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popculturebuffet · 3 years

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Shadow Into Light (Lena Retrospective): Magica’s Shadow War

Hello all you happy people! And welcome back to Shadow Into Light, my look at the life and times of Lena Sabrewing. We’re in the end stretch, just two more installments after this: one covering what may be my favorite episode, and the other covering Lena’s season 3 appearances, as unlike Seasons 1 and 2 she shows up outside her own episodes fairly often and most of those apperances touch on how far she’s come or her life in some way shape or form, so I really can’t skip over them.

But before we can get to the end of Lena’s arc, we have to once again go back where she came from. Previously I covered the one and only apperance of Minima DeSpell, a character Lena took some inspiration from. But Lena is a combination of Minima and another Ducktales 87 character but this time one from the show itself, in the same episode we meet Magica no less. Given how much frank loved the original, it’s not a huge shock one of the most vital and intresting new characters from the reboot was partially taken from an episode he probably watched 80 dozen times. So how does the original shadow stack up with her rebooted counterpart? Is the episode any good? And should I watch invincible. The answers to this question are under the cut!

To answer your question on invincible.. Yeah you should. It’s gorgeously animated, has a MASSIVELY talented and diverse cast, and perfectly adapts the original source: Adding in great new stuff and shuffling things around to work better for the pacing of a tv show. And after loosing The Tick to Amazon’s greasy clutches, not to mention Danger and Eggs and Alpha House before that with no formal cancelation so they coudln’t move elsewhere, i’m not taking any chances despite the odds being far more in invincibles favor. Check it out, just mind that it has a shocking amount of gore, if you like superheroes. Or even if you don’t, it’s pretty much guaranteed to have someone you like doing a voice.

Enough shilling for an unrelated show though, let’s get to this one. We open with our introduction to the De Spells. Magica is hovering over a caludron with a diabolical new plan to steal Scrooge’s #1 dime. Why?

Or at least I didn’t. I knew why she wanted the dime itself mind you: The Dime has picked up some powerful emotoinal energy from being around Scrooge all his life as he built his fortune, made his way square and fought Teddy Roosevelt. All that good stuff. So naturally if used in a spell, that spell is going to be massively powerful. I just didn’t know what the spell was.. and now I do.. i’mmm underwhelmed. She wants it to gain the midas touch, i.e. the ablility to turn things she touches into gain, using the dime as a power source for an amulet.

Magica, via her potions and spells has the powers to do just about ANYTHING. And her goal is.. make some things into gold. She has a giant volcano laier, whatever resources she needs to go after Scrooge, and in this series at least can buy a haunted house on a whim. She HAS money.. why would she need this. And second... the midas touch is a bad thing. You cant’ USE or enjoy anything because it turns to gold> That was the whole fucking point of the myth. If it removes the weakness than fine.. but again it seems like a lot of effort for something with a short range and heavy possible drawbacks. I tfits her personalty to a point but even then she has better spells. I’m going more with it simply allowing her to supercharge.. is it more simplisti? yes. Does it make more sense than “Give myself a power that can easily be turned back on me by just making me touch myself “ yes, yes it is.

Meanwhile the boys dick around playing Candid Camera with a new camera Gyro gave them that is no more advanced than your average instant camera. You’d expect this new invention to come in handy against Shadow Magica. And you’d be right. You’d expect the boys to at least suggest hte idea before the climax. You’d be wrong. This big is just.. irrtating. It’s just the boys being dicks to everyone by taking embarssing photos and really adds nothing to the episode of any remote subtsnace.

Conversley Magica continues to be the highlight, as her check in with airport security gets her through as she has no fruit. Ah the days before they throughly scanned us and most tsa jokes were about shoving hands up someone’s ass. Seriously.. why. .why is that a common joke. I’ve never had it done but unless you fully consent to it it’s not fun to get your hand up there but it was an oddly common gag for a long time.I.. really don’t get it.

She arrives in america and buys a haunted house, to the realtor’s shock but eh it’s a sale. The black mold just makes it more sinister. Magica sicks Shadow Magica on the bin, with an elaborate plan but giving the Shadow one hour to do it because otherwise it will disapate.. given it dosen’t it’s likely more Magica trying to keep her double in line, having ran into trouble earlier with shadow her trying to steal the wallet of what I can only assume to be gus goose. So he was on vacation tha’ts where he was.. from what I don’t know he dosen’t actually do work and the house of mouse hadn’t been established yet. Maybe Gramma Duck just gives him vacation days.

So the shadow ALMOST gets away with the dime.. but accidnetly knocks over a pedestal and warns Scrooge and the Boys, who manage to chase her off. Scrooge having only one magical nemisis in his Rogues gallery, that we know of, knows who did this and prepares for an attack. Magica.. berates her doppleganger and while she considers a spell to power her up, decides against it since what would stop the Shadow from betraying her. The shadow agrees.. and locks Magica and Poe in a closet and makes the potion herself, taking on a creepy new form and planning to raise an ARMY of shadows.

And here... is where the split between Lena and The Shadow is very deefinite. While Frank and Matt kept the shadow and Magica really not getting along and only working together out of necisity on both ends.. the shadow here REALLY is just magica. Just as evil and ambitious, and just as sneaky. The only diffrence between the two is the shadow’s logical weaknesses of being a shadow, i.e. light weakens her and she can only hide in darkness or other shadows, and how they were born. Shadow magica is every bit as evil and devious as the main one. I do get why she stuck in Frank’s brain though: the idea is simple but ingenious, someone’s shadow gaining sentience, and the cool tricks you get with that as she ducks and darts between shadows. It’s really good stuff and frank expertly expanded it with lena, making her basically humanoid duck other than where she came from, but still using the neat tricks with the shadow itself for Magica’s imprisoned form and later the shadow army. It’s a good example of taking a really good idea.. and making it even better, by having said shadow being deal with not being considered a person by the person who spawned her and really ramping up the idea of a shadow army, which Shadow Magica eventually summons, from about ten guys to an entire cities worth. The shadows also you know come from people instead of just thin air but semantics. Point is it’s a very good concept and done really well esepcially for the 87 cartoon, and while Frank’s take was unique and very well done, it dosen’t make the original any less good.

And it’s shown off with a cool sequence of the shadow infiltrating the manor and nearly getting to the dime with Scrooge having rigged the place to all hell with lights as a percaution. It nearly wins but louie uses a shadow puppet to scare it off. While Scrooge ponders this latest attack Poe shows up, and offers Magica’s help.. but Scrooge rightly dosen’t want it, as he can’t trust her and only agrees when the boys bring up the power bill from keeping the lights on.

Now getting Magica on board is not an idea: The shadow’s a threat to both of them and they need each other. The next part though.. is a bit stupid and drags the episode down a bit. Magica asks for the dime to beat the thing. Now Scrooge wisely is hesitant to do so.. but everyone else treats it like his usual greedy antics. Thing is.. it’s not. We don’t, at least in this adaptation, know what Magica wants with the thing or the full extent of what she can do with it or if she even actually needs it. While getting her help is one thing, giving her the DIME well...] ]’ii98[[

Why would you give someone you KNOW wants to use the dime to conquer the world or whatever the thing she wants? It’d be like handing Thanos the Infnity Gauntlet to take out Galactus. Yes, your handling a big problem.. but your burning the world to do it. It’s just so frustratlingly dumb. There’s a good idea in there, Scrooge being forced to lend Magica the dime, but it’s buried under Mt. Contrivance!

So Scrooge reluctantly goes along with operation:seemed like a good idea at the time, and cleverly puts the dime in an empty stadium. Unfortuantley the lights malfunction and Shadow Magica summons MORE Shadows, and now has an army. Launchpad ends up being helpful, also he’s in this episode for some reason, by pointing out shadows need light.. and thus another logical weakness as killing the rest of the lights renders them weak and allows our heroes to lure them to the vault where Magica waits> Magica is able to weaken it with the spell.. but even with that the Shadow SITLL is too powerful..

Enter the cameras, which take out Shadow Magica, saving the day. We get a lesson about trusting Gyro’s gadgets for.. some reason and Scrooge stops Magica from fleeing with the dime with a shadow puppet. Smiles and cheese sandwitches all around

Final Thoughts on Magica’s Shadow War: This episode is not half bad. While the Dime Thing is mindblowingly moronic, and the camera thing is REALLY poorly set up, I have not had a more apt use for that Scott Pilgrim Panel yet, the sheer concept and June Foray’s sheer force of personality as both magica’s makes it work. It’s a fun, engaging adventure and a solid chonk of classic ducktales. As for how it relates to Lena it does so decently. But with this our side trips are at an end. Only two episodes left! And then onward to the lilo and stitch crossover arc! Yes really. Kev wanted a buffer before getting to the Season 2 arcs and I loved tha tshow as a kid so why the fuck not.

Next Time on Shadow Into Light: Lena gets welcomed to prime time bitch as Magica pulls a freddy and stalks her through her dreams. Sadly she did indeed forgot about the power glove. Can the rest of the kids break away from dreams of high school musicals, becoming a garfild, giant legs and libraries long enough to save Lena? Will we have a very queer in the best way possible musical number about Lena and Webby’s anniversary? Will I talk about Huelet? In order, yes, yes, and probably. But join me anyways won’t you.

If you liked this reviews, subscribe for more. If you have a ducktales episode from seasons 1 and 2 of the reboot or the whole of the 87 series, drop me a line through my ask box, my dm’s or my discord, technicolormuk#6550. Reviews or only 5 bucks an episode for tv. Other prices on the blog. Or if you can’t spare that much, join my patreon. Even a buck or two a month helps reach my stretch goals and the more of those I hit the more disney content you get a month. The current one is only 5 bucks away. I’m 15 and if I hit 20 that guarantees a darkwing duck review every month AND reviews of the super ducktales mini series. But if you can’t that’s cool and I get it times are hard, it’s why I have to shill so hard. But until the next rainbow, it’s been a pleasure.

#ducktales #ducktales 87 #magica's shadow war #lena sabrewing #shadow into light #magica de spell #poe de spell #scrooge mcduck #huey duck #louie duck #dewey duck #bentina beakley #launchpad mcquack #the disney afternoon #disney +#disney plus

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kyber-kisses · 4 years

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Torrential (Part 1/3)

Dean Winchester x Reader

Warnings: none.

Summary: When a summer thunderstorm hits Lebanon, a series of events unravels that leaves Dean surprised. As the storm rages on, it gives him a lot to think about.

A/n: the SPN taglist is still open! I hope yall enjoy this little series, and please tell me what you thought! (Gif credit goes to owner.)

Dean had lost track of how many hours he had been driving. If he was being completely honest, he began to lose track around hour three, which was right about the time you cranked up the volume on the music and began humming along. Though his eyes mainly stayed fixed on the road ahead, he would occasionally glance over at you, smiling at how content you looked.

Sam had stayed back for once at the bunker, leaving You and Dean to take care of the Vamp nest in Indiana. Of course, it was no problem to you. You quite liked spending time with Dean. He was funny and kind, and a breath of fresh air in a world gone almost completely sour. You were glad to call the Winchesters your friends, your family.

When the impala crossed over the Kansas border, wheels finally in the home stretch towards the bunker, that’s when the rain started, your gasp of excitement almost making Dean jump. As the miles ticked down, the rain only worsened, but for some reason your smile grew.

Through the hypnotic sound of the windshield wipers and the pelting rain, you leaned forward in your seat, letting out a content sigh, “ When was the last time it rained this hard?”

Dean drummed his fingers across the wheel, turning down the dirt road towards the bunker, “I’m not sure. Usually when it does rain, we can’t even hear it in the bunker. Why you askin?”

“I don’t know. I was just voicing my inner thoughts.” You shrugged.

As the impala came to a slow stop outside the bunker, Dean let out a groan. He was undoubtedly going to have to wash Baby again once the storm blew past. The dirt road up to the bunker was anything but smooth, and when it mixed with rain, the bottom half of the vehicle always ended up caked in mud.

“Oh, don’t be such a grump. I’ll help you wash the impala when the sun comes out.” You smiled, clearly understanding the reason behind his groan.

“But- but I just washed her.” Dean whined, head falling back in defeat as he shut off the car.

“Well that’s all on you, my guy.” You chuckled, suddenly throwing open the passenger side door and stepping out into the curtain of water. Dean watched with slight amusement and raised eyebrows as you slammed the door shut, but instead of covering yourself and running towards the dry sanctuary of the bunker, you stayed put, tilting your head skywards with a massive smile, eyes fluttering shut.

Ever since you were little, something about rain had always seemed magical to you. You weren’t sure what it was exactly, but each time you stepped out into it, it felt cleansing.

This was a summer rain too. It was warm and cool at the same time and made all the colors around you bolder. The trees looked more lush and green, and the air smelled like fresh earth and wet cement. Almost as if the water itself was reviving a healthy glow that you had long been waiting to return. The air felt fuller, and so did you as you took a deep inhale.

There was a distant mechanical whir as Dean rolled down the window, leaning over the seat “Y/N , what the hell are you doing?” His voice laced with amusement as he watched you.

You could feel the water collecting on your lashes and running down your face in small rivulets as you blinked, smile widening as you whipped around to look at him. He looked utterly confused by your action.

“What does it look like?”

Your had become completely soaked at this point, wet palms moving to thoroughly push back the strands sticking to your face, slicking them back with the rest of your hair.

“It looks like you’ve gone completely nuts.” He lightly chuckled, shaking his head. But as he watched you, he felt his heartbeat pick up, the rest of his words becoming lost as he watched you.

God, you looked beautiful, ethereal. Like you had stepped out of a feature film, your rain splashed face bright with a happiness he hadn’t seen in a very long time, lips shiny and looking like they were begging to be kis—

Dean quickly shook his head, trying to rid himself of the sudden thoughts. No. No. He couldn’t think of you like that. You were friends that was all. Yes, he only thought of you as a friend. Nothing else. purely. platonic. friends.

Sliding out of his own seat and into the warm downpour, he sucked in a breath, rounding the vehicle so he could open the trunk.

“Hey, do you need help unloading?” You suddenly called, already on route to him despite him having yet to respond.

Flipping open the trunk, Dean shook his head again, “Nah, it’s fine. I got it.”

“Nonsense, let me help.” You smiled, leaning over to grab at one of the duffel straps, slinging it over your shoulder.

Dean couldn’t help the soft smile on his face as he looked over at you, slamming the trunk closed and locking it, “I told you, it was fine.”

“I know, but I like helping. So deal with it.” You grinned, shifting to walk around the older Winchester.

That’s when things suddenly took a turn. You should have been paying more attention to the mud, because you took one slight misstep, and you slid, your feet practically shooting out from under you as you began a quick decent toward the ground. Your free hand quickly shot out, trying to grab on to the first thing it could find for stability.

“Oh Fuck!”

Unfortunately that happened to be the sleeve of Deans jacket, and before you could do anything about it, you were pulling him down with you, the two of you letting out a series of yells and curse words before hitting the earth with a couple loud groans.

And no, there was no oops I fell on top of you and now we are in a very awkward situation sort of ordeal. That did not happen. There was just a lot of mud and harsh landings. Nothing romantic about it.

“Smooth, Y/N . Real smooth.” Dean groaned, surrendering to the downpour as he lay on his back besides you. The small droplets kissing his face as he took in a breath.

“Dean, I am so sorry. I swear I didn’t mean to.” sucking in a breath, you paused, suddenly seeing the situation you had gotten yourself into.

And then you laughed. You didn’t mean to once again, but it just bubbled out. The whole situation was hilarious and within a matter of seconds, your whole body was shaking with laughter, tears mixing with the rain water running down your face. It only got better when Dean turned his head to shoot you a glare. But it didn’t last long because a smile slowly worked across his features, and then his own laughter escaped him, making you laugh harder.

“I really- I really am sorry!” You wheezed, attempting to push yourself into a sitting position. Palms lightly slipping on the mud beneath you.

“It’s fine. I should have seen it coming. I swear sometimes it’s like you have two left feet.” He mocked, slowly sitting up next to you and turning his head.

His smile never fading as he took you in. Your clothes were now caked in mud, as was some of your hair. your face also smeared with wet earth. But it didn't seem to bother you. You were still beaming. Eyes still bright, and laughing so hard that you held a smile that out shined the sun.

God, you were beautiful.

“I mean, your not wrong.” You laughed, pulling Dean back out of his thoughts. For a split second he thought you had read his mind, but then he remembered what he had said, letting out a slight sigh or relief.

“Yeah, you kinda look like a drunk giraffe sometimes.” He teased, hoping it would help mask the sudden reddening in his cheeks. Your mouth dropped open in mock disapproval, fresh rivulets of rain water dripping from your open lips.

“Oh, you’re gonna regret saying that, Winchester.” You smile turning into a menacing grin as you raised your hand.

“Y/N, Y/N don’t you dare-“ Dean warned, eyes widening as he tried to scoot away, but his retreat ultimately failed when you slowly pressed a muddy hand to his face, smearing dirt over his features. He couldn't help but suck in a breath.

You look so happy, and Dean almost believes its a dream. The rain continues to fall, conjuring sweet patterns on your skin as it begins to wash away the mud, and god he just wants to lean over and kiss you. Taste the rain on your lips and silence your laughter. How could a simple thing from nature make you look so beautiful?

“Dean?”

“Hmm?” He cant find proper words, not when your rendering him speechless like this.

“As much as I’m enjoying this, we should probably head inside.” Giving him one more smile, you brought yourself to your feet, extending a hand to help him up from the wet earth. Even with wet, muddy palms, he can feel the softness of your hand, gripping him and pulling him upwards, and he doesn’t want to let go.

And then Dean’s mentally slapping himself. He shouldn’t be thinking like this. He doesn’t want to taint his friendship with you . . . But your making it damn near impossible with your contagious laugh and bright smile.

“Yeah, yeah. That would probably be a good idea.” He nodded, picking up the duffel he had dropped and following you down the steps towards the bunker door.

*. *. *. *. *.

An hour later, Dean finds himself absentmindedly pacing the library, hair still damp from the shower he took to get the mud off. You're undoubtedly tucked away in your room, curled up with a good book or listening to music, getting some much needed rest.

“Okay, dude. What is going on with you?” Sam sighed, pushing his laptop closed and giving his brother his full attention. He had been watching Dean practically wear tracks into the wood floor from his pacing over the last ten minutes, and it was beginning to drive him up the walls.

Dean paused, startled by the sudden voice as he looked up, brushing his hands through his hair, “What? Nothings going on. I’m fine. Totally, and completely fine. “ he breathed.

“Yeah, sure. Wanna try that again?”

“I told you, Sam. I’m fine!”

“You’re thinking about Y/N aren’t you?” Sam mused, leaning forward on his elbows with a raised eyebrow.

“Why- why would I be thinking about Y/N? I’m not think about Y/N. That’s . . . That’s crazy talk!” He huffed, trying hard to deny it.

“Wow, you are a terrible liar. I literally saw you walk down those steps an hour ago, watching her like she just hung the stars themselves. Admit it. You like her.”

Oh fuck. Oh fuck. Oh fuck.

“I . . . I don’t!”

“Try again, Dean.” Sam sighed, making the older brother wince.

“I mean, she’s pretty and sweet and she has great values and a contagious laugh, but that doesn’t mean I like her!” He breathed, shrugging it off like it was nothing all while trying to ignore the amused look on his brothers face, his eyebrow still raised. And then he paused, his adam’s apple bobbing as he gulped, “I swear to god, if I’m in love I’m gonna eat myself.”

Read part 2 Here

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#dean winchester #dean winchester imagine #dean winchester x reader #dean winchester series #dean x y/n #dean x reader #SPN #spn x reader #spn imagine #supernatural #supernatural imagine #supernatural x reader #bi-danvers0 #bi-danvers writing

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gvf-imagines · 4 years

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Part 1

(Josh/Danny/Jake/Sam x reader)

Warnings: alcohol use, self harm scars

word count: 3252

Thanks to @callmekane for beta reading this fic!

A/N: I’m excited about what this story will bring! This is going to be a very smut filled fan fiction series where the reader has a very sexual and open relationship with all of the boys! I know some people won’t like it I’m sure but all criticism is welcome! Please leave comments and let me know what you think and of course if you have an idea for the story I’m totally open to hearing your thoughts! I hope you enjoy it my friends ❣️

If you’d like to be on the tag-list so you know when I post part 2 just message me or let me know in the comments!

—————————————————————-

You smiled as you ran off stage, the fans were still screaming and kept screaming until the next band took the stage. The air was electric, so many people, all here to enjoy the great communicator that is music. You closed your eyes to take it all in, to just listen and feel. You couldn't believe you were here, playing in front of this many people. This year you shared the stage with another up and coming band by the name of Greta Van Fleet. You hadn't heard of them before recently and they were actually really good. They had so much soul and passion in their music, it was true, raw talent.

You watched from the side stage as they played their eclectic set. The singer, Josh, really got the crowd going. He had so much energy and was really fun to watch. His voice was incredible, unbelievable even. He had this raspy, elegant twang in his voice, that truly matched perfectly with the music his band was producing. The drummer, Danny (if you remembered correctly), had such a powerful and classic Drumming style. It was full of life and emotion , just like you, he put his all into his performance. He was focused and truly the heart of the music. There was a guitarist and a Bassist, unlike your band which only consisted of you and your best friend. You, the drummer and your friend the singer and guitarist. The bassist, Sam, had a very cool way about him, his body moved with the music in a way that seemed beyond his control. The guitarist, Jake , was stunning, his hands danced along his guitar so expertly, you could tell he truly enjoyed his time with his instrument.

When they finished their set, the crowd erupted in a wave of applause and cheers, like bright yellow and orange fireworks booming through the air, you watched with your minds eye, in awe as they exploded and cracked in the sky. The Boys bowed and waved before walking off stage panting and sweating.

“Nice job!, excellent show” you comment smiling. Danny returned the smile with a grateful nod.

“Aw thank you, I'm sorry I don't think we had a chance to meet before the show, I’m Dan-” he began.

“You're Danny, Sam , Jake , and Josh” you said, pointing to each of them and smiling. They all returned the smile, there was positive energy just radiating from them, you could feel it like a blanket of warmth resting over you.

“My name is (y/n), it's so nice to meet you guys!” you chime happily. The lead singer, Josh smiles at and you think you catch a small wink as well, making your heart skip a beat. Perhaps you were seeing things. God he's handsome, his sparkling brown eyes, he had more structure in his jawline than you had in your entire life His chestnut hair was gorgeous and curly, his whole look just attracted you to no end.

Fuck.

“Hey your performance was super amazing too, your voice is absolutely incredible” Sam complimented, his voice popped all the bubbly thoughts of josh that foamed in your head. Thank goodness. “Yeah! You did an excellent job (y/n). Its one thing to be a good singer when you have three other band members to help you sound good, but you were out there all alone, just your voice and you still blew that crowd away” Danny added. You were blushing for sure now.

“Yeah your voice is crazy good, we're honored to play alongside you” Jake chimed.

“Oh wow you guys are gonna make me cry” you chuckle “thank you so much, that means a lot coming from someone with your talent” you reply. Sam waves his hand incredulously as if you were hyping them up and making them out to be better than they really were.. You weren't. They are awe inspiring musicians.

“Water?” a stagehand offered walking over with a cooler.

“Oh thank fucking Christ” Josh rendered making a bee line for the cooler. You chuckled, and now that you thought of it your throat was extremely dry from singing as well. Jake nicely offered you the bottle he grabbed with a smile. A true gentleman.

“Thank you!” you offer as you grab the bottle from him. You practically ripped the cap off and chugged the whole bottle. It was delicious and cold and ran over your tongue and down your throat with a refreshingly cold bite.

The five of you stand there and re hydrate for a minute before Sam speaks “we should go grab a drink!” he suggests with a slight raise of his perfect eyebrows. The guys look at you in waiting.

“You wanna join us?” Josh asks, flashing a pearly white smile. You look around at them for a mere second before responding.

“Sure! Yeah that sounds fun”

“Right on, I think I saw a bar down the street we can go to” Jake claims as you all head to the doors behind the dressing rooms.

Rain began to expel from the dark clouds above you as you all headed down the road. Cold air kisses your skin causing you to shiver slightly, you only had on black leather pants and a pink floral pattern blouse that you tied up a bit to expose part of your stomach. It was late, must have been almost midnight by now, the air was heavy with moisture and you could smell the rain soaked cement under your feet.

“Are you cold?” Josh questions as he walks beside you, he startled you a bit. You smiled and looked at your arms, they were dotted with goosebumps.

“Yeah kinda” you reply sheepishly. Josh instantly takes off the jean jacket he was wearing and handed it to you. Jake and the others were a few feet behind the two of you carrying on a conversation about the show. You reached out and accepted the jacket, Josh's gaze nonchalantly floated down your arm, his face fell when he noticed the deep scars that peppered across your skin near your wrists. You notice him looking at them before he brings his gaze back up to meet yours. Your cheeks burned with embarrassment and you quickly put the jacket on.

“I-I’m sorry, I didn't mean to stare” he says softly, looking down at the wet street. You knew by the tone in his voice he wasn't judging you. His look was filled with concern, not judgement.

“It's alright, people stare all the time” you responded

“It doesn't bother me so much anymore, i'm used to it.” you added. Josh nods, a sad look still lingers on his gentle face. His jacket was warm, his scent filled your nose, it was comfortable and soothing, much like the rain that fell from the sky. You looked at him out of the corner of your eye, you could tell he was thinking about something, he had that thousand yard stare stuck in his eyes. You hadn't known Josh for long but it's not hard to tell when someone is enthralled in thought.

“How long have you been singing?” you ask, trying to pull him from whatever trance he was in.

“A long time, most of my life really” he answers with a smile. Talking about his music clearly made him happy. He in turn asked you the same question. You laugh before responding.

“Honestly I've only been singing for a few years….drumming is my real talent and I've been doing that for most of my life, coming up on 18 years” you explain. Josh’s expression shifted from a smile to a look of surprise.

“Wow that’s awesome , are you self taught?” he asks again. You nodded “my dad taught me a few things here and there more when I first started out but, mostly I've taught myself” you said. Josh chuckled with a nod.

“That is really cool” he replied, you could tell by the tone and instance of his voice that he was genuinely impressed.

“Oo careful on the compliments you've never heard me play before, just because I've been playing for a long time doesn't mean i’m any good” you joke, Josh laughs, shakes his head and nudges your shoulder.

“Well have to get you behind Danny's kit some time” he implores. Hearing him say that made you happy, it meant he wanted to see you again.

“You guys did really good tonight, I cant believe I've never heard of you guys before really. It wasn't until my manager told me who I'd be playing with at the festival that I started looking into you guys.” you admit.

“Thanks you did an excellent job too, i really loved that first song you sang, ‘salt is my sugar’ I really resonated with that one, truly felt it, there's a lot of emotion in your lyrics.

“This is it,” Sam announces opening the front door and holding it for everyone to walk in. the smell of smoke and dark liquor hang heavy in the air. An ACDC song played over the speakers. It wasn't very busy, there was an older man sitting at the bar, a couple younger people playing pool and a few others scattered in booths. It was a total dive bar, a hole in the wall, which was just your style. You all sat at the bar on squeaky worn out bar stools.

“What can I get you?” the bartender asked, perching himself up with his arms rested on the bar as a washrag sat, oh so typically, on his shoulder as he awaited your response. Jake looked at Josh with a raised brow giving him that ‘get a load of this guy’ look.

“I'll have a beer,” Danny ordered.

“Me as well please” Jake adds.

“Southern comfort and seven up for me please” you order next.

“Hmm I'll have a long island iced tea” Sam says. You look at him holding back a chuckle Huh didn't take him for a long island iced tea kinda guy but to each their own. The bartender looked to josh.

“Salty dog please” he requests.

“Put your IDs on the counter” the bartender instructs as he turns around to collect everyone's drinks. The five of you did as you were told and laid out your IDs.

“So where are you guys headed now that the festival is over?” you asked playing with a stained, old coaster that sat in front of you.

“We’re going back to Michigan for some well deserved time off” Josh responds.

“For a little while anyways” he adds with a smile.

“Hey I live in silver city!” you reply happily , silver city was a small town in Michigan closer to the upper peninsula.

“Small world” you added. What are the chances the two of you lived within a few hours of each other and never met until the both of you played a festival in Los Angeles.

You turn your attention to the combination of alcoholic drinks that the bartender set in front of you. Everyone reached for theirs offering quick cheers before taking a drink. The carbonation of the seven up burned against your throat before the alcohol sent the warming sensation through your chest and stomach.

“Ah yum” you said, wincing from the sharpness of the alcohol. Jake laughed as he watched you.

“Not very convincing,” Sam says smiling. You laugh and take another drink. You watch Josh stir his drink lightly with the small straw it came with, he notices you looking.

“Ever had a salty dog before?” he asks, hoping you say no.

You simply shake your head in reply. He slides his drink closer to you.

“We can share if you want, it's really good?” he offers. You look at the pink drink in front of you.

“What's in it?” you ask.

“It's just gin and grapefruit juice with a little salt around the rim,” he says.

“Oh god that sounds horrible” you laugh.

“It's actually not that bad” Danny pipes up with a shrug.

“He made me try it a few weeks ago,” he adds.

“Alright I'll take your word for it” you smile at Danny. You look back down at the drink.

“I promise I didn't spike it” Josh chimes. You laugh loudly, why would he even say that?

“That's exactly what someone who spiked my drink would say”

“But I guess I trust you guys” you add before taking a healthy sip of the beverage.

“Hmm that's not bad!” conclude, it was much sweeter than you thought it would be, it kind of reminded you of orange juice and vodka. Josh nods with an I told you so sort of look on his face.

“Here, try mine,” Sam says next, handing you his glass.

“Alright you try mine too” you reply with a smile. Sam's slender fingers brush against yours as he grabs the drink from you , your eyes look to his and he winks.

Oh god, I can't be attracted to two of them. Honestly, who were you kidding? You were insanely attracted to all of them, how were they ALL so cute and gorgeous? Not fair to the rest of man-kind.

“Wow this one is super good!” you remark going in for another drink of the long island iced tea.

“Yeah can you believe there's like 8 different alcohols in there? No tea at all” he laughs, you laughed with him. His laugh was sweet and light, like orange sparkling shards of glass dancing through the air. The five of you began talking about life and learning a lot about each other, ordering more drinks along the way. You could tell the mix of drinks was beginning to take effect on you, you felt warm and relaxed. You were standing next to Danny now, he towered over you, this man was truly a beast.the smell of his cologne wrapped around you. It was oaky and mossy with a hint of citrus, you couldn't help but feel an electrifying pull of attraction to him.

For fucks sake, you curse yourself.

A few games of pool (which, it turns out Jake is like a God at pool) later you all found yourselves back at the bar carrying on more conversation, albeit more slurred now. It was much easier to open up to people when alcohol was involved. You rolled the sleeves of josh's jacked up, exposing your arms as the alcohol was making you extremely warm.

“What happened to you?” the bartender asks loudly. You and the guys all look at him with hints of confusion.

“I got the worst concoction of my parents DNA possible” you joke , the boys laugh. Jake nudges your shoulder.

“Shut up you're gorgeous” he says softly. You give him a quick smile.

“No. Your arm. What happened to your arm.” the bartender says again, nodding to your scars. You hated when people asked that question, like they didn't know why you had those scars on your wrists. Very few things leave scars like that on skin. You looked around at the guys, josh looked pissed and the others looked saddened as this was the first time they had seen your scars, and they knew damn well what it was from, they weren’t as stupid as this bartender. The air of the bar had shifted, the mood went from fun loving to hostile very quickly. Fuck this guy.

“I got in a fight with a weed wacker” you retort sarcastically. The man rolls his eyes.

“What happened? Did your little boyfriend break up with you? Flunk a class? Your puppy ran away?” he was mocking you. You said nothing in return.

“You're just another one of those emotionally confused little girls, no reason to hate her life.” he continues. For some reason he was trying to upset you , and you had no idea why, you'd been nothing but pleasant to the man since the moment you entered the bar.

“First of all i'm not a girl, I'm a woman. Who pissed in your Wheaties this morning man? You're mad because you got all D’s in high school and now you're stuck serving losers like us in this shit hole, pretentious, sorry excuse of a bar? Go fuck yourself. I don’t hate my life.” you answer , anger pooling in your throat.

“Hey man. Lay off.” Danny says with a look of warning.

“Of course you don't hate your life” the man says ignoring Danny completely.

“You just do it for attention, think if you slice yourself up maybe someone will feel bad for you huh? I've seen your kind before girl.” he speaks again. OK now this idiot was pissing you off. You never did it for attention, attention was the last thing you wanted, especially when it came to your scars, you wished you could erase them.

“Look, I've got three things to say to you,” you reply with an irritated sigh. You stood up from your stool and stepped closer to the man.

“One” you say, holding up your pointer finger giving the illusion that you were going to list reasons of argument to him. Instead you ball your hand into a fist and punch the guy right in his fucking jaw with all your drunken might. To your surprise (and no doubt everyone else's) the bartender fell to the floor, you knocked him out.. Everyone was wide eyed and silent

“Lets get outta here” Josh says, breaking the glistening silence in the bar, noticing everyone looking at the five of you. Jake grabbed a bottle of Jack before all of you ran out of the door. None of you could suppress your laughs as you took off down the street. Out of breath you all keeled over in a field of grass a few feet from the tour buses in a fit of laughter. You sat down on the wet grass and looked up at the clouds. Danny sat on your left and Sammy was on your right, Josh and Jake sat in front of you and you all formed a small little circle.

“That felt good” you say softly, referring to punching that shit head of a bartender. Sam laughed.

“Yeah that was awesome, I can't believe you knocked him out” Jake chuckled, shaking his head in disbelief. The air went silent again as you all sat with your own thoughts. Your face slowly lost emotion as thoughts of what the man said swirled around your mind. You tried not to let what people said to you about your scars get to you too much but it was hard sometimes. Danny noticed your expression and you felt his hand draw soft circles on your back.

“That guy was an idiot. He was just being an asshole” Josh said softly, you nodded, knowing he was right. Maybe it was the alcohol or maybe you were just really that sad but a tear fell down your face and your voice cracked as you spoke.

“I just feel so alone sometimes” you wiped the tears away as quickly as they fell. You could feel all of them watching you with sympathetic eyes.

“Everyone's got their vice (y/n)” Danny said quietly, his hand still grazing your back.

Josh rolls his shirt sleeve up and reveals dozens of little horizontal scars covering his shoulder. He grabs your hand and you look up at him to meet his gaze. He stroked your hand with his thumb and gave you a comforting, gentle look.

“You're not alone”

#greta van fleet #gvf #jake kiszka #josh kiszka #danny wagner #gretavanfleet #sam kiskza #gvf imagine #gvf fanfic #smut #josh kiszka smut #danny wagner smut #jake kiszka smut #sam kiszka smut #imagine

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taffystake · 4 years

Photo

So......Are you ready for the encore?

Taffy’s Take: Dark Nights Death Metal #1

Written by: Scott “Hallowed Be Thy Name” Snyder

Pencils by: Greg “Panikiller” Capullo

Inks by: Jonathan “Motorbreath” Glapion

Colors by: FCO “Fixxxer” Plascencia

So....it has all finally come to this. The finale. The ultimatum in a long saga of stories that started in the original Dark Nights, began showing its hand in No Justice, and was fully fleshed out with Snyder’s Justice League run. And it opens with a resounding boom that rivets your attention straight to the story and won’t let go until the pages run out.

We open with Sergeant Rock, preparing himself and an unknown audience for a conflict to come. When or where this is set is somewhat unknown, but the massive futuristic assault rifle he levels to emphasis his last line says that Rock is somewhere in the modern day.

After the credits page, featuring a map of the current world of the DCU and a message that calls Death Metal an “Anti-Crisis”, we cut to Wonder Woman, hard at work deconstructing the invisible jet with a buzzsaw-like device in the literal depths of hell (Originally Themyscira) when someone interrupts her over approaching people. Said person is the flaming, green-covered skeleton that Swamp Thing has become in this world and he says that someone is coming with prisoners. And as Diana walks through her prison to meet these people, we get to see the absolute myriad of villains entombed in the place, including Joker. Once they reach the quartet, we get to meet Batmage, a red-suited Batman, a cloaked figure, and.....Bat-Tyrannosaurus. After some very terse banter, Diana is forced to throw this unknown prisoner into the pits of Tartarus. But before he is cast into the depths, he mutters something to Diana that makes her recognize the person for a moment.

After that, we are shown Castle Bat and given a backstory of a specific field within that area and the rebels who died within the tunnels underneath it before pulling back to a panel of a castle, with The Batman Who Laughs’ twisted Robins and Joker dragons dominating the structure. And then we meet The Batman Who Laughs’ League, composed of pairings of heros and Dark Multiverse Batmen. We have Harley Quinn and Dr Arkham, Aquaman and Bathomet, Wonder Woman and Batmage, and Mister Miracle and Darkfather. With each of them, we get a small question about their current work, with the most noteworthy being Mister Miracle revealing that Superman has almost succumbed to the Anti-Life Equation. Content with their briefings, The Batman Who Laughs begins to explain how Perpetua, the god who created their multiverse, has destroyed another of their universe, leaving only 8 before The Batman Who Laughs and Perpetua can remake the multiverse however they desire. Before we can hear more, we’re dragged into Diana’s perspective as the true Batman engages in a psychic link with her, trying to advocate for a small victory rather than the sweeping final win that Diana desires. As her thoughts turn towards what happened to result in the current state of the universe and her lack of memory about what caused it, The Batman Who Laughs interrupts her as he can tell that she is hiding something.

And at that moment, an explosive arrow fires out of the nearby woods and nearly vaporizes The Batman Who Laughs. Sacrificing one of his Robins, we soon see Bruce stride out to exchange threats with The Batman Who Laughs, who takes with some jest before ordering an entire squadron of Dark Multiverse Batmen to kill Bruce. While the enslaved Justice League does their best to take advantage of the distraction, their Dark Multiverse minders are quick to detain them from any rebellious actions. So Bruce is left alone, simply standing in this field to face down an army. And as The Batman Who Laughs monologues about how disappointed the brave men and women who died in this field would be at Bruce’s actions, he asks him what he would say to justify himself.

His answer?

One word.

“RISE.”

And so, with a BLACK LANTERN RING ON HIS FINGER, BRUCE WAYNE SUMMONS AN ARMY OF UNDEAD REBELS TO FIGHT THE DARK MULTIVERSE BATMEN JUST PURELY TO DEMONSTRATE WHAT HIS METHOD CAN DO TO DIANA BEFORE RIDING OFF ON A SKELETAL MOTORCYCLE AND LEAVING ZOMBIE JONAH HEX TO CONTINUE LEADING THE ASSAULT.

And now, as the audience both in the know about all of that and not in the know but hyped as hell because BRUCE WAYNE WENT FULL FUCKING NECROMANCER sits in the afterglow of that amazing moment, we cut to a single page depicting the planet Ossex as the Main Man, Lobo, unearths something from underneath the living bone of the planet.

Having made it back to Themyscira, Diana is quick to continue with the rebellion, setting off into Tartarus to see who this mystery prisoner is. And its...Wally West, with a Dr Manhattan-style hydrogen atom drawn into the forehead of his costume. And with Wally, we finally get an explanation of what the hell is going on. See, with the traditional multiverses, they are created using the positive energies that were explored in the Justice League run, things like the Speed Force, the Emotional Spectrum, Imagination. The inverse, stuff like chaos magic and the forces of doom that Perpetua wished to bring to power (and succeeded at doing) are what Wally calls Crisis Energy. And whereas the positive energies wish to create a strong united universe, Crisis Energies wish to simply make only one thing, one moment, one person important. And so, when Perpetua was trapped after her attempts to make a universe of war out of crisis energy, she did her best to instigate crises and came back empowered with all that energy. Meanwhile, the league, empowered by the slightly failed efforts of Dr Manhattan to ‘fix’ the multiverse, gathered all the positive energy they could and then, between the last issue of Justice League and Death Metal, the two forces clashed. Which, since they were basically smashing tow inverse forces together, resulted in both sides burning themselves out.

Now, that block of text could be extremely dry feeling, but it works really well in the two page spread, with the word balloons beginning to form an infinity symbol as images of past crises ranging from the original Crisis On Infinite Earths to Emerald Twilight to Dark Nights Metal in the background.

But back to the story. With that explanation done, Wonder Woman begins to theorize potentially going back to those crises and gathering this information for themselves in order to reshape the universe themselves. Resulting in....”The first Anti-Crisis” The Batman Who Laughs interrupts with, striding into Tartarus to cut his own deal with Wonder Woman to let him take control over Perpetua. If she helps him, she gets all the people Perpetua has trapped and their own planet. And after that, he emphasizes how she can’t out-plan him, how he’s already prepared for her to knock him out, use the invisible jet she was being forced to deconstruct and melt down to give her armor that would render her undetectable. Wonder Woman is quick to counter that despite all the knowledge The Batman Who Laughs says he has, that entire plan is what Bruce would do. So he is quick to counter, stating so then she’d make a weapon, some sort of sword?

But it seems The Batman Who Laughs didn’t account for two things. One, for Diana to have already made her weapon before he showed up. Two, she didn’t need to make a sword. And so, with a pull of its ripcord, THE CHAINSAW OF TRUTH CLEAVES ITS WAY THROUGH THE BATMAN WHO LAUGHS IN A SPLASH PAGE OF PURE ENERGY ERUPTING OUT OF THE DEMON WHERE THE CHAINSAW IS CUTTING THROUGH HIM!

The comic ends with two quick one panel stories. The first, with Batmage executing a final plan that The Batman Who Laughs had in place to unleash a final Bruce Wayne. Which only sounds mildly menacing, unti the art shows both a button with a watchmen-style frownie face and the final Bruce Wayne in silhouette, a glowing hydrogen atom on his forehead.

The other is a cut back to Sergeant Rock, still continuing with his tirade from the beginning of the comic before he is taken out of the moment by Batman coming to retrieve him for the big fight. And as Batman promises One last fight with everyone together, we get to see in silhouette that Sergeant Rock is missing his everything below his torso, revealing himself to likely be another resurrection from Bruce’s Black Lantern ring.

So, in summary, IM PUMPED TO SEE WHAT HEIGHTS THIS THING HITS! THE BIG MOMENTS WERE SO DAMNED COOL! THE ART IS STILL THE ABSOLUTE ALL KILLER NO FILLER THAT CAPULLO ROCKED OUT WITH IN THE LAST DARK NIGHTS METAL EVENT AND I CANT WAIT TO SEE WHAT NEW SPORES OF MADNESS HE GETS TO CREATE FOR THIS STORY!

And while I’d like to be pure hype beast, that feels a little disingenuous when I do have some small moments that seem like they could be tweaked. Both of the long exposition scenes for the Dead Bats and the Positive Energy vs Crisis Energy could have potentially stood for another pass just to really tighten them up, but I will also admit that both those scenes kinda deserve to be long-winded. The Dead Bats to make sure that the setup for Batman with a Black Lantern Ring summoning an army at that point works and the Energy one because its explaining the entire setup for the rest of the event series and it helps lull things down so that the hype of Chainsaw of Truth can hit like it should.

So yeah, this thing is absolutely something any Scott Snyder fan, any DC fan, heck Id almost venture to say anyone interested in comics read. None of the story elements of the comic intrinsically need you to know the backstory behind them, but there are definitely rewards for knowing DC continuity in general and Scott Snyder’s previous works in this arcing story. So yeah, I am going to sit here, vibrating in anticipation as I await the next issue of Death Metal from the Cowboys From Hell on their encore tour.

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sights-on-the-scifi · 4 years

Text

THE COMPLETE SIGHTS OF SCIFI STAR WARS REVIEW PART 1.

In this first part of my series ill be covering the select prequel entertainment to the original STAR WARS trilogy, this is not just a review of the prequel film trilogy directed by George Lucas. It is also a review of the media that takes place chronologically between the events of REVENGE OF THE SITH and the 1977 classic STAR WARS otherwise known as a A NEW HOPE. I must again stress that this is not a review of every TV show or book available, also some of this media I will include in my review is no longer officially recognised as franchise canon anymore.

What this review represents is a personal preference based inferred chronology of games and movies. Unfortunately I cant cover THE CLONE WARS animated show, at least not yet as there is just too much of that stuff to cover consistently.

THE STAR WARS PREQUELS.

I must admit that i’m not the biggest fan of the prequel trilogy, this is also the case for a lot of die hard original trilogy fans out there. But in light of the fact JEDI FALLEN ORDER takes place directly after them, I saw it fit to return to these movies with a fresh perspective and to refresh my memory... See what works and what does not, perhaps see if they are as bad as I recall.

THE PHANTOM MENACE 1999.

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What really stood out to me immediately upon returning to this first movie is its bold and colourful production design, to this day it is still quite incredible to behold... To see just how much art has gone into this new vision of Lucas’s universe. The aim it seems was to craft a more complex galaxy in terms of architectural design and contrasting cultural aesthetics, turning back the clock to a time of diverse fashions and cleaner technologies. While it is not always fully consistent especially given the fact it stands in direct contrast with the original trilogy universe we all come to expect, today I can understand the logic of this creative direction.

We are seeing the galaxy in a time that is for the most part unfamiliar with any recent large scale galactic conflicts... A time of relative peace for this republic though we do get a lot of hints throughout nothing is all quite perfect. Based on the fact that the Trade federation does not compose an army of its own civilian subjects, it is also safe to assume that most of the fighting in this galaxy is carried out by automated infantry units whenever a show of force is required to settle disputes.

It is very interesting visual world building.

Unfortunately the movie outside of this beautiful art direction is still, even years later... A complete and total mess in terms of tone, story and some technical aspects. There are fascinating ideas and politics at play here dont get me wrong, but the way in which the story that surrounds this stuff was executed still leaves much to be desired.

The acting is very monotone, the characters very bland (Sometimes incredibly annoying) and the stakes virtually non existent as we are mostly told, not shown the apparently dire events of this plot. What little plot there seems to be anyway as for the most part it can be boiled down to this [COUGH], the dark lord of the sith is scheming in the shadows... Creating an elaborate proxy conflict that’s escalating problems will facilitate his rise to power within the political ranks of the republic’s democracy. This manufactured crisis involves many different parties both human and alien who dont really get developed that much, and for the most part they all have no idea what is actually happening, which is the point I guess “The phantom menace”... But its just not an interesting enough mystery as it should be at first.

We get introduced to a young Anakin who gets some decent character development as he should. Discovering his compassionate side and knack for piloting in the exciting pod race sequence, but after this he pretty much fades into the background... Same with other franchise essential individuals like Obi Wan Kenobi who spends the majority of his time following orders and waiting on a fancy ship complaining that nothing is happening.

Who can blame him... Overall the first movie in this prequel trilogy while fascinating is still ultimately a boring experience. Thankfully the Attack of the clones will prove to be a lot more interesting!

ATTACK OF THE CLONES 2002.

Taking place just a few years after the events of the PHANTOM MENACE we find ourselves discovering the more fascinating intricacies of the sith lord’s plot to take control of the galaxy and build the empire. All the while Anakin gets tangled in complications relating to his relationship with a major senator that will eventually result in him falling to the dark side, seeing his inner darkness finally become externalised. Like with the first movie, this film also unfortunately suffers a lot of those same issues related to structure, stakes and pacing. Production design has also seen a few regressions as most if not all of this movie is rendered in a computer with exception to the live actors of course... But overall Attack of the clones is a lot more focused and competent when it comes to exploring its political subject matter and scifi concepts.

As the film progresses we discover the secret plot of the sith lord, as separatist factions rise up in opposition to the republic and a ethically questionable clone army is ordered in secret to combat this proxy threat they pose. This peaceful, democratic republic is thrust into an all out conflict as the Jedi order is eluded to the true implications of these strange political and military developments, becoming willing pawns in this meaningless war which will serve to be their undoing.

The clone soldiers in this movie are a very interesting scifi concept that I heard are explored more in animated TV show, but what I see here is still fascinating regardless. This is essentially an army of obedient, docile and expendable human beings who like the battle droids serve only one purpose, which is to fight for a cause they may not even be fully aware of. The willing usage of this army by the republic is a clear sign that the values that hold their society together are being corrupted in the name of ensuring security, you could even consider these clones indoctrinated slaves. Charging into battle and dying by the thousands at the command of the Jedi warriors, they are an entire army born to fight and eventually die doing so... It is quite terrifying once you really start to think about it.

I enjoyed ATTACK OF THE CLONES for the most part, its interesting to see how this peaceful republic gradually starts to turn into the fascist empire we are all familiar with in the original trilogy.

As always it could of been executed better, but that just was not to be case... So we make do with what we have here even if its imperfect.

REVENGE OF THE SITH 2005.

The final movie in the prequel trilogy, REVENGE OF THE SITH takes all of the gradual political developments of the first two movies and shows us their ultimate consequences. The Jedi order loses its way and is then destroyed by the clone army through order 66 while the survivors go into hiding, the separatist leaders are wiped out, Anakin falls to the dark side becoming Darth vader, and the sith lord rises to become emperor of the newly established galactic empire.

As the title of the movie states, the sith have their revenge.

Its a very dark movie and for the most part it is well executed in that department. There is not much else to say about it other than it being the expected conclusion of this storyline... Great music, some interesting concepts and scenes same with the rest of them. Seeing the tragedy unfold is very intriguing, even if there is a lot of missing context between Clones and this movie that water down its overall emotional impact somewhat, unfortunately most of that is in the animated TV show I have yet to watch.

To be honest upon re-watching all of these movies I would say I have grown to develop a small but noticeable new appreciation for em. They are still pretty bad in a lot of ways that will always be a annoyance, but i will admire the novel effort.

In the next part of my review series ill be covering the next four pieces of media that serve to fill the narrative gap between REVENGE OF THE SITH and STAR WARS 1977.

So stay tuned for BRIDGES TO A NEW HOPE.

#star wars #review #star wars prequels

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tayegi · 5 years

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I'm so excited for the character development in NR. Like, JK really thinks that what he needs to do is to mold himself into what the OC desires, when all she wants is his most authentic self without anything or anyone holding him back. I'm rereading this chapter since I was half asleep while reading the first time, but, good God, woman, your skills are impeccable.

Anonymous said:Lu I just read chapter 12 and cjskhxjsushsjsjs its amazing. I'm an emotional wreck right now. Especially at the last part? I don't really know what to feel, all emotions merged into one 🤧 thank you for your amazing writing as always! Have a great day 💜

Anonymous said:Nursing school has been getting me stressed out and I check tumblr... ch 12 of NR. Omg Lu. The last scene my heart wrenched. Thanks for pushing this out because it made my day!!

lolanian said:I sprained/strained my back recently and I’m supposed to limit movement so If I don’t have class I have to stay in my dorm and ice my back. But I love to read your fics while I ice! It makes it a lot less boring. I absolutely love your writing!

Anonymous said:This might have to be two parts tbh bc I have so much to say, so this will be part 1. I just binge re-read all of New rules and then the new ch and oml I am in love with this fic so much. This fic is so freaking funny but at the same time so emotional and I freaking cried reading the last ch. Everything ab this fic is amazing, it’s rlly well-developed and the characters have so much depth to them and I love how u bring up important topics like feminism in it too.

Anonymous said:Part 2. Just the detail u put into every lil thing makes me so happy like the colors, AHHH I love that the dress y/n was wearing was pink! I’m so conflicted bc on one hand in like y/n move on girl u dont need a mans but then I also want jk and y/n to love eachother and be together soo bad, I can’t wait for what will come next. I could go on 4ever ab this fic, but overall I just wanted to say this is prob my fav fic ever and ur so talented and ily.

Anonymous said:Hi so I just read your chapter and I have to say it is amazing and beyond great. I love the ending of the chapter and the way the main character delivered her speech to Jeon and her conversation with Hyejin /// it was all so good and the writing was truly inspired

Anonymous said:NEW RULES CHPT. 12!!!!????? BIIIIITTTTTTCCCCCHHHHH MY LEFT LUNG COLLAPSED OMFG

Anonymous said:I honestly love how multifaceted your characters in NR are. They are so imperfect. They reflect so well how complicated real life relationships are, either with friends and their significant others. This might be the first time where I cannot tell how a story is going to end. Thank you so much for writing such masterpiece.

Anonymous said:I just want to say thank you for writing this chapter of New Rules. The part where she stands up to Hoseok for herself and other women was so inspiring. I feel like she has gone through such a journey to get to a point where she has really developed as a person even if she will still have the Ice Bitch title guys have given her, and I hope she can learn how to accept herself more overtime. I love all of your writing, but New Rules really strikes a cord in me with each chapter you write.

Anonymous said:my girl u are a wizard with words & storytelling. chap 12 was so beautifully fitting. I truly adore & keep returning for the lessons of female empowerment, trust in friendships, toxic relationships & realistic representations self image intertwined in NR because it is so relevant & relatable. I especially loved the part when the important subject of misconstrued feminism was addressed with hoseok and he was called out on it. U have amazing talent my girl & thank u for sharing ur gift 💝🙆🏽‍♀️

Anonymous said:the newest chapter of new rules was easily my favorite. the way you intertwine feminist ideals in is awesome. we need more writers like you!! great work :)

Anonymous said:Hii! I love New Rules! Cant wait for more! 😁

Anonymous said:Honestly I think this new chapter is one of my favorites of the whole series. You did such an amazing job with it!!!

Anonymous said:bless your god given soul lu. your writing is like none other and wow i just ADORE new rules. the way you created the mc to be so real, so complex, and knows her own values, morals and wants, etc. and it's just mind-blowing!!! i'm honestly rendered speechless!!! i have so much to say about new rules and everything else but shit dude this is an AMAZING story and you should make profit on this for real. ugh your mind? galaxy brain. i wish you the best lu, you writing genius!!! 🍯💝✨🌙💌💫🍯💝✨

Anonymous said:New Rules oc gives me life, like i legit miss reading about her!! Its soooo fucking nice when I find fics where I care more about the oc than the idols!!! Shes too loveable!!!! I don't care who she ends up with as long she has a happy ending then I'm happy!! I know shes fictional but you do such a great job at writing her!!!!

Ok, it’s official: new rules readers are the GREATEST in the universe!!!!!!! i just can’t believe how supportive and loving and truly passionate about this series you guys are!!! not gonna lie, im pretty scared shitless about the rest of the fic bc i dont have it all planned out, but you guys give me the motivation to work hard on it!!! i love you all so much!!!

#new rules #awkward-kooks

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cromulentbookreview · 6 years

Text

Silky Cinnamon

OR: Muse of Nightmares by Laini Taylor!

I'm not a winner. In fact I'm what is commonly referred to as a loser. I do not win things, even when it’s an award that I actually earned. Yeah I haven’t forgotten how I never got that German Student of the Month award even though I had the highest grades in the class and they wouldn’t give it to me because I didn’t have “the right attitude” - it’s called autism, you ableist fucks...

Uhm.

Ahem.

Not that I’m still angry or bitter or anything.

Anyway.

An ARC of Strange the Dreamer was the first Goodreads giveaway I ever won. For the first time I was a winner and not a loser, so eat it, high school. It was also one of the first books I reviewed here on this blog that nobody reads. It keeps me entertained, though. I absolutely loved Strange the Dreamer. It was unlike any YA fantasy that I’d ever read, and the hero? The hero is a badass librarian. Because we librarians are total badasses. It's kind of fitting that I got to read Muse of Nightmares just after getting my MLIS (Master’s in Library and Information Science for those of you much cooler than I am). Lazlo Strange is some serious librarian career goals.

Muse, like its predecessor, is beautifully written, with the occasional annoyances that comes with pretty writing: some unnecessary sentences, overwrought metaphors, directly addressing the reader - that last one is more of a personal pet peeve than legitimate criticism, I can’t stand it when writers, while writing in third person, address the reader because I’d much rather pretend like I’m not there. I don’t mind it when this is done in first person narration because, well, the narrator is telling you the story. But in third person? Don’t acknowledge me like you know I’m here. Don’t break that fourth wall! Don’t look at me, don’t look at meee!!!

Ahem. Yes, again, that’s just a personal peeve that annoys me a bit at first but if I like the story I’m reading well enough I get over it pretty quick (as in it annoys me slightly the first time, but then I forget about until I have to mine for things to complain about to fill space in a review). Plus, I must emphasize that the copy of Muse I was allowed to read is a digital galley copy, not a finished one - the text might get some more revision before its October release, so some of the nitpicky complaints I have about sentence structure might not even matter. But complaining is fun, so I’ll do it anyway. After all, my official motto for all things, including this blog, is:

A funny thing I noticed throughout Muse as well as Strange is that nothing is ever soft - it’s silk. 100% pure silk. Nobody has smooth skin, it’s skin like silk. I don’t actually own anything made of real silk (what do I look like, royalty? I’ve got a library science degree), so I can’t really testify to the softness of the material, but my cat has really soft fur so I’m just going to imagine that all the silky soft things Taylor describes feel like my cat’s fur. Lots of slips and sheets made of cat fur, here. Another thing is that Sarai’s hair is never just brown, it’s cinnamon colored. She is always described as having cinnamon hair, which makes me worry that her hair will attract ants. Or somehow be rendered into snickerdoodle cookies. Now, I may not know what real silk feels like, but I do have a year-old tin of cinnamon sticks that I bought to make hot toddies back when I had pharyngitis so bad I couldn’t swallow (not a pleasant experience. Lots of drool involved. The hot toddies did not help). So Sarai has hair that is exactly this color:

Speaking of cinnamon, anyone know if cinnamon sticks have an expiration date? Asking for a friend who has a year-old tin of cinnamon sticks that may or may not have pharyngitis germs all over them and now kind of wants a hot toddy...

Anyway, lots of silk, lots of cinnamon. Delicious, silky cinnamon. I really want a cinnamon latte right now. I could go and get one but it’d cost like, 5 bucks...

Where was I?

Yes. This review. Unfortunately I am not really able to be all that eloquent about things I really, really like in a non-spoilery manner. I could gush about Muse of Nightmares all the livelong day, but in the process I’d give everything away and I don’t want to do that. Personally, I love spoilers, the more the better, but I don’t want to spoil this for anyone who, like me, has been waiting very patiently since early 2017 to learn the rest of Lazlo and Sarai’s story. I will say, though: the wait is worth it, it’s amazing, most all your questions are answered, and storylines are resolved. Taylor has stated that Strange the Dreamer and Muse of Nightmares would be a duology, but I��ve got my fingers crossed for a spinoff series. Apparently, Strange and Muse are a kind-of spinoff to Taylor’s Daughter of Smoke and Bone series, which I haven’t read yet, but now that I know that it’s related to Strange and Muse, I absolutely must read it now.

But, to avoid spoilers, what can you really say more than “oh yeah, I liked that book a lot!” After that? Crickets.

Hence, the nitpicking.

Also, Taylor gets bonus points for being a fellow Oregonian. Oregon writers for the win! I may not be a real writer, but I am definitely from Oregon! I loves me my local writers, and Oregon has a ton, especially Portland. We seem to have a lot of amazing YA and genre writers, too. (The world misses you, Ursula K. Le Guin).

A word of advice, though: you're going to want to reread Strange before Muse comes out - mostly because Muse picks up right where strange left off. Like literally right there. Taylor includes a lot of sly “as you may already know" tidbits in case you forgot anything but it will definitely be worth doing a reread as a refresher. Plus, Strange The Dreamer is great, why wouldn’t you want to reread it? I mean, people have unlimited time to just sit around and read, right? And audiobooks, those are a thing, too, right?

RECOMMENDED FOR: Anyone fond of YA, YA Fantasy, or both. Or just anyone who likes fantasy, seriously, I’d recommend Strange and Muse to all my genre fans out there.

NOT RECOMMENDED FOR: Anyone allergic to cinnamon, silk, or both.

RATING: 5/5

TOTALLY UNBIASED FANGIRL RATING: 5,000,000,000,000,001/5

RELEASE DATE: October 2, 2018

ANTICIPATION LEVEL FOR SPINOFF/FURTHER BOOKS: Chhogori

#strange the dreamer #muse of nightmares #lazlo strange #sarai #laini taylor #book review #young adult fiction #young adult fantasy #ya #ya sci fi #ya fantasy #non-western fantasy #sarai/lazlo forever

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mdwatchestv · 7 years

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Game of Thrones 7x06: Run Joe, Run

Woo boy that was A LOT. Like a lot, a lot. In so many different ways. I would even go so far as to describe some elements as 'extra'. Yes there was excitement, action, and feels. I even admit to screaming bloody murder when the zombie bear came from a direction I didn't expect. But when all was said and done I couldn't help but feel a bit...used. This season, although boasting some great moments, has felt undeniably different than previous years. Instead of focussing on building out a world and the characters that inhabit it, the show is now rocketing towards a foregone conclusion. If the world of Game of Thrones is a chess board and we have spent the past several years watching knights and queens slowly slide around the squares jockeying for position, this season is the equivalent of knocking it all to the ground and letting the pieces literally fall where they may. Alternatively, if the world of Game of Thrones was a high-end Barbie collector's basement, this is the season his eight-year-old niece broke in, ripped 1993 Holiday Barbie out of her box and made her make out with 1960 1st edition Ken. And neither of those things are inherently bad, playing with dolls and knocking a boring game on the floor are both entertaining in and of themselves, but they are also a departure from what we have come to expect.

Before this season I never thought about things like "Wait- how many long miles IS Westeros? What is the land speed of a laden Raven? What's the MPH on a dragon? How long by air? How long by sea?" I wasn't worried about the logistics, the tech specs. We had other things to worry about, like battle strategies, familial strain, and tyrannical kings. But now it feels as if the curtain is starting to be pulled aside and we are for the first time seeing the mechanics at work behind the scenes. While there were thrills to be had in this super-sized penultimate outing of season seven, they came at a price. In the after-episode special Benioff and Weiss openly admitted to essentially reverse-engineering the entire episode in order to get the final shock of zombie dragon, rather than letting it be the consequence of an organic series of events. One of the reasons Game of Thrones works so well is that consequences, even the upsetting ones, feel earned. The Red Wedding, for example, tragic as it was, was ultimately palatable because it made sense in the larger story. It was the tangible result of a series of connectable actions, not a gambit for ratings. Often the killing of beloved characters leads fan to become disillusioned with a show because it's done in the service of shock value, rather than organic storytelling. But as major characters drop on Game of Thrones, it only acts to draw the audience in further because it’s done in a way that rewards previous storytelling. The idea that characters are existing in a real world with real stakes and consequences is compelling and rare. Up until this season Game of Thrones never had characters rendered immortal by their series regular contracts, or even clear-cut heroes and villains. Yes, we root for different characters and houses, but at this point no one has a clean moral conscious. Those qualities are exactly what made Game of Thrones so good, and what it is seemingly starting to lose. It's worth pointing out that up until recently the show has had source material to rely on for guidance, and is now having to pick it's own path to the end. Viewer’s theories about the show’s endgame have become increasingly out there, perhaps in response to a world where outcome is not necessarily determined by prior events. For better or worse, anything is possible.

This episode was some moments of interest strung together with moments of "what?!?!?". Let's begin. ZARTF (Zombie Acquisition and Retrieval Task Force), as well as a few randos clearly marked for death, sally forth into the north. This whole episode gave me greatest hits of Lord of the Rings vibes, including "walking in a straight line across a mountain", "being rescued by a giant winged beast at the last second", and "rolling up half dead on a horse". I really gotta carve out 10 hours to rewatch those. To pass the time tromping through the snow our seven "heroes" try and work through their daddy issues (a little late imo), and Jon makes a half-assed attempt to give Longclaw back to Jorah (conveniently failing to mention it's like the only thing that kills White Walkers). The first sign of trouble comes when the group is set upon by a zombie bear! You hate to see that. Some of the red shirts are killed, Top Knot McGillicutty is wounded, and Jorah saves the day with his dragon glass dagger. Which I guess they all have? Or just Jorah? Unclear. This scene is what we like to call in the biz a foreshadowing.

Meanwhile in Dragonstone Dany is mooning over Jon Snow, even though he is a short stack (he IS super little) and ignores Tyrion who is attempting to invent democracy. In their exchange it's reiterated that Dany can never have babies (beyond her dragon babies), making a potential hold on the Iron Throne tenuous at best (Jon is still the *true* heir, but doesn't seem like Bran is going to tell anyone that anytime soon). Dany would rather not talk about any of that though, and would rather crush/not crush on the King of the Short. Speaking of women on the edge, the Sisters Stark are also failing to see eye to eye. After discovering Arya's BAG OF FACES (I have so many questions about the logistics of face wearing, but I am simply too tired to get into it), Sansa is understandably concerned. These concerns are heightened when creepy-ass Arya pops in to play a decidedly threatening game of questions. Arya seems to think Sansa is out to usurp Jon because she is a Cersei-in-training. Sansa thinks Arya is a terrifying demon child. This is a relationship that has also become frustrating centering around a conflict that doesn't ring true. While it's true that Arya and Sansa have become very different young women, there is more that unites than divides them at this point and Arya's extreme aggression towards her sister feels unwarranted. The core characteristic of the Stark family is that they ARE the Stark family. Arya put aside her dreams of Cersei killing in order to reclaim her heritage, and with the pack dwindling the remaining wolves have to stick together now more than ever. Both of these women have been through extreme trauma, both of them have had to make unthinkable choices in order to survive, and both of them have been continually underestimated by their male cohorts. I'm not saying this is a relationship that should not be without conflict, but their animosity lacks nuance. Granted this show doesn't have a lot of experience with complicated female relationships, but Sansa and Arya attempting to reconnect as complex young women in a time of crisis feels like a real missed opportunity.

And I have seen the Twitter theories that say that the two girls are gaming Littlefinger together, that Sansa sending Brienne away (to an I think prematurely scheduled zombie viewing) right after Littlefinger advised her to use Brienne against Arya is concrete proof. As much as I hope this is all true, it just doesn't seem likely at this point. But maybe Sansa's bizarrely abrupt send off of her last loyal subject really was a clue to a larger plot, or maybe it's just an excuse to put Brienne back in Jaime's path to give him a last second shot of moral obligation. I would love nothing more for my pessimistic theories surrounding two of my long time favs to be proven wrong. These two characters, no matter their ultimate fate, deserve the chance at a final team up.

Back up north, our band of brothers conveniently stumble upon a manageable squadron of zombies led by a White Walker. After dispatching the Walker all the zombies but *one* turn into dust. The plan is going smoothly! However the last zombie calls the rest of the hoard and they are well and truly fucked. The group sends good old Gendry to run back to the Wall (an unknown distance) to raven Dany for help, while the rest of the pack becomes stranded on a rock in the middle of an ice lake surrounded by the entire undead army. Here's where I have questions. Question 1: If Ole One Eye and Top Knot McGee can make fire whenever they want, why cant they have a fire on the island? Or at least gather around one of the swords? Question 2: Can the zombies not use bows? It seems like our group would be pretty easy to take down with a couple dozen arrows. Question 3: How long are they waiting/expecting to wait? How long does it take for the raven to get to Dany? More questions to come later. Anyway Top Knot succumbs to his wounds, meaning that One Eye is now on his final life. The Hound, who was pretty useless most of this episode, continues to be useless by alerting the zombie hoard that the ice is safe to walk on. Our party engages in a seemingly hopeless battle against an untold number of assailants, hoping against hope for a dragony miracle to happen.

And it does! Dany swoops in with her brood in the last second, blasting the zombies with fire, and rocking a seriously fabulous white fur coat, to save the day! Not only is her winter wardrobe literally to die for, it also looks like she may have skinned Ghost to make it, symbolizing her new allegiance (romance?) with Jon. I also have to ask at this point why this wasn't the original plan. Dany made pretty good time getting up there, didn't have to tromp through the snow, and likely could have had Drogon pick up a zombie in his talons- all in seemingly less than a day! But I guess that would have been much less macho than grimly marching through the snow. It looks like the tables have turned in favor of our hereos when suddenly....the Night King picks up an ice spear and takes out Viserion! Nooooo.

This was a genuinely heart-wrenching moment, as an audience we have watched Dany's dragons grow from hatchlings to giant death machines, and seeing one of them ripped out of the sky was just as painful as losing any beloved human character. Again this was a moment that delivered an emotional punch, but the journey to that payoff was not as satisfyingly authentic as it could have been. Jon, realizing the White Walkers are somehow ready for dragon combat, sacrifices himself so Drogon can take off with his payload safely. But it's an empty sacrifice, because Jon is last minute rescued by BENJEN STARK, who is part ice monster, part North of the Wall lifeguard, all Stark all the time. If you recall Benjen, or Cold Hands I guess is his nickname, previously came in for the save with his swinging lantern when he rescued Meera and Bran. But Benjen's last minute saving days are over as he is eaten by zombies in order to allow Jon to escape. Sad.

Back at the wall Dany ignores Daddy Jorah in favor of wistfully staring out over the tundra, hoping for Jon to appear. And appear he does! Jon is more than fine, especially shirtless and wrapped in furs on Dany's pleasure yacht. The two have some weird flirting where Dany reveals she can never have children, and Jon actually refers to her as 'Dany'. Good thing they are both so hot, because that banter wouldn't cut it anywhere else. Also she's his aunt. I simply cannot stress that enough.

As a final coda to this decades long episode, we see the Night Army dragging the corpse of Viserion out of the lake only to reanimate him into an ice zombie dragon! Gah! Shit is most definitely getting real, as the Night King adds some real power to his arsenal. Will zombie dragon still breathe fire? Ice? Freezing rain? Excited to find out. Next week (the season finale???) looks like it will be the zombie summit down in King's Landing. I have zero predictions for this. My only hope is that Euron will be there, I miss him. In a world of uncertainty, Euron brings the party.

Stuff I didn't get to:

Stop shipping Dany/Jon, START shipping Brienne/Beardy

They almost took Beardy from me after I SPECIFICALLY asked them not too.

Beardy learned the word dick <3

Beardy rode a dragon!!!

MVP: Beardy. I don't have to defend myself.

XO MD

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7thdimentionsimulation · 3 years

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Poster Series: Animal Deception

Introduction into Animal Deception:

The first two posters are an introduction to the two main concepts of a series of eight posters in the animal deception poster series. The first concept is ‘True Deception’, which looks at the main characteristics of deceiving an animal in the wild, and the thinking compacity a creature must have to correctly get away with this deception. The second concept is the ‘Brood Parasite’, which explains the idea of animals that skip out on parenting by depositing their young in the care of another animal. The unwitting foster parent raises the parasitic young as if they were its own and bears the considerable cost of feeding and protecting the babies.

For each Infographic poster I've made an abstract layered image built from multiple images of the animal that is being discussed, as well as some key areas of the animals patterns or shape have been added in as well. But for the first abstract poster I wanted to builds a combination of all the different creatures that make up the rest of the series. This poster is what I would call the ‘master piece’ of the collection, a hybrid mash of all the animals found within the series. Symbolically looking at the idea of metamorphism, and grouping all forms of deception into one creature. I wanted to do this because, I was looking at the idea of hybridity between the different animals, and how although they all use there own sub form of deception, they are all still categorized as animal deception.

Cuckoo’s Of deception - Fish:

My first example of animal deception is the Cuckoo catfish. There are three different types of cuckoo creatures found in the wild, all displaying there own form of depiction, but all with the same brood parasite goal. For these two posters I looked at the cuckoo fish, an invasive parasite species of catfish, that give there young to other catfish to raise. The aim for the Cuckoo catfish is to deceive the unknowing non cuckoo catfish into believing that it is its own baby, and therefore raising it so its strong enough to live on its own. This is called a ‘Technical Deception’. A Technical deception is defined as, the ability to think about what other animals are thinking, and then manipulate the thinking of other animals to get what they want. They understand that if there deception is discovered then they will be out of the group. So they will try to hid there deception, and try to act like nothing is different. The Cuckoo catfish benefits from this technique, because it allows the Cuckoo to focus purely on breeding, and not raising its young, allowing it to spread much faster and over power other species of catfish that live with it.

Cuckoo’s Of Deception - Insect:

The Cuckoo wasp, is another species of the Cuckoo family, and uses a similar form of deception, in this case ‘concealment’. The Cuckoo wasp waits for another species of wasp to build its nest, waiting for the right moment to hid its larva with the other wasps defenseless larva. Once the target wasp moves away to collect food to put in the larva's nests, the Cuckoo wasp strikes, laying its eggs in the pre made nest. Once the unknowing parent of the targeted wasp come back with food it cant see the difference between its larva and the Cuckoo wasp. The targeted wasp the proceeds to cover its nests as if nothing is wrong, unknowingly setting up the Cuckoo wasps larva with a healthy supply of food. The Cuckoo has adapted to always hatch first before the targeted wasps larva, and immediately kills and eats the targeted warps larva, sustaining it for quite some time, and if it ever runs out of food it eats all the nutrients left in the nest by the parent targeted warp. Once big enough the Cuckoo hatches from the nest, and the cycle begins again.

Indigobird Deception - Bird:

These posters look into the deception of the Indigobird, and how it manipulates the natural parental kindness of the Firefinch. The Indigobird lays its eggs in the nest of the Firefinch, leaving it with the other eggs already lane by the Firefinch. The Indigobird hatches at the same time and begins to grown rapidly. For this deception to work the Indigobird has adapted an amazing adaptation, putting it in the deception sub category of ‘False Markings’. The Indigobird has evolved a series of blue and yellow marks found around the edge of the birds mouth, these marks mimic the patterns found on the mouth of the Firefinch. The Indigobird is feed and looked after by the Firefinch parents, growing much faster then the Firefinch chicks, taking all the food. Before eventually getting big enough to leave the nest and start the cycle all over again.

For these posters I wanted to abstract the facial markings that are the most important part of the deception, I both illustrated and used found images to created a mixed blend of overlapping images. Showing the fight for food as the Indigobird grows much faster than the Firefinch, and the power of the Indigobirds deception.

Aposematism Of Bocas del toro - Amphibian:

These posters sit on there own in terms of deception, because the there deception is actually a warning system. The Strawberry Poison Dart Frog is located in Bocas del Toro, a province of Panama comprising an island chain off the Caribbean coast, plus a section of nearby mainland with biodiverse rainforest. Here the Strawberry Poison Dart Frog dwells, but unknowingly you would think in fact 21 different species of the same frog live. All with complex colour pigmentation, separating each frog into its own sections of island or province. The Strawberry Poison Dart Frog’s colour is a adaptation of its diet, some being much brighter than other, which shows there toxicity level (the brighter the more toxic). This creatures adaptation deception is called Aposematism. Aposematism is the advertising by an animal to potential predators that it is not worth attacking or eating. This unprofitability may consist of any defenses which make the prey difficult to kill and eat, such as toxicity, venom, foul taste or smell, sharp spines, or aggressive nature. Yellow, red, orange, black and white. signal colours in the animal kingdom, that the animal is poisonous or dangerous.

For these posters I wanted to look at the adaptation of colour and design found on the diverse Strawberry Poison Dart Frog’s. These posters look at the bright and dull colours that are found on the frogs, and the half tones represent the skin pigment change found on the frogs.

This series of posters discusses the principles of animal deception, and uses animals as examples of how its used in the animal kingdom. The images were all rendered into halftones, pixel maps, or high resolution vectors (SVG). I wanted to create distortion within the images, to make the viewer think about the forms of the animals that are used. But not so abstract that you wouldn't know it was a amphibian, bird, fish, or bug.

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