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[popculturebuffet]

Supermay! What's So Funny About Truth, Justice and the American Way? (Patreon Review for Brotoman.EXE)

Hello all you happy kryptonains and welcome back to supermay, a month long tribute to all things man of steel. This week is a two parter as we look at one of the best superman comics of all time, one of the best one shot issues of all time and one of the best deconstructions of "Why don't heroes do whatever they want and kill whoever they want" of all time. I'm not softballing it: this issue is fantastic. We'll also be looking at it's adaptation later this week, the DTV film Superman Vs the Elite.

For now though we're focusing on the original story. What's So Funny... was originally published in 2001 in Action Comics 775, written by Joe Kelly and drawn by Doug Mankhe and Lee Bermejo.

For those not familiar with him Kelly is a comics legend, having helped define deadpool with his first solo book and coming back to the character quite a bit without the dimnishing returns creators sometimes have. He also founded animation studio Man of Action and is one of the co-creators of both Ben 10 and Generator Rex.

Kelly wrote superman for a 5 year run, a nice stretch all things considered and one I wish, like most of 90's and 2000's superman would get recollected. Or at the very least hopefully is on dc universe infinite. It's not AS good as having collections out there, but it's something. But if his stories are anywhere near this good, i'd love to see more of them.

Kelly wrote What's So Funny as a direct response to another book DC was publishing at the time: The Authority. The Authority were created by emotinally abusive grooming coersive dickhead Warren Ellis and entirely good dude Bryan Hitch. I bring up the latter because Hitch seems genuinely kind and deserves his flowers... and the former because it shouldn't be forgotten. Ellis hasn't genuinely atoned, deserved to loose everything he did, and while his talent shouldn't be forgotten, it's only because his talent is WHY he was able to do this. If we suddenly go "Oh he always sucked", it undercuts HOW he was able to do this. Most people he abused were fans of his and it's worth remembering he was talented.. and must ALWAYS be remembered what he choose to use said talent to do to people. I won't go into details as to avoid triggering those of you who have been simiarly abused, but if your curious go to somanyofus.com. What testimonals I have read are heartbreaking.

As for the Authority itself, it was a followup to Ellis' run on storm watch, a book created by Jim Lee about a UN Sanctioned super team that Ellis helped transform, adding in some new creations of his own to revitalize the team. The book was a critical hit and loved at the offices of Wildstorm, the company that published stormwatch and would soon be bought by DC. The problem was it wasn't selling, and Ellis, both feeling bad they were keeping the book around just because of him and wanting to take things up a notch, reconfigured the team into the authority.

The Authority was a massively powerful team, assembled to face massive threats like an army of supermen dispatched by a mad dictator, a colonliast alien-italian empire that wanted to take earth, and God itself who turned out to be an elder god wanting to restore earth to factory settings. Hitch's art made things feel BIG and cinematic, his specality, and helped show just how big comics could be alongside other works before it (JLA) and after it (New X-Men).

The team had swagger, cool powers.. and most important to this story.. no problem with killing. The team carved their way through armies of enemies, killing whoever they had to and in the first two arcs comitted mass murder: Midnighter, the team's batman and biggest asshole, drove their ship through a country just to get at the first arc's big bad, while the Doctor, their magic man and only able to get away with the name because Doctor Who hadn't been revivied just yet, killed all of alternate italy to destroy an alien empire. These steps weren't taken lightly and were only taken because otherwise more death would follow, but it was clear the team weren't meant to be good guys: simply the only ones who COULD do the job.

This changed with the following run, and I read both Ellis' run and the first two arcs of it's followup for proper context. I ddin't necessarily half to and Brotoman didn't ask and was honestly shocked I put in this much extra effort... but I realized if your going to disect a work calling out the other work, you need to have a fresh understanding of what it's fighting against.

So Ellis' run was followed up by comics legend Mark Millar. Millar seems to be a nice guy nowadays, fun to be around, lvoes the buisness, keeps going simply because he can and with one of the largest creator owned rosters of characters around.

In the 2000's though and for most of his career.. Millar was the king of the edgelords. he was the threw it on the ground guy as an actual tangible person. Millar's idea of adult storytelling was some genuine political comentary idaes.. mixed with a lot of sex and violence for the sake of sex and violence, using senstive topics like sexual assault simply to seem "edgy". So naturally the Authority went from "assholes to a point but with limits" to every last one of them saying edgelord shit, mowing down everyone in their path and LOVING it, and fucking everyone they could because Mark Millar likes ot scream

In your ear while doing nothing to prove he's not a 13 year old boy in a grown up's body. And please note I would gladly review Millar's shit as much as it frustrates me, but will never cover anything by Ellis as long as he lives, as I do not want to give that fucker any more attention than I have to, despite my reactoin to reading the first arc of the authority under him being a resounding

To give you an idea of what I had to put up with dialouge wise, here's a samping from the first four issues of Millar's run.

There's more and the bad guys are even worse, but i'd rather not throw that in here on the grounds that I LIKE you guys and I don't want to throw unecessary edgelord bollocks in here that might trigger some of you who've geninely gone through things Millar brings up just to seem more "adult".

So that's where the authority were at, and it's impressive that things escalated so much in four issues less than a YEAR before What's So Funny was published> It's why I read what I did: It's what would've been out there and while Ellis' run had likely bothered kelly, given how the Elitie are depicted and how their leader acts, it's clear a LOT of it came from Millar's work. I mean you have to be a specail brand of douchebag to get a response to your characters being the worst less than a YEAR in.

The bigger reason for this response was how fans reacted: Fans.. LOVED the authority and as tends to happen when you get a shiny new "edgy" team, some asked: "Why doe we need those other guys? If we have heroes willing to kill, topple governments and swagger all the while, why do we need some guy in tights telling us not to?" Superman was seen by some as outdated and as a result was the target of one of the oldest arguments in all of comics: should superheroes keep doing what they do, or should they take the world and force it to be better or else? It's an argument that NEVER seems to go away.

Proving this, DC had just done a story like this 5 years ago with Kingdom Come, which explored both heroes who are worse than the villians and what happens when the heroes take over. And before THAT marvel did Squadron Supreme in 1985, showing what would genuinely happen if a justice league equilvent took over the world. It'll always be a questoin to be had because readers will cycle out and the next batch will ask the same questions. So join me as we look at the answers, see WHY Superman needs to stand against this and why his methods, despite being questioned every couple of years, stand the test of time and the test of someone who had a dream he didn't like.

We open with Superman flying to Libya as superman flies to stop a superterror attack.. in this case a giant gorilla wielding a giant gun and I will pay adam wingard 5 dollary doos if the next Godzilla X Kong Film involves Kong pistol wipping a giant monster with a shot gun. Just saying.

At any rate clark arrives.. to find something truly horrific.

I give artist Doug Manhke a LOT of credit... despite having only a spread to work with he shows just how horrific this is.. and that's WITHOUT giving anything away about who did it. All we know is suddenly a group with a lot of power saved the day.. but also dropped a giant monster corpse on a city, left said city in ruins, and massacred what was , in all likelyhood an animal who had no say in being made into a giant cybernetic monstrosity. I mean this IS the dc universe with an entire ape city. I could buy Grodd or someone like him growing giant and giving themselves some cable armor to go do some murders, it just comes off more like someone super sized an ape afte rloading it up with hardware and relseaed it on a city and instead of rocgnizing the beast was simply a wild animal, those responsible brutalyl murdered it.

We soon find out who as Clark hears back from the rest of the Daily Planet crew as competing paper the Star, based on the paper Clark worked at in the earlier stories and that grant morrison would bring back for their action comics run, published a gushing story about the four monsters responsible: The Elitie, a super powerful superteam whose leader, Manchester Black even gave a statement "Trust me the old ways are dead in a year you'll love me for this".. then he cut the general he gave the statment too's legs off. It's a great intro: without meeting the guy we instantly know the deep level of prick we're dealing with, and how he'll do a casual violence simply becaues he wants to. Two thousand soldiers died in this attack along with the actual target. Also Jimmy gives a VERY poorly aged joke about watning to shoot the staff of the daily star, which is in character but still feels entirley messed up especially since Columbine had happened at this point. Jesus Jim.

As for who wrote this puff piece that would be Jack Ryder.

For those not familiar with him, Jack Ryder is a "Journalist" and I say so in the loosest terms as in most apperances he's just trying to get attention, being eerly similar to the wave of reactionary assholes we'd see in that decade. He's also the superhero the creeper, a split personality of his who wears a giant boa, cackles and is both awesome and criminally underused by dc. Seriously why they don't use this guy more I don't know. Jack gets more apperances and they can find another strawman or make one.

At any rate Jack's not here to be creepy but to praise terroists while his other self facepalms on the inside. He and clark have debate that is less than civil... and it's telling that clark , who does try to be calma nd kind even when he's pissed off, is absolutely FURIOUS at jack propping these assholes up

Now what I really like about this scene is Jack is an asshole. He make sa mocking joke before maknig an actual pointa nd dowplays all the innocent people who died. And the ape. Seriously someone feel bad an ape died. Why is it just me.

But he raises one valid point while talking directly out of his ass: "And three months later it would happen all over again"> Jack is wrong about..e verything else. Entirely. Seriously creeper needs to get a body seperator machine asap.. but he's right this shit is cyclical and people want a fix. Even 23 years later.. the world still feels broken. Kelly doesn't like the authority.. but he gets WHY people like them: Their a power fantasy, a group of people killing all the big bad dictators, putting corrupt presidents in check and trying to fix a broken world. Their methods are horrible.. but in a time that' scomplciated, unfair and frightening.. it's so easy to cling to someone who seemingly has the answers. It's why so many people flock to the right: turning to hate is sometimes the easiest solution.

We get a brief interlude with president luthor where we find out just HOW powerful these guys are. one of them, coldcast blinked and it shorted out satilites. As Amanda waller put it superman would need a jetpack and a space shuttle to even come close to their power

Naturally Lex's position.. is to let it lie. He plans to turn them into cat food, his exact words, if they so much as touch the US.. but for now their fighting other metas for respect.. and given their clearly gunning for superman and badly outclass him.. well Luthor can't resisit seeing how it plays out, letting the leitie have their fun for now.. and seeing if he can get a dead superman out of the deal. He dosen't say that directly.. but he's sure as hell thinking it as hard as he can.

The Elitie aren't resting on their laurels either, releasing a manefsto that amounts to "do bad shit and we'll fucking kill you". Superman talks this over with Steel.. but it's clear their getting to clark.. and the one thing he says makes it clear why "Do you think the world's moved on?". IT's a powerful statment: Clark himself is wondering if this is what people WANT now, if he's outmoded and if he' sreally making a diffrence.

He dosen't have time to answer as a crisis in Tokyo happens .. and Clark gets to be front and center to meet the Elite this time. Sadly.. Clark can't do anything. His body start's slowing down and we later find out it was coldcast of the elite, having done so to stop an army of geneticly engeneered samurai from massacring toykyo... so the elite massacre them instead. And after a good 15 or so pages of setup.. we finally get a look at the future.

They clockwise from the center; Manchester Black, the groups leader and mouthpiece and powerful Telekenetic, Coldcast, electric man whose deisgn was really not thorught through whatsoever and looks racist as hell, Menagre, a woman combind witha colony of deady creature and the hate, a japanese man merged with a demon that give hims a bunch of magical powers

What's intresting is rather than go 1:1, the elite compress the members of the auhority down from seven people to four so before we move on here's who they represent on the Authority

Manchester Black: Manchester is a combination of the authorities leaders: Founder Jenny Sparks and her successor Jonathan Hawksmore. Sparks is the spirit of the 20th century, had no real fliter and was never all tha tpolite, while Hawksmor was modified by aliens to become one with cities, able to travel between them effortlessly, and was also a jackass in a leather jacket who was dismissive to everyone> both gave grandose speeches and had no respect for anyone else who wasn't on their team. His powers are all him, likely because the electric poewrs were already livewires thing (and thus ported over to another member) and jack's powers were creatively specitic and somethign that might not work on superman, able to have cities eath people alive.. and given Superman's a good dude they likely woudln't.

Coldcast: Electric dynamo. Again that design what the fuck .Seems to be a combo of Jack and Jenny power wise, able to manipuate the ground in addition to electricity... I say seems as I had to look pu their power sets as the story isn't very speciic about them and Manchesters is only known to me because being a telepath and telekenetic are key to later stories starring the guy.

Menagere: Seems to be a comination of the team's two other female members; the Engineeer, a scientest with nanites in her blood that can shape into anything and swift, a woman who can grow claws and has wings, simply combingin the living hive nature of the engineer and making it more biological like swift.

The Hat: The only one that's honestly.. pretty much the same person from the authority just with a diffrent name. The Hat is based on the doctor, an ex drug addict and voice of the earth itself, latest in a long line of doctors who can do whatever he feels like really. That's not hyperbole: the doctor can bend reality and the rest of the authority all had weaknesses: Swift is fast but not super strong, the Engineer can only make things up to the the point her body has enough blood to still function, Hawksmoor's powers only work in a city, Apollo has to have a solar charge built up, something their dimension traveling spaceship dosen't provide, etc. The Doctor's only issue is if someone can cut him off and when that was done in Millar's first arc it still made no sense. It's also why I gather while the rest of the authority keeps coming back now their a full part of the dc universe, Jenny, who was dead, is even getting a mini series in august, the Doctor is just too powerful to bring back without finding some new check and ballance for him that isn't just "he's an ex addict", as we're more senstive to addiction these days, as we should be.

There's two notable omissions: Apollo and Midnighter. Apollo and Midnighter are the book's breakout stars by a wide margin, having been the first to be succesfully integrated into the dcu and being fan faviorites from the word go. The two are stand in's for superman and batman, but still distinct enough to work: Both are a bit darker given their background being raised by manipulative bastard among all manipulative bastards Henrey Bendix and both have unique power diffrences that set them apart: Apollo , as established, charges up his powers with the sun and what he can do is dependant on how much charge he has... but to compesnate for having a bigger reliance on the sun, he can shoot energy and thus wipe out an entire crowd of enemies with one shot and keep going. Midnighter meanwhile has a combat computer in his brain, is a few steps ahead like batman and has regenerating nanite blood, being essentially what happens if batman and wolverine became the same person.. again, and had less restraint.

The two are also married. Yeah, in the 90's, edgelord as they could be... we had two openly queer characters. Not only that the rest of the team accepted them: they'd crack jokes about the two's relationship, but no one genuinely cared the two were gay and given this was the late 90's, that's a HUGE statement. And i'll give credit where it's due: I may not like MIllar's run and only read what I absolutely had to... but he DID end said run with the two getting married and thankfully even with ellis being the worst. if your curious about the two I highly recommend Steve Orlando's run on Midnighter and it's followup Apollo and Midnighter, integrating the two into the dc universe.

So why would they leave out the two biggest characters on the roster? Simple.. their based on Superman and Batman. Having a golden god around kinda undermines the Elite's whole "Take a seat grandpa the new kids are here", gimmick, and if you throw in a batman type guy... it begs the question why Clark dosen't bring in Batman. And while pitting the elitie versus the justice league WOULD'VE been intresting, it wasn't something they had time for: Kelly wasn't writing JLA yet, and while having them appear in superman's book isn't out of bounds.. they had one issue. And my guess is they were squeezing said issue in before they had to start the build up to the big "Our Worlds at War" crossover that year, which started in august. The fact this story happened before that with Kelly presumibly already having stories planned, in less than a year, is a miracle in itself, so I get Kelly didn't really have time to loop in the rest of everyone and thus he trimmed the authority down to four elities for time's sake

And even with a small group... none of them are really fleshed out here aside from Manchester. I had to look up their powers because they got filled in in later stories. Here their just vauge and powerful. It's one of the stories few weakpoints: the rest of the elitie are just jackasses on a power high and that's all their personality is. It dosen't hurt the story a lot as that's all the story really needs and Manchester Black is such an engaging and despicable shithead that you only really need the one ring master for this circus, but it is something I look forward to in the movie, which has the time to flesh this out Kelly simply didn't have here.

Like I said though.. Black is engagin. He's thorughly vile here... but in a way where you get WHY people are trusting this asshole: he gives cleverly worded speeches, takes out bigger bad guys, and generally has a swagger to him. He still has the charm that Sparks and Hawksmoor genuinely had.. but he also has the asshole turned up a notch, again whY I feel that this story is a response to millar: Jenny and Jack were dicks under Ellis.. but Millar just has this very specific brand of dickishness in his characters , especially his mouth pieces, that Kelly captures REALLY well with Manchester. He's a swaggering asshole who answers to no one else and would stop a man from saving lives simply to try and prove he's outdated.

He also gives supes a tour: like the authority, the elite have a ship that's sentient. Unlike the Authority's ship, which is at best a lost child the team basically adopts when they realize it's alive and spend time gently coaxing when they need it to leave earth orbit and face it's abandonment issues, Bunny, the Elitie's hq.. is enslaved by them. They found out it was sapient, found out she didn't like what they were doing.. and cut out her heart to make her more compliant.

Superman understandably isn't here for a tour, he's here to stop them.

Manchester isn't wrong: some villians don't play fair, the world itself dosen't, and so he raises the question of "why shoudlnt' we". The brilliant thing is while he has a point that the world is in rough shape... it's HOW he phrases it that points out the flaws in his philosphy: "Any normal person could do this if they had the chance".. but SHOULD they. Is it really okay to be a bad person simply because your going after worse people? And superman's answer is a very clear "No". More on that as we go but for now Superman gets sent to a superman themed car dealership for his trouble.

We cut to the Kent Farm, where we get pa revealing he decked a guy insulting clark for the incident. I like that it dosen't shy away from the fact that no, Small Town America is not immune to this kind of thought, giving into hate because it seems like the easy solution. But once again Kelly, rather than be super condescinding, gets into why people might buy into what the elitie are selling: the world is a scary place, and it's easy to buy into someone offering a quick solution, a band aid to the world's problems. To become the evil to stop the evil.

This story, while deconstructing him slightly, does get ot hte heart of WHY Superman is needed, in his worlds and in ours: He's an inspiration. As Pa points out.. clark shows them theirs a better way. That we can be better. Clark himself madea speech like this in JLA a few years before this, a speech I feel gets to the heart of the character and superheroes in general

That's what a superhero is. not a babysitter in spandex, not the cure to a wounded world... simply someone there to help humanity at it's lowest, when it needs them.. and to inspire the average person to be better. To try and make a bette rowrld even if it seems impossible. And note this dosen't mean ignoring rough shit in the world, both Supermana nd Wonder Woman have gone into dictatorships and saved civliians. It's not letting that consume you. It's hard, so very hard, to not let the world swallow you up hole.. but fighting that every day is heroic. To simply be and to be good to others. It's what makes these guys heoric: they may stumble from time to time.. but they get back up, and do good despite the world shitting on them, or people like Black telling them "your irrelvant". You fight because it's the right thing to do, because it's what you can do to help the world.

Pa is also sure clark can just.. kick the elitie's asses if it goes south.. but Clark isn't. It's not helped by the tide turning against him: while several citizens do doubt the leitie... many support them. An easy fix to hard issues. But the most chilling.. is the children

That idea that being able to kill somehow makes you better.

Supes still tries to take the high road, stopping the men in black, who in the dc universe apparently traffic aliens. He stops the aliens witht hem with water. no loss of life, no muss no fuss. The Elitie have been watching, and Manchester is utterly bored with this lecture, not taking it seriously and calling supes an idiot when he plans to have the league and the DEO haul these guys in. Black lets supes know these are super black ops people and will just be given cushy job training other guys to do the same. And superman.. just says he'll keep putting them away till they get the point.

Yeah while i'm on clark's side, and do think the elitei's solution of just.. killing them solves nothing, after all if these guys can be replaced, how does killing a few to send a message do anything? They'll just find more guys willing to do it despite the risk. But at the same time... Superman is smarter than this. We'll see that shortly. He knows better than to just "lock them up again". He'd have Batman look into it, then use the league to make sure these guys got the justice they deserved. He has on his team a telepath with global connections, a recognized ambassador, a king and a billionare and that's just people on the team currently. He can make sure these guys ar eheld acoutnable and find out and bust up who they worked for. Just.. phrase it tha tway instead.

Black isn't impressed.. but his repsonse shows he's somehow worse at this than just "keep beating them and hopefully they'll stop which has worked never times but i'll do it anyway": Have the hat Kill them all.. and their families. Superman naturally punches the hat before he can do this.. and Black decides this is more than enough justifacation to formally go after superman.

Honestly the more I think about this scene, the more I see it as a ploy: Dont get me wrong, given his actions I do think Black would slaughter someone's family as a message... but he does so right after superman genuinely tried to show them a better way, making it clear he hates the lecture and ONLY listned to try and prove some kind of point. He KNEW these gyuys existed, they created menagre.. but didn't do anything about them or give Superman actual advice. He just wanted to strut in and then try and undo everything clark did, all the live she didn't take, just so he'd have the thinest justifcation to pick a fight with superman one on four. As for why not just do this from the outset that's simple: Manchester Black CLEARLY wannted the smug satisfaction of breaking superman, of getting him to see his way, wether it was by sitting out or by being humbled. He wanted this fight from the second he swaggered up, and simply dragged it out this long to humilate superman. He knows this isn't just a battle of two blokes punching each other, it's a battle for the world's soul, a battle of ideals: Black's "kill ema ll and let god sort it out" pessimist versus superman "We have to let them be better on thier own and they can be" optimist.

Lois.. is less pleased, mostly because she's sure her husband is going to die. And I like how the art convey's this too: Lois has more faith than clark in anybody but you can tell by her eyes she's worried about her husband picking a fight with a team on the league's level just to prove a point, to possibly die for it. It's chilling to see lois, of all people, scared. But clark has to go: even if he dies for this, it's, like I said, a battle of ideals. If he backs down more people like those kids find killing fun, the easy way the only way, and the world gets even worse. He has to show the world there's a better way.. because if he dosen't everything he's fought for, everything he stands for slowly slides away and more good people fight and die to preserve his ideals.

Clark confronts them. Naturally they choose metropolis for this final battle.. and naturally Clark says "hell no" to that as he isn't going to put innocents in danger. Black agrees, though he has their ship broadcast it worldwide: he wants the world to know this was a fair fight.

Our fighters head for the moon. Unsuprisingly Clark tries one last time to talk them down. I'd call this suicidal... but it's also Supes. He'll try talking, try reforming people if he can. And it'd be weird if he didn't. The Elitie take this as you'd expect.. Manchester tk's him then they take turns beating himn while he speechifies again.

Superman is seemingly curbstomped, with Coldcast delivering some electricity to his brain , seemingly blwoing superman up real good.. but as the Elitie brag... a voice is heard

We then get one of the most bonechilling scenes in comics.. as Superman finally decides to play by The elitie's rules..

In only two pages for us and two minutes for the elitie.. the team is down, semeingly dead. IT's a terrifying display of just what superman CAN do: take the air away, rip your powers away, or just hurl you into space. We've seen plenty of evil superman stand ins do things like this, the viltrumites from invincible are essentially one long look at that, but seeing CLARK do it.. is something else. Something far worse.

Superman finishes the fight by seemingly lobotmizing black, taking out the section of the brain that give shim his powers.. and as black cries and breaks down.. Superman.. lifts the curtain

It's a brilliant twist that also puts all the pieces in place: Clark went alone.. because he had to make it beliviable, and the others were always on standbye. He likely told Bruce and the others what he had planned simply because otherwise.. they would've come to stop him. It's what Clark would want if he really crossed that line.

He simply disabled their powers for now: he gave Chester a concussion: he'll get his powers back.. but will be under tons of psy dampeners befor ehe can.

I love this display: it both shows WHY superman could be dangerous.. and why he isn't. It's easy to be vengeful... it's harder to try and inspire people not to, to keep dreaming ot keep trying to be better. It' sthe hard road but the better one: sure he could kill or take over the world.. but humanity isn't his to take. It's his to help inspire, to make us better by showing what the best of us can do with the gifts they were born with. Chester, like any villian vows he'll be back this isn't over... and clark's response to being told he's dreaming?

A simple powerful closure: superman is living for some lofty ideals .. but their ones worth aspiring towards, to neve rstop fighting for.. ever.

What's So Funny is an excellent story. It suffers here and there from it's short run time, but still serves as an excellent response to critics of superman while not trying to be patronizing. The grungy art fits the tone of the story and the climax is a thing of beauty. check this one out if you can find it

Next Time: It's Superman Vs teh Elitie. Yes again. This time on the medium sized screen as Kelly expands his story into a full blown animated film.

#what's so funny about truth justice and the american way #superman #manchester black #the authority #lois lane #lex luthor #jimmy olseon #comics #dc comics #supermay

[crescencestudio]

Devlog #34 | 08.27.23

Hi everyone!

Another month has flown by, and we are already entering the month of September soon! It's crazy it's already Fall......... Hope you all have been doing well <3

Since we're getting into the latter half of the year, I wanted to sit down and talk to you about the usual monthly progress as well as do a check in on where Alaris is sitting. This is a longer one, so without further ado, let's dive in, shall we?

Writing

We continue to move forward with writing. But it's extremely refreshing this month since I've Finally moved into Etza's route! Already, the route is feeling relatively different from the past three routes I've been writing---not necessarily because the past three routes are repetitive, but moreso because Etza's route (and the Fae ones moving forward) is very different regarding plot content. I can't say much more than that because then we start getting into spoiler territory. But it's been exciting since Etza, Kuna'a, and Aisa have always been the "final stage" of writing for Alaris to me.

I'm aiming to have Etza's first draft done by the end of next month. We'll check in next month to see my progress, but that's my goal at least! I also wrapped up the finishing touches for Druk's route this past month and moved his onto developmental editing, so we are just moving into New Stages all across the board yay!

Art

Most of my attention was actually on art this month though! Specifically, on finalizing Kickstarter merchandise so I can ship it out. I finished the updated Mermay prints as well as the character postcards.

they r beauty they r grace

I will have some extra prints that I'm happy to send off. Obviously, you will have to pay for them LOL. But if you're interested in any, I'll have an extremely limited stock. Patrons will get first dibs, so if you are interested but aren't subscribed to my Patreon, I'd recommend getting on that for this upcoming month since I will not be restocking the Mermay prints ever again!

We also continued to get backgrounds from Vui. These are spoiler territory, so I will not be showing them this month teehee. But they're beautiful per usual Vui fashion!

Check-In

Now that we're in the latter half of the year, I wanted to talk to you all about overall Alaris progress and some more specific parts of development.

As of right now, we have about 210k written for Alaris (including the demo). And the end estimate is about 350k. For art assets, we have 20 CGs out of an estimated 48 CGs finished and/or sketched out. For BGs, we are on background 18 out of 25. The GUI is for the most part finished, save for some small finishing touches. And we have 6 out of 8 original tracks completely done.

If it's not clear, Alaris will definitely be a 2024 release rather than an end of 2023 release, which may be disappointing news for those of you eager for Alaris. But realistically, even if I make absolutely cracked progress on the assets from now until the end of the year, I would still need time to polish the full game, especially considering how long it took me to polish intertwine for Otojam, which was significantly smaller. And that's excluding my team members, who I don't want to force into a crunching position. All that being said, I hope to get some playable content to you all before the end of the year, namely the updated demo and maybe Kayn's beta build!

I wanted to take a moment to mention one thing concerning the updated demo. As you all may know from past devlogs, I've updated many of the assets for the enhanced demo. Initially, I had wanted to release the updated demo quite a while back, but there was one set of assets that ended up getting held up in production. For full transparency, since I've talked about the updated demo for a while but haven't been able to show much more progress beyond that, I wanted to touch on (generally) why it's been held up, mainly because I don't want you all to think I'm just Not Delivering on it!

My GUI artist is the same person who made the Alaris logo (re.Alice). She's wonderfully talented, which is why I wanted to work with her for the Alaris GUI as well! As many may know, sometimes life happens and so without getting into any specifics, this is what has been holding up the enhanced demo since I haven't been able to update and code in the new GUI.

Based on recent updates from Alice, I'm hopeful that I'll be receiving the new GUI this upcoming month, and I'd love to release the updated demo (T e n t a t i v e l y) in October! Of course, when the September devlog comes around I'll be able to update you all more concretely. But I wanted to communicate where things currently (and have been) standing since I've been wanting you all to experience the updated demo so badly but didn't want you all to feel like I've been forgetting about it/dropping the ball on it/etc. etc. etc.

Thank you, as always for being so patient and supportive of me! As we head into this final half of the year (jesus), I hope the progress I've been making behind the scenes for Alaris will start to come to fruition through the enhanced demo and some playable beta builds of the individual routes <3

Market Research

I did ~some~ market research this month, but it's honestly been pretty sparse, mainly because my usual market research time was actually replaced by Jam Time this month.

Specifically, if you didn't get the chance to check them out, I helped with two games this month for a 10 day jam. I think they're both pretty top-notch if I'm allowed to humbly brag since the teams behind them were very talented!

The first is Oblivisci Memorias

After receiving a mysterious request, you create a potion meant to erase memories. But the process is a grueling one, and as you add ingredients to your potion, you may find yourself reminiscing on memories you thought you had long since suppressed.

And the second is Titan Arum

Alone, you find yourself catsitting in your family's new house as they traipse through Europe. But incidents slowly signal to you that something's... off about this house. What story exists behind its walls? And more importantly, are you brave enough to uncover it?

#alaris #devlog

[ihavemadequestionablechoices]

The Sunken Ship: Prologue

I am on vacation. I should not be writing random DSMP fanfiction on my phone while I'm on vacation. I am in need of help.

Anyway, enjoy! (I have no idea how this will go or if I'll actually finish this)

Here's a fish so I can start the prologue.

The warm summer breeze blows in your face and the scent of the salt seas fill your nose. You're looking at the dark clouds having formed high in the sky, a little bit of sunlight beautifully shining through the covers.

"Y/N! Y/N!" A familiar voice calls out to you and you look up from the aggressive waves below you when Samantha's happy face appears, wearing her usual shirt with shorts. The young girl, and one of the two sisters of your boyfriend, has always been able to make you smile, as you see what Jared has done to her this time. "Look! I look like a man now!" She shows you her hairstyle, which indeed makes her look a little masculine, as your beloved partner also appears quickly, probably done with helping his father out.

"You still need some more things to be an actual man, Sams," he says as he ruffles her hair, before glancing over at you for a moment. "You're too short."

"I'm still growing! Dad said I'll outgrow you, bitch!"

"Yeah, which will be the moment Dad won't allow you to come with us anymore either," Jared reminds him, before his father comes out and asks for the girl to come and see what they caught today. Samantha gives you a tight hug, before happily running off to see what her father has to offer. You simply laugh.

"You really have to stop teasing her someday, Jar. Before you know it, she'll actually take your words seriously."

"Well, she should. She doesn't seem to understand that our fishing boat is already a little too small for our heights. If she really does end up getting taller than 1.80 meter, as the doctor said, then she won't be able to help us out."

"She'll realize that when it's time. Just don't be too harsh on her." After saying this, you turn to the raging water below you again, watching as the waves start getting more violent, hitting against the side of the boat, swinging it more and more. You let out a sigh.

Jared puts his arm around you and presses a kiss on your cheek, before following your eyes and looking at the darker clouds. "Dad said we'll be sailing through the Dreamuda Triangle today to avoid most of the storm." When he says this, you feel your blood freeze and turn to your lover with wide eyes. He meets them without hesitation.

"Has he lost his mind?" Is all you can say, but Jared simply shrugs.

"Just because people claim there's paranormal activity in that area doesn't mean it's dangerous. He knows what he's doing."

You doubt that. You really doubt that.

However, you don't say anything and instead give him a kiss on the cheek as well before leaving him to go to the captain himself, who is already sailing right into the area all fishers are advised to stay out of. Samantha is playing some music excitedly in the kitchen, so you try to keep your voice down while talking to Jared's Dad strictly.

"Jared said that we'll be going through the Dreamuda Triangle," you say first, at which the man nods. "Are you insane?"

"I understand what you think, Y/N," the father answers, sounding genuinely sympathetic, "but as the captain of this ship and the father of three children, I have to make the decision to prioritise their safety, and by going around the Triangle we'll only be going through the worst parts of the storm and that's something we can say for certain. The stories that people tell about their weird fever dreams and shit, is not factual."

"I understand, but we're going through the storm nonetheless!" You protest, Samantha's music being too loud for him to actually hear you. So, gesturing to you to stay there to be in charge of the boat's route for a moment, he leaves to go to Samantha, requesting her to go to her brother while you and he talk.

However, as soon as Samantha has run out of the kitchen, your eyes are focused on the compass, which is going insane. The Captain comes inside again, also noticing the activity but not considering it a threat yet.

"I understand your worries, Y/N, but we've gone through a storm before and survived. Why should this time be any different?" As if that simple sentence summoned Satan himself, a very bright light flashes for a moment, almost hitting the boat in the process as it causes an intense increase in aggression of the sea, a wave of water almost growing too high. Heavy raindrops start falling down, creating a haunting symphony of horror and panic, until a crying Samantha runs inside, putting her arms around you and begging for your protection. "Stay here," her father tells the both of you, before running outside, probably to check up on his son and bring him inside as well. Another sound of thunder can be heard and Samantha screams, meanwhile you're not able to make any sound whatsoever, putting her face into your clothing while you protectively tighten your grip around her.

"It's going to be okay, Samantha," you tell the young girl reassuringly, despite barely believing it yourself, "I promise."

However, as the boat starts swinging even more excitedly and the storm gets even more concerning, but your shock is not that bad at first, until Samantha's father enters the room with Jared leaning onto him.

Your partner's eyes are closed and his face is covered with blood. You don't know what happened, but judging by Samantha's reaction, he must've hurt himself while trying to protect his little sister.

"I'm going outside again to take down the sails," he says. "Keep Jared here and stay here with Samantha." You just nod, trying to keep your cool, but when Samantha sees her father leave, she immediately follows him and you're not quick enough to stop her, for the waves hit the boat so hard that you're thrown to the side, only in time to prevent Jared from hurting his head too much more than necessary. He's still unconscious, but at least he's breathing.

Another flash of lightning blinds you and the loud sound of thunder hurts your head, sending you into complete distress as you open the door and look for Samantha and her father, both of whom have disappeared. Not knowing what else to do, you go into the kitchen again and put Jared into a secure position, so he won't get hurt too badly once more, before closing the door to the bridge and trying to get some control of the boat, despite your lack of knowledge on this. However, the fear of leaving Samantha and her father behind in the sea is too overwhelming and so is the panic of what's going on.

You're hyperventilating and you didn't even realize. You're slowly starting to feel more light-headed, but succeeding in calming yourself down in the stressful situation. However, as soon as you've succeeded in this, the sea finally manages to consume you whole, the sudden hit causing you to hit your head and pass out. Soon enough, you're met with only darkness.

#dsmp #reader #multiple chapters #c!dsmp #possibly dsmp x reader #fanfiction #prologue

[taras-toe-beans]

BG3 Fic Feb Day 1: What was Tav doing when they were abducted?

Hi! This is my first time actually posting fic. I'll try to keep up and post daily. I'll mostly be sticking with the SFW list and writing 500-1000 or so words daily.

Despite the growing chill in the air, the skies were clear, and the sun warmed the earth in Rivington. The grass was still green, and the small town outside Baldur’s Gate still bustled. There was still plenty of time to help those in need to prepare for the biting winter, for sure, but it was about that time of year that the temple’s workload was greatest. Suffering would be greatest in the winter.

As such, a pair of Ilmataris from the Open Hand Temple ventured out into Baldur’s Gate to select some yarn that would make warm clothes and blankets for those who needed them. They were a rather unusual pair. One was a very slight human woman with neat braids woven into a bun atop her head. She wore gold-rimmed glasses and a shawl that she made by hand. Izzrhys, on the other hand, was a shockingly large drow and stuck out immensely in a crowd. He was a paladin of Ilmater, and frequently accompanied other clergy to the city for protection while they ran errands. He quite enjoyed the days that he got to venture to Baldur’s Gate, either alone, or with a friend. Rivington was lovely, but Baldur’s Gate was much more like what he knew from Waterdeep, the first city he’d called home after moving to the surface.

“The shop’s right ahead. You don’t have to come inside with me, if it disinterests you.”

“That’s all right, Av. I quite like making these shopping trips, you know. I’d be more than happy to help you pick out some yarn. Besides, if the haul is anything like last year, I’m sure you’ll need help carrying it back.”

Av smiled. “That’s awfully sweet of you. Maybe you ought to join us one of these days when we make winter clothes.”

“I would love to learn how, if anyone is willing to teach me. Every little thing I can do to make a difference, even if it’s just stitching together warm clothes to help others weather the winter, it all is worth learning.”

The priestess shook her head. “You’ve probably got better things to do, don’t you? Like bashing some Loviatan skulls in? Aren’t you going on that trip with the other paladins soon?”

“No, I- I backed out of that one,” he replied firmly, “My calling is here, in the city.”

“They’re going to start making accusations one of these days, you know. You’re hardly a paladin if you can’t kill our sworn enemies.”

“It wouldn't be the first time…” he sighed, “There's plenty of others who leap at the chance. I'm content here, protecting the people. I fancy myself more of a healer. I can fight, but I never want to lash out first."

“I can see why Father Lorgan loves you. Very peaceful, for a paladin. He trusts you to do right by us.”

The two ducked into the shop. The walls were lined with shelves, all stacked floor to ceiling with yarns and fabrics of all colors and textures. Izzrhys brushed his hand against some soft lacy yarn.

“We're looking for wool only. It does the best in bad weather, since it stays warm, even if it gets wet.”

Izzrhys nodded. “Any color?”

“We'll be able to afford more with undyed fibers. A bit of a shame, but so be it.”

Av perused their collection as the shopkeeper watched from afar. She seemed to block out everyone else's presence as she worked through her options. Av started to hold up two skeins of yarn when strange noises started to come from outside, followed by screaming.

Izzrhys, not missing a beat, pulled out his glaive and rushed outside.

A ship of some sort with tentacles sailed through the air, scraping against buildings and carelessly tearing structures down. As he looked down the streets of the lower city, Izzrhys saw that anyone whom the tentacles touched simply disappeared.

When Av peeked out the door after him, Izzrhys was already trying to form a plan. He couldn't take this down, but maybe he could do something to help with crowd control, to lead people to safety.

“Hells! What is that?” Av shouted, “Izzrhys, you don't stand a chance! Get back inside!”

The ship was barrelling closer at breakneck speed, knocking bricks from buildings, vaporizing people trying to run away.

Izzrhys heard the sharp cry of a distraught child running from the ship. The child looked back over their shoulder, screaming for their parents. Probably taken by the tentacles. But this kid was wasting time. Izzrhys sprinted towards the child and lunged to grab them and bring them into the shop, where they'd at least be safe from the tentacles.

He was almost there, ready to bring the child he carried inside to relative safety. But he felt a tap on his back, followed by a foreign sensation that set into his limbs, like they were fading away, dissolving into nothingness. That and the dumbfounded look on Av’s face told him everything. He was gone, too, and he probably wouldn't come back.

Izzrhys tried to cry out, but the air left his lungs, his tongue seemed to turn into dust, and his vision and hearing went completely black, completely silent.

#bg3 #baldurs gate 3 #bg3 tav #bg3ficfeb #bg3 fanfiction

[the-firebird69]

This is Donald Trump and he is standing down from this position it's a pretty big position in big job and he is going to court still. It is a federal charge and it's because he was committing fraud now he did something to the person that is consistent of a federal charge and it's bad. There are a whole bunch of these positions he's losing. We did purchase some companies.

*airliners three out of the four biggest and we are at 50% controlling share also the small airlines we've been mentioning we have purchased 30% of each and the two outstanding airliners we don't have any of our United and American and they will be coming to the table shortly

*along with these steel companies we mentioned we are purchasing I actually signed for 50% of two more of the largest steel companies on Earth and one is China steel and the other is a division of accelerator metal and really it's for that particular company but they were not signing until 1 hour ago and the banks are open overseas and that's where the company is based

*Occidental petroleum signed over for the remaining 10%, they are based overseas as well

There's a lot more going on but we are taking huge huge companies over gigantic and today we had a breakthrough with Pontiac they found out what the code is and decided to sell the company and it's true that the code says that the max was trying to come back later for the company and we are going to purchase Pontiac and hopefully tomorrow Saturday it's a very big deal and the owner is are not Mac and Ben and they are not Trump but they were driven out of business by them and they sat and said we want to get them back and you'll see us as a way of doing that and we want to get them back and that's the people who closed pontiac. So we are purchasing the company tomorrow Saturday and we will own the entire company and we'll have control and share and we'll have much more and we will start production and quickly going into the agreement and we're happy about it

-there's some news the more luck are losing territory and areas rapidly they are going down to try and get ships and other and they are starting to fall apart they have a very weak showing when it comes to trying to mess up our son and no they just keep on trying to apply what they have and it's horrible so we're going to find what we have against them here and it is starting and they are getting the s*** kicked out of them but these people are spoiled and mean and they're very aggravating. Battalion we saw them take a battalion of theirs and dispose of it just to save some dumb things to our son for an hour and they liked it and things like that so we're going to continue getting rid of them renounce the leaders and it's working very well soon they won't have anybody I won't be able to do a thing. But this company we're going to buy yeah it's tomorrow it was really big when the stores closed and their dealerships everywhere that can be reopened in a blink. And Chrysler and Dodge are limping along and they haven't made cars for a couple years and they're selling the rest of their 24 fairly soon and if they don't start production they will cease to exist

Well they know about it and I do it on purpose and John remillard wants to sell us Lincoln and Dodge and the reason why I mentioning it is tomorrow yeah he wants to sell it to us tomorrow and it's 40% and 30% respectively and we are going to sign.

-other items of news the entire organization of ass is starting to weaken and no it's not is a pain in the neck but we shall continue working and we will show people that are ways better and more shortly

Thor Freya

Olympus

Zues Hera

We did the set up a purchase for Harley-Davidson and it was not signed today and we might do it tomorrow for 30%

Thor Freya

We are setting it up tonight later on and it's going to be huge

Trump

I'll probably have to sell hours later so I heard you to reconsider Trump

Bja

I don't think so kid not this time

Trump

Okay you're the one doing the Mac plan for them and I do insist people stop you

Bja

He's got to do something at some point other than what we're doing and you're the one causing the stump s*** to happen

Trump

Probably but it's my prerogative

Bja

Not really no

Zues Hera

I suppose he's right everybody wants to do something other than nothing and I'm going to get beat up and crushed it's going to take a little time and that time I'm going to sit here and beat up people and crush them

Bja

We're going to beat you up and crush you and dispose of you and it's coming up pretty soon and we're going to use you up while you're doing it and really you are getting small fast now. The numbers are not good people say it too I need you to stop sending people down or you won't have anyone left and right now you're asleep it was at 9 billion is it 5 billion just to go empire the pseudo empire was at 4 billion in there at 5 billion and it's ridiculous battle but you're losing

Thor Freya

And we understand that and we know we're losing and we shouldn't be but we are and we're going to continue to

Bjs

A lot of people say that you're going to continue to and you'll lose no matter what because they're trying to make it happen now you have about 70% in Harley no it's really about 20% but with that we would have controlling share and you say you don't care to sell it and things like that which did turn out to be wrong in the past and we're going to take a look. There's several reasons to be angry at you bja and you're starting to get bigger and bigger you don't understand any of the math you don't really want to go and learn it and you don't want to do anything that works for both sides and you become useless and you're not even in the presidential race and I would like to start cutting you off and we are going to start here and we are going to make sure that you don't get up ever this is what you're trying to do to our son and what you're saying to us and what you're doing to our daughter and that's going to happen shortly as your numbers diminish and did nothing because you are a pig and we're moving on it too and for real

Thor Freya again

Olympus

Hera

Zues

[sorikueverafterzine]

Shipping Update

Just a quick update, everyone! We're *finally* expecting the necklaces to arrive next week. After a QA check, we're hoping to start shipping things out after that, so stay tuned for another update soon. We truly appreciate your patience through this unexpectedly long wait. <3

#shipping updates #Sorry it's been so long guys #we're so happy we'll be able to ship things soon

[odietamo-gallavichzine]

ODI ET AMO - A GALLAVICH FANZINE: PREORDERS ARE NOW OPEN!

It’s finally happening! Odi Et Amo, the first ever Gallavich fanzine, is here—and you can preorder your copy right now!

CLICK HERE TO PRE-ORDER!

You can buy:

- A physical copy of the Odi et Amo fanzine. 40 pages; full colour, recycled paper; paperback cover. It includes a A3 double-sided poster that’s not attached to the rest of the zine, with art by @sentimentalspiders​ and @mere-mortifer​. Price: 15 euros

- A sticker set designed by @wildxwired​. It includes five separate stickers, and the whole set will be slightly smaller than an A4. Price: 2 euros

- A bundle of the fanzine and the sticker set, priced slightly less than the two bought separately. Price: 16,50 euros

Shipping costs go from 1,50 euros (Europe) to 7,50 euros (Australia). We’re based in Italy, so the closer you live to it the cheaper shipping will be!

PREORDERS CLOSE OCTOBER 5!

Our stretch goal is to reach 100 orders, help us get there! With too few orders the printing price per copy will skyrocket, and we won’t be able to sell a physical copy of the zine. If that’s the case, we plan to release a free digital copy; we would also refund everyone who already made the purchase. 

A couple of things before we leave you to (hopefully) spend some of your money:

Stay tuned for a post about the giveaway we have planned! Three lucky people will get free shipping and special gadgets in very limited edition (like, we're having them printed for you specifically!)

Soon we'll post the names of all the participants, in the meantime if you're curious...check the reblogs, you'll probably find them all there doing promo anyway ;)

Curious about the cover of the zine? As soon as the wonderful @darthvaders-wife​ is done with the final piece, we'll post it...a little at a time. A little puzzle to keep you entertained during this long month of promo and preorders.

LIST OF THE FANZINE’S TRIGGER WARNINGS AND MORE INFO ABOUT THE CHARITY UNDER THE CUT:

———————————————————

TABLE OF CONTENTS:

All of the TWs listed here relate to the Angst Section of the zine. Not all the TWs apply to every work!

• Canon typical violence, language and themes;

• Mentions of abuse;

• Mentions of sexual assault;

• Minor character death;

• Blood;

• Graphic depictions of violence;

• Hospital setting;

• Bipolar depression and mania;

• Ptsd;

• Suicidal thoughts;

• Self-harm;

• Drug and alcohol abuse;

• Homophobia;

• No happy ending.

These TWs apply for both fanfics and fanarts. A more detailed list will be available at the beginning of each section of the zine’s printed copy; each work will have its pertaining TWs listed, accompanied with the page number the work in question appears (so that if you want to skip a particular work, you can).

———————————————————

ABOUT THE CHARITY:

All the fanzine’s proceeds will go towards benefitting this amazing cause!

Brave Space Alliance is the first Black-led, trans-led LGBTQ+ Center located on the South Side of Chicago, dedicated to creating and providing affirming, culturally competent, for-us by-us resources, programming, and services for LGBTQ+ individuals on the South and West sides of the city. We strive to empower, embolden, and educate each other through mutual aid, knowledge-sharing, and the creation of community-sourced resources as we build toward the liberation of all oppressed peoples.

Donate here!

Credits to Brave Space Alliance for this graphic.

‎

#shameless #gallavich #gallavich fanzine #ian gallagher #mickey milkovich #fanzine #gallavich fanart #gallavich fanfic #gallavich meta #boost

[that-one-weeb-but-starwars]

Must be this tall to Hunt| Boba Fett (tcw age so like 13/14)

Couldnt find a good teen boba gif, so heres bosk instead

Warnings: fake blame,

Reader: female

"You are expelled from the order-"

"What!?" Y/n shouted looking up at the council, "I did nothing! Master Plo! Reason with them!"

"I am sorry little one, I-"

Y/n was heart broken, looking up at the surrounding Jedi, this couldn't be true.

"Master Obi-Wan!" Y/n pleaded.

"Your attachments grow," Windu spoke, "and with them your anger."

"My anger?! My anger?!" Y/n shouted at him.

"Little one please." Plo pleaded, "I have brought a witness."

"You!?" Y/n argued, "Master I demand an answer! Why! Why would you- You out of all People!-"

She watched Anakin walk in guilt ridden on his face, "You!? Anakin! You!?"

He kept quiet as Fives walked in, her world stopping.

"Y-Your lieing!" She shouted, "Fives?! Not you! I trust you and you do this!?"

"Arc Trooper Fives." Windu spoke, " what have you seen Padawan Y/n do?"

Fives looked at her, "I. Saw Genral Y/n with a clone trooper,"

"Im with troopers everyday!" Y/n defended.

"What was Padawan Y/n doing with this clone trooper."

"...intercourse sir." Fives responded.

"Thats Obsurded Fives! And you know it!" Y/n argued, "You're my brothers- Why in gods name would I fuck any of you!"

"Y/n! That is enough!" Plo argued.

"You believe this crap!? You're suppose to have MY back!" Y/n demanded, "I'd have your back no matter what! And you turn on me!"

"Are there any other witnesses?" Fisto spoke.

"Yes." Windu spoke, "bring them in."

Y/n watched, her brothers, the wolf pack, Commandos and even some from the Corosaunt Gaurd walk in, and they strung there string of lies and they strung them high and low, entagled the lies beyond untanglement.

"Padawan L/n is to be expelled from the Order and that is our final verdict."

The platform she was on went downward, the clone troopers who had made there testimonies were gathered at the bottom, a path for her to go through.

"Y/n-" Wolfee spoke reaching out a hand.

"Don't you dare touch me!" She shouted in anger pushing past the clones.

"It had to be done." Commander Thron spoke quietly.

The others nodded.

"Damn it!" Fives shouted running out the room and rushing down the halls, after the light echoing of Y/n's angered footsteps.

She pushed the doors open and just walking out them she stopped, hearing Five's steps behind her.

"General. It had to be done-"

"What!? The lies! The string of lies you built! Why!? Why would you do this to me?!" Y/n argued looking back at the clone.

"We wanted to protect you-"

"Bullshit Fives! Bullshit! I love all of you! All of you!" Y/n shouted, screaming so loud it was sure to be heard all the way down to the lower level.

"Y/n listen!-' he grabbed her shoulders trying to plead with her but she pushed him away ingiting one side of her double sided saber as Fives quickly backed up.

"Touch me again and I'll kill you." She spoke.

"I don't even deserve death. I know- I-" Fives tried to explained, "We wanted to protect you-"

"Then you should of had my back!"

The bright blade turned off and she turned around leaving without a second thought.

"Hey! Wake up!" Boba argued.

Y/n turned her self around as she opened her eyes, "what do you want Fett."

"Rations idiot." He spoke as Y/n sat up, the girl only a year older than Bobba.

She was thrown a rations bar by the boy as they were in a hotel room, she had been sleeping on the couch.

"How much longer we waitin?" She asked taking a crunch out of the bar.

"An hour, I told you that the how much longer last time you woke up." He argued looking through the window.

Y/n kept quiet as she ate her food, it bland and bleak in both tast and color.

Bobba took an arm chair by the window as he ate his own rations. It was silent for a long mintue.

"Did. You have that nightmare again?" He asked.

Y/n looked over at him, "when do I not?"

Boba ate a peice of his own ration bar, he never knew what the nightmare was about, but knew it was the same one, on repeat.

He had the same.

"You, uh. Wanna talk about it?"

She looked his way, then looked away quickly, only able to see the faces of her brothers.

"No." She replied coldy tossing the barely eaten ration bar on the table, her appetite gone, "I'm gonna go scope the roof, don't wait up for me."

She walked towards the door, grabbing the sniper on the way out.

"I'll come with you. Incase someone tries to get you from behind."

"I don't need someone to have my back." Y/n argued.

"Well then Im coming because I want to!"

He pushed past Y/n as she scoffed, following him close behind as they walked towards the steps, somewhere along the way Y/n hacked into a vending Machine, Boba going up the stairs himself, stealing whatever she pleased putting it in her sling bag, enough for her only.

"Sharing is what?" Y/n questioned Woflee

"An opportunity for someoen to get there arm chopped off, it's my food." Wolfee told her.

Y/n sighed, how she hated her own little life lessons to her brothers, and stole more food, enough for both Boba and her, and a little extra.

Walking up the rest of the steps she made it to the door she kicked open with the bottom of her foot.

"Could you try and be quiet?" He seethed.

"I mean. I could. But no." Y/n responded walking towards the edge where Boba sat on a near by utiliy unit.

She sat down setting her back infront of her as she laid herself on her side her back to Boba the lights of the bright city below barely reaching the top of the tall hotel they sat on.

"You want one?"

Boba looked over seeing Y/n holding up a soda.

"Where did you get that?"

"Stole it."

Rolling his eyes he walked over to her snatching the bottle and sitting himself by her head.

"Hey hey. Fives calm your tits." Y/n laughed.

Boba stayed silent as he looked at her, she too busy looking out and onward, but feeling the stare she looked besides her.

"Oh." Y/n realized, "My bad Fett."

Boba stayed silent, as Y/n took a drink of her own soda, he had realized she had become more sympathetic with her apology.

"You wanna talk about it now?" Boba questioned.

Y/n sighed, answering in silence for a mintue, "My only family betrayed me. Strung a String of lies to supposedly keep me safe. I think about it all the time. We use to find these abaonded places and sit up on the roofs like this, we'd sing, start a bonfire, get drunk."

"Your as old as me." Fett argued.

Y/n shrugged, "war does that, you only live once Fett."

"Then why are you still worrying about it?" Boba defended.

"Why do you still worry about the things you worry about?" Y/n questioned, "but I was kicked out of my group, my name stripped of me, and instead of having my back, they had me cast out. Happy Now?"

It was silent again, the hearing of honking and swearving down below could be heard.

"I lost my dad to the Jedi."

Y/n stopped mid way lifting her drink to her lips but then contuined to drink then pull away.

"They tend to do that..." Y/n responded, "they expect you to follow every rule every word, there no better than the sith."

"You know alot of jedi and sith."

Y/n looked at him once, "It was when you father died did I stop really believing in the Jedi-"

"You knew my father?! You're a jedi-"

"Shut your trap and listen before you get rowdy you damn idiot!' Y/n argued Boba gritting his teeth, "I met Jango Fett when I went on a small assignment, my first one, with Master Shakk Ti- it was basically playing paper boy. I remember delivering work to your father...alot of people were mean to me, he. He never was, always said thank you, always asked me if I had eaten. He even watched me leave on the ship back to Master Plo Koon. So when I went througy reports and found him dead I was in shock, later to find out a Jedi did it. I started to loose faith. Why kill a man lookin out for him and his child, sure capture him- but taking family...I know how that feels and no one should go through it."

Y/n took a drink finishing her bottle and tossing it over edge, "so. I fought. And I fought and I fought. If i couldnt save Jango, I'd save what was left of him- the clones- my brothers. They share the same face but are diffrent than any could imagine. I spoke, I wrote, I pleaded, I trainned. It never was enough, and it was my 'emotion' that got the better of me. Pssh. Yeah right the Jedi can piss off because if they want to see emotion? I'll give it to them."

Boba listened, he had nevee seen Y/n before hand, maybe he had and just didnt remember, he never knew someone could share his pain. Neverless with the same person.

"Windu will pay." Boba seethed, "and your a jedi! You can help me."

"I will go head to head to him, I don't plant bombs." Y/n defended.

"We can take him! Two on one!" Boba tried to persuade, "you know his fighting style! I know guns! You know sabers! We take his head and anyone else that stands in our way!"

Y/n looked at him dully.

"Come on! How many bounty hunters have you single handedly taken on! And killed! How many sith have you injured! Jedi that chase after us! Without your laser swords! We can kill him! Together!" Boba explained standing up, Y/n move to sit up, "We're the left behind! We are the strongest! Because we were left behind! We round up a few others! Bane! Sing! Bosk! And there's always someone paying for a Jedi's head!"

Y/n stood up grabbing hee sniper rifle as she did and looked at her watch.

"It can be a sniper shot! A saber battle! Whatever you want! As long as he die and Im involed I don't care how!" Bobba argued.

Y/n looked down below aiming her sniper adjusting the scope.

"My father would do the same for you-"

He was cut off by a bullet shot and soon the sounds of crying folks who see a man just drop dead on the street, the target they had been waiting for dead. She pulled away from her weapon slowly, turning her head towards him.

"I'll do it.-" Y/n agreed

"No." Boba spoke, "We'll do it. Together. For everything the jedi took from us!"

Y/n looked at the outreached hand as she took it.

"Together."

"As One Unit."

"As One Unit." Y/n responded, "well one and a half"

"Im not that short." Boba argued.

"Shorter than me." Y/n chuckled.

#star wars #star wars boba fett #young boba fett #tcw boba #boba fett #boba fett x female reader #x reader #starwars x reader

[lokiondisneyplus]

Sophia Di Martino was launched into the pop cultural consciousness thanks to her role as Sylvie – AKA the Loki variant on Marvel Disney Plus series Loki, where she trades barbs and shares background stories with Tom Hiddleston's God of Mischief.

Episode Three of the series found Loki on a wild adventure with Sylvie, after he accidentally sent them both to the doomed moon Lamentis-1, on a collision course with a planet. Facing an apocalypse, the pair hatches a plan to find the escape vessel that some of the moon's wealthier residents are hoping will carry them to safety and, while on the train to the ship, they discuss everything from the nature of love to their respective magical abilities.

When the opportunity arose to talk to her, we naturally jumped at it, so here is part of Chris Hewitt's conversation with Di Martino, who was frank and funny while chatting about getting the job, Loki's sexuality and more.

The last two weeks in particular must have been a heck of a whirlwind for you. What's it been like being at the centre of the storm?

It's been a strange one. Because I feel like I've been waiting in the wings for quite a while. And I haven't been able to talk to anyone about this until today. So, it's been a really strange few weeks, just watching the show start and listening to people's reactions, but not being able to talk about it. I don't feel like I've been in the centre of the storm at all. I feel like I've been watching it play out.

Have you been able to say anything to anybody, family friends... Postmen?

Absolutely no-one! My mum has no idea where I've been for the past two years. It's been really difficult. But to be honest, I'm actually really good at keeping secrets. So, I've perhaps been too good and haven't told anyone, anything. My agent, no one knows anything! I’m taking it really seriously, maybe a bit too seriously!

You and director Kate Herron have worked together in the past. Is that how it began for you?

Kate and I worked together on a short film of hers a few years ago now. And we stayed in touch, we're mates, we'll go out for coffee and do a bit of improv. We exist in the same circles in London. I'm trying to remember how exactly it happened. I was shooting another film in the UK, and I think I got a message from Kate saying, “I'm on this show, I'm not allowed to talk about what it is... There's a role, we'd like to see what you do with it. I can't tell you any more. Just wanted to give you the heads up...” A really vague WhatsApp message. So, then I got a request for a tape through my agent. But obviously, my agency also couldn't know anything about what was happening and what it was or anything. I was given a really short scene, made a tape of this scene and just had to guess what it was about. I think it was actually what ended up being the scene from Episode Three, which is Loki and Sylvie on the train. I think it ended up being that scene, but it was very different when I did the audition tape for it.

Did it have the word Loki in the script at any point?

No, no, no names! I think it was Bob and Sarah or something completely different. I didn't have a clue what it was.

I was really interested in how angry she is and how sort of laser-focused she is on this mission that she's given herself.

At what point did the penny drop? At what point did you realise that you were auditioning to play a Loki on Loki, and then this incredibly complex character?

I can't remember what happened first. It might have been the news that Kate was directing the new Loki came out. And then I was like, “Oh, maybe that's what I read for...” Or if it was that I was just offered the job, and they told me what it was. But yeah, it was a surprise. And I had a chat with Tom on FaceTime because he was in New York. I never actually met anyone because I was nine months pregnant, I couldn't fly anywhere. So, I was in London, everyone else is in the US. So, it was just that tape, it was all based on that. And obviously, I've worked with Kate before, so she knows that I'm not some weirdo. And she must’ve convinced them to cast me!

Let’s talk a little bit about Sylvie as we now know her. What's clear is that you're not doing a Tom Hiddleston impression. This is not your take on a Tom Hiddleston Loki, this is a very, very different iteration of their character. So where did you start?

Well, probably exactly there, making that decision that I didn't want to go in and do an impression of Tom, because that would have been awful. I'm really bad at impressions for a start! Sylvie’s very different to Loki in a lot of ways. There's the chaos and there's the mischievous, which are very, very Loki traits. But for me, I was really interested in how angry she is and how sort of laser-focused she is on this mission that she's given herself. And I think that plus the playfulness really helped me get into the character. And, and so that was the way I started.

The stunt training and the fight training really helped me with her physicality, and we were all really keen on her being a really strong, sort of street fighter, almost. She's not as elegant as Loki. She's fit and rough around the edges, she's had a harder time, in a way, she's been on the run for the majority of her life, getting into scraps. And I like the idea that she really enjoys fighting. And she'd really get something out of it. Because she knows that she's probably going to win. Right? And that's where her cockiness comes through, maybe. And so that was part of it as well. And then as soon as you put the costume on, you're there.

What was that like? Because the costume says so much as well. There's the headpiece, which obviously has a missing horn, which says a lot about the scrapes that she's gotten into in the past. And also says that this isn't the Loki we might be expecting.

We were really keen on making the costume look like it's been through the wringer a bit. And she's sort of gathered bits of it from places that she's been throughout her journey. We didn't want it to be too clean and shiny. And it was also important to me that it was a really comfortable costume and that I could actually fight in it, and I could kick in it and just do things that I needed to kick not have to worry about breaking it or being uncomfortable. And then Christine Wada, the costume designer, was amazing at just making it super comfy. But I still felt like a badass when I put it on.

The train scene has that wonderful moment where you’re talking about your romantic pasts, and Loki confirms that he is bisexual, which has been received rapturously since the episode came out. Did you get a sense of how momentous it was when you were filming it?

I knew how important it was, yeah. And I'm just so pleased that it's been received so well. And people are super happy to have seem that scene. And like I said, the show is inspired by the comics, and the comics for a long time have alluded to Loki being bisexual or pansexual. And his sexuality is not straight. And even back to Norse mythology. So, it was important to Kate, and it was also important to me and Tom, that this was represented in a six-hour story about that character. Because representation is important.

It's such a beautifully written scene. Can you just talk about your memories of filming those exchanges? Because we've only just met Sylvie, and we haven’t seen Loki consider the idea of love or falling in love or being frail or vulnerable in that way before.

It’s a super important scene. And it was interesting to shoot it because it's the first time that you see Sylvie vulnerable. And it's just a really important moment for the two of them to understand each other in a different way, and not just be miffed by each other for the first time. And when we were filming it, it is quite a long scene. And it just felt really good to do a long, talky scene. It didn't feel long when we were doing it. But it was nice to get into those characters, and it sort of felt like doing a play, when you go a bit deeper and it’s great. It's just another way of understanding the character that you're playing. And listening to Tom singing was also an experience! Didn’t he do such a good job of learning all those words? I was just amazed that he could learn a song in a different language. And he did it so quickly! Like, one day he got the words and the next day he was fluent in Norwegian! That’s Hiddleston, isn’t it? He’s just so smart!

#Sophia Di Martino #Sylvie #Loki #Tom Hiddleston #interview

[twh-news]

Loki: Sophia Di Martino Talks About Songs, Sexuality, Scoring The Role Of Sylvie And More

Sophia Di Martino was launched into the pop cultural consciousness thanks to her role as Sylvie – AKA the Loki variant on Marvel Disney Plus series Loki, where she trades barbs and shares background stories with Tom Hiddleston's God of Mischief.

Episode Three of the series found Loki on a wild adventure with Sylvie, after he accidentally sent them both to the doomed moon Lamentis-1, on a collision course with a planet. Facing an apocalypse, the pair hatches a plan to find the escape vessel that some of the moon's wealthier residents are hoping will carry them to safety and, while on the train to the ship, they discuss everything from the nature of love to their respective magical abilities.

When the opportunity arose to talk to her, we naturally jumped at it, so here is part of Chris Hewitt's conversation with Di Martino, who was frank and funny while chatting about getting the job, Loki's sexuality and more.

The last two weeks in particular must have been a heck of a whirlwind for you. What's it been like being at the centre of the storm?

It's been a strange one. Because I feel like I've been waiting in the wings for quite a while. And I haven't been able to talk to anyone about this until today. So, it's been a really strange few weeks, just watching the show start and listening to people's reactions, but not being able to talk about it. I don't feel like I've been in the centre of the storm at all. I feel like I've been watching it play out.

Have you been able to say anything to anybody, family friends... Postmen?

Absolutely no-one! My mum has no idea where I've been for the past two years. It's been really difficult. But to be honest, I'm actually really good at keeping secrets. So, I've perhaps been too good and haven't told anyone, anything. My agent, no one knows anything! I’m taking it really seriously, maybe a bit too seriously!

You and director Kate Herron have worked together in the past. Is that how it began for you?

Kate and I worked together on a short film of hers a few years ago now. And we stayed in touch, we're mates, we'll go out for coffee and do a bit of improv. We exist in the same circles in London. I'm trying to remember how exactly it happened. I was shooting another film in the UK, and I think I got a message from Kate saying, “I'm on this show, I'm not allowed to talk about what it is... There's a role, we'd like to see what you do with it. I can't tell you anymore. Just wanted to give you the heads up...” A really vague WhatsApp message. So, then I got a request for a tape through my agent. But obviously, my agency also couldn't know anything about what was happening and what it was or anything. I was given a really short scene, made a tape of this scene and just had to guess what it was about. I think it was actually what ended up being the scene from Episode Three, which is Loki and Sylvie on the train. I think it ended up being that scene, but it was very different when I did the audition tape for it.

Did it have the word Loki in the script at any point?

No, no, no names! I think it was Bob and Sarah or something completely different. I didn't have a clue what it was.

"I was really interested in how angry she is and how sort of laser-focused she is on this mission that she's given herself."

At what point did the penny drop? At what point did you realise that you were auditioning to play a Loki on Loki, and then this incredibly complex character?

I can't remember what happened first. It might have been the news that Kate was directing the new Loki came out. And then I was like, “Oh, maybe that's what I read for...” Or if it was that I was just offered the job, and they told me what it was. But yeah, it was a surprise. And I had a chat with Tom on FaceTime because he was in New York. I never actually met anyone because I was nine months pregnant, I couldn't fly anywhere. So, I was in London, everyone else is in the US. So, it was just that tape, it was all based on that. And obviously, I've worked with Kate before, so she knows that I'm not some weirdo. And she must’ve convinced them to cast me!

Let’s talk a little bit about Sylvie as we now know her. What's clear to me is that you're not doing a Tom Hiddleston impression. This is not your take on a Tom Hiddleston Loki, this is a very, very different iteration of their character. So where did you start?

Well, probably exactly there, making that decision that I didn't want to go in and do an impression of Tom, because that would have been awful. I'm really bad at impressions for a start! Sylvie’s very different to Loki in a lot of ways. There's the chaos and there's the mischievous, which are very, very Loki traits. But for me, I was really interested in how angry she is and how sort of laser-focused she is on this mission that she's given herself. And I think that plus the playfulness really helped me get into the character. And, and so that was the way I started.

The stunt training and the fight training really helped me with her physicality, and we were all really keen on her being a really strong, sort of street fighter, almost. She's not as elegant as Loki. She's fit and rough around the edges, she's had a harder time, in a way, she's been on the run for the majority of her life, getting into scraps. And I like the idea that she really enjoys fighting. And she'd really get something out of it. Because she knows that she's probably going to win. Right? And that's where her cockiness comes through, maybe. And so that was part of it as well. And then as soon as you put the costume on, you're there.

What was that like? Because the costume says so much as well. There's the headpiece, which obviously has a missing horn, which says a lot about the scrapes, that she's gotten into in the past. And also says that this isn't the Loki we might be expecting.

We were really keen on making the costume look like it's been through the wringer a bit. And she's sort of gathered bits of it from places that she's been throughout her journey. We didn't want it to be too clean and shiny. And it was also important to me that it was a really comfortable costume and that I could actually fight in it, and I could kick in it and just do things that I needed to kick not have to worry about breaking it or being uncomfortable. And then Christine Wada, the costume designer, was amazing at just making it super comfy. But I still felt like a badass when I put it on.

The train scene that wonderful moment were you’re talking about your romantic pasts, and Loki confirms that he is bisexual, which has been received rapturously since the episode came out. And it's such a huge moment and I know it was important to Kate, as well. What can you say about that? First of all, about filming that moment? Did you get a sense of its momentousness when you were filming it?

I knew how important it was, yeah. And I'm just so pleased that it's been received so well. And people are super happy to have seem that scene. And like I said, the show is inspired by the comics, and the comics for a long time have alluded to Loki being bisexual or pansexual. And his sexuality is not straight. And even back to Norse mythology. So, it was important to Kate, and it was also important to me and Tom, that this was represented in a six-hour story about that character. Because representation is important.

And it's such a beautifully written scene as well. Can you just talk about your memories of filming those exchanges? Not just seeing Tom singing in what I presume is Norwegian, and what that was like for you? But also, just that exchange about love and how important it is for these two characters. Because we've only just met Sylvie, of course. And we haven’t seen Loki consider the idea of love or falling in love or being frail or vulnerable in that way before. So, it seemed like a fairly important exchange...

It’s a super important scene. And it was interesting to shoot it because it's the first time that you see Sylvie vulnerable. And it's just a really important moment for the two of them to understand each other in a different way, and not just be miffed by each other for the first time. And when we were filming it, it is quite a long scene. And it just felt really good to do a long, talky scene. It didn't feel long when we were doing it. But it was nice to get into those characters, and it sort of felt like doing a play, when you go a bit deeper and it’s great. It's just another way of understanding the character that you're playing. And listening to Tom singing was also an experience! Didn’t he do such a good job of learning all those words? I was just amazed that he could learn a song in a different language. And he did it so quickly! Like, one day he got the words and the next day he was fluent in Norwegian! That’s Hiddleston, isn’t it? He’s just so smart!

#sophia di martino #interview #article #loki #loki series #empire magazine

[gunsatthaphan]

Okay DSN thoughts:

One, I think we’re getting that Banquet thing. I also think the mess with whatsherface (is it Pun?) and King is going to happen within the first two parts, and maybe, hopefully, it will be cleared up in the end. Leo looks sincerely put-off by the whole kissing thing, which we know is because he’s in love with Fiat, so I’m not sure what she did to get him to go along with it. But we know that she’s basically been jealous of Fiat and Leo from the jump, and she tells Fiat how’s she’s liked Leo this whole time or whatever.

But the preview shows suits, which makes me think we’re getting the banquet. And we know Leo’s mom is not going to be okay if those boys end things, hello, she’s been shipping them for ages, literally, so I am hoping that we get a good, happy, cleared up ending. Also, I’m thinking a marriage proposal isn’t that far off because ahem… there are too many freakin’ indicators.

Anyways, I’m pleading for a happy ending to episode 11, and more cute LeonPob scenes because if this goes sideways, they are going to be the saviours.

hi anon!

yes it's very possible that we're getting a Banquet sequence. Which..... I'm not looking forward to at all djkfgdfg. But alright.

I'm still rolling my eyes so hard at the drama with the girl like please it's so stupid..... I have no doubt they will resolve it somehow but I do doubt that everything will clear up by the end of episode 11. But then again that's what I thought about every conflict they've had so far and they always came through lmao. so we'll see. Maybe Leo's mom will be able to make a difference. I trust her lol.

And I like the idea of a proposal, but please not at the end of episode 11, that would be too soon. I can't imagine it in the finale either... so if anything that needs to happen in the special episode imo.

But yeah for now I'm also putting all my hopes on LeonPob for the rest of the season cuz they have the power to save this mess lol. If they come up with a dramatic twist for them too I'm outttt 💀

xxx

#dont say no #leofiat #leonpob #just kidding i would never drop this show like ever #not a chance #im way too attached jfdkgdf #but let LeonPob be happy for the rest of the season please #hhhhhhh #bye

[echo-three-one]

Chapter 40

THE ROAD SO FAR

It's not that hard to say goodbye. But it's really sad for the notable few who enjoyed it.

The SIXth Ship

"Alex"

Sierra Leone, Africa

"Echo 3 - 1 to Hunter One One. We have confirmed the presence of a suspected SAM Turret. Advising not to deploy air support until it's down, over." Alex muttered over the radio as he lowered his scope.

"Copy that, Three One. We'll stand by for your go signal." Roach replied as Alex signaled his team to move forward, covering Alpha Team's six.

"This place is suspiciously quiet." Price muttered over comms.

"It's 5 am. Bad guys probably needed sleep too." Alex commented, scoping on what's head of Team Alpha.

"Well, I want Volt awake, so I could beat Nero's location out of him." Price spat.

"Guardhouse on the east. Single guard, fast asleep."Alex shot his suppressed rifle as the guard dropped to the ground.

"Good Night."

"I'm hearing an engine starting on our east." Soap whispered as Alex turned his scope east. There was indeed a truck load of food arriving at their base.

"Civilian delivery truck." Alex warned.

"Let him pass. He'll notice the dead guard and run." Price predicted and it actually happened as the innocent driver sped off away from the base.

"How long till he calls the cops?" Alex asked.

"Never. France already bribed the guy." Soap answered.

"What?" Alex was puzzled.

"Welcome to Africa." Soap chuckled and they hid into the supply truck while Price drove inside.

"Alright, we're in. Soap and France should plant charges on SAMs and Comms. Once their alarm rings we light things up." Price ordered as Alex's team advanced and circled the perimeter, protecting the gates.

"Where could Volt be hiding?" Alex asked.

"Could be anywhere. This base has lots of buildings." Rocket replied not far behind him.

"There are also six ships by the dock. He could be in one of those." Royce added.

"Alpha Team, we've got movement on your six. Looks like they're looking for their supply drop. They're by the truck and unloading their supplies." Alex warned as the three remained quiet.

"Tango by the guard house down." Rocket confirmed his kill as the body dropped on the ground.

"They're about to discover their dead allies. Prepare for the alarm!" Alex roared as their alarm system activated, dozens of troops from their camps emerged carrying weapons.

"Shit! I'm taking sniper fire by the rooftops!" Soap yelled over comms. Bravo team immediately turned their sights to the rooftops and took down the snipers with ease.

"There's no sign of Volt here. He must've woken up early. Rendezvous with me by the tower." Price muttered.

"Sir. This is Meat from Charlie Team. We've confirmed movement on the docks. No positive ID of Volt yet."

"Copy that meat. Proceeding to the docks." Price said as gunfire echoed through his comms.

"Seeing multiple reinforcements from the gate!" Alex alerted as they attempted to shoot down armored cars loaded with more enemies.

"Alex! This area is compromised!" One of his allies suggested as smoke started to cover their forest.

"Shit! We'll have to meet up with them inside! Change to assault weapons and advance to the gate. You two cover our six using thermals." The two nodded as Alex switched to his assault rifle, advancing towards the gate, taking down reinforcements as they arrived.

"Price? Soap? France? Sitrep?" He roared through comms as his team was now barraged with heavy fire as they hid for cover.

"This is Bravo Six. I made my way inside the last ship. Looks like he's trying to escape. France and Soap are by the docks taking heavy fire. I'll handle Volt from here. You hold out for extraction. It looked like we didn't have a choice." Price said.

Alex felt the heat of the explosion as the ground shook. Soap had detonated the charges they set and help was on the way.

"Roach!" Soap sounded hurt.

"Way ahead of you!" Roach said as the air support bombarded the base with grenade shells, blasting every enemy away as the ground troops recovered.

"Reloading for another round. Stand by." He said as the plane circled back.

"Okay team! Their numbers have reduced. Let's finish this." Alex informed his bravo team as they finished off the remaining waves of enemies, which were too resourceful as they also had attack hyenas, something they didn't expect.

"These dogs are furious!" One commented as they entered the gates, securing the whole base or what's left of it, for valuable intel.

"Echo Three One to Actual. Jack, it looked like they cleaned this place already."

"Actual to Three One. Looks like it. I guess their getaway ship had all his latest work."

"Charlie team found a way to follow them. Bravo team resume recon on the five ships." Jack commanded and the rest followed

"Copy that, Actual. Proceeding towards the ships with caution." Alex replied as they carefully pressed deeper into the base toward the pier. Alex wondered how many piers and ships had been involved on his missions. Looks like Nero doesn't trust air travel.

The ships were rusted and broken, but the components inside were new stacks of equipment possibly used for his bomb making.

"This sly guy hides his stuff inside these rusty ships." Alex reported, his voice echoed around the ship.

"We're all clear, Alex. This ship is empty of tangos." One of his allies reported.

"So are the other ones." Another one reported.

"We found the rest of Alpha team by the pier. Looks like Soap's injured." Said another.

"Copy that. Stay frosty. We have no visual of the entrance so reinforcements might arrive." Alex replied to everyone.

"Roger that." The rest of his team replied in unison. Roach's Air support chopper hovered ahead of them and followed the getaway ship, providing support to Capt. Price. Charlie team had borrowed some small boats to aid in Volt's capture.

"It's all up to him now." Alex muttered as they resumed securing the enemy base.

"So, how was your day?" Samantha smiled, slipping herself inside the covers as she lay down beside Alex. The tired man huffed out a sigh and looked at her beautiful girlfriend, whose eyes were staring at him longingly. It's been almost a month since the task force was created and they were on separate beds, but Alex always makes sure he sleeps over every time he's free.

"Oh, you know. The other kind of usual. We beat information out of Nero's bomb maker today." He said in an interesting tone.

"I know beating people is wrong, but when you've been played with by these kinds of people, it's kind of pleasant to the ears." She chuckled, her hand gliding on his arms and looked for his hands.

"Yeah. I'll never stop doing it until they get a taste of their medicine." Alex breathed and looked at Samantha. Her eyes that once looked blank and lost now looked happy. It was tragic how she just wanted to live a normal life but had everything taken away from her.

"What would you do when this is all over?" She asked, questioning his last statement.

"Well, I could finally take you out on a nice date. Maybe say hi to your dad or something." he blurted, making Samantha's eyes widen in surprise.

"Aww.." She smiled as she leaned in for a kiss, while Alex slowly lifted her so that she's now lying on top of him.

"Why is it that every kiss feels so different." She mused as she leaned for another one.

"Maybe because my love for you grows stronger every second?" He replied.

"Haha. You're funny." She said sarcastically.

"That I am." He grinned as they rolled over, giggling at whatever they were doing.

"I love you, Samantha." Alex whispered in the sexiest way that he could resulting to Samantha actually giggling in disbelief.

"I love you too, Alex." She replied.

"Now, go to sleep. I want you well rested for your work tomorrow." She added as she turned the lamp off. Alex groaned like a kid who doesn't want to go to bed yet.

"How can I sleep, when even in the dark, I could still see your pretty face." He whispered as Samantha laughed.

"Flattery will get you nowhere, mister." She said as she turned back, letting Alex hug her from behind. She always loved his warm embrace beside him, a feeling of security amidst all the times that she'd been kidnapped.

The next morning, Alex came back to the base after breakfast with Samantha. It has been a while since he had that and thought that it wouldn't hurt to go late once in a while.

"Where have you been?" Roach asked as soon as he got to the base.

"I overslept." he lied as Roach scoffed.

"You? Hahaha. Nice try. I know full well that no matter what happens you always wake up at the exact time." Roach laughed.

"Why? Is there something wrong with Volt?" Alex pressed on to the main topic at hand.

"The guy had a little fight. But he actually talked."

"Yeah? About what? Nero's location?"

"No. And This isn't like the official thing, it's just rumors. Price slept at the infirmary today and hasn't woken up yet. So the news is that his EMP tech is now capable of killing humans on a set radius."

"Shit." Alex hissed.

"I know. It could launch anywhere anytime and no one could hide from it. A whole new kind of killing weapon." Roach wondered, making them worry about what Nero's about to do.

"Volt better get talking soon."

"Yeah. He better." Roach approved with an encouraging voice.

Later that afternoon the whole 141 was briefed about a message sent from Nero himself. Thousands of humans, civilians and soldiers alike, were nuked just outside the American capital.

The blast didn't do much damage to infrastructure but machines and humans suffered more than ever. Some were able to withstand the mental damage while some were left in a trance state. Some who already had some form of mental problems suffered horribly and dropped dead on the streets.

It was estimated that about half a million people were affected as the nuke exploded by the ocean. Some say this was a miscalculation and others speculated that this was Nero's warning shot.

America had raised itself on high alert, any time Nero's troops would charge on American soil ignoring all authorities who wanted to stop him. This was it. His plan finally came to fruition.

As for the task force, they have located the main signal of the nuke's control. A place somewhere in Cuba. Alex and Jack knew this place was once visited by older CIA SAD members and rumors had it that one of their Black Ops comrades died there. It once housed the reverse engineered Greenlight nuke. Alex never told anyone in 141 about this as history would tend to repeat itself. He hoped that this was not the case.

This would be the lead that the rest of the task force will be focusing on. As the war rages, Alex was sure that the following days would be the toughest so, while waiting for any potential final lead and orders from above, they spent the rest of their time training for the final showdown against Nero.

Optional Chapter : The Fall of the Capital - Pvt. Ramirez

Next Chapter : FIVE Seconds

Notification Squad my Beloved

@enderio @samatedeansbroccoli @smokeywhalee @ricinbach @bumblingbee1 @whimsywispsblog

#alex echo 3 1 #john soap mactavish #horrayfic #codmw #john price #gary roach sanderson #whateverittakes

[diazevans]

wherever we're standing, I won't take you for granted (cause we'll never know when we'll run out of time)

It's not the first time Eddie has been hurt on the job, and it's not going to be the last, but this time it was so close. One second he was just behind Buck and the next, the building was collapsing and Eddie was just not there. He doesn't remember much after it, only that Bobby and Chimney had hold him back from running straight back there and that an eternity later, they had pulled Eddie from the ground, with just a few scratches here and there.

Buck had not being able to calm himself down for a long while, not even with Eddie's reassuring words against his head, not even with his arms around him.

or

Eddie is in danger and it puts a lot of things on perspective for Buck.

READ ON AO3

Today has not been easy.

Buck is used to being the one running straight to the fire, to doing things first and asking later, because that's just the person he is. No natural disaster or bombs would ever take that away from him, not ever. It doesn't mean he is not careful, he is, especially now that he has Christopher and Eddie to come back home to, but it's just part of his job. He knows that his boyfriend understands that, so it's logical that Buck would also rationalize that sometimes, Eddie has to behave the same way.

His brain, apparently, did not get the memo.

It's not the first time Eddie has been hurt on the job, and it's not going to be the last, but this time it was so close. One second he was just behind Buck and the next, the building was collapsing and Eddie was just not there. He doesn't remember much after it, only that Bobby and Chimney had hold him back from running straight back there and that an eternity later, they had pulled Eddie from the ground, with just a few scratches here and there.

Buck had not being able to calm himself down for a long while, not even with Eddie's reassuring words against his head, not even with his arms around him.

When he comes back to himself, the anxiety still doesn't leave him. He feels too big for his own skin and if there is the slightest space between his body and Eddie's, he is already moving towards him. Buck needs to feel him, to know he is alive and they both know there is nothing they can do until it passes on it's own. Eddie has told them he feels the same sometimes and in that moment, Buck had trouble understanding how it felt. Now? It's crystal clear.

As soon as their shift is over, they are already on their way home when Eddie asks him if he needs to pick Christopher from Abuela's. The kid is staying with her until tomorrow, considering that they had a double shift, but he understands why he asks. They haven't been officially together for long, but they have been family for a good while; they have rituals for these kind of situations. Some times, they stay around the station or go out for drinks with their friends. Other times, when nature and accidents have taken apart families in front of they eyes, they both need to hold Christopher extra tight to their chests, to remember how lucky they are. In other occasions, what they really need is each other.

Buck is quick in shaking his head, because it's one of those times.

The rest of the ride is silent, staying in that way while they take their things inside of their home.

He is on Eddie as soon as the door is closed.

Eddie is not surprised, by the way he kisses him back with the same intensity, letting him press his body against the door. Buck needs him, needs to feel his beating heart against his hands and there is no more time to lose and his blood flowing in his veins. Eddie is alive and the only way that Buck is going to be convinced of it is when he feels him falling apart around him.

Eddie screaming his name in pleasure is the only way Buck's soul will come back to him.

Later, when they are both too tired to move and finally lying on their bed, Buck's mind still refuses to turn off. Eddie is lying content in his chest, happy to have his hair played with, but he let's him figure out his thoughts in peace. He is not sure what is taking him so long to get over and even when he knows it's different now that they are together, it's not like he didn't worry sick about Eddie when they worked. But now they have… They have so much more. They get to come back home together, to have a family together and there is still so much more they don't get yet and still, Buck could have lost everything in a second.

And that puts everything in perspective. He almost wants to punch himself for taking so long to figure it out.

And is not the fact that he almost lost the love his life today, but somehow it feels like it is . They could lose each other at any moment and Buck is tired of waiting. He wants to be with Eddie in every way he can imagine, do everything they can do, before they run out of time. It’s never going to be enough time.

He knows Eddie is awake when he presses a quick kiss to his temple, by the way that a little pleased sound comes out of his lips. If he was ever nervous about this, that little thing seems to calms absolutely every part of him.

It's so easy to say it. And mean it.

“Marry me.” It’s a whisper, but loud enough for his boyfriend to hear. He feels Eddie go rigid in his arms, but far from scaring him, it only makes him hold him tighter, preventing his boyfriend from moving. There are still things he has to say, to make him understand. “I don’t want to waste another moment where I am not your husband, when I don’t get to call you mine in every way I can." His hand continues to move his hand in the other's hair, feeling the corners of his mouth turning up already. "Marry me, Eddie."

The man he loves is strong, so it's pointless to still try to keep him from turning around. He is surprised and yeah, Buck recognizes in the way his eyes are so soft that it's talking everything on him to not move forward to kiss him.

"Evan." Eddie speaks in the same tone he did, quiet and worried to break the moment they are in. “You are scared.”

“Yeah Eddie, I’m fucking scared.” There is no point in denying it, mostly because he knows Buck probably better than he knows himself, but he is sure they are not talking about the same thing. One of his hands moves towards Eddie's cheek, brushing it with his finger. “I’m scared that if something happened to you today, I wouldn’t be able to live with myself knowing I didn’t tell how sure I am of this. Of us. ”

He has never being sure of anything more than this. That no matter how much time he has left, this is his place, beside Eddie and Christopher and any other kid that comes in their way. This is where he belongs, the love he wants to build. And he knows Eddie feels the same, by the way he is trying to collect himself by looking at the ceiling. "You are it for me, Eddie.  You and Christopher are it for me.”

There are a couple of moments filled with silence, but Buck is perfectly happy on giving him all the time he needs while he rubs his cheek. When Eddie's eyes focus on him again, they are so bright that they take his breath away.

“I was saving…”  The beginning of the sentence makes him chuckle.

“For marriage? Buddy, I think that ship has sailed…” To prove a point, he looks in between them, to where they are still clearly naked under the light sheet.

It earns him a smack on the head, what does nothing for his laugh, but it stops as soon as he hears Eddie's voice again. “For a ring, dumbass.”

It takes him a few seconds to feel anything apart from.the loud beat of his heart. Eddie had thought of marrying him and even when he knew, when there was no doubt in his mind that he was loved with the same intensity he loved Eddie, it was still something that made him blush like a schoolgirl.

“Really?”

Eddie must think it's amusing, because he has that cocky grin on him, the one he always uses him when he thinks he is being clever. “Really.”

It occurs to him that he is so flustered by Eddie's revelation that he still hasn't asked for an answer. “Is that a yes then?” He feels a little bit dumb, but Eddie's smile turns sincere and that is so worth it.

His boyfriend moves forward, cradling Buck's face in his hands before he kisses him, softly and lingering. Like a promise. “It’s a hell yeah.”

#buddie #911 #evan buckley #eddie diaz

[houseswolo]

Day 17 - 'Tis The Season To Be Thirsting

"Oh come all ye Forceful..."

The last of our Thirsties to be showcased:

Wilson

(Tumblr: @wilsonthinks66​ | Twitter: Wilsonthinks66 | Ao3: Wilson66)

What got you into Star Wars?

When a certain Adam Driver revealed his beautiful face in The Force Awakens 😍 helloo handsome

What made you a Reylo? Lightbulb moment!

"You're not alone." "Neither are you."

I think I told Luke to piss off and let them kiss!

Why do you write / make art?

Because why not?! I write when I have that little niggling idea that just won't go away.

The Object of your Thirst…

Oh so many but if we're sticking to the Star Wars it's got to be the beautiful Adam Driver and my favourite ginger Domhnall Gleeson

Which Adam look do you like the best?

Unwrapped and bare chested 🤤😍

Which Adam avatar/ role do you like the best?

Flip Zimmerman, I think my stomach literally flipped (pun intended 😏) when Adam wheeled around on that chair 💦💦

Which part of Adam do you like the best? 

A part? How can you only pick one part.

Favorite Star Wars Movie

Probably The Force Awakens, it was the film that made me watch the others in preparation, although Rogue one is a close second.

What do you like to write / draw / paint the most?

Don't judge me but I love writing angst obviously with a well earned happy ending. This is what I want to write as I've made a promise to myself to focus on what I enjoy reading/writing and not worry about others' opinions.

**Eyes the dark Evil Rey idea that won't leave me alone recently**

We'll get to you soon.

(HS: Dooo eeeet!)

Your TRoS Prediction

They all live happily ever after... Hux included 🤞❤️ no I know that may be too optimistic but I do hope we get Bendemption 😍

If you were an aesthetic... (colors, images, feels....)

Red and black are my favourite colour combination, although I adore autumn colours too🍁🧡

What's your ideal environment for writing / creating? 

Silence 😂 seriously I am so easily distracted that I need solitary confinement 😅 which may be why I sometimes struggle to finish fics.

Are you a dom or sub? 

Switch baby! 🤘 For the perfect partner I'll be whatever they need 😏

What's the most exotic/wierd place you've gotten intimate?

I've spent most of my life at yards, I'm not going to miss the opportunity to roll about the straw barn, now am I? 🙊

What's your kink?

Who doesn't love a good Dom but on the flip who doesn't love a well-behaved sub? 🤷 I'm easily pleased.

Use three words to describe yourself

Loyal, kind (I hope I come across as such) and argumentative sometimes because I can fall out with myself if I'm that way inclined 😂

Meaning behind your nick / ID name

Well it's my name and I wasn't feeling imaginative 😅

Are you a big spoon or little spoon?

I'm a don't touch me while a sleep spoon, solitary spoon 😘

Do you like it rough or soft? 

See if you pick one, you lose out on the other. I'm too greedy for that.

Favorite fic you read

Unexpected by pontmercy44. The first star wars fandom fic I ever read that introduced me into this world, I guess.

Favorite fic you wrote or favorite art you made

Decades to Fall for Sunshineflying. A reyux fic (don't shoot the multishipper!) That I just loved writing and wish that every fic was that easy to create. 😍❤️

Favorite SW character besides Kylo and Rey

Oh well this is so hard for me umm 🤔 maybe that ginger General of First Order... I struggle to remember his name 😘 love me some Hux

______

Taz

(Tumblr: @tazwren | Twitter: WrenTaz | Ao3: TazWren & TrashcanWren)

What got you into Star Wars?

Literally, a lightsaber being stuck into my hand, at 7yrs, and being asked to be Vader to my cousin’s Luke Skywalker. I’d never heard of SW till that moment, and I fell headfirst into the Dark Side and in love with the galaxy far, far away! Its been the one franchise that as been a constant for me, the whole time growing up, and I’ve loved having something SW to look forward to every few years. SW and Reylo lifer! 😁😁😎😎

What made you a Reylo? Lightbulb moment!

“You are not alone.” The minute Kylo/Ben said those words, I was gone for Reylo. No true villain would give a flying fuck about his so-called adversary’s mental and emotional health. When their hands touched? I screeched in that theatre! And I may have yelled at Luke as well. Walked out and hunted for Kylo/Rey fanfics and the rest was history!

Why do you write / make art?

I do because the stories show up and make it impossible for me to do anything else but tell them. They buzz and breed and drown out all other sounds, like manic mosquitoes. They can be quite a nuisance that way, but... *throws up hands* ... I gots to do what they tell me to do! 😆

The Object of your Thirst…

Uh, do I even need to answer this? Adam Douglas Driver, Mr.Sensitive-on-a-stick, BDE Boss hisself 😎😏

Once I discovered him, all others ceased to exist for me. (Hugh, who? Chris, what?)

Which Adam look do you like the best?

I like Adam every which way, but my favorites are with facial scruff and slightly shaggy hair - Phillip Altman meets Ben Swolo. Oooh, anytime he is a sweater (or half out of one!) or with his shirtsleeves rolled up. So, um, yeah... 😁

Which Adam avatar/ role do you like the best?

Philip Altman is BAE - he always lightens my heart. And Ben Solo? He owns the frickin’ thing. So yeah, anyone who knows me, knows one ain’t enough 😏

Which part of Adam do you like the best?

His face - it’s so emotive and expressive! His eyes, those lips, that smile that launches a gazillion ships. His hands, his strong-ass arms. That glorious mane of hair. Have I mentioned them tiddies and the tree-trunk thighs?! Oh, and when he flexes his back, and...

Uh... let’s just say, everything Adam? 

Favorite Star Wars Movie

The Last Jedi was the most beautifully written and shot movie in the entire franchise, with a depth of characterization and exploration of symbolism that was brilliant. This will always rate as the best for me. A close second, and one I will always love, is Empire Strikes Back. That was quintessential Star Wars and an amazingly good watch - snark, action, angst, love, betrayal, rescue, OMFG!

What do you like to write / draw / paint the most?

Until I started writing Reylo, I’d never been able to write fiction. I could never visualize the stories. And once I started, I haven’t been able to stop! I’ll write anything Reylo, I’ll try writing anything at least once (so, yeah, there may be dark fic as well one day!). My style defaults to either mildly angsty, or humour-laced fluff, or depraved smut. So, not sure what that says about me 😂

Your TRoS Prediction

Bendemption. Reylo. *mic drop*

If you were an aesthetic... (colors, images, feels....)

Blacks, Reds, Greys, slashes of bright turquoise and white and ochre. Blue and white-striped awnings shading an alfresco cafe, overlooking a green ocean. Bright, city lights, reds and yellows glinting off the black water of a bay. A busy airport, with the scents of perfume from Duty-Free as you zoom past it.

If you were a candy bar, what would your name be?

The Ever-lasting Gobstopper 😂

What's your ideal environment for writing / creating?

In a hotel room, on my own. In the back of cab, in the window-seat of an airplane. At my desk, looking out through the window as the breeze blows through the trees, and the Burn This playlist keeps going on repeat. 

Are you a dom or sub?

Both? Both is good.

What's the most exotic/wierd place you've gotten intimate?

On the back of a bike, in the middle of the night, stopped at a traffic intersection.

What's your kink?

Size. Hands. Humour. Fidelity, and yet threesomes (go figure, I’m depraved). Mild Dom. Intelligence and thoughtfulness. Hair. Fuck it, Adam.

Use three words to describe yourself

Loyal, funny, organized-chaos (its a thing, trust me!)

Meaning behind your nick / ID name

I’ve always had Taz as a nickname, for the Warner Bros Tasmanian Devil (yes, I’ve been known to be exactly like that! 😂). Wren is a nod to Kylo Ren, and the fact that one of the earliest fanfics I read had Rey naming her son ‘Wren’ as a backhanded pointer to Kylo! So I’m, Taz, a Knight of Ren.

Are you a big spoon or little spoon?

I can be both, till I fall asleep. Then, pls leave me tf alone 😬😁

Do you like it rough or soft?

Both - why choose?!

Favorite fic you read

There are so very many in this amazing fandom! The one that I’ve loved from the beginning, though, is The Art of Broken Pieces - a beautifully written Bendemption fic. 

Favorite fic you wrote or favorite art you made

God, this is hard! My recent favorites are Brooklyn Bridge Blues, Caught Between Beats, and A Taste For Two - I like that I’m able to explore a variety of stories and emotions through them. I’m most proud of Confidences To A Stranger because I was able to explore a storytelling medium that I hadn’t before. 

Favorite SW character besides Kylo and Rey

Padme Amidala - she reminds me of my mother and grandmother, both of whom were strong women, who got shit done, while always taking care of their people. She was a queen in more than just name. Han Solo - I am weak for a scoundrel/villain/bad boy in a leather jacket, with a hardass, snarky exterior that hides a heart of gold. The reluctant hero.💙

____

Meet the other Thristies! Thirst Order Advent Calendar Day:

1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 15 | 16

cc: @tazwren @drnucleus @ashtyntaytertot @deadlikemoi @nite0wl29 @thereylowritingden @houseplaidam @housedadam @house-crylo @housereysistance @my-jedi-life @shestoolazytologin @koderenn @thoseindarkness @areylofan @lostinqueue-ffa @queenoferebor  @cosmo-gonika @roguesinside @wilsonthinks66  @dangertaylor @lilia-ula @wandering-minds-found @looc-at-me @hopelesslyreylo @ferashacosplay @andabatae-writes @semperfidani ​ @reylo-fade-to-grey @cb-lainey-schooled

[the-firebird69]

You keep leaning on him trying to get things to work and threatening for things not to work if it doesn't and really it doesn't do anything they end up getting clobbered and really sick of them doing it but we need more troops to handle it and right now

-casino empire has engaged the clones and they are fighting very hard and they're fighting over ships to take out and other diamond School and they're trying to pull it out right now along the shoreline of the east and west coast and South all over there a couple rigs off of Sarasota and a couple weeks off fort Myers by the mohawk and they're going to pull it all out I'll run that whole area and it will drop and forget about half of it and now they're going to pull it all out and it will drop an additional 300 ft the whole area and I'll make this mound which the water will flow off of and start to drain the harbor faster it's very much needed today by the end of the day it's going to be emptied out and it'll be dropping

-there's a few other things to note there's a huge package coming now there's several packages coming to our son there's three two tires and one battery and all of them are pivotal and we are motioning that they might be here today no but still people are going to be messing around with that it's a huge deal tons of people fight over it and the morlock are trying to get tons of batteries here and it's going on right now and they're moving other stuff too plastic and rubber they make things with it devices and they want a full plan and they're working on it and they're noticing something he's just going to sit here because he has to and there's nowhere to go and he won't be able to afford any Firebird and it's true they're fighting over that and Timmy Doyle is going to go down in just a few days it will push him under and the car will pass to someone else it will probably most likely be Justin or Daniel or Mike to and it'll crush them. It's not going to take long for real they're engaging everybody in Massachusetts and it's all foot soldier stuff and all bullets there's a massive massive fight soon we're going to announce what's happening here we have almost a complete package to talk about

Thor Freya

Olympus

He's getting stressed about what's going on and it's going to take a break and I'm looking forward to it and we'll see how it goes

Hera

It's not we can find but we're taking a break by coming here so it's not bad and I'm happy about the car thing they seem to be swarming me but they're busy with each other I think

Zues

They're much busier with with each other and it's much better and the thing with A hard knock kicker 5150 in the easy Rider is just fascinating for them they're absolutely out of control it's going to be intense there's other vehicles too coming out and then wondering why the firebird and it's being explained over and over by the men

Hera

[salvatoreschool]

'Legacies' Creator Julie Plec Teases Hope's Future, New Characters & What's to Come in Season 2 (Exclusive)

Warning: Spoiler alert! Do not proceed if you have not watched the Legacies season two premiere.

Season two of Legacies kicked off on Thursday, and fans have questions!

The first episode, titled "I'll Never Give Up Hope," saw Hope Mikaelson (Danielle Rose Russell) escape Malivore and return to Mystic Falls. However, she was distraught after realizing that her sacrifice to defeat Malivore meant that everyone's memory of her would be erased. It also definitely hurt when she saw that her boyfriend, Landon (Aria Shahghasemi), had moved on with Josie (Kaylee Bryant).

Elsewhere, Lizzie (Jenny Boyd) and Josie continued to find out more about the merge and the ascendant, while their father, Alaric (Matthew Davis), tried to track down who it was that they have forgotten. It's going to be an exciting season two, Legacies creator Julie Plec tells ET, as she dives into what fans can expect in the upcoming episodes.

ET: We saw Hope get out of Malivore and back into the real world. Will she create a new persona for herself when interacting with others, or will she introduce herself as Hope and try and make people remember her?

Julie Plec: It's something that we get right into in the second episode when she has the opportunity to come clean, and we'll see what it is that she decides to do. And it's not going to be the same from person to person.

Why have it be different from person to person?

We just thought that there are certain things about Hope that are very mature and very sensible and very intelligent. And then [there are] parts of her that are emotional and impulsive, and we wanted to reflect those sides of her personality based on how she handles coming back into a world where no one knows who she is.

Fans are obsessed with the "ships" on the show, what can you tease about Hope's upcoming personal relationships?

Hope ends last season willing to take a bullet, so to speak, for her friends, which is ironic because she began the first season not caring whether she had friends or not. And now that she has come all this way and really bonded and formed her squad, to be back in this world where her squad doesn't know she exists is painful for her and sets her back in an emotional place that she hasn't sunk in a long time. There's a lot of growth that she has to do there, working through what it feels like to not matter and to be alone. She has to learn how to deal with the loneliness that comes with the choices that she's made for herself.

We know Freya (Riley Voelkel) is coming back. How was it having someone from The Originals cast be a part of Legacies? Will Freya remember Hope?

I can't answer the second part of the question, but I can say that I love being able to bring in characters from the first two shows [The Vampire Diaries and The Originals]. It's always great to see these actors again in our crew family, and no one was more beloved than Riley when we worked with her. To be able to have her again on our set was a big homecoming for everybody.

Everyone wants to know, when will we see Hope's full tribrid come to life?

That appends to asking when Elena Gilbert will become a vampire, and the answer is: One day, certainly, but not anytime soon.

Josie and Lizzie are learning more about the ascendant. How much more will they learn about it and the Gemini coven, and will they get to interact with their uncle, Kai?

I would never admit that that was happening [laughs]. But what they do decide to do is, at the top of the next episode, they have agreed to not let themselves be consumed by the questions of the ascendant, knowing that the person that it leads to is so evil. So they each try to double down on living their lives in front of them, which sets them down their own independent paths and further away from each other.

There are a lot of new characters this season. How will they change up the school dynamic?

We love introducing new characters into this world, because it's always fun having new humans interacting in our supernatural world and new supernaturals interacting with our human world. For example, in early episodes we have two new human kids in characters named Ethan (Leo Howard) and Maya (Bianca Santos). We'll meet them in the next episode. And we'll have a great new headmaster (Alexis Denisof), who comes in replacing Dr. Saltzman, who brings a whole new set of rules and ideas about how these kids should behave, and it shakes things up a lot.

Is there a supporting character's storyline that you are excited about and will surprise fans this season?

We're having a lot of fun with the Sebastian (Thomas Doherty) and Lizzie storyline. Sebastian is a new character that we meet in the next episode, that has a lot of great fun and a lot of great surprises.

I really love Landon this season. I think that what he is going to be going through, how he grows and how he's just this perfect specimen of respectful, conscientious, smart and kind, caring person, any man or woman would be lucky to have him. To see him explore life without Hope, in the sense that he remains that good person across the board, is awesome to watch.

Speaking of Sebastian, would you describe him as more of Stefan or Damon Salvatore?

He's definitely seems more of Damon, for sure! And he's got some blue, blue eyes too, which is really nice.

And Landon, as the Phoenix, does he become stronger every time he dies? Will we learn more about his powers?

Those are questions that we also ask ourselves in the writers' room. So those are very good questions. People will have to wait and see how we decided to answer that. It's possible [that fans will learn more about his powers].

Switching gears to Landon's best friend. Will we see any progression between Rafael (Peyton Alex Smith) and Hope? How will their friendship evolve now that we know he has a crush on her?

When we get Rafael back, it will still be in the window of time where people don't necessarily know who Hope is. So she's this strange, mystery girl who saved him from his plight and I think it will potentially ignite a whole new round of interest from him.

So, even if he's in wolf form he doesn't remember Hope?

I guess we'll have to see.

Let's talk about OG Vampire Diaries alum, Alaric. Will he get a love interest this season?

I would love for Alaric to find happiness and be in love. No one deserves it more and no one has suffered more. We'll see if that losing streak continues or if he can finally meet the one. We shall see.

There was also a sweet nod to "Aunt Bonnie" in the first episode. Will fans be seeing more of those small mentions and moments of past characters?

We are going to try and do that as often as we can without making false promises about who we might see. I would love to be able to deliver on that as much as possible.

How would you sum up season two?

It's a season about discovering the holes inside of you that you don't know you have and the things that you do, for better or for worse, to fill those holes. And, how you can be your own worst enemy or your own greatest hero. You just have to find a way to believe in yourself so that others can believe in you.

Legacies airs Thursday at 9 p.m. on The CW.

#Legacies #TheOriginals #TheVampireDiaries #TVD #HopeMikaelson #LizzieSaltzman #JosieSaltzman #LandonKirby #MG #RafaelWaithe #AlaricSaltzman #LegaciesSeason2 #Malivore #Tribrid #Sebastian #ThomasDoherty #GeminiCoven #TheMerge #Ascendant #PrisionWorld #KaiParker #FreyaMikaelson #SalvatoreSchool #MysticFalls #MysticFallsHigh #JuliePlec #TheCW