The most recent coronavirus news
Me personally, I like presidents who don’t get COVID.
About Overly Devoted Archivist
Posts by Overly Devoted Archivist:
Yesssss
Ahead of the release of Crash 4 tomorrow, I decided to complete Crash Bandicoot 1 for the second time. It was SO. HARD. I managed to do Stormy Ascent okay but Slippery Climb was the WORST. The WORSSSST. It has the most hideous most unfathomable bonus level of the whole game. When I got to the end I nearly fell on my knees and cried.
Letters
The other day a letter supporting JK Rowling and her bigotry came out. It was signed by a whole of people, plenty of whom I used to like. You’ve probably already seen it. No lie, it was pretty devastating. Luckily today another one came out.
This one is signed by, I think, more people. There’s some names on there which are people I’ve always admired, including Malorie Blackman. Here’s the statement:
This is a message of love and solidarity for the trans and non-binary community. Culture is, and should always be, at the forefront of societal change, and as writers, editors, agents, journalists, and publishing professionals, we recognise the vital role our industry has in advancing and supporting the wellbeing and rights of trans and non-binary people. We stand with you, we hear you, we see you, we accept you, we love you. The world is better for having you in it.
It’s a big relief, in all honesty. Just a relief.
Unlikable Women: Briony Tallis — owl machine
Unlikable women: short list; Elle Driver **Having never read the book the movie Atonement is based on, I can only talk about the movie version of the character. **I only have jumbled thoughts about her as well, so, proceed at your own risk. **spoilers for Atonement I don’t really think Briony is an unlikable woman, […]
Unlikable Women: Briony Tallis — owl machine
Here’s a fascinating post about Briony Tallis, who continues to be one of my favourite fictional characters ever written. (Even if the man who wrote her ended up, sigh, being a disappointment.)
I love me some unlikeable women.
“ Trump paid $750 in taxes and $130,000 to a porn star, which means if the I.R.S. wants to get money from Trump, you guys know what you got to do. ” — Art of Quotation
“For those keeping score, Trump paid $750 in taxes and $130,000 to a porn star, which means if the I.R.S. wants to get money from Trump, you guys know what you got to do.” Trevor Noah, South African, comedian, writer, producer, political commentator, actor, and television host.
“ Trump paid $750 in taxes and $130,000 to a porn star, which means if the I.R.S. wants to get money from Trump, you guys know what you got to do. ” — Art of Quotation
I hear there’s a political debate tonight.
The Lion King: Comparing the Meerkats
(This is a really funny title if you’re familiar with UK television)
So apparently there’s going to be a sequel to the CGI remake of The Lion King! And that just served to remind me… how much I bloody hate the CGI remake of The Lion King. Apart from the music, it’s just so soulless. A bunch of dead-eyed computer-generated lions retreading the original with nothing new to say.
But the other reason I hate it is because of Timon!
See, Timon has character in the original animated film. He’s comic relief, yeah, but he has personality beyond that. He delivers what was my favourite line in the original movie:
Nala: {Quoting young Simba} Danger? Ha! I laugh in the face of danger. Ha ha ha ha…
Timon: I see nothing funny about this…
Simba: Timon? Pumbaa? What are you doing here?
Pumbaa: {Bowing on one foreleg} At your service, my liege.
Timon: Uh. We’re going to fight your uncle… for this?
Simba: Yes, Timon; this is my home.
Timon: Eeh! Talk about your fixer-upper! Well, Simba, if it’s important to you, we’re with you to the end.
I love that scene! It’s my favourite! It’s funny but it’s also very touching, it shows how much these characters really mean to each other. And in the CGI remake version there’s so little of that.
Simba: What about the meaningless line of indifference?
Pumbaa: Well, we were thinking… maybe it curves a little bit.
Timon: That’s a good point. I mean, Simba, look, I’m happy to admit when Pumbaa’s wrong, and this is one of those instances.
Pumbaa: What? That wasn’t my thing. You told me about the line.
Timon: Wait, hold on. Now, this is the place you’re fighting for?
Simba: Yes, Timon. This is my home.
Pumbaa: Is it behind that terrifying rock?
Timon: Talk about your fixer-upper. I like what you’ve done with it, although a bit heavy on the carcass.
Pumbaa: Hey, hey, look. A bird.
Simba: Timon, Pumbaa, this is Zazu.
Timon: Oh, wow. It’s a puffin.
Zazu: Charming. Simba, we are with you until the end.
See? SEE? It’s just quipping. (Over the years I’ve come to hate scenes which are just quipping.) Timon’s statement of undying loyalty is given to Zazu instead. The poor lil meerkat is reduced to a joke machine and nothing more.
That’s not the only reason I dislike the movie, obviously, but it’s probably the main one. Also I should make it clear I like real meerkats! They’re cute and they have that thing going on where they take turns to sleep. But a talking “real” meerkat is just weird and unappealing. I’m sorry.
Annnnd that’s why I’m not really interested in a sequel.
Your Phone Wasn’t Built for the Apocalypse — Productivity Hub
Why the orange sky looks gray It looked like Mars, or the Southern Californian wasteland in Blade Runner 2049, or the deserts of Dune. Almost 100 wildfires have ravaged the western United States in the past month, scattering particles of ash and smoke into the air and forcing 500,000 people to evacuate their homes in […]
Your Phone Wasn’t Built for the Apocalypse — Productivity Hub
Here is a terrifying headline with an equally terrifying article attached.
Painty stuff
I’ve been trying acrylic pouring recently. So far there’s been more disasters than successes. The only two pieces I’ve made that I’m happy with are this one,
which I gave to a friend and this one-
which wasn’t good at all until I threw gold stuff all over it, and now it’s hanging up in the bathroom.
But the good thing about acrylic pouring is that no matter what goes on the canvas you at least get a nice pattern of paint you can peel off of what your canvas was sitting on and use for something else. So that’s what I decided to do. I took a bunch of acrylic “skins” and cut them up and put ’em in resin! That’s how I got this…
It’s a colourful little Darth Vader! Didn’t expect him to come out this well at all.
There’s a few air bubble holes but they can be fixed!
Aquasplash
When I was a kid sometimes my parents would take us to Aquasplash, an indoor water park in Hemel Hempstead. (Britain has very few outdoor water parks for obvious reasons.) Aquasplash was a disgusting unhygienic poorly put together deathtrap of a place, by which I mean it was the best thing EVER.
Here’s one of the few pics of the pool which seem to exist. Imagine it packed full with hundreds of screaming kids, and you’ve about got the flavour of it.
It was all inside this building, the Jarman Park Leisure World. I remember there was a cinema next to it. I have this really clear memory of standing in the queue to get into Aquasplash, and on one side of me there was the window which showed you what was going on in the pool, and on the other side there was the Lord of the Rings Argonath poster all lit up to entice you into the movie. That little scene could sum up the whole of 2001 for me really.
I was OBSESSED with this place. I think I have a whole bunch of journal entries from my childhood where I just talked about how awesome Aquasplash was. It was up there with Disneyworld for me. Braving the Space Bowl (the green water slide you can see up there, it deposited you into a sort of massive bowl) was legit one of the proudest moments of my childhood.
Man, not a single photo of the Space Bowl in its prime was ever taken I guess. You can just about make it out in this picture I found, it’s the big green, well, bowly thing.
See where all those people are sitting? Those are seats from the Burger King which was on the side of the water park! You could climb out of the pool overstimulated and drenched and HAVE A BURGER!
I loved that so much as well, even though my parents wouldn’t allow me back in the pool for half an hour after I’d eaten in case I died.
Here’s what it looked like at the very top, complete with netting that wouldn’t stop a rubber beach ball falling down, let alone a child. “The Abyss” is about right. Also I can’t remember which ride “The Abyss” was, but one of the three rides at the top was literally never open/always broken, maybe it was that one.
LOOK! Look how grimy yet wonderful it all is!
Anyway today I found these old photos on my hard drive. I didn’t take them (didn’t take any of the pics in this post) and even though I saved the link I got them from, it’s a dead link now alas. It’s pics of the place being demolished back in 2014ish.
I was FUCKING DEVASTATED. I still am a little bit, in a way, someone could have bought the pool and (hopefully) sorted it out a bit. Made a new generation of kids deliriously happy and maybe at times actually delirious! But it never happened…
This picture is the worst for me because I used to stand in that exact spot, waiting to get a rubber ring and experience a five-second slide across the pool. It was always freezing cos the emergency exit was right next to it.
This is the end point of the rapids ride, I think. That one was my favourite.
And this I believe is the earthly remains of both the Space Bowl (I think) and another ride I don’t remember the name of, but do remember you were guaranteed a massive wedgie if you rode it.
Fun fact, if you type Aquasplash’s name into Google, in the UK at least, the first result it suggests is ‘Aquasplash child death.” (NO no-one actually died there.) God I miss it.
Call Me Mabel!!
I thought there would never be new Gravity Falls animated content ever again but look!
It just came out yesterday! That’s Kristen Schaal doing her voice and everything!