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ahsokasleftbicep · 3 years

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Name and Soul: Chapter 5

Here we go!! Let's see what Crosshair does ;)

@mqgriett @darkangel4121 @thelambandthewolffe @maulscrosshair @trash-dino-5000 @lightning-wolffe @killtherandomness @shadowwing12345 @sydnubabu @lafy-taffy

Crosshair x F! reader

Word Count: 2668

Warnings: SPOILERS for episode 5, Tarkin being a dick, Rampart being ughhhh, Conflicted Crosshair, internal conflict, slavery, Cid being an awesome character, injury, angst, a few curse words to get the mood across

“Y/N, what’s your position? Over.”

“Right behind you kid. Over” You chuckle when the girl jumps a little bit.

Echo clears his throat, “Omega, remember it’s not a toy.”

Omega just nods and keeps fiddling around with her new comm. Crosshair’s

“Y/N, can I talk to you for a moment?” Echo continues, nodding his head to the back of the ship.

“Yeah of course.” You both walk to the back and you lean against a crate, patting Gonky on the head when he walks by. Echo stands rather awkwardly, looking up at you before back to the ground.

“I’m not sure how to start… I know that you miss Crosshair.” Echo looks up again before speaking. “And I know these past few weeks have been hard. But we will get him back together. As a group. You don’t have to do it alone.

“You heard Hunter and I the other day then.” You sigh and shift uncomfortably, “I know we can get him back, and that doing that is a little more… difficult with Omega around, especially now that someone is after her. But the longer we leave him there… who knows what Tarkin has already made him do.”

“I trust you Y/N, we all do.” Echo walks up and rests his hand on your shoulder. “But if you go through with this, there is no guarantee that we can get to you both in time if things go south.”

“I understand Echo.” You look up, “Thank you.”

The man nods before walking towards the cockpit. “Come on, I gotta let the guys know about that informant.”

Crosshair awoke with a gasp, sweat covering his head and chest. The lights in the barracks flickered erratically, but it was enough for him to see that everyone else was asleep. He sat up and the cool air pricked his bare skin. He looked around again before grabbing his rifle. He grabbed a top shirt and the necklace, clipping it around his neck before walking out into the hall, making his way to the firing range.

He kept thinking about his nightmare if that’s what you’d call it. It wasn’t scary or disturbing, just… weird. He was sitting on his bunk, back at the Marauder. He saw a bunch of his things, trinkets, and belongings. But he also saw things that weren’t his. He looked to his side table and saw small pieces of jewelry, smaller rifle parts, and a rag. He also saw a picture strip propped on the table. One of himself and… her? It was fairly small and had a small rip on the top. In one picture, he had his arm wrapped around you and you were smiling. Weird. The next was similar, but this time, he was smiling a little too. Then, you both looked like you were laughing. And the last one is what shocked Crosshair the most. You were kissing him. Like on the lips. What the-? He sees you sitting on his bed with the girl… Omega. You’re talking about something, but he can’t hear you too well. It’s muffled and the sound echoes.

“Y/n…?” His voice sounds too loud. Why is it so loud? “Y/n?”

You look up, directly at him, but then you turn back to the girl. Didn’t you see him?

Why didn’t you see him?

“Well, this is a charming establishment.” You cross your arms as you walk into the bar on Ord Mantell. “Reminds me of 79’s”

“Indeed” Tech walks beside you, grimacing at the conditions.

“What’s 79’s?” Omega looks at you and Tech curiously.

“It’s a clone bar on Coruscant, I wouldn’t be surprised if it’s not there anymore though.” Tech pushes his goggles up to his nose.

You all walk into the main part of the bar. “So Echo, which one of them is Cid?” You glance at a couple of aliens arguing in the back, a Weequay and an Ithorian. None of them gave you the impression of being an informant.

“I couldn’t tell ya. I’ve only heard of him, never actually met him.” Echo looked back at you.

“That’s reassuring, Echo.”

Hunter walks towards a Trandoshan in the back, asking a few questions but getting nowhere.

“So unless you’re here to spend money, get lost.” The Trandoshan speaks, looking clearly annoyed. Hunter walks back and you all circle up.

“Great plan, Echo.” Wrecker groans

“I’m positive this is Cid’s. The Jedi came here during the war.”

You clear your throat before adding on, “Maybe he heard what happened to the Jedi and fled.”

While you all are talking, you don’t notice Omega walking up to the Trandoshan. You guys are struggling to come up with a plan.

“So, we came all this way for nothing?” There was a pause before your comm goes off.

“I found Cid.” You all turn towards Omega, who then points up to the Trandoshan at the bar.

You walk over to the Omega and nod at Cid politely, “Good job kid. You’re getting pretty good at this.”

“I could do my job if you did your research, Rampart.” Crosshair glances at the man, who simply glares back.

“How dare you? I’ve been-”

“Gentlemen! Enough of this nonsense.” Tarkin pinches the bridge of his nose. “What did you find?”

Rampart glares at the sniper for a moment before turning his attention back to Tarkin. “I have continued my research on Private L/N, sir. After she became a marksman, she joined the militia on her home planet. Over time, she was given the nickname the Ghost.”

“Why is this of use to us, Rampart?” Tarkin looks at the man, slowly losing his patience.

“Many other rebel militias hired her, therefore she is well known on other planets through her nickname. I was looking through the general gossip, when I found a report from Ord Mantell, saying that the Ghost had arrived early yesterday morning. Now it could be a mistake, but this is the closest thing to a lead that has been found.”

Crosshair looks down at the floor, thinking. What is he up to? He wants something more with this lady than what Tarkin has said.

“Very well. Because of the uncertainty that this is truly Private L/N, CT-9904, you will go to Ord Mantell alone and see if it is true. If you do find her, restrain and bring her back. If not, return to Kamino as soon as possible… and if she gives you trouble, dispose of her.”

Dispose of? No! Don’t kill her! Don’t listen to him! Would you just shut up?

“Of course, sir. I’ll leave right away.” Crosshair throws his toothpick to the ground and walks into the hall. I can go to Ord Mantell. If I see her, I could always lie.

“Wrecker, you doing okay?” You rest your hand on his shoulder.

“Yeah, yeah. It’s nothing. I’m alright.” The man rubs his head again.

“According to Cid’s intel, the Zygerrian slave traders are hiding in the ruins of Old Ord Mantell city.” Tech walks into the cockpit along with Echo and Omega

“What’s a slave trader?” Omega spins around in her seat.

“Someone who buys and sells people for credits.”

“People can be sold?” Omega looks up in confusion.

“They don’t have a choice. They’re captives treated like property.” Echo crosses his arms glaring at the ground.

“That… doesn’t seem right.”

“It’s not. But wealthy Zygerrians don’t care.” You kneel in front of her. “Before the war, their empire was very powerful and not a lot of people had enough to fight against them. I was called by a local militia in Zygerria after I graduated from the Academy, we went to Zygerria to free a village of missing twi-leks. Some of my team got caught…” You look at the boys. “They were vicious in their punishment of the militia members, especially the Queen.” You suppress a shiver from your spine at the memory.

“We are going to stop this from happening to that kid.” Echo speaks up and squeezes your shoulder.

“Don’t worry Y/N. We’ll save Muchi, no matter what!” Omega smiles.

This could be going better. You try to adjust your hands in the binders, but it just tightens on your wrists.

You all had gotten captured, now in the remnants of the city square tied up with other people. Wrecker tries to break the binders but gets shocked.

“You do that one more time and you’ll be…” Echo glares at the man

The soldier shocks him and you run to his side, “Save your energy, Echo. We’ll need it.” You look around before catching on to a large building, seeing a higher-ranking Zygerrian at the top.

“We need to signal Omega before their scouts find her.” Hunter says, looking at all of us.

You keep looking around, and you see… Omega walking towards a fallen column.

“We won’t need a comm to signal her,” Tech speaks up and you point Hunter in her direction.

Before anything can happen, the door of the large building opens. The higher Zygerrian walks out, looking over you all with interest. He stops on you before speaking.

“Look at what we have here,” He chuckles, “Five new slaves to add to my collection.” He approaches you and grabs your face. He smirks and leans closer. “You will be a very nice plaything.”

You narrow your eyes before spitting in his face. “Go fuck yourself.” The man growls and slaps you.

“Y/N!” Hunter calls out and tries to reach you, but a blaster is pointed in his face.”

“We can do with one less slave and loyalty can be taught.” The man grabs you by your hair, “Through violence if necessary.”

You smirk at him for a moment. “I’d love to see you try, prick.”

“Let me go!” You all turn your head towards a guard, who’s holding Omega.

“I found her sneaking around the cage.”

The girl struggles, “I wasn’t sneaking. I was unlocking.”

The cage bursts open despite the guard's best efforts, revealing a young rancor. Great.

“Let’s get out of here.” Hunter helps you free yourself and you run towards your gear.

As you all run along with the other former slaves, Tech is conversing with them.

One of them points to the rancor, “Muchi! Muchi!”

“Muchi?” You look at the rancor and your eyes widen. “The rancor is Muchi?!”

Hunter sighs, “We have to go after Muchi, if we don’t, we don’t get intel from Cid. Y/N, you’re with me.”

“Got it, let’s go.”

Tech and Wrecker separate from you two to go after Muchi, while you and Hunter go after the leader.

“You’re going to pay for this, skugs!” The man moved his whip, the cracking echoing through the air.

The man raises his whip and aims at Hunter.

“Hunter! Watch out!” The whip catches on Hunter’s arm, groaning in pain from the electricity.

You run and tackle the leader to the ground. He gets up and gets his whip around your neck, activating the electric pulse. You scream out and use the slack of the whip to drag yourself closer. “Like I said, loyalty through violence.” The man sneers at you and rips your helmet off your head.

Your voice comes out hoarse and scratchy, “You should’ve kept an eye behind you.”

“Huh?”

Hunter headbutts and kicks the man back.

“Y/N, are you alright?” He unwraps the whip from your neck and looks over the mark left behind.

You cough a little bit and nod. “Yeah, I’m fine.” You place your helmet on. “Let’s go get Muchi and get the hell out of here.”

The sergeant chuckles, “I couldn’t agree more.”

You wince when Cid pokes your neck with a stim. “Ow! Are you trying to hurt me more?”

“Oh calm down, you're fine. I thought the Ghost herself could handle more than a needle.”

“The Ghost? Who’s that?” Omega looks up at you and Cid. The boys look at you, curious.

You sigh and Cid keeps fixing up your injury.

“After the academy and over time, working with militias and going on solo assassin missions, people started calling me the Ghost. I haven’t heard anyone call me that in a while. And I didn’t expect that my name would make it all the way out here… How’d you know?”

“Your demeanor, how you react, and a bit of lucky guessing.” Cid finishes bandaging up your neck.

“Thanks.” You hop off the bar and move your head gingerly. “I’m gonna go for a walk.”

“Can I come?” Omega hops up to you.

“Kid, I actually need some help with something.” Cid nods at you.

“Oh! Okay! Bye Y/N! Be careful!”

“Will do, Omega!”

You walk to the door before Hunter stops you. “Y/N, you sure you’ll be fine on your own?”

“I’ll be okay, I have my comm if I run into any trouble. How’s your arm?” You gesture towards it.

“It’s okay, I’ll live.”

You chuckle, “That’s good, but maybe have Cid look at it.”

“Noted.”

You wave before you walk out into the alleys of the city.

Crosshair weaved behind alleys. He was bare of his typical armor, now donning dark civvie clothes. He has a cloth covering his face, only showing his eyes. His rifle is nowhere to be found, only having a knife strapped to his thigh. His necklace feels cold against his skin, but the rest of his body is on fire. Why am I nervous? She’s just another soldier.

There!

He sees you out in the streets, walking by the market stands that are scattered through the streets. You don’t look armed, so that makes things easier. He keeps his distance, only moving closer as you move towards the denser part of the marketplace. Just grab her and get the job done. No, just ask questions. Don’t show your face.

Something felt off for the last hour of walking around the markets and vendors. Someone was following you, but they weren’t necessarily dangerous. You could be completely wrong though, you hadn’t actually seen your stalker yet.

I should’ve brought my knife, dammit.

You weave through people for a few blocks and stop in the middle of the street. Behind you. You turn and see him.

He’s paused in the street as well, about 30 feet away. He’s in dark clothing, a cloth covering most of his face. Except for his eyes. His eyes. Crosshair.

His eyes are hardened, but they’re his. You make out the faint black lines of a tattoo around his right eye. The man straightens his gaze onto you, then to your bandage, and finally to your necklace. He reaches under his shirt collar and pulls out a silver chain.

You look back up at him and grab your necklace. A person interrupts your line of sight and when you focus again, he’s gone.

Crosshair runs through alleys back to his ship. He’s breathing hard and mumbling to himself.

“She’s okay, she’s okay.” It comes out rushed and panting. He runs up the ramp of his ship, tearing off his mask and getting the ship running. As soon as the ship is in space, he sits in the pilot's seat and grabs his head. His ears are ringing and it feels like his head is going to explode. What the hell was that? Why didn’t I ask her? I ran, why the fuck did I run? She’s okay. She recognized me. Y/N’s safe. It hurts. Why does it hurt so much? Dammit, STOP!

“CT-9904. What did you find on Ord Mantell?” Tarkin’s hologram flickered slightly.

“I… wasn’t able to find any sign of Private L/N. It looks to be local gossip and conspiracy.”

The Admiral nods, “Well that is unfortunate. I assume you are returning immediately.”

“Yes, sir. I’ll be back on Kamino shortly.”

“Very well. Good work, CT-9904.” The hologram shut off.

Crosshair sighed in relief, slumping into his seat. I’m sorry, Y/n. I’m so sorry.

#name and soul #clone trooper crosshair #crosshair x reader #the bad batch #omega tbb #tbb spoilers #star wars #cid tbb #if you want to be tagged in this story dm me

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mirage-krp · 3 years

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The guardians welcome [ SUYEONG ] to the city of Jeonseol. He is [ A WATER DEITY ] currently living in [ CORAL ] and working as [ SALES ASSOCIATE ] at [ ANDERS ].

Welcome to Mirage! Please follow the admin twitter within 48 hours of your acceptance.

Faceclaim: Choi Beomgyu - TXT Name: Suyeong Nickname(s): n/a Age: 1,000+ Date of birth: Unknown

Species/myth/cryptid/etc:

Suyeong is a water deity, considered a guardian of the ocean surrounding the Korean Peninsula. As such, he can control water both in it and out, so long as a source is nearby. He can communicate with and is a friend of all aquatic creatures, from the smallest organism to the largest. With the water as his realm, Suyeong can breathe beneath the waves and withstand the pressure that would crush humans. Though he can swim with ease in human form, Suyeong has the ability to take on the form of a sea serpent, which he uses to get through the ocean quickly.

As a deity, Suyeong is physically resilient, still able to be harmed but requiring more power to do so. If he were to be struck down, his spirit becomes locked in a seashell, protecting him until he can return after a period of anywhere from ten to twenty minutes. If the shell housing his spirit were to be destroyed, it would end him for good.

Weaknesses:

The farther away from the ocean that Suyeong is, the weaker his power is overall. If surrounded by plenty of alternative water sources, he does well, but would be very weak in an area mostly devoid of water.

Electricity / electricity based attacks.

Favourite song or quote: “You can never cross the ocean until you have courage to lose sight of the shore.”

Residence: Coral Houseboat 005

Occupation: Sales associate at Anders & jeweler

Personality:

Suyeong is a natural protector, empathetic and kind in general situations. He enjoys making friends and spending time with them, and he possesses a strong desire to help others. Though he’s seen much of the underwater world and tends to be wise, there’s still many things about land that he doesn’t understand yet. To this end, Suyeong is curious and may come off as innocent or naive. Despite his fair temperament, crossing him is done at the aggressor’s peril, as he won’t hesitate to speak up for himself. He has resorted to violence in some cases when no other option was readily available to him, though it would never be his first choice.

Mirroring the way an ocean can be thrown into chaos by storms, Suyeong is a force when swayed by anger. He can also be solitary, preferring to be left alone to reflect or when something troubles him. Solitude is more of a habit than a genuine trait, as Suyeong has spent countless years with very few like minded individuals to share his company. If he trusts the other person, he may open up and discuss his feelings rather than bottle them up, but trust doesn’t always come easily. Suyeong tends to put others before himself, particularly those with which he has developed a close bond, sometimes to the detriment of his own self.

Suyeong takes pride in his appearance, choosing to wear whatever he pleases without worrying about the opinions or standards of others. Yet, praise is something he’s weak for, and for him, flattery goes a long way. As confident as he is, Suyeong is prone to bouts of low self esteem just like anyone else. Making the leap from a world with which he’s familiar to a completely foreign world has been frequently overwhelming, the anxiety sometimes growing to more than he can handle. Suyeong dislikes large crowds full of loud noises despite his attempt at being more social, and in his dealings with others, he can sometimes do or say things that seem strange. He keeps trying, however, determined to prove to himself that he can adapt to anything.

Background:

The origin of Suyeong is a mystery, the details of which are unknown even to himself. Though his memory stretches far back through the centuries of his existence, he remembers only that he began to have conscious thought at some undetermined point in time. The beginnings of the deity’s life were largely spent at the bottom of the ocean, in the cold and fathomless depths. From there, he expanded his knowledge and his travels further. Suyeong is only sure of one thing concerning his origin: that he dwelled in the waters long before much of today’s marine life became as they are now. In his dawning years, he knew giants, beings that have long since faded into the past due to evolution and extinction.

As countless years went on, Suyeong came to love and appreciate the world that surrounded him. He befriended various aquatic inhabitants, some that would later inspire science, and others, myth. He was frequently sought out to settle disputes, being seen as impartial and fair. As friendly and as close as he grew with those that shared his home, Suyeong was, by nature, lonely. No matter how far he ventured, or how deep he dove, the serpent never found others quite like him. In this way he was isolated, a part of no world but his own. As earth took shape into islands, Suyeong looked on with interest, but feared the prospect of leaving his waters despite the temptation of finding any kindred spirits.

It wasn’t until the humans began sailing their first ships that things changed for Suyeong. At first, he would watch them sail by at a distance, enraptured and curious but cautious. Time passed, ever ceaseless, and he found himself swimming closer, then closer still. One day, he swam too close. The moment his massive, scaled head broke the surface, Suyeong was met with panicked screams. He watched confused as the humans, strange and utterly alien in their appearance, scrambled about on the decks of their ships. When they began to hurl sharp spears at him, Suyeong was the one to flee in shock, disappearing under the waves to safety.

The event caused Suyeong to observe only at a distance going forward. He watched as various ships of all shapes and sizes cruised along, but the trauma of being attacked always kept him at bay. That is, until he watched as a storm ripped a ship apart, scattering the wood, cargo and crew for miles. Whatever these creatures called humans were, they were clearly not fit for the ocean. Reluctant but knowing he couldn’t remain idle, Suyeong gently gathered all the humans on his back, swimming as close as he dared to the shore of the nearest island before allowing them to drift to the beach. He didn’t stay, vanishing like a ghost to the bewilderment of the members of the crew who weren’t rendered unconscious.

More years passed, with Suyeong finding interest in humans and their unique ways. He listened to their voices carry across the waves, rising in harmony as they worked. He watched them wage war and kill one another for reasons he could never comprehend, the sounds of their cannons the most horrific noise he could imagine. Their ships became more sleek, more streamlined for travel and battle. Suyeong was ever watchful, but it wouldn’t be long until he learned he could pass among them as one of their own. Another storm brought more casualties, but also waves stronger than even Suyeong could swim against while attempting to rescue the humans of another destroyed ship.

Suyeong woke battered but alive, curled up on a sandy beach. The crew had pulled together those who survived and had started camp, and when they realized Suyeong was awake, they appeared to offer him food. This surprised the deity. Why weren’t the humans reacting to him with fear, as they usually did? That was when Suyeong looked down at his body, and instead of seeing scales, he saw…a human form. Frightened and shocked, he fled into the ocean, resuming his serpentine body. It took him quite a long time to adjust to this new information, and with testing, Suyeong learned that he could become a human whenever he went on land. From this, he learned to hold the form, finding it possible to live in the ocean no matter which body he chose. Suyeong gained the ability to transform between human and serpent at will through practice. He used this ability to explore the islands he came across, until he became torn between living among humans and his duty to protect the ocean.

Recently, Suyeong has heard of a place inland that can house special creatures like him, far from human eyes. Ever the curious deity, he’s decided to try his luck and expand his horizons. Though he has started making a home for himself on land, Suyeong hasn’t forgotten the reason for his existence, and frequently returns to the ocean as his true home.

Any wanted connections?:

Fellow denizens of the ocean (friends, former lovers, enemies, anything!)

#m:accepted #fc:choi beomgyu #m:wanted connection

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lesceriises · 4 years

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[ 🍒 ] — gracing the tags with my presence before i go work on replies. hi. i’m elle. i’m mostly here for mxf shipping tbh, but i love platonic/family plots too. i have adhd which means i like jumping into things and figuring out what works and doesn’t without beating around the bush. send me memes!! send me ideas!! i love brainstorming. i have a bunch of muses right here & you can check out my open starters here.

if you’re curious about what fcs i like + what types of plots i’m interested in, click the read more.

come write with me!!!

🍒 FCS I WANT TO WRITE AGAINST 🍒

alfonso herrera, alvaro rico, chris pine, dacre montgomery, david giuntoli, edgar ramírez, jake gyllenhaal, kit harington, luke pasqualino, michiel huisman, oliver jackson-cohen, oscar isaac, ryan guzman, santiago cabrera, sean tealea, simon baker, tom ellis, tommy martinez, tyler hoechlin, zane holt, alicia vikander, alycia debnam carey, eleanor tomlinson, gugu mbatha-raw, imogen poots, johanna braddy, lupita nyong'o, margot robbie, oona chaplin, poppy drayton, ruth negga, saoirse ronan, shelley hennig, shannon purser, zendaya, zoey deutch.

🍒 PLOTS I’M INTERESTED IN: GENERAL VIEW 🍒

drama, over-the-top drama, cheesy drama, angst, romance, manipulation, lying, cheating, pregnancies, horror, supernatural, ghosts, historical, crime, royals, modern royals, fake relationships, unrequited feelings, bad timing. you can check a few plots i’d like to do here.

🍒 PLOTS I’M INTERESTED IN: SPECIFIC 🍒

if fandom isn’t your thing, i’m also v interested in rl / historical plots. you can find a list of those here.

CHOICES GAME APP & STORYSCAPE: plots based on: titanic, the perfect match, rules of engagement, desire & decorum, the royal romance, and the elementalists. we don’t have to play the “main” characters or follow the original storylines tho.

TITANIC/1900s: legit just... any and all dynamics lmao the list is infinite there’s so much potential. if you’re familiar with the game i’m looking for something taken from storyscape like matteo x adele dynamic (long-story short, matteo is a valet for a wealthy man and adele is someone who is being blackmailed by said wealthy man) or charlie x adele (charlie is a steward who befriends adele, helps her navigate her situation, and the two become very close - esp interested in a dynamic post-titanic too where he's trying very hard not to hold things against her but is struggling tremendously with guilt, ptsd, and his idealism) or a dynamic based on zetta x adele (zetta is famous and adele's employer, and adele is being blackmailed into ruining her engagement - but it'd have to be an mxf one because that's the only kind of romantic pairings i write).

THE HUNGER GAMES: capitol citizen x capitol citizen, mentor x mentor, victor x dead tribute’s sibling/dead tribute’s best friend, literally any other combO!! smth with spies would be great too like spy rebel working a the capitol x capitol staff.

VIDEO GAMES: plots based on until dawn!!!!!!!!! which is one of my favs tbh (there’s SO MUCH POTENTIAl but i’m particularly weak for “we had a ‘opposites attract, will they don’t they’ thing going on and smth was about to happen between us at the cabin but then my sibling/best friend vanished and everything went to shit and we haven’t spoken in a year even though we miss each other dearly”.

HARRY POTTER:

workaholic diplomats with a fuckton of baggage and personal struggles who are really good at their jobs and always butting heads… falling in love (bonus: maybe one of them is a squib)

pureblood order member is essentially kidnapped by their own elitist family and has their memory tampered with, meaning they now believe they’ve always just been a spy for the death eaters. they’re engaged and their significant other starts to notice little things that feel odd and unusual.

i muggleborn who started lying about her blood status and is passing as elitist pureblood who ends up getting engaged to a pureblood.

before the first wizarding war, two purebloods get married. it wasn’t an arranged marriage and for all their differences they brought out the best in each other. their families were iffy about each other but they made it work. she remained mostly a housewife, enjoying the work and taking care of the children. things were good until the war rolled around and slowly, gradually. it became clear that his family (and he himself) were prejudiced against muggles and muggleborn. in the end they end up on opposite sides of the war, and it gets ugly.

arranged marriage between two people. he’s a widower and a grump, no one really finds him good company and on top of that his wife died in questionable circumstances (everyone thinks he did it, but it was actually his parents). his parents picked her because she seems easy to manipulate and air-headed. they never thought they would end up gradually growing very fond of each other to the point of love - they have the same humor, he helps her try not to please everyone and she helps him allowing himself to be himself - and that he’d start standing up to his family.

ANGELS / DEMONS / NOT FANDOM SPECIFIC: angel x fallen angel (please. think of all the pain and angst) or demon x redeemed demon or smth of the sort (the betrayal!!!)

X-MEN: literally too many possible combos to list and i want them all!!! the angstier/messier the better.

THE MUMMY: doesn’t have to be based on the movie, i’m going for the ~vibes~ here. we can do: explorer/archaeologist x non-explorer, explorer/archaeologist x journalist, explorer/archaeologist x doctor, explorer/archaeologist x explorer/archaeologist…. they can be any age too! even exs with children, the options are endless.

PACIFIC RIM: trainee x trainee, pilot x scientist, pilot x pilot, doctor x pilot

OUTLANDER/TIME-TRAVELLING IN GENERAL: could be intentional, accidental, to the future or the past, etc so many options!! we can mix time-travelling with other fandoms too!!

TOMB RAIDER: feel free to make suggestions but here are some ideas: (a) and (b) have a long history (platonic, romantic, siblings, idc). they’re both explorers who for the most part have been on the same side. two peas in a pod. two sides of the same coin. etc etc. while trying to put together a mystery, and trying to beat the “bad guys” to it, they realise the object they are looking for can change the past or bring the dead back to life…. this is where (b) turns against (a), who, unlike them, wants to take the object and keep it safe inside a vault.

STAR WARS: literally too many options to list but i’ll try: “jyn” x “cassian”, spy x traitor, pilot x spy doctor, former stormtrooper x spy, former stormtrooper x regular person, spy x regular person, diplomat x pilot, diplomat x former stormtrooper, idk there’s so many possible dynamics i couldn’t list them all legit anything in this universe im begging lmao!

STRANGER THINGS: so many possibilities?? could be set at any point in time too… and/or make our characters older and have them revisit things that happened to them in the past.

MARVEL/MCU: superhero x human , superhero x superhero, hero x law enforcement, a verse where heroes are “banned” (think incredibles 2)… all of these could go in so many ways?? the sky’s the limit. reminder that i don’t write canons but i don’t mind writing against them!!

ANASTASIA: lost princess/prince x kitchen boy/girl turned con-person who is at first using them for money but ends up falling in love with them and oops turns out they are the real deal.

THE LITTLE MERMAID: mermaid x prince, mermaid x human, mermaid x pirate, “ursula” x “eric”

ALADDIN: “i pretended to be a rich prince/princess to impress the their/heiress to the throne bc i’m poor as hell and i just want to stop being poor lmao … but oh boy i’ve fallen in love…….”

FROZEN: “hans” x “anna” or “hans” x “elsa” (i just think “hans” is a great character and there’s a lot we could do with him tbh) oc guard or commoner x “elsa” “anna” and “kristoff” but their relationship isn’t working out the dynamic between “anna” and “elsa” bc i’m a sucker for sibling dynamics we could also explore the relationship of anna and elsa’s parents!!!

#indie starter #open rp #mumu rp #indie oc rp #indie horror rp #open starter

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vulpinmusings · 5 years

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Ski’tar and Friends part 11: An Old-fashioned Akitonian Barfight

This week, Ski’tar, Vemir, and 6 head to the Red Planet in search of a fool.

Episode One

Previously on

In his Traditional celebration of a completed mission and our trio’s advancement to official members of the Starfinder Society, Vemir took Sixer and me out for drinks. The venue of choice this time was a few levels of class above where we’d gone after the Ulmarid incident, with an android bartender that had its own private elevator behind the bar for accessing the higher-end alcohol. My friends each went for Crystal Head vodka, which our bartender was more than eager to tell us the history and fermentation process of, while I just ordered a plain red wine and let my thoughts drift ahead to the future. All that anyone in the Society could talk about was the Scored Stars Incident, so it was only a matter of time before we would find ourselves dealing with the fallout, I was sure.

The following morning, we received a summons from our old friend, Venture Captain Arvin. When we arrived at his office, he told us he had a mission of utmost importance to the reputation of the Society. It turns out that the recent losses in membership weren’t just from lots of deaths and missing folks at Scored Stars, but also from ongoing defections by those who hadn’t been directly involved. For the most part, these quitters had left on good terms and the Starfinders held no ill will toward them. However, there was this one guy, Reynold Talbot, who decided to take a souvenir with him when he left, namely that strange stone we’d found on the Unbounded Wayfarer. The Starfinders had determined the stone was an artifact from lost Golarion; at first glance it seemed to be a Philosopher’s Stone, capable of transmuting objects into more valuable materials like gold, but in truth it was a Charlatan's Stone, capable only of producing the illusion of transmutation. Arvin didn’t know if Talbot knew the truth about the Stone, but the simple fact that he had stolen it from the Society was reason enough to send a team out to retrieve it.

Arvin’s information stated that Talbot had left Absalom Station and gone to Akiton, so it was “home-again-home-again” for Sixer and myself. Before leaving, I decided to kit myself out in some Ysoki refractor armor with an electrostatic defense mod, and spotted a plasma whip that I just couldn’t turn down despite the low likelihood of my ever using it.

Following an uneventful Drift-hop, our shuttle set us down in the underside of the city of Maru on Akiton, and we immediately got to work scrounging for information in our various ways. Vemir checked in with some fellow bounty hunters, and decided to pick up a couple extra marks while he was in the area, Sixer visited some contacts of his own, while I sought out the nearest gathering of Ysoki to tap into the rumor mill. I couldn’t find much of use, but my companions managed to put together an interesting lead. A ship belonging to Abadarcorp, the largest and most diverse corporation in the entire Pact, had recently bought a load of fuel at the small mining town of Tash, and was still there two days later. Suspecting some charlatanry was at play, we rented a dune buggy and drove the two hours out to Tash.

In the good ol’ days, before the advent of the Drift, Akiton was a bustling mining world that produced thasteron, an ore that is used to produce the best fuel for sub-light travel. Nowadays, there’s not nearly as much demand for thasteron, which has resulted the general collapse of Akiton as a global society. Tash is one of innumerable towns that were founded around thasteron mines, and the economic slump hit them hard. I didn’t know of Tash before this mission, but I’d seen a few ghost towns like it during my early scavenger days, so I was surprised when we rolled into town and saw a full-blown party going on at the local watering hole, the Digger’s Dive.

Aside from the jubilant attitude of the primarily human and ysoki crowd, the Digger’s Dive looked like a typical run-down saloon in a run-down mining town: everything made of red mud and imported wood, and the roof providing an almost uninterrupted view of the sky. The bartender was cute ysoki lady who was all too happy to offer us some ysoki mead for a mere credit a mug. Before we could pay, two of the locals butted in to cover our costs as they cheered about the town being saved. With just a few simple questions, we learned that our target, Talbot, had rolled into town a few days ago, sold a full load of fuel that he got from somewhere to Abadarcorp, spread the wealth around town, and then rolled right back out. Nobody knew where Talbot had gone, but they were well aware of at least one of Vemir’s targets, a ne’er-do-well former miner who squatted in one of the mines and came down just to break things and cause trouble. Figuring we could at least collar one bounty while searching for Talbot’s trail, we got up to leave.

Before we got out the door, a Vesk approached us and asked us to join his boss at their table for a minute. Sixer was hesitant, until we received a polite telepathic “please” from the table and realized the boss was a Shirren. I find it hard to refuse a polite Shirren, so I led the way over to the table and sat down. Our new friend was Filt, a high-ranking member of Abadarcorp, and he’d overheard us talking about Talbot. Filt explained that the “fuel” Talbot had sold him had not done the thing fuel is supposed to do, and so Abadarcorp was very interested in making Talbot explain himself. Filt couldn’t provide us any useful information, but he did offer a sizable bounty if we turned Talbot over to him. We agreed, since Captain Arvin had given us carte blanche on deciding Talbot’s fate so long as we brought the Charlatan’s Stone back.

Once again, we prepared to leave the bar and, once again, something stopped us. This time, it was deep yet feminine voice from outside, accusing us of heresy for daring to come into town seeking to harm Talbot, the Hero of Tash. That put the party in the bar on hold, as everyone hastily cleared out through any adequately-sized hole in the walls and Filt and his two bodyguards took shelter in the restroom. Knowing a fight was unavoidable, I threw myself behind the bar for cover while Vemir, Sixer, and Drone prepared to meet our future assailant near the door.

There were two assailants: a sick-looking ysoki and a hulking, four-armed shabbad mystic lady. After the traditional missed opening shot courtesy of Sixer, Vemir swept in for a sneak attack on the mystic while my Drone and I turned our lasers on the ysoki. As sickly as the enemy rat looked, he proved surprisingly durable against constant laspistol fire, although it didn’t take long for him to fixate on trying to tear by drone apart with knife and acid-dart gun in an effort to make the burning stop. He did plug Sixer with a pair of very potent acid darts before focusing on my Drone, though.

As for the shabbad mystic, she hit Vemir with a confusion spell in order to break away from his attempt to subdue her with a garrote, and turned her attention to 6, hitting him with acid darts of her own in between an attempt at a Daze spell and a successful mental barrage.

I danced behind the bar for a bit, shooting the ysoki, until I realized my friends were having more trouble than usual. Leaving my drone to keep up the battle of attrition with the ysoki, I crept out and turned my laspistol on the shabbad. I got her full attention after a few shots, giving Sixer a few moments to pour healing serum on his acid-melted bits, and she hit me with a confusion spell that I narrowly managed to fight through without hurting anybody.

The fight seemed to drag on forever; neither of our opponents showed signs of giving up despite eventually losing limbs to laser or cryo-gun fire. The ysoki managed, just barely, to win his shoot-out with my drone, and about the same time the shabbad suddenly went limp without actually falling over. Thinking she was out of the fight, I slipped around to my wrecked drone and pointed my pistol at the ysoki, giving him one chance to give up. He refused my offer, and my laspistol fried his brains.

I seem to be causing a lot of brain-related deaths all of a sudden.

The shabbad wasn’t actually done, though. She hit me with a mental barrage that dropped me on my tail, and then Vemir moved in to knock her down, tie her up, and cut her leg tendons just for good measure.

Once the dust settled, Filt and his guards emerged and offered us some medkits while we came down from the high of combat.

We had a potential lead to Talbot’s current location now, but we needed more than a bit to rest up, patch up, and get my drone operational before we could do anything about it.

#ski'tar #Vulpin plays #Starfinder

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yukipri · 6 years

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YOI x Star Wars AU!

A sudden wild, unplanned AU appears! Happy Star Wars Day, or May the 4th!

Thought about doing this last year, brain was like Nah, thought about it this year, brain was like YAH!

For those of you who didn’t know, Star Wars was my main fandom pre-YOI, so of course I was going to bring them together eventually ^ ^;

As usual, way too much thinking, so story Headcanons beneath cut!

PLEASE DO NOT REPOST, EDIT, TRANSLATE, OR OTHERWISE USE MY ART. To share, please reblog! More detailed rules available on my Rules & FAQ Post.

MORE OF MY YOI ART HERE.

Headcanons beneath cut! V V V V V

WARNINGS: major character death (or at least assumed), minor character death, Dark!Victor, Dark!Yurio, prisoner!Yuuri, Victor aged up, non-graphic genocide, u know the general star wars stuff LOL

Really just editing and slapping together elements of SW as I see fit ^ ^;; Mostly set in the prequel era, bc that's my home LOL. I have not a CLUE how many of you are actually familiar with the Star Wars universe, so I'll try to add simple explanations when I remember ^ ^;

Explicitly mentioned ships are Victor x Yuuri and Yurio x Yuuri. But my brain always tends to default Everyone x Yuuri ^ ^;;;

Please keep ship bashing out of the comments/tags. Don’t like, just skip <3 Thank you.

HEADCANONS:

Victor - a powerful Jedi Master once believed to be the Chosen One, but Nothing Happened! so people just sorta let him be. A maverick who completely does his own thing and orders from the Council are "suggestions," but well, he gets results. Takes on Yuuri as a Padawan, and becomes super, SUPER attached, increasingly in ways that are forbidden by the Code...

Yuuri - As a child, almost lost his chance to become a Jedi when no one chose him to be their Padawan, until one day Victor sees him practicing one of his saber routines. Yuuri is more than delighted to be chosen as apprentice by the legendary Jedi Master who also happens to be his not-so-secret idol. They spend many years together and become the perfect team, though Yuuri is completely oblivious to his Master's growing internal struggles with attachment.

Then, Victor is killed by a Sith.

With his dying words, Victor makes Yuuri promise to take Yurio as his own apprentice. Yuuri is heartbroken and an emotional wreck, but does the best he can for Yurio, and slowly comes to be as close to him as he was to Victor. Still, the years take their toll, and Yuuri becomes more worn as they enter war. The ghost of Victor seems to forever haunt him.

Yurio - A former slave boy who was picked up from a frozen planet by Yuuri and Victor, the latter who claimed that Yurio was the second Chosen One. While Victor originally planned to train him, after his death, Yuuri becomes Yurio's Master in his place. At first Yurio has no patience for his Master's lack of confidence and constant tears, but he also knows what Yuuri's capable of and refuses to take any other Master.

They slowly become close and a team with a bond to rival the one Yuuri had with Victor. Yurio knows Yuuri loves him dearly, but only as a student. But his own feelings are rapidly spiraling into something else. Yurio has always questioned and rebelled against the Code and is reluctant to deny his own feelings, but keeps them hidden for fear of hurting Yuuri, even if the secrecy threatens to distance them.

Then, Yurio starts having nightmares that come true. He finds that his grandfather, left as a slave on his home planet, was murdered. He barely manages to save Yuuri from multiple near-death experiences. After each one, he senses a dark presence that Yuuri claims he can't (or at least, refuses to acknowledge).

Yurio one day manages to corner the presence, and is shocked to find that it's Victor. Visibly, he hasn't aged a day, but there's something off and Dark about him. Victor warns Yurio that the end of the Republic and the Jedi is coming, and that soon he'll have to make some choices if he wants to save Yuuri from a horrible fate.

The nightmares continue, the encounters with Victor continue in secret to Yuuri, and Yurio eventually realizes that Victor now serves a Sith Lord (and is likely one himself), fulfilling his role in the prophecy as the Chosen One. Yurio knows he should tell Yuuri and the Council, but at this point he's also become ensnared in their trap, and convinced that the only way to save Yuuri is to betray the Jedi.

Yurio helps Victor massacre the Jedi, and the two of them take Yuuri alive. The galaxy burns around them.

When Yuuri wakes up, he is shocked to see Victor alive, but also horrified at what he and Yurio have become. Yurio ignores Yuuri, and demands that he and Yuuri be let go, as promised.

Turns out, Victor's main motivation for aiding the Sith was to get Yuuri. He "died" as a Jedi regretting having never been able to tell Yuuri how much he loved him. As a Sith, those feelings have warped into an obsessive desire to possess Yuuri in every way imaginable.

Yurio is not happy with this. This isn't what he signed up for.

Yuuri, locked away on some isolated planet with Force restraining cuffs and collar wonders how it came to this. As two Sith fight over him, he tries to find a way to save them both, while also praying someone's still out there left alive...

Other characters:

Phichit - Yuuri's best friend and an influential Senator. He knows everyone, and is the People's champion. While Yuuri and the other Jedi fight in the field, Phichit seeks to end war with politics. When the Republic falls, Phichit immediately moves to rally and lead the Rebellion. Through his vast network, he manages to catch a rumor that Yuuri is still alive, and desperately clings to that hope as he sends rescue mission after attempted rescue mission...

Chris - Victor's best friend while he was a Jedi, and a former Jedi Master himself. He did his best to look out for Yuuri and Yurio after his friend's death, acting as their mentor and supporter even when the other Jedi turned their backs. After the Jedi fall, he goes into hiding, completely ditching his identity as a Jedi but still helping the Rebellion when he can. When Phichit tells him a rumor that Victor may be behind Yuuri's kidnapping, Chris finds himself reluctantly dragged in...

Minami - A Jedi who was one of Yurio's age mates, he idolized Yuuri and was jealous that Yurio got to be his apprentice. Still, he worked hard to become a Jedi worthy of Yuuri's respect. When Phichit finds a rumor that Yuuri's still alive, Minami's the first who jumps to find him. One of the few surviving Jedi who still swings his lightsaber, he's determined to rescue Yuuri, even if it means having to take down Yurio. Also a master pilot.

Otabek - A bounty hunter who befriended Yurio during one of his missions as a Padawan, and they kept in touch over the years ever since. Otabek was Yurio's only friend outside of the Jedi, and as such was a consultant for many things he could not share with his Master, including his developing feelings. Otabek tried to warn Yurio against making any brash decisions, but was still unable to stop his Fall, and the subsequent destruction of the Republic. Now, he's the only one who knows where Yurio took Yuuri, and while he's reluctant to betray his friend to the rebels, he's also beginning to feel that the only way to save him may be to bring him down...

JJ - A former Jedi and rival of Yurio, he's now abandoned his identity and leads and protects a massive refugee settlement. He's a core member of the Rebellion and works closely with Phichit, but is wary of Chris and Minami's insistence on wasting vital time and resources on a single Jedi who may or may not be alive, and following the words of a bounty hunter. He feels that protecting the survivors and saving as many lives as they can needs to be their priority.

Aaaaare the headcanons I have for now ^ ^; How will it end? Will Victor and Yurio be turned to the light? Or will it have a bad end? (but then again, "good end" in Star Wars sometimes means all happy dead ghosts so...) WHO KNOWS!

Thanks for reading!

Like this post? Interested in supporting the artist and encouraging the creation of more similar works? Please consider supporting through Patreon or purchasing the artist a coffee! Because Tumblr hides all external links, you can find the links HERE!

#Yuri!!! on Ice #Star Wars #YOI #YuriYuu #Victuuri

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maddie-grove · 5 years

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The Top Twenty Books I Read in 2018

My main takeaways from the past year’s reading:

Growing up is hard, whether you’re a working-class college sophomore trying to adjust to an Ivy League college, a chronically ill medieval kid trying to beat witchcraft charges, or A GHOST THE WHOLE TIME.

You can go to Kansas City or the Congo or SPACE, but you can never escape the past.

Maybe I should be more worried about getting murdered?

Anyway:

20. East by Edith Pattou (2003)

Rose, a sixteenth-century Norwegian farm girl, loves her large family, but sometimes feels at odds with their rather staid personalities. So, when a talking polar bear offers to end her family’s poverty and her sister’s illness if she’ll stay with him for a year, she accepts not only out of desperation, but also wanderlust. This expansive retelling of “East of the Sun, West of the Moon” (already a winner because of its determined, flawed heroine) shines because of its vivid use of multiple settings and its well-developed minor characters. I initially thought it was a little slow, but I really came to appreciate Pattou’s skill over time.

19. Joe College by Tom Perrotta (2000)

Danny, a working-class Yale sophomore in 1982, thinks he has a lot to worry about. His rich friends are clueless, his townie coworkers at the dining hall resent him, and his crush is dating a professor. Then he goes home for spring break, where he’s confronted with a pregnant ex and a bunch of mobsters who try to interfere with his father’s lunch-truck business. I mostly read this book for completism--I love Perrotta, but The Wishbones made me wary of his earlier work--yet this seemingly lighthearted story contains some fascinating moral and ethical dilemmas, plus a hero who is sympathetic despite his callowness.

18. Monsters of Men by Patrick Ness (2010)

In the explosive conclusion of Ness’s Chaos Walking trilogy, the protagonists find themselves in the middle of a war with an enemy they don’t understand, forcing them to wrestle with questions of right versus wrong, forgiveness versus revenge, and the possibility of redemption. This was an intense read, but there was a lot of genuine joy and love mixed in with the death and war.

17. Ashes to Ashes by Jenny Han and Siobhan Vivian (2014)

In the less literally but just as emotionally explosive conclusion of Han and Vivian’s Burn for Burn trilogy, former revenge-partners Lillia and Kat try to move on in the wake of a tragedy, as well as the abrupt departure of Mary, the other member of their retribution-themed trio. The future is looking bright, but then it becomes clear that Mary is neither gone nor happy with their life choices. I read the first book of this trilogy way back in 2014 and, while I enjoyed it well enough, I wasn’t blown away. This spring, though, I had the sudden urge to read the next two books, and they were both a wonderful mix of affecting human drama and ludicrously soapy plot twists.

16. The Charm School by Susan Wiggs (1999)

Isadora Peabody, the awkward scion of an otherwise graceful old Bostonian family in the 1850s, decides to take her fate in her own hands and become a translator on a merchant ship bound for Brazil. The captain, freewheeling Ryan Calhoun, isn’t too happy with this unusual arrangement, but he comes to admire and sympathize with the independent-minded and painfully self-conscious Isadora. At the same time, Isadora realizes that Ryan’s untidiness and occasional bouts of drunkenness disguise a heart and principles and a talent for making out in lush Brazilian gardens. I was absolutely delighted by this romance novel, which is an absolute romp with some terrific character development.

15. The Ask and the Answer by Patrick Ness (2009)

In the middle book of the Chaos Walking trilogy, the protagonists reach the end of a long journey, only to find themselves separated and caught between two warring factions. This installment does a great job of elaborating upon the world introduced in the first book, offering new perspectives on old characters, and introducing compelling new conflicts.

14. Fire with Fire by Jenny Han and Siobhan Vivian (2013)

In the middle book of the Burn for Burn trilogy, classmates Kat, Lillia, and Mary deal with the fallout of their semi-successful Strangers on a Train-lite revenge scheme. Kat and Lillia want to call it quits, but their sympathy for Mary causes them to agree to one last score, so to speak. Unfortunately, FEELINGS and PAST TRAUMA and DANGEROUS PSYCHIC POWERS complicate matters. Despite my love for Ashes to Ashes, Fire with Fire has a special place in my heart because it’s the first book to explore the characters’ emotions in depth, as well as the first one to go way over the fucking top.

13. I’ll Be Gone in the Dark by Michelle McNamara (2018)

In the late 1970s and early 1980s, a rash of horrifying home invasion rapes, seemingly meticulously planned, plagued the bedroom communities of Sacramento. Then a series of uncannily similar home invasion murders broke out in the Southern California. In this book published after her death in 2016, McNamara makes the case that this was the work of one person, dubbed the Golden State Killer. McNamara has a clear, humane way of describing grisly and/or convoluted events, and her portrait of the dark side of California suburbia is enthralling.

12. The Poisonwood Bible by Barbara Kingsolver (1998)

In 1960, a dangerously determined and self-righteous reverend from the American South travels to the Belgian Congo, even though his own church begged him not to go. He makes the questionable decision to take his exhausted wife and four daughters--vain Rachel, suck-up Leah, nearly mute Adah, and baby Ruth May--along with him. Their new home is a shock to all of them in various ways, and that’s before a personal tragedy and the Congo Crisis enter the picture. Kingsolver makes excellent use of her five viewpoint characters, all of whom have distinctive voices and enjoyably unpredictable (yet entirely appropriate) character arcs.

11. Lighter than My Shadow by Katie Green (2013)

As a young child, Katie has seemingly minor issues around food, but during adolescence she develops a serious eating disorder and almost starves herself to death. A diagnosis and the ensuing support of her parents seem to signal hope, but recovery is more complicated that one might expect. This graphic memoir offers a nuanced portrait of the sheer range of stuff that gets wrapped up in an eating disorder: religion, gender, sex, control, trauma, the desire for independence, and so much more. Green’s “cute” art style enhances the story, both because it makes an interesting contrast to the upsetting material and because it grounds the reader in the humanity of the characters.

10. Mindhunter by John Douglas and Mark Olshaker (1995)

Throughout the 1970s, FBI agent John Douglas, along with the rest of the Investigative Support Unit, compiled information about an increasingly common type of criminal: the serial killer. Gradually, they developed the practice of criminal profiling. As gruesome as it might sound to call this an excellent beach read, that’s essentially how I experienced it (not that I went anywhere this summer, but still). The pace is fast, the style is engaging, and the authors are frank but not overly lurid in their presentation of the nasty details.

9. The Beggar Maid by Alice Munro (1977)

In this collection of connected short stories, Rose, a bright Canadian girl, grows up in a rough, deprived neighborhood with her sick, stern father and prickly but not unloving stepmother. Life in the wider world brings her mingled pride and shame at her background, a largely disastrous early marriage, and eventually a satisfying but decidedly unglamorous acting career. Munro is a master of description, and she has a sense of fun that puts her head and shoulders above most short story writers. And the title story is just the most perfectly painful exploration of why someone would stay with a partner who is deeply wrong for them.

8. Dark Places by Gillian Flynn (2009)

In 1985, seven-year-old Libby Day narrowly escaped death at the hands of her teenage brother, but her mother and two older sisters weren’t so lucky. Except that Libby doesn’t feel so lucky, either, because she’s thirty-one years old with massive trauma, dwindling funds, and few adult life skills. Then a true-crime enthusiast contacts her with an offer: cash in return for investigating whether her brother was actually the murderer. Dark Places may be the awkward middle child of Flynn’s novels, but that reputation is undeserved; it has a thrilling plot, a perversely lovable heroine, and a sly critique of the “Morning in America” view of the 1980s.

7. The Hostage by Susan Wiggs (2000)

In the confusion of the Great Chicago Fire, frontiersman Tom Silver kidnaps heiress Deborah Sinclair, hoping to force her industrialist father into compensating the victims of his negligence. He’s not prepared, though, for her dogged escape attempts, her hard-earned resilience, or the hints that something was horribly wrong in her life even before the kidnapping. I had my doubts about reading a kidnapping romance, but Susan Wiggs proved me wrong. (It helps that Tom’s motives are both understandable AND not presented as an excuse for dragging Deborah into his revenge plan.) The super-slow-burn romance pairs wonderfully with the action-packed plot, and I love Deborah so much.

6. Sharp Objects by Gillian Flynn (2006)

Troubled reporter Camille Preaker returns to her small Missouri hometown to investigate the grisly murder of one tween girl and the ominous disappearance of another. As upsetting as the case is, it doesn’t hold a candle to what waits for her at home: a softly cruel mother, a barely there stepfather, and a teenage half-sister who alternates between adoring Camille and tormenting her. Sharp Objects entirely deserves its reputation as the best (if not most popular) Flynn novel; it has a beautifully constructed plot, descriptions so lush that you feel like you can reach out and touch Wind Gap (not that you’d want to), and a deeply flawed yet admirable heroine.

5. The Knife of Never Letting Go by Patrick Ness (2008)

At nearly thirteen, Todd Hewitt is the youngest resident of Prentisstown, and nobody is ever going to take that distinction away from him. Just after his birth, a plague killed most of the humans on New World, including every woman and girl. What’s more, the same plague made it so the thoughts of men (and most other living creatures) are audible to all. And the mayor of Prentisstown is a religious fanatic who won’t let anyone watch videos or teach kids to read. It’s...not awesome. Then Todd makes a shocking discovery that forces him to flee his community and question everything he knows. This book is a fascinating sci-fi take on the frontier horror story (ala The Scarlet Letter, The Crucible, and, more recently, The Witch) with a read-hundreds-of-pages-a-night plot and astonishing moment of wonder.

4. After the Wedding by Courtney Milan (2018)

Lady Camilla Worth, daughter of an earl who committed suicide to avoid treason charges, has passed from home to unwelcoming home ever since, finally ending up as an unknown housemaid. Adrian Hunter, a mixed-race ceramics heir on a desperate mission to make his family happy, happens to visit the house where she’s employed. Under some very strange circumstances, they’re forced to wed at literal gunpoint. Working together to unravel the mystery and get an annulment, they grow to like each other, which complicates things. This is one of my favorite romance novels ever, with wonderful characters (especially Camilla!), an explosive plot, and masterfully explored themes of healing and being true to oneself.

3. Wild Things: The Joy of Reading Children's Literature as an Adult by Bruce Handy (2017)

A famous magazine writer and father of two young children, Handy expounds upon the classics of children’s literature (The Cat in the Hat, Goodnight Moon, the Little House series, Narnia, the Ramona books, etc.). As someone who frequently rereads the favorites of my youth to de-stress (House of Stairs 5eva), the subject was tailor-made for me, and Handy’s execution is impressive. He covers an amazing amount of ground, switches deftly from one mode of analysis to another, and shares plenty of funny anecdotes and moving reflections on parenthood.

2. Blankets by Craig Thompson (2003)

In this autobiographical graphic novel, Craig, a creative, devout, and deeply lonely teenager in rural Wisconsin, meets his first love, Raina, at a church retreat that otherwise would’ve been miserable. They become pen pals and are finally able to arrange for him to spend a few complicated, wonderful weeks with her and her family. Their relationship and its subsequent fallout drive him to confront his conflicted feelings about his faith, his art, and his family. This is an absolutely beautiful story, complemented perfectly by the wintry landscapes and expressive human figures.

1. Breath by Donna Jo Napoli (2003)

Salz, a twelve-year-old boy in medieval Saxony, is dismissed and sometimes even reviled by most of his community, including his own father and brothers, for the unnamed illness that stunts his growth and makes it difficult to breathe. Still, he’s got a lot going on; he helps his beloved grandmother around the house, studies for the priesthood, and belongs to a secret coven. When an abnormally wet spring drives the rats indoors and causes a strange disease to spread among the locals, Salz’s sharp intellect and thirst for knowledge are more needed than ever. This novel is a historically grounded retelling of “The Pied Piper of Hamelin” where the protagonist has cystic fibrosis, and did I ever think I would type that combination of words? No, I did not, but I am so glad things worked out that way. Napoli’s treatment of disability is unusually gratifying, because she illustrates the essential things that a society loses when it dismisses the sick and disabled (as well as some other marginalized groups, such as women). At the same time, Salz’s family and neighbors aren’t cruel for the sake of cruelty; they’re just uninformed, scared, and/or bad at managing their own problems without lashing out at others, which does not absolve them but makes for a more thoughtful story than if they were just bad seeds. The portrayal of Salz’s struggles to reconcile the different sources of wisdom in his life--Church orthodoxy, pagan folk practices, and the knowledge slowly filtering in from the Arabic world--is also fascinating, plus the pathological mystery makes for a tight, exciting plot. All this in less than 300 pages! And do not get me started on how much I love Großmutter.

#books #reading #top twenty

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reneg661 · 3 years

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Is a former member of the Red Dragon Crime Syndicate, who left by faking his death after falling in love with a woman called Julia. He then became a bounty hunter and the partner of Jet Black, the captain of the Bebop. Spike and Jet pursued criminals across the populated planets and moons of the solar system. His ship was the Swordfish II. During his adventures on board the Bebop, Spike is drawn back into a bitter feud with Vicious, a rival from the Syndicate who seeks to kill him. Spike is a slothful, nonchalant, indifferent, and lazy character. He passes the vast majority of his time on the Bebop lounging, watching TV, or sleeping. In a few rare occasions, he is also seen practicing Jeet Kune Do, a martial arts practice he is very skilled in, being among other things passionate of Bruce Lee and his philosophies (for example, he follows Lee's "water" analogy for his style of fighting). He is a hardened smoker, shown with a cigarette in his mouth in practically every shot (the poor conditions in the cigarettes that are depicted recall those of Daisuke Jigen.) Although he rarely acknowledges it, Spike has very little patience. He repeatedly states he hates dogs, children, and women with attitudes, and is anything but happy when each one of the three joins the Bebop, but as the series progressed, he warmed up to Edward, Ein, and Faye, all three of which fall in the category of the three things he particularly hates. He also claims to dislike cats. Spike is rarely seen excited about something and, even less frequently, says he likes something. He usually behaves phlegmatically and walks slouching almost as if he is sleepwalking. He appears to be tormented by the ghosts of his past and has frequent nightmares of his life in the Red Dragon. He considers he already died once and therefore doesn't often show fear at the possibility of being killed, often acting as if to challenge death. One of the recurring themes surrounding Spike's character is how he views himself and his life. Following the implant of an artificial eye, he says his left eye, the real one, sees the past while the synthetic right eye sees the present, making the past indelible in his mind, not allowing him to get rid of or forget about it. Despite that, he usually encourages others to forget the past as "not important." Spike's star sign is Cancer, which fits with his inability to let go of the past. When he is not working, Spike is very laid back, sarcastic, and lively to the dismay of his crew mates. He is typically found either resting on the couch or reading magazines. Spike's philosophy seems to be based on the ancient samurai ideals of immediacy, such as considering oneself as dead and the idea of death as being an awakening from a dream, which are both elements of bushido illustrated in the Hagakure. Although people often talk about cowboys in an almost heroic sense, his image is far from the idea of one and, on the contrary, has characteristics typical of an antihero. He never acts to protect anyone, but only for interest, so he often has to be persuaded to commit himself to a hunt he considers only a little exciting, has a rather sharp and cynical sense of humor, when he pursues a bounty, he throws himself headfirst into action, regardless of damage caused to people and buildings, and doesn't have the slightest moral scruples of having to kill someone. In the movie, he even tells an old woman that he and the Bebop crew don't serve and protect and that their work is strictly business, though Jet doubts that he actually means that. In spite of all this, Spike still has a good heart and, whether he admits it or not, is more caring than he lets on and more than willing to help out others without expecting anything in return, which is rather ironic considering his line of work. A good example of this is in Session 7, when Victoria Terpsichore offered him a wad of cash, and he only took a single note while saying the rest was for her husband. He has also shown compassion for Rocco's blind sister in Session 8, even buying flowers when he went to visit her in hospital and being saddened and sympathetic by the loss of her brother. He treats Ein as kind of emergency food and Ed as a burden, but in reality, despite never showing his companions appreciation, Spike nurtures an obvious affection for each of them and often seems willing to help them. This affection is shown through his constant choice to not interfere as they face their past, even if meaning he has to pass up a bounty. In particular, Spike shares a genuine brotherly affection with Jet, and it is safe to say that they consider each other their best friend. In fact, they are often seen talking together like two old friends. Although they often fight because of the excessive stubbornness of Spike, occasionally resulting in him being banned from Bebop, these arguments are always resolved in short time. Jet is also the only person Spike confides about his past. Spike's most complex relationship in the series is the one he has with Faye. Most of the time they usually bicker, however, in moments of danger Faye has always shown concern for Spike, and Spike has shown some empathy for Faye's situation, but perhaps due to their stubborn natures they can't outright admit to this. Faye has also always taken care of Spike when he was injured, although she still kept a bitter attitude. The affection between them is obvious, and many people have speculated that Faye could be in love with Spike and desires to find a connection with him. Watanabe has addressed the subject saying, "Sometimes I'm asked the question, 'What does Spike think of Faye?' I think that he likes her quite a bit. But he's not a very straightforward person and makes sure not to show it." In Session 26, during their final scene together, Spike ignores Faye's pleas to remain on the Bebop. He walks away from her without looking back. He is never shown thinking of Faye or any other member of the Bebop crew again, but is instead shown thinking about his lost love Julia repeatedly.

Spike Spiegel (c) Cowboy Bebop Art (c) reneg661

#spike spiegel

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the-master-cylinder · 4 years

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Charles Band decided to go after the media market in a different way. He was beginning to make a picture called SWORDKILL in 1982, about a samurai who was frozen in ice, when he realized something. “I had watched all these foreign film representatives take my pictures, license my pictures, and basically go to Cannes and Mifed [the two major foreign film markets), rent an office and make sales, and make a huge commission on basically the fruits of my labor. I thought if I was going to have any control at all, I should go to the foreign marketplace and sell my own stuff, especially since over the years my pictures did very well for everyone. They were very commercial.

“I got many letters from French distributors and Japanese distributors, congratulatory letters saying here’s a copy of our advertising campaign as a momento. So I kind of knew some of the players. I decided to take SWORDKILL, which was just about to shoot, and a couple of other pictures, which I was going to make later that year, and hang my shingle in some hotel room in Cannes and actually begin doing it myself.”

Band came up with the name Empire and the company was formed as Empire International, which, with the aid of Band’s promo reel, was also able to raise funds for upcoming, incomplete projects as well as SWORDKILL. In order to pre-sell domestic rights on an independent picture, one needed to guarantee a certain amount of “p and a” or prints and ads expenditure, so Band figured he ought to set up a modest U.S. theatrical distribution organization and begin to distribute these pictures in order to later sell them to the burgeoning U.S. video market.

Parasite (1982) Retrospective

Metalstorm: The Destruction of Jared-Syn (1983) Retrospective

Ghoulies (1984) Retrospective

Empire is widely perceived as the new American International Pictures, and you as the new Roger Corman. Is that a fair assessment? Charles Band: It’s funny, all these categories, independents, mini-majors, B movies, C movies, I don’t know. We can never be like AIP because the times are different. AIP started out making B pictures to fill double bills they were originally the second feature at a drive-in. That whole market is gone, and maybe the analogy here is that much of what we do fits into the video pipeline. Maybe that’s the new market that allows us to cover most of our downside, but I just feel that we’re here to make good movies. There weren’t too many AIP films, or Corman films, that were good movies. There were many of them, and there were some with all sorts of interesting cult appeal . Some launched careers of a few of today’s big stars. But in terms of track record, if you look at both bodies of work of those two distribution-production concerns, there aren’t too many good movies. I hope that by the time we’re into ’87, at least one out of every two or three of our pictures will be considered a well-made film, and that will last 10, 20, 30 years, forever.

In terms of budgets, Empire seems comparable to AIP. Charles Band: It ‘snot written anywhere that a good picture must cost a ton of money. You don’t have to spend $20 million on a film. We made a small picture last year called Re-Animator. and not only did it get good reviews , but it did well for us as far as its profitability. It’s a picture that cost just about a million dollars, and it had a lot of talent and quality. As we get better, our pictures will get better, and not necessarily more ex- pensive. Our aim is to make real good movies.

What happened with both AIP and Corman is that after they had discovered a talented director or star, they couldn’t hold on to him once the studios offered him work. Can you keep that from happening at Empire? Charles Band: Not only can we, we are. You can be real smart and draft a contract that commits people for two or three films, but the only thing that’s going to bring people back is how you work together. With a few exceptions, the other independents and studios have a very repressive atmosphere. It’s very tough to get pictures made there, and when they’re in the process of being made, rarely do you get to sit down with the studio head, or anyone who understands pictures, for that matter. Those people who are running the studios, for better or worse, are not filmmakers.

The Alchemist (1983) In 1955, young waitress Lenora (Lucinda Dooling) finds herself inexplicably driving down the California highway to an unknown destination. This doesn’t bode well for Cam (John Sanderford), the hitchhiker she picked up, because he has to endure her somnambulist driving. The duo eventually end up at a graveside in the woods and meet alchemist Aaron (Robert Ginty), who is just as shocked to see them as Lenora appears to be the reincarnation of his wife who was murdered nearly 100 years earlier.

The Alchemist was your first directorial effort, how did that come about? Charles Band: Well, I wasn’t the director when that film first started. The guy who was responsible for the trailers on VHS was producing the film at the time and after about three days of production, he called me up and said that the current director wasn’t working out and could I parachute in to help finish the film. The original director had shot about 2-3 days of work and I then finished about 6-7 days of shooting. I have no memory of the director.

The late Robert Ginty was the star of The Alchemist and at the time was coming off success with The Exterminator. What was he like to work with and what was his appeal as a leading man? Charles Band: I had no input in casting Ginty. He was already on board. What I do notice is that with a lot of leading men there is no simpatico in them. Ginty was a very human actor with simpatico and it was sad that he left us so soon. He did come across as an “Everyman” sort of guy.

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Ghost Warrior (1982/1984) a.k.a Swordkill A deep-frozen 400-year-old samurai is shipped to Los Angeles, where he comes back to life. Dazed and confused, he goes on a rampage. Can the female scientist and her colleague who revived him stop him before it’s too late?

Trancers (1984) Jack Deth (Tim Thomerson) is a police trooper in the year 2247 who has been hunting down Martin Whistler, a criminal mastermind who uses psychic powers to turn people into mindless “trancers” and carry out his orders. Deth can identify a tranced individual by scanning them with a special bracelet. All trancers appear as normal humans at first, but once triggered, they become savage killers with twisted features.

Before he can be caught, Whistler escapes back in time using a drug-induced time-traveling technique. Whistler’s consciousness leaves his body in 2247 and travels down his ancestral bloodline arriving in 1985 and taking over the body of an ancestor, a Los Angeles police detective named Weisling. Once Deth discovers what Whistler has done, he destroys Whistler’s body—effectively leaving him trapped in the past with no vessel to return to—and chases after him through time the same way. Deth ends up in the body of one of his ancestors: a journalist named Phil Dethton.

With the help of Phil’s girlfriend—a punk rock girl named Leena (Helen Hunt)—Deth goes after Whistler, who has begun to “trance” other victims. Whistler plots to eliminate the future governing council members of Angel City (the future name of Los Angeles), who are being systematically wiped out of existence by Whistler’s murder spree of their own ancestors. Deth arrives too late to prevent most of the murders and can only safeguard Hap Ashby (Biff Manard), a washed-up former pro baseball player, who is the ancestor of the last surviving council member, Chairman Ashe (Anne Seymour).

Deth is given some high-tech equipment, which is sent to him in the past: his sidearm (which contains two hidden vials of time drugs to send him and Whistler back to the future), and a “long-second” wristwatch, which temporarily slows time, stretching one second to ten. The watch has only enough power for one use, but he later receives another watch to pull the same trick again.

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During the end fight with Whistler, one of the drug vials in Jack’s gun breaks, leaving only one vial to get home. Jack is forced to make a choice: kill the innocent Weisling (who is possessed by the evil Whistler), or use the vial to send Whistler back to 2247, which would strand Jack in the present. Jack chooses to inject Weisling with the vial, saving the lieutenant’s life but condemning Whistler to an eternity without a body to return to. Jack then decides to remain with Leena in 1985, although observing him from the shadows is McNulty, his boss from the future, who has traveled down his own ancestral line, ending up in the body of a young girl.

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Interview with actor Tim Thomerson

Tell us about this journey of Jack Deth. Tim Thomerson: I got this role as a character named Rogue in Metalstorm (1983), and we started working, and that was my first time working with Charlie Band. I had a lot of fun with it, Charlie was fun to work with, and kind of left me alone, which I like. I don’t like a lot of direction. We had quite a lot of fun doing it and then this idea for TRANCERS came up. This is still Empire now, so fast forward to late 1984 early 1985. The FUTURE COP was the original title for TRANCERS, so I went to Danny (Bilson) and Paul (De Meo), and we had meetings together. They were fans of these Philip Marlowe type detective guys, so we were all in love with that genre, and I always liked Sam Spade, Humphrey Bogart, just a fan of that particular character. Charlie wanted to do this cop that comes from the future in LA today, meaning from the year, 20-something. So Charlie didn’t really care what we did with the character from what I remember, so Danny and Paul wrote up this guy Jack and so that’s how that was born. When the character transformed into the other body that was named Philip, it’s a tribute to Marlowe. That was Danny and Paul’s idea, to write it up like that, and for there to be some kind of dialogue and kind of the crispy kind of way of saying. You’ve seen that movie right?

Many, many times. Tim Thomerson: Yeah, so for what it is and for the time that it was shot, it’s a pretty classic B movie I think.

The opening of the film is great, the cross between the future and the past and that noir-like feeling is easy to get on board with. Tim Thomerson: I think it really had its own feeling about it. I thought that while we were shooting it, even though it’s a silly ass movie. But it just had a feeling, you know? Charlie was great to work with on set, and was funny, had a winning personality, and Helen was just a hilarious girl. She really is a funny chick. The performances were really good too; you can tell they got along.

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The Dungeonmaster (1984) Paul Bradford (Jeffrey Byron) is a skilled computer programmer who lives with his girlfriend, Gwen (Leslie Wing), and “X-CaliBR8,” a quasi-sentient personal computer that Paul programmed and which he interacts with via a neural interface. Gwen is jealous of Paul’s unusually close relationship with X-CaliBR8, to whom Paul has given a female voice, and fears that their relationship will be destroyed by Paul’s reliance on X-CaliBR8 for his various day-to-day activities. One night, Paul and Gwen are both transported to a Hellish realm presided over by Mestema (Richard Moll), an ancient, demonic sorcerer who has spent millennia seeking a worthy opponent with whom to do battle. Having long defeated his enemies with magic, Mestema has become intrigued with technology, and wishes to pit his skills against Paul’s, with the winner claiming Gwen. Arming Paul with a portable version of X-CaliBR8 (which takes the form of a computerized wrist band), Mestema begins transporting Paul into a variety of scenarios in which he must defeat various opponents. Most of the challenges involve Paul using his X-CaliBR8 wristband to shoot people, monsters, and objects with laser beams. After Paul completes Mestema’s various challenges, the two engage in a final battle, which takes the form of a fist fight in which Paul kills Mestema by throwing him into a pit of lava. After Mestema dies, Paul and Gwen are transported back to their house, where Gwen expresses her acceptance of X-CaliBR8 and suggests that she and Paul get married.

David Allen on the stop-motion for the “Stone Canyon Giant” David Allen first became involved in directing an episode of Charles Band’s DUNGEONMASTER almost two years ago, as a test for working with Band on THE PRIMEVALS, a property they have in development together. Although Band had already directed his segment of the film, no clear story had been worked out. The film had been sold on the basis of its premise-a showcase of effects sequences-and it had to be delivered quickly. Band suggested doing a sequence which featured a large statue brought to life (as in JASON AND THE ARGONAUTS), and Allen agreed.

Allen spent two days on location, shooting mostly in continuity without storyboards, then three weeks, off-and-on, in the studio to do the effects. According to Allen, the finished segment is “heavily footnoted with explanations for why it didn’t turn out better. We’d do something and think it was okay and then get the shot back from the lab-but we’d already be working on a new shot. A couple of shots are okay, but there are so many below-par scenes. I wanted to go back on location almost a year after the original shooting and redo the first shot of the statue in Dynamation-a split-screen effect all on the original negative. A good first shot would have better set the stage.”

Allen would also have liked a chance to introduce the statue “more poetically, with music,” but he never had an opportunity to speak with the film’s composer, Richard Band. “A pause for mood and atmosphere would have given the sequence some intelligence, but in the time allotted I didn’t think of it.”

Besides doing animation for his own segment, Allen provided two effects for other sequences of the film: for an exploding car, Allen took an explosion he had photographed years ago and superimposed it on the shot, for the conclusion of the film he provided a shot of the evil magician falling into a lava pit. “Band came up with that at the last minute–the film was written as it went along. I did it for a few hundred dollars, using a six-inch doll, some old cliffs I’d used long ago, and oatmeal. I didn’t think it would work, but with all the fire and smoke I put in there it came out, maybe not wonderful, but credible.”

Although dissatisfied with the final result, Allen nevertheless enjoyed the experience. “I learned a lot,” he said. “I got the camera where it needed to be. I enjoyed getting everything done in two days. I was scouting locations sometimes only twenty minutes ahead of the camera crew.”

Interview with Jeffrey (Paul) Byron

This was your second adventure with Band’s band; were you excited to be back in the B-movie saddle? Jeffrey Byron: Sure! I had a great time on METALSTORM and every actor likes to work. So doing a second movie right afterwards was great.

Seven chapters and seven directors Jeffrey Byron: Indeed. It was il fun and unique experience and was ahead of its time. It was a clever idea. It was like doing se ven separate films, which was very cool.

What was your favorite segment and why? Jeffrey Byron: That’s easy! The one that I wrote (SLASHER) about the serial killer. My older brother Steve Stafford directed it, and I was able to hire some close actor friends to be in it. It was a blast! Being directed by my brother Steve was a great experience. He is a talented filmmaker and in some respects this segment inspired him to get more and more directing jobs Plus I got to hire some great actor friends to be in the segment I wrote. That was gratifying as well.

Do you have insight or back story as to the name change? Jeffrey Byron: I don’t recall how that happened. That was up to Charlie Band. He was a wiz at that kind of stuff. He came up with all the rates. I assume he changed the title because he got more traction with THE DUNGEONMASTER, because of the popularity of DUNGEONS AND DRAGONS

As in METALSTORM, you had to square off against Richard Moll, but this time as an ancient demon. Was he a more worthy nemesis this time round? Jeffrey Byron: Richard and I got to know each other on METALSTORM, so we had a warmer rapport on the second film. We had a perfectly good relationship on the first film, but we knew each other better by the time we did this film and he was a pro so it was a great experience

Any RAGEWAR trivia or lesser known facts you can share with us? Jeffrey Byron: All the scenes that were shot in my characters apartment..were actually shot in any actual apartment!

What was next for you after THE DUNGEON MASTER? Jeffrey Byron: Quite soon after I jumped into the soap opera world. They had been chasing me down for awhile and I finally agreed to do ONE LIFE TO LIVE. After I left that show. I went on to do ALL MY CHILDREN, THE BOLD AND THE BEAUTIFUL and finally PORT CHARLES. I did other work in between but the soaps were my bread and butter.

The Dungeonmaster was a try-out of several different directors. Charles Band: “It was a fun idea. I’ve always done things a little differently and we had a number of directors at the time who all wanted to direct features. We were getting pretty prolific and it was exactly that. I think there were seven directors, if I’m not mistaken. There were more that we were actually looking at but seven wound up directing seven little chapters in this Dungeonmaster film. I would have to think real hard to remember who directed what, but that’s what happens. We made a strange little film.

“It’s actually a fun film to watch. Part of what low-budget films suffer from is you usually are relegated to one location because that’s all you can afford. Unless you are really adept at story-telling and casting, you need to make these movies much more character-driven. Dungeonmaster’s one of those films which diverts you with seven or eight different environments. If nothing else, it certainly looks colorful! It made a great trailer, that’s for sure.”

Savage Island (1985) Women who have been captured and sold as slave labor to a South American emerald mine hatch a plan for revolution and revenge.

Empire seems very loyal to its people given a few pictures, everybody gets to direct. Is that a deliberate policy? Charles Band: Definitely. It’s rare that talent is Just born overnight. It takes time and it’s crazy for a big company to gamble with its resources on a new director. If it turns out wrong, it makes no sense going and spending the time. It makes more sense to educate people here and pay for the tuition, so to speak. Some turn out to be wonderful and some take more time. I can’t think of one that we’ve worked with so far that hasn’t picked up the Empire banner and shown promise.

People like Brian Yuzna and Stuart Gordon, and other directors who have had good experiences with us and are now making their second or third film with us this year, find that our whole directive here is making movies. That’s where all our energy goes. We’re passionate about making movies. That makes their lives much easier because we can work well together. David Schmoeller just finished a picture for us called Crawlspace that turned out very well, and he has had several offers to go elsewhere to make pictures. Well, he has turned them down to make two more pictures back to back for us. I don’t know if the offers were for substantially more than what we’re paying him, I Just know that the experience on Crawlspace was real good for all of us. and good for him creatively. Once a script is approved and we know what we’re spending on a picture, we give the directors total free reign to make their movie.

Re-Animator (1985) Retrospective

Zone Troopers (1985) In Italy in World War II, four members, led by their grizzled sergeant (Tim Thomerson), of an American military patrol are lost behind enemy lines. They discovers an alien spaceship that has crash-landed in the woods, along with its crew. The alien pilot is dead, and one of the aliens has been captured by the Nazis, hampering efforts of the aliens to return home. A larger Nazi unit, with scientific and medical personnel, also investigate the crash and seek to capture the alien’s technology and use that to win the war. However, the aliens side with the Americans after the Nazi’s actions to their crewmember.

Another popular title was Zone Troopers. How did that come about and where did the concept come up? Charles Band: Well, I had Danny Bilson and Paul Le Meo, who wrote Trancers and the stars of that film Tim Thomerson and Art La Fleur on board. I also had a wonderful Production Designer and Art Director and it also gave me an opportunity to go back to Italy as I grew up there. Some people don’t realize that the likes of Crawlspace and Troll were, along with Zone Troopers, filmed in Italy rather than the USA. It was a great set-up for about three years as we got some good films made, but then things changed and the dollar and lira value changed, so it became difficult to continue to film there, but we are very proud of those films.

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Zone Troopers was also directed by Danny Bilson, who had an interesting time of it. “We had a German army of Italian-speaking extras,” Bilson recalls. “We had to have these Nazi SS troops come across a meadow, and they looked like Girl Scouts. Trying to be Mr. Director, I went to show them how to do it. We’ve all played army when we were little kids, and you know how to do it, but when I was right in the middle of showing them, I slipped into this big pile of cow slop. Paul (De Meo) cried out helpfully, ‘But do you want them to fall in the cow shit?”’

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“We had a lot of fun with the Italian prop men,” De Meo chimes in, “One of them came up to us and asked where he should put these two bottles of gin. We wondered what the bottles of gin were for and started looking through the script, thinking that maybe we forgot something. It turned out that somewhere in the script was a description that said two GIs are playing gin. Another time, a prop man bought a pineapple because he didn’t know that was a‘40’s term for a grenade.”

Bilson is very happy working for Empire. He calls it a secure environment that constantly provides an opportunity to work. He feels that the experience he and others are gaining will build confidence and lead to better-made films. Paul De Meo compares the working atmosphere with “almost being like working at Warner’s in the ’50’s. There are lots of people making lots of movies In all kinds of genres.” Bilson Is particularly proud of the fact that he’s been able to work in low-budget, exploitation films without “ever having to do a women-in-prison film or a slasher movie nothing I would find morally objectionable. That’s just not our meat-and-potatoes.”

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Do your writers come up with concepts? Charles Band: Most, if not all. of our projects come from my titles and concepts. That’s a reward for me, to get to dream things up and then assign various projects and concepts to writers and see the picture get made and distributed. So, it’s a little different than the way other people work where they have 200 script submissions a week and they hope to find one and develop it. We’re lucky enough not to be looking for any projects. If anything good comes along, we’re here to read it. We still have our hundred script submissions, but basically, we’re Just looking for good writers. Very few of our projects Just walk in the door perhaps one in the last year. We have hundreds of concepts we’ve been developing over the last few years, and those are the ideas that will become movies.

It sometimes seems that the lack of control works out well when you have a Stuart Gordon around, but there are some films Eliminators comes immediately to mind that needed somebody to step in and say, “This isn’t working.” That script Just didn’t seem ready. Charles Band: True, but that’s the script’s fault, not the director’s. It’s impossible to predict how a project is going to turn out. You can do all the right things and it Just doesn’t work. On the other hand, you can make 500 mistakes and suddenly the picture works. You want to make sure you have the best script possible, but sometimes things are rushed, and that shows. It always comes down to the script. Sometimes the script reads real well but it Just doesn’t play that way. Eliminators was one of the best scripts we’ve ever had here. It reads great. Why the script reads so well and the picture isn’t so good to some, the picture is fun and works; to others, it’s disjointed if you read the script, you’ll find a really well-written, fun script, very cohesive, very weird. I have no defense, or no explanation for why some pictures work and some don’t. The best we can do is to make certain we start off with a good script and that the talent we assemble is right, then hope for the best. You just don’t know. You don’t even know when you see the dailies. There are some times when you see the dailies and you’re in love with every shot, and it gets put together and it just doesn’t work.

Trancers was one of the best things Empire has done and I was surprised it didn’t do better. Charles Band: So was I. It was one I directed, so I was anxious to see it work. But it was the least effective of all the first year’s pictures. That’s another sad thing: There’s no telling which picture is going to work.

Was it supposed to be the first in a series? Charles Band: Yes. I always wanted to make an inexpensive series, not something that would cost tons of money and be hard to get off the ground. We could have made two of those movies a year. I love the character of Jack Deth and the whole thing would have been fun to do. We were even close to doing another one in spite of the first’s failure, just because ‘why not?’ But we’ll come up with something else someday. Tim Thomerson’s a major talent and no one’s used him right except us in Trancers .

Paul De Meo and Danny Bilson have written another film that will begin production soon, Journeys Through The Darkzone (1986). Bilson will direct. “It’s about these guys who work on a dumping fishing station where people get their anxieties out through recreation,” Bilson reveals. Then people start disappearing from this colony on this water planet. It’s a little like Outland. An investigation leads to this attraction, which is an alien machine which can project you into an alternate reality to satisfy your fantasies. But it has hidden dangers.”

The pair are currently scripting Arena (1989), which they describe as Body and Soul in space. Arena is based around a fantasy sport and involves a bid for a new champion, racketeering and space gangsters.

The Caller (1987) One night, an unusual stranger in need asks a woman living alone in a house in the woods if he can use her phone. It soon becomes clear that they’re playing a strange mind game and that there’s something very wrong about the woods.

The History of Empire Films Part Two Charles Band decided to go after the media market in a different way. He was beginning to make a picture called SWORDKILL in 1982, about a samurai who was frozen in ice, when he realized something.

#80sFilms #BAND #EMPIRE

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mantra4ia · 6 years

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The Last Jedi: Hopes / Reactions / Afterthoughts / IX

spoilers lie ahead

What I hoped for:

I didn’t come in with a ton of expectation because I didn’t want to ruin the film for myself with inner monologue ficlets. That said, the things I wanted…

A snapshot of Young-Young Ben Solo - more than just the near death flashback with Kylo and Luke where we get a one-sided tale, then another, and somewhere in the middle we find the truth - to balance out the Force Vision in TFA of Young Rey being pawned on Jakku. I’m not too broken up about this not being fulfilled because I appreciate the cut of this film. The reason I think it shoulda-woulda-coulda been important is because what I’ve been reading from Adam Driver’s acting choices opposite Daisy Ridley and his dare-I-say-empathy for her isolation is that even though Kylo is going after power unabashedly now, I don’t think that’s how it always was. I feel like maybe Ben felt somehow abandoned by Leia and Han to his uncle Luke’s training, and therefore young Ben would have been gratifying to see for a minute, just to see whether or not he wanted to be trained or went with reluctance and insecurity and therefore shares another layer with Rey.

Knowing Rey’s parentage - I’m actually really satisfied that Rey’s acceptance played out a) culminating with Kylo and b) that her parents are just a pair of grifters who traded her for a portion or other (granted SW has a long-standing precedent of cloak and dagger lineage herrings). In this instance regardless of speculation, I don’t think Kylo lied to Rey because of this moment has really been simmering slowly from the start of TFA based on what Rey already feels (kind of like she’s known all along) and what Maz Kenyata told her in TFA to the effect of there’s nothing left for you looking back, they’re not coming back, and poetically from Rey’s own introduction. Her first interaction is trading scrap for rations, and in her Force vision it sounds like the voice of the same scrap merchant that she barters with is restraining her, like she has indeed been indentured to him.

Force Ghosts - game, set, light it up Yoda! This one was really an intuitive ace, but it was better than I anticipated.

Rey undergoing some formal training whether from Luke or elsewhere, and begin to form opinions on the Force. Here’s where I’m kind of salty. I don’t think Luke’s 3 lessons for Rey were enough (I could have blinked and missed them) to test her/ push her hard / sweat her physically, which is what I wanted and what I still hope for in IX - although VIII did a good job putting Rey through the ropes mentally/psychologically. I want to really see her Force acuity and find insight into how deep it goes and why, but that said I like that Last Jedi put Rey through a lot more informal life lesson training hand in hand with and by Kylo.

I would have liked a bit more time spent on Luke reflecting on his friendship with Han Solo (the first question out of his mouth was “where’s Han?” for goodness sake), but those dice were really a great touch…

Stakes set high - holy Kenobi did TLJ deliver. There were a couple weird pace moments with the space retreat, at times it felt urgent and other times it felt like watching the longest deep space car chase in slo-mo. But what I will say is the Paige Tiko scene wins at setting the bar for how VERY not good things are going for the rebels.

More of General Organa - We did get this in a big way and I dig it to the depths. Yoda, can you imagine all the opportunities you might have had schooling Leia in the Force?!

The tag team up: I really loved the fight in the throne room and the ‘light’ reveal that turned out to really be the ‘dark’ reveal, not only because of the Rey / Kylo dynamic but also because of the strong emotional similarities between Kylo and Luke that came to fruition for me as an audience member while watching the Guard getting leveled.

What I got that I didn’t even know I wanted!

Sassy Yoda: oh my God he’s such a salty troll, I love that Star Wars is really weird and strange in this film and I loved when Yoda blew up the temple tree. “Page turners they were not” is perfection.

Curmudgeon/Sass master Luke: “Laser sword” and “Everything you said was wrong” is smart, breaking the 4th wall ish commentary. His shtick with ‘reach out’ and the reed of grass while training Rey was awesome. Also, I kind of like him throwing the lightsaber when Rey first gives it to him. Yes it is precious to fans. Yes it was once precious to him, through its connection with Ben Kenobi and his father Darth Vader. But Luke’s been through decades of failure and heartbrek and loss - he’s allowed to be less precious and more jaded. However “see you around kid” was a nice touch, along with his interaction with C3PO and R2 to round out his softer, youthful nature.

Speaking of - R2 not fighting fair with the originally Leia/Obiwan message - expertly done, very character driven.

Failure: I never thought I could see so many plans go sideways (Finn and Rose in the casino, Poe’s almost mutiny, Rey’s #SaveBenSolo plan) or almost sideways (bombing the Dreadnaught, the resistance escape PlanetSide) in a Star Wars movie just like real life.

The evolution of force powers. More on this further down,

Meh - Things that I didn’t like as much:

The beginning Poe humor, on hold for Hux, only because he’s not Harrison Ford/Han Solo, and the execution takes me out of ‘a long time ago in a galaxy far far away’ and smacks me with the present. Good humor attempts, though not all of them were necessary or stuck the landing.

Useless Hux: make this dude more menacing or at least more troublesome to Kylo. He had the potential to be an interesting character and now I feel like he’s just the butt of jokes.

The Porgs: I liked them, but used in such a way to sell toys they were.

Canto Bight: I see the purpose this planet-side excursion served to introduce us to the young, oppressed, and force attuned, and to galvanize Finn truly finding a place of belonging as “Rebel scum!” and I find the war profiteering angle very interesting. However, there’s a two-fold problem in the Casino arc apart from the fact that the lapel pin on the code breaker felt Bond, not Star Wars: we didn’t really spend enough time there to explore the corruption, creatures, etc, and I didn’t really want to given the pace of the rest of the film. So it just became a rushed side story which didn’t do the film or Canto any favors.. It might make a good short story, but I would much rather have had Rose, who’s very savvy, try to be a could breaker herself than her and Finn seeking one out.

Benicio Del Toro’s character: I liked his lines (they get you today, you get him tomorrow) and his concept as a neutral profiteer, I just don’t think they integrated him into the story well. I don’t care for him as a codebreaker, I think he should have just been a weapon’s dealer Maz connected them to just smuggle Rose and Finn onto the ship, and it would still set up the double cross

Rose’s crush on Finn: I like the line that accompanies the crush, “it’s not destroying what you hate but saving what you love” however the fact that these feelings pop up in the last act so abruptly mid battle is jarring and out of place.

Back to the throne room: Despite the fact that I adored this moment, it made me realize a couple things. 1) I wish the guard had roughed Kylo and Rey up just a little more, being that they are an elite anti-Jedi force. 2) I think that if the Force could manifest, it really would smack / have had it with both Ben and Rey the moment they split Luke/Anakin’s lightsaber. I mean together they could be in / reflect the Force balance but after all this time we’re always still stuck in human constructed light and dark mentalities like nah, forget balance when we could be right. Aggggh, the Force must be so done. 3) There are strong emotional similarities between Kylo and Luke at the very end of the scene when Kylo implores Rey to join him that I wish the film would have played on more in the final dual between the two Skywalkers. For about half the film they think more or less identically: let the past die, kill it if you have to (Luke essentially saying let me die, let the Jedi religion die, let the hubris die, Kylo saying let the emotional tethers be severed, the mistakes buried, and archaic rules be destroyed because I was only ever taught that they must be obeyed but not why, however both arguments are sides of the same coin). Luke turns out of that spiral only through the help of his friends, and I wish Luke had managed to spell out the connection to his former pupil, instead of just being a target of ire for Kylo and paraphrasing to Leia “I’m here to confront him, not bring him home.” Because for me there’s a moment at the end of the fight with the Guard where I hesitated because it did not seem like Kylo was automatically going to stay with the Dark. He ended Snoke, and I subjectively thought Kylo wants to wash his hands of both the old hierarchies - again let the past die - and strike out new with Rey (albeit still power-seeking, but not necessarily aligned with a side) when he said “please” as beseechingly as he did. Because during that fight Kylo was so in tune with Rey he seemed for once smooth and in balance, and only when she says “no" did I sense him make a decision to switch tracks to “Rey killed Snoke and I’m Supreme Leader now.” But at that pivotal moment, I don’t think being a sole leader is what Kylo wanted, even if that meant he was supreme. I’m probably wrong, but that’s what I took from Adam Driver’s choice with the character, and I wanted Luke to take one last psychological crack at Ben through that shared mentality.

Things I hope IX will address and questions I had from TLJ:

Will we time jump ahead a few years? Will we deal with Carrie Fisher’s untimely passing by showing Leia’s funeral? When I think of a Star Wars processional I have got to say one of the things the prequels did well was Padme’s funeral, and I imagine it would be a touching, iconic visual to have an onscreen parallel with General Organa, but depending on the state of the Resistance and whether or not they’re still in tatters when the curtain rises on the next episode, I don’t think we’re going to see it on screen. That said, if there is a formal funeral assembly, I’d like it to serve the dual purpose of marking her passing as well as the response to the distress signal at the end of TLJ by introducing us to some of the new generation of force sensitive people in attendance. I think it would be poetic, if executed well, for her funeral to also be that focal point where the galaxy answers the call.

Luke Skywalker, force ghost? - Well he did say “See you around kid.” I think it would be interesting if Luke ‘haunts’ the hell out of Ben in IX in some way, like the weeds of a conscience. I think it is almost necessary to have Luke more involved since Carrie Fisher passed. I would also love to see the Force Ghost of Ben Kenobi and Anakin Skywalker, because Obi is Ben’s namesake I should think, and Anakin was for so long his idol, and it’s about time to give these two actors (Ewan and Hayden) a shot outside the prequels i.m.h.o.

Rey and the training of new Jedi - I would like to see Rey create a new text of lessons for the Jedi order to accompany the old artifacts she stole as she gathers, maybe not necessarily formally trains, a new generation of the Force attune. And, apart from broom kid, I would love to see a range in age and walks of life for those Jedi, plucked from their daily routine with “non-traditional” arcs to their training in the same vein as Luke, if we see the training aspect at all.

Give me the Knights of Ren - pleeeeeease!

Will Kylo take an Apprentice as the new Supreme Leader like precedence has set before him? I hesitate to give a solid yes for three reasons: a) based on his pitch to Rey, Kylo really pushes back on the old ways on principle alone, so I think the idea of an apprentice is somewhat repugnant to him, and it would be hard for him to have an apprentice until he is fully in control of himself and his Young-Anakin-esque rage. Based on the end of VIII, some time needs to pass for Kylo to become controlled, calculated leader, willing to share without deep mistrust of others, and rightly so given the journey that has made him Kylo Ren. b) I think he’s also a bit Rey-or-bust at this point because when he felt that tether to her at the end of VIII and she rebuked him it may have soured him to a future pupil. c) I think Kylo will be impacted by Luke in this aspect above all others, by which I mean determined to be a better ‘master’ than Luke was to him. However I think one or more of three things will undermine Kylo should he take on a pupil. Either he will have frustrations with the traditions of mentorship and/or the recollection of Rey’s refusal that will come out misdirected at his apprentice and create tension between them, and/or Hux will be a poisonous whisper in his apprentice’s ear, and/or my favorite imagined scenario is that Kylo senses the pull of light in his apprentice and he is trapped in the internal struggle that’s not “do I kill him” because that’s too easy to answer, but rather of “do I snuff out the light, even if that puts me eye to eye with uncle Luke, the man I say I hate, the man I don’t want to be Or do I risk the alternative.” I think Kylo might* take an apprentice (55/45), but if he does it will be his undoing.

Will there be redemption by deed, by consequence, or by death for Kylo? Is there no redemption possible? Your guess is as good as mine, but I think Adam Driver said it best - and at the core of it this is why I have always loved antagonistic characters. Paraphrasing: Evil for it’s own sake is very flat. At the risk of sounding cliche, I don’t think Kylo sees himself as evil, and when I play him I don’t see myself that way but rather but as right. In the same sense, I think that stories without the hope of redemption are boring by comparison to the alternative. And I think that if Kylo doesn’t think in terms of good and evil, but right and wrong, then he already thinks like Rey. It’s only a matter of getting him to consider for a moment the possibility that he is wrong which could set tide of the Force into motion to rock him.

Who, if any, will reinforce the small 10-ish man Resistance that are left? Are there other factions against the First Order that will back them? I’m firmly in the #LandoforIX camp, and what other non-Rebel civilian aid might evolve the Resistance that’s now presumably under Poe’s leadership.

State of the Galaxy in IX? Divisions / factions starting to form in the First Order maybe, courtesy of Hux. I don’t know, there are so many rich options.

Also, side note, I hope they revisit Maz Kenata’s line from TFA in the next Episode where she says “same eyes…different people” because I think there’s more to play with and more full circle yet to come, and I was surprised how little that character was featured and how her line didn’t come up in some form in The Last Jedi.

Lastly, I love broom kid, because that’s the spark catching. For as many times as they said spark in the film, the spark is only good if it takes hold onto something. Yes it was Disney, but it served a purpose. I hope we see him again.

The new force projection/visitation power: was it always there and Jedi masters never used it (that would make for a few plot holes), or because the Force is referred to as a religion and, to the best of my knowledge, is living/organic/natural (lots of pastors will speak similarly of the Bible), is this a natural development that the Force recently evolved as a product of time? Also, have force ghosts always been able to blow stuff up, because if so than ghosts of many Jedi should have had a field day.

I’m a little worried about IX having a new set of writers because I want continuity and most important when it comes to Star Wars I want story and spectacle to live in balance (yes, I am directing that concern toward JJ). I want poetry that gives me the feeling of SW without repeating old stories word for word. In short I want more Rian Johnson, but I’ll cross my heart and my lightsaber laser swords for Abrams, Trevorrow and Connolly.

Okay, now I’ve got to go read all the books so that I can actually converse informatively.

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ptw30 · 7 years

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Blade!Shiro Masterpost

Summary: It isn’t easy being the only human in the Galra Empire. After Shiro’s human father and Galra stepmother leave he and his half-Galra brother, Keith, to fend for themselves, Shiro resorts to the worst-case scenario time and time again to survive. And now that Keith is sick and in desperate need of medicine, Shiro has no choice but to proposition a high-ranking Galra official. But this time, it might not be GAC he receives – but salvation.

i.e. How Shiro becomes the only human member of the Blade of Marmora

Stunning art by xblackpaladin

Warnings: Mature themes throughout, including non-consensual marking, prostitution, graphic violence, and heavy angst.

I use #blade!shiro to tag all the entries in this story, so if you do not wish to see this series, please blacklist it. Thank you!

Story links under cut

The Series

Worst-Case Scenario: Shiro propositions Ulaz and instead of receiving GAC, he receives salvation. (NSFW - prostitution, mentioned, not graphic)

Adoption: As Shiro and Keith settle into the Communication Base Thaldycon, thanks to Ulaz, other members of the Blades of Marmora take offense to the brothers' intrusion, and Shiro has to decide what's more important - keeping his brother or saving him. (only on AO3)

The Commander’s Human Lover: On a mission for the Blade, Thace gets help from an unexpected source - Sendak’s mate. Too bad the person-in-question doesn’t know it. (NSFW, sensuality)

First Mission: Shiro gets his first mission with the Blade of Marmora, and he’s not happy with Kolivan’s choice for his partner.

Haunted: Sendak is visited by the ghost of his past lover. Maybe.

Appealing Destiny: Kolivan tries to save Shiro the only way he knows how - and Ulaz is not pleased.

Double-Edged Dagger: Sometimes the hardest battles are the ones we fight against ourselves, but they are winnable if we have the right weapons, which in Shiro’s case is his new, eccentric but caring family.

Introduction to Galra Culture: Shiro can’t leave Keith with Thace for five minutes without something happening to the kid.

Galra Culture 102: While Keith is accepted into the Blades’ pack, Shiro is not, and the future Black Paladin is forced to come to some difficult realizations.

Scar Tissue - Shiro’s past comes to light, and he worries about his future with the Blades.

Part One: In which Kolivan loses his “universe’s best Galra!dad mug” (mature)

Part Two: After Shiro’s former life is revealed to Kolivan, the youngest Blade copes with “help” from the Black Lion and Keith.

Part Three: “Destiny must find a new victim to extort.”

DVD Commentary: “How does one tell his cub he is fated to fight not just for his life but also the freedom of the entire universe?”

Epilogue: Shiro can’t escape his past, but his pack won’t let him drown in it.

Quintessence Sharing: or “how Shiro got his inking.”

Date Night: On a mission to a sport port bar with Antok and Kolivan, Shiro sees a surprise patron - Sendak.

Battle Hazard: When Kolivan's hurt and Shiro offers to help him, one of Shiro's biggest disadvantages in battle is revealed.

Catnip: Antok and Kolivan walk in on one of Shiro and Keith’s sibling disputes.

An Eternity: Ulaz has an unexpected visitor in his quarters aboard Sendak’s ship.

The Red Paladin: Shiro brings Keith’s presents when he’s away more than three quintaints. This time, he brings destiny.

Crossing the Border

Part One: Precautionary Measures

Part Two: Proper Documentation

Shock to the System: Shiro has a violent allergic reaction.

The Guardian Spirit Fire: Puberty not only brings hormones but also paladin powers. So I guess Shiro was a late bloomer.

Tail Piercing: Keith wants a tail piercing; Shiro says no. Yeah, Keith doesn’t take that well.

By Omission: Keith hopes for some freedom at a swap meet; Shiro hopes to keep his little brother by his side; and Kolivan just wants less grey fur [i.e. the story where Keith finds out about his brother’s status in the empire]. Only on AO3.

Separation Anxiety: Shiro is sick and has a heart-wrenching request for Antok.

Broken Blade: Captured by the Galra Empire, Shiro reunites with Sendak and is forced to face some hard truths about his past and his future.

Notes on Broken Blade - triggers and spoilers

Part One: Shiro learns the cost of awakening a blade.

Part Two: Shiro tells Ulaz what happened on the mission that led to his "capture." (Tumblr Link)

Part Three: Shiro returns to the Blade of Marmora headquarters with the paladins and finds his relationship with Kolivan fractured; in his first meeting with Sendak following his capture, Shiro is forced to face his torrid past with the commander. (Tumblr Link)

Part Four: AKA “The Honeymoon Period.” Shiro and Sendak spend two weeks alone on a Galra battlecruiser on the way to Central Command and attempt to find some common ground - and maybe some way to relieve the boredom. (Tumblr Link)

Cultural Shock: Shiro teaches Sendak an important part of Earth’s culture - the selfie. (Yup, I went there.)

Second Chance: “They were ours before you awakened.”

Self-Preservation or Lack Thereof - Keith sees more of Shiro’s scars.

Whole: Lance brings Hunk and Pidge to meet Keith in his shack, a la “The Rise of Voltron.”

Brother-in-Law: Sendak contacts Keith when Shiro stops writing him.

Late-Night Needs: Sendak has some rather specific needs in the middle of the night. (Strong language; discussion of sex but nothing really happens)

Hole in the Sky: Shiro and the Paladins go across the glowy, explode-y thing to meet Sven, Slav, and Akira.

Never Again: Following the events of “A New Defender,” the pack worries for Keith’s safety.

The Blood of the Covenant: Shiro meets the one person from his past he never thought he’d see again, and it makes him appreciate all he’s gained in his young life.

A Formal Declaration of Pursuit: Sendak sends Shiro a formal invitation to dinner.

Washed Away: Shiro gets the urge to groom Sendak. (NSFW - semi-graphic sex)

Testament - Keith is injured during a battle; Shiro refuses to leave him.

Story Series on AO3

Various stories of the series that don’t quite fit in the flow - mostly fic requests

The Emperor and the Blade - An exploration into Kolivan’s mating mark

Swedish Fish and Tiny Tails - Shiro meets his little brother for the first time.

Owned - Sendak is interested in someone on the dance floor of the bar, but he misreads the entire situation.

Unfamiliar Scent - Keith meets Ulaz for the first time.

Space Family - Keith learns what scent means to a pack.

Admission - Kolivan’s reactions to finding out about Shiro’s past in “Scar Tissue,” Chapter One.

The Once and Future King - Zarkon confronts Kolivan about the cub and new Black Paladin he’s adopted.

Out of the Blue - Shiro and Keith feel a new presence awaken in their souls - the Blue Paladin.

The Mission: Takes place during “Crossing the Border” - how Kolivan takes Shiro’s captivity.

DVD Commentary: “Never Again”

Birth-Quintant: Prompt: Wat if the blade did something to celebrate Shiro or Keith’s birthday? Since they probably never really had one since their parents left.

Not Ready: Kolivan is hurt, and Shiro refuses to leave his side. His pack doesn’t let him suffer alone.

Adoption (Part Two): Shiro is the leader of their pack - and he’s adopted everyone on the Castle of Lions - except Lance. Yeah, Lance isn’t hurt, though. No. He’s not. Really. (Okay, maybe a little, but he’s certainly not jealous.)

Learning You: Sendak/Shiro bad sex - Shiro and Sendak have difficulty with intimacy after so many years apart. (NSFW non-graphic after/before sex scenes)

Skin Deep: Shiro reflects upon scars he received before becoming a member of the Blade of Marmora (Shendak).

Operation: Kuron - Kolivan makes a difficult decision - what to do with clones of his eldest cub.

Father and Son - prompt Zarkon/???? twu wuv - Zarkon beckons Shiro to the astral plane for some father-son bonding time.

Confession - tender Shendak - Shiro decides he doesn’t want to let Sendak go ever again.

#Sharpening the Blade - Blade!Shiro meta posts

Sendak’s reaction to Shiro’s disappearance

Zarkon/Haggar after Shiro’s captured

Shiro and Keith’s Parents (potential spoilers abound)

Great Things - AKA How Haggar Became a Soccer Mom (Honerva is Shiro’s Biological Mom AU)

How Moira/Blades React to Sendak and Shiro’s Relations (spoilers/NSFW - sensuality, implied sex)

Shiro’s diseases following the events of “Worst-Case Scenario” (Discussion of STDs)

Lotor’s Introduction - and White Lion slippers

Becoming Galra - Shiro’s run-in with Haggar leaves him with more than a robotic arm in this prompt (warning: grooming - as in, cat grooming)

A Note on Becoming Galra - about Shiro being human.

Keith and the Space Mice AU - The Druids make Keith extra-smol.

Do the Galra have weddings?

Would Sendak and Shiro have a kit?

Shiro Stayed with Sendak AU

What if Ulaz hadn’t picked up Shiro and Keith AU

Shiro stays with Sendak AU

Shiro is the royal consort; Lotor is his slave

If Lance Had Stayed and Become Part of the Pack AU

The Pack Panel - AU Prompt - What if as Lance and Keith get older (growing up together) the Blades have to point out to Shiro that Keith has started courting behavior toward Lance.

An Altean in a Galran Pack - Prompt - what would have happened if Lance had been able to stay with the Blade, and Keith and Shiro? - He’d get a big brother and a yupper.

#shiro #kolivan #shendak #voltron: legendary defender #blade of marmora #ulaz #keith #antok #thace #blade!shiro #ptw30 pens #masterpost

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shidoukanae · 7 years

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VRAINS Mystery Masterpost 2.16

Okay, back again to add to this list here of questions and mysteries.

Masterpost 2.15 for episode 15: Here

So, while this episode was mostly straightforward and not really filled to the brim with plot mysteries, there are some strange “discrepancies” here and there that have made me curious about our current cast of characters.

-For one, Kusanagi. This episode has, to me at least, made the man seem a little bit too eerie for my tastes. Note this scene here, for example:

The way that the camera avoids Kusanagi’s face as Yusaku praises him and the way a smile slips onto Kusanagi’s face as he begins to say “leave it to me” just gives me shivers. There’s something almost wrong about this scene, with Yusaku beaming at Shoichi’s skilled talents and with Shoichi, having his face cut off so that we can’t see his expression, suddenly smiling while basically saying “all according to plan”.

I mean, the pictures here don’t really do the scene justice. Watch it again in the episode and you realize that there seems to be something almost amiss with that scene. It really made me wonder when I saw it whether or not Shoichi is as good as we claim he is or if there’s something more sinister underneath...

My question here is whether or not Shoichi is as innocent as he appears bc something almost seems amiss with him in this episode here.

Case in point number two:

Shoichi, upon seeing Playmaker sucked up by a Data Storm and potentially put into peril by just being near said storm, seems rather calm and reserved. It’s almost like he’s unattached to what is going on, thinking on a rational and logical level with “oh, well what if we give up?” and then seeming to list the pros and cons of such an action with his next sentence afterwards. He doesn’t seem concerned much for Playmaker’s well-being at being super close to a data storm and seems to be thinking more about the benefits that he can gain if Playmaker moves forward rather than having Playmaker retreat bc giving up would be bad if they want to get that information. Also, when he says “If we dive deeper, the Data Storm’s effect will be...” it’s almost like he’s able to tell what the Data Storm means and that he has some familiarity to Data Storms and how they work. (Which is a question in of itself that I’ve had since episode one - does Shoichi know about Data Storms bc it sure seems like he does)

-Okay, now, Ema. Let’s talk about her for a little bit because she’s a bit off in this episode too. But, before we get into her let’s get to something interesting that Shoichi says about her:

...Yeah, that sounds like foreshadowing to me. We all know there’s something off about Ema if not for her weird elf ears and her seeming deal-making that she’s done with a lot of members of the cast. Shoichi, who we can all assume is a very skilled hacker, recognizes Ema as someone who is on the top, as someone who’s “special”. It’s almost like he’s attributing her skills to some bizarre talent, taking interest in her abilities and pointing them out as rather peculiar for a hacker like her.

What’s more, speaking of Ema being off, here’s some interesting use of design to portray Ema and Akira meeting up:

Look at Akira’s face. Look at Ema’s. You’ll notice that the wire curls away from Akira’s face, forming a gap that he looks through while Ema’s is hidden by the fence itself. In a way, this feels like some interesting symbolism. Akira, in this scene, is clear and to the point - he wants to find out what his company was involved in so he understands the extent of SOL’s devious deeds. Ema’s is more subtle, more hidden. Arguably, she wants to help him learn about what SOL did and seeks to give him the information he desires. However, the fact that she is blurred and kept behind the fence while Akira’s face is not suggests that Ema might be hiding something from Akira. And, while I may be reading too much into this they certainly make a point to emphasize how clear and cut-through Akira’s face is while Ema more lingers in the background...

-Now then, next point about Ema that involves itself in two questions:

1-Does Aoi Zaizen (or, in this case, Blue Angel) know who Ghost Girl (Ema) is? There certainly seems to be some sort of connection between their VR forms, especially since Aoi doesn’t at all seem to be questioning who Ghost Girl is or why she was talking to her brother about getting information from her brother’s own company.

It’s even more interesting that Ema immediately knows that the butterfly = Blue Angel and that she didn’t even bother to hide her conversation from the girl. It wasn’t obvious from the beginning (to me, anyways) that the butterfly belonged to Blue Angel because there’s nothing there to suggest such a thing (it isn’t blue, doesn’t have an angel-like appearance, etc, etc. If anything, it looked more like the appearance of a new character than Aoi simply spying on them).

Either Ema’s really super good at telling who the identities of intruders are or she’s encountered Blue Angel in the VRAINS before via butterfly mode to be able to recognize when and when not Blue Angel is present. If it’s the latter, it would certainly explain Aoi’s lack of surprise towards Ghost Girl because she’s probably spied on Ema’s meetings with Akira in the VRAINS before if Aoi’s always had this “ability” to do so beforehand.

2-Point #2 - Why does Ema ask about whether or not Blue Angel wants to restore her reputation? It seems rather out of the blue for Ema to inquire something like that to Blue Angel. Ema’s doing Aoi a HUGE favor by letting her return as Blue Angel into Link VRAINS, especially since it disobeys what Akira wants to see from his sister. Keep in mind that, at this point, Ema is highly aware that Aoi Zaizen = Blue Angel. Therefore, it’s interesting that Ema allowed Aoi to watch her meeting with Akira Zaizen and to garner information that Ema probably wouldn’t allow other ears to hear. The fact that she purposely left Aoi alone until only after Akira left suggests that Ema was either trying to help Aoi out (by giving her the freedom to be Blue Angel again only after Akira had left so Aoi’s brother was left completely in the dark about this and couldn’t stop Ema from helping her) or because Ema saw her as a useful piece in protecting and aiding Playmaker as a decoy (which is just as likely as the former). This would also place Aoi (Blue Angel) in Ghost Girl’s debt which will be interesting to see whether or not Aoi will, at some point, try to repay her.

-Okay now, to Kitamura. This guy’s not particularly shady or anything it’s more what he says that alarms me. Notably, this:

In this, Kitamura is suggesting something rather interesting about Akira. He’s suggesting that Akira thinks that AIs should be the ones to use humans and not ‘the other way around’. We haven’t seen Akira’s opinion on AI’s aside from wanting to capture them to serve up to SOL, but it’s rather interesting how Kitamura phrases it almost as if Akira wants humanity to be usurped by robots. Granted, this might just me being tired and recognizing things that are just passing comments (or misunderstandings) but it’s really, really interesting that Kitamura seems to think of Akira as the type to worship artificial intelligence.

-Not really a mystery of much value here but if you look at the two AI duelists it’s rather interesting to note that they kind of look like aliens or like men in spacesuits. You would have thought that AI duelists would he more human-looking in nature but, rather, they’re more monster like, creepy and malicious. It’s interesting that they were designed this way and, while I don’t think it has much purpose past aesthetic, I do find it intriguing nonetheless.

-The next thing of note is of Ema bringing Akira with her into the VRAINS.

My question is, why?

Avoiding shipping biases and assuming Ema wants to give Akira the information about his company, her choice to bring her with him is curious because Akira is a liability to her.

Think about it. Akira’s not a duelist and he’s not a hacker. He’s practically an ordinary person who’s simply accompanying Ema on her trip to the center of the data bank while Playmaker distracts the guards. If something were to happen to him, she’d ultimately be putting herself and the information she wants at risk.

I feel like she might be purposely bringing him with her for a reason but, for what that reason is might still be unsure. She might be bringing him along so he’s unable to tell that she’s helped his sister and sent her out as an assistant to Playmaker. She might be using him as a form of insurance, as a way of explanation to get out of a sticky situation by merely saying “oh, right, he hired me to track down some sneaky hacker who was trying to get to the SOL mother computer so there’s no problem here - we’re totally 100% loyal to protecting your company”.

-Minor thing here but if you look at the picture below (v), you’ll notice that your eye is oddly drawn to the boy in front of Yusaku instead of Yusaku himself when you first observe the photo. Not to say that this means anything, but it’s interesting that VRAINS moves the eye in the direction of this supposed side character w/ interesting-ish hair instead of on our main protagonist himself:

-Also, the more obvious thing here that I think a lot of people have pointed out is the way Ignis calls Playmaker akin to an “AI”.

This little snippet of dialogue honestly seems like such a tease and I’m wondering if the show is outright foreshadowing something right here or if it’s simply making a pun of a joke (since their opponents are AIs which kind of means Ai’s comment is suggesting that, he too is an AI bc he’s acting the same way as them, cool and calculated and what not). It probably is foreshadowing of some sorts but I’m not going to try and analyze it because most of the theories out so far already have covered the possibility of Playmaker/Yusaku being an actual AI and I don’t want to sound repetitive (plus I’m super tired *yawns*).

That’s it for this post. I think I covered everything of interest. There’s other things of note I wanted to mention but since that’s more shipping territory than it is ~mystery~ territory I’m going to end of here.

Gotta wait another week for the next one of these, lol

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categorically-patheic · 7 years

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Fic: Hero Syndrome, Pt .1 Ch. 1

Oh my god! Piper’s writing a fanfiction?! Apparently!

Mass Effect/Dragon Age crossover (think a mash up of both stories). A bunch of stuff changed from each canon to make it cohesive. Shakarian is the main ship but not the focus of the story.

Part 1: Nothing Ventured, Nothing Gained

"Well, what about Shepard? City elf from the Anderfels... but no record of her family, no paper trail from an orphanage." The nasally, dour tone of Ambassador Udina's voice bounces around the walls of the spacious, empty chantry. Cobwebs brandishing the timeworn wooden beams wobble from the disturbance in the still air; rays of honeyed sunlight gleam blazingly through opulent stained glass, bathing the warm interior in hues of green, blue, and red. Milky candles, oil portraits of the blessed Andranste, and worn copies of the Chant of Light lay scattered along the walls, having been pushed aside to make room for cots on which armies of men would sleep each night.

Three hoary and distinguished men sit along the circumference of a small round table in a cramped room built to the side of the chancel; a former storage closet, the confine now served as the war room for the esteemed, highest-ranking members of the Grey Wardens.

"Doesn't have one. Was raised on the streets of the alienage," High Constable Anderson explains casually. "Learned to look out for herself." He reclines back against the unrelenting wooden chair, putting his elbows on the table and leaning his joined hands forward to emphasize his words.

"She proved herself at the Blitz. Held off enemy forces on the ground until reinforcements arrived." First Warden Hackett, leader of all Grey Wardens, puts forward his vote of confidence into the dialogue. No soldier who'd pull something so audacious and self-sacrificing as that would be a bad choice, elven mage or not. He sits up, straightens his posture as he refocuses onto the conversation. "She's the only reason Elysium is still standing," Anderson elaborates with a subtle layer of reverence; he'd been awfully impressed with her actions himself, if not a little proud. He'd watched her closely through her training and as she climbed the ranks of the order. He knew she'd only enlisted because she had nowhere else to go, but Shepard applied every trace of resolution she had in her into each instruction, each drill they threw at her. There was something passionate and white-hot within her, and he'd been glad to be taking part in drawing it out.

"We can't question her courage," Udina says in a manner that broadcasts his apprehension blatantly.

"The grey wardens need a hero. And Shepard's the best we've got."

Udina shifts his gaze to Anderson and hesitates in thought, before turning his head and looking to Hackett with deferential eyes, "I'll send the letter."

///

Juniper Shepard stares down at the piece of paper for minutes on end, wringing it in her petite fingers until the edges crumble to ensure that it's tangible and not just a figment of her imagination. Pulling herself from reverie, she haphazardly folds the letter and tucks it into the pack hanging by her side. She turns from the mailbox to look out at the troops training, fields of soldiers male and female, mage and warrior, elven and human sparring together as equals. Well, we'll see how equal everyone is when they hear their new Commander of the Grey is a knife-ear magic user.

And yet the grim thought barely brushes her mind. All she can feel is an elated swell of pride and hope. She'd worked herself to the absolute limit for this, tirelessly putting her mind and body through constant strain to not only become accustomed to the brutal and unforgiving nature of clamoring against darkspawn, but to hone her magical and leadership skills as well. Her smile is ample and sunny, a wet sheen to her eyes as she stands atop the grassy overhang in front of the Ostagar chantry, peering down upon the men working their muscles on the battlefield (her men). To think that all that hard work finally paid off --

Before letting herself got lost in another daydream, Shepard hikes the pack higher on her shoulder, readjusts the cloth of her robes bunching around her waist, and begins strolling through the staging ground. Her eyes drift from merchant to quartermaster, observing their work ethic and absorbing the morose mood that seeped from the faces and words of each craftsperson and hired sword.

She meanders thoughtlessly through the sea of recruits and laborers, taking every second to soak up the sights and smells of Ferelden. Her feet, too used to this particular trek to award her any additional leisure, lead her to the war table. As expected, her charge King Nihilus stands hunched over a map of the country, confidently squared shoulders begin hitching up in frustration as the man next to him arrogantly nags at the side of his head. Nihilus takes a small, grey figure in the shape of a soldier and places it at the edge of an oblong green splotch meant to represent the Kocari Wilds, all the while snidely justifying his support of Orlais to the petulant veteran at his right.

As she approaches the two, the monarch's voice becomes clearer. "We have no reason to fear the Orlesians anymore; your paranoia will only get these men killed. Don't forget who's in charge here, Teyrn Arterius." The sun bares down swelteringly onto the grounds, causing sweat to roll down his chiseled, dark face; the white hair beneath his gilded crown sits clammy against his scalp and neck. Surly from the humid weather and his subordinate's overt disrespect, the king's intense green eyes narrow as they cast a sidelong glare at Saren, his body still stooped and parallel to the table.

"I'm just glad your father didn't live to see his only son handing over Ferelden to those who enslaved us for a century," the lieutenant retorted haughtily. The comment was unnecessarily cruel, especially when considering how good of friends the two had been when training to become templars alongside one another in the Denerim chantry, Nihilus' father watching from atop the throne in pride.

If mentioning the topic of his deceased father had bothered him in the slightest, the king didn't let it rise to the surface. Cooly, he responded to the affront by saying, "Then our forces will just have to suffice. First Warden Hackett promised us that a new Warden-Commander would be arriving today --"

Taking her cue, Shepard interrupts the king (for not the first time in her life) to interject, "Actually, Ser, that Warden-Commander would be me." She does her best to exude confidence when she traipses to the war table and hands Nihilus the letter. He turns slowly around, head cocked in interest. Frowning down at her in confusion and annoyance as he takes the note in hand, he scrutinizes Shepard with a sharp look like he's expecting it be a prank (again, not really a first time thing for her).

His eyes scan across the message, and his brow raises higher the more he reads. He tilts the paper down slightly when he's finished; a smirk ghosts on his lips as his gaze darts upwards from the page to stare back into her hopeful, dark eyes.

"Well, Shepard, it seems congratulations are in order. Can you get your men ready in a few days' time?" He asks the question like it's a formality, as if he already knows the answer.

She grins knowingly up at him and the horrified templar to his side. The hands at her hips cock into place as her arms fold at ninety-degree angles behind her back, her weight shifts back onto her spine from her right leg and her feet come together in a militaristic display. She replies, "Of course, your Highness." She keeps it short and sweet, understanding that her king is trying to make a point to the slag-faced teyrn. She'd always hated that bastard. Shepard may not always get along with Nihilus, his pompous overconfidence, nor his borderline naivety in the face of battle, but she hates Saren. Seeing him getting a taste of his own medicine was the cherry on top of the perfect proceedings thus far.

The knotted muscles in his body unbind as the tension from the previous argument is broken by their mirthful exchange, "Fantastic news, Commander. Every Grey Warden is needed now more than ever."

Disdain plasters itself across the indignant, pale face of Saren. His cheeks slightly gaunt and eyes a piercing cerulean, the expression he wears in reaction to the news is drenched in disgust. "Could we focus on the task at hand, or are you going to continue to waste your time with this diplomatic sh- nonsense? You're king, you appoint a Warden-Commander. This... apprentice can't be fit for something so critical." His voice reverberates with judgment and pretension.

"I put my faith in the Grey Wardens. Are you questioning my judgment," the king brusquely rumbles. "Maybe you've forgotten your place." His rough tone and tense posture suggest a challenge, one that all three of them know the Freeman won't take him up on, at least not in front of the entire Ferelden chapter.

The Gwaren teyrn scoffs and waves a gloved hand through the air in a dismissive gesture. "Not at all, Nihilus. But you shouldn't --"

"Then save it, Saren. If you have a strategy, let's hear it." He finishes the sentence with a hanging intonation; he wants to say more, but he knows it'd just cause controversy if he chewed out an official with such a high standing among the population so soon after being crowned.

He continued speaking without giving Saren so much as a chance, "The Grey Wardens distract the darkspawn into charging our lines. I utilize the chaos to sneak behind their numbers and set a bomb in the heart of their base. And then...?" He trails off awkwardly, shifting on his feet and looking back to the templar at his side in an offer of compromise.

The ass-kissing Saren takes it, of course. "You'll alert the tower to light the beacon, signaling my men to charge from cover."

"Yeah, to flank the darkspawn. I remember now. Who'll light the thing?"

"I have a few soldiers stationed there. It's not such a dangerous job, but it's very important."

"Then we should send our best. Shepard, you and your two sidekicks, uhh-- Alenko and Williams, was it? Take them to light the beacon." The king stands up straight, spine completely vertical, and looks to her with an observant expression.

"You're relying on these 'Grey Wardens' a lot, Kryik. Do really think this is a good idea?" The teyrn crosses his arms in provocation and rearranges his stance.

"Enough with the conspiracy theories, Arterius. Grey Wardens battle the Blight, it's what they do, regardless where they're from."

"Shouldn't we consider the possibility of the archdemon showing up," Shepard postulates. Her arms fold themselves beneath her breasts, one up in the air swirling to simulate the flight path of said beast. She does her best to mask the anxious burn in her chest when the realization of how real all of this is sets in.

"There haven't been any signs of dragons in the woods, Commander. Though, you're welcome to check yourself." Indignant as ever, the decorated lieutenant smirks in her direction, brow arched.

"Isn't that why you're here at all, Shepard?" The king grills her, and by the Maker, it makes her nervous.

"I, um... Yes, your majesty." She admits to what feels like a defeat. Shepard might actually be a little in over her head. Only a little.

#me #fic #mine

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biofunmy · 5 years

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‘Game of Thrones’ Series Finale Recap: All Hail King Who?

Season 8, Episode 6, ‘The Iron Throne’

In the end, “Game of Thrones” was about blowing up the game of thrones.

At times Sunday’s series finale rendered this literally, as when the Iron Throne itself, the inspiration for most of the terrible things we’ve seen over eight seasons, was grief-torched by Drogon after Jon Snow killed its mom.

More thematically, the show that has been broadly about a society’s transition from murderous, dysfunctional dynastic rule and entitlement politics to a more collectivist model consummated that concept, killing off yet another conquering monarch and replacing her with an elected king.

Of course the thing is, that king is Bran.

It was one of several head-scratchers in a finale that, like much of the season, was a mishmash of poignant moments and puzzling turns.

There were definitely some nice touches, like the dragon-wing shot of Daenerys and the nobles’ guffaws at the mere thought of actual democracy, one of the night’s funnier moments. In some ways, the finale was a compendium of “Thrones” greatest hits: There was yet another regicide, yet another jailing of Tyrion, yet another scattering of Starks.

But the episode, directed by the creators D.B. Weiss and David Benioff (who in the last few weeks have become the show’s biggest villains to a vocal fan segment), was also plagued by the same incoherence that has inspired abundant Twitter rage this season and at least one effigial petition.

There was Jon killing Daenerys and then escaping the immediate wrath of both Drogon — maybe his Targaryen blood helped — and the Unsullied, who instead took him prisoner hours after cutting people’s throats just for supporting Cersei, much less murdering their queen. (And how did they know what had happened, without a body? Did he confess?) There was the eternally fungible size of the Unsullied and Dothraki forces.

There was also the weird pacing that has marred much of the past two seasons, since the show cut from 10 episodes a season to seven last season and then six in this one.

On Sunday, minutes of screen time would be devoted to Jon walking and then, with a quick fade out and in, Tyrion had a bushy beard and the heads of Westeros’s big houses had suddenly appeared in the dragonpit. (Who summoned them?)

After eight seasons of anguish and death that amounted to a case for a new political system — “We need to find a better way!” Davos urged — Tyrion laid the whole thing out in a few minutes, Scooby Doo-style, as Grey Worm glowered nearby but reluctantly went along with everything.

It was clumsy and frustrating, especially because if you squinted, you could see how the outcomes could have been powerful if the lead-ups hadn’t been mismanaged.

Jon’s assassination of Daenerys was the stuff of Greek tragedy — a man murdering his lover for the greater good. (And here’s where I brag about bringing up Maester Aemon’s “love is the death of duty” speech back in Week 2.) Emilia Clarke and Kit Harington gave moving performances, but the scene lacked the impact it deserved because the turn that got us there was unconvincing.

Bran is in some ways a fitting choice for a kingdom that is looking to forge a different path. On a show frequently about how societies that forget their history are doomed to repeat it — in sectarian revenge cycles, conquering tyrants, sacks of great cities — Bran can see all of history. In a realm plagued by rulers who slaughtered their way into power, Bran is physically broken. In a tale in which pride and ego can lead to travesty, Bran has neither.

Tyrion leaned hard into the humility argument and also into a cornier one about stories being the most powerful thing on earth. Bran got shoved from a tower and then became the Three Eyed Raven, Tyrion said. Who has a better story than that? (Rebuttal: Arya and Sansa, sitting on either side of him.)

And as a bonus, Bran can’t sire a lunatic like Joffrey because he can’t have kids at all!

But none of it changes the fact that Bran has long been one of the most unsatisfying characters on the show. He’s almost a man, as he told Jon back in the season premiere, but he’s mostly a tool of convenience designed to relay narrative information we couldn’t get otherwise — whether it’s scouting the White Walkers, revealing “Thrones” prehistory or dropping knowledge bombs.

Bran theoretically has access to all information but seems to access it only when and in which way the story needs him to. This was reflected perfectly by his response to Tyrion’s pitch: “Why do you think I came all this way?” O.K., then why were you so hyped about telling Jon he’s supposed to be king a few weeks ago?

One response might be, because that’s what needed to happen — this is Bran’s response to pretty much everything, which makes it essentially meaningless. This all can sound like nit-picking, but internal logic is part of what gives a story power and resonance. In a show that was once defined by a kind of gritty realism within a fantastical setting, Bran is the ultimate cheat.

So his promotion to the Rolling Throne was a sort of final confirmation that over the past couple of seasons, at least, the series became something different from what most of us signed up for.

“Game of Thrones” became a global phenomenon largely by upending expectations, and one way it achieved that was by using the calcified conventions of the fantasy genre against us. The noble patriarch defined by his morals? Gone in the first season. The prince valiant son who followed his heart? Slaughtered along with his pregnant wife. The gentle giant who lived to protect a plucky young lad? Doomed in multiple ways by the actions of said lad.

This was a Shakespearean saga about power, blood and loyalty, we once told our skeptical, fantasy-averse friends. Not some show about dragons and wizards.

And then in its final episode, a dragon committed the story’s most potent symbolic act and a wizard was put in charge.

It all could have worked better if the past two seasons had felt less like headlong rushes toward predetermined outcomes, at the expense of character and story believability. (Whatever that means in a dragon epic.) I might have even accepted King Bran the Broken and his “everything happens for a reason” rhetoric if the show had just … nah, actually, I probably wouldn’t have. But so many of the things that drove fans loudly crazy this season most likely wouldn’t have if they’d been given more room to breathe. (More on this in a minute.)

The council that elected Bran included some of our favorite people, at least. This included the future Small Council members Sam (grand maester), Davos (master of ships), Brienne (lord commander of the kingsguard, maybe?) and Bronn, who in a fun twist was made master of coin. (As political commentary, putting a louche mercenary in charge of the treasury is pretty great.)

Yara Greyjoy and Gendry were there, too. Randomly, so was the former Suckling Robin, Yohn Royce (I think?), and some other people I didn’t recognize. Edmure Tully made it out of Walder Frey’s cell, apparently, but he’s still the same goober he was when he went in.

The mix of highborn and low was meaningful, and combined with the depictions of the Targaryen Regime — the Nurembergish rally, the tyrannical doublespeak about “liberating” people who had just been butchered — it unsubtly hammered home the show’s main themes: Power corrupts. Working together is our only hope.

Of course, the defining pack of the show was scattered yet again to the corners of the earth. The parting of Sansa, Arya and Jon inspired real emotion, intensified by the fact that just as they would never see this family together again, neither would we.

It was sad to see the Starks go their separate ways again, but they each got fitting ends. Sansa got a crown and an independent North, making her one of the few people in the show actually qualified for the job they have.

Arya is off for further adventures in the land beyond the map. Jon is going back North to where he fit in best of all, a poignant end for a man who was always an outsider, even when he was at the center of things. He’s already made up for his diss of Ghost a couple of weeks ago.

“I’m sorry I wasn’t there when you needed me,” Jon told Bran.

“You were exactly where you were supposed to be,” he replied.

Of course he was, Bran. Of course he was.

A Race to the Finish

Endings are hard, and this one was always going to be harder than most.

That’s partly thanks to a story that methodically killed off its most interesting characters (and some of its best actors) as it winnowed into a more traditional good-versus-evil tale centered on its least interesting ones (Jon and Dany).

And it’s partly because the things that established “Game of Thrones” as a phenomenon — the epic scale, the shocking twists — began to work against it. Plot swerves got more abrupt as the writers tried to stay ahead of the obsessive audience — without the benefit of a blueprint, once the show surpassed the books — and story was sacrificed at the altar of spectacle as the series strove to top itself over and over.

And it’s partly because Benioff and Weiss failed to anticipate the ways in which dramatically abbreviating the last two seasons would exacerbate all of the above.

I don’t pretend to understand the pressures of TV production — logic suggests that with the episodes getting ever more technically complicated, they would take longer to shoot, which results in fewer of them per season.

But didn’t the show already take as much time as it needed, with months and months between some seasons? Why not go ahead and take as much as it takes to get to 10 episodes for those last two? For that matter, why not break up some of these supersize installments from this season into two separate ones that let moments land and things develop less frantically?

I liked the Battle of Winterfell more than most people, but would it have felt less abrupt spread over two episodes? Would Jaime or Dany’s turns have felt more natural if they’d been given time to more gradually unfold? Yes, yes and yes.

But now I worry that I’m starting to sound nit-picky again. And listen: For all of my kvetching, am I saying the show has been ruined, as so many former fans claim? Not at all. (I’m certainly not signing any goofy petitions.)

I will always admire “Game of Thrones” and never forget the wonder of its most provocative moments — Hardhome, Hodor, the Red Wedding, Cersei’s coup, Arya’s killing of the Night King — and the beauty of its quieter ones. I was frequently astounded that such stunning and audacious artistry could be delivered into my living room.

I kvetch because I care. I care because at its best, there was nothing else like “Game of Thrones” on TV or any other medium.

A Few Thoughts While We Turn the Page

• The power of stories and the tension between actual and recorded history were big themes in the finale, and in the show over all. In addition to Tyrion’s rhetoric on Sunday, we saw Brienne faithfully filling out Jaime’s story in the Book of the Brothers — a callback to Joffrey making fun of Jaime’s scanty entry in Season 4 — until she got to his final act. “He died serving his Queen,” she wrote, a single-sentence gloss on one of the most complex and defining plots of this story.

• Then Tyrion himself, the linchpin of so much of “Game of Thrones,” was entirely left out of “Song of Ice and Fire.” A popular theory held that Sam was ultimately going to be the one who wrote the story we’ve just watched. Close. Turns out it was Archmaester Ebrose (the head guy played by Jim Broadbent), but Sam helped with the title.

• “There’s still a Night’s Watch?” Jon asked, speaking for all of us, when it was proposed to him. Yep, Tyrion said, but maybe there wasn’t after all? It just looked like Tormund and a bunch of Wildlings, and then they all headed north of the Wall.

• Freed of their pillaging and storm-trooping responsibilities, the Unsullied are on their way to Naath, all 100 or 10,000 or however many of them are going to live the dream that Grey Worm hatched with Missandei back at Winterfell. Also, if you had Grey Worm in your survival pool, congratulations. Drinks are on you.

• What did you make of the big finale? Did it make you mad about the rise of Bran the Broken? Sad about Jon’s expulsion? Glad Dany got her comeuppance?

• And finally, each of us has a role to play, and now mine is done. But before I stagger toward the horizon like Melisandre and collapse into dust, I want to say thank you to everyone for reading and commenting over the past few weeks (or years). Daenerys, Jaime, Cersei, Jorah, Missandei, Ned, Robb, Rickon, Hodor (Hodor) and about a billion others didn’t make it, but we’re still here. We were the watchers on the couches, and now our … wait, how does it go again?

Sahred From Source link Arts

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