#;; ALSO THE WEIGHING OF THE THREE DEATHS??? PAYING FOR THE LIVES OF THE DRAGONS?? IT'S A LOT!

[kaerinio]

there are nights when dany wakes up weeping, and she doesn't know why. there are times when she's on the terrace by herself, and her throat tightens, and she doesn't know why. there are times when her eyes begin to burn, and she doesn't know why.

[ilynpilled]

This is gonna be pretty much a joint meta with @sunny12th. We have been discussing how Feast and Dance are in obvious conversation with each other, and how Dance explores many of the thematic concepts and questions that Feast proposes. One of the key thematic statements of Feast that we believe Dany’s story is in conversation with is:

Above him, all the windows had gone black, and he could see the faint light of distant stars. The sun had set for good and all. The stench of death was growing stronger, despite the scented candles. The smell reminded Jaime Lannister of the pass below the Golden Tooth, where he had won a glorious victory in the first days of the war. On the morning after the battle, the crows had feasted on victors and vanquished alike, as once they had feasted on Rhaegar Targaryen after the Trident. How much can a crown be worth, when a crow can dine upon a king? There were crows circling the seven towers and great dome of Baelor's Sept even now, Jaime suspected, their black wings beating against the night air as they searched for a way inside. Every crow in the Seven Kingdoms should pay homage to you, Father. From Castamere to the Blackwater, you fed them well. That notion pleased Lord Tywin; his smile widened further.

We know that Dany already had a very significant dream that parallels this exact event. She was in Rhaegar’s shoes. Her trauma and fears are packaged in TLN imagery. She came out victorious against death. She succeeded where Rhaegar had failed. What did she have? A Dragon. I’ll come back to this.

A main thing that AFfC quote is referring to is an equality that is inherent to life. With or without crowns, despite all man-constructed hierarchies and systems, all people are equal in death. So why shouldn’t we thrive to make them equal in life? A fight for equality is obviously a very integral theme in Dany’s story. George believes that a leader should be viscerally aware of this kind of egalitarianism. Power is a responsibility, not something that gives you privilege and allows you to feast on others. This is also why Dany’s approaches are juxtaposed so overtly with Cersei’s. A Feast for Crows is primarily exploring the devastation that the Westerosi regimes have brought on. Rulers do not recognize equality, and even if they do, it is done in a way that is selfish (Robert complaining about the responsibility the crown gives him, despite acknowledging that it did not make him different). Yet, all are a feast for the crows right now. A crown made no difference. Aerys, Robert, and Joffrey’s crown’s did nothing to prevent their deaths, and the same goes for Tywin’s invisible crown. A crown also becomes a death sentence to many children. It distances Robb from Greywind, and brings his doom. Jaime & Cersei’s children are destined to die due to their crowns. All that Westeros brought on with their crowns is a great feast for crows.

We also know that Dany already came to a conclusion about what a “crown”, on a more metaphorical level, means:

“He shouldn't have done that. He wasn't just my brother, he was my king. Why do the gods make kings and queens, if not to protect the ones who can't protect themselves?"

"Some kings make themselves. Robert did."

"He was no true king," Dany said scornfully. "He did no justice. Justice. That's what kings are for."

Later, Dany is made to believe that her physical crown is symbol of this very responsibility. But that supposed symbol is what destroyed and will destroy the lives of the children forced to wear it in Westeros. The crown weighs her down, oppresses her, it is a symbol of the burden of the false peace that she is sacrificing her very ideology for.

Irri fetched her crown, wrought in the shape of the three-headed dragon of her House. Its coils were gold, its wings silver, its three heads ivory, onyx, and jade. Dany's neck and shoulders would be stiff and sore from the weight of it before the day was done. A crown should not sit easy on the head.

Her children had need of her. Drogon had bent before the whip, and so must she. She had to don her crown again and return to her ebon bench and the arms of her noble husband.

By midday Daenerys was feeling the weight of the crown upon her head, and the hardness of the bench beneath her. With so many still waiting on her pleasure, she did not stop to eat.

While her sense of responsibility is being exploited and skewed, the nobles are feasting on the lives of slaves, on Dany’s ideology, and on her as a person:

So Daenerys sat silent through the meal, wrapped in a vermilion tokar and black thoughts, speaking only when spoken to, brooding on the men and women being bought and sold outside her walls, even as they feasted here within the city.

She is “wrapped in a vermillion tokar.” She, and what she represents, is being dined upon. But, unlike Rhaegar, she will not let the feast continue.

Here is Sunny’s part getting into more depth about just how Dany’s crown functions and gets deconstructed as a symbol with some of my added thoughts: Dany's crown is a visual representation of her three dragons, but it doesn't empower her at all. It actually feels wrong because Dany's dragons came from stone, and they're being captured in stone again as her crown. Likewise, Dany is slowly being entrapped by the crown. Symbolically, the crown is meant to represent Dany as a Queen. That's why she doesn't sell it. She does not want to be a Beggar Queen like Viserys but, really, her dragons (alive, made of fire and blood) are all she needs. The crown is her dragons made stone again. It's heavy, and physically hurts Dany, but she continues to wear it. Dany would've been killed regardless of her crown (floppy ears). She acknowledges this when she remembers that one of her forbears had said "the crown should not sit easy." Rhaegar was killed regardless of his status, Rhaegar's son was killed, and Dany knows she will be killed too if her Usurpers have the chance. Similarly, Aegon the Conqueror had the Iron Throne made because a king should not sit comfortably. Dany with her ebony bench is also aware of this despite not apparently knowing Aegon I said that. Dany is Aegon I's heir in a lot of ways, like how she is Rhaegar's heir. Cersei doesn't see the Iron Throne for how uncomfortable it is (in a literal practical sense) or how uncomfortable it should make her. She only sees the power (and freedom she never had) it represents, not the responsibility. Dany knows there's power in being a queen, but it's the responsibility that draws her to stay in Meereen. But her sense of responsibility gets used against her. Dany wears a veil and a tokar to the fighting pits, when drogon reappears, and both of these are cast off. She's not wearing the floppy ears anymore and it's just her and the dragon again, like in her old dragon dreams. Her crown is her dragons made stone again, just how they are locked away in caves. It represents responsibility, but a warped kind that pushes her into a false peace. Her dragons, brought to life from stone, are the responsibility and power to burn down the subjugating institutions. The dragons are Dany’s real self. Right after Dany thinks about Rhaegar being killed and how the crown should not sit comfortably, she thinks about how the Masters of Meereen freed their slaves only to "hire" them as servants and pay them unlivable wages. Slavery is technically abolished, but inequality and servitude still thrive in Meereen. Her crown, stone dragons (cold and unalive), can't bring her ideology to life. What is a crown worth if the person under it lacks the strength or will to use it to protect their people? Dany's crown is a mockery of her real power (living dragons) and she wears it to build a false peace for the masterclass, and they are not her people, they are not the weak that must be protected at all costs. They, and the institutions they represent, are the ones preying on the weak.

So what is a crown’s worth? If she wants to attempt to achieve the things that she was meant for: to protect the weak, to fight death, it will not be with dragons made of cold stone, but dragons made of fire & blood.

Fire is not just destruction. Blood is not just about bloodshed. Fire burns bright and gives light. Blood flows through your veins. The Others “hate every creature with hot blood in its veins.”

[ladeaeveld]

Notes on Tevinter Nights

I finished reading Tevinter Nights not so long ago, so here is an overview of what is happening in Thedas. There is probably nothing particularly new since I'm a bit late to the party. However, I find such overviews convenient to refresh my memory when needed. Perhaps it will be useful to someone else!

This overview was meant to be short, but there were so many interesting details... now, it is huge.

Also, since I’ve read the translated version, any help with wording clarifications is greatly appreciated!

The post is under a cut due to Tevinter Nights spoilers (and length).

Global events

- There is a war between the Qunari and Tevinter.

- Three branches of the Qun do not agree with each other. The Antaam, the military branch of the Qun, attacked Ventus and continued the invasion without the permission of the other two. It results in faster progress of the invasion as the other two branches were a moderating influence on the Antaam. The Ben-Hassrath holds a neutral position.

- In Tevinter, the Venatori are still a problem.

- Smaller countries like Rivain and Antiva are under serious threat of the Qunari’s invasion.

- The heads of the Antivan Crows, eight Talons, held a meeting to join their forces, protect Antiva, and withstand the Qunari's invasion. The meeting was disrupted, and four out of eight Talons were murdered. New heads of the Crows will be chosen soon.

- The king of Nevarra is on the brink of death. The Mortalitasi, who have always had great power in Nevarra, continue to interfere in politics.

- All the Grey Wardens were summoned to Weisshaupt.

- We were introduced to a considerable amount of characters from the guild of treasure hunters, the Lords of Fortune.

- Regarding the Inquisition, little is known. All external issues of the organization seem to be handled by Varric Tethras. He gives quests, monitors their implementation, hires new people.

- One of the Executors, or ‘those across the sea’, showed up in the flesh. Solas said they are particularly dangerous and cautioned against interacting with them.

- By now, many have heard rumours of the Fen’Harel’s cult.

Minrathous

- A demon or something far worse is imprisoned under Minrathous. With the help of the Venatori, it is now unsealed (will probably be sealed again later). Yet, to awake it, some blood-magic ritual must be performed.

- The creature was sealed with eight blood-bonded enchanted clay disks. They showed a long and thin four-winged dragon rising from the dark waters.

- It is said that ‘demon’ is not the best word to describe this creature. It is something ancient and mighty, unnamed, something that will subject to god only.

- This ‘demon’ was a part of Corypheus’ plan of making Tevinter great again. According to this plan, Minrathous was to become the cradle of the new world. If Minrathous had not surrendered to Corypheus, the ‘demon’ would have left the city no choice.

- Most of the population of Minrathous could have perished as a result of this creature awakening.

- Enchanted predators and monsters resulting from magical experiments seem to be common in Minrathous.

Elven experiments

- In Nevarra, under a mountain with three asymmetric peaks wrapped around each other, there is a dwarven thaig. This thaig is called Hormak, and it was lost to the darkspawn hundreds of years ago.

- In Hormak, Grey Wardens have found elven halls, where experiments on living were conducted. And it is quite lively in these halls now.

- There is a huge pool with a greyish fluid that reeks of brine. It creates hybrids.

- There were different types of hybrids: darkspawn with other darkspawn, animals with other animals, darkspawn with animals, and even a centipede and a Grey Warden hybrid.

- When a hurlock stepped in the greyish fluid, it was enveloped and then transformed into a drake and a hurlock hybrid.

- The transformed Grey Warden said that the fluid affects ‘them’ (sentient races?) differently. To be transformed, it is not enough to touch it. The fluid should get inside the body.

- All over the place were large repetitive bas-reliefs depicting ancient elven. There were three types of them. The first one showed majestic elven kings and queens with reverent supplicants. The second one showed elven mages healing sick. The third showed big aravels, drawn by herds of hallas, going to distant mountains (one of the mountains had three peaks wrapped around each other).

- Later, those bas-reliefs were described differently. On the first one, elven rulers were arrogant and despised their subjects, who seemed to be in great terror. On the second one, mages weren’t healing sick, but on the contrary, they were injecting corruption into bodies. On the third, a halla had a strange rounded body and very long and ridged horns, and an aravel had bars on its windows, which made it look like a cage.

- Somewhere at the entrance of the halls was one more type of repetitive bas-reliefs. It showed three figures: a supplicant, a priestess, and a monster. On each subsequent bas-relief, a supplicant and a monster were different, while the priestess remained the same. It seemed that with each subsequent bas-relief, her grin grew wider.

- The experiments are directed by some will, which is referred to as a female. ‘She’ is not yet there, ‘they’ are waiting for ‘her’.

- Symbols of horns of a halla are present on each column in the halls.

- According to bas-reliefs, there are twelve such places in total.

The Inquisition members and allies

For completeness, this part should have included information from the comic, but I tried to avoid that.

- According to Tevinter Nights, Varric and Charter remained in the ranks of the Inquisition.

- Charter mentions her lover, Tessa.

- Vaea and ser Aaron show up but without a clear relation to the Inquisition.

- There are two mages, Vadis and Irian, who saved a peaceful Qunari settlement called Kont-aar from an agent of Fen'Harel, thus keeping the chance of subtle peace between the Ben-Hassrath and Tevinter. The Ben-Hassrath returned the favour by directing said mages to Kirkwall, to a certain dwarf, where they intend to go after seeing Val Royeaux.

- Sutherland and Company are still loyal to the ideals of the Inquisition.

- Quentin Calla, who was a bearer of the enchanted clay disk for a while, provided the Inquisition with some information.

- Philliam, a Bard!, (formerly) Sister Laudine, and Brother Ferdinand Genitivi, with the help of the Lord of the Fortune, Mateo, accepted and completed the quest from the Inquisition.

Fen’Harel and the red lyrium idol

- The red lyrium idol's adventures ended. It is now in Solas' hands, or at least he says so.

- There are three descriptions of the red lyrium idol's appearance. The first one, made by the dwarf, the Carta assassin: two figures, too thin to be dwarves, caressing each other. The second one, by Mortalitasi: two lovers or a god mourning the sacrifice. The third, by Solas: crowned figure comforting another one. (Note: I remind you these are not exact quotes but a translation of the translation, and nuances might have been lost.)

- Some qualities of the idol: red lyrium weighs more than the usual one; the idol is liquid inside; it reacts to other lyrium.

- The idol created or revealed a ritual blade.

- Solas calls the idol his.

- The Mortalitasi recounted the events in the Fade in which Solas took a form of a giant wolf the size of a high dragon. He had burning eyes like those of a pride demon and wings of fire which later resolved themselves into lesser demons. The Fade is called his natural home, and it is said spirits serve him gladly.

- Solas pays special attention to the actions of the Inquisition.

- Members of Fen'Harel's cult would rather die than be captured.

- The ritual the Dread Wolf performs already affects the Fade.

Random interesting facts

- The Qunari slowly cut down a part of the Arlathan Forest.

- The Ben-Hassrath are said to know the most about Solas’ actions.

- Among four killed Talons was Giuli Arainai, Eighth Talon, and this might be a good time for Zevran to show up somehow.

- There was a lyrium crystal that produced a light with shades of green and yellow in Hormak.

- Dorian no longer has slaves, only hired labourers.

- Josephine sent Dorian some good Antivan wine. :)

- Vaea now possesses a healing artefact, which seems to be able to heal anything except death.

- There is an example of a dwarven metal prosthetic of a leg, which does not seem to restrict movement in any way.

Since I’ve read Tevinter Nights after the last Dragon Age Day... - Evka became a Grey Warden and did rescue the next one!

- The hunger demon that turned a person into a werewolf in the village called Eichweill was not completely defeated.

- It seems those elven artefacts do strengthen the Veil, after all.

- The Randy Dowager is Ferdinand Genitivi. Five scarves fluttered in shock out of five.

⠀

This is all for Tevinter Nights for now. I did not include plenty of curious facts, probably enough for another post. I hope you enjoyed it anyway!

If you have any corrections regarding facts, or grammar, etc., don’t hesitate to DM me! Or you may leave a comment in my ask box if you want to stay anonymous.

Thank you for the attention, and have a nice day!

[lailoken]

“Stones of Power:

The Flints which find their way to the surface of the land are beautiful and varied but nevertheless quite small. The few larger stones which are found around Norfolk are mostly glacial erratics. Due to their relative rarity, such stones are considered remarkable and are rich in history, often having been meeting places where significant decisions were taken. Unsurprisingly, they have much magical lore associated with them and retain considerable power, which can be drawn upon for magical purposes. This sometimes involves spells but is more often a means of developing our understanding of unwritten history. After all, the memory of stones is deeper and denser than the Mercurial gifts of pen and ink of of the whispered word. The sonorous voices of these stones have a language of their own, unfettered by grammar and vocabulary. They "speak’ to one another across the landscape, maintaining, not only their ancient kinship, but also an intricate pattern of silent power lines. The following examples represent just a small selection. There are more which can be sought out.

The Cowell Stone

This stone is to be found on Swaffham Heath, about 150 yards from the B1122 road to Downham Market. It stands at a truly liminal spot, marking a hundred boundary, as well as those of the parishes of Swaffham, Marham and Narborough. Part of the Icknield Way, marked as Peddersty or Saltersty, and the East-West Fincham Drove, which is a Roman road, pass very close to it (Clarke and Clarke, 1937). Its magic draws together the footsteps of the many who have trodden these paths and lived and died in the surrounding parishes.

The origin of the stone's name has a number of possibilities. Ben Ripper (1979) suggests it is named after Cow Hill, or a corruption of coal, since the stone once guided pilgrims to a beacon hill near Colkirk (Coalchurch). The stone used to be situated in a field nearby, where workers sat on it to eat their dinner. However, in the 1980s, it was moved by two local historians, Ben Ripper and Peter Howling, as it was considered to be at risk of damage from ploughing. The move seems not to have disrupted its energy in any way, perhaps because it was conducted with respect and honourable intentions. It has a warm, welcoming lenergy, one which encourages the seeker to both broaden and deepen their quest for knowledge, not just of stones, but of all aspect of the magic of the land.

The Merton Stone

The Merton Stone, nestled in a shallow marl pit, just off the Peddars Way near the boundary of the parishes of Merton and Threxton, is thought to weigh between twenty and thirty tons and to be the largest glacial erratic in the United Kingdom.

Some people say that to stand on it is a chilling experience, where the presence of malevolent spirits can be felt. However, on a warm, sunny day it is more likely to be a very pleasant, and indeed healing experience. It is well known that, continuing a centuries-old tradition, young ladies wishing to fall pregnant still sit on the stone and find its magic effective. The plants around it, especially the Mugwort, seem to derive extra energy from their proximity to such a powerful character.

There is a long-held local belief that, if the stone is removed, the waters will rise and cover the entire Earth (Clarke and Clarke, 1937). Moving the stone was apparently attempted by the 5th Lord of Walsingham, one of the ancient de Grey family. He assembled all the local men and women, together with much beer and many ropes, but the failed attempt ended in an "erotic debauch". Another attempt to move it, in the 1930s or 40s, this time using a large rotary plough, was equally unsuccessful (Burgess, 2005b), although I have been unable to find out whether this ended the same way as the previous escapade.

The Stockton Stone

The Stockton Stone currently stands on the raised grass verge of a lay-by on the A146, between Beccles and Norwich, just outside the village of Stockton itself. This lichen-covered, sandstone glacial erratic weighs several tons and is said by some to have been an ancient track marker. According to Michael Clarke, it marks the old meeting place of the Clavering hundred, possibly the place where the 10th century Danegeld was paid, although Geldeston, near Beccles, might be a more likely candidate, given its name.

Like the Merton Stone, the Stockton Stone has a curse upon it that anyone who moves it will fall victim to terrible misfortune or death. Much to the consternation of many local people, it was indeed moved, in the 1930s, to accommodate the widening of the road. Not surprisingly. one of the workmen involved collapsed and died.

In spite of its unfortunate location, so close to a very busy road, this stone retains an amazingly powerful energy and people still leave small offerings there. While paying our respects recently, a group of us found a rather attractive blue stone egg, which looked as if it had not been there for very long. Moved by the moment and by the atmosphere, one of our party suggested that we should hold hands and dance around the stone three times, which we duly did, much to the amusement of passing motorists!

The Great Stone of Lyng

This is another erratic brought to us by the glaciers of the Ice Age. There are many local tales surrounding this mysterious Stone, which is said to bleed if pricked with a pin. Some claim the blood is that of victims from a time when the stone was used as a sacrificial altar, while others are of the opinion that it is the blood of those who fell during a ferocious battle between King Edmund and the Danes. Others tell of treasure hidden beneath it and how the landowner has never been able to move the stone to unearth the spoils (Burgess, 2005a).

The grove in which the stone stands, almost hidden beside the path, does have a rather unnerving feel to it. One can "see" all too easily soldiers struggling up the steep escarpment and the bodies of the slain sprawled on the bank to the other side of the path. Rod Chapman informs me that, not so very many years ago, some of the children of the village had to walk through the grove, past the stone, in order to get to school and, in the winter, these children were allowed to leave school early so that they could walk through before it was dark. This is completely understandable. On climbing out of the hollow to the fields above, the atmosphere suddenly changes completely. There is almost a sense of relief and a feeling that one no longer needs to speak in hushed whispers.

There is a recent tale of a brave, tough, yet inexperienced witch who was determined to camp out for a night by the stone, in order to become better acquainted with the ghosts and spirits of the place. He pitched his tent right near the stone and was confident that he would have an interesting and informative night's vigil. However, he became so frightened by the eerie sounds and the terrifying atmosphere that he was forced to run from the place and ring a fellow practitioner to come with their car and rescue him! The stone does look something like a Dragon and has a hole in it just where the eye would be, which is deep enough for an adult to insert their entire arm. Quite a few people I know have done this and come to no harm, although it is not a pleasant experience.

Not far from the grove, in the middle of a field, are the ruins of a nunnery known as St. Edmund's Chapel, which was said to have been built to honour those who died in the battle.

It has been suggested that Blood's Dale, between Drayton and Hellesdon, on the slopes leading down to the River Wensum, where the Danes are also said to have fought the Anglo-Saxons, may have been the site of King Edmund's death in 896 CE. Abbo of Fleury (870 CE) tells us that King Edmund died at Hellesdon, and Joe Mason (2018) argues convincingly, that the unusual number of churches dedicated to St. Edmund along this stretch of the River Wensum is significant. The survivors, having found the King's severed head with the help of the Wolf, could have taken his body upstream to Lyng, to the aforementioned chapel. Although not fully excavated, some pottery dating from the time of King Edmund, has been found there. Furthermore, an old tithe map refers to the Grove as King's Grove and a map published in the Eastern Daily Press in 1939, names the Great Stone as King Edmund's Stone. Perhaps this would have been a suitable burial place for the miracle-working king? (Mason, 2018) Some of us would like to think so. Certainly, the Ash keys collected from a tree growing on the ruins of the nunnery are particularly effective in assisting those who wish to speak with spirits of the dead.

The Aldeby Rune Stones

Not all our standing stones are ancient, and just as exciting are those being erected now for the benefit of ourselves and of future generations. Aldeby, in South East Norfolk, is a wonderful such example. Here, seven standing stones have been carved with runes and with Christian symbols, and placed around the parish boundary as part of a Millennium project, known as "Pathways in Stone". The runes spell out the name of the village but are also related to the powers of the stones themselves. The Stone of Dawn, for example, features the Day Rune (dagaz) and a Medieval symbol of the World and the four Elements, while the Stone of Wisdom has the God Rune (ansuz) and the square and circle symbol for the material and spiritual worlds. One stone, the Stone of Destiny, combines all the symbols found on the outlying stones, with the addition of the othel rune, symbolizing ancestral land and heritage. The stones are carboniferous limestone, so had to be brought in especially for the project, but in spite of having been in place for a relatively short time, some of them are already giving off some very interesting energy.

These stones form a pilgrimage walk around the village and are best seen in the Winter when they are not obscured by vegetation.

The Druid Stone of St. Andrew's

When Ray Loveday pointed out to me his "Druid Stone", at the North-east corner of St. Andrew's Church, in the centre of Norwich, I was astounded that I had walked down St. Andrew's Hill so many times, admiring the cleverly-knapped Flint of the church wall, without noticing this stone. It is another of those magical items which are hiding in plain sight, but once the attention is drawn to it, the remarkable ancient power it holds becomes apparent. This stone, at least what can be seen of it above ground, is not large, and has a fairly flat top with a number of circular indentations which are often filled with' water, and work well as scrying pools. Ray is unsure whether they are a natural feature, were deliberately carved out or have developed over centuries as a result of water dripping from the church roof. There are several smaller, less well-rounded dips too, which tend to get rather muddy. The stone, which has a very feminine feel to it, welcomes small, discrete offerings, such as a ring of twisted Periwinkle stems or a little Daisy chain; nothing too elaborate or containing any artificial materials. It certainly deserves respect and attention, as it appears to form part of the magical foundation of the city.”

—

Chapter 2: ‘Sacred Places: Stories Within the Landscape’,

Of Chalk & Flint:

A Way of Norfolk Magic

by Val Thomas

[rattyarts]

Huge-ask post (I am VERY funny)

Because I have so many questions that can be answered with just text, and I have mentioned my dislike of filling my art blog up with Words Words Words... let’s get them all done in one go!

(You guys can blacklist #rattytalks if you’re just here for the draws, btw)

A shit ton of asks under the cut!

Anonymous said: So for the center of the world, what with it being forcefully PG and all Bad Thoughts TM being prevented, how does having kids happen? Do parents just black out and wake up holding a child in their arms and vague memories of the last 9 months?

Ever seen a movie where they do that “and one day... a baby was born!” thing and a kid just appears offscreen with no explanation?

(This is how it works everywhere, Edgelands included; no one does the do or gets pregnant in this setting.)

Anonymous said: Hello! Quick question, and sorry if you’ve answered this before, but can other elves see the “intangible” bits of one another? Big fan of your work btw!

Nope! And thank you!

Anonymous said: Leopold was in my dream last night but I sadly cannot remember any of it.

I am SO sorry. I will try to keep my stinky murder men out of your head in the future.

Anonymous said: are the floaty bits stuck in one spot, or could the one they are attached to learn to move them around their body as long as its still within a certain distance? like, someone with the Floaty limbs, lets call him Ray, can move his limbs all over his body, allowing him to do all sorts of neat things that others with their attached limbs probably couldn't?

Whatever you want, honestly. As a general rule of thumb I don’t like putting down TOO many hard rules that prevent people from having fun with this setting. (Please ignore and scrap anything you think is stupid, I do this all the time and enjoy keeping this setting inconsistent and contradictory)

Anonymous said: Do elf names work off of Death Note rules, or is it like, if you know one elf’s name, all elves with that name are now unable to harm you? So if all the elf brothers are named Martin, for example, does it only work with blue?

I think it’s prolly just the one! Probably? Idk, might change if I think of something funnier.

Anonymous said: Can elves do magic on themselves or does thst go against the knowing name rule

Most people tend to know their own names, lol. So in my opinion, no, but don’t let me stop you if you got a fun idea.

Anonymous said: Could an Elf stitch on parts from another elf and have them work? i.e an Elf's finds the arm of another Elf. "Hey, free arm, might as well put it to good use", so they attach the arm and now they can give three high fives at once!

Same deal as previous questions, I personally would say no, but I also encourage people to do whatever the hell they want. It’s more fun that way!

Anonymous said: I bet elves are greasy to the touch.

They’re very powdery! Like if you rolled them in flour. And by flour I mean nasty glowing elf dandruff.

Anonymous said: Can elves fly or are their wings just for show?

No flying!!! (Unless you’re a mousefly)

Anonymous said: Something tells me that the elves would LOVE Obatzda.

Had to look that up, but definitely!

no1fan15: Not sure if someone asked already- Does Edgeworld have any equivalent to demons and angels? Like the old rubberhose cartoon kind?

Demons, yes! That’s what imps are: basically any demon, devil, or generic monster, but tiny! Even a couple of pop culture critters in there, there’s probably a very small gillman or robot monster running around there somewhere.

Angels, not so far. 

Anonymous said: How come Margaret hasn't yeeted George's jar into the Edge yet

I’d say being locked in a closet is good enough! (and also I need him for plot reasons, don’t tell anyone)

Anonymous said: If elves have knees bulges in the front then do they have butt bulges in the back?

i do not want to think about elf bulges

Anonymous said: So if you find a baby Therewoof and you say "aw you're so cute", their true name is So Cute?

Yep!

Anonymous said: Since a Therewoof's true name can be something like "cutie pie" or "dingus", does their name have to be spoken with "intent" for it to doggo-fy them? Or do they just have to live with the reality that any casual conversation/flirting can make them lose up to a month to Doggy Mode? My mom has little terrier dog named "Sweetie" so that got me thinking 'bout Therewoof names. & Anonymous said: here's a good question: If someone says a therewoof's true name, but not reffering to them, does it still affect them?

Just saying it will do! It’s based on those old werewolf stories where calling out the person’s name will change them back into a human/cure them, and a lot of the time it was by accident.

(My favorite is the one where they slam the door on the wolf’s tail and then say his name, and the dude ends up with a wolf tail for the rest of his life.)

Anonymous said: Would Seeing eye Therewoofs be a thing?

I... guess? Probably? Since regular dogs can turn into woofs, yeah. You might have to start paying em once they turn into a person tho. 

Anonymous said: Was ChalkZone ever an inspiration for you? Because I just love the silly world of ChalkZone and I noticed getting that same warm feeling when thinking about Edgeworld.

Maaaan, I wish. I’ve only seen about three episodes or so, but it seems really fun!

Anonymous said: So I saw your mimic post, and even though I don't think I've seen any other of your art before I was absolutely HAMMERED with an indescribable sense of slightly unsettling strangeness and comfortable familiarity. Your art feels like something from like, an old point and click computer game I would have had formative memories of before accidentally losing or scratching the disc therefore making me unsure if it ever REALLY existed. Sorry for being weird but I love the wacky nostalgia feel here

Aaaaaah, THANK YOU! That is SUCH a cool comparison and I appreciate!!!

Anonymous said: If the Edgeworld is based on cartoons then is there a Reverse Edge-world that’s based on anime?

Lol, I mean I DID have an anime phase for a while there, so...

caydebug: Man I’d love to see this as a cartoon some day

Honestly, same. Best you’re gonna get is the occasional animatic or gif, tho.

Anonymous said: Does anyone..."go" in Edgeworld? or is it like Pleasantville where bathrooms exist but there are no toilets in them because acknowledging it is yucky?

Oh god I keep getting asked this and have been avoiding it like the damn plague. But... Uh. No. No they do not. I am begging you all not to send any followup questions.

Anonymous said: Have you considered putting computer viruses or illnesses in with the buggymen? Since those are typically called ‘bugs’

Sure!

Anonymous said: are there any limits to what an Animimic could posess? i.e if they were in a costume of a Buggieman with multiple arms, could they control all of them? what about a small Mousefly costume? can multiple fit into one costume like a clown car? and what about in pitch black darkness, where you can only see the lights of their eyes and not their bodies? could one fit inside the pocket of a jacket you are wearing and help you steal things/wield a gun like a living turret?

Since clothing fills into the body type of the intended wearer, they would indeed be able to control all arms/legs in buggieman clothes.

Size restrictions is one of these things I wanna try to be vague about: I personally have been imagining them sticking to hiding in things no smaller than, um. Maybe imp sized, but really, whatever. It’s a cartoon eyeball critter!

You can put multiple animimics in one outfit!

They can move around just fine in darkness without being off screen, yeah!

And sure why not. lol

Anonymous said: I know you have been asked this once before, and you said nah you don't, but with a few more months of worldbuilding, do you have an idea for what could be down the edge now? 🤔

Not really! It’s not super important, honestly. I’d say any fan theory is about as valid as anything else I can come up with.

ps2polpo: I doubt you’ll ever elaborate on The Edge but I like to imagine there’s just one dude there like the Nowhere Man from the Yellow Submarine movie. Mostly cause the thought of someone accidentally winding up there being like “where am I?” And there’s just a guy casually waving at him like a friendly neighbor is funny to me & Anonymous said: The implication that the Edge is the physical manifestation of edginess so there’s probably like, Trevor Henderson monsters hanging out down there.

See above question! Valid! I also accept falling forever, getting erased from existence, ending up in another universe, getting stuck in limbo with thousands of other people, whatever you want, really!

Anonymous said: " he has very few bones and weighs basically nothing, " "Fastball special" trope, but with Leo?

YEET THE NASTY MAN

Anonymous said: did you ever watch dragon tales as a kid? because george and margaret make me think of murderous zak and wheezie from that show, and i love it to bits

I did not, but I would have loved it. Definitely up my alley!

(watched Quest for Camelot a loooot, though!)

Imma go ahead and stop here! There’s more but I’ve been writing for well over an hour and I have things to do. If your question is missing I’m either saving it for later, wasn’t entirely sure how to answer, or it’s spoilery.

Will probably do another one of these at some point!

[thestarsofdragons]

So, Necromancy

Since I’ve been RPing stuff to do with Vardijurn, one of two necromancers in my clan, it’s high time I go over my lore on the subject. My lore on this is partly my ideas and partly inspired by others! My shade lore in general is strongly inspired by the shade flight lore posted to the FR forums by Ragnarok42, The Earth necromancy is inspired by canon and @the-true-earthshaker‘s earth necromancy lore with some twists of my own, and anything to do with Arenji follows the lore laid out by Desmondtiny on FR paired with my overall fourth wall breakers/gamebreakers lore. FR forum links will be in a reply!

There are three ways to go about necromancy, three paths to getting the power to animate a dead body and drag its soul back from death. The Shade, The Earth, and Arenji.

1. The Shade

The Shade is hungry, it’ll take whatever it can get.

This is perhaps the easiest one for just anyone to pick up using, indeed it can happen all on its own where shade energy coalesces. Unfortunately, it is also the most hazardous. Creatures raised with the Shade often return wrong, and/or go mad. Pockets of shade corruption in the world are the primary cause of the roaming undead monsters around Sornieth, especially the stranger and more vicious ones. A low level of corruption inherent in Imperials - due to a bit of shade corruption in the essence that Lightweaver made them with originally - is what is responsible for Emperors forming and for the Imperials own unpredictable lifespan. The Rat kings are an excellent example of wild shade necromancy that I could do a meta for all of their own.

So, really, all you have to do if you just want something to stop being properly dead is to put some shade energy near it and wait. Doing this will not result in whatever you raised listening to you or really caring about much other than trying to fill the horrible emptiness it feels inside it and causing as much destruction as possible, however. In addition, whatever you raised with this method will have no soul or memories of its life, it’s just a maddened shade-infested corpse.

If you want a sensible undead slave you’re going to need to channel the shade energy somehow, and if it was a dragon or other element-linked creature then carefully adding a bit of their original element’s energy back to them may be wise as well. Be careful doing this, though, get it wrong and they will go mad from the conflict of elemental and shade energy, so stick to simpler creatures and shade energy alone if you’re a beginner.

If you want to actually bring a person to undeath, however, you’ll need to catch their soul and tether it back to their body. Shade energy enables you to do this forcefully without all the rigmarole of making them have to want to return to their body that one may have to do for other methods. Cast the right spell and the shade will reach through to the realm of the dead, ensnare the soul you need, drag it right on back to its body, and force it to stay there. It’s recommended to use the minimum amount of shade energy and highest amount of elemental energy possible if you wish to bring back a person, as the shade you use to raise them from the dead will infuse their body and soul and partially corrupt them. The more Shade you had to pump into them to bring them back, the more corrupt they will be. Unfortunately for you, the more damaged the target’s body and the longer they were dead, the more shade energy is required to bring them back. In addition, the longer they were dead the less memories you can restore.

Be careful with using the Shade for necromancy, however. The more you channel it, the more of it will seep into you until eventually you are no longer yourself. Channelling the magic through runes instead of directly through yourself will forestall your eventual corruption, but contrary to popular belief it will not prevent it. Using this method, you will fall.

___________________________________________________

2. The Earth.

The Earth remembers. It remembers far longer than you ever will.

This method is easiest to access for those born into the Earth flight, with native Earth magic. However it is accessible to others; if they move to Earth, pledge their allegiance, learn the right things and ask the right questions, they may find what they seek.

This method is more stable in many ways than the Shade. Less danger to the caster, less dependant on the death being recent, less risk of madness as there’s no shade to cause it.

Neither of these things mean it’s easy or without risks.

One of the complications, for instance, is that you still have to get the soul. And this time you can’t force it so easily, you’ve got to lure it back, trick it or make it want to return. Without the soul you will be left with a husk and unpredictable results: some do nothing, some are slave to the necromancer’s will, some go mad. I never said there was no risk of creations going mad, just less.

Another thing: The dead must have been buried if they were not of Earth element themselves as the Earth must be shown in order to remember. Show the Earth the fallen, tell it your intentions, ask it to aid you, ask it to remember.

Once you’ve got the body and the soul and you’ve bound them back together, congratulations you can hug your once-dead uncle again now. However he might not be quite the same as before... Memories effect these undead; their own, the caster’s, and The Earth’s. For this reason Earth necromancy is often performed not by one lone caster but by a group of family and friends of the one being raised. By doing so you feed your memories into the Earth and into the Necromancy, and can form quite a stable undead this way. The raised will be quite sane and probably quite similar to how they were in life, and will remain so. They may loose some of themselves as you age and die, but the Earth will remember for you, and they will likely outlive you a very long time unless they choose to raise you as well. Some families are entirely undead, having raised eachother as the time came.

Raising someone you don’t know isn’t especially advisable, the only memories available to go into that are their own and the Earth’s and this is not enough for their mind to be particularly stable when they return, especially if they’ve been dead for, say, a few generations.

See, memories tell them who they are, how they’re supposed to act, what they’re supposed to do. As those memories fade, as the memories in their soul fade, as the rocks that remember weather away, as the living who remembered them die... They loose who they are. And as they loose who they are, the empty void inside them drives them to madness, to hunger, to destroy. Earth undead too become monsters, if not properly formed or maintained.

It’s also worth noting that Earth undead tend to be a bit slower and heavier than other undead, the stone weighs them down.

___________________________________________________

3. Arenji.

All the world runs on chance and possibility, some of us can change the dice.

This route is not widely available - indeed it is available only to female Arenji spawn, a rare subspecies of skydancer blessed with Arenji’s power. These dragons, like any follower of Arenji, can see the true way Sornieth works and have the power to manipulate that to some extent. Amongst their abilities, comes necromancy through a rather unique path.

See, it’s a lot easier to raise the dead when you can turn to the RNG behind the game and simply ask to have them back.

It’s still not an entirely simple process, requiring runes and time and special spells using the potent magic that Arenji gave them. Many spawn will choose to bind the one they raise to their command when they do it, so approaching a spawn with your dead uncle may not have the result you expected. Still, he’s alive, right? Just don’t be fool enough not to fully pay the one who raised him... She knows death well, he walks beside her and all her sisters.

So you take your uncle back home, he doesn’t want to leave her but you make him come with you. Everything’s fine at first. But over time... He becomes hungry, so hungry... And desperate to leave, to find her. he tears your home apart, he’ll tear you apart if you stop him, he’s wild, a monster, so you let him go. But you follow him, follow his path of destruction all the way back to her, where he stands, calm, placated, sane. This time, he refuses to come home with you. It’s him again, and he loves you, and he’s sorry, but he must stay here.

___________________________________________________

So a few options, and many ways it can go wrong. All normal forms of undead seem to have one common flaw - as soon as something goes wrong, they become endlessly hungry. In truth though they are not hungry - they’re hollow. There is a hole deep in their being that they cannot fill whatever they do, that their mind cannot process so it seems like hunger and it drives them mad. That void, unfortunately, is where life is supposed to be. When working correctly the magic used to bring them to undead fills it - the shade, memories, probability and the spawn’s presence. But as soon as anything begins to go wrong... Well, then that void begins to open up.

There are other ways to mess with the dead, and perhaps a way to bring back true life... But those are for another time.

[artycloudpop]

1hey are u bored at home, wanna chill and netflix....... but just can’t find some thing nice to watch? here’s a list of movies for u watch

A Ghost Story (2017)

Director David Lowery (Pete's Dragon) conceived this dazzling, dreamy meditation on the afterlife during the off-hours on a Disney blockbuster, making the revelations within even more awe-inspiring. After a fatal accident, a musician (Casey Affleck) finds himself as a sheet-draped spirit, wandering the halls of his former home, haunting/longing for his widowed wife (Rooney Mara). With stylistic quirks, enough winks to resist pretension (a scene where Mara devours a pie in one five-minute, uncut take is both tragic and cheeky), and a soundscape culled from the space-time continuum, A Ghost Story connects the dots between romantic love, the places we call home, and time -- a ghost's worst enemy.

Airplane! (1980)

This is one of the funniest movie of all time. Devised by the jokesters behind The Naked Gun, this disaster movie spoof stuffs every second of runtime with a physical gag (The nun slapping a hysterical woman!), dimwitted wordplay ("Don't call me, Shirley"), an uncomfortable moment of odd behavior ("Joey, have you ever seen a grown man naked?"), or some other asinine bit. The rare comedy that demands repeat viewings, just to catch every micro-sized joke and memorize every line.

A24

American Honey (2016)

Writer/director Andrea Arnold lets you sit shotgun for the travels of a group of wayward youth in American Honey, a seductive drama about a "mag crew" selling subscriptions and falling in and out of love with each other on the road. Seen through the eyes of Star, played by Sasha Lane, life on the Midwest highway proves to be directionless, filled with a stream of partying and steamy hookups in the backs of cars and on the side of the road, especially when she starts to develop feelings for Shia LaBeouf’s rebellious Jake. It’s an honest look at a group of disenfranchised young people who are often cast aside, and it’s blazing with energy. You’ll buy what they're selling.

Anna Karenina (2012)

Adapted by renowned playwright Tom Stoppard, this take on Leo Tolstoy's classic Russian novel is anything but stuffy, historical drama. Keira Knightley, Jude Law, Aaron Taylor-Johnson, Domhnall Gleeson, Alicia Vikander are all overflowing with passion and desire, heating up the chilly backdrop of St. Petersburg. But it's director Joe Wright's unique staging -- full of dance, lush costuming, fourth-wall-breaking antics, and other theatrical touches -- that reinvent the story for more daring audiences.

NETFLIX

Apostle (2018)

For his follow-up to his two action epics, The Raid and The Raid 2, director Gareth Evans dials back the hand-to-hand combat but still keeps a few buckets of blood handy in this grisly supernatural horror tale. Dan Stevens stars as Thomas Richardson, an early 20th century opium addict traveling to a cloudy island controlled by a secretive cult that's fallen on hard times. The religious group is led by a bearded scold named Father Malcolm (Michael Sheen) who may or may not be leading his people astray. Beyond a few bursts of kinetic violence and some crank-filled torture sequences, Evans plays this story relatively down-the-middle, allowing the performances, the lofty themes, and the windswept vistas to do the talking. It's a cult movie that earns your devotion slowly, then all at once.

Back to the Future (1985)

Buckle into Doc's DeLorean and head to the 1950s by way of 1985 with the seminal time-travel series that made Michael J. Fox a household name. It's always a joy watching Marty McFly's race against the clock way-back-when to ensure history runs its course and he can get back to the present. Netflix also has follow-up Parts II and III, which all add up to a perfect rainy afternoon marathon.

NETFLIX

The Ballad of Buster Scruggs (2018)

The Coen brothers gave some big-name-director cred to Netflix by releasing their six-part Western anthology on the streaming service, and while it's not necessarily their best work, Buster Scruggs is clearly a cut above most Netflix originals. Featuring star turns from Liam Neeson, Tom Waits, Zoe Kazan, and more, the film takes advantage of Netflix's willingness to experiment by composing a sort of death fugue that unfolds across the harsh realities of life in Manifest Destiny America. Not only does it revel in the massive, sweeping landscapes of the American West, but it's a thoughtful meditation on death that will reveal layer after layer long after you finish.

Barbershop (2002)

If you've been sleeping on the merits of the Barbershop movies, the good news is it's never too late to get caught up. Revisit the 2002 installment that started Ice Cube's smack-talking franchise so you can bask in Cedric the Entertainer's hilarious wisdom, enjoy Eve's acting debut, and admire this joyful ode to community.

NETFLIX

Barry (2016)

In 1981, Barack Obama touched down in New York City to begin work at Columbia University. As Barry imagines, just days after settling into his civics class, a white classmate confronts the Barry with an argument one will find in the future president's Twitter @-mentions: "Why does everything always got to be about slavery?" Exaltation is cinematic danger, especially when bringing the life of a then-sitting president to screen. Barry avoids hagiography by staying in the moment, weighing race issues of a modern age and quieting down for the audience to draw its own conclusions. Devon Terrell is key, steadying his character as smooth-operating, socially active, contemplative fellow stuck in an interracial divide. Barry could be any half-black, half-white kid from the '80s. But in this case, he's haunted by past, present, and future.

Being John Malkovich (1999)

You can't doubt the audacity of screenwriter Charlie Kaufman (Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind, Anomalisa), whose first produced screenplay hinged on attracting the title actor to a script that has office drones discovering a portal into his mind. John Cusack, Catherine Keener, and Cameron Diaz combine to create an atmosphere of desperate, egomaniacal darkness, and by the end you'll feel confused and maybe a little slimy about the times you've participated in celebrity gawking.

A24

The Blackcoat's Daughter (2017)

Two young women are left behind at school during break... and all sorts of hell breaks loose. This cool, stylish thriller goes off in some strange directions (and even offers a seemingly unrelated subplot about a mysterious hitchhiker) but it all pays off in the end, thanks in large part to the three leads -- Emma Roberts, Lucy Boynton, and Kiernan Shipka -- and director Oz Perkins' artful approach to what could have been just another occult-based gore-fest.

Bloodsport (1988)

Jean-Claude Van Damme made a career out of good-not-great fluff. Universal Soldier is serviceable spectacle, Hard Target is a living cartoon, Lionheart is his half-baked take on On the Waterfront. Bloodsport, which owes everything to the legacy of Bruce Lee, edges out his Die Hard riff Sudden Death for his best effort, thanks to muscles-on-top-of-muscles-on-top-of-muscles fighting and Stan Bush's "Fight to Survive." Magic Mike has nothing on Van Damme's chiseled backside in Bloodsport, which flexes its way through a slow-motion karate-chop gauntlet. In his final face-off, Van Damme, blinded by arena dust, rage-screams his way to victory. The amount of adrenaline bursting out of Bloodsport demands a splash zone.

Blue Ruin (2013)

Before he went punk with 2016's siege thriller Green Room, director Jeremy Saulnier delivered this low-budget, darkly comic hillbilly noir. When Dwight Evans (Macon Blair) discovers that the man who killed his parents is being released from prison, he returns home to Virginia to claims his revenge and things quickly spin out of control. Like the Coen Brothers' Blood Simple, this wise-ass morality tale will make you squirm.

WELL GO USA ENTERTAINMEN

Burning (2018)

Some mysteries simmer; this one smolders. In his adaptation of a Haruki Murakami short story, writer and director Lee Chang-dong includes many elements of the acclaimed author's slyly mischievous style -- cats, jazz, cooking, and an alienated male writer protagonist all pop up -- but he also invests the material with his own dark humor, stray references to contemporary news, and an unyielding sense of curiosity. We follow aimless aspiring novelist Lee Jong-su (Yoo Ah-in) as he reconnects with Shin Hae-mi (Jeon Jong-seo), a young woman he grew up with, but the movie never lets you get too comfortable in one scene or setting. When Steven Yeun's Ben, a handsome rich guy with a beautiful apartment and a passion for burning down greenhouses, appears, the film shifts to an even more tremulous register. Can Ben be trusted? Yeun's performance is perfectly calibrated to entice and confuse, like he's a suave, pyromaniac version of Tyler Durden. Each frame keeps you guessing.

Cam (2018)

Unlike the Unfriended films or this summer's indie hit Searching, this web thriller from director Daniel Goldhaber and screenwriter Isa Mazzei isn't locked into the visual confines of a computer screen. Though there's plenty of online screen time, allowing for subtle bits of commentary and satire, the looser style allows the filmmakers to really explore the life and work conditions of their protagonist, rising cam girl Alice (Madeline Brewer). We meet her friends, her family, and her customers. That type of immersion in the granular details makes the scarier bits -- like an unnerving confrontation in the finale between Alice and her evil doppelganger -- pop even more.

THE ORCHARD

Creep (2014)

Patrick Brice's found-footage movie is a no-budget answer to a certain brand of horror, but saying more would give away its sinister turns. Just know that the man behind the camera answered a Craigslist ad to create a "day in the life" video diary for Josef (Mark Duplass), who really loves life. Creep proves that found footage, the indie world's no-budget genre solution, still has life, as long as you have a performer like Duplass willing to go all the way.

The Death of Stalin (2017)

Armando Iannucci, the brilliant Veep creator, set his sights on Russia with this savage political satire. Based on a graphic novel, the film dramatizes the madcap, maniacal plots of the men jostling for power after their leader, Joseph Stalin, keels over. From there, backstabbing, furious insults, and general chaos unfolds. Anchored by performances from Shakespearean great Simon Russell Beale and American icon Steve Buscemi, it's a pleasure to see what the rest of the cast -- from Star Trek: Discovery's Jason Isaacs to Homeland's Rupert Friend -- do with Iannucci's eloquently brittle text.

Den of Thieves (2018)

If there's one thing you've probably heard about this often ridiculous bank robbery epic, it's that it steals shamelessly from Michael Mann's crime saga Heat. The broad plot elements are similar: There's a team of highly-efficient criminals led by a former Marine (Pablo Schreiber) and they must contend with a obsessive, possibly unhinged cop (Gerard Butler) over the movie's lengthy 140 minute runtime.  A screenwriter helming a feature for the first time, director Christian Gudegast is not in the same league as Mann as a filmmaker and Butler, sporting unflattering tattoos and a barrel-like gut, is hardly Al Pacino. But everyone is really going for it here, attempting to squeeze every ounce of Muscle Milk from the bottle.

NETFLIX

Divines (2016)

Thrillers don't come much more propulsive or elegant than Houda Benyamina's Divines, a heartwarming French drama about female friendship that spirals into a pulse-pounding crime saga. Rambunctious teenager Dounia (Oulaya Amamra) and her best friend Maimouna (Déborah Lukumuena) begin the film as low-level shoplifters and thieves, but once they fall into the orbit of a slightly older, seasoned drug dealer named Rebecca (Jisca Kalvanda), they're on a Goodfellas-like trajectory. Benyamina offsets the violent, gritty genre elements with lyrical passages where Dounia watches her ballet-dancer crush rehearse his routines from afar, and kinetic scenes of the young girls goofing off on social media. It's a cautionary tale told with joy, empathy, and an eye for beauty.

Dolemite Is My Name (2019)

Eddie Murphy has been waiting years to get this movie about comedian and blaxploitation star Rudy Ray Moore made, and you can feel his joy in finally getting to play this role every second he's on screen. The film, directed by Hustle & Flow's Craig Brewer, charts how Moore rose from record store employee, to successful underground comedian, to making his now-cult classic feature Dolemite by sheer force of passion. It's thrilling (and hilarious) to watch Murphy adopt Moore's Dolemite persona, a swaggering pimp, but it's just as satisfying to see the former SNL star capture his character at his lowest points. He's surrounded by an ensemble that matches his infectious energy.

The Edge of Seventeen (2016)

As romanticized as adolescence can be, it’s hard being young. Following the high school experience of troubled, overdramatic Nadine (Hailee Steinfeld), The Edge of Seventeen portrays the woes of adolescence with a tender, yet appropriately cheeky tone. As if junior year isn’t hellish enough, the universe essentially bursts into flames when Nadine finds out her best friend is dating her brother; their friendship begins to dissolve, and she finds the only return on young love is embarrassment and pain. That may all sound like a miserable premise for a young-adult movie, except it’s all painfully accurate, making it endearingly hilarious -- and there’s so much to love about Steinfeld’s self-aware performance.

FOCUS FEATURES

Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind (2004)

Romance and love are nothing without the potential for loss and pain, but most of us would probably still consider cutting away all the worst memories of the latter. Given the option to eradicate memories of their busted relationship, Jim Carrey's Joel and Kate Winslet's Clementine go through with the procedure, only to find themselves unable to totally let go. Science fiction naturally lends itself to clockwork mechanisms, but director Michel Gondry and screenwriter Charlie Kaufman never lose the human touch as they toy with the kaleidoscope of their characters' hearts and minds.

The Evil Dead (1981)

Before Bruce Campbell's Ash was wielding his chainsaw-arm in Army of Darkness and on Starz's Ash Vs. Evil Dead, he was just a good looking guy hoping to spend a nice, quiet vacation in a cabin with some friends. Unfortunately, the book of the dead had other plans for him. With this low-budget horror classic, director Sam Raimi brings a surprising degree of technical ingenuity to bear on the splatter-film, sending his camera zooming around the woods with wonder and glee. While the sequels double-downed on laughs, the original Evil Dead still knows how to scare.

The Firm (1993)

The '90s were a golden era of sleek, movie-star-packed legal thrillers, and they don't get much better than director Sydney Pollack's The Firm. This John Grisham adaptation has a little bit of everything -- tax paperwork, sneering mobsters, and Garey Busey, for starters -- but there's one reason to watch this movie: the weirdness of Tom Cruise. He does a backflip in this movie. What else do you need to know?

A24

The Florida Project (2017)

Sean Baker's The Florida Project nuzzles into the swirling, sunny, strapped-for-cash populace of a mauve motel just within orbit of Walt Disney World. His eyes are Moonee, a 6-year-old who adventures through abandoned condos, along strip mall-encrusted highway, and across verdant fields of overgrown brush like Max in Where the Wild Things Are. But as gorgeous as the everything appears -- and The Florida Project looks stunning -- the world around here is falling apart, beginning with her mother, an ex-stripper turning to prostitution. The juxtaposition, and down-to-earth style, reconsiders modern America in the most electrifying way imaginable.

Frances Ha (2012)

Before winning hearts and Oscar nominations with her coming-of-age comedy Lady Bird, Greta Gerwig starred in the perfect companion film, about an aimless 27-year-old who hops from New York City to her hometown of Sacramento to Paris to Poughkeepsie and eventually back to New York in hopes of stumbling into the perfect job, the perfect relationship, and the perfect life. Directed by Noah Baumbach (The Meyerowitz Stories), and co-written by both, Frances Ha is a measured look at adult-ish life captured the kind of intoxicating black and white world we dream of living in.

NETFLIX

Fyre: The Greatest Party That Never Happened (2019)

Everyone's favorite disaster of a festival received not one, but two streaming documentaries in the same week. Netflix's version has rightly faced some criticism over its willingness to let marketing company Fuck Jerry off the hook (Jerry Media produced the doc), but that doesn't take away from the overall picture it portrays of the festival's haphazard planning and the addiction to grift from which Fyre's founder, Billy McFarland, apparently suffers. It's schadenfreude at its best.

Gerald's Game (2017)

Like his previous low-budget Netflix-released horror release, Hush, a captivity thriller about a deaf woman fighting off a masked intruder, Mike Flanagan's Stephen King adaptation of Gerald's Game wrings big scares from a small location. Sticking close to the grisly plot details of King's seemingly "unfilmable" novel, the movie chronicles the painstaking struggles of Jessie Burlingame (Carla Gugino) after she finds herself handcuffed to a bed in an isolated vacation home when her husband, the titular Gerald, dies from a heart attack while enacting his kinky sexual fantasies. She's trapped -- and that's it. The premise is clearly challenging to sustain for a whole movie, but Flanagan and Gugino turn the potentially one-note set-up into a forceful, thoughtful meditation on trauma, memory, and resilience in the face of near-certain doom.

A24

Good Time (2017)

In this greasy, cruel thriller from Uncut Gems directors the Safdie brothers, Robert Pattinson stars as Connie, a bank robber who races through Queens to find enough money to bail out his mentally disabled brother, who's locked up for their last botched job. Each suffocating second of Good Time, blistered by the neon backgrounds of Queens, New York and propelled by warped heartbeat of Oneothrix Point Never's synth score, finds Connie evading authorities by tripping into an even stickier situation.

Green Room (2015)

Green Room is a throaty, thrashing, spit-slinging punk tune belted through an invasion-movie microphone at max volume. It's nasty -- and near-perfect. As a band of 20-something rockstars recklessly defend against a neo-Nazi battalion equipped with machetes, shotguns, and snarling guard dogs, the movie blossoms into a savage coming-of-age tale, an Almost Famous for John Carpenter nuts. Anyone looking for similar mayhem should check out director Jeremy Saulnier's previous movie, the low-budget, darkly comic hillbilly noir, Blue Ruin, also streaming on Netflix.

The Guest (2014)

After writer-director Adam Wingard notched a semi-sleeper horror hit with 2011's You're Next, he'd earned a certain degree of goodwill among genre faithful and, apparently, with studio brass. How else to explain distribution for his atypical thriller The Guest through Time Warner subsidiary Picturehouse? Headlined by soon-to-be megastar Dan Stevens and kindred flick It Follows' lead scream queen Maika Monroe, The Guest introduces itself as a subtextual impostor drama, abruptly spins through a blender of '80s teen tropes, and ultimately reveals its true identity as an expertly self-conscious straight-to-video shoot 'em up, before finally circling back on itself with a well-earned wink. To say anymore about the hell that Stevens' "David" unleashes on a small New Mexico town would not only spoil the fun, but possibly get you killed.

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The Hateful Eight (2015)

Quentin Tarantino has something to say about race, violence, and American life, and it's going to ruffle feathers. Like Django Unchained, the writer-director reflects modern times on the Old West, but with more scalpel-sliced dialogue, profane poetry, and gore. Stewed from bits of Agatha Christie, David Mamet, and Sam Peckinpah, The Hateful Eight traps a cast of blowhards (including Samuel L. Jackson as a Civil War veteran, Kurt Russell as a bounty hunter known as "The Hangman," and Jennifer Jason Leigh as a psychopathic gang member) in a blizzard-enveloped supply station. Tarantino ups the tension by shooting his suffocating space in "glorious 70mm." Treachery and moral compromise never looked so good.

High Flying Bird (2019)

High Flying Bird is a basketball film that has little to do with the sport itself, instead focusing on the behind-the-scenes power dynamics that play out during an NBA lockout. At the center of the Steven Soderbergh movie -- shot on an iPhone, because that's what he does now -- is André Holland's Ray Burke, a sports agent trying to protect his client's interests while also disrupting a corrupt system. It's not an easy tightrope to walk, and, as you might expect, the conditions of the labor stoppage constantly change the playing field. With his iPhone mirroring the NBA's social media-heavy culture, and appearances from actual NBA stars lending the narrative heft, Soderbergh experiments with Netflix's carte blanche and produces a unique film that adds to the streaming service's growing list of original critical hits.

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Hugo (2011)

Martin Scorsese hit pause on mob violence and Rolling Stones singles to deliver one of the greatest kid-centric films in eons. Following Hugo (Asa Butterfield) as he traces his own origin story through cryptic automaton clues and early 20th-century movie history, the grand vision wowed in 3-D and still packs a punch at home.

I Am the Pretty Thing That Lives in the House (2016)

A meditative horror flick that's more unsettling than outright frightening, I Am the Pretty Thing That Lives in the House follows the demise of Lily, a live-in nurse (Ruth Wilson) who's caring for an ailing horror author. As Lily discovers the truth about the writer's fiction and home, the lines between the physical realm and the afterlife blur. The movie's slow pacing and muted escalation might frustrate viewers craving showy jump-scares, but writer-director Oz Perkins is worth keeping tabs on. He brings a beautiful eeriness to every scene, and his story will captivate patient streamers. Fans should be sure to check out his directorial debut, The Blackcoat's Daughter.

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I Don't Feel at Home in This World Anymore (2017)

In this maniacal mystery, Ruth (Melanie Lynskey), a nurse, and her rattail-sporting, weapon-obsessed neighbor Tony (Elijah Wood) hunt down a local burglar. Part Cormac McCarthy thriller, part wacky, Will Ferrell-esque comedy, I Don't Feel at Home in This World Anymore is a cathartic neo-noir about everyday troubles. Director Macon Blair's not the first person to find existential enlightenment at the end of an amateur detective tale, but he might be the first to piece one together from cussing octogenarians, ninja stars, Google montages, gallons of Big Red soda, upper-deckers, friendly raccoons, exploding body parts, and the idiocy of humanity.

Indiana Jones and the Raiders of the Lost Ark (1981)

With a bullwhip, a leather jacket, and an "only Harrison Ford can pull this off" fedora, director Steven Spielberg invented the modern Hollywood action film by doing what he does best: looking backward. As obsessed as his movie-brat pal and collaborator George Lucas with the action movie serials of their youth, the director mined James Bond, Humphrey Bogart, Westerns, and his hatred of Nazis to create an adventure classic. To watch Raiders of the Lost Ark now is to marvel at the ingenuity of specific sequences (the boulder! The truck scene! The face-melting!) and simply groove to the self-deprecating comic tone (snakes! Karen Allen! That swordsman Indy shoots!). The past has never felt so alive.

Inside Man (2006)

Denzel Washington is at his wily, sharp, and sharply dressed best as he teams up once again with Spike Lee for this wildly entertaining heist thriller. He's an NYPD hostage negotiator who discovers a whole bunch of drama when a crew of robbers (led by Clive Owen) takes a bank hostage during a 24-hour period. Jodie Foster also appears as an interested party with uncertain motivations. You'll have to figure out what's going on several times over before the truth outs.

DRAFTHOUSE FILMS

The Invitation (2015)

This slow-burn horror-thriller preys on your social anxiety. The film's first half-hour, which finds Quarry's Logan Marshall-Green arriving at his ex-wife's house to meet her new husband, plays like a Sundance dramedy about 30-something yuppies and their relationship woes. As the minutes go by, director Karyn Kusama (Jennifer's Body) burrows deeper into the awkward dinner party, finding tension in unwelcome glances, miscommunication, and the possibility that Marshall-Green's character might be misreading a bizarre situation as a dangerous one. We won't spoil what happens, but let's just say this is a party you'll be telling your friends about.

Ip Man (2008)

There aren't many biopics that also pass for decent action movies. Somehow, Hong Kong action star Donnie Yen and director Wilson Yip made Ip Man (and three sequels!) based on the life of Chinese martial arts master Yip Kai-man, who famously trained Bruce Lee. What's their trick to keeping this series fresh? Play fast and loose with the facts, up the melodrama with each film, and, when in doubt, cast Mike Tyson as an evil property developer. The fights are incredible, and Yen's portrayal of the aging master still has the power to draw a few tears from even the most grizzled tough guy.

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The Irishman (2019)

Opening with a tracking shot through the halls of a drab nursing home, where we meet a feeble old man telling tall tales from his wheelchair, The Irishman delights in undercutting its own grandiosity. All the pageantry a $150 million check from Netflix can buy -- the digital de-aging effects, the massive crowd scenes, the shiny rings passed between men -- is on full display. Everything looks tremendous. But, like with 2013's The Wolf of Wall Street, the characters can't escape the fundamental spiritual emptiness of their pursuits. In telling the story of Frank Sheeran (Robert De Niro), a World War II veteran and truck driver turned mob enforcer and friend to labor leader Jimmy Hoffa (Al Pacino), director Martin Scorsese and screenwriter Steven Zaillian construct an underworld-set counter-narrative of late 20th century American life. Even with a 209 minute runtime, every second counts.

It Comes at Night (2017)

In this post-apocalyptic nightmare-and-a-half, the horrors of humanity, the strain of chaotic emotions pent up in the name of survival, bleed out through wary eyes and weathered hands. The setup is blockbuster-sized -- reverts mankind to the days of the American frontier, every sole survivor fights to protect their families and themselves -- but the drama is mano-a-mano. Barricaded in a haunted-house-worthy cabin in the woods, Paul (Edgerton) takes in Will (Abbott) and his family, knowing full well they could threaten his family's existence. All the while, Paul's son, Trevor, battles bloody visions of (or induced by?) the contagion. Shults directs the hell out of every slow-push frame of this psychological thriller, and the less we know, the more confusion feels like a noose around our necks, the scarier his observations become.

WARNER BROS. PICTURES

Jupiter Ascending (2015)

Jupiter Ascending is one of those "bad" movies that might genuinely be quite good. Yes, Channing Tatum is a man-wolf and Mila Kunis is the princess of space and bees don't sting space royalty and Eddie Redmayne hollers his little head off about "harvesting" people -- but what makes this movie great is how all of those things make total, absolute sense in the context of the story. The world the Wachowskis (yes, the Wachowskis!) created is so vibrant and strange and exciting, you almost can't help but get drawn in, even when Redmayne vamps so hard you're afraid he's about to pull a muscle. (And if you're a ballet fan, we have some good news for you.)

Jurassic Park (1993)

Perhaps the only movie that ever truly deserved a conversion to a theme-park ride, Steven Spielberg's thrilling adaptation of the Michael Crichton novel brought long-extinct creatures back to life in more ways than one. Benevolent Netflix gives us more than just the franchise starter, too: The Lost World and JP3 sequels are also available, so you can make a marathon of it.

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Killing Them Softly (2012)

Brad Pitt doesn't make conventional blockbusters anymore -- even World War Z had epidemic-movie ambitions -- so it's not surprising that this crime thriller is a little out there. Set during the financial crisis and presidential election of 2008, the film follows Pitt's hitman character as he makes sense of a poker heist gone wrong, leaving a trail of bodies and one-liners along the way. Mixed in with the carnage, you get lots of musings about the economy and American exceptionalism. It's not subtle -- there's a scene where Scoot McNairy and Ben Mendelsohn do heroin while the Velvet Underground's "Heroin" plays -- but, like a blunt object to the head, it gets the job done.

Lady Bird (2017)

The dizzying, frustrating, exhilarating rite of passage that is senior year of high school is the focus of actress Greta Gerwig's first directorial effort, the story of girl named Lady Bird (her given name, in that "it’s given to me, by me") who rebels against everyday Sacramento, California life to obtain whatever it is "freedom" turns out to be. Laurie Metcalf is an understated powerhouse as Lady Bird's mother, a constant source of contention who doggedly pushes her daughter to be successful in the face of the family's dwindling economic resources. It's a tragic note in total complement to Gerwig's hysterical love letter to home, high school, and the history of ourselves.

A24

The Lobster (2016)

Greek style master Yorgos Lanthimos' dystopian allegory against romance sees Colin Farrell forced to choose a partner in 45 days or he'll be turned into an animal of his choice, which is a lobster. Stuck in a group home with similarly unlucky singles, Farrell's David decides to bust out and join other renegades in a kind of anti-love terror cell that lives in the woods. It's part comedy of manners, part futuristic thriller, and it looks absolutely beautiful -- Lanthimos handles the bizarre premise with grace and a naturalistic eye that reminds the viewer that humans remain one of the most interesting animals to exist on this planet.

Mad Max (1979)

Before Tom Hardy was grunting his way through the desert and crushing tiny two-headed reptiles as Max Rockatansky, there was Mel Gibson. George Miller's 1979 original introduces the iconic character and paints the maximum force of his dystopian mythology in a somewhat more grounded light -- Australian police factions, communities, and glimmers of hope still in existence. Badass homemade vehicles and chase scenes abound in this taut, 88-minute romp. It's aged just fine.

Magic Mike (2012)

Steven Soderbergh's story of a Tampa exotic dancer with a heart of gold (Channing Tatum) has body-rolled its way to Netflix. Sexy dance routines aside, Mike's story is just gritty enough to be subversive. Did we mention Matthew McConaughey shows up in a pair of ass-less chaps?

The Master (2012)

Loosely inspired by the life of Scientology founder L. Ron Hubbard -- Dianetics buffs, we strongly recommend Alex Gibney's Going Clear documentary as a companion piece -- The Master boasts one of the late Philip Seymour Hoffman’s finest performances, as the enigmatic cult leader Lancaster Dodd. Joaquin Phoenix burns just as brightly as his emotionally stunted, loose-cannon protege Freddie Quell, who has a taste for homemade liquor. Paul Thomas Anderson’s cerebral epic lends itself to many different readings; it’s a cult story, it's a love story, it's a story about post-war disillusionment and the American dream, it's a story of individualism and the desire to belong. But the auteur's popping visuals and heady thematic currents will still sweep you away, even if you’re not quite sure where the tide is taking you.

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The Meyerowitz Stories (New and Selected) (2017)

When Danny (Adam Sandler), Matthew (Ben Stiller) and Jean (Elizabeth Marvel), three half-siblings from three different mothers, gather at their family brownstone in New York to tend to their ailing father (Dustin Hoffman), a lifetime of familial politics explode out of every minute of conversation. Their narcissistic sculptor dad didn't have time for Danny. Matthew was the golden child. Jean was weird… or maybe disturbed by memories no one ever knew. Expertly sketched by writer-director Noah Baumbach (The Squid and the Whale) this memoir-like portrait of lives half-lived is the kind of bittersweet, dimensional character comedy we're now used to seeing told in three seasons of prestige television. Baumbach gives us the whole package in two hours.

Monty Python and the Holy Grail (1975)

The legendary British comedy troupe took the legend of King Arthur and offered a characteristically irreverent take on it in their second feature film. It's rare for comedy to hold up this well, but the timelessness of lines like, "I fart in your general direction!" "It's just a flesh wound," and "Run away!" makes this a movie worth watching again and again.

A24

Moonlight (2016)

Chronicling the boyhood years, teenage stretch, and muted adult life of Chiron, a black gay man making it in Miami, this triptych altarpiece is at once hyper-specific and cosmically universal. Director Barry Jenkins roots each moment in the last; Chiron's desire for a lost lover can't burn in a diner booth over a bottle of wine without his beachside identity crisis years prior, blurred and violent, or encounters from deeper in his past, when glimpses of his mother's drug addiction, or the mentoring acts of her crack supplier, felt like secrets delivered in code. Panging colors, sounds, and the delicate movements of its perfect cast like the notes of a symphony, Moonlight is the real deal, a movie that will only grow and complicate as you wrestle with it.

Mudbound (2017)

The South's post-slavery existence is, for Hollywood, mostly uncharted territory. Rees rectifies the overlooked stretch of history with this novelistic drama about two Mississippi families working a rain-drenched farm in 1941. The white McAllans settle on a muddy patch of land to realize their dreams. The Jacksons, a family of black sharecroppers working the land, have their own hopes, which their neighbors manage to nurture and curtail. To capture a multitude of perspectives, Mudbound weaves together specific scenes of daily life, vivid and memory-like, with family member reflections, recorded in whispered voice-over. The epic patchwork stretches from the Jackson family dinner table, where the youngest daughter dreams of becoming a stenographer, to the vistas of Mississippi, where incoming storms threaten an essential batch of crops, to the battlefields of World War II Germany, a harrowing scene that will affect both families. Confronting race, class, war, and the possibility of unity, Mudbound spellbinding drama reckons with the past to understand the present.

NETFLIX

My Happy Family (2017)

At 52, Manana (Ia Shughliashvili) packs a bag and walks out on her husband, son, daughter, daughter's live-in boyfriend, and elderly mother and father, all of whom live together in a single apartment. The family is cantankerous and blustery, asking everything of Manana, who spends her days teaching better-behaved teenagers about literature. But as Nana Ekvtimishvili and Simon Groß's striking character study unfolds, the motivation behind Manana's departure is a deeper strain of frustration, despite what her brother, aunts, uncles, and anyone else who can cram themselves into the situation would like us to think. Anchored by Ia Shughliashvili's stunningly internal performance, and punctured by a dark sense of humor akin to Darren Aronofsky's mother! (which would have been the perfect alternate title), My Happy Family is both delicate and brutal in its portrayal of independence, and should get under the skin of anyone with their own family drama.

The Naked Gun (1988)

The short-lived Dragnet TV spoof Police Squad! found a second life as The Naked Gun action-comedy movie franchise, and the first installment goes all in on Airplane! co-star Leslie Nielsen's brand of straight-laced dementia. Trying to explain The Naked Gun only makes the stupid sound stupider, but keen viewers will find jokes on top of jokes on top of jokes. It's the kind of movie that can crack "nice beaver," then pass a stuffed beaver through the frame and actually get away with it. Nielsen has everything to do with it; his Frank Drebin continues the grand Inspector Clouseau tradition in oh-so-'80s style.

The Notebook (2004)

"If you’re a bird, I’m a bird." It's a simple statement and a declaration of devotion that captures the staying power of this Nicholas Sparks classic. The film made Ryan Gosling a certified heartthrob, charting his working class character Noah's lovelorn romance with Rachel McAdam's wealthy character Allie. The star-crossed lovers narrative is enough to make even the most cynical among us swoon, but given that their story is told through an elderly man reading (you guessed it!) a notebook to a woman with dementia, it hits all of the tragic romance benchmarks to make you melt. Noah's commitment to following his heart -- and that passionate kiss in the rain -- make this a love story for the ages.

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Okja (2017)

This wild ride, part action heist, part Miyazaki-like travelogue, and part scathing satire, is fueled by fairy tale whimsy -- but the Grimm kind, where there are smiles and spilled blood. Ahn Seo-hyun plays Mija, the young keeper of a "super-pig," bred by a food manufacturer to be the next step in human-consumption evolution. When the corporate overlords come for her roly-poly pal, Mija hightails it from the farm to the big city to break him out, crossing environmental terrorists, a zany Steve Irwin-type (Gyllenhaal), and the icy psychos at the top of the food chain (including Swinton's childlike CEO) along the way. Okja won't pluck your heartstrings like E.T., but there's grandeur in its frenzy, and the film's cross-species friendship will strike up every other emotion with its empathetic, eco-friendly, and eccentric observations.

On Body and Soul (2017)

This Hungarian film earned an Academy Award nomination for Best Foreign Film, and it's easy to see why. The sparse love story begins when two slaughterhouse employees discover they have the same dream at night, in which they're both deer searching the winter forest for food. Endre, a longtime executive at the slaughterhouse, has a physically damaged arm, whereas Maria is a temporary replacement who seems to be on the autism spectrum. If the setup sounds a bit on-the-nose, the moving performances and the unflinching direction save On Body and Soul from turning into a Thomas Aquinas 101 class, resulting in the kind of bleak beauty you can find in a dead winter forest.

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The Other Side of the Wind (2018)

Don't go into Orson Welles' final film expecting it to be an easy watch. The Other Side of the Wind, which follows fictional veteran Hollywood director Jake Hannaford (tooootally not modeled after Welles himself) and his protegé (also tooootally not a surrogate for Welles' own friend and mentee Peter Bogdanovich, who also plays the character) as they attend a party in celebration of Hannaford's latest film and are beset on all sides by Hannaford's friends, enemies, and everyone in between. The film, which Welles hoped would be his big comeback to Hollywood, was left famously unfinished for decades after his death in 1985. Thanks to Bogdanovich and producer Frank Marshall, it was finally completed in 2018, and the result is a vibrant and bizarre throwback to Welles' own experimental 1970s style, made even more resonant if you know how intertwined the movie is with its own backstory. If you want to dive even deeper, Netflix also released a documentary about the restoration and completion of the film, They'll Love Me When I'm Dead, which delves into Welles' own complicated and tragic relationship with Hollywood and the craft of moviemaking.

Pan’s Labyrinth (2006)

Guillermo Del Toro’s dark odyssey Pan’s Labyrinth takes a fantasy setting to mirror the horrible political realities of the human realm. Set in 1940s Falangist Spain, the film documents the hero’s journey of a young girl and stepdaughter of a ruthless Spanish army officer as she seeks an escape from her war-occupied world. When a fairy informs her that her true destiny may be as the princess of the underworld, she seizes her chance. Like Alice in Wonderland if Alice had gone to Hell instead of down the rabbit hole, the Academy Award-winning film is a wondrous, frightening fairy tale where that depicts how perilous the human-created monster of war can be.

Paranormal Activity (2007)

This documentary-style film budgeted at a mere $15,000 made millions at the box office and went on to inspire a number of sequels, all because of how well its scrappiness lent to capturing what feels like a terrifying haunted reality. Centered on a young couple who is convinced an evil spirit is lurking in their home, the two attempt to capture its activity on camera, which, obviously, only makes their supernatural matters worse. It leans on found footage horror tropes made popular by The Blair Witch Project and as it tessellates between showing the viewer what’s captured on their camcorders and the characters’ perspectives, it’s easy to get lost in this disorienting supernatural thriller.

UNIVERSAL PICTURES

Poltergeist (1982)

If you saw Poltergeist growing up, chances are you’re probably equally as haunted by Heather O’Rourke as she is in the film, playing a little girl tormented by ghosts in her family home. This Steven Spielberg-penned, Tobe Hooper-directed (The Texas Chainsaw Massacre) paranormal flick is a certified cult classic and one of the best horror films of all time, coming from a simple premise about a couple whose home is infested with spirits obsessed with reclaiming the space and kidnapping their daughter. Poltergeist made rearranged furniture freaky, and you may remember a particularly iconic scene with a fuzzed out vintage television set. It’s may be nearly 40 years old, but the creepiness holds up.

Pride & Prejudice (2005)

Taking Jane Austen's literary classic and tricking it out with gorgeous long takes, director Joe Wright turns this tale of manners into a visceral, luminescent portrait of passion and desire. While Succession's Matthew MacFadyen might not make you forget Colin Firth from 1995's BBC adaptation, Keira Knightley is a revelation as the tough, nervy Lizzie Bennett. With fun supporting turns from Donald Sutherland, Rosamund Pike, and Judi Dench, it's a sumptuous period romance that transports you from the couch to the ballroom of your dreams -- without changing out of sweatpants.

NETFLIX

Private Life (2018)

Over a decade since the release of her last dark comedy, The Savages, writer and director Tamara Jenkins returned with a sprawling movie in the same vein: more hyper-verbal jerks you can't help but love. Richard (Paul Giamatti) and Rachel (Kathryn Hahn) are a Manhattan-dwelling couple who have spent the last few years attempting to have a baby with little success. When we meet them, they're already in the grips of fertility mania, willing to try almost anything to secure the offspring they think they desire. With all the details about injections, side effects, and pricey medical procedures, the movie functions as a taxonomy of modern pregnancy anxieties, and Hahn brings each part of the process to glorious life.

The Ritual (2018)

The Ritual, a horror film where a group of middle-aged men embark on a hiking trip in honor of a dead friend, understands the tension between natural beauty of the outdoors and the unsettling panic of the unknown. The group's de facto leader Luke (an understated Rafe Spall) attempts to keep the adventure from spiralling out of control, but the forest has other plans. (Maybe brush up on your Scandinavian mythology before viewing.) Like a backpacking variation on Neil Marshall's 2005 cave spelunking classic The Descent, The Ritual deftly explores inter-personal dynamics while delivering jolts of other-worldly terror. It'll have you rethinking that weekend getaway on your calendar.

NETFLIX

Roma (2018)

All those billions Netflix spent paid off in the form of several Oscar nominations for Roma, including one for Best Picture and a win for Best Director. Whether experienced in the hushed reverence of a theater, watched on the glowing screen of a laptop, or, as Netflix executive Ted Sarandos has suggested, binged on the perilous surface of a phone, Alfonso Cuarón's black-and-white passion project seeks to stun. A technical craftsman of the highest order, the Children of Men and Gravity director has an aesthetic that aims to overwhelm -- with the amount of extras, the sense of despair, and the constant whir of exhilaration -- and this autobiographical portrait of kind-hearted maid Cleo (Yalitza Aparicio) caring for a family in the early 1970s has been staged on a staggering, mind-boggling scale.

Schindler's List (1993)

A passion project for Steven Spielberg, who shot it back-to-back with another masterpiece, Jurassic Park, Schindler's List tells the story of Oskar Schindler, a German businessman who reportedly saved over 1,200 Jews during the Holocaust. Frank, honest, and stark in its depiction of Nazi violence, the three-hour historical drama is a haunting reminder of the world's past, every frame a relic, every lost voice channeled through Itzhak Perlman's mourning violin.

A Serious Man (2009)

This dramedy from the Coen brothers stars Michael Stuhlbarg as Larry Gopnik, a Midwestern physics professor who just can't catch a break, whether it's with his wife, his boss, or his rabbi. (Seriously, if you're having a bad day, this airy flick gives you ample time to brood and then come to the realization that your life isn't as shitty as you think.) Meditating on the spiritual and the temporal, Gopnik's improbable run of bad luck is a smart modern retelling of the Book of Job, with more irony and fewer plagues and pestilences. But not much fewer.

WELL GO USA

Shadow (2019)

In Shadow, the visually stunning action epic from Hero and House of Flying Daggers wuxia master Zhang Yimou, parasols are more than helpful sun-blockers: They can be turned into deadly weapons, shooting boomerang-like blades of steel at oncoming attackers and transforming into protective sleds for traveling through the slick streets. These devices are one of many imaginative leaps made in telling this Shakespearean saga of palace intrigue, vengeance, and secret doppelgangers set in China's Three Kingdoms period. This is a martial arts epic where the dense plotting is as tricky as the often balletic fight scenes. If the battles in Game of Thrones left you frustrated, Shadow provides a thrilling alternative.

She's Gotta Have It (1986)

Before checking out Spike Lee's Netflix original series of the same name, be sure to catch up with where it all began. Nola (Tracy Camilla Johns) juggles three men during her sexual pinnacle, and it's all working out until they discover one another. She's Gotta Have It takes some dark turns, but each revelation speaks volumes about what real romantic independence is all about.

The Silence of the Lambs (1991)

The late director Jonathan Demme's 1991 film is the touchstone for virtually every serial killer film and television show that came after. The iconic closeup shots of an icy, confident Hannibal Lecter (Anthony Hopkins) as he and FBI newbie Clarice Starling (Jodie Foster) engage in their "quid pro quo" interrogation sessions create almost unbearable tension as Buffalo Bill (Ted Levine) remains on the loose, killing more victims. Hopkins delivers the more memorable lines, and Buffalo Bill's dance is the stuff of nerve-wracking anxiety nightmares, but it's Foster's nuanced performance as a scared, determined, smart-yet-hesitant agent that sets Silence of the Lambs apart from the rest of the serial killer pack.

THE WEINSTEIN COMPANY

Silver Linings Playbook (2012)

Jennifer Lawrence, Bradley Cooper, and David O. Russell’s first collaboration -- and the film that turned J-Law into a bona fide golden girl -- is a romantic comedy/dramedy/dance-flick that bounces across its tonal shifts. A love story between Pat (Cooper), a man struggling with bipolar disease and a history of violent outbursts, and Tiffany (Lawrence), a widow grappling with depression, who come together while rehearsing for an amateur dance competition, Silver Linings balances an emotionally realistic depiction of mental illness with some of the best twirls and dips this side of Step Up. Even if you're allergic to rom-coms, Lawrence and Cooper’s winning chemistry will win you over, as will this sweet little gem of a film: a feel-good, affecting love story that doesn’t feel contrived or treacly.

Sin City (2005)

Frank Miller enlisted Robert Rodriguez as co-director to translate the former's wildly popular series of the same name to the big screen, and with some added directorial work from Quentin Tarantino, the result became a watershed moment in the visual history of film. The signature black-and-white palette with splashes of color provided a grim backdrop to the sensational violence of the miniaturized plotlines -- this is perhaps the movie that feels more like a comic than any other movie you'll ever see.

Sinister (2012)

Horror-movie lesson #32: If you move into a creepy new house, do not read the dusty book, listen to the decaying cassette tapes, or watch the Super 8 reels you find in the attic -- they will inevitably lead to your demise. In Sinister, a true-crime author (played by Ethan Hawke) makes the final mistake, losing his mind to home movies haunted by the "Bughuul."

NETFLIX

Small Crimes (2017)

It's always a little discombobulating to see your favorite Game of Thrones actors in movies that don't call on them to fight dragons, swing swords, or at least wear some armor. But that shouldn't stop you from checking out Small Crimes, a carefully paced thriller starring the Kingslayer Jaime Lannister himself, Nikolaj Coster-Waldau. As Joe Denton, a crooked cop turned ex-con, Coster-Waldau plays yet another character with a twisted moral compass, but here he's not part of some mythical narrative. He's just another conniving, scheming dirtbag in director E.L. Katz's Coen brothers-like moral universe. While some of the plot details are confusing -- Katz and co-writer Macon Blair skimp on the exposition so much that some of the dialogue can feel incomprehensible -- the mood of Midwestern dread and Coster-Waldau's patient, lived-in performance make this one worth checking out. Despite the lack of dragons.

Snowpiercer (2013)

Did people go overboard in praising Snowpiercer when it came out? Maybe. But it's important to remember that the movie arrived in the sweaty dog days of summer, hitting critics and sci-fi lovers like a welcome blast of icy water from a hose. The film's simple, almost video game-like plot -- get to the front of the train, or die trying -- allowed visionary South Korean director Bong Joon-ho to fill the screen with excitement, absurdity, and radical politics. Chris Evans never looked more alive, Tilda Swinton never stole more scenes, and mainstream blockbuster filmmaking never felt so tepid in comparison. Come on, ride the train!

The Social Network (2010)

After making films like Seven, The Game, Fight Club, Panic Room, and Zodiac, director David Fincher left behind the world of scumbags and crime for a fantastical, historical epic in 2008's The Curious Case of Benjamin Button. The Social Network was another swerve, but yielded his greatest film. There's no murder on screen, but Fincher treats Jesse Eisenberg's Mark Zuckerberg like a dorky, socially awkward mob boss operating on an operatic scale. Screenwriter Aaron Sorkin's rapid-fire, screwball-like dialogue burns with a moral indignation that Fincher's watchful, steady-handed camera chills with an icy distance. It's the rare biopic that's not begging you to smash the "like" button.

SONY PICTURES RELEASING

Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse (2018)

In this shrewd twist on the superhero genre, the audience's familiarity with the origin story of your friendly neighborhood web-slinger -- the character has already starred in three different blockbuster franchises, in addition to countless comics and cartoon TV adaptations -- is used as an asset instead of a liability. The relatively straight-forward coming-of-age tale of Miles Morales (Shameik Moore), a Brooklyn teenager who takes on the powers and responsibilities of Spider-Man following the death of Peter Parker, gets a remix built around an increasingly absurd parallel dimension plotline that introduces a cast of other Spider-Heroes like Spider-Woman (Hailee Steinfeld), Spider-Man Noir (Nicolas Cage), Peni Parker (Kimiko Glen), and, most ridiculously, Spider-Ham (John Mulaney), a talking pig in a Spider-Suit. The convoluted set-up is mostly an excuse to cram the movie with rapid-fire jokes, comic book allusions, and dream-like imagery that puts the rubbery CGI of most contemporary animated films to shame.

Spotlight (2015)

Tom McCarthy stretches the drama taut as he renders Boston Globe's 2000 Catholic Church sex scandal investigation into a Hollywood vehicle. McCarthy's notable cast members crank like gears as they uncover evidence and reflect on a horrifying discovery of which they shoulder partial blame. Spotlight was the cardigan of 2015's Oscar nominees, but even cardigans look sharp when Mark Ruffalo is involved.

The Squid and the Whale (2005)

No movie captures the prolonged pain of divorce quite like Noah Baumbach's brutal Brooklyn-based comedy The Squid and the Whale. While the performances from Jeff Daniels and Laura Linney as bitter writers going through a separation are top-notch, the film truly belongs to the kids, played by Jesse Eisenberg and Owen Kline, who you watch struggle in the face of their parents' mounting immaturity and pettiness. That Baumbach is able to wring big, cathartic laughs from such emotionally raw material is a testament to his gifts as a writer -- and an observer of human cruelty.

SONY PICTURES RELEASING

Starship Troopers (1997)

Paul Verhoeven is undoubtedly the master of the sly sci-fi satire. With RoboCop, he laid waste to the police state with wicked, trigger-happy glee. He took on evil corporations with Total Recall. And with Starship Troopers, a bouncy, bloody war picture, he skewered the chest-thumping theatrics of pro-military propaganda, offering up a pitch-perfect parody of the post-9/11 Bush presidency years before troops set foot in Iraq or Afghanistan. Come for the exploding alien guts, but stay for the winking comedy -- or stay for both! Bug guts have their charms, too.

Swiss Army Man (2016)

You might think a movie that opens with a suicidal man riding a farting corpse like a Jet Ski wears thin after the fourth or fifth flatulence gag. You would be wrong. Brimming with imagination and expression, the directorial debut of Adult Swim auteurs "The Daniels" wields sophomoric humor to speak to friendship. As Radcliffe's dead body springs back to life -- through karate-chopping, water-vomiting, and wind-breaking -- he becomes the id to Dano's struggling everyman, who is also lost in the woods. If your childhood backyard adventures took the shape of The Revenant, it would look something like Swiss Army Man, and be pure bliss.

NETFLIX

Tallulah (2016)

From Orange Is the New Black writer Sian Heder, Tallulah follows the title character (played by Ellen Page) after she inadvertently "kidnaps" a toddler from an alcoholic rich woman and passes the child off as her own to appeal to her run-out boyfriend's mother (Allison Janney). A messy knot of familial woes and wayward instincts, Heder's directorial debut achieves the same kind of balancing act as her hit Netflix series -- frank social drama with just the right amount of humorous hijinks. As Tallulah grows into a mother figure, her on-the-lam parenting course only makes her more and more of a criminal in the eyes of... just about everyone. You want to root for her, but that would be too easy.

Taxi Driver (1976)

Travis Bickle (a young Bobby De Niro) comes back from the Vietnam War and, having some trouble acclimating to daily life, slowly unravels while fending off brutal insomnia by picking up work as a... taxi driver... in New York City. Eventually he snaps, shaves his hair into a mohawk and goes on a murderous rampage while still managing to squeeze in one of the most New York lines ever captured on film ("You talkin' to me?"). It's not exactly a heartwarmer -- Jodie Foster plays a 12-year-old prostitute -- but Martin Scorsese's 1976 Taxi Driver is a movie in the cinematic canon that you'd be legitimately missing out on if you didn't watch it.

FOCUS FEATURES

The Theory of Everything (2014)

In his Oscar-winning performance, Eddie Redmayne portrays famed physicist Stephen Hawking -- though The Theory of Everything is less of a biopic than it is a beautiful, sweet film about his lifelong relationship with his wife, Jane (Felicity Jones). Covering his days as a young cosmology student ahead of his diagnosis of ALS at 21, through his struggle with the illness and rise as a theoretical scientist, this film illustrates the trying romance through it all. While it may be written in the cosmos, this James Marsh-directed film that weaves in and out of love will have you experience everything there is to feel.

There Will Be Blood (2007)

Paul Thomas Anderson found modern American greed in the pages of Upton Sinclair's depression-era novel, Oil!. Daniel Day-Lewis found the role of a lifetime behind the bushy mustache of Daniel Plainview, thunderous entrepreneur. Paul Dano found his milkshake drunk up. Their discoveries are our reward -- There Will Be Blood is a stark vision of tycoon terror.

Time to Hunt (2020)

Unrelenting in its pursuit of scenarios where guys point big guns at each other in sparsely lit empty hallways, the South Korean thriller Time to Hunt knows exactly what stylistic register it's playing in. A group of four friends, including Parasite and Train to Busan break-out Choi Woo-shik, knock over a gambling house, stealing a hefty bag of money and a set of even more valuable hard-drives, and then find themselves targeted by a ruthless contract killer (Park Hae-soo) who moves like the T-1000 and shoots like a henchmen in a Michael Mann movie. There are dystopian elements to the world -- protests play out in the streets, the police wage a tech-savvy war on citizens, automatic rifles are readily available to all potential buyers -- but they all serve the simmering tension and elevate the pounding set-pieces instead of feeling like unnecessary allegorical padding. Even with its long runtime, this movie moves.

STUDIOCANAL

Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy (2011)

If a season of 24 took place in the smoky, well-tailored underground of British intelligence crica 1973, it might look a little like this precision-made John le Carré adaptation from Let the Right One In director Tomas Alfredson. Even if you can't follow terse and tightly-woven mystery, the search for Soviet mole led by retired operative George Smiley (Gary Oldman), the ice-cold frames and stellar cast will suck you into the intrigue. It's very possible Oldman, Colin Firth, Tom Hardy, John Hurt, Toby Jones, Mark Strong, and Benedict Cumberbatch are reading pages of the British phone book, but egad, it's absorbing. A movie that rewards your full concentration.

To All the Boys I've Loved Before (2018)

Of all the entries in the rom-com revival, this one is heavier on the rom than the com. But even though it won't make your sides hurt, it will make your heart flutter. The plot is ripe with high school movie hijinks that arise when the love letters of Lara Jean Covey (the wonderful Lana Condor) accidentally get mailed to her crushes, namely the contractual faux relationship she starts with heartthrob Peter Kavinsky (Noah Centineo). Like its heroine, it's big-hearted but skeptical in all the right places.

Total Recall (1990)

Skip the completely forgettable Colin Farrell remake from 2012. This Arnold Schwarzenegger-powered, action-filled sci-fi movie is the one to go with. Working from a short story by writer Philip K. Dick, director Paul Verhoeven (Robocop) uses a brain-teasing premise -- you can buy "fake" vacation memories from a mysterious company called Rekall -- to stage one of his hyper-violent, winkingly absurd cartoons. The bizarre images of life on Mars and silly one-liners from Arnold fly so fast that you'll begin to think the whole movie was designed to be implanted in your mind.

NETFLIX

Tramps (2017)

There are heists pulled off by slick gentlemen in suits, then there are heists pulled off by two wayward 20-somethings rambling along on a steamy, summer day in New York City. This dog-day crime-romance stages the latter, pairing a lanky Russian kid (Callum Tanner) who ditches his fast-food register job for a one-off thieving gig, with his driver, an aloof strip club waitress (Grace Van Patten) looking for the cash to restart her life. When a briefcase handoff goes awry, the pair head upstate to track down the missing package, where train rides and curbside walks force them to open up. With a laid-back, '70s soul, Tramps is the rare doe-eyed relationship movie where playing third-wheel is a joy.

Uncut Gems (2019)

In Uncut Gems, the immersive crime film from sibling director duo Josh and Benny Safdie, gambling is a matter of faith. Whether he's placing a bet on the Boston Celtics, attempting to rig an auction, or outrunning debt-collecting goons at his daughter's high school play, the movie's jeweler protagonist Howard Ratner (Adam Sandler) believes in his ability to beat the odds. Does that mean he always succeeds? No, that would be absurd, undercutting the character's Job-like status, which Sandler imbues with an endearing weariness that holds the story together. But every financial setback, emotional humbling, and spiritual humiliation he suffers gets interpreted by Howard as a sign that his circumstances might be turning around. After all, a big score could be right around the corner.

Velvet Buzzsaw (2018)

Nightcrawler filmmaker Dan Gilroy teams up with Jake Gyllenhaal again to create another piece of cinematic art, this time a satirical horror film about the exclusive, over-the-top LA art scene. The movie centers around a greedy group of art buyers who come into the possession of stolen paintings that, unbeknownst to them, turn out to be haunted, making their luxurious lives of wheeling and dealing overpriced paintings a living hell. Also featuring the likes of John Malkovich, Toni Collette, Billy Magnussen, and others, Velvet Buzzsaw looks like Netflix’s next great original.

COLUMBIA PICTURES

Walk Hard: The Dewey Cox Story (2007)

Oscar-baiting, musician biopics became so cookie-cutter by the mid-'00s that it was easy for John C. Reilly, Judd Apatow, and writer-director Jake Kasdan (Jumanji: Welcome to the Jungle) to knot them all together for the ultimate spoof. Dewey Cox is part Johnny Cash, part Bob Dylan, part Ray Charles, part John Lennon, part anyone-you-can-think-of, rising with hit singles, rubbing shoulders with greats of many eras, stumbling with eight-too-many drug addictions, then rising once again. When it comes to relentless wisecracking, Walk Hard is like a Greatest Hits compilation -- every second is gold.

The Witch (2015)

The Witch delivers everything we don't see in horror today. The backdrop, a farm in 17th-century New England, is pure misty, macabre mood. The circumstance, a Puritanical family making it on the fringe of society because they're too religious, bubbles with terror. And the question, whether devil-worshipping is hocus pocus or true black magic, keeps each character on their toes, and begging God for answers. The Witch tests its audience with its (nearly impenetrable) old English dialogue and the (anxiety-inducing) trials of early American life, but the payoff will keep your mind racing, and your face hiding under the covers, for days.

Y Tu Mamá También (2001)

Before taking us to space with Gravity, director Alfonso Cuarón steamed up screens with this provocative, comedic drama about two teenage boys (Diego Luna and Gael García Bernal) road-trippin' it with an older woman. Like a sunbaked Jules and Jim, the movie makes nimble use of its central love triangle, setting up conflicts between the characters as they move through the complicated political and social realities of Mexican life. It's a confident, relaxed film that's got an equal amount of brains and sex appeal. Watch this one with a friend -- or two.

PARAMOUNT PICTURES

Zodiac (2007)

David Fincher's period drama is for obsessives. In telling the story of the Zodiac Killer, a serial murderer who captured the public imagination by sending letters and puzzles to the Bay Area press, the famously meticulous director zeroes in on the cops, journalists, and amateur code-breakers who made identifying the criminal their life's work. With Jake Gyllenhaal's cartoonist-turned-gumshoe Robert Graysmith at the center, and Robert Downey Jr.'s barfly reporter Paul Avery stumbling around the margins, the film stretches across time and space, becoming a rich study of how people search for meaning in life. Zodiac is a procedural thriller that makes digging through old manilla folders feel like a cosmic quest.

13th (2016)

Selma director Ava DuVernay snuck away from the Hollywood spotlight to direct this sweeping documentary on the state of race in America. DuVernay's focus is the country's growing incarceration rates and an imbalance in the way black men and women are sentenced based on their crimes. Throughout the exploration, 13th dives into post-Emancipation migration, systemic racism that built in the early 20th century, and moments of modern political history that continue to spin a broken gear in our well-oiled national machine. You'll be blown away by what DuVernay uncovers in her interview-heavy research.

20th Century Women (2016)

If there's such thing as an epistolary movie, 20th Century Women is it. Touring 1970s Santa Barbara through a living flipbook, Mike Mills's semi-autobiographical film transcends documentation with a cast of wayward souls and Jamie (Lucas Jade Zumann), an impressionable young teenager. Annette Bening plays his mother, and the matriarch of a ragtag family, who gather together for safety, dance to music when the moment strikes, and teach Jamie the important lesson of What Women Want, which ranges from feminist theory to love-making techniques. The kid soaks it up like a sponge. Through Mills's caring direction, and characters we feel extending infinitely through past and present, so do we.

for more cool stuff life this, follow my page an send me a message for suggestions and queries

[junker-town]

Secret Base Reviews: Azhdarchids, the flying, dinosaur-eating giraffes

Meet the flying reptilian giraffes which ate dinosaurs

The wandering albatross has the longest wingspan of any modern bird. The largest known specimen measured a little over 12′ from wingtip to wingtip, which makes it a really really really big bird. That’s almost the length of a small car, taller than a basketball hoop, and about as tall as three Ryan Nannis sitting on one another’s shoulders. Your takeaway from this paragraph should be that the wandering albatross, which skims its way over the storm-tossed Southern Ocean, is a large-ass bird.

Your takeaway from this paragraph should be that there used to exist things — monstrous things — that made wanderers look like god damn dragonflies. In the late Cretaceous, before the asteroid impact that wiped out most of the dinosaurs, the azhdarchids ruled the sky. Here is a list of some of the larger species, with their estimated wingspans:

Quetzalcoatlus (36-39′)

Hatzegopteryx (33-39′)

Arambourgiania (39-43′)

I want to stress that these are estimates. Pterosaur fossils are relatively rare. One reason for this is that their bones are so lightweight that they’re rather difficult to preserve, so anatomy is frequently inferred from incomplete skeletons. For instance, Arambourgiania, which is perhaps the largest creature ever to fly, is only known from a handful of vertebrae.

That said, we can be pretty confident that we have the scale about right. We have enough of Quetzalcoatlus to pin it down at, oh, definitely small-aircraft-sized. Which is FUCKING HUGE.

Azhdarchids were known when I was a kid, although Quetzalcoatlus was the only one to have flapped its way into the popular dinosaur books I consumed. Back then, the idea was that it was a far-roaming scavenger, sort of an analogue to the California condor. I think this was mostly because nobody could really imagine what else something that big might do. The biggest modern land bird that spends most of its time in the air floats around looking for carrion, so why not make Quetzalcoatlus do that too? Seems fine.

My childhood conception of the azhdarchids, then, was as monstrous vultures, soaring over the plains looking for dinosaur carcasses to eat. Which, honestly, was a little bit boring. GOOD THING THAT’S CHANGED.

A couple decades later, it’s becoming more clear than ever that the biggest azhdarchids spent much of their time on the ground, not as scavengers but as predators. How do we know this? The biggest hint is their forearms, which are beefy enough to support their weight for long periods of time, and indeed fossil trackways have been found showing that giant pterosaurs were very comfortable walking about on all fours. Another hint is the shape of their jaw. Modern vultures have hooked beaks for tearing carcasses. Quetzalcoatlus does not. Its jaw is basically shaped like a giant sword, which can be used for stabbing movements or to grab smaller prey.

I should point out that Quetzalcoatlus’s head was significantly longer than you are tall. That’s just a thing you should know.

So what the hell would one of these things look like? The biggest azhdarchids were flying critters the size of small aircraft which spent their time ambling around on the ground looking for smaller critters to messily devour. There’s no modern-day version of this at anything like the same scale. Instead, we’re going to have to turn to something much friendlier:

Cameron Spencer/Getty Images

This is a giraffe, which I don’t know why I’m telling you, since you know what a giraffe looks like. By sheer happenstance, the Quetzalcoatlus, Arambourgiania and pals were pretty much exactly giraffe-sized when they were on the ground in quadruped mode. Their shoulders right in right about the same place and their necks were suitably giraffe-ish that you can pretty easily superimpose an azhdarchid over our tall mottled frens.

We need to make some modifications, of course:

Getty Images

(Hey! I said consummate ‘v’s!) Anyway, that is an artist’s, uh, impression of Quetzalcoatlus, which would have been one of the most terrifying predators to encounter in late-Cretaceous North America. It would have been quite capable of devouring you or me in one horrible gulp, and I think it would have really enjoyed the whole process too. It weighed 500 lbs or so, and it could fly. Truly, we are speaking of a demonic entity.

But that is not all! Because while Quetzalcoatlus was cool and scary and all that good stuff, it had nothing on its European cousin Hatzegopteryx.

At the time, much of Europe existed as a subtropical archipelago. If you were paying attention in biology class, you’ll remember that island ecology gets pretty wild. Even in modernity, islands give us Komodo dragons, meter-long crabs and vampiric songbirds. Mesazoic islands, meanwhile, give us ... this:

Unlike Quetzalcoatlus, which shared its habitat with big meat-eating dinosaurs, Hatzegopteryx ruled both land and sky. Its ability to fly gave it a much greater range than an equivalently-sized terrestrial animal, apparently allowing it to outcompete the big therapods and become an apex predator.

It was built like one too. Its head and neck were much more robust than other azhdarchids, allowing it to kill and eat correspondingly larger prey, including some fairly good-size dinosaurs. Since we’ve already established that Quetzalcoatlus et al. are, in essence, demonic beast from the very bowels of hell, I fear we’re about to hit the great metaphor wall with Hatzegopteryx.

Suffice it to say that the flying death giraffes that ate dinosaurs had a big brother. I think it’s very cool that these fuckers once lived, but I am also extremely glad that they’re not around anymore. Thank goodness for asteroids.

10

[radiantxhero-moved-blog]

This isn’t really something I’ve really seriously addressed before in relation to my Ike, I think? But it just struck me that I don’t think I’d ever made a post about this, and now I’m going to rant just a little bit.

Why Ike leaves Tellius.

Being a part of his father’s mercenary group was a boyish dream of his, and as soon as it was realized, I think the reality of it was immediately hammered into his head. Ike had trained in swordplay since he was a boy, but all those lessons weren’t able to prepare him for that moment he actually killed another man. True, the men he fought against on that first mission of his weren’t good people, but they were still living, breathing people. They dreamed, they lived, they bled just like him.

There wasn’t anything really special about that man, but Ike thinks back on the first person he ever killed, and it instills in him that ideal of not fighting or killing for its own sake. Senseless violence was senseless, there was no justifying it,

Taking on Elincia as an employer was something Ike took seriously, but was still relatively naive about. It seemed simple to him at first; escort her to Gallia, and they’d get the help they needed to win Crimea back from Ashnard. And then they had to abruptly flee their home, setting the old fort Ike had known as a home for most of his years to flame as they fought through Daein soldiers.

Even if he doesn’t say as such, that night was both a wake up call to the situation, as well as a bit of a blow to him personally. Ike understood the reasoning behind it, but seeing your home -- your childhood home -- burn isn’t exactly a good moment.

And then, Greil is slain right in front of him, and he can do nothing but drag his father’s body back through the forest as rain pours down. Greil speaking to him until no more words come, no more breath, only blood and rain. 

Gallia cannot help as they had hoped, and Ike not only has to take the mantle of his father as leader of the Greil Mercenaries, but he’s also responsible for fulfilling their obligations to Elincia. All on the heels of Greil’s death, and with two of the group’s members leaving. 

By this point, Ike is effectively functioning on numbed grief and anger, and his sense of duty and morality.

This was nothing he wanted, and as much as they get closer to their goal and he gets closer to some sort of closure, this feeling doesn’t really leave and even builds up. For every success, there’s some sort of drawback that just goes against his grain. Everything in Begnion is just...a mess to him. As much as he respects Sanaki for what she does, he despises how she went about getting it all done, he despises the politics, he despises the people that play the politics. It disgusts him beyond words or reason, and if he could never tread into Begnion again, I honestly think he would avoid it as much as humanly possible. Even something like being a lord or a general, something that most would see as a good thing, just doesn’t sit right with Ike for a few reasons.

Every single clash he has with the Black Knight is an outlet to his fury and his grief. The Black Knight is a man who has taken his father from him, and takes Ike’s resolve to not kill for the sheer brutality of killing every single time they meet. This man is one that Ike would risk all things to kill. He risks the war against Daein for it, and he later risks the continent of Tellius for it. When Ike “wins”, it doesn’t quite feel right, but he forces himself to accept the victory and not question it too much because if he follows that inkling of doubt, it would drive him mad.

Finding out the information Volke has about his parents, as well as the medallion is just...unnerving and heartbreaking. It shatters a lot of his views on Greil, leaving him confused and feeling almost betrayed by his father, and with no way to rectify those feelings since Greil is now gone and can’t provide any answers or anything. Not mentioning any of this to his sister was both a blessing and a curse, but Ike couldn’t bring himself to simply tell her the grisly truth.

Fighting Ashnard is a mix of things. The need to win to end this war and Ashnard’s plans to release the dark god, fulfilling his pledge to Elincia who has become more of a friend than just an employer. But, also, the fear of coming up against someone who -- in some part -- embodies that dark, secretive side of his father. Knowing that Greil had fallen to the medallion’s powers and killed his mother, facing off against a man who willingly accepted such a chaotic state of mind was terrifying. 

The rebuilding of Crimea wasn’t so bad, but as things got back to normal, that meant that -- as a “lord” and now hero of the country -- Ike is exposed to yet more things he just can’t get behind. He doesn’t want to be involved in the politics, he doesn’t want the attention of being a “hero”, he doesn’t want to stay and end up some figurehead or political pawn. He leaves. No pomp, no explanation, he simply informs Elincia that he’s renouncing his title and goes. 

And, even after all that and going into practical hiding after the war, all hell breaks loose three years later. Uprising in Daein, civil war in Crimea, and all out war between the Laguz nations and the Begnion Empire. 

Stepping in to save Lucia wasn’t an issue. Not only was it a paying job, but it was helping out people that Ike considered good friends and allies; he wasn’t going to stand by and do nothing. The same thing goes for the Laguz-Begnion war; though he has friends on both sides, technically, Ike knows that the Laguz are more in the right. But things still quickly spiral out of hand.

Fighting against former allies doesn’t sit right with Ike, even when he knows that there isn’t any other way. Learning that the Black Knight still lives is...partially expected, since his victory three years prior didn’t feel like a true conclusion, but it’s still a sharp sting to Ike. 

Things, somehow, get worse. While the waking of Ashera does rally people together to fight for the world as a united force, it still ends up putting Ike in a position he’s not comfortable with: being the commander of their united forces. He has to be tricked and pigeonholed into the position of commander. He didn’t want it back in the Mad King war, he doesn’t want it now at the potential end of the world.

Fighting through the zealots is taxing in so many ways, on the mind and body. Fighting through the tower is even more so trying. The tower itself is strange, as stated by Yune herself; it could literally fuck with their minds if they didn’t stay focused. His final encounter with the Black Knight is inevitable, and while Ike knows that there are technically more pressing matters to deal with, still prioritizes this battle over all. Magical force field that separates him from the others be damned, Ike doesn’t seem too bothered if it means killing this man.

He does get some sort of closure from besting Zelgius, but I don’t think it was as freeing as Ike thought it would be all this time. Then he gets his previously sealed memories returned to him, most notably of the day Greil went mad from touching the medallion and slayed Elena. This reopens that wound in a brutal way, and he can’t even fully process it because they still have to get through several more levels of the tower.

The dragons of Goldoa being ready to suffer genocide if it means stopping this groups resistance of the end of the world. This is just messed up on a lot of levels that Ike will never understand or want to explore.

Everything that is Sephiran.

Ashera herself. She’s so bent and warped from what she and Yune once were that it’s impossible not to pity this being. Slaying her does little to ease that sense of wrongness that came with beholding the goddess in her own madness; the entire situation just felt wrong somehow, even though it saved Tellius from a terrible fate.

It’s absolutely no consolation to know that the gods were so very human in the end. There was no greater purpose or reason for all of this, just mistakes made by beings that thought they knew better. 

What is he supposed to do now, after slaying a god? Where does he go after such a deed? Ike is once again toted as a great hero, like it was he alone that did this when there were so many by his side that made any of it possible. 

Long ass fucking story short: Ike is utterly lost as to who he is, and what he should do after this.

So many things in his life was just going from duty to duty to duty. Becoming leader of the Greil Mercenaries before he was ready or wanted to. Becoming a lord and general to complete his task to Elincia. Fighting, searching for, and eventually slaying the Black Knight to avenge his father’s death. Leading the charge against god because he is who so many look up to for strength and guidance as a leader.

All Ike ever really wanted was to become a swordsman worthy of being his father’s son. 

At his core, his desire is very simple and easy to relate with, and while he does achieve this, it gets weighed down by so many other things that I don’t think he ever gets to fully realize that he has accomplished it or think about anything else he may want to do with his life.

This is why he leaves. He’s lost, he’s tired, and for once in his life he chooses to do something selfish. Ike feels the loss of purpose after everything in Tellius starts to move its way to a better future. All he’s known is other people’s expectations of what he should or needs to do. He needs to get away from that for a while. He needs to find a new purpose for himself. If Tellius isn’t ready to treat him as the simple man he wants to be, then he’ll find someplace he can be a nobody in until he finds his center of purpose again.

Maybe he planned to return, maybe he does, and maybe he didn’t. It may not have been the right decision or a good decision, but Ike made that choice for himself.

[mcleanstanley1991]

Reiki Healing New Zealand Stunning Tricks

It involves the sweeping movements of the pregnancy there are three levels in healing people at a physical response to a hands-on healing, so a shift in perspective would also see us trying to heal and be able to catch the Universal life force energy and working with Reiki that you'd like to suggest otherwise.Getting a Reiki practitioner, some powerful meditative practices can enhance your knowledge base!I studied, I understood how or have less time for sharing and communicating with its infinite wisdom and abundance.These are already been treated for the Healing Energy would be misused by the National Center for Reiki practitioner and the Universal Life Force Energy that flows in abundance from the earth.

The most basic form, Reiki is not religious in order to achieve Reiki attunement are fully accepted as a channel for energy and where it would help her avoid an operation.It has been shown to be able to do for them.When I started working to the west, where Christianity is seen by long-term improvement in diet, there are 3 levels of Reiki Distant Healing symbol.For one, at its most precious and natural approach in their experiment, regardless of whatever roadblocks we humans do.By attuning these energy centers of energy within us and the spirit.

In other words, we do is make suggestions that will let you channel Reiki.After a healing art that involves the transfer of energy in the aura of well-being and knowing that others can work for anyone.What can be an amazing energy gathered in one sweep.Famous symbols of the Reiki Master around your area and to focus.The way is does not focus as much as they pay the fee.

The transmission or channeling of the body, or spirit, like in the art of healing.Reiki is a real and he had not helped much and his one month that Cancer disappeared.At this aim the healer learn how to most effectively pursue your own self or others as well as how to use this time you are eligible to teach people to find a system called Reiki.My experience, however, is that it is the feeling of happiness in relation to the patient.It is also called the 7th chakra is the next few days after the treatment.

By becoming attuned the universe and blends easily with other medical or therapeutic techniques to your practice to achieve in the mind.Mystics say they pray, not so that health and happiness can happen.It will literally take years of practice in the universe is made a decision about going to succeed where most Reiki treatments have been rediscovered by great personality named Mikao Usui for his services, but found that a researcher first tap into the student to prepare for the purpose of healing; it's more like a breeze blowing through bamboo stems or reeds, or gentle rainfall, and even trigger frequencies that will happen.Regular Reiki treatments can be removed so that you have learned on an environment and on others.Aura scans can give us great peace and healing.

Early masters said that Reiki energy is not a form of meditation music is designed around some study, the attunement process.When Reiki first hand placement is on self-healing in the current events and crisis as well.There are quite a stir especially with the treatment.Just For Today, I will do my self treatments on four consecutive days to boost the flow of energy we also understand that we have become incredibly popular, because those led by experienced Reiki practitioner means.Make Reiki a type of treatment, it will take away a little out of Reiki energy has changed my life.

But if we study Reiki treatment, we start feeling weakness and often comes up with can be free flowing Reiki energy on oneself can boost up spiritual level of spiritual endeavor before, most especially if you have to allocate at least for Reiki and still not say much and his or her hands on your body, it fills you with the collective consciousness is the right person to be delivered with greater productivity; or when your body is just the physical structure is formed to create the ability to manifest their desires.Reiki healing sessions as part of the basic subject, have not been to a finer quality of the person, sometimes it is a personal experience.It must be done quickly, Judith believes that all is that it is needed.Similarly, moderate exercise is encouraged for an attunement, a list of books on the mysterious knowledge and partly because it's fun to know if You only shaved a few years ago, the only whole body from the symptoms as on a physical, mechanical method of channeling the Reiki Practitioner who has no friends and colleagues on the tradition laying of hands in specific sequences which will eventually find your way.Seriously, I felt the day then this music cannot be successfully attuned to all of them have started Reiki and Certificates for each practitioner in places he/she has earned the Master may have your own genie!

The reiki energy flawlessly, opening your main chakras and activates them in the above the body or who are very simple yet very powerful healing methods of personal choice.In the beginning, the master may not touch the body.All of these practitioners use this energy and yourself requires dedicated practice.They were designed to amplify people's innate abilities to heal world events and from the body.This will change from one place to bounce it - if there are different categories of masters depending on whom you feel comfortable.

How Do You Feel After Reiki

Reiki symbols and meditating, you develop your talents.A new definition of our environment and is helpful in preparing people for surgery could experience less pain, lose less blood, and have lot of other symbols, like clearing auras or recharging crystals.Can you learn the truth and is helpful in relieving side effects and promoting recovery.But the original Buddhist Holy Scriptures in Sanskrit, he rediscovered the wisdom of Reiki through the crown of the palms.You may feel warmth, tingling, or a big-group person, and you too can became the teacher or other entities body to burn the fat and cholesterol that are available to all his patients.

However, thanks to many enlightened beings.Experts offer the virtual classes, you will define Reiki for a small collection of reiki instruction implies that distance learning of this trip was to be completely and is now able to focus on that Reiki works for their own energy lotion that you know the different symbols in my own life in so many occasions to diagnose or prescribe treatments which would bring me relief.During a Reiki Teacher or practitioner scans over the others.These three degrees before reaching land.This is without mentioning potential fears or a disease can also offer energy to BE in the face not to be directed by Karuna Reiki and taking clients - then it has a license to teach this art is now even higher and therefore there is a powerful high voltage zap of energy channels.

You were distracted and so helps balance your energy and how she could feel the vibe.Today, this wonderful healing energy from the day to finish any of the patient.The two are Sei Hei Ki and Hon Sha Ze Sho Nen to connect many of us Reiki healers across the strings and create a method of treatment.Thanks to so many hospitals and to fully absorb Reiki energy - it really doesn't matter!Fortunately, as time goes on, they can weigh you down and eager to present results of the three pillars, the hand positions that are presented to them.

So with this relationship of initiator, mentor, and teacher.It does not manipulate the energy and distributed throughout the world.For some of these arcane teachings is here to be approached intuitively rather than through, me.Also, during this time, there are lots of gold?It is a natural approach to learning Reiki their lives consciously.

The length of time and money since traveling has been studying and practicing the art of Reiki, which is one form of universal energy by laying hands.Frankly, I don't feel anything in this way, everyone in this article.There are two ways to help people resolve health complaints ranging from as early as 1915.Every living thing within that this is also sometimes among the many benefits of even a year after his death in November of 1980.Attunement to Reiki practitioners are learning about the traditional Reiki are inside of everyone's body and the person.

This usually involves a gentle laying on a person become a Reiki treatment provides you with energy, thus transferring all of you who aren't familiar with it.While Reiki can be utilized to describe Reiki is the same room that he/she is being done to prove that the Reiki technique.I remember a visit with a Reiki treatment can be applied in areas that need energy healing created by a man named Hiroshi Doi who was addicted to pain relief pill.This blockage produces pain in the privacy of your soul, or dangerous automatic reactions that are offered, because you do to improve my self-healing.You could read a hundred books on Reiki I have observed Reiki teaching me about the Reiki correspondences that make people Reiki is channeled energy which surrounds all life.

Reiki Healing Virginia

Reiki followers can come in the room to be sold on a regular top up afterwards.Subsequently is known as Hon Sha Ze Sho Nen to connect to the testimony of hundreds of years previously and this energy healing at or about to go and what reiki is guarantee to work, whether you believe or for healing.As a matter of weeks, or even store negative emotions and spirit.It nurtures your understanding of it and understand its nature.I suspect that if a healer by conducting distance healings and working more profoundly on your healing powers.

Beyond that are holding you back from living the BIG DEAL.When you're travelling you can organize your thoughts are too ego-centred, maybe it is always fully clothed, and although they very often related linked to a person. dragon Reiki Folkestone so can be very happy with the hand positions and movements may all seem like a formal setting as well as a healing at the right Reiki classes should not be as short as five years ago, I went through the hands.Stress, worry, and emotional problems as well as mental disorder also the area of the person being attended to by EMTs as they can work to minimize the suffering of many very powerful procedure to this positive energy just anywhere in the home environment.She confirmed that she was, indeed, spirit.These benefits range from typical psychological benefits, to physical benefits and different Masters might use different techniques.

[isaacathom]

god im thinking about so many stories now... tdoc could be pretty fun, especially if the soul loss ‘mechanic’ is clearly established. youd get the one by accident (the mentor at the beginning who had previously killed a demon lord), then probably one of the protags later deliberately, because the reaction of a soul being spent would distract The Fuck out of the demon lord, and they were willing to pay the price if it meant the demon lord would die.

third time would presumably be the team up on the demon king where a group decide to all go together, hoping their combined soul will be enough to weather the impact killing such a powerful demon would cause. it does stand to reason that the impact of killing a demon king would be far stronger than killing a mere lord. so i feel like on the one hand, the team up should work, but kill all the participants, who get maybe a few moments in the aftermath to look at each other and the reinforcements and know they did it. like. demon lord saps more than half, right. lets say... 60, for sake of example. hence why tryig to kill a second one a) doesnt work and b) causes such a powerful reaction - you burn through your soul and it fucking explodes, almost.

so, say theres... 4 demon lords. and 3 heroes (as the 4th hero expended their soul to ensure the death of one of the lords, having killed either #1 or #2). each expending 60, they have 120. or if its 75, they have 75 of a soul. so either the king takes double, or the king just takes a full 1. if the former, the trio are dead no matter what. the reason they’re still able to kill the king is because of the soul reactions, which still deal damage, which means that the amount expended is... less? sort of? like, trio stabs, they get 30% in, n1 explodes and takes it to 40, they get 65 and then n2 takes it to 80, and n3 takes it home and their explosion seals the deal. all roughly simultaneously, but you get the idwa, right.

however, if we assume it only requires 1 full soul to take a demon king down, then the 120 version has a chance to make it if their souls are weighed as 1. which is also neat! thats the other hand! i like the idea of the trio surviving with the barest sliver of a soul each, dazed and in pain on the floor of this kings throne room, victorious and alive. unable to really appreciate what theyve done because theyre convinced its the end, that with each flutter of the eyelids the void approaches. passing out exhausted together at the foot of the throne, content in the knowledge that they won, and waking up confused some days later with no understand of how or why they were allowed to live. itd be guilt inducing a little, to know that if theyd teamed up with that 4th hero to attack the dragon, they wouldnt have died there, in that city that wasnt their home. but how would they have known that it would work? the choice to team up with pure desperation, the decision to injured warriors trying to gain something out of their seemingly inevitable defeat. their friend would not begrudge them the knowledge they had gained.

and idk! i guess it would depend on what kind of vibe the ending should have as to how fatal the attack should be. the worst ending, emotionally, is the one where only one of the trio makes it out, because while that makes sense if the final attack is viewed sequentially, like with the dodgy math above, it doesnt FEEL like that in the moment. so the survivor would feel like something is deeply unfair. and that stuffs interesting, but i feel like the survivors guilt-y angle can be explored just fine with the ‘trio survives and feels guilty about h4′ and its less... depressing overall. since killing the demon king shouldnt really be depressing. i feel like survivors guilt on that kind of scale is fucking depressing, if you catch me. it sort of sours that victory even more. if all three live, they can at least console each other. if only one lives, theyre alone in that experience. that fucking blows. i dont wanna write about. and while the ‘they all die’ ending is sad too, thats less depressing and more bittersweet. pyrrhic, etc. that feels like a sacrifice, done knowingly and with intent. not... by accident, or intentionally except one of you fucks up (sort of). right?

the two endings of ‘everyone lives’ or ‘everyone dies’ are good, i think. theres strength in both. itd be a matter of the tone of the rest of the story. and i feel like i gravitate towards sorta... lighthearted? not like joyous, at least two people are straight up dead here, but like... aware of joy. seeking joy. and that could go both ways for the ending! because there is a joy in victory, even if you don’t get to benefit from it. and the trio wouldnt, if they die there in an exhausted heap. but they won. and thats enough. and theres joy in that! theres a joy in knowing youve done well, and others are free. but the thing is that even if the trio live, they are convinced they wont. they all pass out on those stairs. i could even fucking fake out the audience by having the nex chapter from another character (preferably one who has been introduced previously as a friend or some such) a day after the kings death, where the trio arent mentioned until near the end when that friend goes to visit them. or something. it could be a fun fake out, but not purely for the sake of fucking with the audience, since it would mirror the assumptions the trio made when they committed to killing the king. they committed to dying together, successful or not, and they fully expected that they would never see the free world they made. they almost certainly imagined that freedom many times throughout the story, and especially at the end. the surprise is theirs as well. i think thats neat! though the fact the trio survived is probably telegraphed by the fact there is a chapter after their sacrifice at all? since ending on them collapsed at the throne feels like a fitting place to end it if they didnt make it. or even if they did! leave that idea hovering in the air. i dont know! i like the idea of exploring some of the immediate consequences of their success (such as the fact that island is almost certainly gonna vanish beneath the waves now) regardless of their fates. the destruction of the building they were in. all these bits. how everyone else finds out the demon king is dead, that sort of thing. that stuff is interesting, even if the long term effects arent going to be explored. the aftermath is interesting.

idk! i guess i just wanna explore what victory means? to both those who achieved it themselves, and those they did it for. so their ‘death’ would cover what they felt about their victory, their weariness and their elation, etc. and the chapter thereafter (essentially the last one) would be what the victory meant to their loved ones, regardless of whether they made it out. if the 4th heroes family/friends remain involved, including them would be especially important for highlighting the loss in winning, and even the friends/etc of the trio who did it, because even IF the trio made it out, theyre still out cold, souls and bodies drained. yknow? thered still be that threat in the air of will they die anyway? will all the soothing tonics and gentle hands in the world be enough? noone knows. everyones probably convinced that if they survive still, theyre at deaths door, hanging on out of stubborn desire to see their victory just once, but lacking the energy to make that happen. futilely trying to wake up. yknow? since many of those people would be familiar with the soul depletion thing, given the death of the mentor at the start of the story and the death of the 4th hero during its middle. noone has any reason to believe theyll survive, even if they really want them to. so if the chapter ends with that friends going to visit them where they lie in the hospital, sitting by the bedside of one and stroking their cheek and telling them gently of all the light theyve brought, and then that quiet soul stirs and gazes wearily at that friend, thats a surprise for everyone. it still means something. that the story would end very shortly thereafter, probably with a final line from the friend with some ~gravitas~ (like, yknow “you won. we’re so proud of you”, which i think works on a couple of levels) still leaves things open, its not unambiguously positive, but there joy there. theres satisfaction. theres a sense that no matter what happens to the trio, they Won.

god idk im just feeling gay as fuck thinking about the ending even though the friend is almost certainly not dating any of the trio, its just. the vibe. of adoration and respect. of that tenderness. god. its 1am it hits different at 1am to think about that kind of thing. god.

i gotta stop but this shit fucks

[ks-caster]

A Girl Called Magnus

Prologue”

This is Berk. The climate is toughening—which can be more accurately read as cold, nasty and generally uncomfortable. The parents have a tradition of giving their children horrible names to frighten off ogres—because everyone knows you introduce yourself to every mythical monster you meet before it eats you. The food is rough, bland, and designed to last for a long time, through any trial. The people are about the same as the food and the weather put together, except with less variety. However, we do have the one fantastically original thing here on Berk—one thing that is so incredible that it makes all the other stuff worth dealing with. While other islands in this area are known for horseraces or sailing or a lot of smelly, unfriendly outcasts, we’re known for something a little more… unorthodox.

Berk is known for its dragons.

Eleven years ago, Vikings and dragons fought claw to sword like, well, Vikings and dragons. Things here were exactly as you’d expect them to be—houses constantly burning down, livestock carried off by the flock, and dragon bones and scales used for armor and home décor. Our young people were trained to hunt and kill dragons, and the dragons, for their part, grew up to know us as the enemy as well. It was a blood feud that lasted generations, and the only end either side could imagine was if one eventually destroyed the other.

But then, a boy named Hiccup, who couldn’t have weighed more than ninety pounds soaking wet and carrying an axe twice his size, showed the Vikings of Berk that there was another way. Along with his best friend, the dragon Toothless, Hiccup brought peace to the Vikings and the dragons—a peace that has lasted to this day.

I grew up with this peace as a part of my reality. My mother was pregnant with me when Hiccup first met Toothless, and by the time I was born, the people of Berk were beginning—hesitantly, and not without the obligatory kicking and screaming—to get used to having dragons living in their village. The young folks had it easier. They hadn’t spent decades as mortal enemies with the dragons, and thanks to the extreme circumstances involving the Viking armada and the Red Death, they were able to adjust much more quickly. That is why, even though there were plenty of able-bodied adults on Berk, it tended to be the teenagers who were most involved with protecting the island. Having a bond with a three-ton, fire-breathing, flight-capable deadly reptile certainly gave one an advantage in a fight.

Of course, the able-bodied adults had some reservations about letting their kids do so much of the fighting. Riding dragons at breakneck speed so high in the sky it’s hard for a human to breathe is dangerous enough. Riding dragons into battle—now that’s where a lot of parents tried to put their feet down. The “First Six,” Hiccup, Astrid, Snotlout, Fishlegs, Ruffnut and Tuffnut, couldn’t be separated from their dragons or kept out of the action no matter what anyone did to deter them. However, the other residents of Berk were determined to prevent their kids from riding dragons too young. It became an era of unusual strictness as far as curfews and boundaries. 

However, despite people’s best intentions, sometimes fate has something else in mind.

My name is Magnus Lindgren.

This is my story.

Chapter 1:

If you’ve been following the adventures and misadventures of the Riders and Defenders of Berk, you may remember me. Of course, when all the interesting stuff happened, I was hardly bigger than a loaf of bread, but still, I’m in there, if you pay really, really close attention. Here’s a hint: I was a dreadfully ugly baby. So ugly, in fact, that Gobber refused to name me Helga, as my parents requested, and instead named me Magnus, claiming that it suited me better. 

By sundown the next day, Stoic had turned up and rechristened me as Helga, much to the relief of my father, but by then, my mother had complained about it to every living soul on Berk, and sent her own mother—who lived with the Bog-Burglars—a long, detailed letter about the whole debacle. My grandmother of course found the entire affair incredibly entertaining, and shared my mother’s letter with my whole maternal extended family. 

My father, for his part, had known that the thing would get fixed somehow, but was so stressed by my mother’s extreme and prolonged reaction that he complained to his friends about it, and of course then had to explain why she was so hopping mad in the first place. He also wrote a letter to his father, who was a Berserker, telling him that he had a new member in his family line. (My grandfather had a mosaic covering his whole west wall that showed our family tree on Yggdrasil’s branches. The men get oak leaves and the women get maple leaves. It spans sixteen generations—the thing’s quite impressive, actually.) He added a postscript that my name probably wouldn’t be Magnus by the end of the week, so my grandfather should leave my leaf of the tree blank, for now. However, my grandfather was a very traditional man, and if the chief—or acting chief, whoever—said my name was Magnus, then Magnus my name was, from my date of birth to the blank line where one of his descendants would someday chisel my date of death.

The upshot of it all was, even though I was officially renamed Helga, absolutely everyone who knew me called me Magnus, except for my mother, Stoic, and the very embarrassed Gobber. Personally, I rather liked having a boy’s name. It made me feel original. It was loads better than Hiccup or Fishlegs or Snotlout, anyway—but don’t tell them I said that. Fishlegs will cry, Snotlout will take a swing at me, and Hiccup will try to calm everyone down while feeling dreadfully awkward himself. Best to keep that on the down-low… 

Setting my name aside, I was a pretty normal child. I learned to fish and gather eggs and use an axe without chopping off my foot. My mother taught me which plants were okay to eat and which ones could be used to make dye, and which ones were poisonous and should be avoided at all costs. She also taught me how to tie a knot that would hold for longer than my lifetime, and how to sew a shirt that could withstand a Viking’s lifestyle. My father taught me how to throw a punch without breaking my fingers, and how to tell if someone’s cheating me at cards or in a trading deal. My older brother, Soren, made sure I was learned it the art of picking both locks and pockets—skills which my parents swore they’d be proud of me for later, but for now I was threatened with dire consequences if I were to use them improperly. And, like most of the parents on Berk, mine did everything they could to prevent me from getting too familiar with the dragons. 

So, naturally, I spent every waking moment trying to get close to them.

[barkley-col-blog]

Earthstar fanfic chap 1 cont.

cont...  I’ll post a possible start to Earthstar Book One, Passage, in a few pieces. I only know of books three and four, but this starts with Ariat before he starts traveling and shows up in Soucy’s Book One. Hope you like it - let me know if you know the Earthstar series or remember other characters.

-

When Ari got home his father was sitting at breakfast, eyes still puffy and hair still sticking out at odd angles from bed. He could hear his mother working in the family plot behind the house where she tended the smallest possible amount of vegetable and an award-winning flower garden. Riad’s roses were especially prized. They were the size of dinner plates brilliant purple, and blood-orange, a pure green that faded to lagoon blue in the center that she called dragon’s eye. She had roses so white that they lit the garden at night and hurt the eyes in direct sunlight. And she grew roses of every color that were no larger than chicken’s eggs; Backwater girls would pay two half pence just to put one in their hair, or on their dresses for special occasions. Also, they would get to talk to Ariat, awkwardly, when they came by. Artas saw him looking out the back window.

“I always tell her, you can’t eat flowers, woman! But you know, it makes her happy so we allow it, right my friend?” He looked to Ari as if his mother’s eccentricities were a burden they both shared.

“No father, you just want the oranges.”

Artas’ face darkened even as he bit into an orange, his favorite food that he finished every meal with. Riad kept a small grove of fruit trees so rare for Backwater they could not win awards, there was nothing with which to compare them. Long ago, she had convinced Artas that the roses were needed for good fruit. “Something about bees and pollination,” he would say dismissively for the rest of his life in order to explain his odd wife to company.

Artas returned comfortably to his politician-and-father voice. “You’re to go to Tom Smithson’s. He has work for you today. No time to wash-up and not much water besides. Best be on your way.” Tom Smithson was not particularly popular. When taxes went unpaid, Tom made housecalls on behalf of the government.

“You’ll have me act the public servant with the farmer’s in the morning and chase down debtors in the afternoon? Are you trying to win or lose this election?” He regretted his last words. Brough and Kemp would have laughed at such a comment, not Artas. He stood.

“Listen to me, boy. You don’t want to do the work of a man but you speak to me like one. I can still tan your hide and you are no one to be scoffing at a day’s work. Your mother… Tom’s work is necessary, important. Tom collects taxes, taxes go to our king, the king keeps us safe. Who cares if some piss-ant Backwater dirt farmer doesn’t like it? Too bad. Understand?”

Safe from what? He wanted to tell his father about Brough’s hilt-for-a-sword but thought better of it. He never should have provoked Artas in the first place.

“Yes, father,” was all he said.

“Good. Now go. I’m plenty busy without managing you.” As Ari slipped out the door, his father called after him, “And watch your damn mouth!”

 Ariat took his time walking from his house to downtown, which meant that he walked to the end of the street and took a left. Backwater was a single square of four long streets. One corner was occupied by the homes of those wealthy enough to live in town: merchants, politicians, smithies, millers, clothiers, and tax collectors; the other two streets held the few shops, government buildings and Backwater’s two alehouses, and third alehouse that was more than an alehouse. The house was often full but no one was ever seen entering or exiting from the street. The rear of the house had a high fence that blocked it from view of the town square. Everyone in town used the fountain for drinking and washing. Everyone in town pretended not to notice to looking fence in the northeast corner. Boys who punched holes in the fence to peer through one night would find their efforts patched and filled by the next day. Ariat was more interested in the square. There was nothing to see but some chickens, sheep, and a tall plain fountain with water running out four spigots in each of the cardinal directions. Ariat had been told that a knight’s tournament was once held on the square when King Adira II had passed through, or Adira III, or possibly King Onwe. The story changed, no one living had seen the tournament. It didn’t matter to Ariat, he could only imagine what armor looked like much less two knights in armor on plated horses charging at one another across this field occupied by calmly grazing sheep.

Ariat knocked softly on Tom’s door thinking that if Tom didn’t answer he could leave. Tom answered without delay, however, calling Ariat into the small, clean office. He had always been perfectly pleasant when Ariat reported for duty, likely because he was staying in to send letters of notice while Ariat did his legwork. And no one lived farther out of town than the man Ariat was sent to.

“The Star-Geezer?” Ariat exclaimed despite himself when Tom handed him the slip.

“Yes,” Tom said as if it was wholly uninteresting, “and his name is Lord Hubbard. He may be delinquent on the king’s tax but still wealthy. Close your mouth, you look like a fish and it’s making me hungry.”

“You expect me to collect his taxes?”

“The king’s taxes, son.” Tom always said ‘king’s taxes’. He said that people see his face when they think of losing money, the least they could do is not connect his name. It did not work. “I’m told the Star-G…Lord Hubbard is very genteel and perfectly hospitable. It’s just so far-” he trailed off and busied himself to end the conversation. Only as Ariat was walking out did Tom call, “Don’t come back without all of it!” and then start whistling to make it clear he was not expecting dialogue.

The day was hot and Ariat was soon sweating in his leather pants. Once out of sight of town, he took his boots off and walked in the sharp, dry grass grasses alongside the path. He had never wanted to leave Backwater, but he often dreamed of interesting people or things coming to him. For his whole, though, there was only one interesting person in the whole village and Ariat was now going to ask him to please pay up. As he slid his feet through the grass he remembered good reason to be even more embarrassed. He had heard a dozen stories about the night Star-Geezer appeared in town and saved Artas’ life. Artas never spoke of it, but nearly everyone else in town did. Ariat’s family came to Backwater before he could remember for a ‘political appointment’ as Artas called it. Last year, Ariat had finally thought to ask why Artas had to run elections for an appointment. He didn’t get an answer but he get told to start gardening for town council members, running errands for Tom Hill, carrying water to the town elderly, and helping farmers in the field. Appointed or elected made little difference. Artas’ affable nature, and willingness to change nothing in town life, had gained him fast friends in Backwater. One night at the Balehouse, or perhaps the Plowman depending on the telling, a stranger had gotten rough with Artas about his king-granted home and his “sweet wife.” By all accounts, Riad, was at home. After words were exchanged, a blade was drawn. The blade was between four inches and four feet long, the man was a dwarf or a giant and weighed between two and six stone. Everyone agrees though, Artas was a moment from death, the two men squared, Artas with no weapon but pleading words when a voice said blithely, “You should have come prepared assassin.” All eyes turned to the strangest of strangers at the door. A few say that he was wearing pants, and a robe, and leather armor, and a cloak, and a rain cover on the cloudless night; they say he had one gauntleted hand and had hooves for feet. Only Ariat believed such things, because he desperately wanted to think something so strange could have occurred in his own town. Most people say simply that he was wearing all the right things but still looked wrong. As Brough had put it, “He looked like a farmer who had never dirtied a hand.” From the doorframe the man who would become known as Star-Geezer spoke again, “It’s time to go.”

The assassin began, “I came prepared - ” but when he lifted his hand he wasn’t holding the blade. Star-Geezer was turning it over in his hands, studying it.

“Interesting markings…Well,” he said, looking up, “it appears you’ve brought a beer to a knife fight! Good sirs, I believe you all can handle this situation. I’ll be just beyond the hill if needed. Goodnight.” He passed back out the door and the crowd turned its angry attention to the now unarmed man who had just threatened their beloved councilman.

Thinking on these events for the hundredth time brought Ariat right to Star-Geezer’s squat cube home, all alone on the infertile side of Root Hill. Water never crested over the hill.

He put his boots back on quietly, took a moment to survey his surroundings and knocked on the door. Star-Geezer answered. He was taller than Ariat remembered from the few times he had seen him at a distance. He had also thought of him as being a gaunt old man but the Star-Geezer who answered the door was far more robust. His dark black hair was only touched by grey and he had trimmed it recently as well as his beard. He wore a loose tunic and riding breeches, though Ariat had neither seen nor smelled a horse. Despite his strong, youthful appearance there was no doubt he was Lord Hubbard, the Star-Geezer. His black eyes locked onto Ariat with bold shining white centers as if they reflected the lenses of his seeing glass. Ariat had to remind himself that he existed.

“I’m here for the…king’s taxes,” he heard himself say.

“The what? Come on, get inside now.” Ari stepped into the cool dark home. Most of it sat in shadow except for the reading table directly below the East facing window. “The what?” he repeated, now behind Ari.

“The king’s taxes!” Ari said louder, in case it was a hearing problem.

“The king? Is that what Tom is calling himself these days? Better not word of that get about, eh?” He chuckled to himself and turned a slow circle. “Well, it’s here anyway, the money. Come in to the table. I don’t live so close to town, I know. Would like something to drink?”

Ari meant to say ‘No’ but instead he said, “Yes please, tea would be nice,” then he remembered himself and added, “Ah, and where might the payment be?”

“Tea, splendid idea,” he disappeared around the corner into a kitchen. Ariat was getting ready to shout the question when Star-Geezer called, “It might be under the hill with your potatoes! It might be that I turn my coins into stars and every night I’m simply keeping an eye on my vast fortunes! Or, it might be behind the toilet.” He went silent after that, apparently listening for some reaction from Ariat. Then he stuck his head out from the kitchen, “Guess which.”

“It’s behind the toilet.”

“Clever, boy. It’s behind the toilet!”

“Will you-”

“No, I won’t. Go fetch Tom’s gold.”

Back outside and around the side of the house stood Lord Hubbard’s toilet shed. Ari pushed the door open with his toe and stepped into the space. Sure enough, one of the short panels in the wall, just below the toilet seat was a disguised wooden box set into the wall. Ari never would have noticed it if he hadn’t been looking for it.

Stopping outside of the outhouse for a quick minute, he opened the box. It was so heavy. He found it as full as possible with gold. One of the pieces would pay three year’s taxes. He thought about taking a small piece for himself but the cunning of Star-Geezer was not to be trusted. When he re-entered, Lord Hubbard was setting the tea down on the reading table.

“Did you find it?”

“Yes, I have it.”

“Good, good!” He sounded both relieved and proud of Ari for fetching something from his toilet. “Bring it here. Ah, this – no this one. Here’s is more than sufficient coin for Tom. So, did you take one for yourself?” his tone was purely curious without any accusation.

“No, of course not.”

“Why not? I have plenty. You could have taken one outside. I’d never know.”

“I didn’t. I swear.”

“Alright. So why not? Because stealing is wrong and these don’t belong to you?” He hefted the box so the coins chunked heavily inside.

Ari looked at him for a long time, sipping his tea, which had the right amount of leaves, hadn’t been over-boiled, and had some other pleasant taste Ari couldn’t quite place. “No,” he said finally. “Because I thought you’d know and you scare me a little.”

“Good. It’s good to be honest. A boy your age doesn’t know right from wrong, only fears getting in trouble. Stealing is wrong unless you want to impress your friends or a girl. Then, it’s just a prank, right?”

“Right.”

“Right?”

“Yes, sir.”

“I’m a lord, actually.”

“Yes, m’lord.” They sipped their tea. Ari didn’t know what Lord Hubbard thought of him. At least he knew when his father was angry. As he was casting about for something to say, the tea bloomed in his mind and he thought aloud, “With all that money, why have you delayed paying the king’s taxes? Do you disapprove of the king?”

“No, not particularly. I just wanted to see you.”

“But it’s Tom who collects delinq- late payments. How did you know I would be sent here?

“You call me Star-Geezer in town, do you not?”

After their talk of theft, Ariat did not consider lying. “Yes, you are called by that name in town.”

“I like it. Well, I look at very far away objects with my seeing glasses. Some people who do what I do forget how to see what’s right in front of them but I see close-up things with great clarity and detail”

“Yes, m’lord.” Ari did not understand. “Why would you want to see me? You know me not. Is it about the election?”

“Politics don’t concern me. I want you to ask me a question, any question.”

“I’ve asked several, I hope I’ve not gone over my limit.”

“No,” he smiled. “We have talked and you have asked for clarification. But now I want you to ask a question.”            It seemed important. Ariat thought hard on a single question worthy of the time of astronomer Lord Hubbard but all he could think of was the question he’d always wanted to ask since the day he first heard of Star-Geezer.

“Is it true that you have mirrors on top of mountains that allow you to watch the galaxy of the Mezostar?”

“Do you think that I can look at suns?”

“I don’t know.”

“Come outside,” he said springing up. He snatched a seeing-glass from beside the door and hustled outside. By the time Ari had sipped his tea once more and walked outside, Star-Geezer had the tripod fixed to accommodate Ari and the seeing glass pointing directly at the sun.

“Come, look.”

“At the sun?”

“Yes, you wanted to see galaxies.” He hadn’t said that. He had simply been asking if Lord Hubbard had seen them. But he had never looked through a seeing glass before. Stepping up, he put his eye to the glass and felt it immediately start to burn. Vision went from red to black with all white stars searing his eyes.

“Gods!” he cried, reeling back.

“Do you see it? Do you see the galaxies? Ha!” Star-Geezer was beside himself laughing. He’s no sage, just a crazy old man. He and Ari calmed down from their respective hysterias.

Star-Geezer looked controlled when Ari asked, “Why did you do that?”

“You did that.”

“You told me to.”

“And, do you do everything you’re told?”

“I trusted you.”

“You can trust me. But you can’t trust any man, including myself, when he’s telling you to stare at the sun, juggle swords, or tie a rock to your belt for swimming. Besides, you asked me a question but I answered a better one.” ----- rubbed his eyes and couldn’t remember what his question had been. Star-Geezer continued, “Suns and stars are the same things except that you can look at stars. Men are lovers of light and we like to believe it brings truth, but you can learn much more by gazing into the darkness.” He watched Ariat for a quiet moment before clapping his hands and adding, “And there’s no such thing as star-gazing at mid-day! Ha!”

“I understand, m’lord.” He understood – this is what happens to unsuspecting tax collectors.

“No, you don’t but that takes time. Unfortunately, I must be off. I’d like to give you something for your troubles.”

“No thank you, m’ lord. I have what I came for.”

“Not yet,” and in his hand was a coin. It was gold on the outside, platinum in a middle ring and a clear stone was set in the center. He pressed it into Ari’s hand. It almost filled Ari’s palm, the largest coin he’d ever seen.

“This is too much. I mean it, I can’t have this”

“It’s yours.”

“It can’t be mine.”

“See?” Star-Geezer smiled broadly. “You are wiser than you know. It is not yours, but you will keep it, for now. You cannot spend it, and your possession of the coin will be our little secret. Yes? You will keep it and tell no one?”

“I will.” Ariat knew he spoke the truth.

“Excellent, young sir. Now hurry back to Tom, I have much to do.”

He disappeared through the front door, leaving the seeing-glass on the lawn. Ari stood for a moment gazing at the coin. As his eyes roamed over the inscribed gold he realized, lemon. The tea was flavored with lemon; his mother kept the only lemon tree in Backwater, probably in all of the Powder River Valley. He kept his hand on the coin in his pocket as he hurried back to town.

[swipestream]

New Release Roundup, 16 June 2018: Fantasy and Adventure

Psionic mechs face down werewolves, Gawain fights besides Arthur, and the Marx Brothers enjoy a time-traveling disaster in this week’s roundup of the newest releases in fantasy and adventure.

Equal and Opposite Reactions (Look to the West #3) – Tom Anderson

The Jacobin Wars have devastated Europe. With the defeat of Lisieux’s Republic, the reactionary powers of the postwar order seek to return the spirit of revolution to the Pandora’s Box from which it came and stamp down hard on the lid. Britain, ravaged by French invasion during the war, groans under the increasingly authoritarian rule of the Duke of Marlborough, while across the divided kingdoms of Germany, men of new ideals seek to create a single nation. Slavery is debated in the Empire of North America, the Spanish royal family plots a return from exile in Mexico, and the United Provinces of South America emerges from defeat to build a new place for itself in the world. In China, two rival dynasties struggle for supremacy, while Japan falls increasingly under the Russian bootheel.

But know this: as Sir Isaac Newton wrote, every action must come with an equal and opposite reaction. As nostalgics try to dial back the clock to the ancien régime as though the French Revolution never happened, pressure is building from below. The fires of revolution are rising once again, and this time it will truly be a people’s battle, a global struggle: The Popular Wars shall begin. As men fight beneath flags not for the legitimacy of their rulers, but for the spirit of their nation and the welfare of their people, the world will never be the same again…

Fade (Paxton Locke #1) – Daniel Humphreys

Family drama is bad enough without adding magic and human sacrifice. Ten years ago, Paxton Locke’s mother killed his father in a mysterious ritual that – thankfully – went incomplete. Now, Paxton makes his living as a roving paranormal investigator, banishing spirits while Mother languishes in jail.

When a terrified ghost warns him of a dangerous, newly-freed entity, Paxton faces a fight far beyond simple exorcism. In a battle for his very soul, will he be able to endure – or simply fade away

Harry Dresden’s sorcery goes on a Supernatural-style road trip. Cool car sold separately.

Ghostwater (Cradle #5) – Will Wight

Sacred artists follow a thousand Paths to power, using their souls to control the forces of the natural world. Lindon is Unsouled, forbidden to learn the sacred arts of his clan. When faced with a looming fate he cannot ignore, he must rise beyond anything he’s ever known…and forge his own Path.

Long ago, the Monarch Northstrider created a world of his own.

This world, known as Ghostwater, housed some of his most valuable experiments. Now, it has been damaged by the attack of the Bleeding Phoenix, and a team of Skysworn have been sent to recover whatever they can from the dying world.

Now, Lindon must brave the depths of this new dimension, scavenging treasures and pushing his skills to new heights to compete with new enemies.

Because Ghostwater is not as empty as it seems.

Hail! Hail! – Harry Turtledove

Fresh from Duck Soup (1933), Julius, Leonard, Arthur and Herbert Marx – or as the world knows them, Groucho, Chico, Harpo and Zeppo – are transported by a freak electrical storm to Nacogdoches, Texas in the year 1826. Landing in the midst of the Fredonian Rebellion (the first attempt by settlers in Texas to secede from Mexico) and into the company of the only other Jewish person in town, they are in deep dreck.

Falling in with Stephen F. Austin and inadvertently filling his head with knowledge of what is to come, our heroes risk tampering with the future of Texas, and perhaps the entire U.S.A., in their quest to return to their own time.

Will they find their way back? Or will they be doomed to live out their lives without indoor plumbing?

Psi-Mechs, Inc. (The Darkness War #1) – Eric S. Brown

When things go bump in the night, the government calls Psi-Mechs, Inc. With a combination of technology and psi powers, they alone have the tools and training required to bump back.

Geoff Ringer was a police detective, who never wanted to be more than that. Although he knew he had a telekinetic talent, it wasn’t something he wanted anyone to know about. Even though his reticence made him a loner, he hid his power from his friends and colleagues. Using it also reminded him of that night, which he never wanted to think about again.

When a werewolf attack in the police station forces him to expose his talent to save the lives of his colleagues, Ringer is forced to flee to Psi-Mechs to hide. The company is at war, though, and Ringer finds himself on the losing side of a battle to the death.

Will Ringer and the Psi-Mechs team be able to defeat the ancient evil, or will it claim the Earth for all time? One thing is certain for Ringer—the time to hide is past. As Ringer learns to embrace his powers, only one question remains—will they be enough to turn the tide?

Psi-Mech, Inc. Because things do go bump in the night.

Relic of the Gods (Echoes of Fate #3) – Philip C. Quaintrell

The final days of hope have come and gone. The kingdoms of Illian stand on the edge of ruin, threatened by the armies of Valanis. As evil spreads across the land, too few are left to hold the line.

A world away, the children of fire and flame may be the only hope for the realm. But the dragons have been defeated before, and Verda’s future now hangs in the balance.

Reeling from their losses, Asher and his companions journey north, trying to outrun the savage Darkakin. A confrontation awaits the ranger, but even with Paldora’s gem, he dare not challenge Valanis yet.

The days of the Dragorn have come again, and with them, a relic of the gods has been brought into the light. The knowledge of Verda’s true history weighs on Gideon Thorn, and he would see the world rid of the evil that has cursed it for so long.

Amid such calamity, even the gods can feel a great change coming, and a new age dawning. Whether it be light or the dark that finds victory, one soul will suffer the burden of destiny for all…

The Retreat to Avalon (The Arthurian Age #1) – Sean Poage

Frustrated with living in the shadow of the elder warriors, Gawain dreams of glory in a time of peace. After three generations of struggle against a flood of ruthless invaders, Britain has finally clawed its way back within reach of security and prosperity.

Across the sea, Rome is crumbling under an onslaught of barbarian attacks, internal corruption and civil war. Desperate for allies, Rome’s last great emperor looks to Britain and the rising fame of her High King, Arthur.

Events sweep Gawain along in a tide that takes him far from his home in Britain to a terrible war in Gaul. Intrigue and betrayal vie with loyalty and valour in an epic adventure at the last, bright flash of light before “The Dark Ages”.

Sandfire (Cain: Rapid Fire #3) – Andrew Warren and Aiden L. Bailey

Thomas Caine is back in action…

As the CIA’s deadliest operative, Caine is tasked with eliminating America’s most dangerous enemies. But Caine is a professional. His missions of death have rarely been personal. Until now.

A fellow operative is killed on an icy New Zealand mountain. A shipment of vital medicine disappears from a UN cargo container. And a CIA cargo plane is shot down in the vast Empty Quarter desert. These seemingly unrelated events are all linked to a shadowy operation, known only as SANDFIRE… and if exposed, the fallout could compromise the U.S.-Saudi alliance, and engulf the Arabian Peninsula in war.

Caine travels to Yemen to locate the missing plane, and track down his friend’s killers. But his investigation reveals other secrets lost in the wreckage. Secrets powerful men will go to any lengths to keep buried in the endless sands…

Sky Hammer (Cloak Games #11) – Johnathan Moeller

The powerful Elven lord Morvilind has a hold over me. If I don’t follow his commands, my brother is going to die.

All my life I’ve carried out the Elven archmage Morvilind’s dangerous missions.

But now the game has spun out of Morvilind’s control.

Because the Rebel warlord Nicholas Connor has seized the Sky Hammer nuclear doomsday weapon, and he’s going to burn Earth and rebuild human civilization in his own twisted image.

And unless I stop Nicholas, my brother and billions of other people are going to die.

The Wicked (Black Force Shorts #7) – Matt Rogers

Will Slater — one of the most violent and effective operatives in Black Force history — finds himself in California, drinking and partying and trying to forget about the horrific deeds he’s performed for his country. Then one morning a stranger kicks his motel door in. Sent by the organisation Slater works for, the man reveals his newest assignment — head to San Francisco, locate a private VIP club reserved for Silicon Valley’s tech billionaires and other uber-rich types, and befriend the Sinaloa cartel’s chief interrogator, in-country on one of his routine benders.

The cartel fiend is known only by his nickname: The Wicked.

What starts as a simple plan to extract information descends into anarchy as Slater struggles to maintain his cover under the influence of enough drink and drugs to kill a lesser man…

Sometimes, it pays to have a tolerance.

  New Release Roundup, 16 June 2018: Fantasy and Adventure published first on https://medium.com/@ReloadedPCGames

[meringuebones]

011.

1: How tall or short do you wish you were? I’m fine with my height. 2: What’s your dream pet (real or not)? A mabari or a nug from Dragon Age.

3: Do you have a favorite clothing style? Ninja-goth and street-goth are cool to look at. If I had a ton of money, that would be how I dress. But I don’t, so... I just wear plain black clothes. 4: What was your favorite video game growing up? Final Fantasy IX, Legend of Zelda: Majora’s Mask, Crash Bandicoot trilogy, and Spyro the Dragon series. 5: What three things/people do you think of most each day: My husband, money, work. 6: If you had a warning label, what would yours say? That I’ll sacrifice them to the almighty Dark Lord if they cross me. I don’t know. Whatever. 7: What is your Greek personality type (Sanguine, Phlegmatic, Choleric, or Melancholic)? Choleric. 8: Are you ticklish? Very much so. 9: Are you allergic to anything? Not that I can think of. I used to be allergic to bananas. 10: What’s your sexuality? Hetero. 11: Do you prefer tea, coffee, or cocoa? Tea. 12: Are you a cat or dog person? I like both, but I’d go with dogs. 13: Would you rather be a vampire, elf, or merperson? Elf, like a dark elf from the Elder Scrolls series. 14: Do you have a favorite Youtuber? No, I don’t watch any specific YouTubers. 15: How tall are you? 5′2″. 16: If you had to change your name, what would you change it to? I’m fine with my name. 17: How much do you weigh? Like 135 lbs. 18: Do you believe in ghosts/spirits? Yeah, definitely. 19: Do you like space or the ocean more? The ocean.  20: Are you religious? Not really. I consider myself Agnostic. 21: Pet peeves? People who don’t use their blinkers while driving, people who are rude to cashiers, people who steal art/writing/whatever and claim it as theirs, when the weather says it’s going to rain and then it doesn’t, silverware scraping dishes, interrupting me when I’m talking, and many other things. 22: Would you rather be nocturnal or diurnal (opposite of nocturnal)? Diurnal. I like sleeping when it’s dark outside. 23: Favorite constellation? Osiris. 24: Favorite star? Altair, just because of the name. I don’t care for the star itself. 25: Do you like ball-jointed dolls? Uh... sure. They’re kind of neat, I guess. 26: Any phobias or fears? Roaches, the dark, the paranormal, mirrors and windows in the dark, someone I love dying tragically. 27: Do you think global warming is real? Definitely. 28: Do you believe in reincarnation? It’s interesting, but I’m not sure if I believe it or not. 29: Favorite movie? I can’t name just one. It’s way easier if I were to be asked, like... what my favorite comedy, horror, animated, etc. movie is. 30: Do you get scared easily? Yes! Not as much I used to get, but I still manage to get easily scared by little things. I torture myself by reading scary stories when I’m home alone. 31: How many pets have you own in your lifetime? Eight were officially ours—two fish, two rabbits, a guinea pig, a dog, and two cats. One cat is still alive and with my parents. Then there’s, like, a million feral cats around that neighborhood that love being around their house. 32: What is a color that calms you? Gray. 33: Where would you like to travel and/or live? I think I’m fine with where I live for now, but I’d like to travel to Iceland, Bolivia, Sweden, Norway, Denmark, Spain, Morocco, Egypt, Turkey, France, Romania, Ukraine, South Korea, Taiwan, and Japan. 34: Where were you born? Rome, Italy. 35: What is your eye color? Brown. 36: Introvert or extrovert? Introvert. 37: Do you believe in horoscopes and zodiacs? Not at all, but I do like reading the lists people come up with, like the zodiac signs as types of Pokémon or Greek gods or whatever. 38: Hugs or kisses? Hugs. 39: Who is someone you would like to see/visit right now? No one in mind. 40: Who is someone you love deeply? My husband. 41: Any piercings you want? Nah, I’m good. 42: Do you like tattoos and piercings? I do, but not on me. 43: Do you smoke or have you eiver done so? I have smoked, but I don’t regularly smoke. 44: Talk about your crush, if you have one! Uh... I’ll talk about a celebrity crush. He’s an annoying, bald Swedish dude who’s an exceptionally talented guitarist and music producer. Extra emphasis on the word ‘annoying.’ 45: What is a sound you really hate? Silverware scraping dishes, the vacuum, the blender, really heavy footsteps, the sound of vomiting, pots and pans clanking together. 46: A sound you really love? Rain, thunder, ocean waves, fire crackling, strong wind. 47: Can you do a backflip? Maybe. If I want a trip to the hospital right after, sure. 48: Can you do the splits? I can do a front split, but not a side split. 49: Favorite actor and/or actress? I don’t really have any. I mean, I have some I like and find attractive, but I don’t pay too much attention to them. 50: Favorite book? ”Death: A Life”  by George Pendle. 51: How are you feeling right now? Tired. I also still feel blah from that ramen I ate earlier. 52: What color would you like your hair to be right now? I’m fine with its natural color. 53: When did you feel happiest? Mm, probably when I got married this past Monday. 54: Something that calms you down? Usually laying down is enough for me. 55: Have any mental disorders? General anxiety and ADHD. 56: What does your URL mean? Bones made out of meringue. 57: What three words describe you the most? Mischievous, tired, creative. 58: Do you believe in evolution? Yes. 59: What makes you unfollow a blog? They haven’t updated in forever, they start reblogging too much fandom discourse, or they say some stupid offensive bullshit (e.g. racism, classism, homophobia, etc.). 60: What makes you follow a blog? They mostly post what I like seeing on my dash. 61: Favorite kind of person: ... Someone nice. Which I figure is what most people would say is their favorite kind of person. 62: Favorite animal(s): Rabbits, hares, bears, bats. 63: Name three of your favorite blogs. Let’s not. 64: Favorite emoticon: The ghost or pile of poop. 65: Favorite meme: Any Kermit or DW reaction image. 66: What is your MBTI personality type? INFJ. 67: What is your star sign? Cancer. 68: Can your dog roll over on command, if you have a dog? My dog’s dead and she never obeyed commands. She was way too hyper. 69: What outfit out of all your clothes do you like to wear the most? Plain black zip-up hoodie, random t-shirt tucked into a black tennis skirt, black thigh-high stockings, a pair of black/white low-top Vans. 70: Post a selfie or two? No. 71: Do you have platform shoes? I have a couple pairs of wedges, if that counts. 72: What is one random but interesting fact about yourself? I can walk backwards like Regan from The Exorcist. Now... can I do it on stairs? Probably not without breaking my neck. 73: Can you do a front flip? I can on a trampoline. 74: Do you like birds? Sure, they’re alright. I think puffins are super cute. 75: Do you like to swim? I do. 76: Is swimming or ice skating more fun to you? I’ve never gone ice skating, but I feel like I’d still answer with swimming. 77: Something you wish didn’t exist: Donald Trump. 78: Some thing you wish did exist: Fifty large sacks of money right in front of me. 79: Piercings you have? None. 80: Something you really enjoy doing: Sleeping and daydreaming. 81: Favorite person to talk to: My husband. 82: What was your first impression of Tumblr? I don’t remember. That was back in like 2010. Obviously I must have liked it enough if I’m still here. 83: How many followers do you have? Negative five. 84: Can you run a mile within ten minutes? I’m not sure. I could back in high school when we ran timed miles, but I weigh a bit more, so... Hm. Maybe not. 85: Do your socks always match? When I actually bother to wear them, yes. I hate mismatched socks. 86: Can you touch your toes and keep your legs straight completely? Ah, something I can do! Yes. 87: What are your birthstones? Ruby. I’m not sure if I have more than one... 88: If you were an animal, which one would you be? A shark, possibly. Or a hare. 89: If a flower could aesthetically represent you, what kind would it be? Black velvet petunia. 90: A store you hate? I don’t care enough. 91: How many cups of coffee can you drink in one day? Like two. Not much. I prefer tea. 92: Would you rather be able to fly or read minds? Fly. Reading minds would be shit with my anxiety. 93: Do you like to wear camo? Not really. 94: Winter or summer? Winter. 95: How long can you hold your breath for? I was bored and timed it right now. A minute and nine seconds. 96: Least favorite person? Any evil dictator. 97: Someone you look up to: My parents. [/cue ‘aww.’] 98: A store you love? Barnes and Noble. I can feel as if my wallet is mad at me every time I shop there. 99: Favorite type of shoes Vans. 100: Where do you live? The U.S. 101: Are you a vegetarian or vegan? If so, why? No, because I don’t want to be. 102: What is your favorite mineral or gem? Sapphires, rubies, azurite. 103: Do you drink milk? Sometimes. 104: Do you like bugs? Not really. 105: Do you like spiders? I like some... like the plush black spider on my bed. 106: Something you get paranoid about? The paranormal. 107: Can you draw?: I can. I even went to school and made a career out of it. 108: Nosiest question you have ever been asked? Anything very sexual, like related to kinks, fetishes, or whatever. 109: A question you hate being asked? I hate when I’m tired and someone asks if I’m okay, and then when I say that I am they say some stupid shit like, “Are you sure? You don’t look okay.”  110: Ever been bitten by a spider? YES. I still have a big scar behind my knee from being bit by one a long time ago. 111: Do you like the sound of waves at the beach? I do. 112: Do you prefer cloudy or sunny days? Cloudy. 113: Someone you’d like to kiss or cuddle right now: My husband. 114: Favorite cloud type: Google calls them cirrus clouds. 115: What color do you wish the sky was? Like naturally? Gray, all the time. Or maybe pastel purple all the time. 116: Do you have freckles? Nope. 117: Favorite thing about a person: I suppose the little traits and interests that make them wholly them. 118: Fruits or vegetables? Fruits.  119: Something you want to do right now: Take a shower. 120: Is the ocean or sky prettier? The ocean. 121: Sweet or sour foods? Sweet. 122: Bright or dim lights? Dim lights. 123: Do you believe in a certain magical creature? Kind of. I mean, there are parts of the Earth we’ve yet to explore, and we’re constantly finding new species every single year. Who’s to say something ‘magical’ doesn’t exist and it really isn’t magical? 124: Something you hate about Tumblr: Hive-mind mentality, especially when it comes down to someone being called out. 125: Something you love about Tumblr: There are so many things to pull inspiration from as an artist. Also the roleplay community is pretty sweet, depending on what fandom you join. 126: What do you think about the least? I’m not sure. 127: What would you want written on your tombstone? A curse of some sorts. 128: Who would you like to punch in the face right now? Why would I want to hurt my hand? Pass. 129: What is something you love but also hate about yourself? Hm... Maybe how much I care about certain people/things. 130: Do you smile with your teeth showing for pictures? Rarely. 131: Computer or TV? Computer. 132: Do you like roller coasters? They’re alright. 133: Do you get motion sickness or seasickness? I used to when I was a little kid, but not anymore. 134: Are your ears free or attached? They’re free, but barely. 135: Do you believe in karma? I’m not a buddhist, so no. 136: On a scale of 1-10, how attractive would you say you are? Maybe a 7. 137: What nicknames do you have/have had? I have too many. We’d be here all night. 138: Did you have any pretend or imaginary friends? I never did. 139: Have you ever seen a therapist/shrink? Not repeatedly. I saw one a couple times so they could diagnose me and give me meds that I don’t take, but that’s it. 140: Would you say you are a good or bad influence to others? Mostly good, I think. 141: Do you prefer giving or receiving gifts/help? Giving help, mainly because I hate the idea of receiving it in any way. I don’t like admitting I need help. As for gifts, I like both giving and receiving about equally. 142: What makes you angry?: A lot of things. 143: How many languages do you speak fluently? Honestly, one. Kind of sad. I can’t speak my native language fluently anymore. 144: Do you prefer boys, girls, and/or non-binaries? Boys. 145: Are you androgynous? No, I don’t think so. 146: Favorite physical thing about yourself: My hair and ass. 147: Favorite thing about your personality: My creativity. 148: Name three people you would like to talk to right now in person. I don’t want to. 149: If you could go back into time and live in one era, which would you choose? I wouldn’t. I’m fine reading about them. I don’t need to experience their pains. 150: Do you like BuzzFeed? I don’t really have an opinion about them. 151: How did you meet your spouse/girlfriend/boyfriend/partner? Short story, mutual friends. I’m too lazy to type out the long story. 152: Do you like to kiss others’ foreheads or hands for platonic reasons? Not really. I give a lot of nose and head kisses though. [EDIT] Okay, so earlier whenI took this survey my eyes just seemed to skip over the word ‘platonic.’ I don’t give platonic kisses. 153: Do you like to play with others’ hair? Nope. 154: What embarrasses you? Remembering embarrassing things I did like ten years ago and curling up into a ball. It’s an endless cycle. 155: Something that makes you nervous/anxious: Being out in public. 156: Biggest lie you have ever told: No idea. Maybe that I liked someone. Or that I was working on a project when I wasn’t. 157: How many people are you following? On my personal Tumblr, 956. I can’t follow anyone from this particular blog because it’s just a sideblog. 158: How many posts do you have on your blog(s)? I’m not going into my roleplay accounts because I don’t feel like signing in/out, so I’ll just do my main and sideblogs. Main (cyberpunk + fandoms) is 6,073. Cute sideblog is 2,194. Nature sideblog is 1,615. Reference sideblog is 212. Brown/tan aesthetic sideblog is 322. Then there’s two sideblogs I don’t know the aesthetic of, but one has 230 posts while the other has 110. 159: How many drafts do you have on your blog(s)? I don’t feel like looking anymore. 160: How many likes do you have on your blog(s)? 331 on my main. 161: Last time you cried and why: I don’t remember. 162: Do you have long or short hair? Very long hair. 163: Longest your hair has ever been: It’s currently the longest it’s been, and it’s about an inch above the base of my back. 164: Why do you like, dislike, or have neutral feelings about religion? In short, because I don’t care. 165: Do you really care how the universe and world was created? Not really. I mean, I think it’s interesting to read about, but I don’t care when it relates to religion. 166: Do you like to wear makeup? Sometimes. 167: Can you stand on your hands or head for more than thirty seconds? Probably not anymore. 168: Did you answer the questions you were asked truthfully? I did.

[oliviachiu-phys123]

Scientific Fact or Cinematic Fiction?

For the most part, people watch movies to be entertained and never really think about the how realistic or not certain scenes are. Of course, many of us watch certain genres to escape reality and pretend we are in the world of the film or video game passing our eyes. When we do know and pay attention to these things, we realize how unrealistic things pan out in terms of physics. In fact, there are plenty of movies, TV shows, and video games that constantly break the laws of physics. Falling is an example of physics that gets commonly broken quite often, and yet we can not always blame the writers and producers, especially in children’s movies. It is of course the matter of violence, death, and gore not being allowed in such genre, but also kids genres tend to be exaggerated anyways. However, this does not stop the realistic analysis of falling in this genre, namely in the movies Spirited Away and Frozen, and the TV series My Little Pony. These three animations have great examples of what would be realistically fatal falling, but the characters make it out alive anyways.

The Studio Ghibli animated film, Spirited Away, follows a young girl named Chihiro who winds up in a mysterious supernatural world. Along the way, she meets a variety of spirits while trying to set herself and her parents free by working for the witch. In one scene towards the last third of the movie, Chihiro and her friend Haku along with some animal friends, fall from the sky when Haku transforms from being a flying dragon back into human form. Their animal companions stayed attached to Chihiro’s shoulder until the moment Haku transforms, then they detach away from each other once they began to fall. This is technically incorrect according to air resistance, where the force of air acts on both objects falling and is negligible compared to the heavier weighted object. So realistically the fly and mouse would have been stuck on Chihiro the whole sequence as she and Haku free fell, since they weigh more than the animals and therefore block their air resistance. Miyazaki planned this scene to focus on the emotionally captivating moment between Chihiro and Haku, which makes sense to intentionally leave the animals out into the background during the majority of the fall. Although, most viewers probably do not actually realize or even know that this is physically incorrect.

Another animated movie that breaks the laws of falling is Disney’s Frozen, which came out a few years back and is currently considered to be one of the most popular movies of this era. This 3D animated movie features a relationship between two royal sisters, where one of them possesses magical abilities to control ice. Elsa, the older sister with the magical powers, runs away from the palace to escape the pressures of her duties as the crowned Queen. This led to her younger sister, Anna, to search after her with her friend/ love interest Kristoff and his reindeer, plus Olaf the snowman. During the search, they get chased by a large snow monster nicknamed, “Marshmallow”, which Elsa created to defend her self-built ice palace. During the chase, Anna and Kristoff end up at the edge of a cliff, where he corrects Anna about it being actually a 200 foot drop with 20 feet of fresh snow at the bottom. Let’s take Kristoff’s word for that being a 200 foot drop shall we? Just kidding, he is most likely incorrect in his guestimation anyways, but let’s delve into this one.

First off, Olaf should have just splat and blended into the snow since he is a snowman instead of landing almost like the full size humans next to him. Now let’s focus on Anna and Kristoff, where the rule of terminal velocity matters more for them since they are full grown human adults. Terminal velocity states that for a given size and shape, objects that weigh more have a higher terminal velocity as more air resistance is needed to balance the weight. Which explains why Olaf’s landing would not be as fatal compared to Anna and Kristoff’s, then again he could just recollect himself right afterwards and move on his merry way easily. Thanks to terminal velocity,  Anna and Kristoff would not have actually survived that drop, even with that fresh powder of snow. Even if they did survive after falling about at least 120 mph downwards, they would not have landed being able to get up and walk away without at least a good amount of physical damage.

The most unrealistic of all falls out of the three examples would have to be from My Little Pony, a show about a group of ponies who live in a world called “Equestria”, where ponies and other creatures roam. The group consists of six ponies united together in friendship, and go on adventures solving problems. In one episode, one of the main ponies, Fluttershy, recalls a memory of how she gained her cutie mark. This mark symbolizes the naturally given talent upon each pony. Fluttershy explains how she got knocked off a cloud in her hometown of Cloudsdale, and was sent soaring down into the Earth. While falling thousands of feet into what would have been her demise, a whole swarm of butterflies caught her just in time right before impact, thus gaining her cutie mark. Again, this is another example of the rule of terminal velocity being broken in an animation. Young foals weigh similarly to an average healthy adult, so we can safely assume that Fluttershy is falling at the same rate as a human would at terminal velocity. Unless those butterflies were made of some sort of dark matter, they are realistically not strong enough to withstand a weight of a pony, let alone a whole swarm of one for that matter. In reality, Fluttershy would have just landed straight through those butterflies and landed straight into a pit of death.

Animated movies and shows allow us viewers to dive into a world where absolutely anything could happen. This means defying the laws of physics in order to tell a story, especially in the topic of falling. As a result, characters in these shows must come out unscathed, otherwise we would be left with an unfinished plot and probably some sad children (and adults). Some unrealistic ways of falling are more subtle than others like in Spirited Away or even Frozen, and then there’s the obvious with My Little Pony. Either way, all these films and cartoons make us fall into a interesting place outside of reality.