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peonypearls-muddled-musings · 3 years

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Main characters of PDatSK (more or less)

Dagney - Crown Princess of Olthandrynn (formerly Denmark), aged 14, patient and benevolent, she has chosen to add ambassador to her title of future queen; however, when old tempers flare from those who seek to harm her family, she must learn that peace isn’t always kind. (DoB: October 22nd)

Dargon - King of Olthandrynn, age unknown, former resident of Hell; The Seahorse King; Dargon is a man who thinks little of himself, but everything about his family and friends. He is wise, but admits his intelligence lacks due to years of just getting by on his own and having no formal education. (DoB unknown; chosen DoB April 7th)

Gwinletta - Queen of Olthandrynn, aged 47, former queen of Aubrelle (formerly southern France). Gwin lived a lonely childhood, something she promised no child of hers would ever face. She is a woman of resolve and determination, warm and jovial when she’s not overthinking. (DoB: July 29th)

Bensith - Prince of Olthandrynn, aged 9, Dagney’s witty, dry humored little brother is her best friend and confidant. A musical prodigy, Bensith prefers to stay indoors while his sisters enjoy running about in the fields; but often finds himself lonely, although he won’t admit it. (DoB: January 1st)

Miske - The youngest (soon to be second youngest) Olthandriann heir at age 4, Miske was born during a tornado warning, but many jest she was actually the tornado. A whirlwind of tulle and mud, Miske’s only priorities are her own whims, which can change by the second. (DoB: March 11th)

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Rinwey - The king of Gelleshire (formerly Wales), aged 55, Rinwey is spiteful, intelligent, and cold; but a doting husband and father. He won’t be fully content until the world is rid of Shapeshifters, and he is proud that his father’s side of the family has been guarding the Gates of Hell for generations. (DoB: October 23rd)

Pellnique - Queen of Gelleshire, aged 42. Pellnique put Rinwey in his place once, and it immediately had an impact on his stone hearted nature. They were wed within the year, and have only become closer over the past two decades. Sporty and charming, Pellnique is often the more sociable when she and her spouse are traveling. (DoB February 14th)

Colme - Twin of Olerqus, aged 17, the crown prince of Gelleshire is quiet, focused, and steely, although he is not cold and brash like Rinwey. While he will continue his father’s tradition of being a technological scientist, it’s been rumored that Colme may discontinue Shapeshifter hunts due to his very obvious disdain for them; but Rinwey will not comment on the possibility when asked about it; as it’s obviously not something he wants to think about. This has put a strain on the father and son’s relationship despite how well they often work together. (DoB: June 12th

Olerqus - The second in line for Gelleshire’s crown, aged 17, Olerqus is very much his mother’s son. Sociable, comedic, and light hearted, Olerqus is the first artist in his family for quite some years, not only creating his own pieces, but learning how to restore art from the years before the Shapeshifters’ rule. He is his brother’s other half, as their differences only strengthen each other. (DoB: June 12th)

Vuniper - the only princess of Gelleshire, aged 13, Vuniper is a well meaning spark of energy who looks up to her brothers and parents, although sometimes she may come off as disrespectful due to her spontaneity and eagerness. She is, however, worried about the fact that she is facing her Vocation choice soon, and she’s fighting to find what she wants to do. (DoB: August 14th)

Hadleinn - The youngest Gelleshire royal, aged 8, Hadleinn was born nearly 3 months premature, and has grown up with all of his parents’ precautions. He is pampered and loved, and often the most spoiled of the children. However, he’s been known to use this to spoil his own siblings at times, sneaking them treats when they’re supposed to be studying. (DoB: November 30th)

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Grennt - King of Karntherin (formerly Greece), aged 43. Grennt is a tender-hearted man who values his loved ones. Currently married to his husband, Veluthe, Grennt is still friends with his ex-wife, Desta, with whom he welcomed his firstborne, Prince Branndt. Grennt is also on good terms with Desta’s husband, Bardeth. Grennt was Dargon’s first true ally, the two of them finding common ground during the Usurper War when it came to forging friendships, and they have been steadfast friends for some twenty years. (DoB: April 1st)

Veluthe - Former Captain of the Guard of Culpernathe (formerly Norway), a 53 year old trans man, Veluthe is a decorated warrior who is still held in high esteem with those who have served with him. Reserved and wry, but supportive and welcoming, Veluthe never imagined that retirement to Karntherin would land him in the eyes of the king. After an intimate courtship, Veluthe accepted Grennt’s proposal of marriage, and three years later, after much planning, they welcomed their daughter, Olympia. Veluthe is often called ‘the shoulder’, as when there’s strife, he’s often there to help alleviate that pain with a hug and as much support as he can offer. (DoB: September 19th)

Branndt - the 20 year old crown prince of Karntherin, Branndt is a beaming, sociable young man. At nearly 6′5′’, Branndt towers above all of his parents. He has a close relationship with his father, who he has lived with since his parents’ divorce, and played an integral part in convincing Grennt to ask Veluthe on a date. Branndt loves and respects his mother, who he always looks forward to seeing, and he communicates with her, his stepfather, and his little brothers regularly. (DoB: May 27th)

Olympia - the 5 year old princess of Karntherin, Olympia is quiet, but excitable. Her favorite method of transportation is sitting on top of her big brother’s shoulders. (Dob: December 21st)

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Desta - The 43 year old Queen of Takev (formerly Morocco), Desta hails from Kivne (which was once Egypt), where her older sister rules. Desta met Grennt during a social event when they were both 19, and the two clicked immediately. Enamored and romantic, the two married quickly, and welcomed their son Branndt by the time they were 23. However, after several more years, they realized they were growing apart. In order to preserve their friendship, they divorced amicably. Desta is the definition of a queen; regal, fair, and hard working. She would soon meet and marry her now-husband, Bardeth, and welcome two more sons. (DoB: November 13th)

Bardeth - the 47 year old King of Takev, Bardeth is a gentle soul. A medicine man at heart, Bardeth values science, nature and humanity. He has met much of his extended family before during wartime, having aided Grennt in patching up warriors, and meeting Veluthe after a grenade explosion caused the amputation of his lower leg, which led to his early retirement. Bardeth also met Dargon during the Usurper War, and the two often shared a quiet campfire as they decompressed from the stressors of war. Bardeth adores his wife, and is proud of his two boys, even if at times they’re a bit too rambunctious for him to handle. (DoB: June 1st)

Mig’Hail - the 7 year old crown prince of Takev, Mig’Hail is contemplative, but often uses that for a bit of mischief with his younger brother. Regardless, Mig’Hail is a friendly boy, and often just needs an outlet to talk about his favorite things with. (DoB: August 7th)

Coloye - the 6 year old prince of Takev, Coloye is his big brother’s shadow, often following him around wherever he goes; except when it has to do with his royal lessons, then the little prince is often finding his parents to see if they’re up to anything exciting (spoiler alert, they’re not) (DoB: July 7th)

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Thanoelle - the 73 year old queen of Kluyagal (which sits in the territory once known as southern California) and older half sister of Rinwey, Thanoelle is proud to call herself one of the gatekeepers of Hell. Following in her father’s footsteps, she performs monthly purges without mercy, She remains in excellent health, even as a new great-grandmother. She is maternal to her family, but to a Shapeshifter, she acts as the grim reaper. (DoB June 20th)

#PDatSK #writeblr #original story

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pestopascal · 3 years

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While I will absolutely agree that CB2077 isn’t the ONLY game doing all this bullshit, or that other AAA studios don’t deserve the flack CDPR is getting, I have to say that this is absolutely the perfect storm and I think people are FINALLY seeing the problems in modern AAA gaming. CB2077 might be fun to play, may have a good story, but it’s almost impossible to see because of the glaring issues. Which, honestly, is a good thing. I hope games change after this.

under here

AAA studios have been like this and this sort of release has been completely normalised on all accounts by both the businesses themselves and fans because of the inherent reliance on modders (bethesda at the forefront of this), as well as the pushback every time companies actually go ‘uh we need a lil more time’ (although... they just shouldnt announce potential release dates, im even of the camp they shouldnt even start releasing the game until like 6 months out from their official date because they fuck it up every time. borderlands 3 being the only game i know of being in “secret” development and then announcing itself in march for a september release. game itself aside, thats how companies should do it). easily i can remember a lot of 2011 release games which have had the exact same issues as cp77′s release, and then every other game in between since. very rarely do you actually have a game that isn’t a fucked up mess of a pile of pixels. and it is always the customisable character ones that are honestly, genuinely, ugly looking at release. but you can definitely say its been happening looooooong before 2011, with unrealistic expectations, word limits, 11 month time frames, offloading sequels to smaller companies so they can suffer if it fails, etc etc. the entire system has been like this for so long... they dont know any real different nowadays.

i mean look. tlou2 released under crunch conditions this year, and was rewarded. it was ALL over the social media feeds, it was quite the controversy because, surprise surprise, the company promised they wouldnt do it uwu and then. bam ! crunch conditions. literally around that time too, bioware employees came out with a statement saying ‘man we wish dai FAILED so that back in 2014 we couldve proven crunch was a wrong practice’. they say this as well after having to produce da2 in 14 months, which just suffered from fans and journalism for reusing environments, because it was produced in 14 months, and honestly? no one pointed that out back then, bioware themselves pointed it out again this year, 6 years after release, that that game was produced in 14 months. rdr2′s release was hounded by stories of crunch, and they all disappeared into the night because... it was heralded as the best game of all time. that was 2018, 2 years ago.

i think too is that some people get kind of ... morally and ethically concerned. which is understandable. can you consume something when you know it was made under conditions like crunch? and i think one of the most confronting things about it is that 9/10, not only has your favourite company engaged in crunch conditions, they almost actively choose to continue with them. and then that’s a whole other bag of issues blown up over there when it comes to what is able to be consumed what isn’t etc etc

i think also like a mix of marketing, promises and then the expectations of what the game will be like have really had cdpr earn the ire of fans which is just like... you don’t believe what these companies are saying. you never should, esp when it’s their ceo’s saying it who don’t work on the actual floor. bioware itself is the main culprit of doing this to the point they finally came around with all the da4 concept art and teasing to be like ‘ummm but actually dont get invested?’. remember all that qunari lady fanart that bioware management was like ... please dont get attached? yeah. yeah. like at what point as well is there going to be heavy level of apprehension to approach this? and i can’t really talk either, i cracked open the door for mass effect again. i know exactly what kind of shit bioware will pull, i know they are teasing it already on social media, but mass effect is my ride or die series. that’s why people keep opening the door on letting these companies get away with it. and you can’t fault fans entirely either because this is down to a science of how to get money. i mean, fuck, mass effect andromeda’s entire advertising campaign HINGED on the n7 logo. for the nostalgia value. and i see text posts in the same vein of both ‘guys, disney isnt gonna fuck you if you consume every remake for nostalgia value’ and ‘its understandable why people do it’.

so then you have to go ‘well are fans as just to blame’ and then that’s a whole other argument.

i think also like. i personally havent run into aaaannnyyyyyyy of the issues that you see posted online. which is ironic bc 1) i play on ps4 and 2) its an old dusty ps4. in fact a lot of ppl i have spoken to who have had issues have played on pc. does this mean the glitches dont exist? ofc not, the vids and screenshots are right there. but like... ive had a basically unhindered experience so far, and i get where ppl are coming from (i do, i promise) where theyve basically found the game unplayable. is there also a standard of what ppl consider unplayable because ive played most AAA games at launch when they basically rushed to slap the box label on the game and called it a day until they work on patches. when ppl consider unplayable is also just... different per person. some people have a slight blur on the screen when turning too fast even in an MMO and decide the game is horrible and unplayable. some people can have broken quests and npcs not loading and falling through maps and still be fine. there’s no agreed statement of what makes a game unplayable either, which is why you read threads on twitter and someone goes ‘yeah this npc t-posed so i quit in the first hour’ with a dozen replies. everyone has different levels of it.

it’s a mixed bag of issues. im not excusing cdpr, but the ppl who worked on the game are honestly likely not the ones who pushed for a release. you’ve gotta look at sony and microsoft and ceo’s with bonuses coming up and the investors and shareholders and people who sit behind computers and read numbers detailing interest and demand and supply and how every single time they had to delay this game, the loudest (but smallest) bunch of assholes on like reddit and in the twitter threads complained that it was delayed AGAIN even though back in what 2015? they said it’ll come out when it’s ready. and yeah there are times when game delays result in a mismatched half assed sort of story (kh3... p5... ffxv... dai...) and then there are times when, if they need to delay the game... they probably need to delay the game. sometimes delays are bad sometimes theyre good sometimes you are sitting there like whew if you only didn’t try to be like THIS TIME this is the release date.

the ONLY WAY this will stop happening is, quite frankly, unionising. and everyone is allergic to that whole concept so like... this is “the perfect storm” as you put it. but it’s also not. people have been so disappointed over the last 2 years alone for gaming companies, the final product, the attitudes from higher ups, that i think cdpr is receiving a good few years worth of anger. i think theyre also on the receiving end of misdirection from american fans who still don’t fucking get the company isn’t american, because that’s another bag of issues as well. like we’re holding at least 8 bags of groceries out of the back of the car now, and we don’t want to take another trip, because there are so many little bits of this entire situation to look at. there’s so much back and forth.

i think the worst, but most realistic thing is: games won’t change. how they will social media wise will. maybe. assuming bioware gets their heads out their asses but... they’re going to be a lot more careful. i mean, hell, sony offered refunds. that was just a publicity stint. they dont give a fuck if the game was bad. as i said before, if they did, they would make all companies fix trophy problems, starting from like 2010 or whenever the trophy system first came out. they just don’t wanna fall in alongside cdpr being thrown on its sword. but the companies are gonna learn from this, get smarter, still do the same shit to their employees, still pay off journalists, still do media blackouts, etc etc. and we’re gonna be here in another year’s time, with another game, having these same roundabout arguments, and cp77′s issues are gonna fade into just a wikipedia article.

#replies #this got long so i threw it under a cut #i just like wrote as i was thinking too in between ovw sry lol #Anonymous

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lastsonlost · 4 years

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Oh gasps, I'm shocked.

Who would have thunk it?

The story:

Updated with Sunday figures:��In the wake of Terminator: Dark Fate’s failure at the B.O., and Paramount’s recent decision to make Beverly Cops 4 for Netflix, we have the further breakdown of cinema IP in Sony’s Charlie’s Angels reboot, which is tanking with a God-awful $8.6M domestic opening, $27.9M worldwide (from 26 markets), 3 Stars on Screen Engine-Comscore’s PostTrak, and a B+ Cinemascore.

The Elizabeth Banks-directed-written and produced pic is also opening in 27 offshore markets,

China being one where it’s also bombing,

with a $7.8M 3-day take in third place behind No. 1 local title Somewhere Winter ($13.1M).

All of this is primed to further spur a WTF reaction and anxiety among film development executives in town in regards to what the hell exactly works in this have-and-have-not era of the theatrical marketplace. Many will make the hasty generalization that old, dusty IP doesn’t work, or is now deemed too risky when it’s not a superhero project. However, moviemaking is an art, not a science, and annoying as it might sound, good movies float to the top, and this Charlie’s Angels reboot didn’t have the goods going back to its script.

<Maybe somebody should have been working on a good story instead of pushing an agenda.

We’re going to break down for you what went wrong in another graph, but we don’t want to bury the success of Disney’s release of Fox’s James Mangold-directed Ford v Ferrari, which looks to be coming in at $31.5M, well ahead of the $20M+ many were seeing, with an awesome A+ CinemaScore and 4 1/2 stars and a 68% definite recommend on Screen Engine/Comscore’s PostTrak. After a franchise-laden summer which buried originals, now an original pic is sticking it to the IP.

When it comes to the bombing of Charlie’s Angels, the takeaway is this is what happens when you have IP, but there’s no reason for telling the story.

In the walk-up to developing Jumanji: Welcome to the Jungle, and in the wake of its near $1 billion success, a fever broke out at the Culver City lot in the post-Amy Pascal era to reboot former Sony franchises or extend them, i.e. Zombieland: Double Tap (well over $103M at the global B.O. now), the upcoming Bad Boys 3, and, of course, Spider-Man, the latter electrified by Disney’s Marvel. Development studio executives define their being by getting films greenlit, and whenever that happens, it’s 90% of the job.

And the pressure is on to fill a 10-12 picture annual slate in a world where Disney vacuums up all the best IP. A third Charlie’s Angels with McG directing and Drew Barrymore, Cameron Diaz and Lucy Liu starring, wasn’t made immediately after the second chapter, 2003’s Full Throttle, as the sequel turned out to be 29% more expensive than the 2000 original at $120M, and also made less worldwide, $259.1M to $264.1M. With Elizabeth Banks coming off her hot feature directorial debut with Universal’s Pitch Perfect 2 (which over-indexed in its stateside opening at the B.O., going from $50M projections to $69.2M, and finaled global at $287.1M); after she expressed interest in September 2015 in taking on a Charlie’s Angels reboot with a modern feminist spin, there was no question in Sony’s mind that the project should move forward.

<Yeah Sony, how's that working out for you? You think they would have learned their lesson...

Guess not.

Back to the story.....

However, there were script problems, I hear, that could never be resolved. A few months after Banks boarded, Evan Spiliotopoulos came on to write. By the time cast was assembled in July 2018, Banks had penned the latest draft off a script by Jay Basu (The Girl in the Spider’s Web), and earlier drafts by Craig Mazin and Semi Chellas. Andrea Giannetti oversaw the project on the lot. However, I hear that the script for Charlie’s Angels didn’t really attract top talent, i.e. Jennifer Lawrence, Emma Stone and Margot Robbie (a trio that would have potentially jazzed up business). Hence, why the production opted to go with largely a fresh face cast outside of Kristen Stewart. While we overwrite that stars mean nothing at the box office, they do, sometimes, when it comes to propping IP, and unfortunately and arguably, no one in Middle America knows who British actress Ella Balinska is, and they’ve only became recently acquainted with Naomi Scott from Disney’s Aladdin and Lionsgate’s Power Rangers. Stewart, who is hysterical in the movie and even needed more funny bits, is in a different place in her career professionally, publicly, and privately. It’s unfair to think that she could delver her Twilight fans now.

Had she done Charlie’s Angels promptly in the swell of the Twilight whirlwind (like Snow White and the Huntsmen) then maybe it would have popped.

But she has largely been dormant from popcorn wide releases for the last seven years since 2012’s Twilight: Breaking Dawn – Part 2, busy excelling and wowing in specialty awards season and festival fare like Clouds of Sils Maria, Still Alice, and this year’s Seberg, to name a few. Stewart needed to be paired with equal or bigger-name actresses.

was a one quadrant movie, eyed at women 13-39, especially given its lack of action scenes, and wisely limited their exposure to what I hear is 50%, with co-finance partners 2.0 Entertainment and Perfect World. Sony claims the budget is $48M net; we’ve heard in the mid $50Ms. Tax incentives were taken in the pic’s Berlin and Hamburg shoots. Perhaps Sony should have spent more, because Charlie’s Angels biggest problem is that it has very low-octane, we’ve-seen-it-all-before action scenes. Heck, there’s more action in a 1980s Chuck Norris movie. After watching Charlie’s Angels earlier this week, I put the first two McG movies on Netflix, and it was like watching Star Wars in comparison to this reboot, with his sharp production design, camera movements, unique action, and comedy set pieces, and, of course, the first movie blasted Sam Rockwell out of a cannon. Understand that the first two movies in the series were able to compete and hold their own in an action space where, yes, Mission: Impossible and Fast & Furious (the first two films came out in 2001 and 2003) also thrived. Mission and Fast sequels distinguish themselves on multiple 10-minute action sequences that we’ve never seen before on screen; it doesn’t matter who the villain is. This Charlie’s Angels doesn’t have that. And not even a super-duper hit song “Don’t Call Me Angel” for the movie from Ariana Grande, Miley Cyrus, and Lana Del Ray can trigger lines at the multiplex; the music video clocking over 116M views on YouTube, per entertainment social media monitor RelishMix.

Some will claim that Banks’ version was never intended to emulate the meat and potatoes version of McG’s films; that this version was expected to be more comedic, and more feminist. Unfortunately, after McG set the table here with the franchise as an action film, you can’t reverse it. You can only outdo him. And with a franchise movie like Charlie’s Angels, you can’t make it for a one quadrant audience.

The film arrived on tracking with a $12M-$13M start, and really never budged, but sank. That means marketing didn’t work. I heard that a $100M global P&A was first planned on Charlie’s Angels, with the studio now reducing that overall cost greatly to around $50M and pulling back on expensive ads. Another hurdle in activating the young girl demo is that much of the pic’s cast isn’t on social media. RelishMix says that Banks is the social media star with over 6.6M followers across Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram, with Scott counting 3.4M.

Sony kept pushing Charlie’s Angels, which in hindsight means there were development issues. In May 2017, a release date was announced for June 7, 2019. When the cast was locked down in July 2018, Charlie’s got moved to Sept. 27, 2019. In October 2018 when Warners pushed Wonder Woman 1984 from the first weekend in November to summer, Charlie‘s took over the autumn spot, which was the same exact place the original 2000 opened. However, when Terminator: Dark Fate moved onto the same first weekend in November, Charlie‘s relocated to this weekend as they vied for a China release which they ultimately got.

Charlie’s Angels drew a 66% female crowd, split between 36% over 25 and 30% under 25. But both demos respectively graded it low at 68% and 79%, with men at 35% giving it a 68% grade on PostTrak. Diversity breakdown was 52% Caucasian, 21% Hispanic, 14% Asian/Other, & 13% African American. Charlie’s Angels best markets were on the coasts and big cities. But again, nothing to brag about in Friday’s $3.2M gross, which includes $900K from Thursday and Wednesday previews.

Says RelishMix, which also foresaw this disaster approaching on social media chatter, “Angels is the latest example in a ‘woke’ effort to reboot a franchise that many were not all that interested in to start with. In fact, many references to the 2000 version get a call-out as a reason this one doesn’t seem to compare – whether it’s the cast or the action teased from the film.

And, as observed with other recent films, some action/adventure, unfortunately fans say they’re steering clear of this one because of its ‘girl power’ messaging.”

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365days365movies · 3 years

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January 3, 2021: Cliffhanger (1993)

Sylvester Stallone.

The Italian Stallion here is one of the most prominent action movie stars of the ‘80s and ‘90s, coming to prominence with Rocky in 1976. And before we even start this review, here’s the deal: I refuse to make fun of the man’s iconic voice. Yeah, I get it, we’ve all shouted “YOADRIAAAAAAH!” at some point, but his voice and face is due to a botched birth, which pinched a nerve and caused permanent facial paralysis. We all got something, and I’m not gonna target him for it. It’s been done enough.

I also can’t really comment on his acting ability. Why? Well...OK, some confession time. I’ve BARELY seen Stallone in a film. That’s going to be fixed this year, as I’ve added many of his films to the list for 2021. So, what have and haven’t I seen? Let’s start with haven’t, shall we?

I haven’t seen:

Rocky (1976): Sports November

Rocky II (1979): maybe Sports November

First Blood (1982): later this month

Stop! Or My Mom Will Shoot (1992): Please. Please don’t make me.

Cliffhanger (1993): Give it a minute.

Demolition Man (1993): Science Fiction September

Judge Dredd (1995): maybe Science Fiction September

The Expendables (2010): later this month

I have seen:

Tango and Cash (1989): Dumbass buddy cop movie with Stallone and Russell; 2/5.

Antz (1998): Sub-par Dreamworks rip-off of an already kinda sub-par Pixar movie; 2/5

Spy Kids 3: Game Over (2003): Yeah...I saw this in theaters, on my birthday. I saw everything in red and green for, like, an hour afterwards. Worth it. 2/5.

Rocky Balboa (2006): Somehow, this is the only Rocky movie I’ve seen, Creed included. And from what I remember, it was fine. 3/5.

Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2 (2017): The ONE good Stallone movie I’ve seen, and it isn’t even a Stallone movie. 5/5.

So, yeah, I haven’t seen any good Stallone movies, sans the one. But now, some of you are probably asking another question: “Why Cliffhanger? You literally haven’t seen any major Stallone movie, so WHY CLIFFHANGER?”

First of all, I think everybody’s kinda slept on this movie. It was a big success back in the day, but people have basically forgotten it at this point. You’ll see in this review that there aren’t even many GIFs from the movie made, and it wasn’t easy to find enough clips to make my own, honestly. Does it deserve to get slept on? I mean, we’ll see, right?

Secondly, I just watched a Tom Cruise movie where he dangles off of a rope, and I liked that, so why not do that for the next one, I guess! And third...honestly, I saw this on the list, and it kinda just spoke to me. It called to me, like a boxer calling to his love. Hey, look, a reference to a movie I’ve never seen. We’ll get there. We’ll get there. Oh, and SPOILERS from here on out, by the way.

Recap

We start on a cliff. Surprise.

Michael Rooker (y’know, Yondu from Guardians of the Galaxy) is hanging out (HA!) with his girlfriend Sarah on a cliff called the Tower. Y’know, third date kinda stuff. First date is dinner, second date is dinner and a movie, and third date is free-climbing up a cliff to your near death. Well...near is a strong word…

ANYHOOOO, We meet Gabe, played by the big man himself, Sly Stallion, who’s a rescue ranger in the Rocky Mountains. So, Rocky, the Rockies Rescue Ranger is sent to save Yondu and Sarah. Unfortunately...someone forgot to check the equipment before the rescue mission…

Not gonna lie, this scene is actually heart-wrenchingly tense. And the ending...well, if you’ve seen Ace Ventura: When Nature Calls...you know what happens here. And it’s actually somewhat traumatic, for Gabe and for me. Seriously. It’s a roughie.

Cut to almost a year later, and Gabe is...NOT OK. He and his wife, Jessie (who is a pilot for the Rescue Rangers, and was there when Sarah fell), have been separate, and Gabe just can’t do it anymore. And I get it, honestly. That was a hard experience, losing someone and blaming yourself. And no, it wasn’t Gabe’s fault. But to add insult to injury, he has NO SUPPORT SYSTEM. His wife doesn’t seem to understand, his former best friend Yondu hates him (getting GotG Vol. 2 flashbacks), and he’s basically all alone. Geez. You guys are jerks.

Meanwhile, a plot is afoot! And hey, it’s Tripp from CSI: Miami, AKA Rex Linn! I always liked him, so it’s cool to see him in other roles. Turns out, though, that Tripp is working with a group of thugs to steal from the US Treasury. This villainous group of 8 thugs is led by John Lithgow, AKA Lord Farquaad from Shrek, who is channeling Hans Gruber from Die Hard, and trying super-hard on that British accent. Anyway, after a pretty great mid-flight action sequence, the group of thugs loses 3 suitcases of money, amounting to millions. In the process, they also lose Expendable Thugs #1 and #2. This will be a trend.

The thugs crash their plane into the mountain, killing Expendable Thug #3 in the process. They stage a rescue situation to get some expert mountain climbers to help them find the money. Jessie, after having just told her hubby to suck it up like a big boy (I don’t really like Jessie, by the way), begs him to help find these people. Reluctantly, he agrees, and has a tension filled reunion with his former best friend, who blames him (unfairly, in my opinion). That animosity disappears as soon as they find themselves held hostage by the thugs. And so, the money hunt begins!

First suitcase is on a cliffside, and Stallone goes to get it. Some shenanigans quickly ensure, and the thugs shoot at him. An avalanche occurs because these dumbasses have never seen a movie, and in the process, we lose a suitcase of money, Expendable Thug #4 goes the way of Sarah, and Gabe is presumed dead. Farquaad tells Yondu to tell his coworkers that everything is fine, and he’s gonna stay on the mountain to ride out the storm. Which is #5 in the list of “moments in this movie where I would 100% die” I grew up in a warm climate, this is not a comfortable hypothetical situation for me.

Anyway, our intrepid team of criminals takes Yondu to find the next suitcase, while Jessie and Gabe separately make their way to the cabin that Yondu was talking about. They catch each other up, and they can’t contact the main office because...Jessie’s radio died in the cold? You...you work amongst mountains as a rescue officer for stranded hikers. That’s the best excuse the writers came up with? Why the hell didn’t she bring a better radio? They HAD to have spares, right? RIGHT? Geez, no wonder you needed Gabe’s help.

The tracker, with its marvelously outdated computer graphics technology (IT’S A UNIX SYSTEM IKNOWTHIS), leads the thugs to the next package, but not before Gabe and Jesse get there! Gabe leaves a ransom note for the money, holding it hostage. This eventually leads to a nighttime chase in the snow, leading to Expendable Thug #5 going The Way of Sarah.

By the way, it’s also at this point that I notice that it is VERY bright...for being in the middle of the mountains at night. And I get it, you can’t exactly have your movie be shot in darkness, but...look at this.

Like...wow. That’s the fakest outdoor shot I’ve ever seen. I guess I’m glad it isn’t a day-for-night shot, but...yeah. Wow.

Jesse and Gabe find themselves in a cave full of the cutest goddamn bats I’ve ever seen. This is supposed to be a harrowing experience, but simply makes me jealous. They’re fruit bats, by the way, and they’re also WAY too high up, altitude-wise. At least, that’s what I assume. I’m a bird-guy, not a bat-guy. Eventually, they make it out of the cave after Stallone does some free-climbing...loudly. Loud enough for the super-violent, sociopathic, knife-and-gun-loving Expendable Thug #6 to hear them. And that’s when Gabe ICE-PICKS HIM IN THE LEG DAMN

Understandably pissed, and not as understandably still walking around without crying (#6 in that list of me-dying moments), the thug finds and beats the SHIT out of Gabe, handily. But then, he calls Jessie a bitch, and Gabe is, above all things a feminist. Which leads to him, and read this CLOSELY:

This leads to Stallone, bloodied and beaten, PICKING THE THUG UP OVER HIS HEAD, AND IMPALING HIM ONTO A STALACTITE. Not a stalagmite, a STALACTITE. HOLY SHIT!.

Well, Expendable Thug #6 is dead, there’s a bomb on the mountaintop, Jesse almost goes The Way of Sarah, and Frank (another guy who works with them, don’t know if I mentioned him) gets lured into a trap where he gets killed. An “Aww” moment from me; I liked Frank, he seemed like a really nice guy. This eventually leads to Farquaad and Tripp out-crazy-ing each other, and Farquaad winning by killing Expendable Thug #7, who does not go The Way of Sarah (blessed be her fall).

Gabe finds the remaining money, while Tripp, Yondu, and Expendable Thug #7 get there just after. Tripp leaves, and Yondu then delivers my favorite line of the movie:

Oh, sorry, no, it’s, “In a minute, I’ll be dead. You will always be an asshole.” Thug #7 beats the shit out of Yondu, I get flashbacks to GotG 2, and Thug #8 goes THE WAY OF SARAH, BLESSED BE HER FALL. Tripp finds the tracker without the money, and officially loses it, outing himself and Farquaad to the government officials who FINALLY get here.

Tripp finds Gabe, they make their way to a frozen mountain lake, and Gabe SHOOTS TRIPP FROM UNDERNEATH THE ICE. That shouldn’t have worked for many reasons, but that was cool, so fuck it. Now, it’s just Farquaad, BUT HE HAS JESSIE! OH NOOOOOOOooooooo.

This whole thing culminates in a tense, cool chase sequence between Gabe and Farquad in the helicopter. The helicopter crashes into the mountainside, and the two fight while on the helicopter, which is now hanging from the cliff.

Oh. Oh, I get it.

This inevitably leads to Farquaad and the helicopter going, of course, The Way of Sarah. Blessed Be Her Fall. #BBHF.

And that’s it. Our three heroes are, themselves, rescued by the government agents, and we pan away from the cliffside, as the credits roll. Boom. Cliffhanger.

Stay tuned for the epilogue, which contains the review!

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chaosintheavenue · 4 years

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Chaos's Fallout OC Timeline: Part 1

As promised, here's a brief (haha) and incomplete timeline of my OCs' lives! It got extremely long already, and a lot starts to happen in one go once we hit 2281, so I'm going to make a Part 2 sometime soon.

For brevity's sake, I'm going to assume some awareness of the storylines of Van Buren and New Vegas. I'll be including some canon stuff that either is particularly relevant or has been altered. Also, as a little disclaimer...

All major details of the New Plague content were finalised in 2019. I know it’s very unfortunately-timed, but it took zero inspiration from the current situation.

The 'later Legion' thing was one of my first ever headcanons, but I have absolutely no idea why I decided on it! Still, it's pretty firmly stuck in my brain now, so it stays.

Warning: Contains many mentions of illness, death (including child death), suicide, violence, and generally unpleasant Caesar's Legion stuff

Early 2050s

Ezra is born

The New Plague emerges for the first time in Denver and quickly spreads

2077

The third major New Plague outbreak is underway

October 23rd- The Great War finally comes. Ezra and his pregnant wife enter Vault 70

2190

Vault 70 opens, and its inhabitants settle in the ruins of Salt Lake City. Among them are two children who will one day become James's parents

2210s

James is born

2220

Tibbs is born (as Nathan)

2220s or early 2230s

Grace is born and abandoned

Two years later, Grace is taken in by a group of similarly abandoned kids and teens, who raise her

2235

The settlement in SLC is destroyed over accusations that the residents are hoarding food and supplies. Survivors regroup and settle in the ruins of Ogden, forming New Canaan

Late 2240s

Sid is born

Grace meets a New Canaanite named Jacob during her travels and eventually decides to settle down in his town with him

2242

James Jr. (JJ) is born

2240s and 2250s

Tibbs heads out into the world and finds sporadic work as a caravan guard

2250s

Sid is almost killed in a grenade explosion. His physical recovery is rapid, but he permanently loses most of his hearing

2252

Violet is born

Tibbs's family's farm has a record poor harvest and their animals die from disease. Out of desperation, he secretly begins to steal from NCR supply caches (the locations of which he learned whilst travelling with caravans) and sell the goods on to ensure that his parents and himself can eat

2253

Tibbs gets caught red-handed by the NCR and is sentenced to jail time

Victor Presper releases samples of Limit 115 (which causes the New Plague) into the wasteland as part of his grand scheme

Two months into his sentence, Tibbs is working on the railways, a la the Powder Gangers. He manages to become infected with a dormant form of the New Plague

Victor Presper rounds up those infected with the Plague using CODE mind control technology, and leads them to the Tibbets prison facility. The details of how exactly he found Tibbs and got him out of his original prison haven't been sorted yet!

Presper then stages an attack on the facility, allowing some of the infected prisoners to escape. Tibbs is obviously one of them. Following his lucky escape, he takes the name 'Tibbs', after the prison itself

2254

Ashlen is born

After getting himself far from NCR territory and the Tibbets prison facility, Tibbs isn't sure what to do with himself now. The 'blank slate' situation he finds himself in reminds him of his childhood heroes, the Vault Dweller and Chosen One. He convinces himself that the universe has chosen him to follow in their footsteps, and he keeps himself busy by travelling from settlement to settlement offering assistance. Over time, he develops a reputation as a wasteland hero

2255

Reports of a mysterious, usually fatal illness appear in the Four Corners area. Tibbs becomes aware, and promises to look into it

2256

Tibbs makes some progress, having discovered that the illness is a resurgence of the pre-war New Plague. He spends a lot of time travelling from town to town looking for leads. The Plague always seems to be right on his heels, and he thanks his lucky stars that he manages to avoid it

2257

Tibbs becomes aware (details of how are undecided) that he is an asymptomatic carrier of the New Plague. This is a severe blow to him, and he spends a while living almost as a recluse whilst considering his next move

2258

Tibbs learns about a pre-war science facility known as the Boulder Dome, and decides to head there looking for leads on Victor Presper, the Plague, or both. He doesn't know that area at all, so he is forced to travel with a caravan heading to Denver. He tries to avoid passing anything on to the people around him by wearing face coverings, eye goggles and gloves, and burning any personal objects he has used

September 30th- Tibbs's caravan stops in New Canaan to trade. JJ, who is now fifteen, is helping out on 'gate duty' that day. He is awe-inspired to meet Tibbs thanks to his celebrity-like status. Being recognised in such a manner takes Tibbs back to the 'glory days' before he learned of his predicament, and in a moment of lapsed judgement he shakes the boy's hand straight after rubbing his eyes. The caravan trades uneventfully and leaves town the next day

October 8th- New Plague: JJ suddenly falls ill at home. A very dramatic time ensures, but his life is ultimately saved. Still, he remains weakened by his ordeal. By sheer luck, nobody else in town has been infected

November- Tibbs arrives at the Boulder Dome, has his first run-in with Victor Presper himself, and learns that everyone living there is also infected with the Plague after a lab accident. He stays there for a while assisting with research, relishing the opportunity to live 'normally' again without fear of killing those he interacts with, and ends up becoming close to one of the scientists, Xian

2260

Tibbs and the rest of the Boulder Dome folks discover a treatment of sorts for the New Plague. As long as they take it regularly, they will not experience symptoms and will be far less likely to pass it on. They turn their attention to whatever the hell Presper is up to this time, and begin to venture outside the Dome more regularly without protective equipment

2261

A group of Boulder Dome peeps, led by Tibbs, arrives in New Canaan to trade and ask around for information on Presper. One unspecified member of the group (NOT Tibbs) has forgotten to take their treatment that day. Ashlen excitedly approaches the group, as she does with all newcomers, and Tibbs is all too happy to indulge her fascination with them. Again, Tibbs leaves town just before the sh!t hits the fan

Around a week later, Ash becomes ill. Long story short, she doesn't make it...

Upon the loss of her favourite child, Grace 'snaps'. She becomes highly erratic and swears vengeance on Tibbs (she has realised that he was a common factor between JJ and Ashlen becoming ill, and remembers seeing him masked and gloved up, which makes her believe that he's knowingly spreading the illness)

After her behaviour pushes her relationship with what remains of her family to the point of no return, Grace leaves New Canaan, hellbent on revenge

After about a month, she catches up with the group. They recognise her as the mother of the curious kid from the town, but are unaware of what transpired after their visit. Grace tags along with the group for a while, but her behaviour seems unnatural, and they are secretly suspicious that she has ulterior motives, or may be in league with Presper somehow

Concerned, they get in touch with their only contact in New Canaan- Doc Angela. She informs them of Ashlen's fate, and warns them that Grace is a lot more combat-proficient that she may seem, fled the town in an utterly unhinged state, and is likely out for blood

The next morning, Tibbs removes the bullets from Grace's gun as she sleeps, then wakes her up with a question about why she's so travelled far from her children. She loses her false composure completely at the reminder and pulls her gun on him, screaming that he's a murderer and 'shooting' him many times, too swept up in rage to realise that nothing is happening. With proof in hand, he has no issue with shooting her dead where she stands (or rather, sits) in the heat of the moment, but this situation haunts him relentlessly for the rest of his life and deeply changes his attitude

2262

Brutus is born (as Benjamin)

The Boulder Dome group finally learns of Presper's plan: to cleanse the world using nuclear missiles on board a satellite (B.O.M.B.-001), which has already been armed by the New Plague fiasco. Tibbs confronts him aboard B.O.M.B.-001 and convinces his minions to turn on him and kill him, but the damage is done. Tibbs manages to prevent the missiles from launching, but can't stop the detonation or use an escape pod. B.O.M.B.-001 explodes without survivors

2265

It's time for JJ to serve on a mission, as all young New Canaanite men do, but there are some doubts over whether he is healthy enough. He's not really into the religious side of it all (and secretly doesn't fully buy it himself), but he IS extremely excited to explore more of the world, so he fights tooth and nail to build up his fitness in time to be allowed to go- and is successful

2266

JJ is called to serve a mission in the Grand Canyon. His mission companion is a certain Joshua Graham, and they are scheduled to work alongside a Followers expedition

I think we all know how that turned out...

2267

Oh, but first, at some point prior to everything falling apart, Edward Sallow spent some private time with a Blackfoot girl...

Very long story short, Edward has all members of the expedition apart from himself, Joshua and Bill Calhoun executed :(

The young woman that Edward... shared a tent with, let's say, is pregnant. He initially refuses to acknowledge this until Joshua points out that it might be wise to have heirs lined up

Sid is scheduled to be executed for his 'weakness' (his hearing). He personally proves his unique 'talents' to Caesar by extracting information from captives, and is accepted as a scout and informer

The Legion grows rapidly, and takes Flagstaff as its capital. Many of its former residents are killed, but most children (Brutus included) are taken in for training as Legionaries

Things quickly become a lot more official now that the Legion has a city to call its own. As part of this, Sid is given the title of 'Frumentarius'

October 23rd- The Blackfoot woman gives birth to twin girls prematurely, and their survival cannot be guaranteed. Upon learning that his 'heir' is two sickly daughters, Edward denounces and disowns the twins- but not before he insists on naming them Charlotte and Chelcie

2260s to 2270s

Brutus completes his training and is placed under a certain Centurion Silus

A select few individuals appear over the years with talents and abilities similar to Sid's. At Caesar's discretion, he is allowed to train some of these as Frumentarii too

Charlie and Chel are raised by their mother and many other slave women. Joshua has developed a soft spot for them and offers some input too. Caesar does not

2270s

James and his wife Catherine both die from radiation poisoning when Marshall the Glowing One turns feral and collapses outside of their house. They never found out what happened to their son :(

2277

Brutus, Charlie, Chel and Sid are uprooted from Flagstaff, their main home up until now, and sent to Fortification Hill in preparation for war

November 21st- Sid is captured whilst scouting out Boulder City prior to the Legion assault on the Dam. He realises that his situation is hopeless, and he takes lethal poison rather than be tortured and interrogated for information

November 22nd- First Battle of Hoover Dam

Brutus fights at the Dam. He survives relatively unharmed by luck alone

Brutus, Charlie and Chel are among the crowd that directly witness the execution of the disgraced Malpais Legate. All of the three hold him in higher regard than Caesar and are sickened

Disgusted by what they have seen over the years and more acutely afraid for their own safety (since they are known to disapprove of Caesar on a personal level and were close associates of Joshua), Charlie and Chel flee across the Colorado River in the dead of night, and attempt to carve out a life for themselves with little more than the clothes on their back in the unfamiliar Mojave Wasteland

2278

Charlie and Chel stop briefly in various places around the Mojave, still struggling to provide for themselves. They mainly spend their time gathering scrap to sell, which leads them to explore many new places

2279

November 12th- Charlie and Chel explore REPCONN HQ in search of salvage. Chel is abruptly shot in the head by a Sentry bot, and dies instantly. She’s buried in Goodsprings Cemetery

Charlie is utterly stunned following the loss of her 'other half'. Completely lost on her own, she returns defeated to the only home she knows- Fortification Hill

And there you have it! Please let me know if you find any issues (typos, inconsistencies, etc), or if you have any more questions other than ‘What happens next?‘

Part 2 is here

#oc cast #illness tw #pandemic tw #death tw #child death tw #violence tw #gun tw #suicide tw #slavery mention #new plague #ask to tag

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