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moethewriter · 6 months

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Hunger games Renaissance is so real. Could you do a fic where finnick and r live by the water after the rebellion. Idk I'm just picturing a quiet life which they deserve !!!

Ask and you shall reciecve! I love how we are all going through a hunger games renaissance hah! This was slightly nervewracking to write! I've been out of the game so long! --- TITLE: And I shall give you, WORD COUNT: 1k PAIRING: Finnick Odair x Reader WARNINGS: NONE TAGS: Lot's of stupid fluff and introspection (in some ways) by the reader SUMMARY: A quiet life had always seemed impossible, until it wasn't A/N: So this isn't beta read and quite literally my FIRST fanfic in four or five years! A bit rusty but I hop eyou enjoy reading as much as I enjoyed writing Anon! I'm always open to constructive criticism on how to make my writing, and your reading experience better! Lot's of love, Moe ___ The first thing you noticed was the stillness.

The waves gave no sense of urgency, no rushing and rumbling to its next destination … just a subtle lull as they crashed ever so lightly against the rocks along the shoreline. It was oddly warm for an Autumn day, but you weren’t complaining. The warmth was something you cherished, and longed for.

The warmth brought laughter, and it brought many days laying in the sand as you spoke in hushed whispers, basking in the heat of the day. The warmth brought Finnick’s smile, that you so desperately loved, as he ran through the waves to cool himself, waving shells or sea glass or anything interesting he had found, gathered for your collections.

It had been over a year since the rebellion and any moment spent with him was magical and everything you ever could have wanted. The quietness of your small home by the sea, the domesticity of your day to day life as you both grew and both allowed yourself to become okay with the stillness … Love had gotten you by, if there was one thing you could always count on it was being loved by the man with who had the biggest heart in the entire world.

“For you.” He had said, holding out a small crystal glass that shimmered in the sunlight, he doted on you day in and day out, though you insisted it had never been necessary.

But Finnick did not care, instead saying that you had all the time in the world to be spoiled, and he was more than willing to give it to you. In return you made sure he never wanted for anything, if he was willing to give you the moon, you were more than willing to return the stars.

“Thank you.” You said, gratefully taking the glass of lemonade, and sipping it.

Things always seemed more gentle now, an odd thing after how you had both lived for so long. There had never been roughness between you, never a moment of doubt but the world you had been born into didn’t allow for moments like this to be had. But now … now you were content and you were … happy. Happiness had been so foreign at first, allowing yourself to feel it more than you ever had before … the tiniest glimpses of it showing through your life. It had always seemed so impossible reaching it, but alas here it was … shimmering beneath the sunlight in District Four.

You think in a way you had always known that happiness could be found with Finnick.

You think of the boy who had stood up for you all of those years ago, Finnick. The boy who had been through too many things far too young … Finnick. The boy who had become the Capitol Darling … Finnick. The boy who had always had your heart, and always would … Finnick.

But this Finnick … The Finnick who brushed your hair and made dinner. The man who built your house piece by piece on a vision you had both created together. Finnick who held you like you were the most beautiful treasure in all of Panem.

This Finnick who is so at ease that a smile could come from seeing a bird fly over your home from the balcony, or when you simply said “I love you.”

This Finnick, your husband and the man who had never given up on you.

He leaned in to kiss you softly, holding your face with a touch so light you could barely feel it.

He felt so much lighter these days, so free and full of life like the boy you had once known.

“Anything for you.” Finnick smiled back, a smile that could make your heart race a million times faster. He traced your jawline with the pad of his thumb, outlining every possible scar and mole that dotted your skin, and kissed your temple. “Always.”

“You flatter me, Mr. Odair.” You whispered, leaning into his touch. “Has anyone ever told you, you have a silver tongue.” You teased, a bright smile spreading across your face.

“Maybe once or twice.” He chuckled, pulling you into an embrace as you both hit the sand with a soft ‘thud’, your body relaxed instantly against his despite the roughness of the sand below. “But no one’s ever been you.”

“No one’s ever been you either, Finn.” You tell him, leaning in to kiss his jaw, a small gesture and one of love.

Though everything seems to be filled with love these days, and you didn’t mind one bit.

“Maybe soon we can start on the painting.” He whispered into your ear, fingers running through your hair, unknotting any tangles that had come from the sea water during your early morning swim. “After all … you are my muse.”

“I’d love that.” You said, softly, closing your eyes.

You held onto one another for what felt like hours, but you knew time had barely passed. The sound of the waves, the quiet chirping of birds in the distance calling to their brothers and sisters. The ocean breeze and sound of his voice sending shivers down your spine, as he whispered sweet nothings in your ear. The sun casting its light on both of you, bathing you in the beautiful rays of daylight.

Moments like these were no longer few and far in between. The days you spent together, and the time you had to now truly be committed and fully loved would never stop. Even those days, the long terrible days that seemed to darken the doorstep of the new life you had built, were far easier to bare knowing that you had him, and he had you. The life that you had always wanted, no longer a simple dream of two teenagers sitting under the stars wishing and hoping that you would be free.

“A quiet life.” he had once told you, under that moon. “That’s what I want after all of this.” And now under the sun, it was the life you did lead.

#finnick odair x reader #finnick odair #the hunger games #hunger games #fluff #moeswriting #god my first fanfic in years #who would have thought #writing

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pinkcherryblossom18 · 1 year

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Hi love! 💞 bc I'm on my hunger games renaissance era. Would you mind doing a finnick×reader where they are at the quarter quell and are all over each other like full on pda ignoring the fact that they are at the arena and that the capitol is watching because they are so in love they just live in a bubble and the others are so annoyed by how cute they are and yeah hahaha. I just love my man finnick he deserved better.

Thanks babe and have a good day 🤍🤍

Thank you for requesting honey!!!

Summary: When the Hunger Games started, it was clear who Snow wanted to win and in the end, it would be between you and Finnick. But In your bubble, nothing exists but the both of you.

TW: Mention of the Hunger Games, reference to suicide, kissing

The knowledge of death hangs on you like a personal reaper. Constantly looming and always calling to you and Finnick in a horrible and constant wave. The Reaping had been your sentence but with the deal with District 13, there’s a chance you and Finnick will make it out alive. Though that seems like the priority and plan that Snow had in the first place.

Water surrounds you both in tons, always near and never too far away. It was an advantage set just for you both and the rest knew it. It was unfair but it was a good plan, neither of you could make it long without the other. Puppets would be a word of the past and that was what Snow was planning, to make a broken doll out of either of you.

It’s dark in the arena and while Peeta and Katniss are close, you and Finnick could only be described as laying on top of each other. Your legs are tangled together but the way Finnick had you two laying, if either of your allies decided to attack, he could easily get to his trident and protect you. But neither of you have to worry about that at the moment or Finnick doesn’t, with his hand stroking through your hair and his eyes studying your face.

You're sure the people of the Capitol are stunned, now knowing of your relationship with each other. Snow would try and hurt the people that you love, readying either of you to watch as your friends get killed but he wouldn’t be able to get ahold of them at the moment. That was one thing that you wouldn’t let go of until they agreed, your friends—your family had to be safe for this deal to happen.

The hand carding through your hair keeps going but now a hand comes to your face, Finnick’s thumb rubbing over your cheek with eyes filled with nothing but love. “What are you thinking about, sweetheart?” He asks, laying down fully beside you, letting you roll over and place your head on his chest.

Your fingers start tapping on his chest and then slow down to trace his skin through the wet suit that both of you are wearing. “Mags, Annie, and the rest of them,” you say softly and you hope that at this angle, the Capitol has to strain their ears to listen to you. It wouldn’t be the least they could do and in your own way, it would be an almost type of payback from them making you loud enough to hear across the Districts since you’ve won.

The fingers in your hair start scratching lightly and you fall into them, eyes closing at the feeling and you smile at the small laugh that emits from Finnick as he watches you. “They’re fine,” he tells you and you nod.

Pulling away from his fingers, you prop yourself up on his chest. “I’m also thinking about us, about what’s going to happen. Finnick, what if it's down to us?” The question is almost just for the Capitol but, in a way, it’s not. You all still have to take out the Careers and Katniss doesn’t know about the plan. If anything, if you all did end up taking the Careers down then Katniss could remember that you two were a part of them technically and decide to end the alliance right then and there.

A solemn expression crossed his face and Finnick looked at you with knowing eyes. “You know what will happen,” he says and you clench your jaw. Before the deal, before you two knew you were going to make it out, Finnick had told you that if it came down to the both of you, he would make sure you made it no matter what.

You shake your head. “Finnick, no,” you say sternly but even you can hear the small amounts of pleading behind the words.

The look of determination is behind his eyes, it’s the same one that he had when he told you the answer to your question on the train. “I will if I have to.” He scoots a bit, enough for you two to be close enough for him to lean down and touch your forehead with his and when he does, your eyes close. “If it means you’ll live then I will alright?” He says and you don’t think you can open your eyes but the remainder of the cold and unforgivable ways of the Hunger Games, even when rigged, reminds you that this may be the only time you have left with him.

Opening your eyes, you look into his sea-green ones. “Yeah,” you tell him and Finnick leans down, capturing your lips with his.

It’s always been easy to get lost in Finnick. With his hand-crafted and Capitol-made charm that made everyone drawn to him and simply the way he looked was the reason why after so many years, he’s still Snow’s number one attraction. But with his eyes and the way that he held you up when you firmly believed that you weren’t going to make it through your Games was what drew you to him. It was the way that when you came back that he hugged you as fiercely as he could and stayed with you throughout those few extra days in the Capitol when you wanted to go home, holding you as you cried from the memories of what you had to do to survive.

It was when he first kissed you, when he gently grabbed the side of your face and pulled you in that you knew you were a goner. That magnetic pull had kept you there like he was north and you were south.

Now, on the beach after escaping the fog and the monkeys safely and acquiring Johanna, Beetee, and Wiress with the sun coming down and in your element that was made for the both of you in this arena, Finnick’s lips seemed to stay glued to yours. Maybe it was the way the waves reminded both of you of home, of the house you stayed in at Victor’s Village, and the sound of the waves that would rock you two to sleep. Maybe it was the way that, even now, after one small kiss you can’t help but want more and Finnick was always willing to comply with that.

You can hear the disgusted sounds that Johanna is making whenever she looks over at you two and you're sure that the others are as well but you can’t find yourself to care at the moment. Because in this little bubble that you two had made, them, the Hunger Games, and President Snow don’t exist.

In this little bubble, you two are safe for once.

#finnick odair #finnick odair x reader

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zot3-flopped · 2 months

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folklore, folklore Deluxe version, folklore the long pond studio session, evermore, evermore Deluxe version, fearless taylor's version, red taylor's version, midnights, midnights 3am edition, midnight the til dawn edition, speak now taylor's version, 1989 taylor's version Deluxe ( 12 albums) 4 in 2020, 3 in 2021, 2 in 2022, 4 in 2023

In comparsion what other artists have releases during the same timespan:

2020-2023

Harry Styles: Harry's House (1) 1 in 2022

Ariana Grande: Positions, Positions Deluxe, Yours Truly Tenth Anniversary Edition, (3) 1 in 2020, 1 in 2021, 1 in 2023

Beyonce; The Lion King The Gift Deluxe, Renaissance (2) 1 in 2020, 1 in 2022

Drake: Dark Lane Demo Tapes, Certified Lover Boy, Honestly Nevermind, Her loss, For all the dog's, For all the dog's scary house edition (6) 1 in 2020, 1 in 2021, 2 in 2022, 2 in 2023

Billie Eilish: Happier than Ever (1) 1 in 2021

The Weeknd: After hours, After hours Deluxe, Dawn FM, Dawn FM Alternate World, Avatar The Way of water, Live at Sofi Stadium, Starboy Deluxe (7) 2 in 2020, 3 in 2022, 2 in 2023

Doja Cat: Planet Her, Planet Her Deluxe, Scarlet, (3) 2 in 2021, 1 in 2023

Olivia Rodrigo: Guts, Sour, The Hunger Games The Ballad of...(3) 1 in 2021, 2 in 2023

Miley Cyrus: Plastic Hearts, Attention Miley Live, Endless Summer Vacation (3) 1 in 2020, 1 in 2022, 1 in 2023

Dua Lipa: Future Nostalgia, Club Future Nostalgia DJ Mix, Future Nostalgia The Moonlight Edition (3) 2 in 2020, 1 in 2021

Sza: Dear Evan Hansen, Ctrl Deluxe, SOS (3) 1 in 2021, 2 in 2022

Lana Del Rey: Chemtrails over The Country Club, Blue Banisters, Did you know that there is a tunnel under Ocean Blvd (3) 2 in 2021, 1 in 2023

Kanye West; Donda, Donna Deluxe (2) 2 in 2021

Adele: 30 (1) 1 in 2021

Bruno Mars: An Evening with Silc Sonic (1) 1 in 2021

Selena Gomez: Rare, Rare Deluxe (2) 2 in 2022

Rihanna: Black Panther (1) 1 in 2022

Katy Perry: Smile, One of the Boys 15th Anniversary (2) 1 in 2020, 1 in 2023

Lady Gaga: Chromatica, Born This Way the Tenth Anniversary, Dawn of Chromatica, Love for Sale Deluxe, Top Gun Maverick, Sweet Sounds of Heaven (6) 1 in 2020, 3 in 2021, 1 in 2022, 1 in 2023

She is the only one releasing more than one album from 2020-2023. So when her fans say that other artists to Deluxe versions or remixes or whatever too. Yes they do. But they aren't as bad as she is. It's no wonder she was the best selling artist in 2023. Morgan Wallen did 7.2M with one album in 2023. From 2018-2023 he released 4 albums. Despite that she is on tour doing huge promo for her albums.

Thanks for this research. Very interesting.

#taylor swift #anti taylor swift

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dailycharacteroption · 11 months

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Corrupting Influences: Vampirism part 3

(art by Michelle Tolo on Artstation)

Implications

Though Horror Adventures was released 7 years before the time of writing this, it’s quite auspicious that I’m taking a look at this corruption in the wake of a resurgence in the popularity of vampires, ranging from ironic (Morbius) to genuine (Dracula Daily and the upcoming Last Voyage of the Demeter movie). Heck, a few years ago they put out new revised editions of Vampire the Masquerade. One might say we’re in a vampire renaissance.

But none of that matters right now, because we’re talking about the implications of a slow transformation into a vampire in your game.

As written, this corruption occurs alongside the faster method of transforming prey into a vampire, similar to how the lycanthropy corruption works. In this case, the corruption really becomes a reflection of either the risks of fighting vampires long term, or the depredations of a single vampire. In the former case it lead to stories of who you can trust to help you when you start to turn into the very thing you fight, and who will try to preemptively slay a vampire-to-be. Not to mention the struggle of whether you will join with the vampires once you turn, or continue to fight against them.

In the latter case, however, it can lead to stories either mirroring the events of Dracula the novel, or it might be part of a complex relationship with the vampire that inflicted it upon them. Perhaps they desperately want companionship but fucked up, or maybe they want the victim to suffer before becoming their thrall, and so on.

On the other hand, if your setting replaces the normal transformation with this corruption entirely, then vampires might not be as common in your setting, being limited to singular powerful vampire lords and their spawn. Alternatively, if they are common, they might outnumber the living in lands forsaken by light and benevolent gods, where mortals live in fear of vampire masters, who are always on the lookout for fresh blood in every sense of the phrase.

The existence of this corruption does bring up interesting questions about the nature of the vampiric curse, particularly since there are several other varieties of undead that are classified as vampires or vampire-adjacent beyond the classic vampire, which Pathfinder calls the Moroi. The fact that a corruption exists where a living victim becomes a vampire before dying makes vampirism seem much more insidious than the typical “get killed by a certain undead, rise as the same type, usually under their control” sort of deal that many other undead have.

There is a heavy horror element in the lead up to gaining this corruption, since the victim regularly gets weaker but may not know what is happening to them, forcing the party to work quickly to figure out what is happening to their friend. Perhaps worse though is the prospect of the character knowing what is happening, either from the start or because they figure it out and may or may not be able to stop it, dreading each night. And it doesn’t end once they get the corruption either, as the vampire probably won’t stop feeding on them or at least visiting them to encourage them to fully transform.

Further compounding the nightmare is what happens to you, the person as you begin turning. Constantly there is this thirst for blood. While not truly nourishing, the hunger for it does not cease, and as the corruption progresses, it becomes easier to justify feeding from innocents, citing desperation, the value of one’s own life, and eventually, viewing other lives as cattle.

It’s also worth noting that in the book, when the heroes finally found Lucy after she fully turned, she appeared before them as a creature that had Lucy’s appearance and memories, but none of her soul, her identity replaced by a thing born out of unholy bloodlust. The prospect of becoming something like that, even if the GM allows for the possibility of redemption, could be truly horrifying.

That will do for now, but tomorrow, we’ll take a look at how we can vary up this corruption!

#pathfinder #corruption #vampirism #vampire #Horror Adventures

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nhlovesadri3 · 6 months

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https://www.harpersbazaararabia.com/hbanews/adriana-lima-on-motherhood-modelling-and-her-major-comeback

Iconic supermodel Adriana Lima discusses motherhood, social media trolls and creating a space for mature women within the fashion industry – and just like the heritage Cartier Collection pieces Adriana wears, she only gets better with age

It’s fair to say that 2023 has been somewhat of a comeback year for the supermodels of the ’90s and noughties. They’ve enjoyed space in documentaries on streaming channels, group fashion magazine covers, jointly walking the runways again and grabbing designer brand campaigns from the new pretenders. And in the midst of the supers who are making a return is one of the nicest, most down-toearth people in fashion – who also happens to be one of the most beautiful women in the world: Adriana Lima… although she makes it clear that this is just the warm-up to her renaissance. “My true comeback will be in 2024,” she laughs. The model and actress, who is probably most famous for being the longest-running Victoria’s Secret Angel in the world, is now 42-years-old and a mother of five, but is still giving the newbies a run for their money after being named as the face of Victoria’s Secret’s Heavenly Eau de Parfum in April and also starring in the brand’s recent Icons lingerie campaign alongside Gisele Bündchen, Naomi Campbell and Candice Swanepoel.

“I feel like there has been a return of the supers,” agrees Adriana as we chat about her recent campaigns. “I’ve been seeing not only supermodels from the 2000s but also from the ’80s and ’90s who have been working a lot lately and I think it’s wonderful to see.” She goes on to explain why that might be. “I think each of the supermodels has a different character and persona, and I think that’s what makes a difference because you can see those distinct personas when they are in photoshoots and on the runaway. They are easily remembered for that. I think that makes it easier for brands to sell because people connect to you, they connect to that distinct personality that you have.”

And it seems that brands are finally catching on that consumers want to see women of all age brackets in the limelight. “These supermodels are in different stages of their lives and are being celebrated for being mature women, which is refreshing to see because, as we know, the traditional fashion models usually don’t last that long. But I think that scenario is finishing. I think that as women, we are being celebrated in every stage of our life.” Adriana has a vested interest in wanting that narrative to be true – and that extends beyond her own alleged ‘sell-by date’. “I’m happy to see that change because one of my daughters wants to be a model,” she explains of her eldest, Valentina, aged 14. “And I felt very sad that she, as a model, would be celebrated for only a certain time frame of her life. I think that every stage is a beautiful time and I’m loving that fashion is now embracing that.”

So, does she think society is finally changing? Are we moving away from the conventional idea of what models and indeed women should look like? Are we leaving behind the ‘thin, pretty and young’ traditional beauty ideals that have dominated much of her lifetime and career? Adriana is not so sure. “I don’t think we’re [totally] moving away from ‘thin, young and beautiful’; I think that the world is creating space for everyone – and everyone with their uniqueness is being celebrated. I think there is beauty in every stage of a woman and man’s life and it’s wonderful to see that there can be space for everybody.”

This does feel like an incredibly positive and gracious attitude from Adriana, considering the onslaught of scrutiny and judgement she faced just a few weeks ago when she stepped out to attend The Hunger Games: The Ballad Of Songbirds & Snakes premiere. Social media comments speculated that her face ‘looked altered’ and that she’d had a facelift or fillers. Others suggested she looked ‘all swollen’ and ‘much older’ than the last time she’d been seen in public. Mainstream media and web publications joined in the beauty-shaming circus. Adriana gently retaliated, posting a bare-faced picture on Instagram with the caption: ‘The face of a tired mom of one teenage girl, two pre-teens, one active boy, a one-year-old learning to walk, and three dogs… thanks for your concern’.

“It did not bother me at all,” laughs Adriana. “I’m very strong that way, and honestly, I looked at myself before I stepped out and I was feeling great. I was with my children, and they looked at me and were like, ‘Mom! You look so beautiful!’ Adriana does admit that she was surprised to see how she looked in the pictures, though. “I was in shock when I saw them. I was like ‘that’s not me’. Everything was strange because I don’t see myself like that. I still don’t see myself like that… you can see yourself differently. I didn’t get offended or anything, though – I was laughing. The point is, I am not 16 years old. I started modelling at 16 but I will never be 16 again. I’m 42 and I’m the happiest I’ve been; the happiest with myself. I embrace my age and I will not change for anyone.”

With that said, Adriana, who has worked on a number of female empowerment projects, is aware of how it could affect her kids. “My concern about this is not for me, it’s for my children because they were with me, they saw me and then this stuff comes out. I don’t want them to feel the pressure to look a certain way because of other people. If they do that to me, how will they be safe? And the truth is, I don’t think anyone is safe because people are always criticising,” she laments.

Adriana Lima On Motherhood and Her Children

The model and TV host’s concern for her blended family is at the heart of everything she does and feels. Mother to daughters Valentina, 14 and Sienna, 11 from her marriage to ex-husband Marko Jarić, son Cyan who turned one this August with partner Andre Lemmers and his two children Miah and Lupo from a previous relationship. This makes for a busy household, so how does she cope?

“I take it day by day,” she confesses. “Every day is a different story. There is no manual for motherhood. As the kids grow up, they’re going towards different stages of their life. I still have a baby and I have a teenager so every day you deal with different things. I wish I could tell you something magical, some advice, but I just take it a step at a time.”

And Adriana’s everyday life is not that out of the ordinary. “I do live quite a normal life and I do everything that a normal person would do. When you’re a model, people think that you’re always going to be dressed up with your hair and make-up done in designer clothes – and that’s not me. When I’m going round the supermarket or dropping my kids at school, people see me but they’re not sure it’s actually me. They get confused,” she laughs. “I like my everyday life, I do everything that someone ‘normal’ would do: drive the kids to school, pick them up, go to the supermarket, walk the dog… just simple things and I love it.”

Time off during the pandemic and then being at home pre and post having her youngest child has meant spending most of her time at home in Miami, prioritising motherhood – even if it gets in the way of her own hobbies, exercise and self-care time. Adriana was known for her almost regimental fitness and diet regimes in the lead-up to Victoria’s Secret shows. She’s been boxing since the age of 19 and is an advocate for meditation – but all that has to take somewhat of a backseat these days.

“Ok, I’m really struggling,” she laughs. “With children and a baby, it’s hard to be at the gym every day, even though I really do love the gym. Generally, I’ve been doing a lot of cardio like jumping rope and running and also started adding weights which I didn’t do before, and then I’ll do boxing say twice a week for 20 minutes. I try to go to the gym six times a week but I’m not very successful, I really try but with the children it’s crazy. The other day I had my session with my trainer set up and then the school called me to pick up my daughter because she didn’t feel well and then the other one another day, so it’s tough.”

Could she not let someone else pick up the children? “On no, I really love it, I love doing everything with them, they’re growing up so quickly. I look at my 14-year-old and I look at pictures of when she was a baby – it’s happened in the blink of an eye. It’s funny because I didn’t want children, but then I changed and now I want more kids!”

I ask her about her down time, if indeed there is any. “I used to meditate a lot but now there’s no time. I barely have time to go out for dinner with my husband. So my meditation is going to the bathroom for five minutes and locking myself in and praying that my kids are not going to be knocking at my door and asking me for something they need,” she smiles. “I do love watching old Hollywood movies and Italian classics like La Dolce Vita with Anita Ekberg, I’m also obsessed with Lauren Bacall and I use those films for inspiration when it comes to fashion but I only really get to watch films on the plane these days!”

And is fashion still a big thing for her? “Fashion is in my blood,” says Adriana, who has worked with brands including Versace, Prada, Loewe and Louis Vuitton. “When it comes to designers, I love Tamara Ralph. I think she’s so elegant and I saw her comeback this year. I was so excited to see all her designs. I’m also waiting for a comeback from Riccardo Tisci. I love him, I think he’s so creative and so different, and I can’t wait to see his return.”

Despite the business of motherhood, Adriana has managed to find time for work, be that modelling, documentary-making, humanitarian work or in her role as a FIFA fan ambassador, which the self-proclaimed lover of the sport is continuing with into next year.

“I can’t share a lot of details of the work I’ve done with FIFA yet but I can say that there wasn’t one single trip that I did with them where I wasn’t involved in a charity. We went to visit a few hospitals, different countries, different schools and we went to visit a particular place that really caught my attention.”

Adriana, who worked on the FIFA: A Love Letter to Rwanda short earlier this year, can’t share the details of the latest project but tells us the story of meeting a humanitarian worker who has rescued 100 young children from politically unstable countries and is providing them with education and a place to stay. She’s passionate about being able to tell this woman’s story in detail soon.

So what else can we expect from the woman who was named Victoria’s Secret’s most-valuable model? “A lot of things happened this year for me, but I wouldn’t call it my comeback yet. I think my official comeback will actually be next year,” she reveals. “You guys will see that. That’s all I can say for now!” We can’t wait. As many of Adriana’s fans have exclaimed: The queen is back.

#Adriana Lima #link #interview #harper bazaar #arabia #goddess #angel #gorgeous #magazine #fashion magazine #2023

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always-andromeda · 1 year

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I’ve said this before to someone but I think it’s nuts how I’ve lived long enough to witness the rise of folks adoring Jennifer Laurence for her relatability and humor, then saw folks turn around and hate her for a few years for the same reasons, and now with The Hunger Games Renaissance on Tiktok, I am once again witnessing Jennifer Laurence’s funniest moments compilations and people going, “Oh my god she’s so funny I love her!!!!”

#˚ʚ meda rants ɞ˚#maybe she did something that i don’t know about #but all i ever saw for years was folks shitting on her for having millennial white woman energy #and now everyone loves her again #it’s misogyny isn’t it #either way time is a circle

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anabolicanarchist · 1 year

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I volunteer as tribute? (sorry for the hunger games reference. It's having a renaissance and living rent free in my mind)

It’s been a long time since I’ve gotten to indulge in my freak side this might be better phrasing than you realize

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thehungergamesrenaissance · 3 years

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The Hunger Games Renaissance. The Hunger Games: Catching Fire (2013), dir. Francis Lawrence My family. My mother. My sister. And my pretend cousin Gale. But Peeta's intention is clear. That Gale really is my family, or will be one day, if I live. That I'll marry him. So Peeta's giving me his life and Gale at the same time. To let me know I shouldn't ever have doubts about it. Everything. That's what Peeta wants me to take from him. I wait for him to mention the baby, to play to the cameras, but he doesn't. And that's how I know that none of this is part of the Games. That he is telling me the truth about what he feels. “No one really needs me,” he says, and there's no self-pity in his voice. It's true his family doesn't need him. They will mourn him, as will a handful of friends. But they will get on. Even Haymitch, with the help of a lot of white liquor, will get on. I realize only one person will be damaged beyond repair if Peeta dies. Me. “I do,” I say. “I need you.” He looks upset, takes a deep breath as if to begin a long argument, and that's no good, no good at all, because he'll start going on about Prim and my mother and everything and I'll just get confused. So before he can talk, I stop his lips with a kiss. I feel that thing again. The thing I only felt once before. In the cave last year, when I was trying to get Haymitch to send us food. I kissed Peeta about a thousand times during those Games and after. But there was only one kiss that made me feel something stir deep inside. Only one that made me want more. But my head wound started bleeding and he made me lie down. This time, there is nothing but us to interrupt us. And after a few attempts, Peeta gives up on talking. The sensation inside me grows warmer and spreads out from my chest, down through my body, out along my arms and legs, to the tips of my being. Instead of satisfying me, the kisses have the opposite effect, of making my need greater. I thought I was something of an expert on hunger, but this is an entirely new kind.

#thg #thgedit #catching fire #katniss everdeen #jennifer lawrence #peeta mellark #josh hutcherson #everlark #hello you are WELCOME #filmtv #moviegifs

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ichayalovesyou · 3 years

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Other Tribute: Amok Time (Pon Farr)

Peddlers of Flesh

~Act One: Man Was Meant To Fly~

Bremen~by Pigpen Theatre Co. from Bremen (Album)

“I would at least like to know what’s going on!”

It wasn’t out of the ordinary, Jim running off into the unknown, Spock so quick to follow, himself, reluctantly trundling behind as always, but this time felt… different. They’d been hijacked by deific wannabes before, but not like this, was it just the transporter, the promise of being trapped underground (or worse, stuck in a wall)? Bones couldn’t put a finger on it, but it was… unnerving the way this, Sargon, had captured Jim’s interest.

Worse than that, he had captured Jim!

“I came across some robbers three, at first I took everything away from them, then they took everything away from me.”

Poor Atlas~by Dessa from A Badly Broken Code (Album)

“Our bodies Sargon, for what purpose?” “To build”

The timer on Jim’s body before this fever stopped the his heart kept ticking in Bones’s head. Were these creatures’ designs really beyond man’s comprehension? Could they really be their “children” as Sargon claimed? Was it their burden, then, to give these things bodies, even for a short, dangerous, time? For every Kolos there were a dozen things like Redjac, Landru, or who knows what else.

Bones didn’t know what to make of it.

“I’m building a body from blueprints in braille, I’m building a body where our design has failed.”

Grand Canyon~by Puscifer from Money Shot (Album)

“I was floating… in time and space…”

Fever scare aside, it had been a long time since he’s ever seen Jim this euphoric, this excited about anything. Of course it could be a high on whatever just happened to him. Yet, even as Dr. Mulhall said it aloud, he had his doubts. Those eyes… they were sober, if unusually bright with curiosity. Leonard found himself wondering, what it would be like to experience what Jim had described, it made him think of the Mind Meld… of Spock.

The way he spoke so fondly, so, familiarly of it to Spock.

It stirred uncomfortable feelings in himself.

“One among infinity, witnessing the majesty, calm in this humility, hope as far as one can see, standing on the edge of forever”

Time For Us~by Elsiane from Mechanics of Emotion (Album)

“Not a list of possible miracles, just a plain, simple why, that overrides all danger!”

Fear overrode curiosity in Leonard’s mind, he found it all too convenient that, for whatever reason, Sargon needed both the Captain and the Commander. He could maybe swallow the worry of risking one of them, but not both, not if he could avoid it. It was bad enough they nearly died on every other away mission. Besides, this all sounded too good to be true, why did these god-creatures always have to speak with condescension and vague riddles?! Of all the people in this galaxy they could’ve called upon… why did it have to be them?

No, a promised Renaissance was not enough.

“We need results from this now, we need resolving, cannot waste more time, get resolving now! This is a time for us only, only, only.”

Onward To The Edge~by Symphony of Science from Onward To The Edge (Single)

“They used to say if man was meant to fly he’d have wings, but he did fly, he discovered he had to.”

Oh no, here goes Jim into one of his speeches, there was no escaping now. Even Mulhall seemed interested… Jim was right of course, but the barbs in Leonard’s gut refused to abandon him. He could stop all of this by saying “no”, so, what was stopping him? Bones already knew the answer.

He may be able to say no to a mission.

But he couldn’t say no to that face, not when it was the happiest he’d seen Jim in months.

Here’s to counting on his gut being wrong.

“These are no longer abstractions, these are worlds, maybe there’s life there! They’ve changed how we think about Earth.”

~Act Two: A Sense of Foreboding~

I Hope Your World Is Kind~by Auri from Auri (Album)

“Vulcans value peace above all else Henoch.” “Of course! As do we Doctor, as do we.”

Henoch’s comment about conquering others set Bones even more on edge, why would something benevolent so casually bring that up? He knew how deeply Spock loathed being controlled, worse, being made to hurt others because he was not in control. He thought back to the Blood Fever, he couldn’t let that happen to him again, not if he could help it.

Something about this Henoch was rubbing him the wrong way… Perhaps he’d better keep an eye on him.

“The rooftops all sleeping, underneath them brittle little man-things, unveiled clowns, false kings, every moment the world in writing.”

Close to the Sun~by Porcelain Pill from Close to The Sun (Original Game Score)

“I can find no reason for concern and yet, I am filled with foreboding.”

They’d almost killed Jim, again. Everything was going to plan, but… was he right? Bones couldn’t stop staring at those receptacles, delicate spheres holding three souls. What was it like in there? The promised infinity that Jim described, the oneness, he couldn’t even imagine. It was unsettling, it felt like they were all in the room with him, he felt, compelled, to touch one. It may as well be the closest, Jim’s, he really was there! It was like he was putting a hand on his shoulder like he’d always done.

They really were delicate…

Sargon’s people better hop to it on those android bodies, he didn’t know how long he could let this go on.

“I fear we’re sinking deeper with more speed the more we strive, is that what we get for playing too close to the sun?”

Beekeeper~by Dessa from Parts of Speech (Album)

“He’s dead…”

It was like all the light had left the world, cold and grey. He should’ve been faster, trusted less, fought harder, said “No!” For God’s sake! Leonard felt a strange kinship, almost a mourning for Sargon in that moment, they had both made the mistake of trusting Henoch, and now Jim has paid dearly for it.

He thought of the receptacle that still held Jim’s soul.

Could he find a way?

Was this one death… or two?

“The surgeon and farmer meet, and each greets the other with a bow, they’re kindred instruments you know, the scalpel and the plow.”

~Act Three: The Savage Doctor~

Burned Out~by dodie from Human (Album)

“Doctor… would you like to save your Captain Kirk?”

Leonard’s gut twisted in protest, these people, these things that had stolen the bodies of others, that killed Jim, was there a chance they could be bargained with? What was so horrible that Sargon had forbidden it?

Oh God… That was it.

So, they intended on taking Spock from him too? It figured, but- maybe, if he could get Jim back, could they take both Henoch and Thalayssa on to save Spock? Was it worth risking Dr. Mulhall? His eyes were drawn to the Captain, or what was left of him, lying there, worse than dead…

Then, Thalayssa threatened him, and Bones snapped back to his senses. He knew what she was.

And he knew who he had to be.

“Make me a fairy whatever it takes, and just like her tale, my dream was a scam, you waited smiling for this.”

Girl Into Devil (I Belong To Me)~by S.J. Tucker from Stolen Season (Album)

“Neither Jim nor I can trade a body we don’t own.”

His utter disgust with this woman, this monster, outweighed everything else on Leonard’s mind, even the roiling cauldron of self-loathing that’d emerged from even having been tempted by her offer! How little this creature wearing Dr. Mulhall’s face regarded life that wasn’t her own! How could she think for a second that he, that Jim, would ever abide by something so, unbelievably callous. It would break every oath they had ever made.

Some oaths are worth keeping.

“Stolen fairy tale girls make the difference between life and death, it all comes down to choices now you’ve only the hard ones left.”

Hunger Strike~by Temple of The Dog from Temple of The Dog (Album)

“I will not peddle flesh! I’m a physician.”

Ever fiber in McCoy’s being roared at her meager attempt to convince him again. He was a Doctor damnit! He would not play god! Selfish creatures playing with other people’s lives is what had gotten them into this damn mess in the first place, he would have no part in it! He would not bargain in blood and guts like the dark age doctors that came before him, Jim would never forgive him, and he’d never forgive himself.

She could do what she wanted to him, take by force what she’d tried to bargain for, but he would never break his oath, never.

“I can’t feed on the powerless when my cup’s already overfilled. I’m going hungry.”

The Rains of Castamere~by Malukah from The Rains of Castamere (Single)

“Spock’s consciousness is gone, we must kill his body, the thing in it.”

Even after all of that, the temptation, the bargaining, the suffering, even after getting Jim back… he had still lost. He failed. Here Bones was, thinking that maybe Sargon and his people knew the value of a Human life, a Vulcan life, they proved him wrong. What in God’s- no, to hell with gods, what had Sargon said to Jim to convince him to kill Spock? There had to be a reason, all the torture in the world would never have made Jim give up that green blooded… was he, being controlled?

One look at Jim’s face told him otherwise.

There was nothing left to do, but make sure Henoch didn’t ruin anyone else’s life.

So much for his oath.

“And who are you? The proud lord said, that I must bow so low? Only a cat of a different coat who saw the truth unknown.”

~Act Four: Sacrifice~

The Coldest Goodbye~by Mary Kate Wiles from Spies Are Forever (Original Cast Recording)

“Spock… my friend Spock… if only there’d been another way.”

It was bitter. Cold. Bones stood there frozen to the spot as though still paralyzed by Henoch, there was no comfort in him being destroyed. Part of Leonard wanted to go to Jim, but, what would be the point? Spock is dead. He made the poison that killed him, or at least, what was left of him. Why did death always make an easy solution? It was the past all over again. He was glad, in that case, that he wasn’t beside the Captain, he could tell without having to see, all the light had left the world. It was just like he felt when Sargon- Henoch, killed Jim’s body. And now…

“The warmest hello, to the coldest goodbye, remember, remember, spies never die… spies are forever”

Long Nights~by Eddie Vedder from Into The Wild (Movie Score)

“I could not allow the sacrifice of one so close to you.”

If the Lord giveth and then taketh away, then what did that make Sargon? Oh hell, what was he doing to Christine?! Hadn’t he made it clear to these people, these things, that there would be no trading of life?! It wasn’t as though he could stop it, it was only Thalayssa’s conscience that kept her from obliterating him on the spot. Bones hated being at the mercy of every other god-like being that turned up this side of the galaxy, nothing good ever came of it.

Then… he understood.

“I’ve got this light, I’ll be around to grow, who I was before I cannot recall.”

Bring On The Wonder~by Susan Enan from Plainsong (Album)

“Sargon.”

So many thoughts, words, feelings, carried by that name, Bones found himself unable to say anything else to this being, this god, that brought Spock back to hi- back to them, that would never have let Spock die in the first place. Maybe… maybe he was wrong. For the first time in a long time, Bones hoped he had just bad luck, perhaps there were more Sargons out there in the universe than Henochs, and they had only encountered more malevolent forces because the good had done what Sargon had to… he hoped that-

No.

He prayed that was true.

“Bring on the wonder, we got it all wrong, we pushed you down deep in our souls for too long.”

Dark Days~by Punch Brothers from Songs From District 12 & Beyond (Album)

“Oblivion together does not frighten me beloved.”

Something about that… phrase, hit somewhere deep in Leonard’s soul, resonating with him, he barely heard Chapel though he certainly agreed. He thought about how close he had come to losing the two men closest to him in all the galaxy, just how hard he fought to beat off the specter of death from them, again. And worse! This time he could’ve prevented it all if he had just trusted his instincts! He couldn’t even put into thoughts how much he cared, all he had was this… genuine, warm, decent feeling in his gut.

Maybe together, shouldn’t frighten him.

There… there was something Jim, and Spock, deserved to know.

Fear be damned.

“We don’t have to reap the fear they sow, friends, as long as we hide our love away in the good they’ll never know.”

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strangeandforlornbooks · 4 years

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best books with morally ambiguous narrators!

all y’all’s problematic faves and villains! :) also included are third person narrators but in books with morally ambiguous leads/themes

Sci-fi

Scythe by Neal Shusterman: in a future free from pain, disease, and war, people can live forever. ‘scythes’ are given the power to decide who lives and who dies to preserve the balance. sad and kinda gives of hunger games vibes, if you like that.

Neuromancer by William Gibson: basically invented the cyberpunk genre. strange and removed protagonists. (a team of computer hackers have to face off against an evil AI). you kind of dislike everyone and suddenly you’re crying over them. one of those trippy sci-fi classics.

The Sirens of Titan by Kurt Vonnegut: very beautiful and very very sad (same author as slaughterhouse five). the richest man in america has to face a martian invasion. more about free will and bad people doing good things than a plot that makes any kind of sense.

The Man in the High Castle by Philip K Dick: set in an alternate universe where the germans and japanese won world war two. not really like the tv show at all- it’s not an action story, and there’s not really the hope to somehow fix the world that drives a lot of dystopia stories. instead its about how people survive and connect to one another in a hopeless society.

The Scorpion Rules by Erin Bow: a supercomputer convinces the leaders of the world to keep the peace for hundreds of years by taking their children hostage and obliterating any city that disobeys. what happens to the hostage protagonists when war seems inevitable? lots of morally fraught decisions and characters slowly losing their identity. (plus a fun lesbian romance)

Cryptonomicon by Neal Stephenson: a brilliant mathematician and a dedicated marine fight to keep the ultra secret in world war two. fifty years later, a tech company discovers what remains of their story. one of the most memorable sequences in the book is a japanese soldier slowly becoming disillusioned with his nation and horrified by the war even as he continues to fight.

Blade Runner by Philip K. Dick: another one of those sci-fi classics that’s not at all like the movie. there is a bounty hunter for robots, though, as well as a weird religion that probably is referencing catholicism and a decaying society with a shortage of pets. kind of a trip.

Wilder Girls by Rory Power: girls trapped in a boarding school on an isolated island must face a creeping rot that affects the animals and plants on the island as well as their own bodies. the protagonists will do anything to survive and keep each other safe. very tense (and bonus lesbian romance whoo)

The Fifth Season by N K Jemisin: three women are gifted with the ability to control the earth’s energy in a world where those who can do so are forced into hiding or slavery. some veryyyy dark choices here but lots of strong female characters.

Historical Fiction

Fingersmith by Sarah Waters: two victorian lesbians fall in love as they plot to betray each other in horrific ways. lots of plot twists, plucky thieves, gothic settings, and a great romance.

Quo Vadis by Henryk Sienkiwicz: a powerful roman soldier in the time of Nero plots to kidnap a young woman after he falls in love with her, only to learn more about the mysterious christian religion she follows. very melodramatic but some terrific prose.

All the Light We Cannot See by Anthony Doerr: a blind girl in France and a brilliant German boy recruited by the military struggle through the chaos of the second world war. ends with a bang (iykyk.) very sad, reads like poetry.

Boxers by Gene Luen Yang: graphic novel reveals the story of a young boy fighting in the boxer rebellion in early twentieth century china. the sequel, saints, is also excellent. beautifully and sympathetically shows the protagonist’s descent into evil- the reader really understands each step along the way.

Fantasy

Three Dark Crowns by Kendare Blake: three triplets separated at birth, each with their own magical powers, have to fight to the death to gain the throne. lots of fun honestly

Six of Crows and Crooked Kingdom by Leigh Bardugo: everyone in these books is highly problematic but you love them all anyway. a ragtag game of criminals plan a heist on a magical fortress. some terrific tragic back stories, repressed feelings, and revenge schemes.

The Dark Tower series by Stephen King: idk how to describe these frankly but if you can put up with King’s appalling writing of female characters they’re pretty interesting. fantasy epic about saving the world/universe, sort of. cowboys and prophecies and overlapping dimensions and drug addicts galore.

The Amulet of Samarkand by Jonathan Stroud: lots of fun! a twelve year old decides to summon a demon for his cute lil revenge scheme. sarcastic demon narrator. lighthearted until s*** gets real suddenly.

Elegy and Swansong by Vale Aida: fantasy epic with machiavellian lesbians and enemies to lovers to enemies to ??? to lovers. charming and exciting and lovely characters.

The False Prince by Jennifer Nielsen: an orphan boy must compete with a few others for the chance to impersonate a dead prince. really dark but very tense and exciting and good twists.

The Grace of Kings by Ken Liu: fantasy epic. heroes overthrow an evil empire and then struggle as the revolution dissolves into warring factions. interesting world building and three dimensional characters, even if they only have a small part.

Circe by Madeline Miller: the story behind the witch who turns men into pigs in the odyssey. madeline miller really said, i just used my classics degree to write a beautiful gay love story and now im going to write a powerful feminist retelling because i can. queen. an amazing and satisfying book that kills me a lil bit because of the two lines referencing the song of achilles.

Heartless by Marissa Meyer: the tragic backstory for the queen of hearts in alice in wonderland. a little predictable but very fun with a compelling protagonist

A Song of Ice and Fire (Game of Thrones) by George RR Martin: ok I know we all hate GRRM and rightfully so but admittedly these books do have some great characters and great scenes. they deserve better than GRRM though. also he will probably never finish the books anyway....

A Series of Unfortunate Events by Lemony Snicket: not really fantasy but not really anything else either. plucky, intelligent, and kind children fight off evil plots for thirteen books until suddenly you realize the world is not nearly as black and white as you thought.

Classics

Rebecca by Daphne du Maurier: gothic romance!! a new wife is curious about the mysterious death of her predecessor in a creepy old house in the British countryside...good twists and lovely prose.

A Separate Peace by John Knowles: not really morally ambiguous but one awful decision suddenly has awful consequences and certain people are haunted by guilt forever.... really really really beautiful and really really really sad. boys in a boarding school grow up together under the shadow of world war two.

Anna Karenina by Leo Tolstoy: while imperial russia slowly decays a beautiful young woman begins a destructive affair. a long book. very russian. the ending is incredibly tense and well written.

Lord of the Flies by William Golding: I think you know the plot to this one. the prose is better than you remember and the last scene is always exciting.

And Then There Were None by Agatha Christie: one by one, the guests on an island are slowly picked off. one of Christie’s darkest mysteries- no happy ending here! very tense and great twists.

Contemporary

The Secret History by Donna Tartt: inspired the whole dark academia aesthetic. college students get a little too into ancient greece and it does not end very well. lovely prose but I found the characters unlikable.

Honorable Mentions

The Dublin Saga by Edward Rutherford: has literally a billion protagonists, but some of them are morally ambiguous ig? follows a few families stories’ from the 400s ad to irish independence in the 20s. beautifully captures the weight and movement of irish history.

Artemis Fowl by Eoin Colfer: how morally ambiguous can you be if you’re, like, eleven? a lot if you’re a criminal genius who wants to kidnap a fairy for your evil-ish plan apparently!

Redemption by Leon Uris: literally my favorite novel ever. the sequel to Trinity but can stand alone. various irish families struggle through the horrors of world war one. the hero isn’t really morally ambiguous, but the main theme of the novel is extremely bad people suddenly questioning their choices and eventually redeeming themselves. sweeping themes of love, screwed up families, redemption, and patriotism.

The Lymond Chronicles and House of Niccolo by Dorothy Dunnett: heroes redeem themselves/try to get rich/try to save their country in early renaissance Europe. if I actually knew what happened in these books I'm sure it would be morally ambiguous but its too confusing for me. in each book you spend at least a third convinced the protagonist is evil, though. lots of exciting sword fights, tragic romances, plot twists, and kicking english butt.

Bonus: Protagonist is less morally ambiguous and more very screwed up and sad all the time

The Goldfinch by Donna Tartt: you know this one bc its quoted in all those quote compilations. basically the story of how one horrible event traumatizes a young man and how he develops a connection to a painting. really really really good.

Never Let Me Go by Kazuo Ishiguro: hard to describe but strange... not an action novel or a dystopia really but sort of along those lines. very hopeless.

#book recs #morally ambiguous protagonists #dark academia #book recommendations #mine

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words-writ-in-starlight · 4 years

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Just saw Animorphs is getting a movie. Any thoughts?

I never keep track of media news, so asks like this are the only way I learn anything about movies. I went out and did some research and...

Listen.

I’m going to try to go into this with an open mind. I’ll read all the reviews and Internet comments when it comes out, and I might even go see the thing in theaters, if theaters are a thing again by then. I work hard not to be completely consumed by my pessimistic nature about stuff like this. I’ve been wrong about movie adaptations before--maybe I’ll love it and watch it a hundred and fifty times and finally revel in the Animorphs Renaissance I (and they!) deserve.

However. First problem I foresee, the last two things that were made by Scholastic were Goosebumps and Clifford the Big Red Dog. I am not optimistic about what that portends for a book series best known for gore, body horror, war crimes, moral ambiguity, and the grim realities of how there is no such thing as a just war. Offhand, I can’t think of a way to make a G or PG live action Animorphs movie that is...good. Maybe if you bump it to PG13, we could talk (admittedly, the guy in charge of Picturestart has been involved with a lot of blockbuster YA movie adaptations, all of them with serious problems in my opinion but not always, like, ruinous problems, eg: Hunger Games, Divergent) but even then, they’ll probably end up cutting back on a lot. Okay, I’ll live if they cut the body horror (I’ll complain, but I’ll live) but it is a series about war. There’s only so much you can cut to get under a rating and preserve the actual point of the story. This is the short version of my long ramble about how an animated Animorphs series would be better and more functional in basically every way. Which brings me to...

Second problem I foresee, how much are these fools planning to adapt???? On the one hand, I think you could very competently turn The Invasion into a full length movie without, A, a huge amount of dull filler breaking your pacing into tiny pieces, or, B, losing any important plot or character beats. On the other hand, I absolutely do not trust movie studios and I’m concerned that their desire to have Ax for the Alien Value will make them over-ambitious and try to do multiple books. Don’t do multiple books. The Invasion is plenty of plot for a movie. If you desperately desperately want to shoehorn Ax in there (I don’t think you should do this!!!! Scholastic, are you looking at my post? Are you there, Eric Feig? It’s me, Starlight. Don’t do that! And if you HAVE to do that, call me to check your plans!), you can just pop him on Elfangor’s ship and have an emotional beat about Elfangor’s death, or else have Elfangor give the kids an exact location and make it their first Morphing Caper to go get an alien. Don’t do multiple books. One book. If this movie covers more than one book, I am going to be Very Upset, and I will without a doubt have reason to be Very Upset, because it will be a mess.

As some just...general concerns:

I’m concerned that they’re going to make everyone a one-note character. Specifically, I’m concerned that this is going to be a movie starring Protagonist Boy, also featuring Clown Boy, Nice Girl, Mean Girl, Alien, and Cautionary Tale.

I’m concerned that they’re going to strip back the moral ambiguity to the wire, which is to say “everyone but Tom is A Bad Guy, no complications needed.” I know everyone gets a lot of jokes in about the Oatmeal Book, but that book and others like it make the requisite legitimate points about the issues with fighting Controllers. Those are real people! Make sure you mention it!

The Yeerk Pool scene at the end of Invasion is an outstandingly good moment to underline that. Hell, you can dredge up the later Yeerk Pool scene of the temporarily free Hork Bajir and humans forming a wall of bodies to buy the kids time to run, shove that in there (because we’re not going to do multiple books, right Scholastic????). Foreshadow the absolute shit out of it with Tom and the other Controllers (hell, if you gotta, have Jake discover why Chapman is voluntary when he scopes out his office), and then come out swinging with the free hosts protecting the kids with their own bodies, and you’ll be able to minimize the “gore” rating while preserving the “body snatcher horror” aspect.

I’m concerned they’re going to overplay the humor. These books work because they understand how to balance humorous scenes with serious scenes, and how to employ dark humor during dark scenes, and when there shouldn’t be any fucking jokes. If I hear one joke during Elfangor’s death scene, I’m suing.

Basically, I’m concerned about these books getting the Percy Jackson treatment (or, apparently, the Artemis Fowl treatment), by which I mean that I’m worried they’re going to make an objectively terrible movie, which will be righteously hated by the fans and critics alike, and then they’ll go “okay, these books are poison, we will never adapt them into anything again.” Which would be tragic on a lot of levels, most of all that it will mean I never get the animated Animorphs series we all deserve, ideally featuring one episode per book (except the Invasion, which obviously deserves a double-length pilot) and directed by, I dunno, Noelle Stevenson or someone else who will give us the bisexual Marco and gender-confused Ax and deeply traumatized Tobias I crave. I would trust the She-Ra team implicitly with the Animorphs. Not so much the companies that gave us The Maze Runner and fucking Clifford.

#animorphs #animorphs movie #TL;DR: i_don't_want_these.jpg #much like dark phoenix (which i still have not seen) my fears vastly outweigh my hopes #because if this movie is good it will be a pretty okay adaptation of the invasion #and if it is BAD the internet will remember it forever and we will return to the dark ages of everyone dunking on these books #i suppose there's a chance that if the movie is dreadful the fandom will Rise #and there will be a renaissance after all as we collectively force the books on the general populace #but my point is that i'm pretty sure this movie is going to come out and i'm going to go comfort-binge the whole series #again #remember how the tv series was so bad it took 20 years for anyone to consider an adaptation again?#i do!#i remember that!#i foresee that problem raising its head again #i'm going to get the graphic novel though it looks amazing #a queue we will keep and our honor someday avenge #Anonymous #asked and answered

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rockhopsblog · 4 years

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Nasty Nas and Illmatic

A New Era

At age eighteen, a young man from Brooklyn named Nasir bin Olu Dara Jones performed a single rap verse at a small live-venue. Up until that point, he’d flown under the radar, not even releasing any material to the public. However, meeting Hip-Hop legend Large Professor in his mid-teens may just have been what sparked the hip-hop communities love for prolific rapper Nas. Those deeply engulfed by the ingenuity and renaissance of the rap scene in the early 90s hailed young Nas as somewhat of a prophet. With the proper context, listening to his first album, “Illmatic” from 1994 should display why praise was so high. Some labeled him the next Rakim, who himself was a legend to be forever remembered as an all time great, but hindsight shows us that Nas truly was special. At release, his long-awaited debut album was an instant success. Not only did his album shoot up the R&B/HipHop charts, but the pops as well, peaking at #12. Now certified 2x platinum, “Illmatic" is sometimes referred to as the Bible of Hip-Hop, ushering in a new craze for the hard-hitting, gritty, raw and defined lyrical gymnastics employed by Nas on an album chalk-full of highly-regarded producing by hip-hop legends everywhere. However, there being so much great material to go around, you might be asking: Why is “Illmatic” a once in a lifetime record? Just what makes it so special?

A Timeless Classic

When I was 13, there was a video game I was quite fond of. Being a basketball game, it of course included a soundtrack to immerse the player in the game. However, this game had the gimmick that the soundtrack for the game was specially curated by rapper Jay-Z. One song that played over and over and got stuck in my head happened to be “The World Is Yours” by, you guessed it, Nas. Growing up I had had an affinity for lyrical-miracle rappers like Eminem who made a career off of their fast rhymes, double entendres, and gripping content. Something about the simplicity of Nas' effortless style over a simple elegant piano riff and boom-bap drums ingrained in me an understanding for this man’s life, a man I’d never even heard of before. I think that’s what really makes “Illmatic” a masterpiece, the storytelling. Each track is like it’s own glimpse into the life of a 19 year old lower-class minority kid living in a city of violence and cold shoulders at a tumultuous time in history. What was clear from his debut was that young Nas wasn’t satisfied hanging around the Queensbridge projects for his entire life. The album shows the hunger in Nas to spread knowledge, good vibes and hard-hitting music to the younger generation across the country. Something that always struck me as a display of his unique talent was that he had recorded the most popular track off of “Illmatic”, “NY State of Mind” all in one take. This meant no pauses during verses to edit, something which especially nowadays is just unheard of. He single-handedly raised the bar of what made a classic rap album a true classic, and he did it all as a broke, unknown MC just rubbing elbows with the right crowd in NYC.

Nas’ subsequent releases were generally met with praise, but none quite reaching the high profile that “Illmatic” had met, and demolished. Rappers influenced by Illmatic include Kendrick Lamar, Ghostface Killah, Lil Wayne and J. Cole. At the end of the day, it might be rapper Action Bronson who put it best about “Illmatic”; "Nas is one of my favorite rappers, period. If you want to sound like anybody you just want the smoothness and lyricism of Nas. It’s a seamless project. There is a reason why there are only ten songs on there and it’s only him. You have AZ as the only feature on there. At the end of the day it’s a fucking incredible album, it’s hard to fucking explain."

#nas #nasty #illmatic #rap #rapculture #hiphop #blog #blog post

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armthearmour · 5 years

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The End has Begun

World organization has collapsed, and the only rule of law is that of strength. The dead walk the streets, mindless corpses that feel nothing but an incessant hunger. The world as you know it has died, and you need to be certain that you don’t follow. You need to defend yourself. Somehow, you’ve managed to find yourself in an arsenal, massive and seemingly unending. Every sort of personal weapon imaginable sits on the walls, ancient to modern. Trouble is, you’re but one person. What do you choose?

The zombie apocalypse, an ever popular point of discussion amongst many groups of people in today’s world. Where would you go? What’s your bug out plan? Would you trust others, and try to rebuild, or go it alone? All popular questions when plumbing the depths of the hypothetical, but as an arms and armor enthusiast, I’m drawn to a different set of questions, namely: what weapons would be best for fighting zombies?

Before we begin exploring this question in depth, certain questions must be answered. Zombies vary greatly depending on what media they appear in, so some parameters must be set before we can determine what weapons would be useful.

I’ve always been personally enamoured of the idea of a virus, one that shuts down the higher functions of the brain and reduces the individual to a slavering beast that hungers for flesh. In this scenario, a zombie would work like any other living thing, minus intelligence and the effects of pain. Cut off its arm, and it will bleed to death, but keep coming for you.

This isn’t how most zombies tend to work though, so we’ll add something on top of it. For some reason, zombies can only be killed by a blow directly to the heart, or to the brain. Any other kinds of wounds or dismemberments will leave the creature alive and still coming (though taking off its legs may leave it somewhat slower.)

Equally, we will maintain that this virus is transmitted through bodily fluids only. Primarily of course, this means saliva, although blood will also play a factor. The zombie’s hands, while still capable of grabbing and scratching, pose no threat by way of virus transference.

Finally, we will assume that the dead move at a slow shamble, and a slightly quicker limping jog if provoked. The virus also halts decomposition, so a zombie can “live” until it is killed by some means.

Having established what sorts of undead we’ll be dealing with, the weapons that will be useful can be sussed out. A good place to start out is with guns. Guns, taken as a lump category, feature heavily in zombie games and movies, and it’s easy to see why. They have a lot of advantages over other sorts of weaponry, including range and rate of fire, and this is why they are the primary weapons in the world today.

Guns also come with a number of disadvantages however, which would be exacerbated by the survival situation of an apocalypse. One of the most obvious is noise. Assuming that zombies are smart enough to be drawn to the sounds of gunfire, your one, easily taken care of zombie may quickly turn into a much larger number. Ammo is also a difficulty for a number of reasons. First, it is difficult to manufacture, and takes knowledge very few alive today possess. Equally, ammunition is deceptively heavy, and if facing very large numbers, the limited ammo you would want to carry to keep weight low may soon run out.

Of course, keeping zombies at a distance is always a good idea, this way you stand no risk of being infected, so what alternatives do you have? Well, bows and crossbows of course.

Now, while these archaic weapons have no place on the modern battlefield, they would likely prove invaluable in an apocalyptic setting. They have the advantage of being markedly more silent than any firearm, especially in the case of the bow, and ammunition is much simpler to manufacture. Crossbow bolts and arrows can be fashioned from a simple stick, sharpened to a point, and some feathers fastened to it with pitch glue or sinew. Stone tips can be made (with significant practice,) and both of these weapons can be made in a wilderness survival situation if one simply knows how (though this is much more true with the bow.)

Both of these weapons take more skill to use effectively than a firearm however, especially the bow. The bow does, however, have a much greater rate of fire than the crossbow, so it is give an take. Another thing to consider is bulk. Crossbows are much bulkier than bows, though bows are quite long, and both are beasts to deal with when compared to handguns, which can be carried quite easily.

However, there will always come a time when ammo runs short, or the enemy is too close and too numerous for projectiles to be efficient. This is where we come to the fun ones, the melee weapons.

Of course, we established that keeping the dead at a distance is ideal, and zombies, given that they aren’t prone to using weapons, only have the reach of their arms, so polearms come to mind as an efficient way to strike zombies in melee from a safe distance.

This is where a very important distinction will come into play. The cut versus the thrust. Each has its advantages and disadvantages when it comes to fighting humans, but when it comes to zombies, it is my firm belief that the cut is the way to go.

A thrust is more likely to glance off a hard surface (like a skull,) and also requires much more accuracy to be effective, especially against a target such as a zombie, on which the vitals are limited. Equally, If a thrust makes to land to the heart, or penetrate the skull and enter the brain, the zombie will be killed, however if it lands anywhere else on the body, the creature will be unaffected. A cut that lands on the neck can sever the head. Limbs can be cut off, limiting the creature’s effectiveness, and it has been shown time and again the cuts have the capability of shearing through a skull completely (pictured above.)

Bludgeoning impact would also be immensely effective if directed at the zombie’s head. A sufficient blunt impact easily has the capability of crushing the skull, and damaging the brain enough to kill the undead.

All of these conclusions lead us to a certain few categories of polearm. The more thrust-centric polearms would be less useful, so things like the spear, pike, partian, or fork are right out. Often, shorter is better, simply because the weapon needs to be handled daily and a longer shaft is more cumbersome. Equally, it doesn’t really matter how far out of the zombie’s reach you are, so long as it can’t hurt you.

Two polearms come to mind as ideal. The poleaxe,

and the lucerne hammer.

Both of these weapons are typically rather short, and both have a variety of options available to strike with. Both have a spike that can be used for thrusting, if need be, and with the option of cutting, bludgeoning, or spiking, you really can’t go wrong.

Of course, every weapon we’ve discussed so far shares the problem of bulk. In a survival situation, travelling light and keeping your hands free are things to be prioritised. As such, one handed weapons, while not having the advantage of reach that polearms have, are significantly easier to wear and transport.

Swords in particular have historically been carried as side arms and weapons of self defense due to their convenience and ease of wear. This puts them in a superior position over blunt one handed weapons such as the mace

and warhammer,

which, while undoubtedly effective, are more cumbersome and difficult to wear.

This of course brings us to the question of what kinds of sword would be most useful. As established earlier, cut centric weapons are more useful against these monsters, which eliminates a large number of more thrust centric swords right off the bat. Another option is available when it comes to swords that isn’t available on other weapons, and this is hand protection. If you are going to be presenting your hands forward to defend yourself against oncoming zombies, a cage of metal around your hand to defend against potential bites is invaluable.

As such, weapons like the longsword,

while an effective cutter, puts the hands at risk. This causes me to lean toward a very rare kind of sword known as the Swiss sabre.

As you can see, the Swiss sabre is a large, two handed curved sword, making it one of the most effective cutting swords available. Equally, it possesses a measure of hand protection, so it would seem to be the perfect weapon. There is however, a snag, and it has been a recurring problem. Even in a scabbard at your hip, these weapons are long, and can be difficult to deal with. This lead us to look at single handed words, and while they aren’t capable of generating the same kind of power, they are still more than capable of removing limbs.

Given our requirements for a cut centric blade with advanced hand protection, we arrive at swords typical of the european renaissance. Broadswords,

backswords,

and sinclair hilt sabres/dussacks

are all good candidates, along with the schiavona,

so long as it has a broader, more cut centric blade. All of these are excellent candidates given our stipulations, particularly the dussack. Its curve gives a larger surface area while completing a cut, normally making thrusting more difficult, however this isn’t an issue when facing the undead.

There is one final weapon that hasn’t been discussed that seems suited for the task. This weapon lacks the hand protection that we have established as useful, however this can be made up for by wearing separate hand protection, such as a gauntlet or heavy gloves. Equally, the lack of cage-like hand protection makes the weapon slimmer, increasing the ease of wear even further. This weapon is the falchion.

The profile of the falchion shows clearly the weapon’s purpose. It is weighted heavily forward, with almost all of the blade mass at the very end. This increases the weapon’s cutting capacity immensely. Equally, the falchion tends to have a very thin blade, which reduces resistance as it passes through a target, but makes it almost useless against armor. However, since zombies don’t tend to wear armor, and this weapon is the perfect flesh slicing tool, it is the perfect weapon, so far as the lack of protection can be made up for in other ways.

So, here you stand in the armory, your decision to be made. As far as melee weapons go, this is my suggestion: If you can find a pair of thick leather gloves, or a gauntlet, grab the falchion. It is one of the best cutting swords ever created, and will serve you well. If hand protection isn’t available, take one of the other one handed swords, such as the dussack or the schiavona. It will serve its purpose just as well, and will protect you to boot.

If you eventually band together with others, this is where other options can be explored. As a small roving band, the suggestion is still the same, however if you settle down and create a homestead, attracting more people, this is where the polearms and two handed swords can be of use.

If you have enough people to divide labor, such as giving certain people guard duty, the guards can be given polearms and bows and crossbows, because they don’t require that same ability to move about. If you have small groups going out a short distance to gather supplies before returning, I would suggest sending some people as guards, armed with ranged weapons and polearms, while others go simply armed with one handed sword, allowing them a measure of self defense while also keeping their hands free to do whatever work needs to be done. When the world decays, and society falls into disrepair, heed these words. They may be the only edge you have to survive.

Apologies for yet another absurdly long post, but here it is. Cheers!

#weapons #polearm #sword #zombies #zombie apocalypse #history #art #hypothetical

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travllingbunny · 5 years

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The 100 6x03 The Children of Gabriel

The last episode was a character-based one focused on our protagonists and the issues simmering below the surface, which came out during the eclipse-induced psychosis. This one was very much focused on world-building, and was such an overload of new information about two new groups of potential antagonists that I had to watch it twice to pick up all of it. But while there was no time for any longer talks about feelings and character stuff, there were quite a few small and/or subtle character moments that were quite meaningful.

We finally get the introduction of Russell Lightbourne (JR Bourne), the leader of the „peaceful“ society of Sanctum, and a few other characters, including his wife Simone, and we get a look at how their society works; and we also meet, for the first time, the mysterious people who are lurking in the woods and appear to be some sort of a rebel/guerrilla group, and who are referred to as „the children of Gabriel“. The first thing I did after seeing the episode was to make a Twitter poll: „Who is creepier?“ with the third option: „Both are super creepy“. At the moment, Russell’s people are presented as pseudo-good guys, but everything about them all but screams that their society is very sinister. The „children of Gabriel“, on the other hand, are presented as pseudo-antagonists, and while I’m more inclined to see them as potential not-so-bad-guys, I would hesitate to call them good, either: they are very grey. And both groups give off cult vibes. It’s possible that there really are no good guys among the people on this planet – or if there is a someone else that may be a good guy, that it’s a third faction that we haven’t met yet – at least not in the present.

The hijackers from 6x02 indeed belonged to Russell’s people, so for a society that’s supposedly „peaceful“, they sure didn’t make a good first impression. Kaylee – that’s apparently the name of the woman who’s the sole survivor of that group of four – was blaming the Earthkru for killing three of them, while saying „we hurt no one“. Err, you came in masked, attacked their ship, tried to hijack it and took people captive. Of course they defended themselves, what the heck did you expect?! New planet, but yet again we have to deal with hypocritical people who attack the protagonists and then blame them for defending themselves.

There’s no way that Russell and his society aren’t bad guys, right? They are elitist, self-righteous, judgmental, hypocritical, they believe in "special bloodlines" and treating some people as "disposable", they give off creepy cult vibes, Russell straight up makes a comparison between his society and Mount Weather after having heard the story about them – and while I don’t think that Sanctum people are too similar to Mountain Men, as I point out here, this is a big hint that this society is very sinister. They are giving me Capitol vibes (minus the actual Hunger Games, because they’re anti-violence). Including the bad kind of pacifism - the “war is terrible, but oppression, classism and treating people as disposable is OK, so anyone taking up arms to rebel against us is evil”. And I'm pretty sure they have been doing some sort of a mind transfer of the Primes (members of the four founding families from the Eligius 3 mission) into the brains of "hosts" (apparently, being a Nightblood makes you a suitable host) in a ceremony they call „Naming“. This may be technically just speculation at this point, but it’s really, really strongly hinted.

My theory on the „Naming“ ceremony however, is different than the popular opinion in the fandom that the Primes fully take over the bodies of the „hosts“ and that the hosts disappear I don't think it's a full replacement, but more like an upgrade, where the host is changed and the Prime is supposed to be in the driving seat. (Maybe it’s because I’m thinking of the skinchanging in A Song of Ice and Fire and some of the storylines in Dollhouse.) For starters, Delilah was not happy about becoming a Prime, but she didn’t seem to think that she would disappear and her body would be simply overtaken by someone else – and I think she would be way more freaked out if that were the case. Similarly, even in a cult, I can’t see parents being happy for their children to become Primes if it meant that their bodies are overtaken and that they basically disappear. And it would also make it a lot more interesting storyline – especially if the fandom speculation about in Clarke becoming a host for Josephine is correct (and it probably is, in some form – there are quite a few hints towards that, and the setup happened in this episode, when Rose, the blonde little girl who was meant to be a host for a Prime, was kidnapped/rescued by the Children of Gabriel). If the hosts were fully overtaken by the Primes, then this takeover is either never going to happen, or will never be full or will last very short, and Clarke will be saved. But if Clarke and Josephine can co-exist in the same brain for some time, this may open new storytelling possibilities – where Clarke is obviously not going to be obliterated by Josephine, but the two may co-exist in the same brain and body, fight for dominance but also possibly even be allies and work together, so to speak, and maybe help each other? This could indeed be the „acting challenge“ for Eliza Taylor that so many of the cast and crew have talked about.

But what kind of technology exactly are they using to transfer minds? The most likely theory is that it is derived from an early, less developed prototype of the chip/Flame, which Becca already worked on before the apocalypse. There are too many ties between Eligius Corporation, Becca and the Second Dawn. Madi will be in real danger if/when Russell and co. find out about the Flame.

The Children of Gabriel are more mysterious of the two group so far. Unlike the Sanctum people, they may end up being more on the (relatively) good side, and they're rebels fighting against the eternal dominance and prolongation of life of the Primes - but they still planned to kill the hosts as the B-plan if they couldn't kidnap/rescue them. So, killing the Primes is more important than protecting/saving people. Their chanting "death is life" and "death to Primes" also sounds cult-like (even though I think the words themselves are less sinister than they first sound, as they probably refer to stopping the endless cycle of Primes replicating themselves), and they are mostly motivated by trying to impress or get back into the good graces of "the Old Man"... Is the Old Man Gabriel? I don’t know how he would still be alive, but I feel he is – but not through the same means as the other Primes are prolonging their lives, because CoG hate the Primes and what they do. In any case, this group seems just to be a group of guerrilla fighters, who have also infiltrated the Sanctum – but we haven’t seen whatever larger group of people they are part of, or what their settlements look like. Have they been cast out by the „Old Man“?

Some big hints about the history of the planet were dropped: Gabriel is considered a "demon" and hated by Russell and his people, who tell the story of how he thought he could walk on water after being bitten by the snake whose poison works as an antidote to the seaweed poison. (The snake that was named by Josie.) Meanwhile, Russell Lightbourne is worshiped as a savior. But it is Russell who has the last name that's very similar to "Lucifer" (which means lightbearer), even though Gabriel seems to be the one who was cast out of this "paradise", or didn't want to be a part of it. And apparently, Russell has the same first name as Sean Maguire’s character we met in the flashback in 6x02, the astronomer and Josie’s father – and is probably his latest incarnation. But Russell was the one who killed many of the original Primes during his eclipse-induced psychosis, shouting „Sanctum is mine“, while Gabriel, the geneticist, Josie’s boyfriend, was the one who got away and survived. So what is going on? False history?

But while the new characters and societies are intriguing, what is more interesting is how it all affects our protagonists. I don't know how long it will be till they start realizing that how sinister this peaceful society is (they don’t have all the info they need as of now), but right now, they are too focused on the fact that they need someone to teach them how to survive on this planet (with not just eclipse-induced psychosis, but also poison seaweed, swarms of bugs, meat-eating trees and so many other weird and dangerous things), which is why trying to convince them to accept them into their society seems to them, understandably, like the best course of action.

At the same time, the fact that Clarke, Bellamy and the others want to find peace and be the „good guys“ as Monty told them, is another reason why they are likely to try to see Russell’s people in a good light. I feel like Sanctum is going to be a temptation to Clarke in particular (based on this episode and trailer hints) for multiple reasons, and they are already trying to suck her in. It feels like a peaceful, happy place, with things that she has only read about and maybe seen on videos but never in real life – such as dogs. (Having an adorable dog come up to you is truly one of the biggest temptations possible.) She gets to wear beautiful dresses, Russell acts nice to her, and kind of looks like her father. But her emotional state is especially making her vulnerable. She feels so much guilt and wants to do better, wants to ensure this better life for her people, while Russell and Simone (playing a good cop/bad cop) are interrogating her about the supposedly terrible past of her and her people. They are sitting there at a table with a huge banquet made just for three people, somewhere in their Renaissance Fair-like castle, and being judgmental about the things they did to survive or protect their loved ones. And now that they know that she is a Nightblood, she is a target – but how far would Clarke go to try to ensure her people stay in Sanctum? Would she even agree to be a host, both for them and because she’s had self-loathing and suicidal thoughts, so losing herself into someone else’s consciousness may be additionally appealing to her in her current state?

Some themes that have always followed Clarke’s character are: privileged background (reflected in her nickname „Princess“, which I think fans tend to romantcize way too much), tendency to take on too much responsibility, to take charge, but also to isolate herself, desire to save people (which may be either saving everyone – or just saving those she loves), ruthlessness in pursuit of that goal, self-sacrifice. One of the repeated situations throughout the show is: other leaders who have been Clarke’s allies/friends/occasional antagonists would tell her that she is "born to lead" just like they are (which may be just about her personal qualities and tendency to take charge and responsibility in tough situations, but also has some other, less pleasant connotations, when said by people who are royalty/„special bloodlines“ – for being born with Nightblood like Lexa, or as a son of a Queen, as Roan), and try to encourage her to treat people as disposable, as a part of making tough decisions. But no one has been so blatant about it to actually use the word „disposable“, as Russell has. And now he also thinks that Clarke literally has „royal blood“. (The funny thing about it is – she doesn’t, she became Nightblood through science. Emori was very close to becoming one instead. But you know what's even funnier? Everyone who is Nightblood /on Earth or on Sanctum/Alpha- became that through science, or their ancestors did. Of course, valuing people for their bloodline is nonsense, period.)

But Clarke had a few great moments in this episode that made me very happy. First she refused to bow to Russell, and then when she made it clear to Russell that she is going to risk herself first, not anyone else, and that „None of us are (disposable)“. But since those were things I expected, I was particularly happy that Clarke refused to be guilt-tripped about Mount Weather and made it clear that she wasn't going to apologize for saving the people she loves from those trying to murder them. YES. People have made Clarke feel guilty about that way too many times. What she, Bellamy and Monty did was the right thing to do, and most of the adults on Mount Weather were not innocent.

Murphy’s clinical death experience opens up a very interesting and completely new storyline. We’ve had characters talking about what they think happens after death, but (outside of characters whose minds are being preserved in the Flame), this is the first time someone has come close to seeing or thinking they had seen what happens after death. But is this really a normal clinical death experience, or did Murphy have hallucinations while still unconscious, caused by the poison or the antidote? It’s the first time anyone on the show has mentioned the concept of people going to hell due to their sins. I can’t wait to see what character development this causes in Murphy.

There wasn’t much talk about what happened during the eclipse-induced psychosis, which makes sense – people are simply aware that they weren’t really to blame and no one is holding it against anyone (not to mention that they have so much urgent stuff to deal with), but the deeper emotional issues are something that we know about and that I expected to be addressed later in the season. Naturally, they addressed what happened to Murphy the most, since they nearly lost him. Emori was as loving and caring to him as she was violent and murderous during the psychosis, and felt guilty over attacking him, while Bellamy comforted her pointing out that Murphy’s condition was not her fault but his. (These two had some very nice friendship moments in season 5, and it’s nice to see that again.) Bellamy and Murphy had a very warm friendship moment, and Raven showed her relief and happiness about him being alive in her usual snarky manner.

On the other hand, while Bellamy and Clarke didn’t talk about what happened during the psychosis, or what happened during season 5 (yet – we know from the trailer that a big conversation is coming, just not when), they confirmed the trust they have in each other through actions, and small moments of exchanging meaningful looks. Bellamy showed that he still trusts in Clarke’s ability to be again a leader and ambassador of their people– although it was, at the same time, a smart decision and quick thinking. Russell got the impression Clarke was the leader, from the way she was the one asking questions (which happened mostly because she was asking about Murphy’s condition, and later in particular when she was showing concern for Madi – these are the things that spur her into action), and, as Bellamy pointed out, Russell seems to like her, so it was a good idea to use that. Raven was rolling her eyes* (this happened shortly after she angrily remarked „I didn’t know you were giving orders again, Clarke“), and I wonder if she again thinks that Bellamy is „taking Clarke’s orders“ or „a knight by his queen’s side“ or whatever she thought in season 3, which wasn’t really true back then either – but that would especially be funny now, since Bellamy wasn’t relinquishing leadership at all: he has been the one telling everyone what to do and did that right after that scene, after Russell left, and no one has a problem with taking his orders. (Except Octavia, who’s not listening to anyone and still does whatever she wants.) In fact, telling Russell „She is. She can speak for us“ was also kind of giving Clarke a role – so he felt he needed to explain his reasons to her, immediately after Russell left. And unlike Raven, he is not threatened by Clarke being perceived as the leader, and her being his co-leader (one whose role is more of an ambassador who gets to interact with the other leader) is a return to a familiar dynamic that works.

Bellamy taking the responsibility to get Madi from the dropship and saying „I promise“, and Clarke silently accepting that and trusting him with her daughter’s safety, was a really important moment and callback to the most painful moments between them in season 5. It shows they are healing from the terrible misunderstandings – and that Clarke is now thinking about everything differently than she did at the time. Back then, she saw Bellamy’s actions, after he had promised her to keep Madi safe, as a deep, awful betrayal, but now she seems to understand that he saw putting the Flame in Madi as a way to protect Madi and Clarke and everyone else. It’s funny that the fandom was expecting a big and long separation between these two, but instead, they were reunited in the same episode – and the show still managed to use the short separation to show Bellamy walking away and looking back, and Clarke looking at him leaving with a sad, longing look (only interrupted by the adorable dog), and then a reunion with „you kept your promise�� heart-eyes.

*At this point, I feel a bit fed up with the constant bitter and angry remarks Raven is constantly throwing at Clarke. She has reasons to feel angry over Clarke’s betrayal in season 5, but it’s time they talk it out, because this is kind of annoying, especially when it’s the only thing Raven gets to do in the episode. Diyoza was amazing

A lot of people have remarked on the awkwardness of the hug between Bellamy and Echo, and there have been lots of comments about actor chemistry etc. – but thinking that acting choices are random or dictated by how actors feel about a fictional relationship is pretty insulting to the actors, and directors and editors, and also doesn’t make much sense: people who make the show are not incompetent, and all the moments of Bellamy showing more emotion and interest for Clarke compared to how he is with Echo, cannot be accidental, just like it can’t be accidental that there are so many times all three are framed within the same shot, with Echo positioned as the third wheel rather than Clarke. Echo herself may be increasingly noticing this, just as she may have noticed that Bellamy is valuing Clarke’s opinions more than hers or at least tends to agree with and side with her more. Echo suggested fighting, Clarke retorted that they should instead try to be friends and be welcomed in that society, and Bellamy said nothing, but obviously supported Clarke’s position later. (In season 5, when they were still on the ship and Clarke-less, Echo and Bellamy also had a big difference in opinion when Echo was suggesting they killed the 300 prisoners in their cryo-sleep, but Bellamy shut that down quickly, and Echo then agreed with him.) This could make her think that psychosis!Emori was right when she called her a spy „serving her master“, once again, which provoked Echo’s hallucination of her past with the Ice Nation and Queen Nia.

One thing that Echo decided and Bellamy wasn’t too happy about, but did not protest, was inviting Octavia to come with them and Raven to help bring Madi and others from the dropship. He probably realized that it was for the best that they take Octavia as far away from people they wanted to convince that they’re good and peaceful. But Echo may have done it as a combination of hoping Octavia and Bellamy reconcile – because she thinks it would be good for him – and because she values the fact that Octavia is a strong fighter. She respects people who are capable and can be ruthless (which is why she doesn’t blame Clarke, either), and the idea that it’s good to use Octavia’s abilities is similar to what Bellamy initially told her at the end of season 4, that she’ll be useful for them because she’s strong and can help them survive.

But Bellamy is not able to be so chill about things when Octavia is concerned. And she went and confirmed all the worst things he thought about her: that she is not trying to change at all, isn’t admitting any mistakes, and is going to use violence and kill people as her first choice, even when it’s not necessary. The fact that even Diyoza angrily pointed out that it wasn’t necessary shows that this was the case. Leaving Octavia behind may seem very harsh from Bellamy, as is his line that his sister died a long time ago, but I like the fact that he’s sticking to his guns and cutting her out of his life and not allowing her to be a part of the group before she shows a will to change, because an insta-forgiveness/ acceptance would prevent her from even trying – and would harm everyone else, too. At the same time, I don’t think he really wants her to die, contrary to what she said – it was obvious on his face how painful the decision was for him - and I don’t think he really thinks she will (Octavia is capable, has a sword, and has survived a lot of things before). He thinks that she needs to have her own soul-searching on her own – which is probably right.

Not that Octavia will be by herself, since she immediately attacked and got captured by the Children of Gabriel, led by a new character Xavier (Chuku Modu). Ironically, she may end up being the first to learn more about and maybe see the perspective of that group of people (after killing three of them for no good reason) – even though the first interactions are less than pleasant.

Another person who may get in touch with them is Diyoza, who got cast out of Sanctum by Russell, in spite of being 6 months pregnant, after he learned who she was. (I guess they don’t practice keeping people in prison for any longer period of time.) According to him, her reputation as an evil terrorist is so bad that her picture is in their history books next to Hitler and Bin Laden. So how come they didn’t recognize her immediately? Unless he is exaggerating. Diyoza’s backstory is something I really, really want to know more about. Diyoza herself claimed in S5 that she was fighting against a „fascist“ government. Somehow I feel that she wasn’t really the evil one, especially when Russell and her people hate her.

Diyoza was amazing in this episode, again, and is quickly rising even more on my list of favorite characters. She was a no-nonsense and capable military person that she always is, and made snarky remarks to Gaia about the whole Madi being a Commander thing, basically that she should leave Madi alone to just be a child. Madi was herself a bit annoyed with Gaia’s lessons and snarky, but then felt just as insulted as Gaia when Diyoza made her comments, because she does take the Flame and her role seriously.

When Madi mentioned the scary, evil „Dark Commander“ (Sheidheda) that she sees in her dreams, Diyoza seemed like she had an idea who it may be. Someone from Second Dawn? It’s been speculated that it was Cadogan, though the figure seen in the trailer is not played by the same actor. (BTW, I know that Sheidheda means „Dark Commander“ (shade –dark, heda = commander), but I can’t be the only one thinking that the writers or the guy creating the Grounder speech had a sense of humor and intentioanlly made it sound like Sh*ithead?)

Jordan was adorable, and his romance with Delilah was as cute as insta-romances between two cute people who have just met can be, when they have nice chemistry - but he’s starting to learn that he shouldn’t trust people so easily and that his naivete can be very harmful to the group. He can’t go on being treated and acting as a child in a body of a man in his mid-20s.

This was a nice setup for the rest of the season.

Rating: 8/10

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tlbodine · 5 years

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A Decade of Horror Recommendations

With 2020 approaching, we’re reaching the end of a decade that has been uncommonly good to the horror genre, especially the last few years. Here’s an overview of some of the stand-out titles and my recommendations. Feel free to ask me about any of the titles on this list and I’ll happily share my more in-depth thoughts on them!

Note that, of course, I have not seen every movie that’s come out in recent years, so I’ve probably missed some titles -- feel free to jump in with your own recommendations!

Also this post is really long and has gifs, so I’m putting it under a cut. Sorry for the dash spam, mobile fam. Tell Tumblr to fix their shit.

2010: Supernatural Horror Starts Making a Comeback

Some stand-out films:

Insidious: An important film for modern horror history, helping to usher in the new wave of paranormal/hauntings/demon films. It lays the tropes for a lot of the films that would get big in upcoming years. I thought it was pretty solidly decent.

Devil: A clever script about being trapped on an elevator with the devil. It’s a bit too ambitious and doesn’t quite live up to those ambitions, but it’s solidly decent and refreshingly original. A hidden gem for the year.

Black Swan: Maybe the height of Darren Aronofsky’s career as a household name. Not my favorite of his movies, but a pretty solid psychological suspense.

Frozen: No, not that one. This is a clever movie that embraces a narrow scope: some teenagers get stuck on a ski lift and have to endure the elements and some hungry wolves below. Not a great movie, but worth watching as a study in what you can do with limited resources.

Black Death: Quick shout-out for a dark and grisly historical horror involving witchcraft and torture. It’s not a fun movie to watch, but it’s got Sean Bean and Eddie Redmayne, and I feel like both original screenplays and historical horrors are rare enough to warrant support.

2010 also had its share of predictable franchise tie-ins (a Saw movie, a Resident Evil movie, remakes like I Spit on Your Grave and The Crazies, etc.) The Horror Renaissance was a few years in coming.

2011: The Year of the Predictable Remakes

So many franchises getting flogged to death this year -- tripe like SCRE4M, Final Destination 5, Human Centipede 2, a Hellraiser reboot literally no one watched, and Paranormal Activity 3. Blech. BUT. 2011 also brought us a couple of my favorite movies ever:

You’re Next: I would credit You’re Next with re-defining the “final girl” in horror. Also it’s a damn good home invasion movie with buckets of gore and a smart script.

Cabin in the Woods: This one’s a bit divisive -- some folks really hated it I guess -- but it’s such a loving deconstruction of horror, and it’s wholly original even while being comfortingly familiar. Also it’s hilarious.

2012: A Few Important Titles

I feel like 2012 was full of movies nobody has actually ever seen or talked about. But some of the good ones that I’d recommend:

Sinister: Like Insidious in some ways, but maybe better. Also, “Snakes don’t have feet.” Honestly just a very good, solid demon/haunted kid movie.

V/H/S: A must-watch for horror buffs. It didn’t invent the found footage genre, but it did refine it and really show off what it could do best.

Smiley: OK so like. This is not really a great film, but I think about it a lot and recommend it a lot. It’s stuck with me quite a bit somehow, and in some ways it feels very much ahead of its time as a creepy prediction of what internet culture would be like at the end of the decade. “We did it for the lulz.” Seriously, watch this movie today, and remember that it was made eight years ago, and see if it gives you chills too.

I guess I should also mention Prometheus here, which lots of people liked. I was not one of them, but it was a heavily talked-about film I feel like and of course an Alien franchise tie-in.

2013: The Year the World Remembered It Liked Horror

This was a big turning point year, launching some new franchises instead of just re-treading old ones:

The Conjuring: I personally hate all of these movies, but they are huge and you can’t swing a dead cat in the modern horror fandom without encountering one of them. The first Conjuring film was at least decent. For extra credit, watch it as a triple feature with Insidious and Sinister and do a compare/contrast.

The Purge: Not only the start of a successful franchise but also a pop culture phenomenon and a damn good movie to boot.

Mama: I love this movie. I have this movie on DVD. It’s kind of bittersweet and may not completely follow through on all of its promises, but it’s still quite good and has some lovely performances.

Warm Bodies: Not really a horror -- kind of a romance -- but it warrants mention here because zombies were a hot item in 2013, and that’s a current special interest of mine on account of having a zombie book of my own coming out that is more than a little influenced by this story. (the film is a pretty good adaptation of the book, although honestly you could just skip the movie and read the book and get a better experience.)

Willow Creek: I feel like I recommend this movie a lot, but that’s just because I think it’s very good and a very smart use of its own resources. A found footage mockumentary that actually manages to make Bigfoot frightening. Totally worth the watch.

Mr. Jones: Here’s another hidden gem, also in found footage style (I feel like that was a prevailing theme in the years after V/H/S) but it’s surprisingly fresh. It’s a folk horror piece that doesn’t go at all where you might expect despite its thoroughly well-trodden ‘couple in secluded house’ setup.

A bucketful of remakes and sequels this year too, including an Evil Dead reboot, V/H/S sequel, Insidious sequel, etc. I should also probably mention World War Z, which was not actually very good and also had nothing in common with the book of the same name, but does mark an important moment in the mainstreaming of the zombie revival, especially considering it came out the same year as Warm Bodies.

2014: Fuck Yeah People Actually Like This Shit Let’s Make More

I feel like maybe our current horror renaissance started this year. Some recs:

The Babadook: No surprises to anyone who follows my blog, but I love The Babadook and I will defend it to the bitter end against its detractors. It is one of my favorite horror films of all time and one of the best of the decade.

It Follows: Ok confession, I actually did not like this movie at all. I thought it was ridiculous and over-hyped. But it makes the list because a lot of other people really, really loved it, and I accept that they saw something in it that I didn’t. Watch it and make up your own mind (and report back with your findings).

As Above, So Below: This may be the most claustrophobic film ever made, and it deserves to be studied on that merit alone. It’s also pretty creepy and I suspect a lot creepier for folks who are unnerved by Christian horror/mythology (I am not, but I know lots of folks really are).

Housebound: A hidden gem from New Zealand, this one is worth a watch because it takes a familiar haunted house premise and gives it a surprising and honestly delightful twist.

Jessabelle: Not a great movie, but deserving of a spot here because it’s a Southern Gothic and features a main character in a wheelchair, which I think is neat.

13 Sins: I feel like I’ve written about this movie for the blog before, and I recommend it a lot. But it’s clever and is a great early example of the “killing game” genre that has become increasingly prevalent (I mean, aside from the Battle Royale/Hunger Games version).

It was neat to see so many original horror stories (as opposed to reboots/franchises) coming out, and that’s a trend that would continue (and is something that makes horror one of my preferred genres - there are more original stories in it than in many other types of film).

2015: Hell Yeah Let’s Ride This Horror Train

So many excellent movies this year! Ahh!

Crimson Peak: Guillermo del Toro’s love letter to the Gothic. What I love about this movie (aside from Tom Hiddleston) is it plays all the tropes straight. It’s not trying to be a new spin or reinvent the genre or break all the tropes. It’s just a gothic horror story, told exactly like what it is, by a guy who makes damn good movies. I felt like that was really brave and surprising at the time.

The Visit: M. Night Shyamalan had basically made a joke of himself after a string of awful movies, but this movie was enough to earn back a bit of respect in my book. It’s a clever premise and a smart use of found footage.

The VVitch: Creepy-ass slow-burn supernatural historical horror, sign me up. I actually don’t like this movie as much as a lot of people (see above: religious-themed horror doesn’t push my fear buttons much) but it’s beautifully made, thoughtful, and artistic in a way that makes people sit up and pay attention to just how good the horror genre can be.

Krampus: This movie is extremely silly and I love it. A holiday favorite I watch every year now. It’s hilarious, and imaginative, with some really creepy visuals and a thoroughly satisfying conclusion.

The Invitation: For me, some of my favorite horror movies are the ones where the film is uncomfortable to watch before the actual horror stuff starts up. This one has an almost unbearably tense build-up and pays off in an incredibly satisfying and creepy manner.

2016: Horror Goes Hella Mainstream

I feel like 2016 was another year of just...lots of kind of fun unique premises tossed out like spaghetti to see what would stick. And I am here for it.

Don’t Breathe: Home invasion gone wrong is a great trope, and this one gets extra points for having the single most disturbing sequence utilizing a turkey baster I’ve ever seen in film.

Hush: Speaking of home invasions. This one is pretty standard fare -- homeowner fights back! -- but the deaf main character is a neat twist.

Lights Out: It’s pretty cheesy at times and the plot sort of falls in on itself, but the opening sequence is genuinely frightening and the movie almost literally killed @comicreliefmorlock so that’s a commendation I guess?

Train to Busan: An Asian take on the zombie survival story. It’s a really good movie (if horribly bleak) and it does such an excellent job of making you genuinely care for all of the characters.

The Autopsy of Jane Doe: A really neat premise with some wonderful slow-build horror. The storyline kind of goes off the rails, and it asks a lot of questions it doesn’t answer, but it’s quite good regardless.

The Forest: I was disappointed with this one -- it just failed to live up to my expectations -- but it’s decent, and it’s a good attempt at capturing the creepiness of Japan’s Suicide Forest.

Before I Wake: This one was sad more than scary, I thought, but it fits so neatly into a certain aesthetic that I am always a sucker for -- dreams and nightmares bleeding into reality, yes please.

Split: Say what you will, I thought Split was amazing, and James McAvoy deserves a goddamn Oscar for his performance in this movie.

The Monster: A hidden gem that’s worth watching to see how well it delivers on its premise: two characters stuck in a car with a monster outside. It’s not amazing, but it’s neat, and sometimes it’s nice to have just a straightforward creature feature with a bit of emotional heft for good measure.

2017: Did Somebody Say Blockbuster?

In hindsight, they’ll probably say 2017 was the start of the horror renaissance, but we’ll all know they’re a few years too late. Still, this was another great year:

Get Out: Funny, dark, deeply uncomfortable and with some real meat to it -- Jordan Peele knows how to make a great movie. This absolutely deserves all the awards.

It: Not a perfect movie, but a good adaptation of a difficult-to-adapt book. The kids are great. Pennywise is menacing, but that fucking flute lady is the scariest part.

It Comes At Night: I didn’t like this one much, but a lot of folks did so it makes the list. See above re: It Follows.

Gerald’s Game: Everything that’s wrong with this movie (ie, the ending) is wrong in the original story, so where this movie fails it’s a matter of sticking too close to its source material. But the premise is truly, genuinely horrifying, and the degloving scene almost made me vomit. So that’s cool.

Happy Death Day: Another horror-comedy, with a healthy dose of self-awareness. It doesn’t take itself too seriously, and that’s what allows it to be fun.

The Babysitter: This movie is hilarious. It’s also super bloody and clever and clearly made by people who love slashers, and the affection shows.

The Ritual: So-so in the acting and pacing, but the creature design is A+ and the concept is really neat. Seriously just watch this one for the monster, it’s super cool looking.

I should probably mention Mother here, but I can’t speak for it as I haven’t gotten around to watching it yet. It’s a very divisive film. One of these days I’ll watch it and let you know.

2018: There’s More Where That Came From

If 2016 was the year of filmmakers just trying stuff for the hell of it, 2018 was the year of talented filmmakers and studios realizing that, oh shit, you can make really good horror movies with mass appeal.

A Quiet Place: I’m glad I caught this one in theaters, because it really deserves to be watched in a dark, quiet room where no one dares to make a sound. The ending left a lot to be desired, but it was a clever premise.

Hereditary: The best horror movie of the year imo. Painfully uncomfortable - I’m not sure I could watch it again - but highly recommended.

Apostle: Watch this one in a triple-feature with The VVitch and Hereditary. A really good period piece with a character you actually want to root for.

Bird Box: I didn’t like this movie much, but it was hugely popular. I bought the book recently and suspect it is much better. Still, it’s worth a mention for its impact on mainstream viewers (lots of people who don’t like horror really liked this movie). I won’t budge from my initial opinion that it’s just A Quiet Place meets The Happening, though.

What Does 2019 Hold?

We’re only halfway through the year, so we’ve got some time to see what is coming down the pipe. Lots of things to look forward to! But some solid titles so far this year that I’d heartily recommend:

Us: Jordan Peele is at it again. It may not be as good as Get Out -- there’s some plot holes where the internal logic of the world is at odds with the message it’s trying to send -- but it’s thoughtful and gives plenty to chew on. And there are places where it’s just unbearably tense and creepy.

Brightburn: I had high hopes for this movie and was not disappointed. This is a super (ha, ha) good film.

The Wind: A Gothic on the American frontier. It accomplishes what I think It Comes At Night was supposed to do, but more effectively (for me anyway). Bonus points for being written and directed by women. Double bonus: Caitlin Gerard, the main actress, is also the lead character in Smiley.

I have not yet watched Velvet Buzzsaw, Ma or Midsommar this year, but I really want to. I’m also looking forward to the Scary Stories to Tell in the Dark film despite having some reservations about the whole concept.

#horror #horror movies #horror movie recommendations #movie recs #long post #gifs #horror by the decade

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