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#look beyond the fated theme bro
lovelyiida · 1 year
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mha guys confessing their feelings<3
INCLUDES: BAKUGO KATSUKI, EJIRO KIRISHIMA, DENKI KAMINARI
GENRE: fluff, light-angst
WARNINGS: implied fem reader, vulgar language, sexual themes
MASTERLIST
WORDS: 4.1K
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KATSUKI BAKUGO
• we all know this poor guy would be a mess.
• constantly checking if there are wrinkles on his perfectly ironed uniform (that took him several hours to do the day before).
• making sure that his spikes were in all the right places, twiddling with his hair strands making sure the point is so sharp your hand could be sliced off if you touched it. Not that he wants to hurt you…
• reciting his lines over and over until his mouth gets dry.
• this man is a mess, and it’s all because of you.
‘damn chick, you’d just had to’ve sat next to me on the first day of training.’
Bakugo thought to himself whilst adjusting his tie for the seventh time today.
it’s true to think that you were a force that couldn’t be pushed away. first day of classes and you walked straight up to him, with a bright smile you extended your hand out to shake. rolling his eyes, he gets up and walks away.
but you never knew that his fate with you would be sealed beyond that point.
from constantly ignoring you, to always making random conversations. you even became his go-to sparring partner, leaving a sad Kirishima in the midst.
‘she’s just a better partner, no hard feelings bro.’
from the beginning of the day to the end, you guys were always together. It was a simple joke made by Denki, one day, you all were sitting at lunch, chatting it up and making regular convos.
Denki realized that you and Bakugo were having a whole other conversation from the table. Silently chuckling to yourselves, hitting his shoulder when he says something funnier than the last remark (most likely talking shit about his classmates). Denki shows a devilish smirk.
“so, how long have you guys been dating?” the table confused as to who he was talking to, your eyes narrow. “huh?” you say, bakugo looks up at him, confused and pissed off because he was in the middle of a lovely shit-talking fest with you.
“y’know…” Denki looks and you and bakugo, signaling that he was talking about both of you. Mina’s blank expression becomes ecstatic. “You guys are dating?” she yells.
You and Bakugo’s eyes widen, you start the shake your head and wave your hands. “oh no, w-were just friends, right?” looking at Bakugo he swallows his spit.
“Yeah, we are.”
“We’re just fucking friends, and if I hear any of you guys spread rumors, I’ll have your guts on a platter by the end of the fucking day!” slamming his fists into the table, everyone jumps.
getting up from his seat, you try to call him back. But it was no use, angrily muttering to himself back to the dorms.
“fuckin’ crush on her? why the fuck would I have a crush on her?”
“they’re all dead wrong.”
they’re all dead right.
I mean, looking at it from his point of view, he couldn’t help himself.
same sense of humor, great sparring partner, same interests, same music taste, and you were fucking hot? it was only a matter of time until he couldn’t deny the facts any longer.
now here he is, nervous as all get out, with a bouquet with your favorite album in one hand, and a teddy bear in the other.
blowing his breath into the air he smells it, making sure it’s up to par, you complained to him yesterday that his breath stinks when he yells in your face. so he took note of that.
“you look like a loser.” Kirishima laughs at Bakugo’s nervousness, if it wasn’t for all the time he spend on himself he would’ve thrown him into a wall, he couldn’t today, not with you on the line.
“whatever.”
“dude, just walk to her room, knock, and tell her how you feel. it probably won’t come as a shock since everyone knows you have a crush on her.” his last few words make bakugo growl in curiosity.
“what the fuck do you mean, everyone knows?”
Kirishima gulps and scratches his neck, “n-no reason! I guess they all caught on like we did haha.” he laughs nervously, obviously lying.
grumbling, bakugo pushed past him on his way to your dorm.
“you got this dude!”
“yeah, sure, whatever.”
he hopes that you say yes to his proposal, you don’t even have to be his girlfriend, a simple date would make him happy. but he would love it if you were his and only his.
walking towards your door, he swallows his spit. Nervousness lingered around him, palms beginning to sweat as heat rises from them. taking in a deep breath, he knocks on your door.
“you got this.”
he waited for a bit, no answer.
huffing his breath, he knocks again, a little louder than before.
no response.
“shit,” he curses to himself.
he swore you weren’t busy around this time, and yes, he did remember your schedule. letting out a sigh, he hangs his head low.
“there’s always tomorrow—“
“always tomorrow for what?”
jumping at your voice he turns around, his cheeks burning as he sees your figure. it looks like you just left the convenience store.
he hasn’t been this nervous since the entry exam, he hasn’t been this nervous since…ever.
“uh, hey! I thought you were in your room and—“
“is all that for me?” your voice softens, walking closer you set your stuff down to take what Bakugo has from his hands.
“yeah, stupid shit I put together…don’t think your special.”
you chuckle at his statement, “thank you bakugo, even though it’s not even my birthday.”
“yeah, whatever.”
grabbing your other stuff you open your room dorm and head in, but before you shut the door your look at him.
those big, stupid, beautiful eyes of yours.
fuck, you’re beautiful…
“is that all you’re here for?” You coo, looking away nervously, he sighs.
“tch, yeah.”
smiling to yourself, you nod.
“okay well, goodnight Bakugo.”
“night.”
closing the door behind you, you set your gifts and groceries down.
5 minutes or so pass, as you settle yourself in. What just happened? why was Bakugo so damn nervous to talk to you? you’ve never seen him look so startled before.
looking at the basket that was gifted to you, you couldn’t help but smile. Taking a picture of the basket, you were about to send the picture to the “1A Chicks” group chat when you hear a banging at your door.
startled, you scurry to open the door, “Bakugo? what’s wrong?” you asked. looking at him, he frowns. “You’re what’s wrong.”
confused you shake your head, “w-what?”
rolling his eyes he curses, “fuck it.”
pushing himself into your room, you yell. closing the door behind him, you were even more confused now.
“Bakugo, what the hell is your problem?” you yell. As he walks towards you, you walk away. every step you took back, he took a step forward. slamming yourself into the wall you look up at him.
Bakugo corners himself into you, leaving no room for Jesus. pressing his body up against yours, you stare at his face, noticing how his cheeks are pink and his breathing is stagnant.
a moment of silence passes by, you noticed your noses touching. you feel his breath on your lips, warm and soft. looking into his amber eyes, you chuckle a little.
“if you’re thinking about kissing me, I’m not gonna stop you.”
Bakugo lets out a huff, “and why would I even kiss you out of all people? I hate you.” Squinting your eyes, you couldn’t help but smile at his denial.
“so you did all of this just to tell me you hated me?”
Bakugo stares into your eyes, “yeah I did.”
rolling your eyes you adjust yourself, trying to free from his grasp until he leans in. you let out a small gasp, as his lips touched yours. He was kissing you.
closing your eyes you kissed back, melting into the feeling of his lips on yours. His arm snakes around your waist, giving it a squeeze as he deepens the kiss.
this goes in for another 10 seconds until you back away for breath. the world could’ve stopped moving and the both of you wouldn’t have known. staring into each other’s eyes, scared that if you look away you’d lose this moment forever.
Bakugo leans in one more time, a quick peck before he lets go of you. he nervously puts his hands in his pockets.
“I assume you do this to all the girls you hate?” you questioned.
“no, only the ones I like,” he answered.
“so, you don’t hate me?” you laugh, he rolls his eyes at your statement.
“no I don’t hate you, I like you dumbass!” he yells.
“don’t yell at me, I just wanted you to admit it,” pulling him by his shirt you plant another kiss on his lips. a small smirk shows on his face.
“Whatever.”
DENKI KAMINARI
• has zero fucking rizz
• tries so hard to be someone he isn’t just so he can impress you.
• he just needs to realize that he doesn’t have to go all out to impress you because just being him is enough for you at the end of the day.
• at first, it was funny to his friends seeing how bad Denki would try to flirt with you.
• the cheeky one-liners were cute, but now they were starting to be just plain corny.
“woah, you’re all scuffed up from hero training today huh y/n?”
it was the end of training today for class 1-A, you were around some of your friends sitting on the ground, Denki decided to walk up and start some conversation.
“yeah, Iida got me pretty good today.” you sigh, letting out a defeated smile.
“looks like you just fell from hell!” Denki laughs.
confused, you tilt your head to the side. looking over you see Mina facepalm, Bakugo next to her pinching the bridge of his nose.
“do I look that bad?” you snort.
Denki’s eyes widened, “no you don’t! you look the opposite, that’s what I meant!” he nervously rambled.
“I-I meant to say you fell from heaven because you’re all cut up, a-and you’re an angel— because you're pretty!—“
“you think I’m pretty?” a tinge of hope carries through your tone.
“Yes!— No!— I mean—“
Watching you get up from the ground, you become quickly uninterested in the rest of his ramble. Mina frowns and lays and hand on his shoulder.
“hey, Denki, you can torture y/n some more during lunch time m’kay? we need to get changed before the bell.” Mina saves the day, pushing you away from Denki as you laugh at his awkwardness.
“nice one, playboy,” Bakugo smiles and punches Denki hard in the shoulder earning a wince from him, bakugo chuckles to himself and walks off towards the locker room.
Denki sighs in defeat before following Bakugo.
Now it was lunchtime, and everyone sat down happily eating their food as they finally get a break from their rigorous daily schedule as heroes in training.
Denki watched you from across the table, staring honestly.
He saw the way you’d laugh with Bakugo, the way you whispered into his ear, leaving the both of you to snicker to yourselves.
He hated it.
So he did something about it.
Walking over to your side of the table, he sees the way the both of you look at him. You show a soft, inviting smile his way…whilst Bakugo’s expression could be a bit better.
Sitting across from you two, he takes in a deep breath and exhales.
“CANT you see we’re having a conversation?” He spits. Denki rolled his eyes at his venomous remark.
‘god I’m going to regret this’
“Aren’t you tired of being such an asshole all of the time?” Denki snaps.
“Hah?” Bakugo leans his head to the side.
Denki snorts, you watch in amusement at his antics. This makes his ego boost.
“I mean, it’s like you’re constantly on your period or something! Like, lighten up a little man!” He laughs.
“I’m gonna light up your ass real soon toaster head if you don’t leave me alone! And I’m asking you nicely.” Bakugo growls.
“I mean…he’s a little bit right” you jump into the conversation. Watching you lean your head on your hand, he can’t help but think about how hot you look right now.
You’re helping him.
“you can be a little agitated at times” you side with Denki.
Frowning even deeper Bakugo lets out a dark chuckle, standing up from his seat he stomps over to Denki.
Denki becomes so busy looking at you look at him that he forgets that Bakugo is looking over his spirit at the moment.
You shoot him a look, telling him to look up. So he complies.
“Is there something you need?” Denki says with a snarky tone.
“get up.”
The death glare stings into his very being, bakugo’s amber-red eyes burning into Denki’s golden ones.
“Make me” a smug smirk shines brightly off of Denki’s lips.
Of course, Denki didn’t have time to revel in his interaction with Bakugo. Because the next thing he knew was that he saw a flash of light and he was flying.
He flew so fast, it felt like he flew all the way to the recovery office.
eyes fluttering open, Denki whines as the hard white lights above him shine into his eyes. Tossing on his side he curls into a ball, hugging himself closer to the bed. he groans before letting out a deep sigh.
“Denki, are you awake?” A soft voice rang out into the silence.
He knew that voice.
Quickly turning over his eyes grow wide.
“Y/n?” He breathes out, earning a half-hearted chuckle you nod. He could tell you were worried about him.
“Oh my god, Denki, what we’re you thinking back there?” you scold him.
“I…I don’t know,” Denki frowns.
“You and I both know that we shouldn’t buck up to Bakugo like that unless you’re looking for a death sentence! Why the sudden change of character?” You asked, a frown still visible on your lips.
Your lips…
Denki was going to talk about how he just felt like pissing off bakugo, but then he realized how close you were to him. Only a hands distance from your face, his eyes travel down to your pursed lips.
They look so soft, so warm, so sweet.
So his.
His brain wasn’t aware that his body was moving, it seemed like the only thing that could control him was his heart. And he knew what his heart wanted more than anything else.
And it seemed like his heart knew what you wanted too.
“Denki.” You whispered.
“Hm?” His voice was so soft, you melted at the slight raspiness of it.
“Are you trying to kiss me right now?” You asked, you bit your lips. That action makes him let out a chuckle.
You tease.
“And if I was?” He whispered, softer than the last time, his hand sliding softly onto your cheek to his and thumb and index finger sliding further down to hold your chin, he leans in a little more.
“Then I wouldn’t stop you,” you leaned in, lips touching, but only grazing.
You felt each other's warm breaths, you felt the shake of his breath travel onto your lips.
“Fuck,” Denki cursed to himself, guiding your face towards his as he closed the gap. Leaning in further you make him fall back on the bed.
Your lips attacked one another, even tho it was his first kiss he was pretty damn good at making out.
Breaths hot, teeth grazing, lips wet and soft, Denki grabbed a fist full of your hair and groans as he deepens the kiss.
There’s no way he can be doing this right now, this has to be a dream or something.
He couldn’t even think of a response until you ripped your lips off of him. Denki lets out a soft whine you could barely catch, you giggle at this.
Leaning back up, your hand caresses his face.
Denki spills.
“I didn’t know what I could do to impress you, the pickup lines weren’t working, every time I tried to flirt or compliment you it just turned into shit, and I wanted you to not see me as some loser dweeb! So I did something that I knew would get your attention-“
Leaning down again you plant a quick peck.
“Denki, you had me from the start! Cheesy one-liners and all,” you chuckled.
“Really?” Denki asks.
“Mhm, really”
EJIRO KIRISHIMA
• there’s nothing more manly than matching Kirishima’s energy
• but it’s also not manly to get so bashful over it
• you and Kirishima have been the best of friends for a while, besides Mina being the only girl within the friend group. Sometimes he forgets that you’re a girl, he feels as if you’re one of the guys.
• so sometimes, some things he says to his guy friends he says to you.
• and it’s not necessarily a bad thing, it’s just bad when other people around don’t understand the dynamic the both of you got going on.
“Hey, sexy!” You yelled.
Walking into the dorm kitchen, you slap Kirishima’s ass. Jumping, he lets out a laugh.
“Hey, there beautiful~” Kirishima coos.
Of course, everyone around them is shocked seeing such a greeting exchange take place. Except for the rest of bakusquad, duh.
Casual flirting is a thing Kirishima does with his friends, he got it from Denki and now he can’t shake it. He does it to all of his close friends, especially you.
These occurrences usually happen out of nowhere.
Like when the both of you finish sparring with one another during training:
“Y’know Kirishima, if you wanna finish off strong…land on top of me next time,” you say, a sarcastic yet seductive tone sliding off your lips.
“Really? I was really hoping you’d not complain about me pinning you face down ass up this round.”
Or when the both of you are at lunch:
“Oh my god, stop eating your food like a barbarian!” Mina squeals in disgust.
“Oh please, don’t be a cry baby. Y/n knows all about this technique right here, don’t ya?” Kirishima growls, taking a loud slurp of his noodles, he slowly swirls the noodles into his mouth.
Earning a groan from Mina and a giggle out of you.
Or that one conversation you had in class that no one speaks of:
“Kirishima, can you stop bothering me and just do your work!” You laugh.
“I could…but I won’t. I’d rather do you than do my work” he sighs, leaning back into his chair as he stretches. Letting out a groan, you can see a peek of his toned stomach come through.
Is he seriously trying to tease you right now?
“Oh really?” You snarl.
“Mhm, matter of fact. If you were my assignment, I’d work on you all day long until you’d beg to stop.”
This earns a slight blush from you, laughing it off you insult him. “If only there was actually a guy out there that could~” you sigh.
A sparkle shoots through Kirishima’s red eyes.
“You making that a bet? Because listen, honey, I’ll do you better than any man you’ll ever meet do you hear me-“
“Ejiro!”
Mr. Aizawa’s voice booms through the classroom, making the both of you jump.
“Yes sensei!” Kirishima jumps up from his seat, his face red from embarrassment.
“Detention.”
You almost pissed yourself from laughing so hard that day.
Needless to say, the both of you like to talk about fucking each other. Even though you guys always flirt like this around everybody, you’ve never done it alone.
Kirishima felt that if he crossed that boundary, it could ruin your friendship for good.
That was until one day you asked him if he wanted to binge-watch a show with you, and he agreed immediately.
He didn’t realize what that agreement came to until he was there.
“You don’t have a tv?” He says.
Rolling your eyes you chuckle, “why would I have a tv Kirishima, they’re expensive these days and you know that.”
Flopping onto your bed you grab your computer and tuck yourself under the covers.
Let him register this correctly,
You and him, alone, in the dark, under the covers, watching a tv show, on Netflix?
holy shit.
slowly crawling onto the bed, kirishima goes under the covers.
smiling at him you prop open your laptop on your computer and press play.
around 30 minutes passed, the both of you didn't talk that much besides a short witty one-liner and a snort at a funny moment from the show. either than that, it was dead silent.
a moment passes until there's a certain suggestive scene on the screen. a couple sneaking into a random back room in some laundry mat, crashing onto the floor the girl straddles him and starts to grind on him.
"oh please," you groan a slight smirk hints on your face.
perking up kirishima turns towards you, "what's wrong?"
"well...." you trail off, a wide smirk cascades over your face.
this earns a chuckle from him, "what?"
"I just think I could do way better than she can" you say.
this makes Kirishima lightly blush, thank god it was dark and the screen was only lighting the side of his face. "oh really?" Kirishima smiles, you hum with a nod.
the scene continued into a full-on sex scene, he wasn't expecting to watch such a scene with you, his face starts to burn red at this. now he was just thinking about you doing these unholy things to him.
i mean, god, he wished you were riding him that hard-
"are you blushing right now?" you snort.
eyes snapping wide, he looks at you with terror.
frantic, Kirishima slams the computer shut in embarrassment. "what the hell kiri!" you exclaimed.
"y/n, I really can't lay here and pretend that we don't have something going on between us" Kirishima's voice shakes.
the room grows silent for a moment.
"what do you mean?" you ask, voice quiet, almost a whisper.
"this! the constant flirting, the way we touch each other, the way I look at you, and the way you look at me! I mean- look at what we're doing right now! you just talked about how you wanna fuck me in your own bed for all might's sake!" Kirishima grows irritated, he's tired of hiding his feelings from you.
"I'm sorry I didn't get the memo then! fuck, you do it to everyone-"
"but I don't, everyone knows this! you and I both know that I don't talk like this to mina or bakugo, I don't even talk like this to Denki to this extent!" he yells.
"so what do you want me to do? STOP?" you snarl, irritated at his tone.
he rolls his eyes, " you and I both know I don't want that-"
"then what do you want!" you yell.
"shit, I want you, y/n!" he yells back.
his words quickly shut you up.
it becomes silent again, he hears you shuffling with your blankets and a weight it lifted from the bed. he hears you stomp towards your door, flipping the switch with force Kirishima winces at the flash of light.
eyes adjusting, he sees you with a frown on your lips, walking back towards your bed you plop onto your side of the bed. eyes locking with his you whisper, "are you serious?"
"I'm more than serious, I've kinda liked you from the beginning, I thought the flirting was a dead give away but I guess it wasn't" Kirishima scratched the back of his neck in embarrassment.
smiling, you crawl towards him and wrap your arms around his neck.
"so...does that mean that everything you've said to me you meant it?" a smug smirk shows on your lips. kirishima's face gets redder by the moment, he stammers.
"y-yes? I mean! do you like that I meant it?" voice nervous, the makes you giggle.
leaning in you plant a quick peck on Kirishima's lips, leaving Kirishima stunned.
"mhm," you hum.
a moment passes by, then Kirishima smiles.
"well in that case..." Kirishima lets out a mischievous grin, his hands sliding up your waist. the next thing you knew he quickly flipped you on your back, pinning your arms down you wiggled.
before you could even protest, kirishima smashes his lips against yours. pulling away kirishima whispers into your ear.
"well then, maybe we can practice some things I've been meaning to say then, hm?"
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hey guys! omg, over 200 likes on my first post! ahh you guys are crazy!! I meant to put iida and deku in this headcanon but they sadly didn't make the cut. I started to get lazy sorry...
-lovelyiida<3
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7grandmel · 7 months
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Todays rip: 01/09/2023
FINAL DESTINATION
Season 3 Featured on: STRINGS OF FATE ~ SiIvaGunner: King for a Day Tournament Original Soundtrack
Ripped by dante, wolfman1405
youtube
At this point, I've made a good few posts vouching for the absolutely insane quality of the King for Another Day tournament, SiIva's biggest-ever event. But I feel like there's some stones unturned here - King for Another Day was a *sequel* event, an idea that didn't spawn in a vacuum but rather built upon what its predecessor did. Indeed, today we're going to talk a bit about Season 3's King for a Day tournament.
The original KFaD is fascinating to look back on in a lot of ways. Its conception, like so many other things on SiIva, came from mere happenstance. The channel was prevented from uploading for an extended period of time due to a copyright issue, yet was still able to use YouTube's community tab - from this, the idea spawned to take the extended break as a way to hype up and construct more of an organized, hyped-up event (prior to this, most SiIva events simply occurred with little to no buildup. King for a Day was presented as a sort of fake game - a Smash Bros-like with characters representing different kinds of audio sources, where us in the audience would vote for one winner to take over the channel for a day.
It was a really sudden turn from what Season 3 had been up to that point, yet was all the same an event packed with excitement and joy from the fanbase due simply to the sheer quality on display. This wasn't just an event with cool music - many of the rips made for the event leaned far heavier into being genuine arrangements and remixes, and the event as a whole had this really captivating styalized art and feel. Even now, compared to the sheen and polish present throughout the King for Another Day tournament, its predecessor has a sort of grunge-y feel to it that I can't get enough of.
I'm likely going to be posting a few of the character-specific arrangements in the future, but I feel that FINAL DESTINATION simply encapsulates everything endearing about the tournament in one perfect rip. Its a more rock-heavy rearrangement of the tournament's main theme, FIGHTING KING (Main Theme), done by two of my all-time favorite rippers: dante and wolfman1405. That combo of rippers alone gave me high hopes for the rip, yet it broke past all of them into becoming an all-time favorite theme on the channel for me. It oozes so much of both rippers' personalities, be it the clear influences from Hiroyuki Sawano and voiceless by extension, the acoustic guitar sound wolfman1405 is so often associated with for me through both his rips and original music, or the way the lead melody occasionally feels as if its entering the melody of Snow Halation.
FINAL DESTINATION, beyond just being an insanely well-done arrangement, feels like such a holistic depiction of what KFAD felt like - a self-contained series of duels with insane hype behind it, still making small little hints toward main lore of the channel. As we'd soon come to learn throughout Season 5, 6 and 7, there's more to these tournaments than initially meets the eye...
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artisticbunny · 1 year
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Alright Bun— bonus ask before I go to sleep because I think I’m getting Whispering Willow brainrot lol (on top of utdr and fnaf rot ough—) Because tbh I sincerely think it’s really well thought out, with the little tidbits I’ve read about. The first chapter of it was cool Yk? I’m gonna guess that you’re new to ao3 writing? :3c am I right?
But, skipping the rambles, Lemme get to what I wanted to say:
Can you pretty please feed give us me Kat lore? Like I love ghosties and everything, especially ones that hang around. Like how does she hang around? We know she got buried alive (must’ve been terrifying seriously my bros buried me in sand once but not my face…) but how does her spirit hang about?
Also, why’d her adventure friends bury her? Was it for a reason or just them being like plain old toxic? I don’t think they’d have to like, bury her tho if it’s the second option… :( maybe it was a sacrifice??
(Thanks for storytelling tho Bun! I’m totally locked in! It’s very interesting so far! <3333)
UWAAAA THAT IS SUCH A HUGE COMPLIMENT THANK YOU!!! Literally I have no idea what’s more flattering than having someone brainrot over something you made!!! I’m so SO glad you like it so far!!!
I AM new to writing on ao3!!! You are correct!!! I actually just made my account about a month or two ago! I actually attempted to post this on a website I made in the past, but 1: it didn’t get any traction and 2: I didn’t like my writing, this is actually the third iteration of this story! I am much more comfortable with my writing now than back then :3
Anywho, on to Kat ;3
Here’s the ref I made for her for visualization’s sake! :D
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You may recall on the post where I gave a brief rundown on each of my ocs that Kat was framed for a crime she didn’t commit. Kat was originally a Part of an adventuring group called The Rogues of Justice, though since her death she can’t remember the name of her group or the people involved, or even their faces. The Rogues of Justice were a chaotic good group of jokesters. They were known for helping wherever they could and for their wacky and often nutty solutions that didn’t seem like they would work, but always worked out in the end. They were very close.
On Kat’s final mission, she was framed for a crime that severely broke her team’s moral code. She was made to look like she’d ransacked and destroyed a nearby town. Entire livelihoods and homes were destroyed and burnt. People were severely injured. She was found with valuables from the people of that town hidden on her being, and thus was the one to blame.
Of course, she didn’t actually do this. She would never. She was most likely the one who believed in the moral code the most.
She was set up and doomed to be buried alive by a member of her team. Someone who, once upon a time, she loved dearly. When things didn’t work out between them, in a fit of rage, her ex was the one to have sealed her fate.
He didn’t exactly expect for it to go this far, but he didn’t dare speak up, even as the dirt was being shoveled onto Kat’s face. He stood on the sidelines, watching her last moments.
She woke up days later, memories missing, with only the feeling of once being part of something, a burning feeling of injustice and betrayal, a fuzzy memory of a single face she couldn’t recognize, and a crippling fear of tight spaces that gives her a horrid sense of deja vu. She had no idea where she was or how to leave, stuck in the middle of nowhere with nobody nearby. She had been stuck in those woods, going in circles, unable to escape, losing track of time until the day she would find a way to leave.
So basically what’s keeping her here is unfinished business that she forgot ;)
It’s honestly really really sad, but she copes with humor and distractions most of the time so she doesn’t have to think about her memory gaps and the extreme distaste for that one person she can’t quite remember.
There are quite a few dark themes hidden in the story beyond the found family and fun fantasy settings, sorry haha!
I should also mention that the main reason she sticks around with Brook and the gang is cuz she’s BORED. Like she has been stuck in the woods and these are the first people she’s seen in GOD knows how long and they’re on a quest??? That’s some high quality entertainment there!!! She also gets pretty attached pretty quickly because again: human interaction!!!! And they helped her get out!!!! It’s honestly the least she can do while having hundreds of thousands of years ahead of her of existing.
Fun fact!!! Ghosts are basically the magic sparks of people who refuse to return back to the cycle just yet for whatever reason. They can last a REALLY long time but eventually they will get re-absorbed back into the cycle as everything continues on. :)
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solara-bean · 3 years
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I was gonna use this to rant about the live action transformers movies but my 10 year old self who loved Winx Club won’t let me. 
So here we go.
I’ve seen a few people say that the writers could’ve improved the Fate show ( calling it the live action Winx club feels like an insult ) by doing this or that. This is valid but I think the problem lies within the writers themselves. Let me explain by using one of my favorite reboots: Rise of the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles. 
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It may not be the best comparison but just stick with me here. Although I and many others were weary of the cartoon, after a few episodes something about it really stuck with me. I became invested in it like I did the other TMNT shows, if not more so, and was devastated when Nickelodeon canceled it. I then took a moment to think on why I liked it so much. 
Then it hit me.
The creators love TMNT!
I truly believe that all of them grew up with it or at least enjoyed watching it at any age. It really shows, especially in the changes they made. A few include:
We don’t see that much of New York City - Almost every episode has a different setting in NY
Raph and Leo’s excessive rivalry  -  Raph is the very protective big bro and Leo is a dumbs sometimes
The turtles are worried about being seen by humans  -  people are either too dumb to notice them in disguise or don’t care
Splinter is too hard on them  -  Splinter tries his best to be a good single dad and acknowledges when he’s wrong
Mikey is treated poorly and annoyingly dumb  -  Mikey is the optimistic baby brother who has a dark side
They're teens but they face a lot of heavy, dark themes  -  they get to enjoy their youth and act like teenagers
The turtles look a bit too similar - They’re all a different species of turtle and it’s not made into an issue since found family is the top trope!!
April really just serves as the girl of the group -  April is an absolute BOSS, has a sweet platonic relationship with the main cast AND she’s Black!!!
THE ANIMATION 
The creators practically took notes on everything people had problems with previous adaptations and went above and beyond. Sure it’s not perfect but the effort and passion shows! Rise is practically a love letter to the franchise.
Fate on the other hand...
I’m pretty sure the creators skimmed through episode one, went to wikipedia, then said “ Yeah write down the names on a sticky note.” It’s obvious that the whole show is nothing more than a cash grab. They knew that Winx was already popular, so if they plopped on a few titles people would be sure to watch it out of curiosity ( or in this case spite ). The only liberty they took that was kinda reasonable was putting everyone in the same school. Although, they probably did that to save money on different settings😒. 
From what I remember, Winx Club was an amazing show with great characters. Making a show “ edgy and mature” because the original target audience is older now is done to death! Gen Z is messed up enough already, let us have pretty magical transformations dammit😫! If I’d change anything, it would be giving the cast more diverse body types ( Fate attempted this with Flora but at the cost of whitewashing her, they know that mid and plus size Latina women exist right??? ). Oh what could have been😔.
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davidmann95 · 4 years
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All-Star Superman #3
This is gonna be a tough one.
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Not the toughest, mind you - that’s probably going to be #7. But after two issues of establishing the tone, aesthetics, and thematic concerns of the series, this is one of the pair of issues in All-Star that for the most part functions as a ‘normal’ Superman adventure story, though in this case one following up on the themes established by the previous issue, while #7 will set up the one coming after it. It’s also likely the most commonly critiqued issue of the series in retrospect its use of Lois Lane as an essentially passive figure to be fought over, and while her characterization here lends some interesting dimension to that choice, it’s hard to disagree it’s the series’ most unfortunate framing and substantial missed opportunity. None of that however can overrule that on examination, there’s still considerably more going on in here than the traditional tale of Superman beating down monsters and showing up bullies, the harsh slap to the face of reality for Clark after his actions last issue and his redemption in the form of showing what makes him different from his predecessors as the strongman-savior template.
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So I haven’t talked the lettering much in this series - it is, they say, the invisible art - but Phil Balsman absolutely kills it here with KRULL WILL EAT YOU!, and the decision on the next page to render the ZEE ZEE ZEE ZEE of Jimmy Olsen’s signal watch in the font of the title pages is absolutely inspired, nevermind what he does with the Ultrasphinx later on. The bombast of the bastard lizard prince of the underworld and his cronies wreaking havoc aside though, what this page succinctly does is set up the entire conflict of the issue. It’s not just a monster, it’s a monster out of the past mimicking the cover of Action Comics #1, and apparently by way of terraforming Metropolis via steam clouds, trying to take control of Superman’s ‘world’. From Krull to Steve Lombard (“You tell me what a spaceman flying around in his underwear can give her that a good old hunk of prime American manhood can’t?”) to Samson and Atlas to the Ultrasphinx, this is a story of Superman up against dinosaurs in his image.
Ironically, however, it’s this Superman vs. Bros comic that has perhaps the most Bro sensibilities in the series. Per Morrison on the subject, “For that particular story, I wanted to see Superman doing tough guy shit again, like he did in the early days and then again in the 70s, when he was written as a supremely cocky macho bastard for a while. I thought a little bit of that would be an antidote to the slightly soppy, Super–Christ portrayal that was starting to gain ground. Hence Samson’s broken arm, twisted in two directions beyond all repair. And Atlas in the hospital. And then Superman’s got his hot girlfriend dressed like a girl from Krypton and they’re making out on the moon.” That’s not unto itself a problem; it’s a precursor to Morrison’s t-shirt and jeans reinvention in that sense (which leapt back from the 70s to the 30s for inspiration), and when Superman himself finally gets his own back here it’s more than deserved. But it becomes a problem when Lois at theoretically her literal most empowered does little with her new powers and is framed narratively as a prize to be won in this ‘game’ of godlings, with Superman literally muttering “What do I have to do to make you keep your hands off my girl?” Morrison seems to be somewhat aware of the problems given Lois’s reasons for playing along (which are actually rather significant to the point of the issue) and her amused distaste at the suggestion of being ‘won’, and the issue is ultimately something of an argument against the macho storytelling tropes that drive that thinking. But it’s a far cry from the nuanced look at her and Superman’s relationship last issue offered, and there’s no virtue in overlooking it. As will be demonstrated again later on in the series in less structurally-embedded but more pointed ways, this was written almost 15 years ago, and mistakes were made.
Now we get to the book’s superheroed-up takes on Samson and Atlas, who are such delightful assholes. Occupying the Mxyzptlk/Prankster/Bizarro-in-his-friendlier-moods role of being the enemies to make Superman go ‘oh god, this guy’ as much as direct counterparts to him, they’re basically fratboys tooling around history and getting into trouble together, and Superman’s clearly had to clean up their messes before. They’re the champions of myth who operate by a morality that in no way precluded thievery, deception, and murder in pursuit of their grand ‘heroic’ conquests, the alpha male swaggering dipshit dudebro operating on Superman’s scale. And as much as they’re a pair of craven dumbasses who literally compare cock-sizes in here who Lois has no real interest in, their appearance is also the first and one of the only times in the series Superman puffs his chest out and does some traditional iconic posing, and he has good reason to be threatened - they’re trying to ply her with gifts and tales of miraculous feats basically exactly the same way he did last issue. He may have started to come clean with her, but he’s still playing his old Silver Age nervous bachelor games, and now that she’s got powers and costume to match his she’s showing him exactly where that bullshit is going to get him, teaching him a lesson just like he tried to teach her so many once upon a time.
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As we’re around the midpoint of the issue, let’s talk the art. Quitely and Grant aren’t as showy with the tricks and effects as the first two issues; the one real noticeable structural thing is a consistent rhythm of zooming in-and-out on our four leads throughout the issue to keep a sense of momentum to a story mostly driven by conversation, culminating in the hyper zoom-ins of the Ultrasphnix sequence. But GOD there are so many perfect little details in here. The bow coming undone on Lois’s present, the glow of the super-serum (it feels so right that it literally glows, the ultimate alchemical potion), Lombard’s bouquet for Lois’s birthday party while Jimmy is bringing a conch of some sort as a presumed gift to whoever they’ll be meeting at Poseidonis, Jimmy’s happy-meal looking signal watch WHICH HAS A WRISTBAND SHAPED LIKE AN S, more beautiful Metropolis architecture and a good look at how the Daily Planet globe actually works, poor dopey-lookin’ Krull bursting through the satellite twirling around like a cat in a half-second of freefall, the Chronomobile, the far-off monumental stone towers of the Subterranosauri, the glow of the lava fading out as Samson reveals Superman’s fate, the bioelectric crackle around Atom-Hotep, mermaids waving up at Superman and Lois, and of course the pinup. It’s such a damn pretty book.
Just before the arrival of the Ultrasphnix, we have the mythic architecture of the series explained to us, naturally by the figure out of myth:
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As noted by Morrison, the exact nature of the 12 challenges are never explained within the story because it’s only in retrospect that history will declare those specific feats as being of note in light of them being Superman’s last accomplishments before his ‘death’; Superman himself isn’t sure how many he’s done later on. It’s an apt if seemingly out-of-left-field bit of commentary on the way epics of the kind this story itself aspires towards are reinterpreted over time, but hindsight being 20/20? That this is a story of a massively iconic, archetypal take on Superman being brought out of the public eye to his physical and emotional lowest at every turn (hence the ACTUAL structure of the series being a solar arc across the sky, from day to a nighttime journey through the underworld and back again), that is now generally thought of being a fun fluffy story of how great and perfect Superman is, entirely bears it out. The 12 Labors of Superman are what Clark’s roughest year looks like to the awestruck onlookers, both in and as it turns out in large part out of text.
After Samson and Atlas seemingly show nobler colors by offering Superman aid in a genuinely stirring moment before Superman accurately dismisses it as the empty machismo posturing it is, Ultrasphinx - yet another super-champion of the past, this one an amoral god rather than a ‘hero’ on a quest - poses the unanswerable question of what happens when the unstoppable force meets the immovable object with Lois both alive and dead until he does (one of those unions of opposites Morrison loves), basically creating a high-stakes literalization of their relationship. Superman and Lois Lane had been playing will-they-or-won’t-they for almost 70 years at the time this was published (culturally at least), her trying to pry into his secrets while he screwed around with her in turn, running in circles until we finally reach the acidic psychodrama of Superman’s Forbidden Room and something has to break one way or another. And Superman answers that it’s time to surrender. Has he inspired the car ad we see at the end of the issue, or vice-versa? Either way, it’s illustrating by example what the deal is with the super-labors.
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Superman, learning his lesson as he has and showing his greater heroism stems from his nobility, intellect, and willingness to transcend his worst instincts, still takes a minute to teach Samson and Atlas a well-deserved lesson (paired with that absolutely perfect shot of the rock cracking on Lois’s head), before taking us to my absolute favorite statement on why Superman loves Lois Lane which also connects back to the idea of surrender, and the iconic moon shot. And as Superman holds her as she falls asleep, his Clark voice in all its vulnerable humanity manifests itself as he tries to propose; the tough guys of the past wanted Lois for a day when she was finally operating on ‘their level’, Superman ‘lowers’ himself to his most human alongside her reassumed mortality as he tries to tell her he wants her for what lifetime he has left. We’re only halfway there at most, he still hasn’t admitted his condition and she still can’t accept that he’s Clark, but this is Superman taking his first step along his quiet character arc.
Additional notes
* Interestingly, the original solicitation for this issue declared “Meanwhile, Lex Luthor's plans simmer as the criminal mastermind exerts his charisma and intellect over the hardcore inmates who share his maximum-security prison.” One of many bits that changed in the process of actually putting the book together.
* Perhaps this story of very manly men out of time doing manly stuff and getting their asses kicked for it across generations is represented in part by Krull being the son of a king whose battle cry is KRULL WILL EAT YOUR CHILL-DRUNN! That might be reading a *bit* much into it though. That Morrison describes Krull in backmatter however as “the living embodiment of the savage, swaggering ‘R Complex’ or reptile brain” definitely plays into the ideas of the issue as I understood them.
* Jimmy’s declaration of “Ms. Grant, Mr. Lombard, I’m taking immediate steps” is a perfect little moment for him - he’s calm and on top of things, but there’s also that little touch of naive ego in thinking that it’s thanks to him that Superman’s going to notice the dinosaur invasion of Metropolis.
* In backmatter and interviews Morrison had substantially further fleshed-out backstories for several of the new characters here. Samson is indeed the original champion, plucked from his era by a pair of foolish time-travelers searching for a savior; instead, enamored and corrupted by future culture he stole their malfunctioning Chronomobile and went on adventures to slake his lust, for fortune, flesh, and adventure alike. Atlas meanwhile is the boisterous yet quietly burdened young prince of the New Mythos, a society of super-godlings torn between New Elysium and Hadia, Morrison’s vision of a Jack Kirby Olympian saga for DC following in the wake of Thor’s Norse myths rather than the full-blown invention of the New Gods. And the Ultrasphinx “is the super-champion of a lost Egyptian Atomic Age in the 80th century BC. When he crashed to Earth his otherworldly science founded the advanced, ancient dynasty of Atem-Hotep [sic], a civilization eventually destroyed by the nuclear war that left Northern Africa a desert”. A. Morrison backmatter rules and you should read it whenever you get the chance, and B. This notion of proto-civilizations mirroring the eventual legends of a mere handful of millennia past is one he followed much further in Seven Soldiers of Victory with Shining Knight and its antediluvian Camelot.
* The main inspiration for this particular story was the frequent use of ancient strongmen as rivals to the Man of Steel in the Silver Age, which Morrison noted preferring to the use of analogue characters like Majestic for their broad cultural standing, culminating in this:
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...though with Atlas swapped in, as Marvel already had the definitive take on Hercules in superhero comics (and, one imagines, since putting Hercules in the comic where Superman gets 12 labors would have had to be addressed), though he’d tackle him later on in the...controversial Wonder Woman: Earth One. Morrison’s analysis of this cover in Supergods basically lays out the thesis of this issue quite cleanly: “This was what happened when you couldn’t make decisions or offer any lasting commitment. Samson pounced on your best girl. And for Superman, it was a horrific challenge to his modernity. Was he really no better than these archaic toughs? Or could he prove himself stronger, faster than any previous man-god?” Fun fact: I myself hate this comic because it’s an entirely standard issue that fully returns to status quo by the end, sullying the good name and promise of Imaginary Stories for nothing more than fooling readers into thinking this was one of the issues were anything could really happen. Shameful false advertisement.
* Worth noting this is a rare instance where the glowing-red angry heat vision eyes work for me. Those two were real dicks and had it coming, and for that matter Superman looking for all the world a wrathful god promising banishment to a very different sort of underworld more than underscores his relative position next to the suitably abashed adventurers.
* It’s an interesting choice to use Poseidonis here, the capital city of Aquaman - it’s a sensible place for Superman to travel (though the real implications regarding the Justice League in this world won’t be for awhile yet), but it’s Tritonis that’s the undersea home to Superman’s onetime love, the mermaid Lori Lemaris. Perhaps Morrison just didn’t want a subset of readers in the know and pining after all these decades for Clark to find succor in the arms of his fishy love to dwell on that particular what-could-have-been; either way, Atlantis in general as what sprung up from a devastated ancient civilization is a perfectly logical inclusion for this issue in general.
* Lois’s description of her super-senses is not only lovely, but sets up the victory of #12 right in the first act. Additionally Lois keeping a cactus is such a perfect little bit for her character - it’ll prick ya, but she’s working to keep the thing alive.
* The journeys to the moon and ‘underworld’ for this issue, but in playful and romantic contexts, marks this issue as the (depending on whether you read it as a 4 or 6 issue arc) final installment before All-Star Superman begins its structural descent into the night.
* A very happy birthday to Justin Martin (and a day-before-birthday to myself) with this, annotations of the issue of All-Star Superman about a birthday. Birthdays themselves being a signpost of time and evolution, a forward march, making it a potent occasion to highlight in this series in general and this installment in particular.
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aion-rsa · 3 years
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Mighty Max: Original Voice Actor Suggests It’s Time for a Comeback
https://ift.tt/33x84Qp
Recently, I had the honor of getting to talk to voice actor Ron Paulsen for about an hour. The point of the interview was to discuss the Animaniacs revival on Hulu and a little bit about his autobiography Voice Lessons, but the two of us discussed all kinds of corners of his career. Rob, an incredibly friendly guy who comes off like there’s nothing he’d rather do than talk with a fan, talked up everything from Pinky and the Brain to Metal Gear Solid.
Starting way back in the GI Joe days, Rob Paulsen has been doing the voice acting thing for decades and his list of credits and characters resembles the pages of a phone book. While he found out about the return of Animaniacs back when the rest of the world did, he later was happy to discover that Steven Spielberg insisted that the show could only return if the Warner Siblings, as well as Pinky and the Brain, were still voiced by the original actors.
As expressed in his book, Paulsen is skeptical about returning characters being recast. Which led me to wonder, what other roles of his would he like to get another shot at? The answer was surprising.
“I did a show years ago that I liked a LOT called Mighty Max,” Paulsen reminisced. “That was a really, really excellent show. Tim Curry, Richard Moll, Tony Jay, and yours truly as the main characters. It was dark [and] pretty intense.”
Mighty Max. Now that’s a name I’ve not heard in a long time.
As many cartoons from the ’80s and early ’90s were about selling toys, Mighty Max was no different. Created in 1992, the toys acted as a boy-based take on Bluebird Toys’ Polly Pocket. While Polly Pocket was about a locket that opened up into a playset based on fashion and whatnot, Max’s playsets were in the shape of monster heads or sharks or coiled snakes or whatever. You’d get a cool-looking skull that you could hold in your little kid hand and open it up into tiny action figures in an adventurous environment.
All the while, the hero looked like a little boy version of Terry Bogard from Fatal Fury. Thank God for Super Smash Bros. making it so more people get this reference.
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In 1993, the Mighty Max animated series started up, running 40 episodes across two seasons. Paulsen played Max, a snarky pre-teen who ends up getting roped into a prophecy about being the chosen one and having to wield a special red baseball cap that allows him to open portals through time and space (as one does). He’s joined by wise bird being Virgil (voiced by Tony Jay) and immortal, grizzled, badass bodyguard Norman (Richard Moll), who it turns out is the basis for legends like Thor, Hercules, Samson, and so on.
The villain of the show was the most base villain you could have on an early-90s cartoon: a skull-themed mastermind voiced by Tim Curry. Skullmaster had his own personal Bebop/Rocksteady-style henchman in Warmonger, also voiced by Rob Paulsen. Skullmaster’s big plan was to take over the world by killing Max and friends and stealing his magic cap.
What sticks in the minds of its viewers so many years later is how the show concluded. A two-parter featured Max looking closer at the prophecy he’s tied to and seeing in horror that his two buddies are fated to be killed. True to what he’s seen, Norman is eaten by a giant spider and Virgil is vaporized. When it looks like Skullmaster has everything won (to the point that he needlessly wipes out Warmonger, the only thing holding Max back), Max fully embraces his role and wrestles power from Skullmaster in a way that causes time to rewind.
Cut to Max’s origin from the very first episode. As he gets the mystical cap delivered, he suddenly remembers everything. Excitedly, he lets it be known that this time he’s going to do things right. Can Max overcome the prophecy now that he knows 40-episodes worth of events? Can he speedrun Skullmaster’s demise and find a way to keep his allies alive? He seems to think so, but we never find out.
A controversial ending to be sure, but still way better than the crappy SNES game’s ending where Mighty Max vs. Skullmaster is a lame cutscene made of stills instead of an actual boss battle. Imagine not having the time or budget to program a boss battle.
A few years later, the toy line was discontinued and there was nothing from the property for decades. It just lives in the mind of those who got to check it out during its brief window, or those like Paulsen who worked on it and remember damn good it was.
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“I would love to get another shot at Mighty Max,” Paulsen says. “I don’t know if I’d still be appropriate for Max because there are a lot of young actors, and it wasn’t one of those shows that was so popular that you’ve got to have the same actors. It was an excellent show, but I think there are many folks in their 30s who could really nail Max, and I would love to go back as one of the other characters or maybe a new bad guy.”
The post Mighty Max: Original Voice Actor Suggests It’s Time for a Comeback appeared first on Den of Geek.
from Den of Geek https://ift.tt/39uD07x
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specsnsarcasm · 4 years
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My Review of... the Sanditon finale
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(Warning: SPOILERS!)
With much left unresolved, the series finale of Sanditon left me wanting. It’s certainly the bleakest of the Austen stories (though I suspect this would not have been the case, had Austen completed it herself). I don’t expect every character or story to have a happy ending. I can get behind a good tragedy *if* it’s done correctly, but I don’t think Sanditon managed this.
The series started off with lots of potential. It was grand, beautiful and ambitious, with a lot of themes to tackle -- some complex (e.g. class warfare, social transformation, regency-era racism, and even female sexuality), and some simple, like misunderstandings, romantic rivalries, and love. But with much to deliver, it buckles under the weight of its own promise.
Structure:
It looks like a quintessential Austen story, but it doesn’t feel like one. Even though it's unfinished, we know how it should go: after some troubles, good things happen to good people, bad people get their comeuppance, and at the end of the day there's hope for a better life. It’s what we know and love about Austen. I was disappointed by this ending because after setting us up for a good outcome, a lot of the characters end up exactly where they started (or worse!), without any lesson or point. Not sure what hope I can take from that.   
Characters & Their fates:
From the beginning, I didn’t feel a connection btw Sidney and Charlotte. I thought their age difference was too great, the chemistry wasn’t there, and Sidney is too prickly, so despite their obvious collision course, I never warmed to him. Charlotte should have ended up with Young Stringer. I’m beyond tired of the narrative that the ‘best’ man is the most difficult. Anyway, it makes no difference because a ridiculous thing happens and she ends up with precisely NO ONE! Which- sure. Whatever. Thanks for wasting my time?¯\_(ツ)_/¯
Speaking of which... I’m disappointed by how they wasted the Miss Lambe character. As a black girl who LOVES period dramas, I rarely get to see myself in them, let alone in a main role, so I was excited to see what they would do with her. The fact that the character was actually written by Jane Austen was very progressive for the time, so no doubt she had high hopes for her as well. Instead, the show turns Miss Lambe into a miserable, mopey, petulant brat, who exhibits no growth. She might as well have been any generic heiress. They do away with the feisty, defiant woman we saw during the pineapple reception, and they abandon her friendship with Charlotte too, so after her ‘Mr. Molyneux’ arc, she’s relegated to the background. We don't even know what will become of her, and the show simply does not care. They toy with a relationship btw her and Arthur Parker, but the ramshackle pairing falls apart anyway when they allude to Arthur being gay/ace. (I'm not sure if it's in the book or just the show).
If done differently though, I could also see Miss Lambe marrying Arthur. He’s defended her from the beginning, finds her initial outspokenness refreshing and doesn't seem too concerned about what people think. He laughs at the ridiculous pineapple incident, springs her from her house confinement, and attempts to cheer her up. He’s the light, carefree counterpart to Sidney’s dark, oppressive guardianship. Plus, he's wealthy in his own right, so we know he’s not after her money. Also, if she married Arthur and Charlotte married Sidney, the two would have been sisters-in-law, which is the kind of tidy symmetry that Austen would have loved. 
The real MVP is Lord Babington. He’s patient, noble, and a gentleman. He's persistent, but not creepy or pushy. His story with Esther is actually the most romantic and well-formed of the lot. I hated the way that Edward charges into the ball, drunk, professing his love for her. I found it unnecessary and redundant. We already had closure with his character in the previous episode when Lady Denham disinherits him, Esther finally frees herself from his hold, and Babington comes to learn the true nature of their relationship. Him coming back adds nothing to the story. 
After a huge row, Young Stringer’s poor, overworked, recently-injured father dies of a heart attack(!) and is burned in a fire(!!). AND THEN, with nothing keeping him in Sanditon (except for guilt and honour), Stringer gives up on the dream he’s been talking about for the entire series, he DOESN'T get the girl, will likely remain in his station forever, live with regret, and become his father anyway!?!?!?! Ducking bleak! Not sure what the take-home from this should be. Don't try? Lol.
And after everything, Tom doesn’t have insurance??!?!?!!!!?! Oh, f^ck this guy! His family and everybody are constantly bailing him out, sacrificing their money and happiness to do so, and he still doesn’t learn! Ugh.
To sum up their fates: 
Charlotte - unrequited <3, wasted summer, a little worldlier, unhappy.
Sidney Parker - married to s/o he doesn’t love, deadbeat bro, unhappy. 
Young Stringer - unmet potential, grieving, guilt, alone, broke, unhappy. 
Old Stringer - DEAD. 
Tom Parker - SO ducking broke, a wanker, lucky, unhappy.
Mary Parker - married to a f^ckwad, lawfully-wedded broke, unhappy.
Miss Lambe - far from home, friendless, unrequited <3, racism, unhappy.
Mr.  Molyneux - alone, ashamed, racism, unhappy. 
Sir Edward Denham - broke, alone, banished, disgraced, unhappy. 
Miss Brereton - disgraced, broke, unhappy (*but will land on her feet).
Arthur Parker - regency-era queer = alone, but good-natured. Happyish?
Diana Parker - hypochondriac. unhappy. 
Mrs. Campion (soon to be Mrs. S. Parker) - A bitch. Got the ring. happy.
Lady Denham - lateral move, maybe unhappy? (no more companion).
Lord & Lady Babington (Esther) - happily ever after. <3
[Note: As always, these are just my opinions, you don’t have to agree. I just like watching stuff and writing stuff about it!]
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oflgtfol · 4 years
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I’m Going To Talk About Kung Fu Panda Now
as much as it pains me to say this as your local Number One Kung Fu Panda Fan, like........ kfp 3 is, not as good as 1 and 2....... but i am going to talk about it bc i do love kfp and i love talking abt kfp and so this falls under that lol
NOW LIKE, OBJECTIVELY, kfp 3 is still a great movie. it is still such a good movie especially compared to animation in recent years.
it’s just that like, kung fu panda 1 and 2 were just, SO good, they set the bar so high, so when the third movie was an objectively good movie it just... wasn’t as good as its predecessors
and i think it can really be boiled down to two things: the music and the villain, two things the kfp movies are renowned for
a lot of people point to the comedy as the reason for this movie’s downfall, and while that contributes to it i don’t think it, was the downfall? all the kung fu panda movies are kids movies with lots of comedy, even in kfp2 which was the darkest of the three. 3 definitely had a lot more comedy than 1 and 2 though, and that’s not inherently bad? it’s just that i think it was applied in the wrong places
which brings me back to... the villain.
so, kfp 1 and 2 had absolutely iconic villains. tai lung, the foreboding snow leopard who was shifu’s adoptive son and former student. he was raised with the belief that he would be named the dragon warrior, so when the moment came, and he wasnt.... well, he snapped, violently, and had to be locked away in prison for decades. he was put in a massive prison where he was the sole prisoner, guarded by 1000 soldiers, and he managed to escape with one (1) duck feather. he is violent and frightening, and ultimately he is a foil to po. while he seems like a stereotypical WAH EVIL NO REMORSE >:3 villain, he is honestly.. so much deeper than that? like his mere existence poses so many interesting questions in regards to po, his foil, and even shifu, and when you think about it its like, YEAH tai lung was evil for going around and killing people because he didnt get what he wanted BUT LIKE, he was literally raised with the belief that he would become the dragon warrior. his entire life was dedicated to that. it’s like, gifted kid syndrome but 100% worse. genuinely, what the fuck do you do with yourself when you dedicate your entire life towards something only for it to be like, oh sorry lol not you, at the last minute? especially when it was your own damn father who drilled that belief into you? his anger is absolutely justified. the only reason tai lung is a villain is just that he channeled that anger into like, homicide. his actions are not justifiable but his motives are honestly 10000% understandable and it makes him such an interesting character when you look beyond the typical smirking antagonist who kills people for fun exterior lol. and then juxtapose that with po? tai lung was raised to believe he would be the dragon warrior, meanwhile po, once named dragon warrior ~by accident~ was faced with opposition at every god damn turn. literally no one, not even himself, believed he was the dragon warrior. and beyond the character foil thing, it’s like, the way tai lung escaped from prison and how all his actions really play into that movie’s major theme of how In Trying To Escape Your Destiny, You Ultimately Fulfill it, it’s just. god it’s so good. he’s such a good villain
AND THEN kfp 2 had shen, a white peacock who, honestly, IS the villain that tai lung is often perceived to be. he had loving parents but he didnt get what he wanted so he threw a hissy fit and committed genocide. his motives are a lot weaker, but he makes up for it in sheer presence. who thought a peacock would ever be threatening or a serious villain? YET HE IS!!!!! his presence is just so big and evil... the voice actor does a great job in making him sound so shrill and bird-like as well and its like, wow that peacock voice is actually EERIE? and just, overall, the fact he’s a peacock is such a good character design. his character design and overall presence is much better than tai lung, who’s literally just like, a normal uhm “person” for this universe. shen poses a much more personal threat to po as well - honestly, physically, po and the furious five probably could’ve taken him down earlier in the movie. tai lung was more of a physical threat, but shen? well shen does pose a much bigger physical threat as well since he has his cannons, but his main power is that he’s a PSYCHOLOGICAL threat. this is the second movie, po’s had training, he’s friends with the furious five so he has them fighting alongside him, he’s secure in the belief that he is the dragon warrior and he’s confident he can take any threat. yet, shen is still a major threat - specifically, to po. i mentioned shen committed genocide? yeah, well a fortune teller foretold that a panda would be shen’s downfall, so to prevent his downfall! shen killed all the pandas. po managed to survive because his mother hid him away in the valley of peace, where he was raised by ping. po was a baby at that time, he has no memories of this.... at least, until he meets shen, and the PEACOCK PATTERN on his FEATHERS reminds po of that Fateful night (once again, who knew a peacock could be so threatening!!!!!). and po, in his flashback, cannot fight back. that’s where shen gets his power - he holds the answers to po’s past, he’s the source of all his repressed trauma. shen is a more frightening antagonist than tai lung because he holds such personal power over po. what shen doesnt have in interesting character motives, he more than makes up for in his sheer presence!!! and AGAIN, his arc ties into that overarching theme of you fulfilling your destiny in an effort to avoid it - shen killed the pandas so that no panda could bring him down, but in doing so he indirectly brought po to the valley of peace, so that po could become the dragon warrior, and thus defeat him!!!!
now....... kai in kfp3?? where do i even begin...........
okay. so. kai has i think probably the best design of all the villains. he’s got such an imposing stature, he’s even taller than tai lung, and his HORNS! very intimidating. and his whole blue/green color scheme is very sinister and adds such a cool fucking atmosphere. his chi powers are also cool and all that spirit world stuff
onto kai’s role in the narrative........... so, kai poses no personal threat to po. shen was the most personal of them, with tai lung being more general (his main threat was that oh no he’s gonna rampage the valley of peace again!) but ultimately even he still posed a more personal threat to po, in that tai lung wanted to be the dragon god damn warrior and po was in his way. but what beef does kai have with po?? lmfao . his most personal tie with po is that, before the panda genocide, the pandas taught kai and oogway how to use chi
his beef was with oogway. and we don’t ever really get to explore his relationship with oogway because well, oogway’s gone, so their relationship is being narrated to us in the future, far far removed. his character motivations are so weak. like, he was ~brothers in arms~ with oogway, and yet when kai gets a whiff of power he just, instantly turns on oogway?? instantly? and oogway barely has any qualms with sending his best friend to the spirit world? like wheres the TENSION wheres the CONFLICT where is the EMOTIONAL DRAMA... nevermind how like, little i care about ~villain is power hungry~ sorta deal... at least with tai lung wanting to be dragon warrior, he did that because his entire sense of self had depended on that. but kai? literally some nice pandas teach him a new power and he’s instantly like OH I HAVE TO USE IT TO KILL PEOPLE like where did that come from??? and when his friend is like HI MAYBE DONT KILL PEOPLE ? he wants to abuse this brand new power THAT badly that he’d turn on his best friend with no hesitation??
this literally just came to me so idk if its a good idea lol but like i think it’d be really interesting if somehow there was? some sort of corrupting power? so that when he learned chi it kinda forced him to abuse it. like the sheer intensity of how fucking wild he got the instant he learned chi is just like, thats not normal bro . plus this movie’s already pretty supernatural so like, maybe there’s something beyond his control that’s making him do this. like, like think of the mind stone in avengers 1, how loki was using it to control everyone. everyone retained their personalities and abilities but ultimately were following loki’s orders. so like, something like that controlling him. it would make him a more interesting character imo and also make the whole conflict with oogway kinda heart breaking cause here his friend isnt in control of himself, and he still has to put him in the spirit world because regardless, kai is a menace. overall it would heighten the emotional intensity and appeal i think. and also it would play really nicely into this movie’s pattern of “not being in control of yourself” a la the jade zombies stuff. and how ironic would it be if kai played puppetmaster while he himself was being controlled.. lol
and then, not only is kai just kinda a flat character period, then his narrative role as a villain is undermined? like his character design and overall presence is on the same fuckin level as shen like he is SO intimidating and they could absolutely play that up.... but then. the comedy. here’s what i was talking about with the comedy being applied poorly. because kai is simultaneously a major fucking threat who is terrorizing all of china, yet whenever he’s actually on screen no characters take him seriously? especially po and the pandas. like the part where kai was slowly uhm Killing for lack of a better word all of the kung fu masters in china and all the names just keep piling up and up until the realization that the jade palace is the last stronghold left to stop him.. that shit is so eerie . it is so eerie. and kai LITERALLY DESTROYED THE JADE PALACE LIKE IT WAS NOTHING. HE SMASHED IT TO SMITHEREENS. the look of HORROR on tigress’s face during that, the fact the oogway statue was the thing used to destroy the jade palace, the poetic cinema of that, the irony, oh my god....... it was such a gut wrenching scene. and kai is such a major villain there, you HAVE to take him seriously. but then when he gets to the panda village? he fucking monologues. and po is like “stop with the chit chat” and just generally undermining him and its to the point where like, would it be better to let kai monologue or have po not take him seriously? either decision sucks because its either the audience realizing its stupid, or its having the movie be self referential and say oh yeah we know its stupid, but by doing that then you’re saying that the villain is stupid and not to be taken seriously? and then the major fight scene with kai attacking the village, the pandas were having fun just fucking around with the jade zombies, nobody looked like they were fighting for their god damn lives?? yeah i know the point was that like oh you dont need to be a master of formal kung fu, we got this bros, we can win by just being ourselves, but LIKE? they could also still be scared for their lives??? they could still fight him like pandas but still take it seriously? because if they lost, not only would THEY die, but they are the LAST STAND against kai so all of china would be FUCKED if they were defeated!! and yet everybodys laughing and having fun during it?!?! like the stakes are set SO high and yet nobody actually acts like the stakes are high and ultimately kai as a villain is just undermined by the narrative and its so underwhelming compared to how seriously the previous 2 villains were taken and how good they were at being villains because of it....
anyway ive already been writing this for 40 minutes and im losing steam so im gonna briefly touch upon the music now.. i dont think the music is as glaring an error as kai was, but i think it contributes to it.
idk, the music in 3 just doesn’t feel as authentically Kung Fu Panda as the previous 2 movies. i think the most shocking thing was that oogway’s legacy had a fucking PIANO in it?!!?! A PIANO? i think thats the ONLY instance a piano has ever been used in this entire franchise and its genuinely just so... wrong... like it sounds good but it’s just!! oogway’s theme has always been in traditional string instruments and so to hear it in this stripped piano is just, it doesnt feel like a real part of the kfp soundtrack
and 1 and 2 reused a lot of the same musical themes while still being unique on their own, yet kfp 3 literally only ever uses oogway’s theme, and that’s at the very beginning in the one song oogway’s legacy. maybe it uses a few other previous themes but theyre used very sparingly to the point where i wouldnt be able to tell you what or when. without those overarching musical themes it just doesnt feel like an authentic kung fu panda soundtrack!!! idk its just ..... maybe this is a nit pick im making because i’ve listened to the 1 and 2 soundtracks religiously for years but it’s something i noticed and it’s a reason why i can’t really listen to 3′s soundtrack as much lol
also. kai’s theme is so good and it also contributes to that intimidating presence he has. it’s so good
BUT ALSO IT IS ? LITERALLY THE MELODY FROM IM SO SORRY BY IMAGINE DRAGONS. and it was intentionally taken from that song, it’s credited in the end credits. which also serves to make this feel not authentically kung fu panda because all the other villains had their own original themes meanwhile kai its like, yes its a good theme but it just isnt ? kung fu panda??
AND IF THEYRE GONNA SAMPLE A POP SONG FOR HIS THEME THEN LIKE. CAN THERE BE A NARRATIVE REASON FOR IT? like genuinely why the fuck was this song used. i try to wrack my brain as to why im so sorry was used nd it gives me cool ideas on how to flesh kai out as a character but those ideas just arent supported in canon so its like ??!?!?!?!?!
like again going back to that He’s Being Controlled idea, i think it would be so cool to communicate that subconsciously through this song. the reason they’d sample it is because it is a popular pop song so we all know that it goes IM SO SORRY in the main line, so having our brains fill that in... and it’d be like how subconsciously he’s still there inside and being control, meanwhile on the outside he shows no remorse and actually seems to be enjoying it and is overall just a fucking menace but there, inside! we get a brief glimpse of whats going on inside through this song!!
BUT LIKe. THATS NOT CANON? HE’S NOT BEING CONTROLLED IN CANON. AND HE SHOWS NO REMORSE FOR HS ACTIONS SO WHY IS HIS MAIN THEME SAMPLED FROM A SONG CALLED IM SO SORRY??!?!?!?
anyway im really out of steam now its been 50 minutes and i think i’ve touched upon everything i wanted to talk about.... again, this isnt to say kfp 3 is a bad movie its just that, these are the reasons why i think it’s the weakest of the franchise. it’s by no means a bad movie its just, in comparison to the perfection that kfp 1 and 2 are its just, kinda lackluster. but remove that comparison and it’s like oh fuck yeah this is a good movie. its just, frustrating, because we know how good 1 and 2 are and its like, 3 couldve been so much more bro....... but that frustration comes from a place of Love
anyway . watch all 3 kung fu panda movies now
- your local Kung Fu Panda enthusiast
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ghostmartyr · 5 years
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SnK 111 Thoughts
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If this chapter doesn’t have forty pages of chibi Eren wandering through the woods asking where his nii-san is, what even is the point.
(The point is Drama.
Intrigue.
Fluid.)
Thanks, I hate it?
So yikes, we have a proper ballgame going and everything is awful leading into the ninth inning. It’s going to be extra innings with Paradis’ chief closer out of commission, up against their rival team. Truly one for the record books, people.
First thing is actually first, where the manga, in a fit of hysterics, gives me something I wanted: Numbers.
Over a hundred people have joined Eren’s side, deserting their posts. The suspicion is that they’ve done this out of the belief that the people with the power to rain down armageddon are maybe the safest shadows to hide under, and hey, with all the waffling their government has done about solving the problem of the whole world wanting them dead, why not?
For the larger groups, everything makes a simple amount of sense.
Eren has power, so people gather behind him.
Eren has power, so Paradis will yield to it for the sake of survival.
It’s a bit of a horrifying story, and one that I always take some joy in seeing. There comes a point where individuals have so much power where the only thing stopping them from changing the world however they see fit is their own boundaries.
Whatever Eren’s boundaries are, they’ve changed. He’s willing to kill children for the sake of his mission.
He is the most powerful card Paradis has, and without him, they have nothing.
Leaving them stuck doing whatever he wants them to.
It’s a similar tactic to the one he uses to drag the Survey Corps into his massacre; they need Eren, so they have no choice but to come support him in the choices he’s made as an individual. Everything else falls away in the face of the power Eren wields.
Yeah, the head of their government has been assassinated by his cult. Along with several other lives.
So?
Does that fundamentally change anything?
Does Paradis somehow need the Founding Titan less now that their command is facing disarray?
For a story so often pointing out that if you don’t fight, you can’t win, it’s pretty damn... something that the main character has all but removed the ability of a party he’s allied with to fight. They can’t resist him, and he knows it, and he’s exploiting it at his convenience.
Putting Zeke’s location on the negotiating table is cute, and a nice stall tactic in theory, but for all that Pixis says it’s not submission, Paradis is powerless.
If they don’t conduct rumbling experiments, they have no protection against the world.
They can’t conduct rumbling experiments unless they let the Yeager Bros come into contact.
If the Yeager Bros come into contact, they can do whatever the hell they want.
Which they have already been doing, so picture all of this, only more.
Pixis’ decision is really the only one he can make if he doesn’t want their people at each other’s throats. They can’t publicize how their one and only hope is willing to dismantle their government. They can’t publicize that they can’t trust their military to be acting in the interests that the government puts forth.
There’s a delicate balance here, with the balance being a complete lie because security has already toppled off and discovered that there’s no net below.
Their only prayer is someone swooping in and placing a trampoline down below before the crushing fall is completed, and there’s no guarantee of even that much happening.
If Zeke and Eren don’t want to help, no one can actually force them.
Zeke is one of two living humans in the world who can power the Founding Titan.
Eren currently has the Founding Titan.
They can’t kill Eren outside of a controlled environment, or else the Founding Titan will go who knows where. With Eren’s pile of abilities he’s nommed, fighting to subdue him will be next to impossible. With the added limitation of doing everything they can to avoid killing him?
Armin brings it up as a point of faith; if Eren has the Founding Titan, it shouldn’t matter what Zeke wants out of it.
Eren now has a cult who doesn’t blink twice at assassinating key government officials. Even if it doesn’t matter what Zeke wants, what Eren wants, or is at least willing to put up with, is heavily alarming.
“No, no, we’re not submitting. We’re negotiating.
What do you mean the only thing we have is something we’d have to hand over anyway to get what we want.”
Like.
Hell, man, talk the good game all you want to keep morale up, but you people and your entire society now rise and fall at the whim of a man who has put no effort into making himself look trustworthy.
So, you know.
Ganbatte.
Other special numbers include thirty soldiers + Levi standing in between Eren and Zeke once Eren finds Zeke, Hange, and three unnamed soldiers who are either about to be very dead, very traitor, or the coolest NPC badasses ever.
Meanwhile, Eren still has a hundred.
Just trailing around after him.
With bombs.
Considering Eren could kill most all of those people (except Levi and Hange) without help, I repeat the theme of this post that Paradis is so beyond screwed it has actually become laughable.
Another fun thing of note that only I care about is that even if Eren can’t get to Zeke, he might be able to get to Historia, and Nile appears to be in charge of her security.
The reason only I care about this is because Nile is in charge of her security, and Nile has been fed the story of Historia and NPC Farmer Guy being totes in love 5evr.
(NPC Farmer Guy has no name and no face. I declare him Red Shirt-san, and also reallllllly fucking dead. Especially if my crack theory of the carriage from last chapter rushing off to Historia was correct, meaning that Pieck, theoretically having tracked the carriages, is going to pay the Queen a visit.
Bye Nate.
(his name’s Nate your canon is invalid))
Briefly defending my descent into self-interest, Historia getting zero panels and barely any hearsay about her is driving me nuts for all sorts of reasons.
Two people (count them, two), in the entire world, are capable of drawing out the power of the Founding Titan. One of them is an untrustworthy dick. The other is Historia.
Historia, when last seen under extreme emotional duress, was of the opinion of, “fuck humanity titans did nothing wrong.”
As we can plainly see from her expression at the end of 107, there is nothing but blue skies and happiness going through her boundless considerations of humanity now, and she is most assuredly, definitely on their side as all of her friends ditch her in the middle of the woods and never visit or mention any concern for her except that one guy who has taken up murdering children, and he possibly did that in active defiance of concern for what problems it might cause her.
What could possibly go wrong.
There are about three people who hold the fate of Eldia in their hands, and we know what none of them are thinking. They also all have a much more casual relationship with murder than most of the rest of the cast.
What I’m trying to say is that Paradis your politics are boring because your livelihood hinges on three catastrophically emotionally damaged people, and all of the story’s energy is going towards keeping those people away from thought bubbles or general illumination.
If Historia, Eren, and Zeke decide that you guys die............ you die.
You possibly should have invested more in strategies that weren’t so entirely dependent on renegade children following orders.
Okay okay, enough pointing and laughing at the futility of government in shounen. Mikasa! How you liking your entire page of dialogue! Does it feel good? Does it make up for the gaping hole Eren being a nutcase is causing?
Of course it does!
I don’t know how I feel about Kiyomi, but I am glad that her relationship with Mikasa is so obvious in its self-interest. Mikasa isn’t being yanked around; she knows this person caring about her blood hasn’t translated to caring about her people.
Whatever Mikasa’s genes, Paradis is her home, and she considers herself as Eldian as anyone on it.
What’s interesting in that conversation is that Hizuru is still doing what it can to avoid being an ally of Paradis. They’re letting this one clan mess around, but unless results can be produced, the whole scheme is dead to them.
...
You know. Paradis had better start hoping that there’s still some massive secret to the Titans, because with the current knowledge available, they are just... so incredibly screwed on so many different levels.
I’m inclined to think that Kiyomi wanting Mikasa safe is one of the few shreds of honesty she has left. I’m an optimist. A child connected to the days of honor long gone... hey, it’s a romantic concept, even conniving foxes can have one last hurrah in them.
But also, Mikasa just doesn’t deserve people piling more lies on her.
A promise to protect someone calls to her heart. I’m sure Mikasa has thought those words to herself many times; whatever happens to Paradis, her priority has always been her family. Not a blood family, like Kiyomi holds on to, but one bound to her with ties of steel.
Only now her family is at odds.
Mikasa might care more about her family than anything else, but in practice, she’s a compassionate, responsible young woman. She can’t turn her back on the world just because her family has. She’s going to bleed herself dry trying to do the best for both of them.
That’s not a happy thought, because even if Mikasa, with all her strength and ability, fights for anyone in this conflict with all her heart, the concept of winning is a far off dream. Her supernatural gifts don’t make the world turn. Her gifts simply mean she might survive when everything around her explodes.
Yuck.
And also hey, Connie, I love you man, but you turn those angry eyes away from Mikasa pronto.
Then we’ve got the many trials of Nicolo.
Featuring Gabi and Falco.
...
I don’t wanna. I can skip this part.
Uggghgghghhgh.
Hell, this is a lot faster than I thought this disaster would come out, and it’s a lot grimmer than I really want and in general just ow.
Nicolo is a prisoner of war. He is allowed to cook. He finds light in cooking for people like Sasha. He’s Marleyan, and Eldians are devils, but being around them, his heart softens to them, and his role becomes something more complicated.
As a soldier, fighting the demons of Paradis is just what you do.
As a person, fighting people like Sasha, Jean, and Connie...
With a heavy heart, he can hand off laced wine to their superiors. He can continue to operate as a soldier fighting against Paradis. But the very thought of Connie and Jean being caught up in that sends him into a panic, and he falls back on racist rhetoric to cover it up.
Rhetoric his heart isn’t even in anymore, because more than killing, Nicolo finds himself in cooking. In bringing people happiness.
And Gabi killed the person who shows him that. The person who gave him solace from the hell of war.
It doesn’t matter that she’s a child, or a Warrior Candidate, or anything but the person who killed Sasha.
She cares about Falco’s life. That comes to stand as another condemnation of her. She knows what it is to care about someone? She’s valued enough that this boy is willing to jump in front of a blow meant for her?
Did she think the person she killed wasn’t?
It’s destructive and awful, and Gabi finally has a defense for herself that isn’t just brainwashed rage at the island. That girl? The one she shot? That’s the girl who shot someone she knew. Guards who watched over Warrior Candidates training, in charge of penning up Eldians, but they were still people Gabi saw a home in.
She can’t justify the loss of Sasha, but she can justify shooting back, especially at someone who just clubbed Falco in the head.
But she’s still just a brainwashed child.
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Sasha’s father watches two people, profoundly touched by his daughter, ripping each other apart because they’re in pain. Sasha changes Nicolo for the better. Sasha and her path in life is what’s breaking this child.
A child is calling his daughter a devil. She’s been brought into this conflict and all she sees is the enemy, and the good there must be in fighting that enemy.
Gabi doesn’t even try to fight back when Sasha’s father holds up the knife.
She’s bleeding and in tears, and for one of the only times, she isn’t reacting with violence. She’s just a stunned little kid, wondering if the people who’ve fed and housed her on this island of evil are about to kill her. Like she killed the daughter they loved so much.
Of course the man who raised Sasha doesn’t lay a finger on her.
Of course the man who has to physically hold down his child to try to force her to stop eating so she won’t die of starvation later understands how hard the world is.
Horrific things have happened.
He isn’t going to bring one more into this world.
And Gabi... from the very start, she’s been the most passionate about becoming a Warrior. She’s going to follow in her cousin’s footsteps. She’ll commit war crimes, she’ll take on a death sentence, she’ll do whatever it takes. She’s a Warrior.
She’s a kid.
She doesn’t want these kind people to hate her.
Kaya reacts the same way Gabi has to everything so far. She charges in with the only weapon she can find, trying to kill the problem because the emotional strain of what’s actually going on is too big for her young heart to take.
Kaya, who really has been kind. Who’s the reason they’re here. Who’s been trying to get her and Falco home.
Kaya’s in tears, and Falco’s unconscious and bleeding.
All because of what Gabi’s done.
Nicolo sees the same thing.
That’s why he comes clean.
The world is such a cruel place.
They’ve got to spare the beauty where they find it.
I’m not going to touch that plot bomb, because the manga can do it for me in future chapters. Zeke having a bunch of government officials drink his spinal fluid is honestly on par with every other thing he’s done, so. One more point to the Paradis Screwed column.
So last word goes to Mikasa.
I mentioned in the chapter where Louise and Mikasa talked that Louise had seen Mikasa’s strength impact her life, but completely missed the kindness behind that strength. Mikasa is terrifying as a soldier. She’s cold and relentless.
As a person, she will ask the child who killed her friends to see her wounds, and hold her close to keep another child from hurting her.
Mikasa is kind.
Gabi has met so many good people on this island, and all of them are in tears.
It’s funny and sad that Mikasa and Armin take her into the back room to calm down. For all their lives practically, they’ve been looking after a reckless wild child who gets into fights they have to finish for him.
Gabi is as driven and passionate and full of anguish as Eren as a child, and now she’s with two of the people who know that.
Armin and Mikasa might not know how to help Eren, but they can help this little girl.
And Mikasa can keep another little girl from knowing what it’s like to knife someone in the back because they killed someone you love.
Welcome to Emotions.
Where everything is absolutely awful except maybe the people feeling them.
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nedraggett · 5 years
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Thoughts on 2018
No need for me to be fancier than that!  And yeah I realize that nobody should be using Tumblr any more but until I figure out a proper revive of my old Wordpress site, this will do for now.
So anyway: I wrote this up for a private email list reflecting on the end of the year in terms of things I especially enjoyed culturally. Well, why not share it?
My year went very well — steady at work and in life, being 47 means more aches and pains but you have to learn to live with it.  The state of the world is something else again of course and we need not spend more time on the blazingly obvious.  That said, the history bug in me has been constantly intrigued by the slow drip of the investigations (and revelations) and were it all fiction, I’d be thoroughly enthralled instead of quietly apprehensive, of course.  November did provide some partial relief on that front so bring on the new year.  In terms of my own written work, nothing quite equalled my heart/soul going into last year’s Algiers feature for NPR, but my two big Quietus pieces this year — on Gary Numan’s Dance  and Ralph Bakshi’s Lord of the Rings  — were treats to write, while my presentation on the too-obscure Billy Mackenzie at PopCon was a great experience.
In terms of music this has been one of the most concert-heavy years I’ve spent.  Even having moved to SF in 2015 I only did the occasional show every so often — there was so much going on (even in a local scene lots of long-timers say has been irrevocably changed) that I was almost spoiled for choice, and part of me also just wanted to relax most nights.  But deaths like Prince’s and Bowie’s among many others served as a reminder that there’s no such thing as forever, and you never know what the last chance will be.  More veteran acts than younger ones in the end for me — greatest missed concert regrets this year included serpentwithfeet, Lizzo, Perfume Genius and Emma Ruth Rundle among the younger acts, while being ill when Orbital came through will be a lingering annoyance, still having never seen them live.  But the huge amount of shows I did see outweighed that, ranging from big arena stops like Fleetwood Mac to celebratory open-air free shows like Mexican Institute of Sound to small club sets by folks like Kinski, Six Organs of Admittance, Kimbra and many more, including, for the first time in years, a show in the UK, specifically a great performance by Roddy Frame of Aztec Camera.  If I absolutely had to grade my top picks among shows, Cruel Diagonals, Johnny Marr, Wye Oak, Peter Brotzmann/Keiji Haino, John Zorn/Terry Riley/Laurie Anderson, Laurie Anderson again separately, Nine Inch Nails, VNV Nation, Jarvis Cocker, Beak and, in terms of no real expectations turning into utter delight and thrills, a brilliant set by Lesley Rankine under her Ruby guise, with Martin Atkins on drums.  Best damn combination of righteous ire, hilarious raconteurism and compelling, unique approaches to how performance can work I’d seen in a while.  (As for recorded music in general, uh, endless?)
TV, as ever a bit sporadic, with a few things on my to-do list — still need to catch The Terror for sure, and what I saw of The Alienist looked good; I love both books so I need to see how it all worked out, similarly with the just-dropped version of Watership Down.  Pose I definitely need to catch up with since it sounds like Ryan Murphy stood out of the way to let the best possible team do the business on it, but my real unexpected delight of a show this year was also Murphy-based, American Crime Story: The Assassination of Gianni Versace.  While not down the line perfect, it was absolutely more compelling than not, and in fact at its best was a shuddering combination of amazing music cue choices, a reverse structure that helped undercut any attempt at making Cunanan seem sympathetic or an antihero, and, at its considerable best, a ratcheting up of terror and horror that a friend said was almost Kubrickian, and I would have to agree.  And, frankly, Darren Criss really did the business as Cunanan, a controlled and powerful turn. Only a few of us seemed to be following it at the time, but when it scored all those Emmys, then while it was as much a reflection of Murphy’s status, it honestly felt well deserved.  Meantime, you’ll pry my addiction to all the RuPaul’s Drag Race incarnations from my cold dead hands but it’s the amazing online series that Trixie Mattel and Katya do, UNHhhh, which remains my comedy highlight of the year, with at least a few jaw-dropping/seize up laughing every episode. (Kudos as well for Brad Jones’s The Cinema Snob, ten years running online and still funny as fuck while digging up all kinds of cinematic horrors.) Also, tying back into music a bit, late recommendation for something you can only see on UK TV/streaming so far, but get yourself a VPN and seek out Bros: After the Screaming Stops, in which the two brothers in the late-80s monster hit pop band Bros (never had any traction here but pretty much owned the entire Commonwealth and beyond) try for a comeback.  It’s an unintentionally hilarious and harrowing portrait of two twins who have a LOT of issues, have clearly been through a LOT of therapy, but are still…not quite there.  UK friends said it was a combination of Spinal Tap, Alan Partridge and David Brent and they were ABSOLUTELY RIGHT. 
Movies, less specifically to choose from — I remain an essentially sporadic populist when it comes to what I see in theaters, but I can say for sure that Spider-man: Into the Spiderverse is a hell of a thing and will almost certainly prove to be a real year-zero moment down the line.  Possibly the most affecting watch was Bohemian Rhapsody, in that I also saw this in the UK — in Brighton, which besides making me think of the band’s song “Brighton Rock” is also notably the country’s most LGBT-friendly city; those I was with felt the movie’s themes, successes and flaws/elisions deeply, and the constant discussion of it for the next few days was very rewarding. As for books, John Carreyrou’s Bad Blood, delving into Theranos and the amoral duo behind it, was properly enraging and compelling, while Beth Macy’s Dopesick, if not perfect, nonetheless adds to the good literature on the opioid crisis, while as ever indirectly calling into question who’s getting the focus and care now as opposed to in earlier times and places. My favorite music publications as such probably remain the two I most regularly write for, The Quietus and Daily Bandcamp, while Ugly Things is the print publication that I most look forward to with each issue, and am never disappointed. 
Podcasts now consist of a lot of my regular cultural engagement, kinda obvious but nonetheless true.  Long running faves include My Favorite Murder — Karen and Georgia are an amazing comedy team who have figured out how to reinterpret their anxieties in new ways — The Vanished, which at its best often casts a piercing eye on how official indifference from law enforcement is almost as destructive as their more obvious abuses (recent discovery The Fall Line does this as well, even more explicitly), Karina Longworth’s constantly revelatory Hollywood histories You Must Remember This, Patrick Wyman’s enjoyable history dives on Tides of History, my friend Chris Molanphy’s constantly excellent investigations into music chart history Hit Parade, the great weekly movie chats by MST3K vets Frank Conniff and Trace Beaulieu along with Carolina Hidalgo on Movie Sign With the Mads, and The Age of Napoleon, which really has hit my history wonk sweet spot.  New to me this year was It’s Just a Show,  a really wonderful episode by episode — but not in exact order — deep dive into every episode of MST3K ever, by two fun and thoughtful Canadian folks, Adam Clarke and Beth Martin. (Adam also cohosts a new podcast, A Part of Our Scare-itage, specifically looking at Canadian horror. It’s not just Cronenberg!). Among the excellent one-off series this year: American Fiasco by Men in Blazers’ Roger Bennett on the failed US World Cup attempt in 1998, Dear Franklin Jones, a story about the narrator’s experience growing up in a California cult and how his parents came to be followers in the first place, and the Boston Globe’s Gladiator, their audio accompaniment to their in-depth story of the life and ultimate fate of Aaron Hernandez. Finally, totally new series this year that quickly got added to my regular listening: American Grift, a casual and chatty look at various scams and schemes, overseen by Oriana Schwindt, The Eurowhat?, a running look at the Eurovision competition throughout the year from the perspective of two American fans, and The Ace Records Podcast, an often engaging series of one-off interviews with various musicians, fans and so forth by UK writer Pete Paphides (I highly recommend the interviews with Jon Savage and Sheila B). Hands down my two favorite totally new podcasts of the year were The Dream, a more formal story of American grifting in general hosted by Jane Marie — this first season’s focus was on multilevel marketing, and Marie and company’s careful way of seemingly backing into the larger story makes it all the more compelling and ultimately infuriating, especially in the current political climate — and the hilarious Race Chasers, a RuPaul’s Drag Race-celebrating podcast by two veterans of the show, Alaska and Willam, loaded with all kinds of fun, behind the scenes stuff, guests and an easy casualness from two pros that strikes the perfect balance between going through things and just shooting the shit.  Returning podcast I’m most looking forward to next year: the second season of Cocaine and Rhinestones, hands down.  Check out the first season for sure.
And there ya go!  Keep fighting all your respective good fights.
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maty-yami · 6 years
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Translation of the Interviews Famitsu / Dengeki By the user: xXShuyaXx by Mognet Central
It has been about one year since release. How about we look back on everything up until now?
Tabata - We sure came a long way. The Royal Edition was originally planned to be the conclusion and finale to FFXV, so for now it feels like we have accomplished what we had set out to do at first.
Even among the DLC that were released after FFXV, Episode Ignis that was released last year on December 13th introduced a divergence in the ending, which became quite a topic.
Terada - In E.Ignis, we didn't just want to add to the story of the game, we wanted to illustrate Ignis where he refuses and fights against destiny (fate).
Tabata - It's not simply looking into alternate possibilities, it was to make it ''Ignis' game''. In order for Ignis to define his own destiny. FFXV was created with the intention to run towards a single conclusion, but with E.Ignis we wanted to make a game for players to become Ignis and fight against fate.
So as a result, the alternate ending was born.
Terada - Yes that's correct. The ''opposing thy fate'' theme was decided early in the development and with that we thought about what kind of ending would make the users most happy. Along with many revisions to the script, it became ''that'' ending.
So that means the conclusion wasn't decided from the start?
Terada - ''Where do we draw the line'' was the difficult part. Do we leave it to the imagination of the fans? Do we do everything? Such considerations became a hurdle and we made adjustments and changes until the very end.
As a result, there were much praise from the fans. There are even some who say, ''This is the true ending'', but in the official perspective, where and how does that conclusion stand?
Tabata - Simply, the main game is canon and 'that' ending is a 'if' scenario.
Terada - This is shown in the split of the scenario. In the main game, Ignis chooses to support Noctis who put his own life on the line to save the world. But what if the player chose to change that fate... and so we made E.Ignis with emphasis on that.
In the 'if' scenario, the final confrontation with Ardyn isn't depicted. How does Noct save the world without paying the price?
Tabata - Ahh... that (laughs) That, is for the development to come.  
Terada - We intentionally left that part ambiguous........ (bitter laugh) Even in the 'if' route, the fact that in order to save the world Noct's power is needed, hasn't changed. In order to focus on the theme of the episode, we purposely decided not to focus too much in regards to Ardyn. In that regards, we are thinking about furthering the development in that part around Episode Ardyn that will be released soon.
So that means the story updates from now will expand?
Tabata - Yes. If I were to say that the fans wanted more and beyond to fill the gaps of the main story, I don't think that would be the case. Even in the development point of view, I think if we did that, FFXV will never be able to come to a conclusion. So we are thinking about new developments that are different from the DLC's up until now. The spearhead of this goal is Episode Ardyn which was highly sought out for in the survey. And as so, as mentioned in the ATR, there might also be a Episode Luna. Continuing up to 2019, we have decided to make 4 episodes.
That is great news!
Terada - In the story updates from now, we want players to love the characters more. It seems like there were many who cried in Episode Ignis, so we want to make the next epsisode where people will smile.
What is the intention behind the release of the Royal and Windows Editions?
We have rebuilt the game to be enjoyed on PC for the Windows Edition and as for the Royal Edition, it is the compiliation of all the updates up until now. By compiling all of the additional contents, we think it will be a product that is easy for first-time players to head into.
For the current FFXV users, there is an additional DLC ''Royal Pack'', which includes content only included in the Royal Edition correct?
Tabata - That's correct. In the Royal Edition, we have expanded the final map of Insomnia, not only that, we have also prepared numerous additional content. For everyone who continued to enjoy the game, it has become something that has a lot of worth.
In the expansion of Insomnia, does it also include additional events?
Tabata - We have included story events that are connected with the Comrades DLC.
Kuroda - After the 10 year skip as depicted in Comrades, it is connected from when Noct and his friends return. There is also the perspective of the Glaives from Comrades. There are additional quests and furthermore the story has also been expanded.
That is great news for the users of Comrades. Also, will the contents of the main story change with that?
Kuroda - Without changing the eventual confrontation with Ardyn, we are adding more content for during the journey. Like the Past Kings blocking the path for example. Originally the Past King of Lucis were suppose to aid Noctis, but why they are hindering ones path, will all be explained in the story.
Regarding the Past Kings of Lucis, will Noct's late King also appear?
Terada - Although Regis won't appear, there will be differing 3 types respectively of Past Kings.
Kuroda - Differing from the main story, new boss monsters Cerberus and Omega will make an appearance. These kinds of monsters will be appearing in the last chapter, the difficulty has also been increased and as such we have also added the ''True Phantom Sword'' ability to aid players in battle.
''True Phantom Sword'' (Can't remember what it was called in English sorry) seems powerful just from the name (laughs).
Kuroda - Yes (laughs) You will be able to use the ''True Phantom Sword'' ability after collecting all the Phantom Swords and you will be able to constantly(?) fight in Phantom mode. If you just hold the attack button, then the current Phantom mode is stronger, but if you time your actions and attacks correctly, it will be very powerful. With the current ally the commands, combined with special abilities, you will be able to enjoy fights only found in the Royal Edition.
This seems great for those who want to enjoy technical combat with Noctis.
Kuroda - That's right. The concept for Royal Edition is ''expanding the freedom of play'', so we are expanding the maps and adding various other components.
Tabata - Among the additional components is boat fishing. While on the cruiser en route to Altissia, you can freely travel around the ocean and fish while looking at fish in the ocean. We also have prepared a quest that includes a fishing line.
Kuroda - Noctis is also very cheerful when he is boat fishing (laughs) You can also get new recipehs by catching fish.
With the upgrade for the Type-D, does this mean that freedom in travel has improved?
Kuroda - Yes. With this, travelling on the ground, air and sea has been implemented, so traveling has become very pleasant.
Also, first-person mode will be implemented, but is this feature only for Noctis?
Tabata - It's for Noctis only. You can change between first and third person at any time. In regards to the implementation of the first-person mode, we had many requests since development (of the game), we originally to implement the feature only in the Windows Edition. However, if we also implemented it into the Royal Edition, we thought that this could bring a fresh new experience for existing FFXV players, so we decided to implement it into both editions. If you play in first-person mode, you can experience the vastness of the world and experience the relationship with the bro's first-hand. We thought it could improve the immersion.
Kuroda - It especially has an impact when fighting against large monsters.
Tabata - I am sure that you will be able to experience the beauty of the FFXV's world like if it was seeing through your own naked eyes.
First-person mode and open world has a good affinity.
Terada - So as for the vast playability, there are supplemental additions in regards to the world of the game, such as newspapers and book that has been added in the games various locations. So even for those players who simply enjoy the world and the lore, they can enjoy the game.
The release of the Windows Edition demo is coming very close.
Tabata - Yes. Fundamentally it's kind of like the FFXV demo ''Judgement Disc'' +α, you will be able to play from Chapter 0 Chapter 1.
The Windows Edition will have 8K support, but please tell us the reason behind it.
Tabata - Since we are already doing this, we thought that we wanted to deliver something that could be enjoyed with the highest of specs at their fullest extent.
Aramaki - The Windows Edition supports native 4K, so basically the textures become sharper and diagonal polygons become very clean as well. Also, same at the PS4 version, HDR10 will also be supported.
So that means you can enjoy the beauty of the game at the ultimate quality. Will 60FPS and beyond gameplay also be supported?
Aramaki - It will be different depending on the GPU so I cannot say, but with a Nvidia GPU loaded PC you can achieve 90FPS at 2K and 40FPS at 4K. If you reduce the setting, 20-30FPS at 8K is also supported. Furthermore, in the games configuration settings, there are about 10 settings added recently besides the resolution setting, so you will be able to fine-tune depending on your specs.
In regards to the usage of the Nvidia tech, what does that mean for AMD hardware?
Aramaki - We are making it so that all AMD hardware including lower ends will work. However, AMD performance compared to Nvidia hardware will be inferior (when using Nvidia tech).
Then Nvidia hardware is recommended. Mods will also be supported in the Windows Edition, so you will be able to experience a unique experience not found in home consoles.
Aramaki - We plan to release mod support shortly after release of the game. You will be able to have a surreal experience like changing the character model of everyone to Kenny Crow for example (laughs) You will also eventually be able to freely change things around with user-created model data. Also, eventually we will release an official platform where you can customize the map and add quests.
Are you also considering content exclusive to the Windows Edition?
Tabata - At the moment, we are at the stage where we just want to finish what we set out to complete, so I cannot say with certainty. But mods and multiplayer quests may be improved. But story related content will not differ from the console version.
Lastly, please tell us about the future of FFXV.
Tabata - Windows Edition for the PC and also the Royal Edition for the home consoles, we were able to announce them as a short pit-stop. Furthermore, FFXV Pocket Edition for mobile is also in distribution. With this, we have released FFXV, optimized for each of it's 3 different consoles as planned. From now on, so that each can be enjoyed for a long time, we plan to propose the conclusion of FFXV one more time. Along with the 4 additional Episodes, please look forward to the development of FFXV!
Font: http://www.mognetcentral.com/threads/completed-famitsu-interview-translation-february-23rd-2018.9056/
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creepykingdom · 6 years
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Warner Bros. Studio Tour Hollywood Announces Full Slate of Haunted Attractions for Horror Made Here: A Festival of Frights
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Warner Bros. Studio Tour Hollywood (WBSTH) is expanding its already chilling Horror Made Here: A Festival of Frights with new attractions created to give horror fans a night to remember. In addition to the return of Pennywise in our reimagined It Knows What Scares You maze, and debut of the sinister institution from Batman: Arkham Asylum, this year’s Horror Made Here will also feature a blood-curdling maze from The Conjuring Universe, a diabolical viewing of The Exorcist, an eerie tour through Freddy vs. Jason’s Camp Crystal Lake, and much more.
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In this year’s reinvented maze, guests will experience a sneak peek into the world of paranormal investigators Ed and Lorraine Warren as they confront a host of satanic spirits from The Conjuring Universe. Fans will fall victim to Annabelle’s devious games, and come face-to-face with the demon lurking in the shadows from New Line Cinema’s latest installment The Nun, in theaters September 7th, 2018.
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Deep, dark woods conceal the ghastly presence of Freddy Krueger and Jason Voorhees, waiting to give visitors the worst nightmare of their lives. Aboard a Warner Bros.’ tour cart, guests must survive a cunning game of cat and mouse as they navigate through the infamous Camp Crystal Lake – and all of the horrors unveiled along the way. Brave campers will be left to their own devices to explore the campground, while those unlucky enough to face Freddy and Jason will suffer the gruesome fate they have in store for them.
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In addition, those seeking even more supernatural thrills are in for a treat as Horror Made Here will present a special “forbidden screening” of the 1973 classic The Exorcist. Visitors who wish to encounter a truly demonic spirit will enter the safe haven of our backlot church and witness an evil beyond this world right from the pews.  In this 4D experience, guests will relive the most terrifying scenes from The Exorcist in an unholy viewing known to provoke demonic forces.
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Horror Made Here will also offer a series of attractions and activities for horror loving fans, including:
Devil’s Drop Tower: Adventurous visitors will have the opportunity to take the 90-foot plunge into the air for the scream of their life.
Stage 48: Script to Scream: Enter the world of Tim Burton and see authentic props and costumes from his iconic movies Sweeney Todd, The Corpse Bride, Mars Attacks! and for the first time ever on display at Warner Bros., original props from the Halloween classic, Beetlejuice.
Horror Makeup Demonstrations: Learn how makeup artists bring terrifying characters to life with our special Horror Made HereSFX makeup demonstrations throughout the night.
The Lost Boys Arcade: Play iconic games in the retro Lost Boys-themed arcade. Games include titles like Ms. Pac-Man, Tetris, Mario Bros, Space Invaders and Terminator 2 Pinball.
Horror Made Here Night Tour: Board a quick nighttime tour through the Warner Bros.’ backlot for a guided exploration behind-the-scenes of beloved titles in horror entertainment, including iconic filming locations like New York Street, where House of Waxwas shot.
Additionally, Horror Made Here will feature carnival games, live entertainment, a “Little Shop of Horrors” where guests can purchase Halloween and Horror Made Here merchandise, plus fun food and beverage options, including the goth-punk Fangtasia Bar featured in the HBO series True Blood, serving regular drinks for humans and “Tru-Blood” for vampires.
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“We are thrilled to announce our expanded line-up for Horror Made Here. At Warner Bros., we are committed to delivering not just a scary experience, but one that’s unforgettably unique to its setting on the legendary backlot where some of horror’s most iconic films were brought to life,” said Gary Soloff, Director of Marketing, WBSTH. “This year, our extended nights and hours will give guests the opportunity to relive some of their favorite moments in horror while also enjoying our creepy carnival filled with more entertainment and plenty of food and drinks.”
Horror Made Here will begin on October 5, 2018, allowing fans to face their biggest fears for 13 nights. Tickets are on sale now, starting from $59 per person at horrormadehere.com.
For a premium experience, join “The Losers’ Club” for the night to enjoy front-of-line access to each maze, two complimentary beverages, one free IT photo-op, and free priority parking.
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About Warner Bros. Studio Tour Hollywood
Warner Bros. Studio Tour Hollywood gets you closer to the entertainment you love.  As a recipient of Trip Advisor’s Travelers’ Choice Awards and recognized as one of the Top 25 Attractions in the United States, the Studio Tour gives guests a revealing look behind the camera at how Hollywood magic is made. From Friends and The Big Bang Theory to Harry Potter and Wonder Woman, fans get to see the real sets and soundstages where the greatest names in entertainment made history as they touch, tour and explore the iconic 110-acre studio lot.
Warner Bros. Studio Tour Hollywood is open daily from 8:30AM to 4:00PM, with tours departing every 30 minutes and extended hours offered during the summer, spring break and winter holiday seasons. Advanced bookings are strongly recommended, and children eight years or older are welcome.  For the best value, book your tickets online at www.wbstudiotour.com or by calling 818-977-TOUR (8687).
Horror Made Here: A Festival of Frights is a special ticketed event, held on October 5-6, October 12-14, October 18-21 and October 25-28, open from 7PM to 1AM. The event ticket includes access to the festival, all scare mazes and the night tour. Limited capacity per night, purchase early to guarantee your ticket. Visit horrormadehere.com for more information.
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redsun55 · 3 years
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Redsun55 Stream Music Info
“Roundup On the Prairie” by Aaron Kenny
“River Crossing” by ALBIS
“Daudir”, “Towards the Horizon” by Alexander Nakarada
“Extreme Energy” by Anwar Amr
“Banjo Kazooie - Title/Intro + Medley (Remix)” by Ben Zimmerman
“Going Higher”, “Happy Rock”, “A New Beginning” by Bensound
“Hooky With Sloane” by Bird Creek
“New Bark Town (Lofi - Remix)” by Blizzn
“Woody Woods (8-Bit; VRC6) - Mario Party 3″ by Branflakes
“Meanwhile Back At the Saloon”, “Rattlesnake Railroad” by Brett Van Donsel
“Battle of Heroes”, “Imperials Marching”, “Luke vs. Vader”, “Opening”, “Phantom of the Bricks” by BrickTrick
“Davy Jones Theme (LoFi Pirates of the Caribbean)” by Cadred
“Super Mario Land (Lo-Fi Instrumental)” by Chew Chew Beats
“Campfire Song”, “Firefly”, “Tumbleweed Texas”, “Tupelo Train”, “Way Out West” by Chris Haugen
“Rock Thing” by Creo
“Donkey Kong Country Theme (DJ AG Remix)” by DJ AG
“Chapstick”, “The Gunfight” by Everet Almond
“Battles of the Generations”, “A Dog and His Duck”, “It’s a Small World (Geshtro Remix)”, “Kongo Beat”, “Lavender Town”, “The One-Winged Angel”, “Overworld (Super Mario Bros. 2 [Geshtro Remix]”, “Spindashing Hills”, “Spooks of the Pumpkin King”, “Super Sarasaland Jam”, “There Are Mobs Nearby”, “Triforce Mania”, “Up Towards Spiral Mountain”, “Wakka Walking”, “1-Up Smash” by Geshtro
“No Secrets”, “See You Tomorrow” by GoSoundtrack
“Pirates of the Caribbean (Lo-Fi Version)” by Hazar
“Cianwood City”, “Danny”, “Dire Dire Docks”, “Mice On Venus”, “National Park”, “Overworld”, “Piranha Plant Lullaby”, “Staff Roll”, “Subwoofer Lullaby”, “Sweden”, “Wet Hands” by Helynt
“Mayan Temple (Banjo & Kazooie - Mayahem Temple Remix)” by Howard Treesound
“Dear Death”, “Force of Habit”, “Significant”, “Sleep Deprivation”, “A Song About a Friend”, “The Stars in the Sky Resemble the Thoughts in My Mind”, “These Four Walls in My Head”, “Untitled”, “We Are Inevitable” by The Inevitable
“Bastila’s Struggle”, “Emond’s Field”, “Faeries”, “Glimpsing Into the One Power”, “Infiltrating the Empire”, “Into the Heart”, “Lost in the Desert (Lost on Tatooine)”, “Mirage”, “Revan’s Tribulations”, “The Streets of Baerlon” by Ivan Duch
“Locally Sourced”, “World Map” by Jason Farnham
“Acoustic Guitar #1″, “Crying in My Beer”, “Green Daze”, “Lazy Day”, “Marathon Man” by Jason Shaw (Audionautix)
“Tuscon Tease” by John Deley and the 41 Players
“Song of Storms (Lofi Hip Hop Remix)” by Jonas Munk Lindbo & GameChops
“Moonshine Town” by JR Tundra
“Jungle Japes Remastered (Donkey Kong 64 Orchestral Remix)” by JustRyland
“Colorado (Mickey’s Speedway USA Remix)”, Mickey’s Speedway USA Orchestration [”Chicago”, “Colorado”, “Grand Canyon”, “Hawaii”, “Washington D.C.”, “Yellowstone”], “New Bark Town (Pokemon HGSS Orchestration)” by Keatonkg360
“Drankin Song”, “Montauk Peak” by Kevin MacLeod
“Cactus in the Valley (Piano Cover)”, “Destiny 2 Beyond Light Main Theme (Piano Cover)”, “Hot Air Balloon (Piano Cover)”, “I See the Light (Piano Cover With Guitar)”, “Let It Go (Demi Lovato Version) [Piano Cover]”, “Let It Go (Idina Menzel Version) [Piano Cover]”, “Memphis May Fire Medley (Select Songs From Challenger) [Piano Cover]”, “Oswald’s Theme (Piano Cover)”, “Sailboats (Piano Cover)”, “Who Else Will I Have Ice Cream With (Kingdom Hearts 358/2 Days Medley)”, “Wreck-It Ralph Main Theme (Mario Paint Composer Cover)” by Kyukiemusic
“Everyone You Know”, “Hey Sailor”, “Your Voice is American” by Letter Box
Banjo Kazooie Soundfont [”Amazing Grace”, “America”, “America the Beautiful”, “Arabian Nights”, “Bad Romance”, “The Battle Hymn of the Republic”, “A Bug’s Life”, “Cantina Band”, “Deck the Halls”, “Diddy Kong Racing Theme”, “Donut Plains”, “DuckTales Theme”, “Foggy Mountain Breakdown”, “Fortress & Castle”, “Friend Like Me”, “Frosty the Snowman”, “Fur Elise”, “Ghost House”, “God Bless the USA”, “He’s a Pirate”, “Holly Jolly Christmas”, “Home On the Range”, “Hyrule Field Theme”, “I Bring You a Song”, “In the Hall of the Mountain King”, “Independence Day”, “Inside the Castle Walls”, “Jingle Bell Rock”, “Jingle Bells”, “Koopalings”, “Lavender Town”, “Little April Showers”, “Lon Lon Ranch”, “Lost Woods”, “Love is a Song”, “May the Fourth Be With You”, “The Misty Mountains Cold”, “Ode to Joy”, “Oh Holy Night”, “Oh Susanna”, “One Jump Ahead”, “Pomp and Circumstance”, “The Power of Love”, “Prince Ali”, “Rainbow Connection”, “Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer”, “Sally’s Song”, “Santa Claus is Comin’ to Town”, “The Star-Spangled Banner”, “Strip It Down”, “Super Mario World Bonus Theme”, “Super Mario World Ending Theme”, “Super Mario World Special World Theme”, “Super Smash Bros. Ultimate Theme”, “There’s a Star-Spangled Banner”, “This is Halloween”, “Turkish March”, “Underwater”, “United States Anthem”, “Vanilla Dome”, “We Wish You a Merry Christmas”, “When the Saints Go Marchin’ In”, “A Whole New World”, “Yankee Doodle”, “5th Symphony”], Banjo-Tooie Remixes [”Game Select”, “Intro”, “Mayhem Temple”, “Ordnance Storage (MuseScore 3 Remix)”, “Ordnance Storage (SNES Remix)”, “Title Screen (Bluegrass Remix)”, “Title Screen (Christmas Remix)”, “Title Screen (Fairgrounds Remix)”], Diddy Kong Racing Soundfont [”Krook’s March”, “Los Angeles”, “Phineas and Ferb Theme”], Donkey Kong 64 Remixes [”Angry Aztec”, “Army Dillo”, “Banana Fairy Isle (Version 3)”, “Battle Arena”, “Bonus Barrel”, “Candy’s Music Store”, “Cranky’s Lab”, “Credits”, “Creepy Castle”, “Crystal Caves”, “DK Isle”, “DK Rap”, “DK’s Treehouse”, “Frantic Factory (Version 3)”, “Fungi Forest Day (Version 2)”, “Gloomy Galleon”, “Hideout Helm”, “Jungle Japes”, “Jungle Japes Mine Cart”, “K. Lumsy”, “K. Rool Final Battle”, “King Kut Out”, “Krem Isle”, “Mad Jack”, “Main Menu”, “Monkey Smash”, “Pause Menu”, “Snide’s HQ”, “Troff ‘n’ Scoff (Version 3)”, “Wrinkly Kong”], Donkey Kong 64 Soundfont [”Battle of the Heroes”, “Bohemian Rhapsody”, “Chim Chim Cheree”, “Circle of Life”, “Cranky’s Theme”, “Crocodile Cacophany”, “DK Island Swing”, “Drunken Sailor”, “Duel of the Fates”, “Eye of the Tiger”, “Feed the Birds”, “Gang-Plank Galleon”, “Gotta Go Fast”, “Hakuna Matata”, “Imperial March”, “The Incredibles Theme”, “Life is a Highway”, “My Heart Will Go On”, “Never Gonna Give You Up”, “Oogie Boogie’s Song”, “Pink Panther Theme”, “The Scare Floor”, “The Star-Spangled Banner”, “Stickerbrush Symphony”, “Take On Me”, “Toccata and Fugue in D Minor”, “Victory Celebration”, “Yoda’s Theme”], Donkey Kong Country Soundfont [”Be Prepared”, “Can You Feel the Love Tonight”, “Creepy Castle”, “Donkey Kong Land Boss”, “Gruntilda’s Lair”, “I Just Can’t Wait to Be King”, “Jungle Japes”, “Koopa’s Road”, “Spiral Mountain”], “Freezeezy Peak (Remix)”, “Los Angeles (Mario Kart 64 Soundfont)”, “Mickey Mouse March (Mickey’s Speedway USA Soundfont)”, “Across the Stars (Star Fox 64 Soundfont)”, Super Mario 64 Soundfont [”Athletic”, “Banjo-Kazooie Theme”, “Character Select”, “Davy Jones”, “Faithfully”, “Immortals”, “Independence Day”, “Jump”, “Life is a Highway”, “Look Through My Eyes”, “Ode to Joy”, “Overworld”, “Pokemon Theme”, “Poor Jack”, “Rainbow Cruise”, “Ride of the Valkyries”, “Son of Man”, “Stairway to Heaven”, “Star Trek”, “Sweden”, “Waluigi Pinball & Wario Stadium”], Super Mario Bros. Soundfont [”Aladdin Medley”, “Banjo-Kazooie Main Theme”, “Fur Elise”, “The Lion King Medley”, “Never Gonna Give You Up”, “One More Time”, “Overworld (Super Mario Bros. 2)”, “Overworld (Super Mario World)”], Super Mario World Soundfont [”Aquatic Ambience”, “Endless Staircase”, “Fur Elise”, “Indiana Jones Theme”, “Star Trek”, “Turkish March”, “William Tell Overture”, “You’ve Got a Friend in Me”] by Matthew the Music Fan 2021
“Happy Mandolin” by Media Right Productions
“Pokemon Gym”, “Azalea Town”, “Ecruteak City”, “Fairy Fountain”, “Kakariko Village”, “Legend of Zelda Main Theme”, “Lost Woods”, “National Park”, “Ocarina of Time”, “Song of Storms”, “Title Screen”, “Zelda’s Lullaby” by Mikel
“Divided Soldiers” by MrDinko
“Waluigi’s Island - Mario Party 3″ by MusicalWolfe
“Complete OST Remix From Donkey Kong (NES)” by Nintempo
“Three Kinds of Suns” by Norma Rockwell
“Destiny Island (Chill/Lofi Remix)”, “Traverse Town (Lofi Mix)” by Original Kyle
“Escape From the Temple”, “Queen of the Night” by Per Kiilstofte
“Waluigi Pinball (Player2 Remix)” by Player2 & GameChops
“Spiral Mountain (Remix)”, “Super Mario Bros. 2 Overworld (Remix)”, “Super Mario Bros. 3 Overworld (Remix)”, “Super Mario Land Overworld (Birabuto Kingdom) [Remix]”, “Treasure Trove Cove (Remix/Cover)” by Qumu
“File Select Lofi”, “Main Theme Lofi”, “Overworld Lofi”, “Star Theme Lofi” by Rifti Beats
“Blizzards”, “Southern California”, “Target Practice” by Riot
“Monochrome Dreams/Timeless River Remix” by RiserEmilioX
“After the Battle”, “The Alpaca Hunter”, “The Astral Plane”, “Aug”, “Bahamut’s Realm”, “Bastil”, “The Beach”, “Becoming Myth and Legend”, “Ben’s True Form”, “The Black Adder”, “Bludvaren”, “The Boy and His Bear”, “Brain Dead”, “Brunhilde Hearthome”, “The Bugbears”, “Bysil”, “Cedar Country Intro”, “Charge!”, “The Church”, “Don’t Fear the Muzak”, “Dr. Frank Enstein, III”, “The Dugars”, “Ending in Little Whiskey”, “False Abigail”, “False Bahamut”, “Governor Gill”, “Grimm”, “Gunpowder”, “G-Reap (Instrumental)”, “Into the Dark”, “Jack”, “Jack’s Metal Wagon”, “Jarus”, “Joan Redsun”, “Killing the Monster”, “Maleocholas”, “Michael”, “Michael, First Paladin of Bahamut”, “Mind Flayer”, “Mystery of the Deer Carcass”, “Ornon Released”, “The Other Side of the Puddle”, “The Plains of Doom”, “The Portal Opened”, “Pretty Boring”, “Queen Arlana”, “Rainley”, “Reanimation”, “Rebuilding Rhomash”, “Rhomash Defeats the Skeleton Horde”, “Rhomash Scarbearer”, “A Riddle”, “Rise of a Lich”, “Robbing Reach Trust”, “Sage”, “Seebo Turel Nim”, “Throne Room”, “To War”, “The Story of St. Sauna”, “Vampire”, “Vassanoka”, “Welcome to Bludvaren”, “The Werewolf”, “West’s Port”, “Wolf’s Hold Bar Piano” by RJ Moore (Redsun55)
“Dearly Beloved” by RoboRob
“The Wild West” by Ross Bugden
“Galactic” by Seb Jaeger
“The Buccaneer’s Haul” by Shane Ivers 
“Awakening”, “Calgary Hill”, “Cut It”, “Daisy Dukes”, “DC Love Go-Go”, “Drop and Roll”, “The Engagement”, “Eviction”, “Grand Navy Plaza”, “Harvest Time”, “Heartland”, “Highway Danger”, “Humidity”, “Log Cabin”, “Open Wide”, “Parasail”, “Runaways”, “Sawdust”, “Seasonal”, “Succotash”, “Sugar Zone”, “Tucson” by Silent Partner
“He’s a Pirate (LoFi Hip Hop)” by STNF Music
“Digital Gunslinger”, “Pirate Waves” by TeknoAXE
“Mickey in New Mexico (Mickey’s Speedway USA Remix)” by TheJayNinja
“Creepy Castle (LoFi Donkey Kong 64 Remix)” by Tingle’s Jingles
“Garage”, “Horses to Water”, “Stalling”, “Uptown” by Topher Mohr & Alex Elena
“Way Out West” by Twin Musicom
“Mars, the Bringer of War”, “Mercury, the Winged Messenger”, “Venus, the Bringer of Peace”, “Jupiter, the Bringer of Jollity”, “Uranus, the Magician” by The United States Air Force Heritage of America Band. The Planets orchestral suite tracks written by Gustav Holst, obtained from Wikimedia Commons https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/Category:The_Planets_Suite
“The Pirate King” by Untold Journey
“Avocado Street”, “Despite the Traffic”, “Eagle Rock”, “One Down Dog” by Wes Hutchinson
“Beach Party”, “Redemption”, “Wild West”, “Destiny”, “Lonely Cowboy”, “New Lemon in Town”, “Seaside Beach”, “Wilderness Safari” by Zitronsound
“As We Go”, “Lonesome Avenue”, “My Sad Old Heart” by The 126ers
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maddybunny · 6 years
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My bro-dan, boughdan ( @thisisnotgeneric ) tagged me!:
Let’s go girls
What’s your favourite song[s] to sing/hum?
 SO MANY? This isn’t a fair question
What are your favourite flower/tree/plant [all 3 or whatever you have an answer to]?
Ahh!! Lavender, lilac, violets, tulips, pansies, mums, roses, lilies, I love everything!!!
Favourite colour[s]?
PURPLE OBVS. I also really love black, white, blue, green, silver, and red~
What do you always doodle [if you ever do]? 
I don’t really doodle anymore but when I did I would typically draw my fave anime characters, my own characters (usually my main sonic oc, Magenta) or I’d just draw myself in different ways (anime,furry,etc.) because I’m a vain bitch
How do you take your coffee/tea? If you don’t like those what’s your fav warm drink?
Any tea with lots of sugar/honey and maybe milk! I also love hot chocolate!
Favourite candle scent?
Similar to flowers, I LOVE the scent of lavender and lilac. I also love sugar/vanilla/anything like that!
Sunrise or sunset? 
ACTUALLY HARD FOR ME TO PICK BECAUSE I LOVE BOTH FOR THEIR OWN REASONS??? I guess I’ll pick sunset. It’s a little bittersweet to me, I guess- the feeling of looking out at one after a long, good day and thinking on it.
What perfume do you wear if any?
I actually have a billion perfumes but currently I wear a body spray from bath and body works OR a lavender + vanilla body spray I got for xmas .w.
What’s your go to dance move when you’re alone? 
I can’t dance, but when I do randomly break out in dance, it’s always some hilariously bad white people dance
Favourite quote? 
GOD I don’t know, I actually have so many. One I’ve always liked is the beginning quote from Jigoku Shoujo/Hell Girl though. “It's said life's encounters are governed by fate. Within the tangled threads of destiny, cursed flowers bloom. Pitiful, and frail... Lost in their anger.. their sorrow.. their tears... Beyond the midnight's veil is a revenge you could not exact alone.”
Favourite self care thing[s] or routine[s]?
Washing my face with my Lush shit after taking my makeup off, getting into pjs, brushing my hair, exfoliating, and trying to eat like, at least one healthy thing a day if I can LOL
What’s your eye colour?
Poop
What’s your favourite eye colour on others? 
I’ve always been a sucker for green eyes, but in recent years I’ve come to love really hazel eyes! They’re so cool because they’re basically yellow.
Favourite season? Why? 
Winter! Because snow is beautiful, bitch. I love that shit. I also prefer the cold over the heat. I have cute winter clothes!
Cheek, neck or nose kisses? 
Cheek :) Maybe nose sometimes?
What does your happy place look like?
My bed lol //generic answer. If we’re talking (somewhat) fantasy though? A place with a fuckload of butterflies.. and other animals. Yeah. I like conservatories a lot.
Favourite breed of dog? 
All?? I think some of my faves though are the chow chow, shiba inu, saint bernard, samoyed, huskies, border collie, and dalmatian :) 
Do you ever want to be married? If so what colours would you pick for your wedding theme? 
It would be nice I think, but it’s not necessary. I’d like to have our favourite colours for the wedding though. So purple and whatever they love.. because purple goes with anything, ho. If it’s a wedding with my current bf, it’ll likely be purple and green! Which is cool because that’s one of my fave colour combos too.
Silk or lace?
I love both but lace!
Favourite weather?
Cool, but not too cold. Sunny~ or snowing!
I’m gonna tag @lord-vain and @whitemistrose if you guys are interested at all <3
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aithilin · 6 years
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Hey! Since you're a bit of a Luna fan, I was just wondering how you felt about the new update?
Haven’t actually played it yet (sort of got distracted by Horizon and health stuff), but from what I gather, it’s much of what we already know. Just voiced?
But here’s something very important to Luna’s character: 
“That may me, but it’s my choice.”
I’ll probably have more idea after I actually play it, rather than looking through youtube. But the audience already knew that Luna was aware that Noct was going to die. She knew that prophecy inside and out, and given her willingness to share it with little Noct when he was eight means that he likely never even heard of it (re: his reaction to finding out that his dad is protecting the Crystal, his inability to follow along with the story of the Astrals beyond what Luna tells him– as stated outright to Gentiana, etc.). After that, Noct probably never actively looked it up again, at least not to the same capacity or intent. If he did, it was a connection to Luna, not the gods he was interested in. 
None of this is new. Luna knew Noct was going to die. She knew she was the Last Oracle. She knew what her fate was and that she would die in helping Noct forge the necessary Covenants. She had her own prophecy. Her own direction, and yes, they were both colossally fucked over by the Astrals. With “the high messenger” manipulating fate from the very beginning (Gentiana was always creepy, there’s no doubting that). 
Between game and Kingsglaive, we knew as an audience that Luna was dedicated to Noct, not through love for him, but from the idea of what he was– the King of Light, the Chosen, the Last King of Lucis. And we as the audience knew that Luna had twelve years to ruminate on her fate– with or without the possibility of Ardyn whispering in her ear right alongside Gentiana (personal headcanon there). She was two when it started for her, and she didn’t benefit from someone like Regis going “fuck that noise, they’re kids”. She always had the knowledge of “I’m going to be the Oracle and a Queen, just like mother.” 
Let’s look at what we know of Luna without the extended scene: she’s kind, fearless, and can fuck shit up for what she believes. She spent about 9(-ish?) years healing people from the Scourge and knowing what it can do– how it can devastate communities (remember the turn out for that healing scene?). She spent twelve years being locked away or dragged out as a puppet by the Nifs, while her brother ascended the ranks to make himself invaluable (and therefore untouchable, should the whim arise to kill him to control his sister). From Kingsglaive and the game, we know that she’s resourceful (there is no power in the ‘verse that will convince me that she wasn’t travelling totally alone until it was time to go to Altissia, and then she just wandered up to the Empire and said, “yo, I need to go there now”), clever, and dedicated. She’s not afraid of death because she’s known it was coming all along. She’s had the heads’ up that Noct didn’t get, and despite telling him the prophecy and going through it with him, she’s likely spent years studying it until it became her reality (Noct didn’t).
 The primary driving force behind Luna was faith– enough so that she had started to influence Nyx’s own broken faith. Not necessarily in the gods, fuck the gods, she knows they’ll kill her. But in people and in Noctis’ fate. She was raised with the idea and ideal that her life is nothing– she was powerless against the Nifs as a child– but it can be used to save others. Her focus has and always will be removing the Scourge. Living that story.
Now, let’s look at something very important to Luna: she lost her childhood. Her happiest memories were of being a child and reading a story to a prince. Her happiest moments were before the Empire swooped in and burned everything to the ground (or whatever the hell Tenebrae floats on). Her happiest moments were when she was ten and younger, with fairytales and princes (do you remember how the crowds talked in Altissia? Like Noct and Luna were in a Disney narrative? That’s the story the Nifs also presented to the world, through the radio chatter and random pieces of news you can pick up). She had spent twelve years knowing that, at ten, she had made a choice to let go of Regis’ hand. 
Let’s look at the speech patterns that change– from informal with Ravus, to genuinely archaic with Gentiana. Not as an adaption to Gentiana’s own speech patterns, but with the formality of practised lines. Luna says that she wants to be with the one she loves– she let go of Regis’ hand to do that. It’s Gentiana who is talking about Noct. It’s Gentiana  who is saying “I’ll make sure he knows you love him”.  Yes, Luna thanks her, who wouldn’t? An immortal being is offering to make sure your thoughts of encouragement and affection are heard after you die, that’s pretty damned nice if not for the fact that you’re dead. And Luna has always known she was going to die for this. 
Wanting to hear the voice of the childhood friend she has fond memories of isn’t out of the ordinary. They’ve only had written words between them for twelve years.
You know what? I can get behind the potential for the love story there. I can get behind Noct and Luna, as children, making up silly plans like kids are wont to do and saying “one day, we’ll be king and queen!” I can get behind them sharing letters and notes and plans through the twelve years as friends until they start to see each other as something more. Because I like fairytales too.
But you know the theme of the game is love, right? Between the bros and Ravus, everyone is in one giant broken family. Whether the audience chooses to pick that up as platonic or romantic or erotic, that’s up to them. I go the platonic Luna & Noct route, myself, but there was nothing in that extended scene that diminishes Luna’s character. 
Because we already knew all this. 
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aion-rsa · 3 years
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Upcoming Movies in December 2020: Streaming, VOD, and Theaters
https://ift.tt/3fD2QHM
As we recover from whatever Thanksgiving celebration we were able to safely put together in these strange times, there is something reassuring about the fact that December is here and 2020–a challenging year on every level–is almost over.
While December is normally packed with theatrical releases that range from buzzy awards contenders to end-of-the-year blockbusters and holiday-themed comfort films, this year is not business as usual. Sure, Oscar hopefuls abound, such as Mank, Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom, and Nomadland, but two of those three will be on Netflix. As for the tentpole contingent, well, only Wonder Woman 1984 is still opening in theaters–and you can also watch that on HBO Max right after opening your presents on Christmas morning.
In other words, there are plenty of new movies coming out this month, and more than one way to watch them. That’s not the worst thing in the world even when a pandemic isn’t raging, and perhaps an unintended gift for cinema lovers–one that may keep giving well into 2021.
Mank
December 4 on Netflix
Director David Fincher’s film is either a masterful ode to old Hollywood or a dull vanity project, depending on your point of view. Many critics, including our own David Crow, love its devoted recreation of both the era in which Citizen Kane was created and the style of that and other films of the period; others asked aloud why we should be so invested in a dissolute writer and the long-forgotten gubernatorial race that dominates a large portion of the film?
There’s no doubt, however, that Mank is beautifully crafted (right down to the “cigarette burns” indicating film reel changes) and is anchored by a typically immersive Gary Oldman performance. Oldman plays the enigmatic Herman J. Mankiewicz, whose authorship of Orson Welles’ masterpiece has been a source of contention for many reasons. After a limited theatrical run, it now comes to Netflix as one of the streamer’s major awards contenders.
Nomadland
December 4 in U.S. Theaters, February 19 in the UK
Pegged as the film to beat for all the Oscar love this year, Nomadland tells the story of Fern (Frances McDormand), a woman in her 60s who lives an itinerant existence–as a literal nomad–out in the American West after losing everything to the Great Recession. The narratively sparse film explores both the liberation of living off the grid as well as the despair that comes with the feeling that the world has forgotten about you.
Our review from the Toronto International Film Festival called the movie a “modern day Grapes of Wrath” and in addition to utilizing real American nomads in the film, both director Chloe Zhao and McDormand lived and traveled in vans during the shoot (which took place while Zhao was prepping for Marvel’s Eternals, a project which seems like it couldn’t be more the opposite of this).
The Prom  
December 11 on Netflix and in Select Theaters
Based on a Tony-winning Broadway musical, The Prom stars Meryl Streep and James Corden as New York City stage stars whose careers go down the tubes after their expensive new Broadway show becomes a major flop. But they soon plot a way to revive their flagging fortunes by heading with two other actors to small-town Indiana. There high school student Emma Nolan (newcomer Jo Ellen Pellman) has been banned from attending the prom with her girlfriend Alyssa (Ariana DeBose).
Directed by Ryan Murphy (Glee, American Horror Story), the film’s sparkling cast also includes Nicole Kidman, Keegan-Michael Key, Kerry Washington, Andrew Rannells, Tracy Ullman, Mary Kay Place and more. We’re not familiar with the stage show, but Murphy’s first huge mainstream success was Glee, so this kind of brings him back to his high school musical days. But wait, no role for Sarah Paulson?
Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom
December 18 on Netflix
There’s no avoiding the heartbreaking reality that Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom contains the final screen performance of Chadwick Boseman, who died last August from cancer. And seeing him on screen again makes one realize just what an incredible talent we lost. As the ambitious yet hot-headed trumpet player Levee, Boseman is stupendous: he has two scenes in this movie in which all the rage and pain of being a Black man in America pours out of him, and he simply sears the screen.
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By Mike Cecchini
As does Viola Davis in the title role of the blues singer who assembles her band on a fateful day in 1927 to record her songs–for a white-owned record label, of course. Based on August Wilson’s Tony-winning play and directed by George C. Wolfe, Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom is certainly about the exploitation of Black musicians by white businessmen. But it’s also about the blues themselves, as well as race, religion, sex, and African American culture, all stirred up in gripping fashion. One of the year’s best.
The Father
December 18 in U.S. Theaters, January 8 in the UK
The Father is simply one of the best films we’ve seen this year. Director/screenwriter Florian Zeller’s adaptation of his own play stars Anthony Hopkins as Anthony, an elderly English man suffering from the onset of dementia. Olivia Colman is his daughter Anne, who is apparently planning a move to Paris to live with her partner and trying to find a new caregiver for her father after he scared off the last one.
Or is she? As the film goes on, the viewer begins to wonder what is actually happening. People drift in and out of the narrative under different names, Anthony’s spacious apartment seems to change around him, and time itself seems to bend. As a result, what could have been a conventional drama about illness and memory becomes something brilliant and utterly heartbreaking.
The Midnight Sky
December 23 on Netflix
George Clooney’s seventh film as a director (and his first acting gig in four years) finds him back in the same sci-fi territory he’s traversed as an actor in movies like Solaris and Gravity. Here he plays Augustine Lofthouse, a lonely scientist who (along with a little girl) may be the last person left alive on Earth after a global catastrophe. He races to contact the crew of a spacecraft that has been sent to explore a potential new home for humankind, in order to warn them away from Earth and give themselves a chance to survive.
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By David Crow and 2 others
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By Don Kaye
Based on the novel Good Morning, Midnight by Lily Brooks-Dalton, The Midnight Sky looks like it will be a beautifully shot and designed film at the very least. The premise is engaging, but Clooney has been hit and miss as a director (his last good directorial effort was 2011’s The Ides of March). We’ll see if sci-fi adventure is a genre at which he can excel again.
Wonder Woman 1984
December 16 in the UK, December 25 in U.S. Theaters and on HBO Max
Patty Jenkins’ long-awaited follow-up to her culture-shifting 2017 origin story of the Princess of Themyscira has bounced all over the 2020 release map, with Warner Bros. not giving up hope of getting Wonder Woman 1984 into theaters at some point. Now the studio has split the difference, resolving to open it in theaters on Christmas Day while also giving nervous fans the chance to watch it at home (and give the struggling HBO Max platform a needed boost).
Gal Gadot returns as Diana in a standalone adventure that takes place in the 1980s and features her squaring off against both the diabolical Maxwell Lord (Pedro Pascal) and the grievance-fueled Barbara Ann Minerva, who evolves into arch-villain Cheetah (Kristin Wiig). Plot details are under wraps–including how the supposedly dead yet still youthful Steve Trevor (Chris Pine) ends up back in Diana’s life–but we hope that this second Wonder Woman adventure channels the sheer exhilaration that its predecessor brought to the table.
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Soul
December 25 on Disney+
Director Pete Docter follows up his brilliant Inside Out with another animated exploration of the metaphysical and existential. In this case, aspiring jazz pianist Joe Gardner (voiced by Jamie Foxx) accidentally finds himself headed for the Great Beyond, but manages to change course and land instead in the Great Before, where souls prepare to join life on Earth. Can Joe and a cynical soul named 22 (Tina Fey), who has no desire to become a human being, find a way to get Joe’s soul back to his body in time for the biggest gig of his life?
Read more
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Soul: How Nine Inch Nails Scored the New Pixar Movie
By Don Kaye
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By Don Kaye
Docter (and co-writer Kemp Powers) tackle some of the Big Questions this time around, and the answers will no doubt prove as thoughtful as any of Docter’s previous work. The visuals are of course up to the usual jaw-dropping Pixar standard, and the striking score is a mix of jazz by Jon Batiste and electronics by Trent Reznor and Atticus Ross–that’s right, Nine Inch Nails have scored a Disney release.
Promising Young Woman
December 25 in U.S. Theaters, February 12 in the UK
Originally slated to come out last April, Promising Young Woman stars Carey Mulligan as Cassie, whose one-time dreams of completing medical school were derailed by an unspeakable tragedy that has gone unpunished. Now the smart yet single-minded Cassie is obsessed with righting that wrong–and will stop at nothing to seek justice.
Killing Eve showrunner Emerald Fennell makes her directorial debut with this mix of thriller and black comedy (which she also wrote) that is certainly part and parcel of this particular moment in history. The always compelling Mulligan is joined in the film by Alison Brie, Laverne Cox, Bo Burnham, Jennifer Coolidge, and Connie Britton.
One Night in Miami
December 25 in Select U.S. Theaters, January 15 on Amazon Prime Video
You can read a comprehensive review of Watchmen star Regina King’s directorial debut here. Adapted by Soul co-writer Kemp Powers from his play, the film envisions what happened on the night in February 1964 that Cassius Clay (El Goree), Malcolm X (Kingsley Ben-Adir), Sam Cooke (Leslie Odom Jr.), and football star Jim Brown (Aldis Hodge) all assembled in a motel room after Clay–later known as Muhammad Ali–defeated Sonny Liston for the heavyweight championship.
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King may not fully escape the movie’s origins as a play, but she projects confidence behind the camera and gets distinctive performances out of her four stars. Goree and Hodge are the strongest, but Ben-Adir’s doomed civil rights leader and Odom Jr.’s introverted singer are the heart of this timely story, which builds to a powerful and inspiring finish.
News of the World
December 25 in U.S. Theaters, January 1 in the UK
Director Paul Greengrass’ first feature since 2018’s grim 22 July stars Tom Hanks as a widowed Civil War veteran and traveling storyteller who agrees to deliver a girl to her aunt and uncle against her will, years after she was taken by the Kiowa people. They travel hundreds of miles and face grave dangers as they search for a place that either can call home.
Based on a 2016 novel by Paulette Jiles, News of the World was originally set up at Fox three years ago, but was sold to Universal following the Disney/Fox merger. It marks the second time Hanks and Greengrass have collaborated, following 2013’s excellent Captain Phillips, and its vast natural scope and period setting are new territory for the director.
Monster Hunter
December 25 in U.S. Theaters, 2021 TBC in the UK
Based on the globally popular video game series, Monster Hunter stars Milla Jovovich as Captain Artemis, who is inexplicably transported along with her military unit (via sandstorm) to a different world where dangerous, powerful monsters reign supreme. Their only hope to survive and stop the creatures from destroying our world is to team up with another band of warriors for the ultimate battle.
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Monster Hunter finds Jovovich working once again with her creative and real-life partner, director Paul W.S. Anderson, on yet another video game adaptation–although doing all those Resident Evil movies together certainly didn’t seem to hurt their bank account. Nevertheless, video game movies are notoriously hit and miss (mostly miss), so we’ll see if Milla and Paul work their magic again.
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