#hidden simpsons reference | Explore Tumblr Posts and Blogs

shakespeareanwannabe · 4 months

Text

As You Wish, Chapter 3

Summary: When arriving at Camp Silver Star, Abby Floyd was anticipating a summer of adventure with an ocean separating her from the three people she loved most: her mom, her Uncle Bob and her Aunt Natasha. But after a run in with Charlie Seresin, an extremely familiar looking and irritating camper in a different cabin, her summer plans take a turn that neither girl ever could have expected.

Trigger Warnings: reader's children are described as being blond with green eyes because genetics are wild and Jake's genes are strong, reader is canonically Bob's sister, reader goes by Buttercup and is tattooed, swearing, verbal arguing, references to divorce, death of a character, injuries, misinformation about the US Navy and how it works (I tried my best)

Briefing Room, Classified Location, 11 years ago

Briefing rooms after missions go horrifically sideways were typically quiet. Those who were involved in the mission were usually too busy inside their own heads, trying to shove feelings and memories into tiny little lockboxes that would then get shoved into other boxes and hidden in the dark recesses of the mind, only springing free when things got…dark. The top brass was usually reading reports and gathering steam, preparing to bring the hand of God down upon the person (or people) who were responsible for the mission going…poorly. Therefore, the rooms were usually can-hear-a-pin-drop quiet, but they were never this…still. This silent.

The fifteen lieutenants stood in four rows and, while most of them were four people deep, the one missing a person stood out in cold contrast, as did the empty spot at the front of the room, where the team leader usually stood. Cyclone, Warlock and Hondo stood just past that spot; heads ducked together in a whispered conversation. Besides that, nobody moved. Nobody stirred. Not Bob, balancing on a pair of crutches with a cast bracing his leg up to his knee. Not Fritz, his arm strapped against his chest to immobilize it. Not Rooster, with a black and purple bruise on his temple, or Coyote, a neat row of stitches gracing his cheek, or Hangman, who felt a painful twinge every time he breathed, the binding protecting his bruised and fractured ribs pulling taut with every inhale. None dared to move or fidget.

Finally, Admiral Simpson moved into the empty space at the front of the room and sighed.

“Well, ladies and gentlemen…I don’t think I need to tell you what an absolute clusterfuck that was.” Fanboy flinched, his head ducking fractionally as the words carried clear across the gathering. “In fact, it was such an absolute clusterfuck that Rear Admiral Cain has decided to disband the Dagger Squad. Immediately.”

Jake heard Yale gasp behind him, and he would have too, if it weren’t for the sinking weight in his chest. The mission had been a clusterfuck, there was no doubt about it, but they had achieved their mission. He had risked his ass after watching Maverick’s plane get shot out of the sky, putting all thought of his little Charlie girl waiting for him at home and the whisper of ‘god damnit, Buttercup was right’ out of his head, and he had taken charge. He had been the one to pull Rooster out of his single-minded mission to avenge Mav’s death, he had been the one to take down the jet that had been targeting an ejected Bob and Natasha, and he, Payback and Fanboy had been the ones to deliver the payload in the end, effectively taking out the target.

He had brought all but one of them home safely, but he didn’t feel any sense of relief, or even grief over Mav’s death. All he felt was the warmth of his baby girls, curled up against his chest as he rocked them in their nursery. All he tasted was the sweetness of Buttercup’s kiss, all he smelled was that newborn baby smell that he swore to God was the best thing he’d ever smelled in his life. All he saw was Buttercup’s tear-stained face as she gathered Abby in her arms and left, the sound of the door clicking shut echoing in his ears. If his reaction time had been even a millisecond slower, he could’ve been in Mav’s position, and then what? What would happen to his Charlie then?

“…because of the nature of this mission, disbanding the Dagger Squad, and because you all are the best of the best, the Rear Admiral has decided to make you an offer. As you know, the Navy doesn’t often let you make very many decisions, so I want you to think carefully before you respond, because we do need your answer today. Your first option is to be absorbed into another Squad; in which case you would be shipping out today for your new assignments. Yes, Lieutenant Fitch, if both members of your team decide to go with option one, you will be keeping your WSO. Your second option is—”

The clatter of metal against wood stole the words from Cyclone’s lips, and everyone turned towards the mild-mannered, quiet, shy WSO standing behind the glaringly empty space in the third row.

“—retirement, with a full pension and an honourable discharge,” Cyclone finished, staring down at Bob’s nameplate, lying on the desk beside him.

“I think it’s pretty clear what I choose,” the WSO spoke softly, but no one in the squad could miss the barely tempered rage in his voice.

“Lieutenant Floyd—”

“Permission to speak freely, sir?”

“Granted,” Warlock stepped up next to Cyclone.

“I almost died on this mission,” Bob stated frankly, his gaze never wavering from Cyclone’s face. “I had to eject Lieutenant Trace and I from our aircraft after she was struck in the face by shrapnel that broke through our windshield and destroyed her helmet. Debris that came from Maverick’s plane.” The silence was heavy, tension mounting with every word, but Bob pressed on. “Nat’s never going to fly again. They already told me. And frankly, sir? I don’t know if I have it in me to bond with another pilot after holding my best friend’s body as we waited for rescue, already knowing that our team lead was KIA.”

Cyclone opened his mouth to speak, but a gentle hand on his shoulder stopped him.

“I understand, son. If you, or anyone else, decide to retire, know that you’ll be going with the full gratitude of the US Navy,” Warlock responded.

“Thank you, sir,” Bob saluted, then propelled himself out of line, crutching past the waiting rows of his friends and coworkers as he headed for the door. “I’ll fill out any paperwork you need, and then I’ll be out of your hair.”

“There’s no need to pack and go so quickly.”

“All due respect, sir, but yes, there is,” he came to a stop in front of Jake and fixed him with a steely look. “My family needs me. And if I don’t help them, who will?”

Jake swallowed painfully, his heart pressing against his aching ribs with every heartbroken beat, the roar of fear and shame and anxiety swirling around in his head, blocking out every sound other than the whispers of his regrets.

This wasn’t how his life was supposed to go. Football captain, homecoming king, star pupil of the Naval Academy, he flew through OCS and aced his ASTB. He was the only pilot of his generation with a confirmed air to air kill, handpicked for Top Gun and their top-secret uranium mission. And, on top of all of that, up until six months ago, he’d had the most perfect, beautiful wife waiting for him at home with their precious newborn twins.

Now, he was a divorced single dad of one beautiful little girl. A beautiful little girl that he’d had to leave in the capable hands of Penny Benjamin when the Squad had been deployed. A beautiful little girl whose sister he missed so incredibly much that it threatened to bring him to his knees. Whose mother had been right about damn near everything.

“Lieutenant Seresin?”

Jake blinked, his vision and hearing coming back into focus as Cyclone stepped down to face him.

“I’m going to be frank with you, Lieutenant. You’re the best of the best,” Cyclone stated, stepping closer. “Your skills in the cockpit are unmatched and you showed the type of leadership qualities we need in this line of work. There are whispers of promoting you due to your actions on this last mission. With the loss of Captain Mitchell and your actions on this mission, you are now the only ace pilot that the Navy has to offer. You’d have your choice of assignments, should you choose to stay. It would be a damn shame to lose you, son.”

Jake felt something squeeze in his chest, and this time it wasn’t his busted ribs. Being a Naval aviator was the only thing he had ever wanted to be, and Jake Seresin always got what he wanted. He should be elated, planning for his move to the best naval base in the country, where they would probably let him lead his own squad after the way he led the Dagger Squad home safely, tearing victory from the jaws of defeat. He could be Lieutenant Commander Seresin.

Buttercup’s tears and the clicking of his apartment door as it swung shut.

Those bright baby blues that were just now starting to darken into the very same light green he saw in the mirror every morning.

The powdery scent of diaper powder and formula, and the solid warmth and weight of his baby girl in his arms.

“With all due respect, Admiral?” Jake pushed through the catch in his throat. “It would be even more of a damn shame for my daughter to lose her dad. I’m all she’s got. I…I can’t let her down. I can’t let her ever think there’s a chance in hell that her daddy ain’t comin’ back to her. I’m afraid I have to thank you for the opportunity and request that you tender my resignation. Sir.”

Cyclone sighed, a wave of disappointment cresting over his face as he opened his mouth to argue, to convince him to stay, but a firm hand gripped his shoulder.

“We understand,” Warlock reached out and shook his hand. “Thank you for your service, Lieutenant Seresin.”

Jake nodded, shaking his hand before turning and saluting Cyclone. “Thank you, sir.”

“I…I’m with him.” Jake turned and saw Javy saluting the two members of the brass.

“Coyote…”

“Whatever you’re about to say, don’t. I followed your ass on the football field, I followed your ass to the Naval Academy, and now I’m following your ass out the door. You’re not the only one Charlie’s got, man. You both got me.”

“And me.”

The two men turned to see Rooster fiddling with his name plate.

“Bradshaw…” Cyclone’s voice rose in shock.

“My mama never wanted this for me,” Bradley continued, as if he hadn’t heard him. “I know she didn’t. Hell, my mama never stepped another foot on a plane after my daddy died. She was too terrified of bein’ in the air, thinkin’ I might lose her too. I used to think that flying brought me closer to my dad, that I could feel him when I was alone in the cockpit.” He unpinned his name plate carefully, studying the engraving. Lt. Bradshaw. “I can’t feel him anymore,” he murmured. “I’m older than he ever got to be. And now Mav’s gone…” Rooster sighed. “I don’t think I’ll be able to shake this last mission, sir. I’d be a detriment to any team I join, and I don’t want to put anyone in that position. So…I’m walking away.”

“I…understand. Thank you, gentlemen, for your years of service.”

Rooster saluted, then the three men walked out of the briefing room, the weight of their actions blanketing them.

“So…what now?”

Jake rubbed at his ribs. “We go to Mav’s funeral…then I guess we go home.”

“And where exactly is home?” Rooster drawled. “I can’t imagine you want to stay in your apartment after…everything.”

Jake shook his head, his tactician’s brain kicking into high gear. “Javy?”

“Yeah, man?”

“I think it’s time we introduce Bradshaw here to some Texas barbecue.”

The Brig, Camp Silver Star, Present Day

“Amelia? You…you knew?” Charlie yanked at the t-shirt that felt like it was closing in around her neck.

Amelia kicked off her rainboots, shed her yellow raincoat, and shuffled towards them, gingerly taking a seat on Abby’s bed.

“Yeah…I knew.”

“Why didn’t you tell me?” Charlie’s hands clenched rhythmically as she tried to breathe.

“I didn’t know the two of you were here at the same time,” Amelia soothed. “I found out that day that cantaloupe ended up in the fruit salad. You both came to me to ask about it, and I went to find my mom right away. That’s when she told me that she had sent emails about the camp to your aunt and uncles, offering a friends and family discount if you came for these specific weeks.”

“A-Aunt Penny knew too?” Charlie croaked.

“She did. Charlie, I—”

Charlie shook her head, sending her blond braid flying, the end whipping at her face with the force of it. “No. No. This is all a coincidence. It has to be one big coincidence. My dad and your m-mom…them knowing each other doesn’t mean anything.”

“Charlie…” Amelia started, but Abby felt something snap inside of her.

“You’re not actually stupid enough to believe that, are you?” she spat. “Why can’t you just admit that it all makes sense? Our parents knew each other, they got married, and they had us. We have the same birthday, we look identical, and we have these pictures to prove it! Why is that so difficult for you to see?”

“Because it means he lied to me!” Charlie shrieked, burying her head in her hands. “He lied to me. My whole life. He hid my mom and my sister from me for twelve years! He’s my best friend, we tell each other everything, we do everything together, and he lied to me!”

Charlie’s shoulders shook with the force of heavy sobs as the wind whipped at the windows, making the cabin shake. She’d asked her dad about her mother for years, and he had never told her. And neither had Javy or Rooster, who so clearly knew her mother too. Her chest ached with the sting of betrayal, and she had no idea how she was supposed to go home and look her three favourite people in the eyes after finding out they had been hiding such a massive secret from her.

Charlie flinched as she felt an arm wrap around her shoulders, and she sniffled as her head was tugged onto Abby’s shoulder.

“W-why aren’t you angry?” she whispered.

“I honestly don’t know,” Abby murmured back, staring sightlessly out the window. “I know that I should be. I know that my mum and Uncle Bob and Auntie Nat lied by omission by not telling me about you and dad, but I just…can’t.”

“Why would they do this to us?” Charlie scrubbed at her face with the sleeve of her sweater. “How is it legal to say that each parent gets a kid, and they never have to see the other one?”

“They had a custody arrangement…” Amelia had moved to kneel at the edge of Charlie’s bed.

“What sick judge would agree to something like this?” Charlie hiccupped as Abby removed her arm and leaned forward, desperation shining in her eyes.

“No one,” Amelia sighed and turned her face downwards. “Now, I don’t have all the information. I was just a kid when your parents split up, and my mom and Mav tried to shield me from the worst of it. All I know is that they got engaged after dating for like a really short amount of time, then your mom found out she was pregnant with you two, and they eloped in Las Vegas. Mav was pissed.”

“Why?”

“Didn’t he like my mum?”

“He loved your parents, both of them. Hangman was a pain in the butt, but Mav wouldn’t have wanted it any other way. After that first mission they flew together, when Hangman saved Mav and Rooster’s life, nobody really cared that Hangman was cocky. The way he could needle at the other members of his squad, it only ever pushed them to be the best that they could be. I know Mav saw a lot of good in your dad, and he really cared about him. And your mom? I think Mav loved your mom because she really helped bring Hangman down to earth. He once told me, ‘Buttercup keeps Hangman’s feet on the ground while his brain is racing through the sky’,” Amelia chuckled. “God, I loved hanging around with your parents. They were so cool.”

“Wait…Buttercup?” Abby bit her lip. “That’s what my aunt and uncle call my mum. Well, that and kiddo.”

“Yeah, nicknames around Miramar kinda just…stuck. Your dad started calling your mom Buttercup, and that was that. She was Buttercup from then on.”

“She even has a buttercup tattoo on her collarbone,” Abby said excitedly, her mind racing with the implication.

“That’s great and all, but can we get back to the story? Why was Mav angry?”

“Because he wanted to be there when they got married,” Amelia laughed quietly. “The Dagger Squad got chosen to do an air show in Las Vegas, and Hangman was able to work it so that your mom could come. Mav didn’t question it at all, even though he knew they were engaged and expecting. Your dad had to do 200 pushups when he got back for not telling Mav the plan so that he could be there,” Amelia giggled. “But I never heard him complain about it. He thought your mom was worth it.”

“So then…what happened?”

“Like I said, I don’t know. My mom and dad split when I was younger, and I guess my mom thought that watching one of my favourite couples in the world split up might bring up some bad memories, so she and Mav sheltered me from a lot of it. I know they had a really bad fight, they both said some things, and then they split, and they each took one of you.”

“H-how did they decide who to take?” Charlie trembled.

“I honestly don’t know. But I know it was never supposed to be permanent. The custody arrangement, I mean.”

“Then what happened? Why did they keep us from each other?”

Amelia shrugged. “I know that it was partly your dad’s deployment schedule. It was hard to set up a visitation schedule when Dagger Squad was being called into action so often. Then, the pandemic hit, and nobody wanted to be sending really young kids on international flights where they could get sick and potentially have lasting complications. After that, I really don’t know.”

Charlie took a deep, shuddering breath as Abby chewed on her lower lip. The cabin was silent, save for the wind and rain lashing at the windows.

Finally, Amelia sighed. “I know this a big revelation for the two of you, and I hate to leave when you probably have a billion more questions. But I do have to get back. I’ll be back later tonight to collect your tray, and I’ll hopefully have more time to answer your questions. Okay?”

Abby nodded but Charlie sat stock still, staring into space.

“Charlie?” Amelia called softly, ducking her head to catch her gaze. “Are we okay, hon?”

Charlie nodded mutely and Amelia returning it with a tight-lipped smile. “I’ll see you both later.”

“Bye Amelia,” Abby called softly as the door swung shut behind her.

Silence fell for a brief moment before Abby looked over at Charlie.

“What are you thinking?”

“Shhh…” Charlie hissed, but Abby didn’t take offense. It was clear from the deep set of Charlie’s eyebrows and the pensive look in her eyes that she was planning something. No…plotting something.

Abby shrugged and walked over to the small card table that held their trays of food. Two small Thermos’ of chili, an array of Ziploc bags filled with cheese, chili flakes, bacon bits, and sour cream, and two snack sized bags of tortilla chips were seated neatly on the silver trays, and Abby felt her stomach grumble.

She had just sat down to her freshly topped chili when Charlie moved, sitting across from her with a steely look in her eyes.

“Charlie?”

“I want to get to know my mom,” she stated simply, as though she was saying that the sky was blue or that grass was green.

Abby nodded eagerly. “I know! I can’t wait to get to know dad! Maybe we could call him together on Friday and talk to him together? And then we could do the same for mum!”

Charlie shook her head. “No. I mean really get to know her. I want to meet her in person. I want to be able to hug her. I want to spend time with her, and I want to be able to do that without having to spend time answering questions about how we found each other or her trying to tell me about what happened between her and dad.”

“I…I want that too,” Abby confessed, though Charlie’s words were confusing her. “And we can do that. Once they know that we know, we’ll be able to use that custody agreement and see mum and dad, and each other, more often.”

Charlie shook her head again. “You don’t understand. I don’t want to talk to dad. Or Rooster. Or Javy. They lied to me for my whole entire life! I’m so mad at them that I’ll probably just scream the whole time we’re talking to them. Besides, whose to say that they won’t make excuses and not let us see each other again? What happens if they just decide that I can’t see mom and you don’t get to see dad?”

“They wouldn’t do that!”

“Abby, they already did do that!” Charlie reached out and grabbed Abby’s wrist, her gaze pleading. “Don’t you want to get to know dad without having to deal with all of this? Don’t you want to be able to meet him and get to know him without all the awkward stuff, like him asking you what your favourite colour is or what you got for your tenth birthday?”

“Well…yeah. Of course, I do. But…how would we do that? It’s not like I could just go to Texas when camp is over.”

“Why not?” Charlie’s eyes shone bright with excitement. “Who says you couldn’t just take my boarding pass and fly to Texas to meet dad? Who says I couldn’t just take your boarding pass and fly to London to meet mom?”

“Charlie, you sound insane,” Abby gently removed her hand from her wrist and picked up her spoon. “First of all, I don’t have a boarding pass. I fly stand-by because my uncle is a pilot and gets me on the plane for free, so long as he’s the one flying. Second, we might look a like, but there are still some cosmetic differences! My hair is shorter than yours, I have pierced ears, and we have different accents. They would certainly notice all that. And third, our parents have known us since birth. Surely they would be able to tell that we’re not us!”

“We can fix those things!” Charlie leaned forward. “I can teach you all about my life in Texas. I can show you the layout of the ranch, which cows to avoid, how to tack up my horse at home. I can teach you all about dad and Javy and Rooster. I can cut my hair! And listen, it’s not even that hard to fake a British accent. Pip, pip, cheerio!”

Abby snorted. “And what? You expect me to teach you all about London? Where to catch the tube, the layout of the flat, where the best fish and chips are? You want me to tell you all about mum, and where Uncle Bob hides his glasses cleaning cloth, and how not to stare at Auntie Nat’s scar? You want me to start talking like a cowboy? And what about my ears being pierced?”

“Why not?” Charlie begged, her green eyes shining. “We’ve got like a month to teach each other everything we would ever need to know. And we both have cell phones, so it’s not like we would be completely cut off from each other. If I had a question, I could just text you and ask!”

“Charlie, you sound ridiculous!” Abby threw her spoon down and rubbed her eyes. “There’s no way I can teach you about my life in a month. You want us to try to pull one over on the people that know us best. It would never work.”

Charlie bit her lip then leaned in for the kill. “I saw the way you lit up when Amelia mentioned mom’s nickname being Buttercup. I know how excited you got when you realized that mom has a tattoo of a buttercup. I know you were thinking the exact same thing I was.”

“Which is?”

“That if the people around her still call her Buttercup, maybe she still has feelings for dad. The nickname obviously meant enough to her that she got it tattooed on her body, and she hasn’t tried to get it removed or anything.”

“Mum, she…she’s never dated,” Abby admitted quietly. “She always says she just doesn’t have the time, but…I’ve always hoped that maybe it’s because she still has feelings for my dad.”

“Dad is the same way,” Charlie whispered. “He says I’m his best girl, but I know from Rooster and Javy that dad could be going on lots of dates if he wanted to. They love to tease him about it, and he tells them that he’s too busy with me and the ranch. But I know it’s because he still loves mom.” Charlie reached for her wrist again and this time Abby didn’t pull away. “Abby, if we do this, they will eventually have to switch us back. I’m not suggesting we do this forever. We can get to know them for a bit, then tell them the truth, and they’ll have to meet to switch us back. And when they meet…”

“…they could fall in love again,” Abby murmured.

“They could. Or, at the very least, they can talk and figure out a schedule so we don’t have to be separated again. C’mon…isn’t it at least worth a shot?” Charlie blinked over at her; the puppy dog eyes she had learned from her dad shining in full force.

Abby sighed. “Do you really think we can do it?”

“We’ve got a month, we’ve got social media, and we’ve got access to the computers once a week. I don’t see how we couldn’t pull this off.”

Abby chewed on her bottom lip. “O-okay…but if I don’t feel comfortable with this later, I want to be able to change my mind.”

“Done.” Charlie stuck her hand out and Abby grasped it, pumping it twice in the air with a grin on her face. “Now…let’s get to work.”

Tags List: @mamachasesmayhem @jessicab1991 @waltermis @buckysteveloki-me @allepaula @yuckosworld @seresinsbrat @ahopelessromanticwritersworld @kim-stark @cierra715 @high-speed-r @helpmepleasethanks @starsrfun @tomanyfandomstrash @averyhotchner @the-blueatlas @princessliz86 @dashes-dizzydisaster @a-girl-who-loves-disney @boiolay @djs8891 @torimcc @tgmreader @kmc1989 @landpiranha-blog @sydthekid1518 @lynnevanss @hello7442 @mackenzieblair @minejungwoo @starset21 @ssa-sadboi @tgmavericklover @dempy @rockbottomphilosophies-blog @lovemarvelousfics @starkleila @magical-spit @whatislovevavy @simplyreading96 @vivalas-vega @itsdesiree86 @inky-sun @books-are-escapes @abaker74 @clockworkballerina

#jake seresin x reader #jake seresin #top gun maverick #top gun fanfiction #parent trap au #glen powell #jake hangman seresin #hangman x reader #top gun hangman #jake hangman x reader #jake hangman fic #as you wish fic

168 notes · View notes

electronickingdomfox · 17 days

Text

"Uhura's Song" review

Novel from 1985, by Janet Kagan. I have mixed feelings about this book. For starters, if you're looking for a story focused on Uhura, this isn't it. She plays an important role in the very first chapters, but then she goes to the background, and doesn't have more protagonism than, say, Chekov.

Anyway, misleading title and cover aside, there are good things about it. The culture of the Sivaoans (some kind of anthropomorphic cats) is well fleshed and described in detail. Little by little, we learn a lot about this people: their social structure and rites of passage, the importance they place on names and oral tradition, their linguistic quirks, taboos and legends, etc. By the last third of the novel, when the crew goes on a quest along the main Sivaoan characters, we've come to understand and care about them. So yeah, as an exploration of an alien culture, it's alright.

But on the other hand, there's an incredible amount of filler in this novel. It's about twice as long as the average TOS novel of this era, but a great chunk of it is just pages and pages of the Enterprise crew doing cute things and playing with cats. With little development in-between. The narrative has a tendency to overindulge in the most insignificant events. Sometimes, after several pages of this, I'd stop and think "Are they really STILL talking about that!? It wasn't so interesting to begin with!" Granted, the main mystery is engaging enough to keep going: I wanted to know what had happened between the Sivaoans and their distant relatives thousands of years ago; and I wanted to know how they'd find the cure for the plague that's at the core of the mission, and what had songs to do with it. Those things kept me going... but with a lot of struggle to wade through the fluff.

Another problem is the guest character, Dr. Evan Wilson, who's not just a doctor, she's a... (insert anything you can think of here). No, really, whatever you can do, be sure she can do it ten times better: she beats Sulu at fencing and Spock at computers, she's a better engineer than Scotty, she's the best friend of everyone and is impossible not to love her (including the Sivaoans), she will develop a new vaccine and then kill a dangerous beast with a spear in the same breath, all the time being "super funny". Even when she's not present, other characters' conversations tend to gravitate towards her and comment on how awesome she is. (For those that get "The Simpsons" references: she's a Poochie, literally). But it's not just that she's a blatant Mary Sue; after all, a Mary Sue may fulfill an important role in a story, provide the plot or be the key to solve a conflict. The main problem with Dr. Wilson is that I see no reason why she needs to be in the story to begin with. She just steals McCoy's role as chief medical officer, and doesn't offer anything that couldn't have been done by other character (like Uhura, for example). There's some mystery about her identity, but its resolution doesn't explain why she's important for the story either.

To summarize, this novel has an interesting premise, but would have been much better without Dr. Wilson, and cutting corners on the fluff. If you want to read an actual Uhura story, go get "The Tears of the Singers" instead... Unless you absolutely need lots of cats, I don't know.

Spoilers under the cut:

The Eeiauoans (some sort of cat people) are being ravaged by the worst outbreak so far of a deadly disease: ADF syndrome. Sick Eeiauoans start losing all their fur, bend in pain, and in the final stages, enter a coma and die. At first thought to be exclusive to this race, the disease starts propagating among humans, and Chapel is one of the first to fall sick. So while McCoy battles the disease planetside, Uhura tries to find a solution in the Enterprise. She's good friends with Sunfall, an Eeiauoan dancer, and suspects there are clues about a cure, hidden in the ancient songs that Sunfall passed to her.

Thus, Uhura starts working with Spock to analyze the songs. Some of them seem to allude to a different origin for the Eeiauoans, as if they were colonists or exiles from another planet. And Uhura believes the cure is to be found in their planet of origin; one of the songs mentions similar symptoms as ADF, but unfortunately, the part about the cure was cut out. Speculating about some astronomical references in the songs, they narrow down the search to a certain quadrant. But the Eeiauoans refuse to help, or even acknowledge this extra-planetary origin, as if they were hiding something. Finally one of them, desperate about her sickness, confesses that the planet's name is Sivao, which helps Spock and Uhura to pinpoint the place. And considering how difficult was this search, and how vague the references in the songs, they solve this part of the problem with relative ease.

McCoy is left with the medical team in the planet, so Dr. Wilson takes his place in the Enterprise. Once in Sivao, Kirk, Wilson, Spock, Uhura and Chekov beam down to contact the aliens. They're very similar to the Eeiauoans, suggesting a common ancestry, though their language is a bit different. And unlike the Eeiauoans, they still live as nomadic tribes. They're amicable enough at first, but as soon as Kirk mentions the Eeiauoans and the plague, they become really hostile, and refuse to talk about the subject. Just as happened with their relatives, the Sivaoans don't even recognize the existence of the others. Nonetheless, the crew stays with them for several days, in the hope that they reveal something eventually. Uhura trades songs with the local bard, Chekov builds shelters and plays with the kids, Wilson befriends Brightspot (the local chief's young daughter) and Jinx (a kind of outcast among her people). They also discover that the Sivaoans have perfect pitch when singing, and perfect memory of events, so they don't need books. But although some Sivaoans seem to be itching to help them, they still can't acknowledge the existence of the Eeiauoans. Besides, a description of ADF syndrome doesn't ring any bells with the town's doctor.

Meanwhile in Eeiauo, McCoy has contracted ADF too, but a new treatment developed by Wilson before her departure can slow down the symptoms, though it's not a cure. (And there's a big mood whiplash here, since Kirk and co. are having so much fun with the cats, while McCoy is having the shittiest time of his life...).

In the Sivaoan village, the crew finally gets one of the natives to speak, even if she can only confess it to the tricorder: two thousand years ago, their civilization split between a technologically-advanced one, and a tribal one; but technology and urban dwelling brought disease and the extinction of several species, so that part of the Sivaoans was forced to leave the planet, and establish a colony in Eeiauo. The two branches have tried to ignore each other ever since, out of guilt. However, if the crew wishes to learn more, they'll have to undergo a rite of passage to be considered real adults for the Sivaoans. So the crew, together with Brightspot and Jinx (who was ostracized for having failed the rite several times) go out on a quest. They need to traverse a dangerous part of forest to the nearest village.

For the following days, the crew fights against wild animals with primitive weapons, survive a fall into the river, and must take care of Chekov, who has fallen suddenly ill with ADF. It turns out that Chekov was specially sensitive to the disease, and he will die even before reaching the next village. Then Uhura decides to sing again the song about the cure, but this time varying the pitch, in case that makes Brightspot and Jinx recognize it. Effectively, one of the variations matches a Sivaoan song about some mild chidren disease. This way, they find out that this minor disease in Sivao, has evolved into the lethal ADF among other populations. Chekov caught the disease because he was playing a lot with the cat kids. Once they know this, Jinx quickly concocts a cure with local plants, and Chekov starts recovering.

After finishing the quest, the crew is able to confront the local chieftain as adults, and several Sivaoans choose to go with them to Eeiauo, to help with the cure (among them, Brightspot and Jinx). Everyone is cured and vaccinated, and it's time for Dr. Wilson to depart. Spock, who had grown increasingly suspicious about Wilson, starts investigating her records. And he discovers she's not the real Dr. Wilson, but some kind of "space pirate" or benevolent trickster, who goes around impersonating other people and helping here and there... Okaaay. In her last message, Wilson challenges Spock to keep searching for her across the galaxy (but I'm pretty sure Spock will have forgotten everything by the next novel).

Spirk Meter: 2/10*. There's the usual mind-link between Kirk and Spock, so the latter is certain that the Captain's alive after falling into a river. Kirk is often amused by Spock's idiosyncracies. And one night, he wakes up from a nightmare, to find Spock's "reassuring form" next to the fire. Also, Kirk teases Spock saying that "some of my best friends are devious- isn't that right, Mr. Spock?" However, there's only timid examples like these. Compared with other novels, there's not much more.

A bit of McKirk as well. McCoy is reaaally happy to have Kirk back in the end. And Kirk comes to a sleeping, sick McCoy (who's cuddling with the cat kids; you know, the ones that carried the infection... WHY!?), and wakes him gently to tell him everything about their adventure.

*A 10 in this scale is the most obvious spirk moments in TOS. Think of the back massage, "You make me believe in miracles", or "Amok Time" for example.

Tagged: @agenderlessrat

#star trek tos #star trek novels #novel review #spirk #k/s #mckirk

20 notes · View notes

thesoftboiledegg · 5 months

Text

In the early 2000s, I stumbled on some Internet comments section (I think it was on a page about hidden jokes in The Simpsons) where somebody said that it's probably safe to say that Matt Groening smokes weed because the show references marijuana so often. I can't remember if that comment or another one set people off, but it became a giant multi-page argument that culminated in someone telling them off for being petty and saying "Hey, people, turn on your TVs. There's a war in Iraq."

People got pretty heated over nothing, but I prefer Simpsons discourse over the deranged "men who date short women are pedophiles!!!!" arguments on Twitter nowadays.

#the simpsons #early internet #early 2000s #2000s #old web #old internet #2000s internet #me

13 notes · View notes

cradlecreature · 2 years

Text

everybody talks about the hole in the corpse prince’s chest like it’s the only one. guys she’s got 3. there’s a big one hidden under the gay little scarf. and another one below the one with the teeth. she even makes a simpsons reference and calls them her speed holes.

#kiriona gaia #my babyyyy #ntn spoilers #the locked tomb #nona the ninth

82 notes · View notes

thesimpsonsultimateshowdown · 1 year

Text

The Simpsons Ultimate Showdown!

Round 2: MAGGIE SIMPSON VS CLANCY WIGGUM

Maggie Simpson TidBit: In the original intro when Maggie was scanned, the price scanner reads $847.63, which was the average cost of raising a baby per month. Of course, it was later changed to "NRA4EVR", just one of the many radical right-wing messages hidden in the show.

Clancy Wiggum TidBit: In "The Day the Violence Died", during Roger Meyers, Jr.'s tirade about how everyone had plagiarized against someone to create something, he cites Chief Wiggum as someone who was "plagiarized", referring to Edward G. Robinson's basis for the character.

#disgruntled goat #the simpsons #polls #maggie simpson #chief wiggum #kill the boy #springfield arena 2

10 notes · View notes

timeclonemike · 5 months

Text

Minigame Fakeouts and Integration

Fishing: The fishing mini game is not actually a game and was included as a joke by the developers about fishing minigames. The on screen indicators are meaningless and the Hero catches three fish, randomly chosen from a list of eight possibilities, before the fishing "game" pretense is suspended and the cutscene is purely dialog. The fish can be cooked in the crafting system and are otherwise identical to fish purchased in river / coastal towns.

Cards: Party members in the safehouses and airship can occasionally be seen playing cards but there is never an option for the Hero to join in. Dialog varies on whether the party is playing Poker, Blackjack, Go Fish, or something called Choosy Beggars. There are two NPCs that draw three Tarot cards to predict the Hero's fortune, but these were always intended as a hint feature to remind players what to do next, rather than a luck based mechanic; speaking to the same NPC three times in a row will result in the same outcome each time, after which the NPC will freak out and no longer do Tarot draws for the rest of that Act.

Dino Races: There is a subplot in an occupied city where the Raptor Cavalry combines training with social spectacle by racing their mounts and placing bets on the winner. The Hero can place bets but the maximum wager that can be made is ten Imperial Crowns, which the party can't spend and are only used for one small part of the main quest and one side quest later. The odds are about one in six of the Hero guessing the right dinosaur.

Scavenger Hunt: There are three item hunting minigames that are indefinitely replayable within the cooldown limit. These are Mushroom Hunting, where the camp ranger in Veck will ask the Hero to go into the forest trails and collect all the mushrooms that can be found to keep ignorant tourists from getting sick trying to eat them; Cat Herding, where the crazy cat lady in Morningsburg asks the Hero to find all of her lost pets; and Metal Detecting on Acorn Beach where random metal items can be found in the sand by homing in on audio signals from the detector. There is also a one time scavenger hunt sidequest where the grad student in Morningsburg is having a crisis after the wind scattered all the pages of his term paper. The Mushroom Hunt pays only ten bucks but the mushrooms can be used in crafting recipes, the crazy cat lady only pays two bucks for recovering her pets (thought to be a reference to the Simpsons), and Metal Detecting rewards range from one to twenty bucks in coins and occasional metal crafting ingredients, but one rare find is the Spare Launch Key that can be used to skip the boss fight at the end of the "Mutual Assurance" sidequest. The grad student has no reward upon collecting all the missing papers, but if the quest is done before the end of Act 3, they earn their doctorate and will send a unique crafting recipe to the hero's safehouse in Act 4.

Memory / Concentration: The Memorial Library will contract book reshelving to the Hero, and the player will have to match sixteen book ID Tags with their shelving locations. There is no penalty for mismatching books except lost time, but the game is timed and taking longer than sixty seconds forfeits any reward. The highest reward is a unique crafting recipe, followed in decreasing value with a random status protection accessory, random headgear, and random healing items. (The justification is that these items have been in the Lost And Found box for months.) The book shelving minigame can be played many times but there is a fairly long cooldown.

Spot The Difference: There are several areas where valuable items or secrets are hidden behind elaborate visuals that the Hero must compare to a reference in order to find a hidden switch, password, door, or container. These include a painting of abstract art in the Astral Planetarium that hides one of Astrolethe's memory cores; a portrait of the Villain modeled after Oliver Cromwell that blocks access to their secret office; the Periodic Table of Elements wall poster in Doctor Ashton's laboratory that incorporates the password to a secret account on Ashton's computer, and the blueprints of the Power Armor Factory that show a secret room blocked off from the rest of the production floor with the Prototype Armor inside it.

#game design ideas #game design notes #unreality

2 notes · View notes

cinnamon-ginger · 2 years

Text

After my first watch these were all the references I caught (although looking at the credits I know I missed some) with some minor minor thoughts and Disney thrown in:

* Knight rider

* Transformers

* Full house

* Rodger rabbit

* Leave action baloo

* Lumiere

* Ugly sonic

* Tigra

* Flounder

* Looney toons

* Alvin and the chipmunks

* Bootleg

* Squidward

* Fast and the furious

* Batman

* ET

* Cars

* Gumby

* Mario

* Scooby doo

* Phineas and ferb

* Muppet

* Uncanny valley

* Cats musical

* Polar express eyes

* Shrek

* Peter Pan villain (I knew it)

* Coca Cola bear

* Casper

* Tangled

* Pepa pig

* Nick jr

* Paw patrol

* South Park

* Scrooge mcduck

* Guinness book

* Rugrats

* Sneezy

* Garfield

* Simpsons

* Rick and morty

* Marvel

* Deadpool

* Snoopy

* Anime

* Jimmy newtron

* Kronk

* Paul Rudd

* Antman

* My little pony

* Lego

* He man

* Indian Jones

* Jetsons

* Voltron

* Doc mcstuffins

* Pumba

* Kung fu panda

* Monsters vs aliens

* Jack skellington

* Hidden Mickey

* Woody

* Wreck it ralph

* Pooh

* Pete

* Aladdin

* Flintstones

* Dumbo

* Care Bears

* Gummy bears

* Darkwing

#cgtalks #chip n dale rescue rangers #rescue rangers spoilers #rescue rangers

39 notes · View notes

dpssys · 1 year

Text

I dreamt many things but I am not sure how all of it is connected so I am going to write it as one post. It starts in a doctors office with an older black man that is plural and thinks he is being rude to his headmates so the doctors offers to implant a chip into his brain that prevents him from ever fronting again and after that is done he is trapped in his own brain forever and there are scenes that so nonsense where he walks on the surface of his brain and such. In the next scene I am invited over by a guy to a weird piece of ancient technology. It is a machine that guy says has to do with petroleum but it is like looking like a bubble city thing and I can fly around in it and there are tons of small parts of machinery I cannot figure out what they do. The guy challenges me to find all the Homer Simpson references and hidden treasure ones and I find some homer indents and some treasure chest I did not manage to reach. The following scene is in the basement where I exterminate some insects using soap water that works very good then my dad calls me over into his room. He has found a robotic insect and tells me that no one knows where these insects come from and what they do but they seem self replicating. I tell my dad how it works with the soap water and as the robotic insect enters my room I spray it a little and it explodes with great force. The scene after that starts with Doctor House breaking into a military base and he has a special suit on him that protects him. The suit is powered by a child that is almost drowning in water which horrifies people when they see it but it protects him somehow and he just walks up to people and try to argue. In the next scene there are two people in my room. One is an old indigenous man and another is a guy I think was called Commander John Sheppard and they start arguing as John wants to unlock the final weapon of the ancients but the man tells him why that would be a bad idea and why he shouldn't and looks at the stolen military papers and tells him he does not even have the authorization to do such a thing. In the final scene I together with a research team investigate an ancient alien ship hidden under the ice that has many slimy tunnels that are awful to crawl through until I finally reach some chamber and the dream ends

2 notes · View notes

scruffyplayssonic · 1 year

Text

Are the ArchieSonic comics actually an 80's/90's syndicated cartoon? Episode 26: Hero and villain glued/chained/otherwise stuck together and begrudgingly cooperate to gain their autonomy (part 2)

Looks like you guys get a second post from me today, because I was reminded that I had missed a fairly infamous story back when I looked at the "hero and villain trapped together" episode. I hardly need an invitiation to bitch some more about Ken Penders, so let's take a look at the final main story arc from the Knuckles the Echidna comics before they were cancelled, King of the Hill.

I'm not quite sure what this cover's supposed to be saying. "No guns allowed"? Why didn't they just do what E.T. did and give Hunter a walkie talkie instead? :P

This story featured Knuckles having to deal with two new antagonists who wanted to tear him a new one: a human (or Overlander, if you prefer) hunter named... err, Hunter, and a purple gorilla... or monkey... named Monk.

I will now pause for a moment so you can all get your laughter out of your systems.

I know, I know. But let's not forget (as was pointed in an Off Panel strip I sadly have not been able to find) that the Sonic the Hedgehog series is full of silly names. The speedy hedgehog is named Sonic, the two-tailed fox is named Tails, the spiky-fisted echidna is named Knuckles, the pyrokinetic cat is named Blaze, and so on. But don't worry, Mr. Penders will give us plenty of other material to shake our heads at in this story.

The story kicked off when Monk, Knuckles' childhood bully, returned to the Floating Island looking to pick a fight with him. And considering why he'd been missing from the island for years, it's hard not to blame him for being pissed. Look, don't get me wrong - bullies are a massive problem and often ruin people's lives. I was bullied when I was younger, and it can do terrible things to your self esteem. But check out this flashback of how Knuckles' father and grandfathers decided to deal with Monk back when he was bullying preteen Knuckles.

Jesus Christ, Ken! This is how you portray your so-called heroes?! Knuckles' father and other ancestors, the ones who supposedly knew best and had all the answers?! Monk looks like he was still a teenager at the time, and for the crimes of (refers to notes) stealing Knuckles' yo-yo, bear-hugging him, and tossing him out of a tree, the cabal of mysterious grandpas just sentenced him to death?! I just... they go from hiding in the shadows and leaving Knuckles completely alone to... this? One of the memes most associated with Locke is how he microwaved his baby because he had a bad dream, but I feel this decision is just as worthy of mockery. Robotnik invades the island multiple times and tries to steal the Chaos Emerald? Meh, it'll be fine, Locke clearly doesn't need to do anything about it. But a teenage gorilla steals his kid's yo-yo? That is apparently worthy of an execution party! As Bart Simpson would say, "No offense, Locke, but your half-assed under-parenting was a lot more fun than your half-assed over-parenting."

Anyway...

Before the fight between Knuckles and Monk could be resolved, our other new antagonist showed up. Easily knocking out Monk, Hunter invited Knuckles to join him and his new captive aboard his ship, where Knuckles found out just how passionate of a hunter he really was.

Man, I can't believe Sonic the Hedgehog got his head cut off by this lunatic. :(

It turned out Hunter was looking for a challenge, and decided he wanted to hunt both Knuckles and Monk for sport. Knuckles initially refused to cooperate, but reluctantly agreed after Hunter threatened to shoot a photo of his girlfriend, Julie-Su.

Monk and Knuckles were ordered to wear special collars and to run for their lives, but quickly found out that the collars would shock them if they got too far from each other.

Knuckles led Monk into the hidden sewers of Hydro City, hoping to shake their hunter, but he managed to track them down via their footprints. They managed to hide overhead in the pipes and tried to lay a trap, but when Knuckles lost his footing and slipped it set off their collars. Monk didn't handle that very well.

Alas, poor Monk, we hardly knew him. No seriously, we really didn't. Anyway, Knuckles got so angry that his chaos powers went off and...

Is that supposed to be blood coming out of Hunter's hands? I guess they couldn't show red blood in an all-ages comic book, maybe? That's the only way I can make sense of that panel.

Anyway, Knuckles and Locke stripped Hunter down to his underpants - for some reason - and locked him up in an underwater bubble.

Actually, Knuckles raises a good question. How does he eat in there? ...or go to the toilet? ...oh god. I really hope my second question wasn't the answer to my first question.

This storyline gets a lot of criticism, and rightfully so. The story itself isn't really engaging to me, and back when I read it for the first time all I wanted to know was why I should give a damn about this stupid purple gorilla who used to beat up Knuckles when he was a little kid. And of course, there's the lack of unoriginality from this whole story. Aside from the characters' dumb names there's also an undeniable similarity between this Hunter and a certain other well-known Hunter, from the Spider-Man franchise...

...as well as this story likely being inspired by the novel "The Most Dangerous Game." Oh, and there's this panel from part two of the story which James Bond fans may recognise from The Man with the Golden Gun:

Weird, but at least it's not as cringey as that time he traced Anthony Mackie's face for his Lara-Su Chronicles project. But anyway, this was the last story Ken Penders got to tell in the Knuckles comics before they were cancelled. It didn't really seem to throw him off though, he just ended continuing telling them as the backup stories in the main Sonic book instead. Sigh.

I'd like to finish up tonight on a positive note though, so here's a shoutout to the person who reminded me that I'd missed this story, the superstar that is Aleah Baker! A former contributor to the ArchieSonic series, Aleah wrote for, coloured, and designed characters for numerous issues before the series' cancellation, with her most well-known work probably being the fan-favourite Spark of Life arc that she wrote for Sonic Universe #71 - 74.

More recently she coloured Jon Grey's alternate cover for IDW Sonic issue #50, and the two of them made it look gorgeous!

Aleah is an awesome individual, and it is nothing short of an honour to know she's been reading my rants. :)

All right, that's it from me for tonight. As I said in my post from earlier today, next time I'll be looking at times in ArchieSonic when the hero was kidnapped and it was the sidekick's time to shine. See you then!

#archiesonic syndicated

5 notes · View notes

qu-film-history-to-1968 · 8 months

Text

What's Hiding Behind That Door?

Mikela Picard

While watching a few episodes from Feuillade’s series Les Vampires (1915-1916), I noticed many references to how modern-day films are structured and made. Many present-day films follow a specific story and plot structure known as the three-act structure. This structure always starts with an inciting incident, for example, in the first episode of Les Vampires “The Severed Head,” all of the detective's files on vampires have suddenly gone missing, thus setting up the journey that the characters must take to solve this problem. Any film can trick the audience and its characters by building suspense, misdirection, and irony, just like many serial crime films do, especially by adding plot twists or a cliffhanger at the end. Throughout the episodes, many common tropes found in crime/mystery films were used. In the first episode, some include:

Secret or double identities- Dr. Nox was actually the Grand Vampire, who killed him and stole his identity

Disguises- A masked figure steals the jewels, and the grand vampire is disguised as Dr. Nox

Hidden passageways- in the caste there is a hidden passage/hole behind the painting where Philippe finds the head of Inspector Durtal

This reminded me of the hidden door in the closet in Rosemary's Baby (1968) that I just watched for another class. It was there all along but it wasn't until the end Rosemary discovered the disturbing secrets behind that door, just like the secrets behind the painting in Les Vampires “The Severed Head.”

Dead bodies- Inspector Durtal’s decapitated body, Mrs. Simpson’s body

Ereie locations- the swamp and the caste

Gangs- The Vampires

Someone is being set up- Philippe is suspected of stealing the jewels

Mystery figure/spiritual figures- The Vampires

Cliffhanger- a masked figure escapes the house and runs off

#submission

1 note · View note

rrxnjun · 1 year

Note

that is a wild combination but i love that for ur friend!! u are actually the greatest person out there tbh listening to lovejoy and being a casual jack manifold enjoyer just shows how top tier of a person u are🫢

SHE SAYS THAT SHE JUST SKIPS THE BORING/FILLER PARTS BUT IM STILL⁉️⁉️she only finishes them cuz she wants to know how it ends but yeah stopping just makes the most sense in my opinion as well

well i looked up two translations but if it's not a lot of work for u i would appreciate ur translation cuz both of them were a bit just idk how to explain it a bit weird iguess idk?? oh my i just need something to ease the pain of essay writing💔 i hope u find some artist!!!! if u use tiktok u might find some there (i got to know all of the hungarian artists i listen to on tiktok from just random aesthetic hungarian tiktokers tbh)

OH MY LORDDDD I HOPE U WILL ENJOY UR TIME HERE IF U END UP COMING!!!! and i would loveeee to be ur tour guide!!! so i hope u will not end up coming here when i have my exams and when i will be away for like a week i think!! (although if this actually happens i probably should stop being an anon soon😶)

6essays sound like a nightmare oh my!!! i hope u will do well on ur exams too!! good luck with them!!!🥳🥳rooting for u as well!!💕💓💘

LMAO I LAUGHED A BIT AT THE END BUT I WILL NEVER STOP THE HEACHAN AND BAR AGENDA

(and i also want to mention that i followed ur main not long ago and i think we are actually the same person or sumn cuz i completely agree with ur take on zach herrons voice😶)

AND LASTLY I CANT WAIT TO READ UR NEW FIC SO EXPECT ANOTHER ASK OF JUST ME SOBBING AND YELLING ABOUT HOW MUCH I LOVE UR WRITING (liebestraum anon💕)

what can i say i have taste🤭🤭but we already knew that. so do u thats why we match mwah.

I DISAGREE W THAT SO MUCH OHGOD id just google the ending so i dont waste my time if im thAT curious ???

i think im gonna try looking for some indie slovak artists on spotify ?? sometimes it pulls through w hidden gems 😩😩 also i am gonna attach the translated lyrics under the cut!! hihi

DJDJD idk if it will happen for sure bc we always make so many plans with my friend for the summer break and never actually end up doing anything because shes w her boyfriend all the time so thats a lil :/// i WOULD come alone but even tho im 20 i still dont think my parents would let me AHAHA but if my friend manages to find time for me in her summer schedule im gonna beg her on my knees to come 😌 and dw abt being on anon!! we can figure that out later AHAHA i want u to be comfortable ‼💓

6 essays is indeed a nightmare but im done w one of them so thats a plus. i started working on another one for my history of psychology class and found a lot of references so i honestly think its gonna be easy to finish. like three of them are group work so im gonna have to push my partner to start working on them w me soon 😋

ALSO DONT JUST TELL ME U FOLLOWED MY MAIN LILE THIS AAAAA that blog is so unfiltered and annoyingly active im so sorry 😭😭 but i am glad u agree bc zachs voice is just. i dont think ive ever been attracted to a voice more (him and also brad simpson from the vamps because i am a typical boyband-obsessed teenage girl)

HOPE U LIKED THE FIC!! (i saw your ask im gonna reply in a bit)

anyways the translation!!

tried to translate it in a way that makes the most sense 😭😭😭 again i dont really know what he was trying to say with "tak ako ty, tak potom aj ja" maybe im just stupid

#💌ask #liebestraum anon

0 notes

amplesalty · 2 years

Text

Halloween 2022 - Day 23 - The Changeling (1980)

No small talk in this seance. “Hi Joseph, how’s the afterlife? Was your pet hamster waiting for you?” No, just straight in with the HOW DID YOU DIE, JOSEPH?!

Well, if it isn’t another visit from a blog alumni, this time in the shape of George C. Scott. He’s appeared previously in Firestarter and The Exorcist III. Plus there was his version of A Christmas Carol that went undocumented, maybe I should revisit that so he can be one of the few to appear in both Halloween and Christms marathons. I assume it’s few, I can’t think who would be on that list off the top of my head, Macalay Culkin springs to mind immediately after looking at The Good Son the other year.

It’s a shame I’ve already looked at Exorcist III actually, it would have made for some great ‘SCISSOR ME DADDY ASS!’ references. That’s going to sound alarmingly strange to anyone who doesn’t know the context so let’s move swiftly on.

The Changeling is a haunted house/ghost type movie that abruptly takes a sharp pivot in a true crime direction about two thirds of the way through. Things start out horrifcly enough with Scott’s character John Russell witnessing his wife and child being absolutely steamrolled by a truck in a traffic accident. One second they’re just casually waiting for some roadside assistance and the next they’re willingly laying down right in the path of an out of control vehicle. This, children, is why you always stand well away from your parked car when you’ve broken down. But seriously, they see this truck coming and could easily just run to the side out of it’s way but instead they just lay down directly in front of it. There’s only one word for that; idiocy.

John can only look on helplessly from a nearby phone box. I love how the title just flashes up straight away, it’s like the same timing as the credits starting for Curb Your Enthusiasm just at the sweet spot of comedic timing. Heck, this would make for a very dark round of ‘Meme Your Enthusiasm’.

Turns out John is a very talented composer and in the wake of this tragedy, moves to Seattle to take up a lecturing job whilst working on new compositions. It’s here that he’s able to rent an old house through the local historical society who deem it perfect to him due to its large music room complete with grand piano. But strange things start to happen like random banging noises that are a little too odd to put down to just the house settling for the night.

Or a bath just running itself which leads to a startling vision of a young boy being drowned and a hidden room in the house where he was seemingly locked away, complete with a tiny wheelchair. After that Guy Pierce version of A Christmas Carol I think I’ve had quite my fill of watching crippled children drowning, thank you very much. I love how John just ‘nopes’ out of there by reversing out of the room like Homer Simpson through his hedges, going out of the door and right down the corridor in a way that he seems to back into the camera itself and effectively fade the scene to black.

Through the means of a seance, we come to learn that this boy was called Joseph Carmichael and this is where the whole turn into true crime comes in with a rather convoluted plot-line involving the state senator, Joseph Carmichael. See, his family owned the house and the young boy stood to inherit quite a fortune once he turned 21. Only, given his frail state, his father couldn’t let that go to chance so decided to quietly bump him off himself whilst drafting in a replacement who he would ship off to Europe for 15 years before bringing him back miraculously cured of all his ailments.

So the movie turns into this attempt to put the spirit of the real Joseph Carmichael to rest whilst the suspicious senator starts doing some digging of his own on John when he’s tipped off to these people suddenly sniffing around the house and the old family archives. John clearly needs some pointers on his investigate skills because his big play is basically lung wildly at the senator screaming conspiracy theory level claims about children who have been dead for the best part of 70 years and impostors. Quite frankly, he’s luckily the senators security detail didn’t shoot him on sight.

This one is okay, George C. Scott brings a certain gravitas to the role and it’s a refreshing change on the back of something like The Amityville Horror to not had this outwardly aggressive spirit in the house. It’s more like it’s reaching out in the hopes that someone may be able to avenge it’s death. Not that it doesn’t have it’s moments of aggression, seemingly getting pissed off towards the end at what seems to be fruitless attempts at trying to solve the mystery or exerting it’s powers on those who are wanting to intervene on the senators behalf.

If anything I am more intruiged by this director, Peter Medak, and some of his other work like a TV adaptation of The Hunchback of Notre Dame starring Richard Harris and Salma Hayek, and a movie called Zorro, The Gay Blade. What on Earth is Zorro, The Gay Blade? This was 1981 so it’s not as if it’s some old timey use of the word like in The Flintstones. Is this some weird exploitation thing?

#Halloween 2022 #The Changeling

1 note · View note