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daincrediblegg · 2 years

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2, 4, 28, 30, and 33 for the film questions!

2.Favorite director(s)?

Oh god there are so many to list and I know I’m going to forget so many but here we go- I’m also gonna include some showrunner directors in here bc honestly there are way more talented female directors making shows than there are those who make feature films and I need to give them credit for how much they inspire me too. Some of these may be painfully obvious and others not so much but here we go:

Guillermo Del Toro, Mike Flannagan, Peter Jackson, Hiyao Miyazaki, Akira Kurosawa, Orson Welles, Lily and Lana Watchowski, Todd Phillips, Wes Anderson, Robert Eggers, Bong Joon-Ho, Mel Brooks, Taika Watiti, The Coen Brothers, Jon Favreau, Terry Gilliam, Makoto Shinkai, Jim Henson, John Hughes, Chris AND Jonathan Nolan, Lisa Joy, Amy Sherman-Palladino, Noah Baumbach, Sergio Leone, Jordan Peele, Ari Aster, Jonathan E. Steinburg, Sam Mendez, Kenneth Branagh, Vince Gilligan, Spike Jonze, Spike Lee, Rian Johnson, Tarsem Singh, Billy Wilder, Alfred Hitchcock, Francis Ford Coppola and begrudgingly Quentin Tarantino (bc even tho he is way overrated in the film bro community he does make some fun movies it has to be said)

4.What’s a movie you watched over and over again as a child that you still love?

Another that I remember watching a LOT is legally blonde. When I started sleeping by myself at night my parents let me keep a tiny DVD player in my room and I used to watch movies on it to go to sleep (also bc I was afraid of the dark for a long ass time) and I distinctly remember Legally Blonde was the first one that I put on every night to sleep to lmao.

28.Recommend three completely different movies.

Aight. First if you haven’t seen Top Gun Maverick you should bc it’s all practical and that’s fucking insane to do and nobody else has made a flight movie like this ever. The original looks like fucking tinker toys in comparison I mean like literally but it walked so this film could fucking SOAR so… yeah. There u go.

Next is a deep cut: Bicycle Thieves. Italian Neo-Realism at its finest (which basically means none of the “actors” in it were career actors- just normal people, and no extras either- nothing is staged it’s all 100% just footage from the real world, and also probably the best child actor I’ve ever seen playing the kid in this ever. Also this was Sergio Leone before all the spaghetti westerns and frankly I think this might be my fave film of his to trump them all).

Another deep cut but since we’re thinking about star wars and obi wan kenobi I can’t help but mention The Hidden Fortress by Akira Kurosawa. If you want to know where Star Wars comes from? Thats it. In its entirety. And Toshiro Mifune essentially plays the original Obi Wan Kenobi (and god what a perfect world that could’ve been if he had but this is a great window into that- also I think he’s a better sword fighter than Alec Guinness for sure). I might have to even re-watch again for further parallels to the Kenobi series man.

30.Favorite movie with a pet/animal as an important aspect?

I mean god where do I start. First that comes to mind is Babe bc I watched that so much as a kid it’s burned into my head now. Then I thought Okja because jesus that fucker got dark (but god damn important as a film for sure)… but fuck all that we’re gonna go with Balto because that was my fave as a kid I even had a wolf stuffie I named Balto after him so there u go.

33.Name a film you could write an entire 10+ page essay on. (If you’ve done it, what was the focus?)

Well I mean I have written many 10 page papers on many films lmao. My first was on LOTR and it was focused on Merry and Pippin but in hindsight it wasn’t the most well thought out theme or execution (but then again whose first college paper is?) but WITH that hindsight it’s really a think piece about the vitality of side characters to the movement of plot- using both the book and the films as examples to how Merry and Pippin shape the story of LOTR way more than they’re given credit for. Yes I have always been a slut for them.

Another one I wrote more recently was a comparison of horror director methodology to edgar allan poe’s essays on writing structure in which I of course used GDT and crimson peak as my prime example- given time I would’ve delved more into mike flannagan and robert eggers films and shows too as examples of the grander cinematic gothic revival, but alas, that’s a whole ass thesis and it was only a 7 page assignment and I didn’t have that kind of time. Also I did a critical analysis about the ending of Apt Pupil once that correlated the nazi imagery to the american male teenager that earned me a handshake from my professor and an A for the course but like y’know no big deal. And of course y’all know how bad down I am about midnight mass I mean Y’all have seen the meta posts that are somehow still circulating. I have so much about that series living in my head and never enough time to put it to paper lmao. In fact thats true of a lot of things I literally have so many essays in my head happening all at once and I am always looking for some kind of excuse to write it but never getting one lmao

FILM QUESTIONS

#ask games

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courtney-deserved-better · 3 years

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my opinion on td finalists

spoiler alert, im not a fan of most

TDI: Owen & Gwen

uh I personally don’t like either of these guys for finalists. gwen did do a lot but there were so many times where she just acted so apathetic I was like why?? are you still here?? and as for owen... I didnt like him as a character for a Long Time and he's growing on me but he just doesnt seem like finale material

I think a duncan versus leshawna finale would've been super fun to watch. especially if they teamed up to take down heather in the semifinal. those two had such a fun dynamic, especially in the triathlon episode, that I think taking it to the finale would've been fantastic. also leshawna deserved to win that season and you cannot change my mind

TDA: Duncan & Beth

duncan, while not my first choice, I can see making it through to the finale this season. but beth?? no. im sorry but shes just too much of a side character and is canonically fake nice and annoys everyone else so it doesn’t really make sense

an interesting finale would’ve been duncan versus courtney considering how volatile their relationship was this season. however, bc courtney was kinda awful to duncan, I dont think she deserves to win this season. it would be cool if there was one ending where their votes tied and they made up and decided to split the money but that just feels too tame, both for a finale and for their dynamic

harold versus duncan could be interesting, but because duncan tends to bully harold, I dont think his win would be fair in this situation. I think lindsay versus harold would be the best, as this season is about lindsay learning to take charge and come up with strategies, and while he can be off-putting and occasionally condescending, I think harold has a lot of useful skills that could really flourish in the finale

TDWT: Heather & Alejandro

while I dont ship them at all, I truly dont think there could've been a more satisfying final two. we’ve had their rivalry build up from day one, they have a ton of good songs together, it really completes heather’s arc of antagonist to antihero to protagonist. heather winning is the best ending in my mind, but I like alejandro winning too. the only problem I have with his ending is that it only happened because heather threw in the wrong dummy-- I think it would’ve been more clever for him to have switched them or something like that

ive been thinking about some other final twos that I think would be interesting, though unable to top the canon one imo. gwen versus courtney would be really cool because of the friends turned enemies thing-- I think it would be interesting for courtney to be put in danger and gwen has a choice of saving her or going for the money and she save courtney before apologizing again (maybe dumping duncan) and the two make up and split the money.

though I don’t really enjoy either as characters mostly due to their writing, cody and sierra would be an interesting final two. maybe cody finally stands up to sierra, or sierra struggles with wanting to be the winner of total drama or helping the boy she likes win. it definitely wouldn't be as good as the canon two but there would be a lot of clashing dynamics at play that'd be fun to explore

TDROTI: Lightning & Cameron

admittedly, I don’t remember too much from this season, but it really felt like these two kind of coasted by. I never found lightning to be a particularly compelling character and thought it weird how he suddenly went from dumb jock to evil jock in the last episode or two. cameron really felt like he was just carried through the season, similarly to beth, though I dont have as much as an issue with him winning. I dont think it was a bad finale, per se, I just think if those were the final two they should've been written better from the start

seeing as how jo really played the game and went all in, I think she would’ve been a great finalist. it would’ve been interesting to see her versus (commando?) zoey though im not the biggest zoey fan. I think a jo versus lightning finale could actually work (or brick) though if there was a jo versus cameron finale, I couldn't see him logically winning bc jo would just destroy him

TDAS: Mike & Zoey

*BIG FUCKING INHALE* no. just no. im probably not gonna say anything that’s not already been said so ill keep it short. bland, mal writing bad, have someone who's been in the game for 3 previous seasons instead of 1 make it to the ALL STARS FINALE. jfc.

you know what would’ve been an interesting finale? gwen versus courtney. they both said they wanted to reach the final two with the other one, so maybe they do! maybe they start to struggle with their friendship because of courtney’s competitive streak! maybe one of their helpers is duncan and that causes strife between them! maybe they become enemies again and don’t make up until the finale! maybe they decide to split the money! idk! it would've had a hell of a lot more flavor than what we got

TDPI: Shawn & Sky

I don’t really have an issue with either of these characters making it to the finale. they’re compelling, worked hard, and have distinct goals. I would’ve liked to see jasmine in the finale but I'd be cool replacing either one with her: jasmine and shawn having to compete against one another would be an interesting relationship hurdle and sky versus jasmine would've been cool because they’re both very athletic and it would’ve been the first f vs f total drama finale (we've had m vs f and m vs m but no all-girl finales...)

TDRR: Surfer Dudes & Police Cadets

Again, I don’t really have an issue with this finale. I really like how Sanders and MacArthur both work hard in their own ways and have to learn how to work together (MacArthur breaking Sanders’ arm and realizing that she can negatively affect her partner and also that Sanders is super tough was a GREAT arc). I know there’s been some contention about the Surfer Dudes being eliminated and then coming back so late in the game, but it made sense to me. They chose to lose because they felt that they owed it to Devin and Carrie, and that choice paid off when Devin and Carrie called in a replacement team. I doubt the surfers expected that to happen, they were just trying to be fair, but that kindness was rewarded in a big way which I think was sweet, especially considering how much of a hot mess this show can be.

I gotta say, this does kinda remind me of the TDI finale, with the villain (heather/ice dancers) getting eliminated third, and their rival (gwen/police cadets) making it to the finale with the fun guy (owen/surfer dudes). The reason I like the Surfer Dudes as finalists more than Owen is that I felt they put in more effort during challenges and had more of an arc (with Josee’s mind games ending up bonding them as a team after strife, choosing to be eliminated for the sake of fairness, etc).

Speaking of Owen, it’s kind of ironic that if I had to replace a team in the finale, I would replace the surfer dudes with the reality tv pros. they’re my favorite team and I think it wouldve been great for them to really live up to their name. I think it also would've been funny for the ice dancers to be so focused on their rivalry with the cadets that the pros just completely go under their radar until its the final three and the ice dancers are like “oh crap they’re PROS why haven't we been trying to destroy them??”

I also wouldn't mind replacing the surfer dudes with the sisters. I know emma gets a lot of hate (mostly because of nemma which I only like platonically) but I actually like her as a character (when she wasn’t being obsessive) and I think she and kitty were a great team that had a good arc of learning to work together. I also think it would be really interesting because for the final three they would all have rivalries with one another: the police cadets and the ice dancers (obvious) the ice dancers and the sisters (josee messed with them in at least 2 challenges) and the sister and the police cadets (kitty and macarthur’s game/road rage was hilarious)

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marcspectrr · 3 years

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A word or two on Kiara's mental health...

Before I attempt to summarize the 39 page slideshow living rent free in my brain, a preface! This will include spoilers for s2, as well as a few mentions of suicidal thoughts! Also. I love Kiara Carrera with all of my heart so if you're not a fan of her, you might wanna keep scrolling. If you don't vibe with her that's perfectly fine, but this post is heavy with Kiara appreciation, be warned, my respect for her runs deep. The choice is yours, of course, just understand that I'm writing this bc @yellowlaboratory among others have encouraged me to get it out there because it's all I've been thinking about since I watched s2. This is not to start anything.

(This is also not me hating on Pope because I genuinely like his character, he's just made some very questionable choices throughout the show, some I can forgive and some that still don't sit right with me.)

Deep breath, here we go.

It's no secret Kiara has been poorly handled by the writers and therefore the characters at times. We got little development in s1 compared to other main male characters, leaving us to fill in the gaps as far as her ambitions, motivations, family, overall interest in the boys, etc. While I do keep this in mind, I could rant about it for days so for this I'm going off of what we have as well as what's been implied.

Kiara didn't have the same upbringing as the boys but it's clear the Carrera's had/have their struggles. She's got her foot in both worlds, not quite 'rich' but not entirely 'poor', inevitably giving her a fragile sense of belonging and identity. 16 is a hard age even without societal pressures and growing up in a classist environment, but here is where we're assuming the boys come in. They give her a place to feel comfortable in her own skin, with shared interests and accepting her for who she is, which we know the kooks don't provide. Just being around them helps ease those deep insecurities, helps her form meaningful bonds. We weren't given an explicit scene where this was shown but over the course of the two seasons it's clear how she feels about them and what they do for her mentally.

Her relationship with the pogues, however, puts a rift between her and her parents. Mike and Anna clearly want what's best for Kie but it's also obvious they've struggled with her even before the pogues. Anna wants Kiara to have the things she never got growing up, breeding a disconnect since Kiara doesn't share in her mother's interests. This leads into my biggest problem with Kiara's arc in s2, which was how Anna and Mike were written.

Yes, Kiara didn't/doesn't treat them the best but it went both ways -- they all failed at communicating. Instead of finding a common ground and compensating for the things Kiara cares about, Anna shuts her down and ignores her, leaving her to feel like a problem rather than a person, further perpetuating even less healthy communication. Kiara even says in s2 that's why she doesn't like going home, because it always means walking into an argument and not feeling accepted.

I sorta expected a little more understanding from Anna considering her own background with pogues but instead it backfired. And Mike...he didn't contribute much at all. They could've all done better and need some work. Kiara could be more grateful and Anna and Mike are the parents, the adults, they need to make the space feel safe to talk. Kie didn't just wake up one day and decide to act out and keep her parents in the dark all the time, that stems from not feeling listened to when she does try and open up.

Expanding on this with...the whole Blue Ridge plot. Moment of silence for the show neglecting to acknowledge the academy, even though it clearly had a big impact on Kiara's life. In s1 we got a brief look into how her 'kook year' affected her and it was not good. More isolation, blurred identity, insecurity and this time suicidal thoughts, with no one to turn to for support, assuming she was not on good terms with her parents then either. I'm assuming this because for them to send her to the academy, hoping to give her better opportunities only for it to end with her wanting to cut her wrists, to then thinking the best option is to send her away again? At this point I hope they didn’t know how badly the academy affected her because sending her away a second time with that knowledge is such a hurtful and oblivious move.

Kiara already thinks her parents see her as a burden, hurting her sense of worth as is. I really wanted to like the Carrera's and I still feel like they genuinely love and care for Kie, I just need to see more communication maybe. And if they choose to include the Blue Ridge plot, which I'm leaning towards yes on that one, I hope it's handled somewhat well, preferably not a tool to create drama even though I know a lot of people want to see it be used that way. I'm very particular, I'm sorry I'm this way.

Things I've seen her being criticized for in s2 is her behavior. The thing that people have to remember is that she's 16 and teenagers are just not the best with navigating their emotions. She made questionable choices (the 'murderer' thing and 'abusing' Pope) but these are both things that fit the plot and her character. She was by no means the only one grieving so I don't know why she's being targeted for it (although I'm not surprised, the fandom treats her horribly). Some of her core characteristics are her high moral integrity as well as her headstrong belief in people and causes. She's never been one to make herself palatable for people and s2 shows a lot of this (calling out the Cameron's, going off in front of the court, etc). Even if it caused them problems and even if they are flaws, that doesn't make her an inherently intolerable character, it makes her realistic. She was not in a good place emotionally and it would've been wrong to shy away from depicting it any other way, especially in a show where the teenage experience is decently represented.

Now with the Pope thing. I think it was handled as well as it could've been considering the circumstances. It really should've never happened but to justify it, emotions are messy, relationships even messier and they were both spiraling at the end of s1. I don't agree with the way it started (why give Kie the line of literally telling him she wanted something different only to show them together next episode, I'm forever confused) but I'm not mad about how it ended. They were both in the wrong at times so only bringing up Kie's faults is just unfair.

I believe they both tried their best and even wanted to feel the right things but learned quickly that's not exactly how it works, which was how it was supposed to be shown. Not as this romanticized, idealistic healthy relationship but as one that has its bumps and was bred out of all the wrong things. All of their body language pointed towards this. Pope didn't deserve to be hurt but Kie clearly didn't intend for things to turn out how they did. She wasn't mentally comfortable enough for a relationship and I can appreciate them showing this in the ways the writers framed it. Even the conversation with Kie describing their night on the beach, I think it was perfect. It was awkward but it was honest, which is so important.

Overall, I think Kiara's gone through a lot mentally that the show could be better at exploring. It doesn't have to be big, obvious lingering shots, they can be subtle and still mean so much to people who relate to her. Seeing someone on screen grapple with real life struggles (even if the show walks a painfully fine line as far as realism), it means a lot. Especially when mental health (more prominent than ever) is so rarely portrayed to translate in any significant way in media now. It's definitely something I would love to see get more time and effort so until then, just know I'll be manifesting the screen time Kiara Carrera deserves.

#obx #outer banks #obx s2 #outer banks season 2 #kiara carrera #whoever read this whole thing kudos to you #i also hate the tumblr app for posting it twice before it was finished :)#i have MANY thoughts on kie #as well as the rest of the pogues arcs in s2 #its a curse to have this many opinions agshdjf #obx rants #i guess?

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thatsrightgay · 4 years

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mikejay fic rec list, how embarrasing...

snow globe* by someknave

SNOW GLOBE (2018) [VHS LETTERBOX]

FRONT COVER COPY:

For as long as you love me so...

Let it snow, let it snow, let it snow.

BACK COVER COPY:

Just in time for Christmas, it’s an existential horror story for the whole family! Featuring two VCR repairmen from Milwaukee (or are they) and their friend Rich, a Cupid demon from outer space. Join our heroes as they fight the forces of a mysterious evil that wants them destroyed at any cost. Does love conquer all? Does anybody REALLY know what time it is? And where does Mr. Plinkett fit in?? Rated PG-13.

(46114 words, rated T)

i think this is my all time favorite? i’m in love with the surreal concept and i think it’s executed really well (like i’m a sucker for concept driven films a la groundhog day and this one is an existential dream!) if ur gonna read one, read this one! also it plays with mike and jay as characters in a really cool way

in case of emergency, save your own soul before assisiting others by goodoldfashioned

Mike makes a deal with the devil to get Jay to want him, later has some regrets.

Can a surly guardian angel named Rich help Mike steal his soul back from the Prince of Darkness before Jay’s is gone for good?

(75807 words, rated E)

one of the tags on this is ‘mike cries a lot’ which i thought was funny. again, cool concept that actually explores some ideas of free will??? (which sounds weird for rpf but it works) also u could probably read any goodoldfashioned fic bc they are all quality

feelings by coq

Jay shut the door behind them, locked it, and turned to Mike with crossed arms and a furrowed brow. "Why do you insist on touching me all the fucking time?"

(2007 words, rated T)

short and sweet! friends to lovers, nothing too extreme (not too explicit or anything) and a very funny feelings realization

gold by zerotolerancezone

Mike shifts to put his head heavily in Jay’s lap, obviously drunk.

“My fault ain’t givin’ you gloves.”

“That didn’t make any fucking sense.”

He snorts, laughs bubbling out of him despite himself.

(671 words, rated G)

this fic has a really nice atmosphere and is a cozy little read :-)

misadventures in babysitting* by goodoldfashioned

The aliens who granted Rich immortality are angry with him. Unable to kill him, they de-age him in revenge, leaving him with Jay and Mike as makeshift parents, surely the cruelest punishment available.

(OR IS IT)

(26,170 words, rated E)

omg this is the ultimate guilty pleasure fic. i mean c’mon: kid rich, accidental kid acquisition, found family? my lil bi heart needs nothing more. the scenes with jay and rich are really sweet and it’s just...Nice :-)

nothing else by asbestosgang

Mike is in Hell, probably.

(4409 words, rated G)

one of the tags is “not romantic but they’re both there” so it’s not explicit mikejay? but i still think it’s such a cool and unique fic. again a surrealist/existentialist take on them being trapped in the vcr repair shop physically and??? in another way??? idk very cool

an A for effort by asbestosgang

It's their anniversary! Neither of them know what they're doing. But they DO know they're in love. And love is pretty nice.

(2,959 words, rated G)

this one is pure domestic (and realistic) fluff that isn’t explicit if that sort of thing isn’t your cup of tea. realizing now that i only want to read either fluff or surrealist horror with no in between haha

scrawny motherfucker with a cool hairstyle* by goodoldfashioned

“You’re disgusting and you don’t know when to quit.”

“Those are your two favorite things about me, Jay.”

(57,857 words, rated E)

saving (one of the) best for last! this one is a semi-highschool au (the author note says “I had this idea: what if they knew each other a little bit in high school in rural Wisconsin before they both ended up working at the VCR repair shop, and that's why Jay sort of defers to Mike, because Mike is forever a cool & hot upperclassman in his mind.”) anyways i really love how their dynamic shifts and is written in this one and the dialogue is!!!! so good.

bonus! one WIP by @gaybaumans

my best friend the vampire (but make it gay) by marveyrosster 🔒

“What the fuck happened to you?” Jay asked, his arms folded tightly across his chest.

Mike sighed, finally lowering his arms and casting his eyes downwards, away from Jay. “This is going to sound absolute batshit crazy and you aren’t going to believe a second of it.”

“Try me,” Jay replied, and even to him, his voice sounded unsure.

“I wasn’t even planning on coming back here. I wasn’t really. I tried to the first night and I was in our room and I saw you there and I just- I freaked the fuck out. Things can never go back to normal and I thought coming here would be just. A bad fucking idea. But I’m helpless and you’re into all that weird horror shit and I thought maybe-”

“MIKE,” Jay interrupted. “Tell me what happened.”

“Jay… I’m a vampire.”

(6348 words, rated M)

listen...i’m a sucker for AUs (college and vampires? sign me up!) very good so far and i’m super excited to see where it goes

#mostly did this as an excuse to reread some of these >;)#if anyone has any recs (but be aware ive been thru the entire tag on ao3) send them my way!#no main tags bc i know its not 4 everyone #mikejay #fics #long post

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ofthedirewolves · 5 years

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First Guy Wins - A Queliot Meta

I was rewatching The Magicians and was struck by a realization. Eliot and Queliot fit the “First Girl Wins” romantic trope. Yes, in this case, Eliot is a guy, not a girl but the trope still works.

Credit where credit is due, this is based by @scullylikesscience ‘s “First Girl Wins” meta.

When I first realized that Queliot definitely seemed to be the road the writers were going I was a bit cynical. I have quite a lot of experience and have been betrayed by many a showrunner.

I thought the writers had just seen that Queliot was more popular and course-corrected. Then I started my rewatch and realized that as much as the showrunners love claiming they’re winging it, this might have been planned after all.

It could still be a happy coincidence so I’m not going to give them too much credit. For the likes of this meta let’s focus on the facts and the characters.

We’re going to analyze Quentin and Eliot’s relationship through the lens of “First Girl Wins”

In romantic works, the first girl person introduced — either overall or as a potential Love Interest — has a very good chance of ending up with the protagonist (especially if the protagonist is male).

There are all sorts of explanations as to why this is. Things ending up the same place they started is a very old narrative technique.

From a Doylist point of view, the Law of Conservation of Detail suggests introducing the Love Interest early. An early introduction allows you to get the audience interested in her and rooting for her, gives you space for Character Development, and give her relationship with her (eventual) partner the most time to develop organically.

Eliot gets introduced pretty early, has a lot of character development outside of his relationship with Quentin and Queliot definitely has developed organically.

Is it the first girl the protagonist meets according to In-Universe chronology, even if we first see her halfway through the show's run? The first one to show romantic feelings? The first new girl the protagonist meets?

Eliot isn’t the first possible love interest that gets introduced, that’s actually Julia, then it’s Eliot, followed by Alice in the last place. It is in their introductions though that tells us that it’s actually Eliot that gets the title of First Girl™.

If you're suspecting some girl is supposed to be the First Girl™, a good idea would be to take a look at how the writer has played her up.

Is he a major character?

Eliot Waugh is one of the show’s leading characters ✔

Is the "first" interaction led up to, emphasized, treated as a big deal?

We first see him in the background as Quentin walks towards Brakebills. The camera shot is an Extreme Long Shot.

The camera focuses on him smoking for a bit (Wide Shot) until we see Quentin actually approach.

The camera closes on him with a medium shot as he talks to Quentin, then it’s a Medium Close Up as he gets down and introduces himself.

We see Quentin lose his cool and then he follows after Eliot. Asking if he’s hallucinating. Eliot and Quentin are in the same frame until they get to the exam which is where Eliot’s introduction ends.

This connects Eliot to Brakebills/Magic. So yes it’s definitely a big deal ✔

All other things being equal, is he a strong contender for being the protagonist's Love Interest?

Quentin and Eliot spend a lot of the first episodes together. The first person Quentin truly opens up to is Eliot (and Eliot opens up in return.) Eliot tells him one of his darkest secrets, while Quentin tells him about the hospital. The person he talks to about his worries re: getting expelled is Eliot.

1x02

In 1x03 Eliot goes to Quentin for help in finding the missing book. Thanks to this Quentin is introduced to the Hedge Witches, not only that but to the fact that Julia is one of them. Which means Eliot is there for Quentin and Julia’s big argument. This means Eliot has seen both sides of Q’s life (before Brakebills and after).

In 1x04 when Quentin gets stuck in Marina and Julia’s spell, Eliot is not only in the spell but visibly worried about Q outside of the spell.

Not only that but we actually see Eliot getting defensive with Julia.

When Quentin breaks out of it, the first person we see go to him is Eliot. Throughout the next couple of episodes, it seems there’s always a scene with the two of them together. The only time they don’t share screentime is in 1x07 (bc Q is with Mayakovsky and we’ll get to that later).

In 1x11 they literally have sex. Yes they’re high on emotions and it’s a threesome with Margo but it happened. If you hadn’t guessed by this point that Eliot is a valid romantic choice this made it more clear.

There’s no Straight Guy™ Freakout. Quentin was never written as a straight character. From his first interaction with Eliot, we see that Quentin is attracted to him. The only negative connotation the scene has it that it’s cheating because Quentin was in a relationship at the time.

Throughout Season 1 a lot of the major moments for Quentin himself happen with Eliot or around Eliot. Quentin might get expelled? Eliot is there. Confrontation with Julia? Eliot is there. His dad has cancer? Eliot and Margo help him out. Quentin gets separated from the group? Eliot sends a paper airplane to tell them where they are. This season establishes that Eliot is an important person in Quentin’s life.

In 2x01 we get the crowning scene between Eliot and Quentin and not only does it have very romantic vibes but the camera shots tell us a lot about these two characters. We get a Full Shot of the whole group before it becomes a lot more intimate.

The speech that Quentin gives Eliot is the longest of all the Coronation speeches. From Eliot’s side, we get Close-Ups. Close Ups show us what the character is feeling at this moment. We see an Eliot with tears in his eyes looking up at Quentin with so much love.

On his side, Quentin has a Medium Close Up all we see in his eyes is pride. Despite the fact that they haven’t had the best relationship recently Quentin still deeply cares.

Both of them look at each other. The camera focuses on both of them until the moment is over and the camera turns to Penny and the scene continues.

So is he a strong contender for being the protagonist's Love Interest? Considering this is only a smidge of their interactions? I would say definitely ✔.

(I could talk about all their interactions, especially “A Life in a Day” but then we’d be here all year and I wanted to focus on their earlier establishing scenes)

The First Girl will rarely be the first one to confess her feelings, admit them,

Pretty much all the romantic interactions between them have been initiated by Quentin rather than Eliot.

Back in 3x05, we see that Quentin is the one that first kisses Eliot. They live their life together and raise a family.

In 4x05 it’s revealed that after they got their memories back Quentin put himself out there. We see a Quentin who is sure that he loves Eliot “who gets that kind of proof of concept”. It doesn’t go well for him but he did it.

In fact, he's much likelier to be the one who does it last

We don’t get the full realization of Eliot’s feelings until 4x05. I think Eliot has known for a while that he loves Quentin, but it's just been implied (few people can heart eye as Hale can). But the reason I mention it is that this is where Eliot realizes he has to do something about it. The ball is in his court.

With his small window of opportunity, he tries to convey his feelings to Quentin while also giving him a reason to fight “Peaches and plums motherfucker, I’m alive in here”.

Complications will abound, Romantic False Leads will show up,

Most of Season 1’s romantic subplot is Quentin/Alice and later Eliot/Mike. The interesting thing is that both of the Romantic False Leads appear in the same episode (1x07). Alice has been there from the first episode but 1x07 is the episode where she and Quentin hook up. Coincidentally the same when Eliot and Mike hook up.

Quentin falls in love with Alice while Eliot is very deeply into Mike. Of course, both relationships end in tragedy. Eliot has to kill Mike to protect the rest and Alice dies defeating the beast. The pain of his actions makes Eliot turn towards substance abuse which leads to him going to Fillory with the rest. It sets him on a path that deviates from Quentin’s.

Quentin’s plot is about bringing Alice back from being a Niffin. Yet when he does she hates him for it. So their relationship fizzles out and never truly recovers.

In Eliot’s case, we also get Idri as a false romantic lead as they did technically get engaged and were clearly attracted to each other.

misunderstandings will arise between them, pride and denial will keep them apart.

The biggest misunderstanding between the two comes from the same scene in 4x05. Eliot believes that Quentin wouldn’t choose him if they had a choice. He gets scared and so he pushes Quentin away. Eliot mistakenly believes Q is straight so that’s probably the biggest misunderstanding between them. Quentin interprets it as Eliot not choosing him if he had a choice.

The misunderstanding gets worse when we remember 3x06 had Eliot rejecting Quentin’s idea of going on a quest. He has a perfectly valid reason but Quentin probably sees it as another rejection from the man he is in love with.

They’re both in love with each other but neither believes the other would choose him. Miscommunication is a large part of romantic tropes.

A more subtle tactic is to get the First Girl "off the radar" somehow —

Ironically enough Queliot fits this criterion as well. Eliot is married to Fen (and later engaged to Idri) while stuck in Fillory being High King the majority of seasons 2 and 3. While Quentin is dealing with Niffin!Alice and helping Julia in Season 2, and largely involved in the Key Quest in Season 3.

That doesn’t mean they don’t see each other because they do. They just can go periods of time without sharing meaningful screentime (especially in regards to show-time as time in the show passes differently than how we see it episode by episode).

You can expect an in-universe justification for how these two people met so early and took so long to figure out they belong together.

In Queliot’s case, it’s misunderstandings, romantic false leads, magical quests, their own stupidity, false identities and of course the fact that one of them is possessed by a monster.

The fact of the matter is that Eliot fits pretty much all the criteria for being the First Girl (or in this case First Guy). So whether it was on purpose or just a happy accident it still counts.

Eliot Waugh is the First Guy™ which leads me to believe great things are on the way for Queliot. We just have to sit back and enjoy the ride.

(Remember to pack tissues, as I have a feeling the writers aren’t done torturing us yet)

#Queliot #Queliot meta #Eliot Waugh #the magicians #the magicians meta #Quentin Coldwater #this turned out so much longer than I expected #but I'm proud of it #Yes I went all film major on this.. at least my degree got used for something #maii meta #sweetestinthegale #anniebibananie #missgoalie75 #wedlakeserenities

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hogsteeth-archive · 6 years

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alright then i answered one of them oc questions things for both versions of ira bc like. why wouldnt i. first answer is 1976 58y/o rhodesian ira, second answer is 201x 16y/o houstonian ira. i just wanted to figure out how different they really are. questions from here. if readmores still dont work on mobile im sorry lmao

what are some things they have strong opinions about?

he has sort of a cioranian attitude to the value of life, like, hes one of them “theres always reason to kill a man, theres no way to justify his living” types. he doesnt believe in nationalism per se but he does believe in war, hes literally a mercenary, and hed probably get along just fine with someone like mike hoare, but hes not one for unnecessary cruelty. hes kind to who he considers innocent. if he was alive today i can see him getting grouped w/ like, anti-natalists, right-wing “primitivists,” people who browse /fo/, people who think theyll thrive in the post-apocalypse even though they cant even spin yarn, people who dont understand fallout, you know, those types, but i like to think his attitude wrt civ is closer to perlmans or, well, mine. its a good thing he doesnt live in internet times. he thinks technology makes people complacent and weak and hes fallen into the trap of the “noble savage” myth; sign of the times. he could just as easily live off the grid in like, alberta, but he chose to stay in southern africa bc of his colonial attitudes & fetishization of the “less developed.” (sidenote, if youre like, new here n reading this for some reason, yea i write like really really bad characters were talking irredeemably evil here, just like, know that im aware of that.) also he detests hippies for both bad and good reasons ⸻ not much, really, hes an opportunist, a hedonist, hes selfish, goes w/ the flow. he thinks denying yourself pleasure for no reason is microfascism — not in those words — and while he doesnt think that selfishness leads to a bettering of overall society, hes no randian, he feels justified in what he does. hes uh, a mercenary in spirit and ive always intended to have him join the marines n later work for a pmc but were nowhere near there yet

what traits do they like in other people? what traits do they not like?

he likes people (men, that is) that are exactly like him. he likes Narrator bc hes just as quiet, as patient, as stubborn, as antisocial (using that the right way here, i like, know about psychology), as violent, as old-timey-ly masculine as he is. he can tolerate clade (his former accountant) bc she keeps to herself and shes loyal to a fault, but he doesnt go out of his way to like, actually talk to her. he likes will bc he reminds him of what he was like as a child living with his matabele mother. ⸻ he hates everything he perceives as weakness, but hes not all that open about that, i think hes not even 100% aware thats what it is. he needs to be talked back to. he lacks compassion, doesnt know how to deal w/ anyone whos less resilient and abrasive than himself.

do they have a significant other? if so, who?

i mean, theres Narrator — thats kinda what this whole thing is about. but theyll never think of each other that way. its complicated. theyre uh… closer to being marlow and kurtz than to being boyfriends. idk how to explain it. its bad. ⸻ hes fake-dating millah for appearances and secretly seeing jack, im not sure about the details either so im not getting into that, but hes eventually gonna meet will; ive written their first encounter like ten different ways and i still dont really know what i wanna do w/ them........ also Complicated

whats their friend group like? what role do they play (leader, mom friend, etc.)?

he lives in a hut he built w/ his bare hands on the edge of the kalahari. his friends are one horse and one vaalboskat. ⸻ he uses his friends but they use him too. hes reasonably popular bc hes athletic n wealthy, but i think the only one of his friends who really truly sees thru his act is millah, and bc he doesnt take her seriously as a threat, she has more control over him than he realizes.

do they care about their physical appearance? whats their routine like?

nah ⸻ not really. he showers too often and his hairs kinda dry but other than that hes like. Normal. idk i dont care about these things

do they have any physical or mental disabilities?

i dont think so ⸻ he has adhd

what would they die for? kill for?

oh hes not picky. he joined the military at 17, hes made peace w/ the prospect of dying. hes been more uncomfortable w/ the thought of growing old, actually. and again, hes literally a mercenary. not a big deal to him. ⸻ i dont think hes selfless enough to die for anyone. hed kill to protect the people he cares about, but thats more just bc hes possessive. im sure thats gonna come up eventually. i cant really write shit w/o weaving murder in somewhere.

do they have any magical powers or abilities? if its a realistic world, what religion do they follow?

absolutely the fuck not i hate magic. hes not religious, actually feels a little intimidated by religion. in one version of his story he spends his 50s on east nusa tenggara where he doesnt live far from a church, and he makes peace w/ the concept of god thanks to the influence of catholic-raised Narrator, but i doubt hell ever actually step foot into a church, or temple, or mosque, or what-have-you. hes internalized some things during his upbringing though that he doesnt classify as religious. little superstitions. he likes to keep objects that may be used for divination around his house, but he never touches them. ⸻ not religious, but if he had to pick, like to pretend, hed say baptist.

do they celebrate any holidays? how do they celebrate?

nah ⸻ like, the regular american ones. hell welcome any excuse to drink and to socialize, and id say his favorite holiday is the 4th of july, really just bc he likes warm weather and theres not a lot else you can celebrate in the middle of summer. hes not attached to the significance of any holidays. hes not crazy about christmas but he likes his family well enough and hell go along w/ it all, just to have sth to do. hes not good w/ time off.

if they were the protagonist in any book series, what series would they choose? alternatively: what would be their favorite book?

he doesnt really read but hed feel right at home inside heart of darkness or maybe the thin red line. or maybe sth by mccarthy ⸻ hes 16 he hasnt read jack shit. i wanna say deleuze would probably resonate w/ him bc hes a total self-insert but i really dont know. i try to keep the intertextuality way low bc i hate that shit in most fiction, so like, i try not to think too much about other books here

do they have any vices?

uh he drinks and he occasionally smokes opium but compared to most of my characters hes pretty okay wrt that ⸻ yea like… all of them. already said hes a hedonist make of that what u will

do they play any instruments?

nope ⸻ violin but he hasnt been practicing a lot lately

what would their favorite ride at an amusement park be?

hes never been to one ⸻ i feel like hed be into sth really lame… like you know that video by jenny nicholson, top ten lame things to do at disney world? sth like that. like hed go just to get a specific food item or to admire the infrastructure

what animal would they say best represents them?

hyena 100%. the spotted kind. id say tortoise also but hed find that insulting ⸻ id say hyena but hed be reluctant to answer that bc hes a Youth and he knows what a furry is

how do they act when theyre drunk?

vulnerable. little more talkative. he talks to himself (or the cat, rather) sometimes ⸻ more abrasive/tactless/impulsive. he talks w/ his whole body and feels like moving/running bc, again, self-insert

which era of history would they most like to live in?

the old west, like early to mid-19th century, maybe late 18th. that or like the really olden days, like mid-paleolithic ⸻ idk maybe like ten or twenty years earlier. i think he fits the 21st century pretty well. hes a curious person though and if he had a time machine hed go Everywhere at least once

whats their favorite food?

ah thats. complicated actually i have a whole list of foods that remind me of Narrator but ive never gotten around to making one for ira. hm. he likes poultry, like ostrich. white fish. dry/salty foods. sour fruit. breadfruit. fatty dark meats, blood sausage. hes not picky though, hell live on pap and water if he has to. ⸻ i genuinely dont know. im not used to the contemporary western setting yet like… pop tarts exist in the same world as he does and im not comfortable w/ that yet. like, branded food articles wrapped in plastic. thats so weird to me. i guess he likes (american) pizza w/ greens on it, like spinach? and seafood. sour candies, maybe, i dont think he has much of a sweet tooth. he puts salt n butter on potatoes and cottage cheese on pancakes.

what songs remind you of them?

conveniently theres a whole playlist rite here

whats their favorite season and why?

dry season. he doesnt like cloudy/foggy weather bc it makes him feel trapped when he cant see as far. ⸻ summer. i honest to god think people liking cold weather is a conspiracy like im not sure thats even biologically possible. like summer is the obvious answer here

which d&d class would they play as?

nah we dont do nerd shit round these parts

whats their favorite expletive?

he like, barely talks ⸻ nothin weird thats for sure, we campaign for simple straight-forward language in this house. having a Favorite is inherently at odds w/ that. bad question

whats their favorite candle scent?

no scented candles in the desert ⸻ sth fruity but not sweet, like mixed berries, sth red or purple

how do they feel about death?

he doesnt ⸻ hed feel cheated by life if he died young. he has a lot to see and do and itd like, bum him out not to get to do that but hes not afraid of death

do they collect anything? whats their most prized possession?

he lives pretty austerely but he does keep little rocks and gems and bones and pieces of wood n such. also coins from all the countries hes been to bc hes a simple old man. i wanna say his most prized possession is his hogs tooth bc he does value the marines a lot still. its where he first met Narrator :-) ⸻ he really appreciates gifts people give him, things that remind him of people. jack carved him an eagle once

do they play any sports?

no ⸻ nothing too organized. i dont think hes on any school teams bc idk if he has the time but that might change. he does run/hunt/fish/shoot

what one place do they really want to visit and why?

he likes deserts, wide open spaces. hes been to the kalahari n namib but not the gobi/sahara/simpson etc, so, those. no ice deserts though those scare him ⸻ polynesia/southeast asia, just tropical places in general. bc theyre nice what do you want me to tell you. tropics good

what languages do they speak?

northern ndebele, afrikaans, english (w/ various influences), some vietnamese ⸻ english, some cajun french, some spanish

what are some items they always carry? what weapon do they favor using if they exist in a world where weapons are necessary?

hes got his fal obviously and he does always carry a knife, just to be safe. more out of habit than actual necessity (not to imply rural areas were safe in the late 70s, but he lives in the literal wilderness, hes not much of a target. stays away from roads and all that.) ⸻ man hes really not as classy as i want him to be :/ he probably has like, a glock 17 w/ ten thousand pointless modifications n some uglyass stipling pattern. hes a little bit paranoid + irresponsible n carries all kinds of shit he doesnt need, mostly way too much cash

which emoji would they use the most?

no ⸻ he doesnt have a phone, hell maybe use a burner if he has to. this is an anti-phone household

what fantasy race would they be? if they already are one, pick a different one.

absolutely not

do they want to start a family? if they already have one, describe it.

no ⸻ no

what stereotypical high school clique would they fit into?

hed swing between the jrotc kids n the stoners honestly, but still mostly keep to himself ⸻ hes like, too much of a jock for the Delinquents, too much of a Delinquent for the jocks. hes really only popular bc hes rich-ish n blessed w/ good looks, and by association w/ millah

whats one thing that they dont need do they waste the most money on?

he doesnt ⸻ everything. hes really wasteful. he buys more food than he can eat, clothes he never wears, etc etc, hes terrible

what kind of shoes do they wear?

combat boots or just traditional sandals. the terrain around his house is mostly grass and flat boulders so he goes barefoot a lot ⸻ regular tennis shoes, nothin too fashionable bc he cant be bothered to keep up w/ trends, but usually clean n new. hiking boots when hes not w/ his regular friend group

do they believe in ghosts, aliens, and the occult in general?

really dont like how aliens are always grouped in w/ esoteric shit bc like, thats like asking if you believe in atoms honestly. no shit “aliens” exist thats like not up for debate. both iræ would agree w/ me here. 70s ira doesnt believe in like, Ghosts per se, but he has some vague concept of spirits that he got from his mother. he sees/feels them when hes half asleep. ⸻ 2010s ira doesnt believe in jack shit

which deadly sin do they most correspond to? which heavenly virtue?

nooo cardinal sins dont work that way theyre not hogwarts houses. its so much more complicated than that thats impossible

if you had to choose one tarot card to represent them, what would it be?

hmmm four of swords? knight of coins? eight of cups? this is hard ⸻ seven of swords? nine of cups? the devil? i dont know

what do they consider to be their best quality? what actually is their best quality?

his strength, which is really just his callousness and lack of convictions. and uh. i guess his independence ⸻ same here for the first part. and. maybe his loyalty? i dont consider loyalty a good thing personally idk

what do they consider to be their worst quality? what actually is their worst quality?

his lack of social skills maybe? he doesnt need them too often of course but like, the first time Narrator showed up at his doorstep he was genuinely nervous and that did fill him w/ some semblance of shame and in his eyes he should be good at everything, so like. that. really its his lack of conviction and his timidness/avoidance of the world ⸻ his dependence on others/lack of discipline. really its his lack of compassion, like, obviously

#ira #ricky pwease come online

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eggoreviews · 6 years

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Until Dawn Characters RANKED

I honestly love this game to death. When it came out a few years ago and I kind of bought it as a last minute game to speed through on new year’s eve, I didn’t realise how cool of a game it was going to be and how much fun you can get out of multiple playthroughs. Now that I know basically everything about the game, I really wish I could wipe that knowledge from my brain and play it fresh u feel. Anyway, the characters, despite their sometimes awkward, cringey dialogue, are one of the driving factors of the game so in this list, I’ll be ranking these strange teenagers in order of personal preference. Hope u don’t hate me for potentially roasting your fave!

Just to say, I genuinely think all these characters are well-written n everything, this list is literally who I like and who I don’t. Also, I won’t be including Hannah, Beth or the Stranger bc they get like 5 minutes of screentime and it wouldn’t be fair to compare them to the main eight.

Until Dawn spoilers under the cut!

8. Emily

I’m sorry, I literally cannot stand Emily. She spends pretty much the whole game being horrible to everyone (deliberately starting beef with Jess, literally cheating on my boi Matt), while only being truly nice to Matt when it serves her own interests. She strikes me as a very manipulative, bordering on abusive personality (making Matt feel like he’s in the wrong for questioning why she had to go back and talk to Sam at the start of the game and don’t even get me started on the whole ‘Emily is always right’ thing). So yeah, she’s an intelligent character and a capable survivor, but she’s pretty much just a downright terrible person and it took all of my willpower not to get her killed on purpose.

7. Jess

Just so you know, beyond this point, I actually like all of the characters. The thing about Jess is she isn’t an especially bad person and in a way I feel bad for her more than I do the others because she has no clue that Mike is cheating on her like at all. It’s just that she’s absent for a huge chunk of the game and you never truly get to know her, other than a very brief, heavy-handed look at her insecurities because, by the end of the game, you’ve either killed her in chapter 4 or she’s so weak from her massive fall at the end of the game that her character is completely gone because she’s like, half dead. So yeah, I don’t mind Jess, we just don’t spend enough time with her in game to form a connection.

6. Mike

Mike is probably the character you spend the most time playing as in total and is also pretty much the hardest to kill (even though I still managed to in my first playthrough). What I’m about to say kind of contradicts my immediate dislike for Mike over his asshole personality and the fact that he’s cheating on Jess, but he’s the only character in the whole game who I genuinely think has some character development. By the end of the game, you can tell he’s kind of a changed guy after going through all the shit that happened in the game. What kept him from climbing higher on this list was, despite the development, he still almost kills/actually does kill Emily later in the game. Like, I don’t like her either, but it was a lil rash to immediately threaten to kill her for not leaving the room.

5. Josh

This is a bit of a complex one for a lot of reasons and I wasn’t sure where to put him, so he’s been slapped in the middle. Personally, I don’t blame Josh for the events of the game. Sure, it was pretty messed up to even set that prank up in the first place, but by the end of the game, you know that Josh has a lot of psychological issues that were around even way before he lost both of his sisters and had just come off of his meds without taking the full course before everyone came back to the lodge. By the time everyone is aware of the Wendigos, Josh is a guilty, distraught shell of the guy he was when the game starts. The fact that the only two canon endings for his character were either death or getting Wendigo’d feels bitter to me, he deserved better than that. I’m not saying he’s innocent in this, but there’s a lot of factors that came with him orchestrating the prank, not to mention that he obviously had no idea his friends would actually die from a threat he didn’t know about at the time.

4. Ashley

Overall, I like Ashley. Throughout most of the game, she’s a helpful asset to the group who has good chemistry with most of the other characters, most notably Chris because they spend the most time together (even though I was way more banking on Chris and Josh being a thing, this game is very straight). But Ashley ranks higher than some others purely because she has an intriguing darker side to her character that you don’t quite expect at first, but almost makes her seem cruel. The fact that she immediately wants to kill Emily upon discovering her bite, as well as the fact that she can even passively kill Chris if you choose to ‘shoot’ her earlier in the game on her request, gives her character a more vengeful edge. With a game full of characters you’re already kind of aware aren’t the soft beans you want them to be, Ashley is a slow burner who makes the game much more interesting later on.

3. Chris

Chris strikes me as someone who is desperately trying to be funny to get the attention he craves from his friends. He’s a little insensitive at times and doesn’t seem to listen to people on occasion if they contradict what he already thinks to be true (basically any scene that mentions a ghost), but it’s easy to forget that Chris wasn’t even a part of the prank that got Hannah killed. He was passed out drunk with Josh (in fact, the game even forgets this at one point during his lil talk with Ashley in the old hotel). But overall, Chris tries his best to be a good friend to Josh and everyone else, even when they’re all going through a lot of trauma, and I respect him for that.

2. Sam

When I say that Mike is the only character who properly gets a development arc, I mean that in two ways; that the good people stay good and the bad people stay bad. Sam is one of the good ones. Throughout the whole game, start to finish, Sam is a resourceful, well-rounded character with a strong moral compass that seems absent among most of her friends. I don’t really have a hell of a lot more to say about Sam. She’s just great.

Honorable mentions:

Doggo

Dr. Hill (gonna be honest I totally forgot about him until I wrote this sentence but he’s a cool n weird character I guess)

1. Matt

Literally nothing can change my opinion that Matt is a soft perfect boi who takes a lot of shit from people (Emily especially). Okay he’s not literally perfect, he took part in the prank after all, but this guy is so relatable and down to earth and he’s the one I most want to whisk away from Until Dawn like no you don’t belong here, you don’t deserve this trauma u sweet boi. It annoys me how easy it is to kill him. (Also, special mention to that convo between him and Emily where he’s like ‘I’m trying to be all like, you know... sexy’ just reinforced in my mind how pure this boi is)

Thanks for readin my shitty list. Send in ur fave UD character if u got one. Also, if you feel like I got anything wrong about any of these characters, feel free to let me know.

Have a fun ol day.

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themikewheelers · 7 years

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Not counting the Snow Ball (which was literally the epilogue showing her date with Mike) El literally only had like 4 actual scenes with the other kids all season. There was the Mileven reunion, the reunion with Lucas and Dustin, her watching Will when he was passed out, and then her saying goodbye to Mike before leaving to close the gate. 4 whole scenes. Probably less than 10 minutes of screentime within these scenes, but somehow people are still getting mad that in these 4 scenes the Duffers didn't show El and Max becoming best friends forever or more development between El and Lucas or any of the billion other things I've seen people on this blue hellsite complain about. It's one thing to be disappointed that these things didn't happen, but can y'all just freaking shut up about how mad you are at the Duffers and how it's such bad writing or how the show is acting like El only cares about Mike or whatever. She doesn't. El loves all the boys and they all mean so much to her, she literally had a whole scene of her worrying about Will despite never even meeting him before. El cares about all the boys so much, but she is closest with Mike? Like that's just a fact I'm sorry like even if you don't ship Mileven you can't argue that El isnt closer with Mike than the other boys because that literally just isn't true. So of course when El gets a total of 4 scenes with the boys not including the epilogue, she's gonna spend the most time with Mike? What do you expect? Her to reunite with the boys and then immediately brush Mike off completely? Be like "Yeah sorry babe stop hugging me I gotta go hug my other friends first"? Within the actual plot of season two, El has less than 10 minutes with the boys, why are y'all acting like the fact that El spent more time with Mike (her canonical love interest who is also the person she's closest to) means she doesn't care about the others? She legitimately just didn't have the time to spend with them. That's not bad writing or whatever, it's literally just what happened. She was BARELY with the boys, she had practically no time with them, but now y'all are getting mad that her relationships with all of them didn't develop???? During what time should that have happened???? There was no chance for it??? I know we all wanted to see El meet Will, or see her get closer with Lucas, and all that stuff, but there was literally just no time for it to happen. Yeah, that sucks, but that's just how things worked out. It's not bad writing or the Duffers purposely leaving it out, there just literally was no time for it to happen, I don't know what y'all expect. Where in the less than 10 minutes she was with the boys do y'all think this should have happened?

And don't even get me started on the Max thing. I get it, I want El and Max to become friends too, but can y'all just stop already complaining soooo much about how awful it is that they didn't become bffs and El was jealous of her or whatever, because it's literally realistic? El being jealous was very, very realistic given her circumstances and you don't have to like that fact, but it is true. She wasn't jealous because she thought Max was gonna "steal Mike" or whatever petty reason y'all are reducing it to. She was jealous because she's been gone for a year and in that year her friends met someone new and it's like they're moving on and replacing her, and finding out about Max is just adding to her frustration with being stuck in the cabin cause she feels like the boys are moving on from her now. It makes total sense that El was jealous and upset. That doesn't mean it was okay for El to flip Max off her skateboard, but she was upset and made a bad decision and made a mistake. We've all done it before. It doesn't mean El and Max are ENEMIES now. El is a complex character and jealousy is not a very pretty emotion and now you're all getting mad because El displayed the ugly side of it. Being a complex character means you're gonna have to get used to seeing those not-so-pretty emotions too because everybody has them and they're HUMAN. El is not perfect, she's human, and she makes mistakes. Everything that happened with her being jealous was completely and totally realistic given the circumstances. It makes sense why El felt that way, and then she reacted badly and made a mistake. It doesn't mean the two of them are enemies now. I'm gonna keep repeating this because it really needs to be emphasized, El and Max are NOT enemies in the show, they weren't written that way at all. They haven't even known each other long enough to become enemies. There was no time for anything to happen between them, for them to become enemies or best friends or anything in between. I'd really like if people stopped acting like El and Max were written to be enemies in s2 bc that's just not true.

And moving on, El is not someone who trusts people easily, so why are y'all getting mad that she didn't trust Max immediately? I feel like I shouldn't even have to explain this one but come on, El is a literal abuse survivor who has a very hard time trusting people, and given everything going on with her right now, trusting the wrong person could end very, very badly for her. Why are y'all seriously getting so mad that she didn't trust Max immediately after meeting her?

Everything that happened between El and Max is realistic. And that doesn't mean it's happy or perfect or anything, it's realistic and realistic isn't always what we want to happen and it's not always pretty. El and Max aren't enemies alright. Stop acting like that's how they were written in season two cause it's just not true. If anything they're basically still strangers, cause they BARELY met. El and Max aren't enemies, but they haven't become friends yet either. And that's not to say they'll never become friends or anything, but again, they literally just DID NOT HAVE A CHANCE to form a friendship. El was only around Max for less than ten minutes within the actual story (not counting the Snow Ball, again) and in those 4 scenes who should she be more focused on? Her best friends she hasn't seen in a year, or the stranger she just met (and is jealous of)? Of course in the very limited time El had with the other kids, she was more focused on her existing best friends than on making new friends. I get it, y'all want Max and El to be friends already, but can you just stop already going on and on and on about how the Duffers are such bad writers and how it made no sense and how they're acting like El and Max are enemies or whatever cause that's just not true. Tell me, when the hell was El supposed to have an opportunity to become friends with Max? When was that supposed to happen? There literally just wasn't time for it to happen. El was with the kids for a very brief period of time before she was off again. She didn't have the opportunity to make a new bff or trust someone new or anything. If El and Max DID become best friends immediately in the show, THAT would have been bad writing because it would have been unrealistic with both of their characters and it would have been super rushed. You don't have to like that they didn't become friends, but actually acknowledge that there was no chance for them to and stop going on and on about how horrible s2 is for not showing it. They don't hate each other, it's not promoting girl hate or anything, they just literally had no time to become friends and in the context of everything that was happening in season two, it MAKES SENSE that El didn't immediately like or trust Max, and that she was jealous of her.

To conclude: El literally had no time with the other kids in s2 whatsoever and it's one thing to be disappointed that certain stuff didn't happen, but the reason those things didn't happen is because there was literally no time for them to and there were no opportunities. Stop saying how awful s2 is or how bad the writing is or ranting about the Duffers, because all that happened with El and the other kids is actually extremely realistic given the context of everything that was happening. She had very limited time with them and in that limited time the way she acted was what's actually realistic given her character and the relationships she has with the other characters, and there was literally just no time for any extra stuff like befriending Max or meeting Will or getting closer with Lucas to even happen. Be disappointed that this stuff didn't happen, but acknowledge that the reason it didn't happen is because there was literally just no time for it. It's as simple as that. Stop ranting about how awful s2 is and how it's got such bad writing just because there was no time for El to do certain stuff that would take a lot of time to do. It would take a lot of time for El to trust Max and to form a close friendship with her. It would take a lot of time for El's relationships with each of the boys to develop more. It would take a lot of time for El to actually meet Will and become close to him. There were just no opportunities for this sort of stuff to happen within the context of season two, that's not bad writing. Thank you for coming to my TedTalk

#stranger things #el hopper #IM SORRY FOR THE LONG RANT #JUST HAD TO GET ALL THIS OUT

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surveys-at-your-service · 7 years

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Survey #80

oh wow, sorry for the inactivity ya’ll. been busy with moving and no internet...

is your hair damaged? no, it's very healthy, actually. people love my hair, makes me feel amazing tbh ;;u;; who was the last person you threw out of your life? um idk really. i rarely throw people out... i believe in fixing relationships. most, realistically, are salvageable. how many hours did you sleep last night? like... none. e_e has someone disappointed you recently? yes. a friend was acting rather immature last night. do you prefer hot or cold weather? COLD COLD COLD are you afraid of roller coasters? yup. are you shy? VERY!!! do you hate it when you go over to someone’s house and do absolutely nothing? no, so long i have my phone or laptop. what color is the hair of the last person you kissed? black does the last person you kissed wear glasses? nope you’re on your way home from a night out, and you’re sure someone is following you. what do you do? drive to the nearest police station. what colors of mascara have you worn on your lashes? only black what color ARE your lashes? black what font do you usually use? a small version of arial or garamond. do you put gel or mousse in your hair? i do not. ever used to have an imaginary friend? no actually. ever used a dreamcatcher? if so, did it work? nope. ever took ballet, jazz, or tap dancing classes? jazz, hip hop, clogging, modern... wear a specific necklace every day? i do not. are you an affectionate person? very. what is something you are proud of? graduating in the highest tier of my graduating class. time of day you were born? 11:20 A.M., i think. are you a boy or girl? girl how do you want to die? idk, really. some pretty painless way. ever made out in the bathroom? no. are you scared of spiders? most. do you have piercings? how many? yes, two in each earlobe. i've HAD many more, buuut... long story. want any more? yep. labret on lip, snake eyes on tongue, right side of nose, more on my ears... have you ever been on a horse? i have. have you made a boyfriend/girlfriend cry? i have, much to my dismay. do you believe your most recent ex thinks about you? doubt it. ever been to alaska? i wish! what’s your zodiac sign? aquarius do you like subway? ye what is your least favorite color? brown or like, puke green. do you like to read? not anymore, no. what’s something you’re really passionate about? m e e r k a t s ! ! ! ever been bitten by a snake? nope a spider? not to my knowledge ever had a job? if so, what and for how long? two, yes. gamestop sales clerk for like a month. dollar general cashier for legit four days lmao. ever won yourself a stuffed animal? sure ever had someone else win you a stuffed animal? i think. do you like lollipops or suckers? yeah, sure. favorite fruit? strawberries favorite vegetable? broccoli favorite meat? chicken do you drink energy drinks? nope. ever used crest white strip? no, but i'd like to. do you want to cut your hair? i need it trimmed. do you have any scars? shin and chin is your profile private? my facebook one? yes. what artist do you have the most songs for in your itunes/music library? ozzy osbourne or metallica what’s your blood type? a- do people ever say your name wrong? how do they say it? no. it's such a common name, so. which do you like better, biographies or autobiographies? autobiographies, imo. do you think that your parents give you a lot of freedom? even at 21, no. which do think is classier, black clothes or white clothes? black have you ever seen a ghost? explain: idk. i KNOW i've seen some inhuman entity walking on all fours once before, but idk if it was truly a "ghost" do you like oatmeal? eh, i'm picky. can't have too much milk, i'll tell ya that for sure. are any of your friends in a band? no. what is the worst food experience you’ve had? eating brussel sprouts omg never again do you know how to tap dance? i know how to clog. same thing, just different shoes for a different sound effect. what’s your favorite flavor of skittles? RED OMG when was the last time you used oil pastels? high school art class do you know who edward gein is? hmmmm... wasn't he some serial killer or even a satanist, something along those lines? name sounds familiar. think there's a character in the silent hill franchise in his name. if pot was finally legalized, what would you do? idk if it's legal in nc, but anyway, i still wouldn't do it. do you like sitting on the inside or outside of a restaurant booth? inside do you prefer an automatic or a manual transmission? automatic who is your favorite disney character? not sure, maybe mufasa. if you’re staying home all day, do you bother getting changed or do you just stay in your pajamas? stay in pajamas. if you don’t drive - how come? if you do - how old were you when you got your license? i have my permit, but i don't drive much because of anxiety. i am a nervous wreck, and i'm not comfortable endangering other's lives. have you ever caught a tadpole? ye. (: what kind of dog would you get if you could choose any breed? right now, a chow chow. how often do you listen to rap? like never. do you have the boobs to work at hooters? boobs, maybe, but not the body. granted, i'm only a d because of my weight. when i wasn't overweight, i was a c. are you wearing a ring, if so who gave it to you? yes, and my mama. if someone of importance checked your profile, would you be embarrassed? what profile, my facebook? not really. has anyone ever told you “forever”? AND YET HE'S NOT HEEEEEREEEEE HAHAHAHAHAHAHA!!! :D which is harder - walking in the snow or sand? sand, omg. do you like sour candy? YEAH in one word, how would you describe your best friend? honest. is there a song that reminds you of your best friend? "friends" by... i think it's blake shelton? she's established that's "our song," which i think is so cute. ;w; what's annoying you right now? even just a little bit counts. okay so a friend from high school was talking to me via facebook last night, and he just... did something that REALLY got under my skin. first let my say that in high school, he admitted to liking me. i liked him as a friend; i hadn't known him long enough to really establish an "i like-like you" attitude yet. well, we drifted apart, not that there was ever anything much holding us together. anyway, he and i were messaging each other for a very short period of time when he asked me if i was seeing anybody, said no, then he asked if i liked him, and i was just like... uhhhh... no??? bc i haven't seen him since high school??? sooo tell me how i would have any valid feelings??? and more importantly, tell me how he'd have valid feelings for ME after so long??? idk, it just honestly pissed me off because it made me feel like he was after an easy piece of meat with no emotional connection. he hasn't messaged me back yet, and i, frankly, don't care if he does or doesn't. have you ever painted a car? no are you gonna buy lottery tickets when you’re old enough? no. the worth isn't there, imo. have you ever been into a real cave? oh, i wish!! have you ever posted mean comments on youtube? oh i can say with certainty i have as a pre-teen. i was an obnoxious lil shit when i first started actively using the internet. what was the main subject of your last telephone conversation? i was telling mom i was throwing up, so my anxiety was bad. have you ever kissed someone who has previously kissed someone you hated? yup. what exactly did you drink the last time you were intoxicated? mike's hard, i think. do you think the next person you kiss will be a better kisser than the last person you kissed? impossible. is your all-time favorite television show still on air? i wish, but no. are looks important in a relationship? very!! very!! slightly!!!! i believe emotional chemistry is incalcuably more important, but simultaneously, having a physical attraction to your partner is something that increases your connection. i used to not believe this and you probably don't either, but ponder over it for a while. it does hold slight weight. do you believe in love at first sight? absolutely not, it's rubbish to believe you can "love" somebody just by fucking looking at them. the idea is laughable. do you ever want to get married? i do. do you shower every day? no, that's horrible for your skin. i shower every two days. have you ever experienced unrequited love? yes and tbh i'd rather die have you ever written a song or poem for someone? poems, yes. what’s the most superficial characteristic you look for? i don't actively look for it, but hmmm... i'd say decent/healthy teeth. who are five people you find attractive? 1.) link neal is actually daddy; 2.) jason/my ex; 3.) adam levine ain't bad; 4.) chris hemsworth; 5.) oh my actual god i almost forgot mark fischbach/markiplier what's your profile picture? i'mma cover for... almost everywhere. this tumblr: me; main tumblr: link neal; facebook: me; km rpg: rhett mclaughlin laughing; deviantart: my oc what's your dad's name? kenneth, but everyone just calls him "ken" do you still have feelings for an ex? very strong ones do you like the rain? ye!! what is your favorite fruit flavor? strawberry which two friends can you see together as a couple? idk, i don't really "ship" my friends what was the happiest moment in your life? dancing to "stairway to heaven" with jason on prom night, in my front yard, in the headlights of his old truck. would you be brave enough to spend an entire hour alone in a cemetery? yeah. got a phobia you want to share? whale sharks. lmao. how many places have you traveled to? name them. new york, michigan, florida, ohio, tennessee, virginia... who are the 3 greatest living musicians? oh god. errr ozzy osbourne, otep shamaya, james hetfield. what’s the most beautiful place you’ve ever been? michigan do you feel like a leader or a follower? i'm a follower, usually. if you had to live in a different state, what would it be? utah would you rather win an olympic medal, an academy award or the nobel peace prize? nobel peace prize what is the scariest movie you’ve ever seen? "the rite" scared me ONLY bc i am horrified by the idea of being raped by a demon, nevermind satan what is your favorite thing about the beach? the shells and starfish! what’s the worst thing you did as a kid? i hit my little sister multiple times would you ever donate blood? i have before, but idk if i would again. it was so stress-inducing. do you wear hats? no. have you ever seen your best friend cry? i have. have you ever been a vegetarian? nope. do you find lube pointless for regular old intercourse (not anal)? yeah, honestly. if you're technically turned on, your body pretty much takes care of it? which sex position would you find more awkward: anal or some really crazy vaginal intercourse position (check wikipedia if you can’t think of any crazy ones)? anal will always be weirder to me. do you ever wear temporary tattoos as an accessory? no. when was the last time you had a panic attack? two nights ago what’s your favorite color to wear? black. it's a flattering color. clay, crayons, markers, pastels, charcoal, or paint? pastels have you ever broken anything because you were mad? no are you ticklish? yup. why were you last hospitalized? i tried to kill myself. do you prefer baked potatoes or mashed potatoes? baked. mashed is gross. do you like bread sticks? omg you have no idea what state were you born in? north carolina have you ever been to an art gallery? sure. do you have the same political views as your parents? most, yes. what are you listening to? a jim gaffigan stand-up if you could make your lips bigger, would you? IF i could just snap my fingers and it's be that way, maybe. i'd have to look in the mirror again lol are you one to sneak food into movie theaters? sure am. what’s the funniest commercial? omg the sexy mr. clean one bc i CRY do you own any form of a gameboy? we have three. i think two are broken, though. what’s your favorite store in the mall? hottopic. have you ever seen a cat with blue eyes? ... yes? would you be embarrassed to buy pads/tampons/condoms? which one more? never bought condoms before, so i can't really say, but pads/tampons, nah man. periods are just a totally natural part of life for a woman, nothing to be embarrassed about. if you were looking for a new pair of shoes where would you go? hot topic is preferable what color is the computer/laptop you’re on? did you buy it yourself? it's black, but it has a pink zebraprint cover on it. and no, it's my older sister's technically, but now it's mom's. do you have a second home? not anymore. does the smell of cigarettes, weed and beer repulse you? all of them. the worst is weed though, oh my GOD it stinks. was the last person you kissed younger or older than you? two years older. how often do you drink monster? never. it's nasty. have you ever made totally pointless videos with your friends? you forgot to mention cringey. oh, the pre-teen years. do you own a nightgown? no. have you ever worn fishnets? for dance, probably. i'm not sure. is someone in your family affected by asperger’s? no. would you rather go out to eat or be eaten out? *CHOKES ON DRINK* do you always wear your seat belt? always! are there any diseases/health problems that run in your family? welp. here goes. high blood pressure, high cholesterol, diabetes, asthma, depression, bipolarity, cancer is in question, and i can guarantee i'm forgetting some... do you have asthma? no. my mother and grandmother do, though. last person to take off your pants, besides you? jason might you enjoy hanging out in the woods for day or two? so long i can bring my camera! do you have a bull ring through your nose? no. thought about it, though. do you and your dad get along? yep. can you see your purse right now? indeed. when you get colds, do you use nasal spray to help get your nose unstuffy? yes. i have allergies, so i sometimes use it even when i don't have a cold. do you actually like sneezing? ... does anyone? do you wear skirts a lot? i haven't worn a skirt in years. how many pairs of jeans do you think you have? i have no jeans. just yoga pants and sweatpants... are you one of those people who claim to live with no regrets? hell no. do you love your computer? yes ;-; do you shop mostly with your parents, your friends, or by yourself? with mom. do you like zombie movies? no particular opinion. what’s the grossest/worst thing you’ve ever seen in a public restroom? saw an old lady puke on the floor once when i was little. scarred me for life. x-what’s the worst relationship advice you’ve ever seen? this was never told to me, but to my mother: let your husband be your head/be very submissive to everything he wants. fuck that. have you ever volunteered in a hospital? if not, would you ever want to? no no no no no no no. have you ever had to give a pet away? cats, yes. did you play pretend a lot as a child? were there any recurring plots or themes? oh definitely. and i don't think so... has a teacher ever tried to teach you something that was undeniably wrong? oh, you mean like evolution? have you ever meditated? if so, did it do anything for you? not the whole "ooohhhmmm" deal, but yeah. it only stressed me out. are any of your favorite bands broken up or on hiatus right now? ozzy osbourne- probably metallica- no otep- no marilyn manson- i don't believe so rammstein- no cradle of filth- don't know a day to remember- no what kind of wild animals do you see most frequently where you live? besides birds, squirrels. occasionally a possum at night. do you have any physical photo albums? sure do. do your parents and grandparents get along with each other? dad loves his dad, mom loves her mom, but she pisses her off and offends her a lot. do you have a favorite hoodie? the one i'm wearing now! it's dark gray with pikachu sleeping on it and it says "current mood." :3 do you have a twitter? it exists, but i never, ever use it. is anyone in your family artistic? besides me, my cousin is. what do you want to do after high school? after high school, i went to a community college very briefly. quit. took a break. went to a university. quit. are you emo/gothic/punk? eh. would you date someone 20 years older than you? definitely not.

#survey #quiz #questions #asks #answered

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ciathyzareposts · 4 years

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Closing the Books on Crystalware

Crystalware was not the sort of company to let trademarks deter them, whether incorporating the Enterprise in their logo or marketing an unlicensed game called Imperial Walker.

A year ago, I’d never heard of Crystalware. Then, someone rediscovered their catalogue and uploaded all of its games to MobyGames and my year became in large part about the company. But let’s face it: none of its games are really RPGs. They have some RPG “elements” in some of the inventory selections and random approach to combat, but there isn’t a single one in which the character grows intrinsically from his experiences except for The Forgotten Island (1981), and that was a basic “power” statistic whose rapid growth made the game fundamentally too easy.

Most of Crystalware’s games instead occupy a strange subgenre that we might call “iconographic adventure.” Most adventure games are either all-text (Zork) or made up of graphically-composed scenes. Sometimes, the scenes offer a kind-of first-person perspective (Countdown, Timequest), and other times they feature the character in a kind of side-view perspective that I’ve taken to calling “studio view” (King’s Quest, Leisure Suit Larry). I’m sure there are adventure games with axonometric perspectives, although none come to mind. But something about a top-down iconographic interface screens “RPG!” even though there’s no reason adventure games couldn’t feature the same perspective. That’s really what Crystalware games are. They involve finding inventory items to solve puzzles and often escape a situation. Only a couple offer character attributes and none offer character development.

I’ve been gamely trying them anyway, but the last few have been giving me trouble, and I’m not going to continue wasting a bunch of effort for titles that aren’t RPGs in the first place. I’m going to reject or “NP” the rest and suggest that MobyGames, which also cites character development as the primary mechanism for RPGs, remove the RPG designation although keep “RPG elements” under its gameplay elements.

Crystalware’s catalog in late 1981.

As we’ve seen, Crystalware was a remarkably high-quantity (if not high-quality) company for its brief 1980-1982 existence. Within those three years, they developed and published the following titles, not all of which are even on MobyGames:

The House of Usher (1980)–also the name of the pop artist’s inevitable reality show–is a Gothic adventure based on the Poe story of the same name. I reviewed it in June 2019.

Labyrinth of the Minotaur (1980): Set on Crete. I haven’t been able to find much about the game, but it’s attested in their 1982 catalogue.

Sumer 4000 BC (1980): A text simulator in which you’re the King of Sumeria, trying to manage resources and make your empire survive another year.

Galactic Quest (1980): A space combat and trading simulator.

World War III (1980): A strategic wargame for two players, one fighting for Iran, the other Iraq.

Beneath the Pyramids (1980): An adventure game in which you explore some weird combination of the Sphinx and the Great Pyramid at Giza for an artifact. I reviewed it in June 2019.

Waterloo II (1981): A two-player wargame in the Napoleonic Era.

CompuGolf (1981): A golf simulation.

Imperial Walker (1981): An unlicensed action game in which an imperial walker commander tries to shoot down rebel craft. (I think it really says something about the company that they conceived of such a game and made the imperial the protagonist.)

Laser Wars (1981): An action game in which you defend a city from alien attackers.

The Sands of Mars (1981): An adventure game in the style of Oregon Trail, in which you assemble a crew, purchase supplies, and try to make it to Mars and back. This one was categorized as an RPG. I tried to play it but couldn’t get past a takeoff procedure that required the Apple II paddles. (Multiple sites say that AppleWin emulates paddles, but I’ll be damned if I can figure out how.) The manual doesn’t make it sound like it has RPG elements. It suggests that there are multiple phases of the game, each involving a different interface and style of gameplay.

As far as I can get in The Sands of Mars.

Forgotten Island (1981): An adventure game where you escape an island. It was renamed Escape from Vulcan’s Island when re-issued by Epyx. I reviewed it in October 2019.

Oregon Trail (1981): Some version of the classic.

Quest for Power (1981): An adventure game in which you try to prove your right to inherit Camelot from King Arthur. It was re-issued by Epyx as King Arthur’s Heir. I reviewed it in March 2020.

Protector (1981): An arcade game in which you fly a ship through caverns.

Fantasyland 2041 (1981): An epic multi-disk adventure game based on Fantasy Island. I reviewed it in October 2019.

Dragon Lair (1981 or 1982): As attested in this Hardcore Gaming 101 article, perhaps the first RPG in Japanese.

The Bermuda Experience (1982): An adventure game in which you have to navigate a ship around the Atlantic Ocean in several time periods. It is also known as Bermuda Triangle.

Treasure Island (1982): An adventure game in which you explore the Caribbean for map pieces.

The Crypt (1982): An adventure in which you must survive the night in a cemetery. This was also designated an RPG by MobyGames, and I tried to play it but ran into a bug where neither you nor an enemy ever dies in combat. Instead, the game happily takes you into the negative hit points as you pound away at each other round after round. Thus, the first combat you get stuck in ends the game. It otherwise had the same characteristics as other titles that I reviewed that weren’t really RPGs. It was re-released by Epyx as Crypt of the Undead.

Combat among crypts in The Crypt (1982).

Zardon (1982): An action game where you fly a ship, blow up enemy ships. This one was re-released by Avalon Hill after Crystalware folded.

The Haunted Palace (1982): An adventure game with RPG elements in which you try to solve a mystery. You can choose among characters who have RPG-like attributes but they never grow. It was re-released as The Nightmare by Epyx.

Clonus (1982): An adventure game in which you navigate the future as a clone with cyborg parts. A near-immediate Clonus II seems to be a re-release of the original rather than a true sequel.

They also released two compilations of simple games like Hangman and Tic-Tac-Toe for kids, a diet planner, a yoga instruction program, a garden simulator, and a program to help cat owners diagnose illnesses in their pets.

Almost all of the company’s games were written for the Apple II, Atari 8-bit, and TRS-80. The company principals, John and Patty Bell, contracted a team of programmers who sometimes wrote original games, sometimes spent their time porting games created by others. About half of them were created by the Bells themselves. Almost all the adventure games hinted at a deeper mystery beneath the surface of the game and offered a cash prize to whoever was the first to solve it.

By 1981, the company was putting out a quarterly newsletter.

With each game costing $39.95 and up, Crystalware must have been doing well even if they only sold modest amounts. But that’s nothing compared to the company’s plans. A company newsletter from late 1981 shows that future offerings would include Glamis Castle, a three-dimensional adventure game in which you could explore the famous Scottish landmark, an RPG based on Lord of the Rings called Wizard and Orcs, and an epic hub-and-module adventure called Galactic Expedition. Each module would sell for $29.95 and contain the ability to explore a different planet or moon.

Oh, but that isn’t nearly all. The company was planning to release a series of home-schooling programs based on the “Crystal Theory of Alternative Education” (CTAE). They were working with Universal Pictures to provide realistic computer program “props” for an upcoming film called The Genius (it seems to have never been filmed, although the associated producer, David Sosna, is a real person). They were working on the first “videodisk fantasy” for the PR-7820-2 Videodisc Player from Discovision. They were starting a “lonely hearts club.”

Best of all, Crystal Films was being born! They had a named producer, script supervisor, costume designer, and key grip on their masthead. They had three productions in the works: Haunted (a horror film), Fantasyland (based on the game), and Sarah, about the life of the eccentric Sarah Winchester, who built that sprawling monstrosity of a house in San Jose.

Apparently, Haunted was to be filmed in an actual haunted house, not just a set that they made appear haunted. I guess that’s one way to save on special effects.

The newsletter, in short, feels like it was dictated by someone in the middle of a manic episode, and what happened to Crystalware next suggests that it all came crashing back to Earth. I haven’t been able to find an official, comprehensive account of the company’s last days, but we can piece it together from evidence. First, I have an anecdotal report from a reader who owned a computer store in the area at the time, saying that Crystalware’s finances were essentially a giant house of cards and someone was destined to lose. To clarify, I don’t think the Bells were deliberately scamming anyone. One programmer I spoke to, Henry Ruddle, said that the company always paid him well and on time. Another, Mike Potter, has posted online that Bell fired him when he questioned his royalties, but did pay him and also gave him back the rights to one of the games he’d developed. The issue is more that they seem to have been leveraged beyond a sustainable debt.

We know that in 1982, Bell sold the rights to his games to Epyx, which re-published them, often under different names, with absurdly elaborate manuals. We see the company changing addresses several times in 1982 and finally abandoning “Crystalware” altogether and publishing the last few games under the name “U.F.O. Software.” As we’ll soon see, John Bell also seems to have (at least for a time) changed his own name.

Towards the end of its life, Crystalware briefly became U.F.O. Software.

John Bell is an enigmatic figure (although not as enigmatic as Patty, about whom I’ve been able to find nothing). He claims to have worked for Lockheed in 1966, which is hard to reconcile with the best candidate I can find, who was born in 1948. Even that candidate has used both “A” and “F” as his middle initial. Crystalware used several addresses in Morgan Hill and San Martin (both south along the 101 from San Jose) during its existence. I think the Bells first owned a computer store, Crystal Computers, in Sunnyvale or Gilroy, before they decided to get into software development and publishing.

I corresponded earlier this month with Henry Ruddle, a programmer who did most of the TRS-80 adaptations of the game. I had hoped he would confirm my suspicions that Bell was something of a lunatic, but the best he would offer is that he was “charismatic, loud, and very eccentric.”

John was very creative and could not stop thinking . . . or talking. [He] would tell wild stories about getting high on amphetamines or cocaine and staying up for three days cleaning his bathroom with a toothbrush . . . He often talked about his wild ambitions [like] a plan to create a virtual reality booth with 360 degree views projected on the walls using “laser cameras.”

Of Patty, Ruddle remembers that she was polite and very quiet, heavily into New Age philosophy and astrology.

There’s a long period of silence after the collapse of the company, but in the late 1990s, Bell, now using the name “J. B. Michaels,” started promising an upcoming game called Clonus 2049 A.D. It never materialized, but you can read about it–sort-of–on the Crystalware Defense and Nanotechnology Facebook page, where an “actress from Hollywood” has recorded the incomprehensible opening text. Yes, John Bell is still using the Crystalware name. His various LinkedIn profiles give him as the CEO of Crystalware, CrystalwareVR, Crystalware Defense and Nanotechnology, or just “CDN.” The address is listed in Charleston, West Virginia. On the various pages associated with Bell and these companies, we learn that James Cameron’s The Terminator was plagiarized from the original Clonus, that Bell had a heart attack in 2018, and that he’s working on a virtual reality game called World of Twine. I haven’t rated any of Crystalware’s games very high, and I was actively angry by the time I got to Quest for Power, but in retrospect I have to give the company credit for originality and a certain amount of sincerity. Most of Crystalware’s titles show no dependence on any previous game or series. Instead of generic high-fantasy settings, they went with unique, specific settings based on history or literature. Adding a “mystery” and cash prize to each title (even if I never really understood what they were going for) was an interesting touch, and letters to their newsletter (if authentic) suggest that they did pay. The thorough documentation that each game received, the manuals full of backstories and lore and quotes, the newsletter with so many promises, all suggest that the company was mostly unaware that it was a sausage factory. This was in the “dark age,” after all. Wizardry and Ultima were released in 1981 but hadn’t really made an impact yet. From the testimonies above, it’s easy to see John Bell as an Ed Woodish character, willing to wrap and print anything, in love with the process of creation that eclipsed his own abilities as a creator. But I suppose there are days when I’ll take that over auteurs so obsessed with quality that you end up waiting a decade between titles. Every genre needs its pulp.

source http://reposts.ciathyza.com/closing-the-books-on-crystalware/

#retro games #dos games #retro #crpg #adventure #amiga #oldcomputers #8bit #16bit #blog #repost

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