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beefromanoff · 7 months

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Project Mockingbird Ch. 6

summary: a little insight into Charlotte's backstory, lots of training.

pairing: Bucky Barnes x OC

author's note: there are more visuals than I usually use for this chapter, but it's just so fun! let me know what you think and if it's distracting! thanks for reading, xox!

tag list: @bangtanxberm (let me know if you want to be added <3)

chapter list

_________________________________________________________

Six weeks.

It had been three weeks of living at the compound. The longest she’d lived anywhere, except - no. That doesn’t count. She didn’t live there, she was kept there.

In the time since her imprisonment, she’d flitted from place to place, from life to life. Being a quick learner, she slipped into different places almost seamlessly. Her first stint in the real world had been in Siberia, not exactly an ideal place to be. She’d traveled across Europe by train-hopping, stowing away, and hitch-hiking before eventually settling in Austria.

Her mistake was being a little too reckless with her abilities. Though she’d gone relatively unnoticed at first, it was difficult to make it anywhere without money. That’s when she started doing what she did best…fighting. A few underground fights, cash payout. It was a cakewalk. Through a few connections she made in the seedy world of street fighting, she moved up. People wanted to bet on her, knowing they’d win. It fast-tracked her to bigger fights, higher winnings. She’d even given thought to making that her new life, it was something she knew and something she was good at. Something she was made for.

Until she saw the most beautiful, elegant thing she’d ever witnessed. In her studio apartment, rented for her by the man who’d been making a shitload of money off of her fighting, she sat surfing through channels just like every other night. On the screen, a strong, graceful girl hurtled through the air, landing perfectly on a blue mat. It was the first time she’d ever seen gymnastics. Charlotte couldn’t tear her eyes away.

The next morning, she’d packed her limited belongings in a bag and headed for the train station. The man called her 27 times when he realized she’d left. At least, that’s how many she counted before she threw the phone out a train window.

In less than a week, she’d learned everything she could about the gymnastics world, including the fact that the National Championship meet was being held in two weeks in Boston. With no ID, no passport, and no real identity at all - flying internationally wasn’t an option. However, when a cruise ship acrobat had suddenly received an urgent call from her ailing mother and fled to attend to her, Charlotte was there ready to step in. Her “audition” was enough for them to offer her a permanent contract performing on the ship. Politely declining, her only goal was to get to the United States. After ten days of performing for sunburnt tourists on the ship, they docked in the Port of Boston with just enough time to spare.

Knowing she’d need to incentivize the powers that be to allow her to participate in such a prestigious meet as a nobody, she went back to the drawing board. While thinking of how to come into a large sum of cash in less than four days, she overheard a group of Harvard students talking about how they didn’t know how they would ever pass the BAR exam that weekend. In less than 72 hours, she walked out of the last exam with twenty thousand dollars cash in her bag. Four students, desperate and wealthy, had jumped at her offer to take their exams for five grand each. All it took was a night of leafing through their textbooks with a box of takeout in her lap to have it all memorized.

With one day left until the meet, she bought the most beautiful leotard she could find. All black, one long sleeve, beautiful jeweled detailing. She watched footage of old Olympic meets, NCAA gymnasts getting perfect scores, anything she could find online. On the day of the championships, she stood waiting by the front door long before sunrise for the first judge to show up. She offered him ten thousand dollars cash to put her name on the roster for the day. He immediately accepted, leaving Charlotte pleasantly surprised. She’d been prepared to offer the full twenty.

The rest is history. She competed last, swept the meet with perfect scores in every event. Her name was in headlines across the country by the next day, even making it on ESPN.

For a little while, she thought she could have her dream life after all. Thought her abilities could do more than the violence she was bred for. It was beautiful, but it was fleeting. Just before the conclusion of Olympic Trials, she was framed for using performance enhancing drugs and kicked out without ever even being drug tested. She knew gymnastics was a very political sport, and if she could bribe her way in, it was only feasible that someone else could have bribed her out.

So she went back to fighting. This time in Vegas. After a few months of that, her penthouse suite rented indefinitely with three additional safes full of cash, she decided to switch to gambling. Poker and blackjack were her favorites. She’d managed to keep that going for a few weeks before casinos started to pick up on it, not knowing how seriously they took card counting. In her naive newness to the modern world, she thought that winning would be allowed and rewarded. It wasn’t the case. Not in the casino, not in gymnastics. The second someone caught wind of her unfair advantage, even when they couldn’t begin to explain it, she was kicked out. So her life became a run from one ruse to the next, catapulting to the top of whatever she tried and then forcing herself to abandon it as soon as eyebrows started to raise.

Until Nat showed up and finally gave her a chance to stop running.

And that was six weeks ago.

After breaking her conditioning, she’d found a loose routine. One that didn’t involve lying about who she was or figuring out how to conceal all the cash she had without so much as a drivers’ license to open a bank account. These days were good. She’d wake up early with the team, following a different member each day. Since she didn’t really have a role of her own, she helped out where she could. Sometimes watching and assisting Tony in his lab, sometimes watching Steve train the SHIELD agents. Everyone had something to do, a role here. Except Charlotte. Up until now, it didn’t really bother her. She liked the freedom to drift around the compound, not looking over her shoulder. After about a month, however, she was beginning to feel restless.

Which is why she asked to train with the SHIELD agents two weeks ago.

“I thought you didn’t want to be an Avenger?” Nat had raised her eyebrow.

“I don’t,” Charlotte protested. “But I’m…bored, I guess. I don’t have anything to do here. I feel like I’m in the way. If I can train with them, at least I’ll be prepared, you know…if anything happens and you do need me.”

“Something tells me you’re already more prepared than even our veteran agents.”

“Please, Nat, I need to do something.” Her eyes were desperate.

“I’ll talk to Steve.”

The next week, she’d begun training. Alternating between hand to hand combat, weapons’ training, and intelligence tactics, Charlotte was in Heaven. There was a schedule, a routine, and always more to learn. Although not all of the agents felt the warm fuzzies about having her there. The team had chosen to limit the amount of information given on Charlotte for her own privacy, but her performance had left people with suspicions.

“Fuck me.” Agent Bronson mumbled under his breath, stepping forward when his name was called.

Steve frowned. “What was that?”

“Nothing.” He ran a hand through his hair as he climbed into the sparring ring with Charlotte. “Let’s get this over with.” A few of the other agents snickered from the sidelines, relieved their name wasn’t called to be her partner.

“Don’t sound so enthusiastic.” Charlotte rolled her eyes.

“Come on, Rossi, we both know how this is gonna go. Just try to leave me a shred of my masculinity this time.”

“I’ll see what I can do.” She smirked, feet set in a defensive stance. As soon as Agent Bronson began to raise his fists, her eyes tracked every miniscule movement he made. The way his eyes flicked to her feet, debating a leg sweep to take her down. The muscle that tensed in his neck when he prepared to throw a punch. In fractions of a second, her mind cataloged his fighting style, instinctively reacting to dodge and duck all of his attempts.

Eight, nine…She counted each of the blows that whipped past her. Steve had scolded her at the end of the past week, telling her that if she was going to train with the agents, she had to at least try to stay on their level. She told him she’d give each agent a ten swing head start before she went on the offensive. Ten.

When his boot swung over her head, Charlotte dropped to the ground, swinging her leg to knock his planted one out from underneath him. His back smacked the mat, making the spectating agents wince. From her crouched position, she interlocked her legs with his, flipping both of their bodies with the momentum. Agent Bronson was flat on his face before he even knew what happened. In another half second, Charlotte had his arms locked behind his back with her knees driving his shoulders down.

“Fuck.” His voice was muffled as his face pressed into the mat.

“Alright, let him up.” Steve stepped in. Charlotte climbed off, extending a hand to help him up.

“I tried to make it quick and painless.” She grinned, whispering in his ear as he stood.

“Much appreciated.” He grumbled. Of all the agents, Derek Bronson had been one of the more welcoming ones. He had some security from being one of the top performers, but still fell short when it came to Charlotte.

“Okay, team, what can Agent Bronson improve in his hand-to-hand?” Steve looked over the group, waiting for a response. The agents exchanged glances, shuffling their feet. “Anyone?”

No one spoke up for fear of being assigned to spar with Charlotte next, to demonstrate what they thought they could do better. After a few moments of awkward silence, Steve spoke again. “Alright, let’s wrap it up. We’ll resume on Monday. Good work today, agents.” He patted Agent Bronson on the back. “You’re a good sport.”

As the agents filed out of the training room, Charlotte took her time gathering her things. She knew she wouldn’t be invited to wherever the group of agents chose to get dinner and happy hour drinks outside the compound, so she preferred not to see them make the plans at all.

“You bored yet?” Steve crossed his arms and smiled.

“Do I look bored?”

“You looked bored the second day you got here.”

She laughed. “I’m not, actually. I really enjoy it. I could do this all day.” She winked, using Cap’s favorite line against him.

“I know you can, that’s the problem. Why don’t you train with us?” He held his hands up defensively. “Just train, that’s all. You don’t have to go off base, but it would be a little more of a challenge than this.”

Charlotte narrowed her eyes, thinking. “I’ll try it out. But don’t get mad at me when you end up like Bronson.”

This time, it was Steve who laughed. “I’m a decent sport, too.”

_____________________

The next morning, Charlotte and Bucky jogged around the lake, having lost track of their laps an hour ago.

“Good God, do you ever get tired?” He groaned as she ran past the trail that lead back to the compound, beginning another lap.

“Eventually.” She smirked over her shoulder. “Keep up, old man.”

He caught back up to her, throwing a dirty look. “We’re the same age.”

“Semantics.”

“Alright, one more mile and I’m calling it. I want to do more with my day than run in circles.”

Charlotte shot him a mischievous look. “Race ya.”

They took off running back into the woods.

_____________________

The training room of the Avengers Compound buzzed with anticipation as Charlotte stepped into the ring, her eyes focused, albeit a little arrogant. Though the buzz of her first session with the Avengers’ had made its way around the compound, they elected to keep it a closed session. The group of them was clad in their black training uniforms, meant to mimic the weight and feel of their combat suits. Since Charlotte didn’t have her own yet, she wore another of Natasha’s. Each suit was specially engineered for the one who wore it, meant to accommodate their specific skill set. Nat’s was thinner, lightweight and flexible. Sam’s was double lined to keep him warm in high altitudes. Bucky’s suit had a cutout for his left arm, allowing full range of motion for the prosthetic.

Sam, with his usual charismatic grin, stepped into the ring first. "I’ll take it easy on you, alright?" he held the ropes open, allowing her to step in.

"I wouldn’t." Charlotte replied, her eyes glinting with challenge.

The spar commenced. Sam lunged forward, his wings extending to give him an advantage in reach. But before he could react, Charlotte sidestepped, her movements fluid. With a swift motion, she dropped to her knees and slid beneath the reach of his rings, grabbed his arm and twisted, putting him in a painful bind that dropped him to his knees.

"Damn girl," Sam breathed, his eyes wide with surprise.

"T’was a pleasure," Charlotte replied, releasing him and mock curtseying, barely out of breath at all.

Next up the Black Widow herself. She stepped in the ring with an air of confidence, her eyes sharp and assessing. She must have noticed how Charlotte balked, not wanting to overstep on her first friend, the reason she was here in the first place. "Don’t you dare take it easy on me," Natasha reprimanded.

“If you say so.” Charlotte gave a small smile, preparing for action. Faster than Sam, Nat put her weight back on her left foot, aiming a kick at Charlotte's midsection.

Charlotte spun to her right, evading the kick. Nat was already striking again, punching across her body. Charlotte blocked, dropping her elbow in the crook of Nat’s arm, bending it and bringing them within inches of each other. Both women moving at once, their legs interlocked in the same takedown attempt. They rolled once on the floor, a blur of black neoprene.

While Natasha was one of the most skilled Avengers in hand-to-hand combat, Charlotte was stronger, pinning the redhead down as they came to a stop. She held her forearm to Nat’s throat, knees pinning her arms down.

"Impressive," she croaked, a flicker of admiration in her eyes. Charlotte stood and helped Nat to her feet.

“Right back at you.” Charlotte’s chest rose and fell, breathing hard.

Then came Peter Parker, all enthusiasm and boyish charm. "You ready for this?" he asked, a grin on his face.

"Are you?" Charlotte replied, smirking.

Attempting to go for the element of surprise, Peter shot a web at her feet, aiming to immobilize her. Having seen his tell, a clenched jaw and eye flick to the place he wanted to shoot the webs, she knew it was coming. Somersaulting forward, she rolled over the web blast and closed the distance between them. Without rising back off the ground, she delivered a swift kick to the back of his legs, buckling them and dropping him to his knees. As soon as he fell, she wrapped her arm around his neck from behind, pulling him onto his back on top of her. Each of her legs hooked around his arms, pinning them to the ground so he was at an impossible angle to web her. He froze, momentarily stunned.

"You're so fast," Peter breathed, eyes wide.

“So I’ve been told.” She untangled her legs from his arms and he climbed to his feet, offering her a hand.

Finally, it was Steve’s turn, the one who’d convinced her to do this in the first place. "A little more fun than the agents?" he joked.

“I guess you could say that.” Charlotte tensed, knowing he would be the toughest of the three prior.

The spar was intense, each blow whistling through the air as she dodged it, power oozing from his every movement. Charlotte anticipated Steve's moves with uncanny accuracy, her eyes keenly observant of his every shift in stance. Steve, in turn, pushed her limits, testing her stamina as the clock ticked on. His style was classic, controlled. He relied on speed and strength more than exceptional skill or strategy.

The round went on longer than the previous three combined, Charlotte getting Steve in a near-pinned position three times, but unable to overpower him enough to keep him down.

This time, she took a different approach. Steve swung with a hard right hook, and instead of dodging what she knew was coming, she stood her ground and took it. His fist collided with her jaw, blood immediately bursting from her split lip. Her head snapped to the side, but she didn’t lose her footing.

“Oh, my God, Charlotte, are you okay?” Steve broke his defensive posture, eyes full of guilt.

Exactly the reaction she wanted.

In two moves, she swung her leg up, momentum carrying her into the air. Her legs wrapped around his neck and she twisted, throwing him to the ground. He landed flat on his back with a resounding thud, her shin pressed to his neck.

"You're good," Steve admitted, a grin tugging at his lips. "Although some may say that’s cheating."

"All’s fair in love and war," Charlotte replied, blood dripping off of her face from the busted lip.

The other Avengers, watching with keen interest, broke into applause, their admiration evident. Nat cheered the loudest, recognizing her signature move in the final takedown.

Bucky stepped forward and approached the ring, offering Charlotte a towel for her bloody face. “That looks like hell.”

“But kinda badass, right?” She smiled, showing her blood-stained teeth.

“Something like that.”

Charlotte, slightly breathless but clearly exhilarated, wiped her face and stood to face Natasha, waiting to give her kudos.

Bucky turned to Steve with a sly grin, clearly amused. "Well, well, Steve," he teased, rolling his eyes dramatically. "Losing to a girl half your size. What would Coach Tyler say?"

Steve gave an incredulous look. “Our high school wrestling coach, really?” He rolled his eyes. "Why don't you give it a shot, Buck? Let's see how you fare against that girl that’s also half your size." He raised his voice at the end, baiting Charlotte.

Bucky cracked his knuckles, his metal arm glinting under the training room lights. He stepped into the ring, eyeing Charlotte with a playful glint in his eyes. "Hope you're ready for this, sweetheart," he said, his tone mockingly confident.

Charlotte met his challenge with a smirk, her confidence unwavering. "I don’t know if you’ve forgotten, Barnes, but I was made for this."

He grimaced ever so slightly, still not used to the flippant way she spoke about her tortuous past. The team had heard more about HYDRA in her six weeks at the compound than in Bucky’s five years. Clearly she coped with trauma differently than he did.

The two circled each other in the ring, the air crackling with anticipation. Eyes locked on each other, Charlotte raised an eyebrow and licked blood off her lips. Bucky lunged forward, his movements swift and controlled. Charlotte dodged his advances with ease, her lithe form moving as fast as his fists. She countered his strikes, her blows precise and calculated, although they didn’t seem to phase him in the slightest. Their movements were lightning fast, the spectating Avengers’ having trouble tracking the action. It was clear neither of them held back the challenge too tantalizing to back down from. The two didn’t spend a ton of time together outside of group settings, save for the occasional run, but they seemed to get along well. Their shared sense of grim humor was the catalyst for most interactions.

Bucky tried to catch her off guard, but Charlotte anticipated his every move. He advanced on her, swinging with near lethal force. She executed a series of back handsprings, narrowly avoiding his attacks. The ring seemed to blur with her swift movements, a small nod to her brief stint in the gymnastics world.

"Show-off," Bucky remarked, his admiration evident.

Charlotte grinned. "Impressed?"

“Don’t flatter yourself.”

Their spar escalated, each move met with a countermove. Bucky utilized his strength, attempting to overpower her, but Charlotte danced around him, always one step ahead. She was incredibly light on her feet, her agility allowing her to evade his strikes effortlessly. Where he was strong and intense, she was quick and fleeting. She landed more blows, but they barely even registered. He swung harder, but she stayed out of reach.

After almost twenty minutes of intense combat, both combatants found themselves in a deadlock, neither of them able to budge. Flat on his back, Bucky's arm stuck up in the air, his metal hand wrapped around Charlotte’s throat. She perched above his chest, one shin pressed into his throat, the other leg braced on the ground, giving her leverage to push down harder. Their breathing became ragged as neither one conceded, fighting for oxygen as they continued to right each other.

“Should we -” Steve murmured to Natasha, brows knit together.

“Let’s see how this plays out.” She narrowed her eyes. “Worst case, they both pass out.”

Steve frowned but said nothing.

In the ring, Charlotte tasted the salt of sweat mixed with the lingering metallic taste of blood. She grit her teeth and drove her shin further down onto Bucky’s throat. He grunted but didn’t concede, gripping her throat tighter. Sweat had caused a few strands of his dark hair to stick to his forehead.

The corners of her vision were beginning to go dark, the sounds of the training room sounding like they were fading away. Charlotte saw the blood vessels in Bucky’s eyes reddening and knew he wasn’t far behind her. Their eyes locked, a battle of wills and stubborn pride. Bucky felt her wobble ever so slightly and made a snap decision.

“Truce?” He croaked. She paused, ever so slightly, debating if she could somehow spin this into a fifth victory of the day before her lack of oxygen overruled.

“Truce.” Her voice was barely more than a whisper through the vice grip he had on her neck. They paused for a second longer, eyes narrow, as if neither one of them trusted the other. Finally, they both released their grip, Charlotte tumbling to the mat beside him. Both chests heaved, their senses flooding back as their oxygen was no longer restricted.

Charlotte looked to her right and grinned. “You called a truce.”

Bucky, still flat on his back beside her, narrowed his eyes. “I’d feel bad choking out the new girl the first time we sparred.”

“Whatever stops the tears.” She winked.

The other Avengers applauded, climbing into the ring with them. Natasha and Steve pulled them to their feet. “Just when we thought no one was more stubborn than you, Barnes.”

Bucky chuckled, shooting a glance at Charlotte. "She’s tougher than she looks."

“Wish I could say the same for you.” She raised her eyebrows, eyes fiery. His eyes scanned her face, amused. Just like in the hospital room over a month ago, she swore she saw his eyes flick to her lips for just a split second.

The team’s enthusiasm drowned out their banter, equal parts shit-talking and compliments flying. Someone handed her a bag of ice for her chin. One one side, Peter was asking her to teach him a back handspring and on the other, Sam was mimicking her doe-eyed look to Steve right after he socked her. All of it was good-natured, all of it was warm. Even with the throbbing in her jaw and pounding in her head from almost passing out, she was happy.

So much better than the goddamn SHIELD agents.

#james bucky barnes #avengers #bucky barnes #bucky barnes x oc #bucky fanfic #winter soldier #bucky fluff #sebastian stan #winter soldier fluff #winter solider x reader

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devsgames · 5 months

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The Exit 8: Some Thoughts

Recently I heard about a game called The Exit 8. It's a simple indie horror game that's about an hour or two long, made by a solo developer. I watched some gameplay and man I need to get these thoughts out of my head.

You are stuck in a loop in a hallway with the objective of getting out of the loop, a-la P.T. To do so, you need to walk forward through the hallway loop and search for "anomalies" - visual artifacts that stand out. If you spot an anomaly in the hallway, you need to walk back to the previous hall. If you don't spot one, you can walk forward into the next hallway. Repeat 8 times and win the game.

On the surface Exit 8 really isn't a game for me: I've grown to be fairly critical of indie horror in recent months- generally I find a lot of it to be excessively mindless and afraid to push new ground or innovate, in favour of repeating tropes in the hopes a game goes viral. Also honestly, I don't even think the merits of Exit 8 is due to it being a horror game - in fact I could argue the 'liminal space' and horror tropes within it aren't even necessary to the core experience at all.

Rather, Exit 8 is fascinating to me because the gameplay is unique, simple and also incredibly effectively designed. Everything in the game from a player's perspective is dirt-simple to intuit, and that's where the beauty lies.

When I'm designing a game mechanic my biggest and ever-looming question is often "how intuitive is this for a player to just implicitly understand"? How much work will be involved in communicating how this mechanic functions? Designing a game mechanic is incredibly easy and anyone can do it, but the big challenge is actually getting the player to understand that mechanic as-designed. Thanks to this, it's easy for a mechanic to suddenly explode into feature creep as you try and communicate it to a player.

Take pressing a button, for example. First you need to find an available and intuitive input for it (it could be E, F or LMB on a keyboard and mouse, but players may not always know what binding it is in each game). Then you need to present that control as feedback to the player in a way they understand how to interface with it (usually UI). You need to choose if this is presentation when you're within the context of the interaction, or a persistent one (in-world prompt vs. a hotkeys menu). You need feedback for interacting with the thing (what does it do? Does it animate? Light up when you're looking at it?). You then often need to explicitly teach that as an element of your game (as players don't often have the same level of understanding if a mechanic isn't obvious). You then need to take this idea and balloon it out to consider the scope of how this might interact with other systems (like movement, camera controls, physics, etc). You then need to implement it in a way that is universal to any object being interacted with. Then you need to make sure all those interactions work and continue to be obvious throughout the experience.

Adding one feature can balloon into way too many features and forms of feedback if left unchecked, and I think the beautiful thing about Exit 8 is that it's so simply designed it doesn't need to struggle with any of that. It doesn't explain itself not because it needs to build a mystique, but rather because it just doesn't need to in the first place. In my opinion as a solo developer, this sort of experience is the peak goal.

There's one (1) sign that explains the looping gameplay mechanic at the beginning and nothing else beyond that. No prompts, no interactions to learn, no hidden complexities. The Steam page itself touts that "The game is only available in Japanese and English, but if you understand the above description of the anomaly, you can probably play it all the way through."

Player movement controls are a cultural understanding in games, and that's the only interface the player has with the game so it doesn't really need to be explained. Things that result in fail states look unnerving or dangerous, so there's little misunderstanding around intention buried around threats. Plus, the whole game takes place in one enclosed environment so the player often intuitively knows what to expect (and what not to) at any given time - another reason the 'simple hallway' setting is extremely effective framing for a game like this. The possibility space is so small and focused, and yet the game still manages to be engaging the whole way through.

The most expensive thing developer-wise to build in this game I would imagine are the fail states, which are bespoke cutscenes - everything else is intuitive enough to need no elaboratiom The implementation in Unreal I imagine would be so simple there'd be few hiccups. Anomalies are often simple tricks that only slightly deviate an environment: a sped-up animation, a change of material to a different one, scaling an object slightly, changing a texture etc. Levels are probably streamed via Unreal's sublevel systems, based on players going through triggers. You could honestly make this game in a game jam and it wouldn't be an unreasonable expectation. It's just so simple and effective.

In many ways, this is exactly the kind of game I think more devs should aim to make; it's not about being the biggest or the fanciest, but rather the most intuitive and simple to understand that anyone can play it and get the experience with few barriers to entry. It's hard to make a game that is so stripped down of everything and yet is still a ton of fun to play, and I'm impressed how well this game does that.

Content of Exit 8 aside I find myself constantly coming back to marvel at how well-designed it is and how to take some of those lessons and impart that approach into my own games.

#gamedev #game development #game dev #indie games #indie game #gamedevelopment #indiegames #the exit 8 #exit 8 #indie dev #indiedev #thoughts #blog

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yetihideout · 1 month

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Favorite Albums

Music Composed And Performed By Goblin: Their Rare Tracks & Outtakes Collection, 1975-1989, Goblin

My favorite compilation from Goblin, the prog rock, synthesizer masters who became famous thanks to their contributions to the soundtracks for Dario Argento’s Deep Red and Suspiria as well as George A. Romero’s Dawn of the Dead. Often super-charged and kinetic, but also possessing the ability to be slow, atmospheric and moody, this group epitomizes the nature and energy of horror: from the otherworldly and terrifying soundscapes of Suspiria to the beautiful, thoughtful love theme from the obscure St. Helens (not a horror film, but dramatic nonetheless.)

Goblin is, without argument, one of the most influential artists to the world of horror music – no doubt influencing John Carpenter’s simple piano-driven theme to Halloween (listen to Goblin’s title track from Deep Red and compare) to the current crop of synthesized themes in films and series like Turbo Kid, It Follows, Drive, Stranger Things and many others.

These are all babies born of Goblin!

Silk & Soul, Nina Simone

My favorite album by my favorite vocalist for reasons that are inexplicable to me. This is the album that I play most often – perhaps it’s the odd variety of songs chosen (although all of the material in the Simone archives are from an astonishing range of disparate and unique sources). Historians would consider “I Wish I Knew How It Would Feel to Be Free” to be the signature song from this album, but I find her brief tale of simple, matter-of-fact racism explained in “The Turning Point” to be much more devastating, perhaps since it’s told from the point of view of a child.

All of the songs are wrenching and even her revisions of Burt Bacharach’s “Look of Love” and The Association’s “Cherish” are re-ignited with a more appropriate longing and yearning that only Simone can express.

Creepshow, John Harrison

My favorite horror soundtrack of all time. There is something about the opening piano theme that appealed to me even when I first saw ads for the film on HBO as a child (I was much too scared to watch the entire film, but I would torture myself by at least watching the opening credits). The child-like piano tune with the taunting children voices was spooky, fun and surprisingly catchy. This album was a sort of Holy Grail of mine growing up and I would often watch the film just to hear the music. It wasn't until many years later that I was finally able to get a copy of the record. Each story in the film is brought to life by a signature sound – from the Gothic, piano-pounding revenge motif of “Father’s Day”, the melodic and secretive tone of “The Crate” to the minimal synth soundscape that perfectly applied to E.G. Marshall’s roach phobia and germ-free apartment from the “They’re Creeping Up on You” segment.

Each and every note is deliberate, brilliant and visual.

Bone Machine, Tom Waits

My favorite Waits album, probably for the simple reason that each song is like a tiny, separate horror tale embodied with an extremely visual style and brought to life by Waits’ rough, often inhuman voice. Each song is painted in charcoal black and tell stories about the hopelessness of...well...everything. “The Earth Died Screaming” is perhaps the most famous track from this album, but my personal favorite is the slow and mysterious “Black Wings” – a familiar tale of a neutral angel (or demon?) and his exploits, both good and bad. “Murder in the Red Barn” is an equally intriguing tale that one can easily visualize and it's peppered with ambiguous lyrics like, “there’s nothing strange about an axe with bloodstains in the barn - there's always some killin' you got to do around the farm.”

I like to look at Bone Machine as a sort of audio short story collection of tales that Roald Dahl, Richard Matheson or Robert Bloch might have conjured up.

Thighs and Whispers, Bette Midler

A rare album that I actually listen to all the way through. This 1979 album has a diverse range of songs, including a great version of “Millworker” from the Broadway play, “Working”, and some cute disco-fueled tunes like “Married Men” and “My Knight in Black Leather”. Each song has some moment that gives me shivers, or at least slight goose bumps. One of those moments is in the song, “Big Noise from Winnetka” when they sing the line, “Once she was picking up the big boys…now I’m pickin’ up my little kids’ toys”.

The whole album makes me feel really good with all of its emotional ups and downs...which, afterall, is basically what makes a perfect album. Right?

Cow Fingers & Mosquito Pie, Screamin’ Jay Hawkins

My favorite compilation of songs from the incredibly insane catalog of Hawkins. All of the favorites are here – “Alligator Wine”, “Hong Kong”, “Little Demon”, “There’s Something Wrong with You” and, of course, his most famous track – “I Put a Spell On You”. Every song is unleashed in his inimitable way, through screaming, shouting and lip-smacking gibberish. His work makes me scream with laughter. I find that listening to his albums is the perfect remedy to road rage…just “singing” along with Jay is incredibly cathartic and relaxing! Take him along with you on your next commute.

Who knew that spouting out silly words and making fart noises would become such a huge part of someone’s career? I’m totally in the wrong profession.

Sweet Dreams (Are Made of This), Eurythmics

Definitely the first official “album” I ever owned. Like most people of my generation, Annie Lennox mesmerized me in the music video for “Sweet Dreams” (which aired on MTV practically every few minutes). I was equally fascinated, terrified and hopelessly drawn to the pounding computerized beat, the throwback classical strings and Annie’s low, monotone delivery contrasting with her higher-pitched, "choir of angels"-type refrains. And who could forget her bizarre appearance? This is the perfect example of the power of the early 1980s music video: The song and accompanying video compelled me to purchase the entire album. I loved every single song on it – a rarity that I have not often found with other albums.

With the eerie “Love is a Stranger” and the hypnotic “Jennifer” to the ethereal, jungle beat of “I’ve Got an Angel” and the fun and goofy “Wrap it Up”, I had unknowingly set the stage for my musical tastes.  

Hooked on Classics, Louis Clark conducting The Royal Philharmonic Orchestra

This was an album I remember being in love with as a young boy when I would play the cassette tape of it over and over again. It was a great entry point for classical music. The often goofy, pseudo-disco element that was added to the medleys of famous classical music provided a fun and punchy rhythm to the proceedings that was perfect for a child. I found a copy of the CD recently and discovered that the album is still a fun listen. The quick, “clapping hands” backbeat now reads very silly and one can envision the album being played during low-impact cardio exercises at a YMCA.

Though this album (as well as its sequels and spin-offs) has its vehement detractors, the album has a sweet innocence to it. It’s merely trying to make classical music a bit more accessible while not taking itself too seriously.

The Haunted Mansion, Disneyland Records

Though not officially an album by any means, this was a record I played quite often as a child. Accompanied by a terrific illustrated book that detailed the exploration of the famous Haunted Mansion of the Disneyland world, your narrator leads you through the famous scenarios from the ride. Though only running approximately five minutes or so, the adventure leaves your brain with indelible memories, probably the most startling being the bride with the visible, beating heart.

The B-side is what I remember the most from this album – a simple collection of sound effects, from moaning ghosts to the absolutely terrifying and intense sequence of a pack of dogs barking in the distance and getting louder...and ever so closer…

#Goblin #Nina Simone #Bette Midler #Eurythmics #Creepshow #John Harrison #The Haunted Mansion #Disney #Tom Waits #albums #Hooked on Classics #screamin jay hawkins

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yekkiz · 5 months

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it’s that time of year again… 🎄🎅🎉🎊 no. the highlights of your 2023 media consumption of course! just like last year, i want to know your top 5 films, books, tv shows, songs/albums, pop culture moments if that’s your thing, and as a bonus: any favourite personal moment/achievement in the last year? new to you, new in release, either works! can’t wait to see your response and wishing you a happy new year! 😁🩷

HEY!!! I'm adding media I've loved this year wether it was released this year or not if thats ok but most of these did in fact release during 2023

long paragraph..,,

top 5 films

Beau is afraid - absolute favorite 2023 movie, Ari Aster will never fail to get into the depths of my brain in such beautiful and traumatising ways...it was truly a ride - watched it twice in the span of a week because the itch inside couldn't stop itching god it was so good, it felt like a dream and a nightmare and god knows how bad i love things that feel like dreams and nightmares, the mystery of what it means to "dream"

Talk to me - YES!!!! great horror!!!!! BEST montage scene of the year (yes. that scene with Le Monde song) great great great rhythm it felt like 2000s horror. simple main plot doesn't always mean its gonna be predictable or boring, LOVE a good "not so original" idea when its greatly made and this is the perfect example! classic horror is so back

Infinity pool - insane. loved every second of this. original premise, critic message, GREAT cast, sick visuals...Mia Goth the actress that you are

M3GAN - camp! not much else to say really. watched it a couple times during the year it's just become a personal comfort movie i just love that doll shes everything to me

Pearl - yeah I watched this way too late.........for an A24 horror enjoyer.... sorry father for i have sinned. Rewired my brain chemistry, changed my life forever, did irreversible damage on my psyche etc. Beautiful splendind wonderful i CAN'T wait for maxxxine

top ¿? shows

haven't watched many remarkable shows but there we go with my little ranking...

Severance - incredible visuals, incredible storyline, amazing concept overall, can't wait for season 2

Better Call Saul - this show is all I breathe and Im genuinely worried that I won't be able to like a show as much as I like bcs - fav show i've ever watched, genuinely

La Mesías - best 2023 spanish show.............i love shows i love media i love art. when i watch things like this i feel so honored i'm able to witness such things for so little payment like. this isnt worth a suscription i feel like i owe more for letting me see such thing. i feel like im a voyeur when i encounter media that's so carefully made, with so much taste and eye for detail...like i shouldn't be allowed to watch through my laptop screen in my bedroom . just wow if you have the chance and find a sub version i can't recommend it enough

that was my top 2023, other shows ive watched...just rewatched the office, currently rewatching breaking bad, I think you should leave...

top 5 albums/songs

Desire, I want to turn into you - Caroline Polachek - so ethereal, so dreamy, feels like a movie and like when you fall in love and start noticing things you usually never paid attention to - the beauty of your hometown, your lover's hands or how their smile folds in certain ways when they see you, even how you perceive yourself differently

fav track - either I believe or butterfly net

Fanfare - Dorian Electra - from one extreme to the other..complete chaos and noise and I'm soooooo seated for it! such a complete album with 0 skips, always gonna love a fame themed record that talks about things that aren't relatable at all and gotta love the pop culture moments aswell, they're always so campy yet manage to be deep at times i love an unserious but self aware king what can i say!

fav track - wanna be a star

American Gurl - Kilo Kish - oh i love love this album i love the sound of it, the videogame vibe...every single song is so addictive I'll be minding my business and a random song from this album will pop into my head

fav track - no apology!

Preacher's Daughter - Ethel Cain - well this was certainly something it literally felt like a horror movie and of course I'm so here for it. terrifying, disgusting, sent shivers down my spine the first time I heard it on full length...and still does when I do. such a great album and def one of the best ones ive ever heard, top 5 for sure

fav track - family tree

Ultraviolence - Lana del Rey - yeah i'm 10 years late and thank god I am bc only god knows the irreversible damage this would have done to teenager me

fav track - florida kilos

2023 personal highlights

started the year doing a really nice trip that somehow helped me clear thoughts about my future

I got accepted into the masters degree I wanted which also gave me the chance to meet so many cool people and make so many good friends <3

I've been able to draw soooooooo much - my arm is doing sooo much better

got a tattoo I really wanted! got that flash design in my mind for a while and it's finally on me

this year was so hard for me and my family and it was such a challenge. I'm so proud we could manage through it all, and hopefully this year is easier on us

thanks so much for the ask Imo! sorry I wrote a lot and half of it it's just nonsense though!! I wish you a happy new year <333

#non sims #cheesehair #2023

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bengiyo · 1 year

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La Pluie Ep 2 Stray Thoughts

And we're back! This show has everything! Sexy shots of buses in the rain! A supernatural soulmates theme (it's Color Rush with hearing loss)! Boy Sompob is singing! Ampere looks so good! Complex family and dating themes! Suar being an asshole and also a loving brother! Title being beautiful! Let's get back into it.

I cannot overstate how happy I am that Tai didn't sit on the fact that he realized who Phat was, and that he immediately revealed the connection.

Also, while we're listening to Boy, how does knowing that your soulmate is a specific gender impact your understanding of sexuality? Were either of these guys into dudes before they sensed each other? Tian seemed to take the news that his brother's soulmate is a man in stride. Also, is your soulmate always the same age as you? Is this a Sense8 situation?

OMG it's time for the 🤡 makeup. Phat didn't realize they had just met, and he wants to break it off with Tai because Tai has ignored him for years. I love this.

How do you divorce with this condition? Will their parents still hear each other every time it rains?

This is quite sad. Clearly, these four boys loved their parents, each other, and their family unit.

I'm curious if a deaf person with this condition would hear their soulmate when it rained.

Tian is the most valid brother of all time. He's giving, "This could have been an email." I love him. "You already fucked with love. Unfuck it."

I get the feeling that Phat knows who Tai is.

Yes, Pingpong! Pair the two guys who hate each other on your BL!

Pingpong beating up the AD is a little dark. ADs I know have a lot of horror stories.

Not even this bowtie can diminish Suar's visuals.

Is the reason time seems to move so weirdly in BLs because it takes them 45 takes to get the shot???

Pingpong knows how to cast! That was great!

I was wondering if Bow knew about Tai's condition.

I love that everyone who cares about Tai isn't letting him waffle.

Very brave of this production to use animal actors.

This vet knows Tai is here for another member of her team.

OMG how much does the rest of this clinic know about Tai and Phat?

This professor for their documentary class is gorgeous.

Are they in the same house from Enchanté?

The mom seems a bit distant with her kids. Also, where are the other two brothers?

I was wondering if they would be aware if the other one was being intimate with someone else when it rained. Incredible timing of that for right after they learn that their mom wants to remarry.

I was not expecting Lomfon to come on to Tai, but I'm not opposed! I love the drama of this! Love to see someone place a romance novel on the table as a discussion point, and then immediately get the dude's address.

This cat is doing an incredible job forwarding the plot.

Excited for these two to have some sort of drunken confrontation next week! I'm really impressed with how much this show has considered how this condition would play out in long-term relationships.

#la pluie the series #la pluie #la pluie meta #thai bl #bl series #Ben watches

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my-rose-tinted-glasses · 7 months

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Current Tag Game

Tagged by @lurkingshan @twig-tea Thanks😺

Current time: 16h49

Current activity: Getting ready to go the supermarket and then make some soup.

Currently thinking about: Processing the fact that my body will never be the same and the fact that it's not letting me have a good night sleep.

Current favorite song: Probably the one from I Cannot Reach You that I just added to my playlist and keep going back to it.

Currently reading: Re-reading The Body Keeps the Score by Bessel van der Kolk

Currently watching: Absolute Zero - I can't believe we're only half way through this. It feels longer. Dangerous Romance - Yes, there are problems. No, I do not care. I Feel You Linger in the Air - I can't believe it's over tomorrow. It's just so beautiful. I Cannot Reach You - I love them. I love all their facial expressions and I adore the bokeh. If It's With You - I don't want it to end. 😭 I love everything about this show. EVERYTHING. What Did You Eat Yesterday S2 - Kenji is my comfort character. Kiseki: Dear to Me - Another one that's gonna end and please please please, be good. My Dear Gangster Oppa - It's light, they're cute. That's it. One Room Angel - Japan continues to spoil me with these visuals. Shadow - WHAT IS HAPPENING? I need to know. I need the answers, like now, this instant! You Are Mine - I have no idea what I'm watching 80% of the time and yet, I'm still here. Current favorite character: It's a tie between Amane and Ryuji. I'll miss them 😭

Current WIP: Me. And at least 2 knitting projects that I keep frogging and restarting.

Tagging some of the featherheads @blmpff@mysterygrl20@sparklyeyedhimbo@lukaherehelp@callipigio@khunfeathers@troubled-mind @forkaround @slayerkitty if you feel like it.

#tag game #Spotify

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thesweetnessofsalt · 8 months

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Process Blog #2

To the person who left this comment like, two years ago:

You were so on the nose, you didn’t even know. But I knew. I KNEW!!!

Process Blog #2 covers pages 6 through 9 of Chapter 3.

Man, this was the sequence from hell. I’ve been having some computer troubles, and in my attempts to fix the issue, I ended up losing a lot of my files for Chapter 3. It’s fine - I ended up recovering almost everything, and I’m using a cloud service going forward. But the issue still persists and my computer just shuts down at random. Some days it doesn’t happen at all, but on others, it’ll happen continuously.

(You can also file this under ‘reasons why Michelle can’t manage to keep a stream schedule’, btw…sorry.)

Nevertheless, I’ve been looking forward to making these pages for a while, and they are juicy. So let's get into it!!

Historical Inspiration & Stylism

Sha’s memory is kind of hazy - it’s why she, say, rounds to 2,000 years instead of providing an exact date; see also the ‘egg incident’ - and her recounting of her past is similarly lacking in detail. That being said, I do want to imply something about when and where this occurs, and have tried to do so through the visuals.

The compositions and figures themselves are inspired mostly by red-figure pottery, while the eyes and decorative details are inspired by Minoan frescoes.

Panels are made up of Greek meanders - those decorative borders. I know it's not what the Greeks were going for, but it looks very comic-like to me and I'm here for it.

Aphrodite

Aphrodite’s domain was love, passion, and beauty, but she was also associated with fertility and marriage. I’ve peppered a few of her symbols throughout this sequence - sparrows, myrtle (those leafy branches) - but the main one are shells.

Aphrodite was often depicted with scallop shells, alluding to her birth by the sea. Oh, hey - we’ve seen shells like this in TSOS before!

Well, have you caught it? Have you figured out that we’re drawing parallels between Sha and Aphrodite? What if we were both girls…and we were both born from the ocean…

The (Ex-) Husband

Divorce was a viable option for couples in Ancient Greece, so his threat isn’t completely out of left field - neither is the implication that he’d hold Sha responsible for their troubles. Infertility was seen as a women’s issue, and was perfectly reasonable grounds for divorce.

Yes, this guy comes off like a complete asshole to us, but to Sha, this would have been normalized (though still awful).

Not much else to say about the dude. He was a fisherman, though that detail ended up really only coming through here:

Shop Talk

For all the troubles I had with research, stylizing, and tone, the actual making of these pages was pretty quick (thank god…I had to make up that time somewhere!). I really tried not to fuss too much on the execution of these, given that I was working on them in such sporadic sections and lost my original files partway through.

I didn’t really do a sketch pass, instead jumping right into the lineart so it’d look stiffer and less refined than the usual style. I gave the lines a little oomph by adding a duplicating lineart underneath, blurring the heck out of it, and changing it to red. This just gave them some warmth and helped distinguish them better from the screentones.

I chose this screentone for its resemblance to tiny mosaic tiles, with some slight hue shifts for variety and a gaussian blur to soften up those harsh anti aliased dots.

Closing Arguments

Well, now you know the terrible truth: TSOS is not very historically accurate or specific.

Instead of sharing her story through facts and events, I wanted it to be shared in Sha's own words, supported by visuals that could be interpreted freely.

Sha doesn't remember where she lived, or when she died. Even if she did, those things would be counted and named differently today, and those facts wouldn't add anything to her character or the story. What Sha does remember is the loneliness and desperation that got her to where she is now.

It's not the most forthcoming, I know, but hey - neither is Sha!

This flashback continues for another two pages, but they start to break from this ancient style as we fade back to present day, so that's all for now!

As always, if you have any questions about the making of TSOS, leave them in the comments and I’ll answer them in the next!

Process Blog #2 was originally published September 21, 2023 on Ko-fi. Supporters get early access to TSOS pages and process blogs!

#the sweetness of salt #webcomics #process blog

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rocksanddeadflowers · 2 months

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PLAYLIST BABBLES!!!!

SHAKING THE METAL BARS OF MY ENCLOSURE

Constellations/Solar Waltz/Rises the Moon - WE GOT THE WAR TRIO !!!!!! (Constellations and Solar Waltz weren't added with this in mind but after adding Rises the Moon ITS IN MIND NOW)

"But after sunlit days, one thing stays the same, rises the moon." "What if they should falter, and shrug their little shoulders? Well, time, she'd pass all the same." "And everything you thought you knew, will fall apart, but you'll be all right." <- SAME ENERGY BTW!!!!! THE PASSAGE OF TIME AND THE CHANGES IT BRINGS ARE INEVITABLE AND CONSISTANT BUT YOU'LL SURVIVE THEM AND MAYBE BE BETTER FOR IT!!!

Unraveling/Shadow of The Moon <- LESBIANS!!!!!! THEY'RE IN LESBIANS TOGETHER (APART EDITION)!!!!!!!! (Aurora/Nastya btw)

Fun Fact Beauty (from the musical Starship)was added bc I LOVE that song (<- #1 bug defender) and kinda forced it in with the excuse of "well the song is called beauty and it's like a don't judge a book by it's cover thing". Then WAY WAY WAY later I remembered Starship (still my favorite Team Starkid musical of all time) was meant to be a parody of The Little Mermaid (but outer space and giant bugs) and Beauty was their rendition of Kiss The Girl. So. If you know you know. Blaze. Blaze I put two Kiss The Girl songs on there lmao.......

wait waIT BLAZE WAIT BLAZE WAIT BEAUTY IS ABOUT BUGS WHAT IF IT'S LIZZIE SINGING IT AND AND AND OH WAIT LIKE ALL THREE ARE IN THE GARDENS AND THAT'S HER INFO DUMPING AND ITS BEFORE THEY ADMITTED THEIR FEELINGS AND THE BOYS ARE FALLING FOR HER SO HARD (I also have a favorite.... @blazeismyname wasn't gonna tag y'all for this but I feel I must for this specific note) (may as well tag @unsat-and-strange while I'm at it....... didn't wanna bombard y'all but its so late for me.)

How obvious is it that I'm favoring Jonny and Lyf in the playlist be brutally honest...........

<- on that note if y'all have song suggestions for the playlist (especially for characters we haven't given enough love and attention) BE LOUD DON'T HOLD BACK!!!!

Ma Belle Evangeline violinspector......... When We're Human war trio ..................

The Downed Dragon IS ALSO WAR TRIO CODED TO ME BTW!!!! UNSETTLING FERAL LYF MY BELOVED!!!!!!

Savage Daughter is for Carmilla and Lyf bonding btw..... im personally not imply a parental relationship between them its just the magic heathen energy the song is for is SO THEM!!! (There's actually a handful of songs meant for wild Lyf on here btw. If. If that wasn't painfully obvious....)

Like Ships is Toy and Marius !!!!!!! To me at least!!!!!! And Send Me A Peach was fully self indulgent after we agreed on Southern Jonny. I don't actually have a visual for it atm.....

That's probably it for now but I assure you I will come back with more babbles

#the consequences of creation and love #music playlist #cocal playlist

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milkbreadtoast · 11 months

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I WATCHED NIMONA!!! As someone who read the original nimona webcomic when it was updating (roughly a decade ago??) and was rly impacted by it, I was so excited to watch the film and... they did a really good job!!! it was so beautiful i cried omg... it's def worth a watch!! (long ramble under the cut BWAHA spoiler warning)

...and it was rly completely diff from the original comic but im not complaining?? like its a v loose movie adaptation and the plot/setup was v diff but still v well done... like the comic and movie r both good in their own right... & i laughed and cried a lot... i was surprised at the extent of some of the changes but the emotional parts hit hard(my eyes r swollen from crying) and it was written v well... and visually it's just gorgeous... my jaw kept dropping at the beautiful lighting, and they brought the futuristic medieval setting to life so well i could cry😭

it's funny bc one of the main things i was afraid of was them changing nimona's backstory from the comic, bc even after a decade that's one of the things that stuck w me the most... i love nimona as a chara sm... I was so worried abt them changing it and... they ended up changing it completely... but it was actually really good?! like i cried so hard, it was well done... so I'm glad I didn't have to worry after all jdjfjd🥺 like they Did change it but both ver r good in their own right...

I understand that they had to rewrite the plot completely to fit within the time length of a single movie while still being a contained story, as is always the case w movie adaptations of books, graphic novels, etc which r much longer... Series have a chance to follow the source more closely but that just isnt the case w movies... and as far as movie adaptations go they did an amazing job!! I can rly appreciate both the comic and the movie as their own thing... and I rly liked some parts that were added to the movie, like ballister(blackheart)'s backstory in the beginning, and the addition of gloreth (and her relationship w nimona) was surprisingly compelling... And I really really love that they made Ballister and Goldenloin canon POC 😭😭😭 like that made me so happy!!!❤️‍🔥 When i first saw the casting of riz ahmed and eugene lee i was sooo happy, i was like YAYY IDC IF THEY LOOK WHITE IM GONNA HC THEM AS POC🥰 but the fact that i dont even have to hc bc its canon now... 🥹 SOUTH ASIAN/EAST ASIAN KINGS🛐... and they also didn't hold back with showing them openly as a gay couple... Even tho their dynamic changed a lot from the comic I rly appreciate that...

And there were things that I did miss from the webcomic, like the original setup with goldenloin and blackheart as staged nemesis, them being exes (and some time having passed since their graduation, so they're older, unlike in the movie when it just happened), etc. but the whole setup and plot and everything I completely understand why they had to change it to make it work/fit as a movie, so I get it... so not complaining there tbh bc they did what they had to do... But tbh... TBH... my one(1) complaint(/lh) w the movie... IS I REALLY MISS GOLDENLOIN'S BEAUTIFUL LONG HAIR😭😭😭💔 He would've looked so pretty with long golden locks in the movie artstyle, esp w the gorgeous lighting... glowing gold and flowing in the wind... And I think it would've fit perfectly well with the movie ver of his chara/lore too?? like the new lore of him being a descendant of Gloreth... I could imagine him growing out his hair and bleaching it blonde to fit the image/pressure of being a descendant of gloreth, and to look more flashy and heroic to the public (They did tone down his vanity a lot but im sure he still retains some of it... like he still has that pretty popular celebrity image)... And him having long hair doesnt contradict with him being asian too or the modern setting... modern asian men can and do have pretty long hair😭 Like he couldve still been Asian, just w long blonde hair... It doesn't contradict w his new personality either... And I wish they kept the golden color bc the white/silver makes him look less like a "goldenloin"... (i also love black/gold color combos personally lol)... And i just aldjskd can u imagine movie Ballister stroking Ambrosious's long hair affectionately... pls🥲 WE COULD'VE HAD IT ALL... canon asian madeleine cookie qkjdksdj... I also do miss his original stupid vain arrogant himbo personality from the comic, but I understand why they changed it (for one, charas like that might start out obnoxious but then slowly develop and gain depth over the course of the story, but in a movie's short length, there's less time to slowly grow on ppl so it'd be easier to make them more likeable from the start... so like i get it.) but I think it would've been perfect if they just kept his long hair even w his new personality😭😭 LIKE IT WOULDVE BEEN 100000% PERFECT THEN!!! So that's literally my one lighthearted complaint/dissatisfaction w the movie LMFAO... I'd be happy if ppl draw fanart of movie ambrosious w long hair... TTwTT i miss it sm DKDJZ /end rant OVERALL I HAD A GOOD time ^^ LMFAO

#i dont wanna tag this bc i dont want it to show up in the tag orz #and the spoilers r under the cut so dont read it if u havent watched it #(not that anyone will read this anyway... i just wanted to rant LOL #nimona spoilers #i might do a more detailed ramble abt the contents of the movie later if i have energy #i love nimona herself as a chara sm tho... both the comic and movie ver #i adore herrrr shes so funny too like i think the jokes in the movie were actually better skjfd #i dont rmbr the specifics of the comic's jokes but the ones in the movie were def original (ie not in the comic) and funny hehe #shit i ranted more abt goldenloin than i thought. I SWEAR ITS NOT A BIG DEAL IM /LH #I do want to reread the comic now... I wonder if bookstores have it...#I can appreciate the movie as its own thing but its been over a decade so i want to read the comic again too #bc theyre both good in their own right!!#also its been so long that i prob forgot a lot of it

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splashink-games · 10 months

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Sleepy Time Rhythm Game!

Melatonin is a rhythm game by Half Asleep! Try to keep yourself awake as you dream through the rhythms of the night!

You might not have noticed, but I'm a big fan of rhythm games. Recently, it's been Melatonin, Muse Dash, Soundfall, and A Dance of Fire and Ice. In the past, I've also been into osu!, Taiko no Tatsujin, Sayonara Wild Hearts, and Rhythm Heaven, to name a few.

Rhythm Heave in particular is relevant cause Melatonin takes that same kind of formula in its mechanics and level design.

Each song has its own rhythm mechanics, including visual and audio cues, whether that be holds or button presses or both. Similar to Rhythm Heaven, the game gives the player a mashup every four (4) songs just to make sure you got them down.

I'm especially impressed that there are also a ton of accessibility options! From making the game easier via larger Perfect windows (for the already generous for me windows) or more points per note, to adding more visual and audio cues/support, the devs made it easy for those who like rhythm games but are not good at them to enjoy Melatonin!

There's also a very cool option for achievement hunters like me to auto-restart for Perfect runs.

I don't think I have to speak on the music. It's good! I like it. However, as the main selling point, you've gotta like the type of music that it is; which is mostly chill beats and lo-fi.

The game is light on narrative, though it's not a huge issue. The main story involves your fella on the couch trying to fall asleep over four nights and a morning. I like this character's degradation(?) as they try all sorts of strategies and distractions.

There's also a lot you can infer from the levels themselves. From their names (like Dream About Money or Dream About Desires) to the things you see or do in the levels. The narrative starts more surface level, dreaming about food or shopping. And as the nights progress, the dreams become more serious, leaning on topics like the past or future or stress.

Eventually, it becomes a pretty relatable experience simply for the fact that this fella dreams about a lot of things we experience or worry about in real life. This is what I love about games like this.

This game looks beautiful, by the way. Absolutely stunning visuals. Love the softness of everything in the game. The colour palette is very cutesy and easy on the eyes (probably, hopefully).

With how well done the graphics are, it significantly helps out the effectiveness of the visual cues!

Melatonin is a wonderfully made game. Definitely sates my need for rhythm games. Would recommend for those who need a chill time.

As always,

Enjoy Gaming!

#ink reviews #Melatonin game #game review #video games #gaming

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etoilefilante-cm · 1 year

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― the moment i found my way back home

I was just but another little soul dwelling in the same bustle of a small town, protected by a lullaby in the comfort of the ordinary – living youth with relish and blooming into adolescence – not reckoning the days nor the nights passing by. Little did I know, the regularity of a stagnant everyday life has done me good, alluring me into the depths of adventures and fascinating me enough to explore what these eyes could not lay on over the horizon.

The year was 2015. Dancing to K-Pop songs, my hobby, even though I lack the technicalities or the groove, messes up with the tempo, could not hit the beat, and was nowhere near excelling at it, was one of the things that gave me overall satisfaction. However, my mind could not fathom nor remember the slightest tiny bit of how, despite a certain video streaming platform having its feed and search history filled with Korean acts, there was a sudden recommendation in the interface, out of nowhere, of one lone Japanese act — Bullet Train or Chotokkyuu, with 'Ebiday Ebinai' Music Video.

I neither had a background nor history with Japanese acts prior to the boys surfacing on my account, but if it just so happened that I recklessly skipped that one, I cannot imagine how monotonous I would be today. From putting on loop one music video, their discography eventually turned into a lifestyle — one that I looked forward to, the best part of the day. Their songs and choreographies have a distinct vibe only they own, and no lies, I was more attracted by their unique charms in 'スターダスト LOVE TRAIN' and goofiness in 'バッタマン,' which not a lot of talents risk doing.

Albeit I became a huge fan, I hate to admit it, but my mind slowly forgot them, disappearing from my every day like they were never once a precious routine. My last with them was 'My Buddy.' And it was when K-Pop pulled me closer and hugged me with groups like Infinite, B.A.P, UNIQ, Romeo, Victon, NCT, Golden Child, TRCNG, Produce 101 Season 2 Trainees, Sonamoo, Lovelyz, WJSN, and CLC. There, I experienced both the ecstasy of happiness and the atrocities of the pain of the inevitable in the industry with the eyes of a fan.

Come the pandemic, I was not ready for the twist, interest-wise, it had prepared ready for me. I indulged myself with NCT content, so as not to beat myself with the stress and anxiety the situation has brought — that's one, but the waves of the ocean were yet to unveil the wonders I was yet to encounter. Everything was going as usual on the video streaming platform, again, but not until an advertisement video came up and played.

It was a cheery and melodic song with the use of muted color palette, which was, in my opinion, a bit in contrast to the atmosphere of the song but, ironically, complemented either way. The visuals had people playing and scenes amusing, hence I murmured within myself how good of a concept it was. Although I seemed to enjoy it, a piece of evidence was the fact that I did not skip the ad, part of me was troubled as the stars seemed familiar. Very familiar. Then, in a snap, I heard 'Ebiday Ebinai' in the lyrics — it was Bullet Train! Again! And in an unexpected meeting! Again! This time, it was with 'Stand Up,' and I didn't waste any time catching up on what I missed during the time I was away.

At that moment, I was so happy. It was like a long-gone piece of me was finally found. Since then, I am with them and will always be with them. I do regret, to the bones, that I had been missing out on such gems the past years. My journey to meeting them, again, may just be another coincidence, but I would like to believe that it was all destiny. That it was written in beautiful italics under the Book of Destiny and was meant to happen all along.

The adventurous in me may have set sail along unstable waters, but who would have known that the same water would not trample me over, instead it led me in the best and calmest way. I may have gone on a voyage wherein Bullet Train was my destination, but from there on, the moment I found my way back home, I became more ready to embark on the gr8est journey of my life with them. I may not know what life has in store for me, but with them as my anchor and their songs as my sail, I am brave enough to conquer what these eyes could not lay on over the horizon.

#超特急 #j-ent #j-music #stardust

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abovebelowhalimekaraca · 2 years

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Amanita Indie Games.

Amanita Design is a Czech indie game developer. The studio was founded in 2003 by designer, artist and animator Jakub Dvorsky, and is known for its emphasis on surreal worlds, light-hearted humour, hand-crafted appeal and audiovisual experience.

Jakub created his own indie point and click game alone and since then he founded his indie game studio and created beautiful games such as Samorost, Machinarium, Botanicula, CHUCHEL, Piligrims etc.

Some projects by Amanita Design.

This music video was created for the Danish post-rock band Under Byen.

Plantage

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I like how they used real props such as the trees and some edited pictures like the egg and the pigeons and just added little animations on top.

I think this collage style of animation really fits the song and even though it looks choppy at times I think this just adds a weird quality to it.

Machinarium

Machinarium is a full scale point and click adventure game by. Amanita Design The game is about a strange rusty, metallic place populated only by robots.

The story is about a little robot who has been unjustly thrown out to the scrap yard behind the city.

I absolutely love the style of this. The sketchy line work and the dark/industrial aesthetic gives this game a very nostalgic and almost vintage feel, like how games and cartoons used to look like back in our childhood.

It is, in fact, stated by Jakub in an interview that their illustrative style was heavily influenced by Eastern European animated movies and illustrations.

The Art Of Machinarium

The hand drawn style fits really well with the gloomy yet comforting atmosphere of the game and the amount of details and care put in all the backgrounds and interactive elements is to be appreciated, especially for a small team.

It is a very simplistic game in essence, as are all point and click games, and hence why this is heavily ''style/visually led''. If I had to compare it to some other game I would probably chose Cuphead because of the hand drawn, scanned in and then inked and coloured style.

I also really like how textured everything is. The dirty scratched walls and the rust on all the machinery really ties up everything and makes you sympathise with the little robot and his unfortunate situation of ending up in a scrap yard.

It is much easier to take in all the little details without the colours and rendering. You can really see al the care and attention put in everything little thing from the metal floor to the wires and pipes everywhere. I find this very inspiring as someone who hopes to become a concept artist/illustrator some day.

Adolf Lachman

Adolf is a visual artist that has graduated the Prague Academy Of Fine Arts and has worked at digitally modified illustrations, there dimensional objects and visual artworks for diverse projects such as computer games, bands, and graphic designs for software companies.

Adolf's contribution and influence to Machinarium is obvious and his process of creating is, as I mentioned very similar to what Studio MDHR did for Cuphead.

I love the diselpunk/retropunk aesthetic that most of his work has.

Process

Jakob explains the process of creating the game and the certain crieteria the team had to achieve.

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Adolf starts with a very clear sketch in his sketchbook which really needs to be nice and polished since he then has to scan it in photoshop.

After that, he uses overlay to make his sketch transparent. He clears up any unwanted scribbles and adds the final details to the sketch that will then become the line art.

The final step is to add colour, the overall composition and rendering. I love all the details and the very strong shading really adds to the 3 dimension of the ship/creature. It is a very clever way to use the initial sketch ion your work especially if you want to go with an old, retro look that is a tribute to old paper animations.

The history of indie games in the Czech Republic.

Game development in the Czech Republic started around the year 1984 with text adventure games and smaller puzzle games. These two genres were dominant in the late 80s and early 90s. In the late 90s, more and more companies began to produce games. Most popular were humorous adventure games, strategy games, and puzzle games.

At the end of the 90s, bigger and better-known game companies started with the development of 3D games, mainly shooters and tactical shooters

Mobile games aren't as popular in the Czech republic as PC games, Jariabka explains, but it opened the doors for Czech developers to strike out on their own and form independent studios to create original IPs, gain experience, and move on to developing for consoles and PC.

The best thing about being a Czech developer, Jeriabka says, is that the country's small size leads to smaller companies helping each other out, sometimes even cross-promoting each others' games. "Many great Czech games are a result of cooperation/collaboration and joined resources. This is true also for games-related media, which really support Czech games and their [promotional and crowdfunding] campaigns."

#Youtube

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