to have made it this far through his life. He settled his past, paid off his debts to the dead, and now he's free to live as uncomplicatedly as he likes. These days, with Argi, what you see is what you get.

He's beginning to suspect the same can't be said for Norba Shino and Yamagi Bright.

#tag meme #My fic #IBO is basically all I've written for the last two years OK? #it's a whole twenty part series at this point #but I hope to come back to some of the others eventually too

[originalwinnercheesecake]

My thoughts on the 4 new sequels Disney Sequels coming out.

Well for one thing I am glad that they are at least all CGI.  3 of those 4 franchises I do not ever want to see live action versions of, and a live action frozen only has the potential to possibly be a little bit cool. ( rule one: do not let M Knight Shamaulon direct it).

But here are my thoughts on them in defending order.

Zootopia 2: Yes please, make a Zootopia 2 and a 3 after that! Judy and Nick are two cutely designed characters, with fun personalities, who at the end of the first one both become investigative cops, who live in a huge metropolises with all different types of animal and multiple different climates and terrains. There so much sequel potential in that set up, and hundreds of years worth of crime history that can be adapted into it.

Here's a thought, since Judy was the POV character in the last one, can Zootopia two be primarily told from Nick's point of view. Maybe a string of crimes starts happening in his old neighborhood and Nick and Judy go to investigate it, and being there stirs up a bunch of old memories for him. Or the the original concept for Zootopia was going to be about Nick opening up a special theme park for predators where they would be able to safely let loose some (originally predators were going to have to wear "taming collars" around prey animals, that shocked them when they got to excited). Maybe the theme park still gets opened by an old friend of Nick's and he and Judy are charged with keeping it safe from Merryweather supporters. Like I said the possibilities are endless.

Inside Out 2. This one has the potentially to be really good, but could also blow. Inside is a really colorful, cute, and thoughtful look at what it's like to be a preteen child struggling with changes. In it Riley moves from her childhood home to a new apartment in a city far away. Riley has a really hard adjustment to her knew area in the beginning. The movers screw up and lose track of her stuff so she cannot make her new room look like home. Her Dad’s forced to start his new job early and mom is swamped trying to sort out the move, so they do no have as much time to spend with her as hey did before. Last she very quickly becomes homesick for her old friends and favorite places. Mom tells Riley that everything will be better once they get things sorted out, so Riley tries to do her parents a favor by burying her feelings and just smiling until everything gets better but that just makes things worse for her and everyone. The movies climax is when she finally admits how hard a time she is having to her parents and asks for comfort.

The imagery in the movie is cool to. with the core memory islands, the shelf of memories that look like brain matter, train of thought, Riley’s imagination, How Joy and Sadness are consistently thwarted for getting back to HQ until the end, because Riley is still suppressing those emotions. Even right down to that annoying gum jingle that keeps getting sent up to HQ, a.k.a stuck in Riley’s head...Basically a lot of time and care; research into stress, depression, and preteen psychology; as well as different animation techniques and metaphors went into showing you as apposed to telling you what Riley was feeling on the inside and the out... This movie went on to be used as an reference for teaching a lot of kids and some older people how to put their feelings into words: ‘Which emotion do you think is at the center of your control panel right now jimmy? Okay what is that emotion concerned with now?”. I also swear remember a college professor/counselor telling me and a group of people once that the reasons Riley’s core emotions were Disgust, Anger, Fear, Sadness, and Joy was that the first four are all the stages you go through before you feel happy again.

Riley was 11 during Inside out and turned 12 at the end... A sequel will probably take place when she is in High school, so like 14-17 years old. So that means she will be dealing with tests, acne, definitely boys, school dances, maybe learning to drive if she is old enough, possibly health class, Unfortunately maybe people making fun of her for liking a traditionally male sport (Hockey). I do not think the movie would age her as far a 18 and going off to college, not in a second movie at least. It probably will not be as cute as 1 because Teenagers are not as cute as kids. Riley aging into a high school student concerns me for another reason. High school is one of the most cliche settings yo can put a movie/show/media piece in. There is very little an audience hasn’t seen 100 times before. Inside Out 2 will work only if Riley and her emotions are able to maintain and expand the level of character they all had in Inside out 1. It will work only if the writers and story board artists can once again show the audience something new and fun, while also being serious when it needs to, heartfelt, and clever. IF it fails at all of that the movie will bomb. If it only does a passably job it will probably still get low ratings and reviews because people are of course going to compare it against the success of the first one. That’s really what makes sequels controversial. Sequels are good when their aim is to raise the bar from the first movie, not just cost on the first’s popularity. We will see which one Inside Out 2 does.

Frozen 3. Speaking of Movie franchises with a really good first movie, then a sequel that just rode the popularity of the first. Frozen one was a really good movie. It was. Ignoring the over saturation of the market afterwards, ignoring how overplayed “Let It Go” and other songs were, Frozen is actually a great movie. The actors are great, the characters funny and likable. The scenery is beautiful, the story is a classic with what was at the time a modern twist (that got repeated in many movies after), and the plot suspenseful. I remember my one critic of it when I saw it in theaters with friends was that I wished they had spaced the songs out a little bit more, because I had noticed that there were a bunch of them in the first half then none in the second half. Then there was Frozen 2. Frozen two’s plot was confusing. It tried to make the audience not want Arendelle to be saved, when the goal of the group setting out was to protect their Kingdom. It could not managed its cast size and just dropped characters midway through the movie until the very end (Hey where did Kristoff go?). Lastly at its core Frozen was about a pair of sisters growing up together and trying to help each other out. The second movie had both girls as adults and ended with them separating. Elsa can control her powers now and for some poorly explained reason decided she would rather live by herself in the woods. Anna and Kristoff got married and were crowned the King and Queen, which means their story is effectively finished and they probably will not be going on adventures anymore. They do have a Kingdom to run. What’s left to do during a third movie?

I know a lot of people would like Elsa to meet a nice women and enter into a queer relationship. While that would be wonderful a.) Pixar’s censors may not be there yet by the time the movie comes out. b.) Writing a women would have chemistry with Elsa, be patient enough to allow her to open up on her own time (she is so shy and introverted), tough enough to handle life in the woods and the occasional flash blizzard, and has the social skills to win over Anna (most defiantly a requirement for dating Elsa) is a really tall order for a character who comes in so late in the franchise. c.) lets say the censors allow it and the writers put in the work to create this absolutely amazing women. That’s still not really enough to fill the 2 hour time slot for the movie, and what would the other characters be doing at this time?    

Toy Story 5. Why? WHY??? It’s finished! That Movie Line is Finished! It’s been finished twice now? There is room for little kitty books and more 2-8 minute shorts on Disney+. IF done right then maybe a season or two long cartoon of Woody an Bo’s gang touring the parks of he world to be played with by kids and helping carnival toys that want to go home with needy children. Buzz and Jessie could show up from time to time when Bonnie’s family vacation in specials. But the movie Franchise is absolutely finished!

From what I saw Toy story 5 is hinted to be about Buzz. Okay Buzz’s arc was finished after Toy story 2. Movies 3 and 4 were super hard-pressed to find ways to include him. While 3′s focus on his crush on Jessie was sweet and his “Spanish mode switch” was really funny; 4′s subplot of him being confused as to what Woody meant by “your inner voice”  only served to anger his fans, who all pointed out how he was never THAT stupid. Is he supposed to be a lead toy now that Woody is gone? Lead toys are a child’s favorite toys right? Bonnie’s favorite toys are Forky, Dolly, and Buttercup (her unicorn). She loves toys that are simple, whimsical, and she gets to decide what roles they take on in her games. While Buzz held her interest longer than Woody (she doesn’t have a female Space Ranger to play with instead) he has never been one of her favorite toys.

The only thing I still want for Buzz is one more 8 minute short similar to Bo’s Lamp life. Show a montase of him with Andy, Bonnie, and a coupleother owners before he becomes an “old, toy” that no longer holds the lasting intrest of small children, so he joins Woody’s band of “lost” or retired toys.

#Disney #Pixar #Frozen #Frozen 2 #Frozen 3 #Anna & Elsa #Zootopia #Zootopia 2 #Judy hops #Nick wilde #Judy & Nick #Inside Out #Inside Out 2 #Inside out Riley #Inside out Joy #Inside out Sadness #Toy story franchise #Toy Story 1 #Toy story 2 #Toy story 3 #Toy story 4 #Toy story 5 #Woody Pride #Buzz lightyear #Woody and Buzz

[horridporrid]

A Place of Safety: (58 min)

An in-depth look at Wheel of Time s1e3. Spoilers for all of season one.

Prologue:

We're back at the Bel Tine battle, Nynaeve's perspective, picking up shortly after she was dragged off by a Trolloc. It's the sound design working their magic again as we hear a muted version of Egwene screaming Nynaeve's name as battle sounds go on around her. That muted sound and the dazed look on Nynaeve's face suggests she's either just come to or has been floating close to unconsciousness.

Excellent use of editing and pacing in the scene between the two Trollocs. There's a long enough pause when the big Trolloc looks over the wounded Trolloc that you kind of expect the big one to help the wounded one. So when the killing and cannibalism does come it's shocking.

And of course, it's an anathema to Nynaeve, our healer. Shocks her all the way to awake and she takes the opportunity to run the fuck away.

I love both how fast Nynaeve moves and the leeway they give her before the big Trolloc pulls himself from his meal and gives chase. It means the Trolloc pops into screen high off in the corners, like a boogeyman. And it means the Trolloc's own speed can be seen as threatening. (Even with that much lead time, the Trolloc is hot on her heels.)

I also love the little pause when Nynaeve enters the cave and you can see her think, "okay, now what?" Like she ran here on instinct (this is her safe place) but now she has to really think her way to getting out of this trap.

Once again, the practical effects and CGI people really did a great job on the Trollocs. And I'm glad they went practical. I don't think this scene would work with purely CGI effects.

And! I love the homage to... I think it's a scene from "Preditor" when Arnold Schwarzenegger's character creeps out of the water to take down the alien?... Letting the viewers know that Nynaeve is about to do something pretty badass. (Intertextuality!)

Which, of course she does. This was a one chance move that required precision and strength and she did it. That's our girl. And now we know how she got the Trolloc knife she used to threaten Lan.

The bit with the Trolloc's blood forming the dragon fang struck me as cheesy when I first saw it in a trailer clip. But in-show they use the image very sparingly. It's barely formed when Nynaeve comes splashing up through it and that saves it, imo. Instead of a heavy-handed lampshade it's more an easter egg.

Credits and...

We're back to Nynaeve holding her Trolloc knife to Lan's throat demanding he take her to her friends. I notice (because I'm really looking out for these things) that both Lan and Nynaeve are kind of dirty and he's getting scruffy.

This scene is all about negotiation. They both want different and at this point, apparently opposing, things. Nynaeve wants her people back. Lan wants help for Moiraine. Lan cannot give Nynaeve what she wants and therefore she has no interest in giving him what he wants.

Nynaeve appears to have the upper hand, being armed. And first Lan tries to say she's just bluffing, that she's not the violent type. Which, he's wrong (which I love!). But, he's also better at the whole violence thing so even though Nynaeve's willing to use both her Trolloc knife and her teeth, Lan wins this round.

Cut to mountains...

It's early morning and we're with Rand and Mat in the mountains overlooking Shadar Logoth. The view gives us a nice look at the differing typography surrounding the city, depending on which side of the river you're on. So viewers interested in orienting themselves regarding our three different storylines can see the forest and plains stretching out beneath the mountain range Rand and Mat are climbing.

Well, Mat's climbing, Rand is hollering for Perrin and Egwene. Which leaves Mat as the voice of reason (things are chasing us, maybe not a great idea to be loudly advertising our location). And then we have another set of negotiations with a bonus reveal of the two character's current driving motivations.

Mat wants to go back home. It seems the cynicism he'd expressed in the last two episodes was honestly felt and he's surprised that Rand doesn't agree with him in distrusting Moiraine. But of course, Rand's motivation is to find Egwene and Perrin. He cannot allow himself to believe they're dead and he cannot go home without them. So, they're going to go where Rand knows Egwene will be going: east to Tar Valon.

I don't think this is the dagger talking. There's some actorly business that Harris uses to signal when the dagger is coming out and he doesn't use them here. Plus, he's kind to Rand. Easily agreeing that Egwene and Perrin must have made it, gently stopping Rand's panicked hollering, giving up on the idea of going home with very little push back. I think it all comes down to Mat's most driving need being caring for his sisters, so of course, his choice will always be to get back home unless something specific interferes. (In this case, his love for his friends. Mat wants to find them, too.)

This also suggests that Mat believes that neither he nor Rand are serious contenders for the Dragon Reborn. (Which, I'm pretty sure if you took a poll of our four at this point, Egwene would win.)

This is where we get that perfect exchange, "They say all roads lead to Tar Valon." "That's not how roads work." that signals the beginning of the Rand and Mat comedic duo portion of the episode. I relish every moment of it.

Meanwhile, on the plains...

Winning the "worst time ever" award, Perrin and Egwene are stumbling across what looks like freezingly cold and windy plains. We can hear wolves hounding them. When they huddle in the covert of a dead tree and Perrin uses Mat's dagger to try to light a fire I'm already cringing for him expecting the knife cut to come. It is so hard to do anything when you're freezing and he looks like he's freezing.

Fortunately, Egwene is a quick study and channels the fire alight. The camera work is clever here. We're not quite sure if what Egwene was obviously trying to do worked or if Perrin succeeded in getting a spark (the scene is Perrin's POV, so no weaves are seen to give us a hint). I like the slow burn aspect of what Egwene is or will be capable of.

And I love that Perrin is so supportive of Egwene being able to channel. He might not be sure if she was the one to light the fire but he shows that he's comfortable with her having that ability by joking about her getting them food and water as well. Which you can see is a big relief for Egwene.

For these two, there is no negotiation. They both want to find their friends. So the only discussion for them is the direction to take. West to back home or east to Tar Valon. Egwene is sure Rand will go back home. Perrin knows Rand will go where he thinks Egwene would go. Neither of them worry about what Mat would want. (Because both of them know Rand will be the one to make the call? Or do they not think Mat has a strong opinion one way or the other?) Anyway, Perrin's certainty prevails and we're saved from a Gift of the Magi, journeys edition. The two snuggle in for some rest.

The next day, in the forest...

The cut to Nynaeve bound and gagged will never not be funny to me.

Lan is back to being clean and groomed, every hair in place. This is the group that is the most well off, camping-wise. Lan got out with both his and Moiraine's horses, so they have whatever supplies are in those saddlebags. Nynaeve has her own horse and supplies as well (her portable herb kit!!). And they're, all of them, used to being out in the woods. The only down side is Moiraine dying of Trolloc poison, but even then, they've got a trained and equipped healer.

Which, we get to see that training and equipment in action as Nynaeve gathers and mixes and does her best to help Moiraine.

What struck me on this rewatch is that, while it appears that Nyaneve has the upper hand (she gets the last word in all her interactions with Lan and seems to feel like the one in control), I think Lan is using a bit of negotiating jiu jitsu. She's not asking for anything Lan and Moiraine wouldn't be willing to eventually give and Nynaeve is doing everything Lan is asking of her.

Of course, it helps that Nynaeve is a healer to her bones. Moiraine is truly ill. There's no way Nynaeve wouldn't help her no matter her words.

Anyway, lovely forest scenes, gorgeous music. Lan carefully watching Nynaeve's every move and you can see him getting more and more intrigued. And then that little bit where he finally asks Nynaeve how she tracked him and she says, "I said you could ask. Not that I'd answer." It's so petty and unexpected and you can see Lan is amused despite himself. I love all of this!

Very interesting that it's Nynaeve who explicitly let's us know that Lan is Moiraine's Warder and that they have a magical bond and can physically feel what the other feels. A late in the game confirmation of all that was visually shown to us from the moment Lan and Moiraine appeared on screen.

It's something I think the show does really, really well. They visually share information or lore with the audience and then confirm what the audience has probably already figured out with dialogue. (Like the hierarchy of the Fade and the Trollocs, last episode.) This strikes me as a really organic way to work in a lot of world building and lore.

More excellent practical effects with Moraine's wound. Totally gross and painful looking.

This also marks a moment of change in how Nynaeve sees Lan. As she watches him tend to Moiraine, you can see her register how much he cares. For the first time Nynaeve speaks to him as someone worried about their sick loved one. Patient and gentle and empathetic.

Break for dream sequence:

Perrin's dream is spooky. Very atmospheric with the storm and the glowing eyes in the window and the tinkling of the various wind chimes but...

Is it bad that I'm a bit bored by it? I mean, there's not much too it, really. It keeps us guessing as to who's the dragon, with the baddie obviously keeping an eye on Perrin. And it tells us that Perrin is still upset about Laila's death and there's something odd going on with him and wolves, but... We see Perrin carrying his guilt and grief regarding Laila in an upcoming scene with Egwene that hits much, much harder, imo. And the way the wolves herd Perrin and Egwene throughout the first third of this episode already tells us something is up with Perrin and the wolves...

I think I'm probably a bit annoyed because the issue within Laila and Perrin's marriage (his love for Egwene) should've been handled a ton better on the front end. If we knew Laila was worried about Perrin's affection for Egwene, than we'd be in on the extra guilt driving Perrin here. And that could be interesting. But since we don't know, this just adds fodder to the Laila was a darkfriend false-lead (that I know the show did not mean to set up).

I mean, I guess that Laila's cryptic "I know" has something to do with Perrin being snuggled up with Egwene at this moment but especially as I don't think Perrin has anything remotely romantic going through his head at the moment (too exhausted and freezing and scared for those sort of thoughts) it seems a bit... forced. Or something.

Anyway! The important bit is that the wolves have come in close enough to alarm Egwene and get her and Perrin moving in a very specific direction as we see with the multiple course corrections as they run through the woods.

I will say, I think Perrin and Egwene are the worst off of the three groups. They're both town kids who probably have little experience fully roughing it in the wilds. I'm sure they camped and such and are tons more experienced than the average person today: see Perrin knowing how to light a fire using a rock and a knife. But getting thrown into the wilderness with nothing but the clothes on their back (and the knives on their belts) has left them in pretty dire straits. Not like...

Meanwhile, on the mountain:

...our comic duo with Rand on hand. He's in his element. Not only would Rand have a ton of experience being out in the wilds with the sheep, he was quick enough to grab up his quiver and bow (and his dad's sword!) when things went sideways in Shadar Logoth. So the biggest complaint with this group is that it's cold. (Or a little chilly. Depending on who you ask.)

Rand really is in a good mood as he and Mat make their way over the mountain. Best he's been in since Egwene dumped him. I think it's because he and Egwene got things settled between them and he's on his way to find her (and Perrin). He's got a goal and it's something he can totally do and there's no one trying to run his life or making him question himself.

But of course, happy characters don't make for good stories so our two stumble across a mining town. I love the twangy bass guitar theme for the town. Foreshadows a character we're about to meet but also sets up the "16 Tons" vibe the town has going for them.

If you're looking for worn costumes, dirty faces and hard-lived sets... welcome to Breen's Springs! Don't let the dead guy hanging in a cage throw you off. (Or you know, do. I don't think Breen's Springs is dependent on tourist dollars.) I will also note, neither Mat nor Rand stand out too badly compared to the town residents. Rand's coat is a lot nicer but it's very much travel stained.

Discerning viewers might have noted the four totems just outside the bar they're entering. Carved with the likeness of four kings, one might ask? (Nice little easter egg for viewers but a light enough touch that it's easy to miss, allowing for a fun surprise later on.)

I love how subtly they build Dana's character. She definitely clocks them coming into the bar but it reads more like the barkeep making sure they know to come and buy something.

Both Rand and Mat are so wet behind the ears when it comes to the big wide world and we see it on display here. Rand's taking Dana's word that the soup is actually good. Bless him.

I love the idioms the show has introduced for various locations. Two Rivers had, "down mountain," to describe people and activities that don't concern them. Breen's Springs has, "fresh one," to describe people new to town and boy doesn't that layer on implications about this place.

The only other fresh one being the gleeman. *excited gasp* Thoooom!!! I love everything about this moment. From the way he gets up onto the stage, to the light flick of his coat showing off the gleeman colors of its lining, to the way he owns the room from the moment he starts tuning his guitar.

And then he starts to sing. That gravelly voice... Oh my God... that voice.

Mat is immediately entranced, which Rand clocks. The whole room falls into the sadness of Thom's song but it hits Rand particularly hard. He actually has tears in his eyes. Interesting that it emphasizes dead children ("little graves that had no warning"). I predict this is going to be the specific Dragon-grief direction the show will take.

Anyway, the listeners are deep in the throws of the grief catharses Thom tossed them into but Dana easily lifts the mood by reminding patrons they can still drink. And Mat is such a fresh one himself he's victimized by the town pickpocket.

Which Thom notes and rectifies and he gives Mat a chance to notice he's down a coin purse but Mat is more interested in throwing Thom some shade. "Too depressed for charity." Rude! Insulting the song choice and the singer. So Thom engages and Mat is still a little prickly pear. Which is interesting because he really was enthralled with Thom's singing while it was happening.

Is this the dagger? Some of it, probably. But I think you could also point to Mat's issues with his dad. They spin him in a different direction later on in the episode but it makes sense to me that he'd start off in a more guarded mode.

I do note that Thom pays for his drink with his own coin, then pays for Mat's food with Mat's coin. Which is when Mat finally realizes his purse is gone and Thom drives the lesson home. Which, it's a good lesson to be learned and Thom did give Mat a couple of chances to not be a colossal dick.

Mat seems ready to actually throw down (which again, dagger? or Thom pushing his daddy-issues buttons? why not both?) but fortunately Rand is there to read the room and keep Mat from getting thrown in the lake. At best.

Back to the plains

The wolves are still herding and Perrin and Egwene are still walking. His coat is filthy. Her coat hides the dirt a lot better but the fleece lining of the hood is looking pretty sooty. They stumble across some wagon tracks and this is either a good thing (merchants) or a bad thing (White Cloaks). And off of Egwene's very visible gasp at the idea I wonder, did our Two Rivers crew always see the White Cloaks as baddies? Or were they more, "down mountain," folk that they didn't really think about until their recent encounter and Egwene's learning she can channel?

Egwene suggests the wolves herded them here. Perrin thinks about it. (This is the slowest storyline.)

Back to the bar

Rand continues to be in a good mood and Mat continues to be sour. They head off to chat with Dana about night lodging and Mat steps in for a charm offensive that falls incredibly flat. There's an edge to his demeanor that means either Mat isn't actually that good at being charming (which I don't believe) or he's not really on his game (which I do believe). Again, this could be down to circumstances (just got robbed, etc.) but I think the dagger is warming up.

More humor bits: That close up of Rand's face as Dana pours all the customer leftovers (food, drinks) into the soup pot. Confirmation that Mat goes for older women (which leaves me wondering, a bit of a mom-complex, or is it more targeting women of means who'd tend towards older?)

Anyway, they end up out back chopping wood for their lodging and this is where the dagger really kicks in hard. Mat sniffs, winces, rubs his nose. All little actorly bits throughout the scene that point to his being off kilter. I also love how when Mat says things he knows will hurt Rand (Perrin and Egwene are dead), you can see him instantly regret and feel guilty about it. And yet, the dagger keeps him digging into sore spots. (Egwene wouldn't go out of her way for Rand.) And Rand finally hits back, calling Mat a prick and sending him away.

Does Rand realize what a loaded word that is for Mat? Could be he does. You always know how to hurt the ones you love.

I do love how diabolical the dagger's influence is. It's getting Mat to act in a way that's off but not entirely out of character. He's still got his instinct to charm but now he's not as good at it. He's not the guy to voluntarily offer hard labor but this time the suggestion actively angers him. So he winds up turning on Rand after he'd spent all last episode doing his best to keep Rand's spirits up. Which means Mat will be left wondering if the dagger tapped into something within him rather than merely turning him into a different person.

Anyway, Mat tries once more to charm Dana and she's having none of it (love the easter egg of the horse trader bit). I think he's also subtly offering sex as a payment method with that crack about the sheets. Dana doesn't bite but she has softened towards Mat and they end up having an honest conversation as Mat starts waiting tables.

Again, I love the subtly of Dana. She's deftly probing for information here but not pressing too hard. Mat lies, a bit awkwardly, but she lets it go. We also get our first inkling of Dana's motivations. She hates where she's from and who she currently is and dreams of getting out. (Love watching how the idea of completely reinventing oneself lands so hard on Mat. Foreshadowing!)

A power shift in the forest:

Nynaeve admits she's at her limit with Moiraine. Lan totally calls Nynaeve's bluff and heads off (to go look for Aes Sedai as we later learn), leaving Moiraine entirely in Nynaeve's care. She's not thrilled that he's so right about her, but what's she going to do? Their dynamic is so fun to watch and now it's Lan with the upper hand.

Into the fog:

Perrin and Egwene are about to head into some thick fog so their cautious approach is no longer viable. And this is where the emotional fog Perrin has been under starts to thin. I love that he and Egwene know each so well she's immediately able to cut through what he's saying on the surface to the underlying motivation.

And Perrin finally verbalizes that Laila's death is his fault. A massive step forward in healing! But of course, Egwene isn't actually a mind-reader so she's assuming it's a "I didn't protect her like I should have," not an actual fog-of-war thing. Still.... baby steps.

Also, I do appreciate that Egwene knows the first rule of survival in a potentially horror level situation: do not split up. (Which, I'm mostly joking but the show does tell us she enjoys adventure stories. Maybe that trope is still around?)

Perrin gets to show off some super-human perceptive abilities in realizing they've got people behind them before Egwene notices them.

And then the Tuatha'an proceed to act extremely sketch. The fog is a big assist as is their weird, "Do you know the song?" greeting tradition. The camera work also sets us up to be wary of these people as it comes at them at a slant. It's only after Aram fills Egwene and Perrin in on the custom and Ila moves into the finishing bit that the camera comes straight in on her and her crew and we get to see, oh this is just a sweet, hippy grandma. (And compared to the Tuatha'an, Egwene and Perrin really do look awful. Dirty, frizzy-haired, very hard traveled.)

Along with the shift in camera angles we're shown laughing children, a bunch of potted plants (which, clever way to assure steady greens as they travel), and tasty home cooking to show us that these people are safe. (In contrast, there were no children and no greenery in Breen's Spring.) Perrin and Egwene have just leaped-frogged into being in the most comfortable storyline.

I like the set up that Aram is the only one of the Tuatha'an who gets that their opening lines are a bit... odd, to the uninitiated. I also like the set up that the Tuatha'an aren't used to running across people who don't already know who they are. (They may have thought Perrin and Egwene were interested in joining them? Or maybe scouting them for some nefarious purpose. We'll later learn they use numbers as a safety measure.)

Interesting that the Two Rivers aren't familiar with the Tuatha'an. It's not until Aram shares the slur-word, Tinkers, that recognition flickers with Egwene and Perrin. (A subtle reinforcing of the Two Rivers isolation.)

Meanwhile, at the woodpile:

A very sweat-stained Rand (seriously, there's a sweat stain all down the back of his shirt) is chopping wood and throwing shade. Mat will return, "when the work is done." And no, he and Mat aren't a couple. If Rand wanted a man, he could do better. I die laughing. Rand gets pissy when he's angry.

Dana does not own the bar/inn and she does not get great pay. Which, going by everything she says throughout the episode I have to wonder, who owns this town? Because I'm strongly suspecting that my "16 Tons" reference early on was more apt that I'd realized. People get stuck in this place when they've nowhere else to go and have made some really bad decisions. I'm guessing people either have to work here in the first place (paying off a debt) or once they start are quickly trapped into not being able to leave (a debt is manufactured, company-store style). Probably a combination of both. The economics of this world are not rosy, in other words.

Dana's let down her hair, sort of, and pulled open her blouse and Rand is very sweet and picking up on none of it and I'm not all that surprised she thought he and Mat were a couple. But then he swerves right into asking Dana to stay and drink with him. (And we know he doesn't mean it the way it comes across and this is going to get him into trouble one day. I mean, regular trouble.)

Gorgeous man rides gorgeous horse through gorgeous scenery:

Pretty much all there is to Lan's searching and finding montage. But... it's enough. :)

I will say, it makes sense that Lan was able to so easily find the Aes Sedai. He knew, via the White Cloaks, where they were heading and/or coming from and there probably aren't too many routes between Ghealdan and Tar Valon.

Moiraine whispers Siuan's name!!1!!1! I couldn't make it out without the help of the subtitles but it's there!

Nynaeve is very tender to the injured Moiraine. She's a big softy at heart and everyone who knows her knows that. Lan now counts as one of those people.

At the dead man's cage:

The second showdown between Mat and Thom!

And now we get a very rare example of the show giving us some world building exposition prior to any visual work. Thom tells us a few things about the Aiel, including their unusual to this world, red hair. It's an interesting choice to show us a dead Aiel and then explain a bit about their culture before we ever meet a living one. A case of wanting their reputation to proceed them?

If you're going to do a verbal exposition drop, Thom's your guy. (The viewers are cued into seeing Thom as someone who knows things because he knew exactly where Mat was from. Proof of ability, then ability activated.) And it gives him a chance to bond with Mat.

You can see how hungry Mat is for a father-figure in this scene. Just a few moments of patiently answering Mat's questions and he's earned Mat's trust enough that Mat goes for total honesty. And then Thom repays Mat's honesty with a tender level of understanding (we all have our desperate moments) Mat probably isn't used to receiving.

Despite his quickness to pull his dagger on Thom in the scene's opening, this is the real Mat we're seeing. And the real Mat does not shirk from hard labor when asked. He stays to help Thom bury the body. (Though he does have a long glance towards town because he knows Rand will be wondering where he is.)

In the sound-proof room:

Dana's coming off as trustworthy as Thom, dropping easter eggs all over the place as Rand wisely keeps some information back (where he's from, where he's going, why) but drops some emotional honesty, admitting that his world's turned upside down on him. (I don't know shit, really.)

There's an interesting contrast in their views of the Wheel. Dana feels it's trapped her where she doesn't want to be. Rand sees himself as making his own decisions without the Wheel taking a hand in his life. (Though, he is starting to wonder about that one.)

Rand continues to really throw out the wrong signals (leaning right into Dana's space as he opens up emotionally) so it's not weird or forced that Dana makes a move. That Rand pulls back and that they're both immediately apologetic about reading the other wrong is also not weird or off putting. But Dana has played her hand. There's no good reason for her to stay anymore but she does need to stay to make sure she gets Mat. So she closes the open door (with epically ominous door-closing sound design) and proceeds to act creepy as fuck.

That, "get back on the bed," line. O.O For a moment I thought the scene was going to go in a completely different direction. But it's just a capture and hold move. She needs to make sure Mat walks into the trap Rand's caught in.

I love how easily Dana is able to take Rand's sword from him. He's a fresh little innocent and Dana's been around rough sorts her whole life.

I also love that she genuinely seems to like Rand. I think everything she told Mat and Rand has been true. She just failed to share how far she was willing to go to get out of the situation the Wheel has put her in.

Meanwhile, at a fresh grave:

Mat has fully imprinted on Thom, baby duckling style, by this point. And he shows off for his new dad-figure by demonstrating his own pickpocketing skills. Thom, being a good guy, acts suitably pleased at Mat's skill and then drops that super ominous (especially since Dana made a similar quip), "don't let me find you hanging in a cage." [Why has the show suggested this might happen to Mat, TWICE!!]

Thom guitar-themes his way out. I'M SURE WE NEVER SEE HIM AGAIN.

Back at the, oh... now I think on it, a sound-proof room is actually kind of creepy, room of realization:

Dana tells Rand it's impossible to break down the door. ... Rand breaks down the door.

(Good sound-design, here. Again. Cues us that something beyond panicked farmer strength is going on.)

Then it's Mat and Rand running while Dana chases them Terminator-style and I do like that they completely drop the humanity of Dana for this chase scene. It's how the boys would be seeing her: an inexplicable threat/monster. Especially as she's able to use her knowledge of the town's layout to cut them off.

And then the learning begins: We learn Dana (and all of her ilk) are looking for five (5!) different potentials via info fed to them through their dreams.

We get the first Big Bad name drop: Ishamael. (There's so much I love about how Izuka Hoyle played this role, but the way she delivers that name: *chefs kiss*)

And in direct contrast to Tam's philosophy of the Wheel back in episode 1 (the Wheel is a mercy and gives us a chance to try again, to do better this time), Dana lays out the view of the Dark (the Wheel is a trap forcing good people to live through bad things again, and again, and again. Stopping it would be the mercy). And we learn that the Dragon Reborn has the power to break the Wheel itself.

Knife in the throat! (Great special effects here.) Thom and his guitar-theme are back and Mat's imprinted hard enough that he's given up on home (he's also been given definitive proof that Moiraine was right and his name is on a list) and is very willing to travel east with Thom. Rand's had a hard lesson on trust and is not as eager to go with Thom, but Mat prevails.

Dana's blood transitions us to...

A road in the forest:

Nynaeve has her own horse! I figured but we see it for certain here.

I love the Aes Sedai riders just sort of appearing on the cliffs. They're being framed as highly competent soldiers with that sort of introduction. Which, it's Red and Green Ajahs we're seeing so, they're not wrong.

Also, first planned shot of Liandrin, I'm sure. Hair filled with tiny braids. Brilliant red outfit contrasting with Moiraine's blue. And then the way she and Moiraine greet each other. Just title and name but this is Rosamund Pike and Kate Fleetwood so there's all sorts of history and conflict in their tone alone.

First shot of Logain as well. And with Alvaro Morte in the role, all we need is a look. A man who can channel. A man thought to be the Dragon Reborn. And the viewers are left wondering, is this candidate number 5?

tl;dr I adored this episode. Mat and Rand's journey was my absolute favorite as we got to watch them be the best comic duo and introduced us to Thom and Dana. I do love a good enemies-to-lovers dynamic, so everything the Lan/Nynaeve scenes gave us was golden. (With a bonus Moiraine/Suian foreshadow!) Perrin and Egwene had the dullest storyline but what time we did spend with them was short and built towards their story yet to come.

#wot on prime rewatch #wot on prime season 1 spoilers #wot on prime deep dive #episode deep dive

[the-last-rat-standing]

Black Panther: Wakanda Forever

Spoilers galore:

It was never going to be easy. Chadwick Boseman’s passing was shocking and the loss will ripple through the Marvel universe for decades. What he brought to the character cannot be understated, and what he left behind is equally important. 

I give Ryan Coogler all the credit in the world. What he gave us is a wonderful movie that struck the perfect balance between grief and moving on. So much of the movie reflected so much of our real life grief at Chadwick’s passing, but handled it in a way that gave us an opportunity to smile and let go. 

We’re never told exactly how T’Challa died, beyond a mysterious illness that was too far gone for Shuri to cure. @thenicecheese thinks it might end up being an illness tied into characters who were ‘snapped’. Maybe so. But for me, it won’t matter- it was just enough information without tying themselves up in knots to explain it. The funeral was just the right length, too, giving us a moment to grieve before seguing into the Marvel title sequence. 

Except it wasn’t the regular Marvel title sequence. They replaced all the images on the Marvel logo with images of Chadwick Boseman, and there was no music. Yeah, just stab me in the heart, Marvel.

I’m not going to get too too much into the details. It had its flaws. Some of the CGI wasn’t great; while the water sequences were beautifully done, the air shots were often poorly rendered, particularly the ones with Namor flying around. (That being said, when Shuri cuts off one of his wings? Great scene.) Was also waiting for someone to say, “Just because you’ve killed this scientist doesn’t mean there isn’t another scientist to take over the work.” It was a pretty weak premise for Namor to lose his shit over.

I was surprised at how ‘Big Bad’ they made Namor. Not a lot of grays in his world nor the writers’ depiction of him. There wasn’t really a point where I felt he was justified for killing all those people at the beginning, or invading Wakanda. I will say, Tenoch Huerta, who played Namor, was very good with what he was given. Probably needed just a little more sensuality, but had a great presence.

Speaking of presence- and this surprised me, considering how important she was in the movie- Letitia Wright felt like the weakest role in the movie. Her turn to vengeance was very good, but overall, she lacks a screen presence that draws me to her. Will also say Dominique Thorne (RiRi Williams/Ironheart), while not bad in the role, sort of faded into the background after her introduction. Lupita Nyong’o was so much more compelling, and she barely had much to do.

You know who had the most amazing presence? Oh my god, Angela Bassett and Danai Gurira. The scene where Ramonda strips Okoye of her rank was stunning and heartbreaking all at once. Long after this movie fades from my memory, this scene will remain.

And here’s where I talk briefly about DC movies. This isn’t meant to trash them or put them down in any way; what I’m about to say is honest criticism. There are 2 things Marvel does incredibly well that DC just doesn’t. 

1. Music. Sarah Halley Finn does an amazing job at casting, but whoever chooses the music for the Marvel movies is vastly underrated. Have you seen the Quantumania trailer yet? Have you heard that freaky version of “Good-bye Yellow Brick Road”? Who can forget “Dear Mr. Fantasy” that started Endgame? Though it’s not in the movie, “No Woman, No Cry” (covered by Tems) was in the trailer, and my god, talk about perfection.

2. This one is currently out of DC’s hands, but is indicative of how DC has handled their universe. Consider this: Iron Man only came out 5 years before Man of Steel. But what has DC got to show for it? A botched Justice League with a Batman who didn’t even get his own movie. A tepid Batman vs. Superman whose only bright moment was the introduction of Wonder Woman. An Aquaman who hasn’t had anything to do since Justice League (5 years ago). A Flash movie that is under a toxic cloud. A Suicide Squad and a The Suicide Squad. I mean, wtf are they building over there? Which is why it will take them a long time before they have a scene in a movie that makes us gasp the way Okoye getting stripped of her rank did. Which is why it will take them a long, long time before the death of a secondary character will hit us the way Ramonda’s death did. You can’t rush that kind of emotion, but DC just doesn’t want to take the time to build a real foundation. They only appear to build the Hollywood fronts old Westerns used back in the day- a passable facade with nothing behind it.

As I said, Wakanda Forever has its flaws, but it will get a lot of goodwill because of the subject matter that carries this movie (how do we move on from grief?), and how it reflects real life events that led up to it. And that’s okay. Sometimes we all need a good cry. I hope Chadwick Boseman would be proud. 

I’d give this 8//10. (For comparison, I’d give Dr. Strange/MoM 7/10 and Thor: Love and Thunder 6/10. For DC comparison, I thought The Batman was 7/10.)

There is one post-credit scene. It comes fairly quickly after the last scene.

#black panther: wakanda forever #black panther #wakanda forever