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skinks · 4 years

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hi!!! what are your favourite movies? like actually good ones but also any trashy comfort movies? is IT (2017) one of them?

Hello!! IT (2017) IS ABSOLUTELY ONE OF THEM oh man, thank you for this, I love talking about movies!!!! This is possibly the most difficult question you could have asked me. Apologies for how absolutely off the rails this got, I just... love movies so much lmao

I’ve said this before, but opening night of IT ch1 was the best cinema experience I’ve ever had, I’m so glad I got to see it with a fully packed audience who were all laughing and screaming together the whole way through. I’m a huge fan of... everything ch1 was doing, the 80s nostalgia, the summer-coming-of-age themes, the solid ghost train funhouse JOY of the Pennywise performance and scares, the washed-out cinematography, the tiny background details to make everything that much more eerie, the kids’ ACTING?!

Like, a lot of the time I find child actors can be really awkward and stilted to watch, but I remember leaving the cinema really impressed by JDG and Sophia Lillis in particular. I liked that they were all allowed to be little shitheads with potty mouths, it felt like a callback to 80s movies like The Lost Boys or Stand By Me. The whole thing worked to make me really care about what happened to the kids (even if I do still have issues with how they handled Mike. I understand even ch1 had limitations with juggling so many characters, but still). I saw it another 2 times in the cinema and have rewatched it at least, I dunno, 7-10 more times since then?

Add to all of that the retroactive CANON R+E baby pining subplot? I just love it, as if that wasn’t obvious by now given my Whole Blog. It’s a really special movie to me!

Anyway!! Ok, the main handful of movies I rewatch all the fucking time are:

Back to the Future, The Lost Boys, Pride and Prejudice (2005), Jaws, Ferris Bueller’s Day Off, The Breakfast Club, Ocean’s 11, POTC 1, The Dark Knight, Inception, Die Hard, LOTR trilogy, Snatch, The Nice Guys, Logan Lucky, Mad Max Fury Road, Clueless, 10 Things I Hate About You, Billy Elliot, Dirty Dancing, Tomb Raider (2018)...

Those are the easily consumable ones that I’ve seen so many times I don’t really have to concentrate or think about them, but I really love them and unfortunately often KEEP rewatching them instead of new stuff. It would take too long to go into why I love all these movies so much because I could write the same amount as I already did for ITCH1, and everyone already knows why those movies are good, so, lol.

I think I’m gonna have to subdivide and categorise this whole post because there are too many separate criteria for... goOD MOVIES, AUUHH 😩

Okay so first off, HORROR MOVIES? I’m especially in love with Re-Animator (1985) and its sequel Bride of Re-Animator, they’re such good examples of camp and batshit 80s practical effects, and also EXTREMELY funny. I’m actually just gonna post my list of my fave horror movies that I do actually keep on my phone at all times lmao. These are in no particular order:

Wholeheartedly recommend every one of these. I’ve never been so scared in my life as I was watching Hereditary in the cinema, hoo boy. Mother! by Aronofsky is one of the strangest experiences I’ve ever had (and I actually saw it on the same day I saw IT ch1 for the first time!! That was a fun day)

Psycho (1960) and The Fly from 1986 should also be on there but I couldn’t fit them in the screenshot.

I’m a HUGE fan of a ton of martial arts movies too, like Kung Fu Hustle, Shaolin Soccer, Ip Man, The Raid movies, John Wick 3 is my fave of the trilogy, Drive from 1997 with Mark Dacascos is incredible, SPL 2, Ong-Bak, Operation Condor, Project A, Iron Monkey, and Zatoichi (2003) are some favourites.

My favourite Tarantino is Reservoir Dogs, fave Coen brothers are Raising Arizona, The Ballad of Buster Scruggs and O Brother Where Art Thou. Love some old-timey colour correction and weird offbeat dialogue. I also love Goodfellas!!! And Donnie Brasco! And The Firm, I’m so easy for any good crime/law/gangster/heist procedural like that, especially if they’re from the 80s or 90s in a super dated way.

Fave Disney movie is Tarzan, favourite Ghibli movies are Spirited Away and Lupin III. I remember watching Spirited Away during a thunderstorm one time and it being.... god! Transcendent! Favourite Pixar movie is The Incredibles (the first one. ALSO the documentary “The Pixar Story” is great and well worth a watch, it’s very comforting for some reason) and my favourite Dreamworks movies are HTTYD1 and Spirit: Stallion of the Cimmaron.

I tend to watch more anime movies than tv shows, so stuff like Akira, The Girl Who Leapt Through Time, Summer Wars, Journey to Agartha, and my ultimate fave anime is Sword of the Stranger (2008). The climactic fight in that movie is fucking stunning and should be counted in “bests fights” lists right alongside anything live action

Also if we’re talking animated movies another hearty favourite is Rango, and a Belgian stop-motion (which at one time I considered my favourite movie ever) called Panique Au Village (2009) which is one of the funniest movies ever made imo.

As for TRASHY movies, I’m not sure if that’s the right word for how I feel about these ones but.. dumb/silly/slightly guilty pleasure movies? Ones that I feel need some kind of justification lmfao

Troy - something u must know about me is that I’m a giant slut for the Assassin’s Creed franchise, so if a movie smashes historical and mythological nonsense together with fun costumes and sword fights, I’m gonna enjoy myself. Even if they should have made Achilles and Patroclus gay. Other movies in this vein are King Arthur: Legend of the Sword, and Immortals (2011)

Gods of Egypt - I know all the reasons this movie is whitewashed bullshit. But it was already bullshit with giant Anubis mecha and giant snakes and bad acting and ridiculous CGI and frankly I had a blast at the cinema (my friend who I forced to come with me did not have a blast. Sorry H***)

Avatar - yes, the one with the big blue people. This movie gets a lot of flack nowadays but I really do enjoy it just for the spectacle. The full CGI world technology was so new at the time and I love to wallow in the visuals and daydream about riding a cool dragon around in the jungle

George of the Jungle - I’ll defend this movie to the death ok this movie shaped me as a person, it is fucking hilarious and Brendan Fraser is the himbo to end all himbos. It’s perfect. The song Dela is perfect. I still want to write a reddie AU about it. It’s one of the best movies ever made and I’m not being ironic

Set It Up - I KNOW this is a dumb Netflix original romcom but consider this; it was funny and the leads had great chemistry. I got butterflies. I once watched it and then literally immediately set it back to the start so I could watch it again

The Brady Bunch Movie - when people talk about great satires or parodies you will see them bring up the same movies over and over again, Blazing Saddles, This Is Spinal Tap etc, but they never talk about The Brady Bunch Movie from 1995 for some reason, which they should. It is one of the funniest things I’ve ever seen and every time i watch it somehow it gets funnier

Some more general favourites that I do still love but don’t rewatch as often, and don’t wanna go into more detail about are:

Moon (2009), Crna Mačka Beli Mačor, The Sixth Sense, Parasite, The Handmaiden, Tremors, Wet Hot American Summer, Tucker and Dale vs Evil, What We Do In The Shadows, Hunt For the Wilderpeople, The Secret of My Success (I love kitschy 80s movies, is that obvious by now), The Green Mile, When Harry Met Sally, Rear Window, The Odd Couple, Breaking Away, Pan’s Labyrinth, To Kill A Mockingbird, The Eagle, Gladiator, The Artist, The Extraordinary Adventures of Adèle Blanc-Sec, Call Me By Your Name, Master and Commander, Pacific Rim, Kiss Kiss Bang Bang, Legend (1985), Emma. (2020), Flash Gordon, Trolljegeren, Hross í Oss, Beverly Hills Cop, Coming to America, WarGames, District 9, Ajeossi (2010), Tracks (2013), Sightseers, Mud (2012), Pitch Black, Four Lions, Shaun of the Dead, Starship Troopers, The Truman Show, Withnail & I....... Jesus Christ ok I need to stop

NOTABLE EXTREME FAVOURITES that I didn’t include in the regular rewatch list because they’re too heavy/not as well known/require more attention.:

Thin Red Line (1998), Badlands (1973) both dir. Terrence Malick

Malick’s brand of dreamy impressionistic filmmaking is something I find really appealing, both of these movies are gorgeous and unusual and poignant and, in the case of Thin Red Line at least, have a lot of things to say about a lot of rough subjects. I don’t totally understand all those things sometimes, but a theme with a lot of my favourite movies is that I’ll be more likely to love something long-term if it raises unanswered questions, or is surreal/esoteric etc. Plus the cinematography is incredible, and I wish there was a way to get Jim Caviezel’s narration from The Thin Red Line as an audiobook because it’s very poetic and soothing.

Let the Bullets Fly (2010) dir. Jiang Wen

This movie is WILD, it’s so much fun. It’s sprawling and intricate and epic and smart and really fucking funny, it! Has! Everything! A gang of very tolerant outlaws!! Jiang Wen’s beautiful broad chest!!! Chow Yun Fat absolutely DECIMATING the scenery, and the two of them outsmarting each other in order to gain control of a small Chinese town!!! Plus it’s long, but it packs so much nonsense and intrigue that it goes by really fast. Wow what a flick

A Field in England (2013) dir. Ben Wheatley

I know I included this in my horror list but aaaaahhh ahhhh Wheatley is one of my favourite directors (he also made Sightseers, and is directing the Tomb Raider sequel which makes me absolutely rabid.) This is a surreal black-and-white psychological horror black comedy set in the English Civil War about some deserters who may or may not meet the Devil in a field. People eat mushrooms. It’s bonkers. I love being blasted in the face with imagery that I don’t understand

Mandy (2018) dir. Panos Cosmatos

Speaking of being blasted in the face!!!!! This movie... I saw it in the cinema and I can’t even begin to explain the experience, but I’ll try. My favourite review site described it like this:

“...somewhere between a prog album cover come to life and a metal album cover come to life, and subscribes to both genre's artistic tendency towards maximalism: what it ends up being is basically naught else but two glorious hours of being pounded by bold colors...”

So, prog and metal are my two favourite genres of music. This movie opens with the quote “When I die, bury me deep, lay two speakers at my feet, put some headphones on my head and rock and roll me when I'm dead.” and then a King Crimson song, it is SURREAL to the nth degree, it’s violent and bizarre and Nic Cage forges a giant silver axe to destroy demonic bikers and there is a CHAINSAW DUEL. A galaxy swirls above a quarry. Multiple animated horror nightmare sequences. At one point a man says “you exude a cosmic darkness” and releases a live tiger. At another point Cage says, in a digitally deepened voice, “The psychotic drowns where the mystic swims. You’re drowning. I’m swimming.” and I haven’t stopped thinking about it for two years

Paper Moon (1973) dir. Peter Bogdanovich

Really fantastic movie set in the Great Depression (and also in black & white) about a conman and a little kid who may or may not be his daughter, running cons across the Midwest. It’s beautifully shot, so sharp and sweet and the progression of their dynamic is really well done because they’re played by an IRL father and daughter. Tatum O’Neal was NINE YEARS OLD and she’s so amazing in this movie she’s actually the youngest person to win a competitive category Oscar. I keep trying to get people to watch this fbdjfjdbf it’s wonderful

Alpha (2018) dir. Albert Hughes

THIS MOVIE IS A VICTIM OF BAD MARKETING ok, the trailers made it look like some twee crappy sentimental Boy And His Dog Adventure, plus it had voiceovers in American-accented english? That’s a total disservice to one of the coolest things about this film; the fact that they got a linguist to construct an entirely original Neolithic language that all the characters speak for the entire runtime. And yes, it is eventually a Boy And His Wolf adventure, but it’s COOL and fairly brutal, and it has some really incredible cinematography. The landscapes are so strange and barren and alien, you really get the sense that this is an ancient world we no longer have any connection to. And it’s also about like, the birth of dog & human companionship sooo it’s perfect.

Free Solo (2018) dir. Elizabeth Chai Vasarhelyi, Jimmy Chin

The Free Climbing Documentary. I loved climbing as a kid, I love outdoor sports, and I love movies that elicit a physical reaction in me, whether that’s horny, scared, real laughter, overwhelming shivers, or in the case of Free Solo - HORRIBLE SWEATING TENSION. Like, I knew about Alex Honnold beforehand because of this adventure film festival I go to every year and I followed him on IG so obviously I knew he lived, but the actual climb itself was torture. My hands sweat every time I see it!! It’s incredible, such a cool look into generally what the human body can do, and more specifically, why Honnold’s psychology and life means he’s so well suited to free soloing. It’s such an exercise in getting to know an individual and get invested in them, before they attempt something very potentially fatal.

Brokeback Mountain (2005) dir. Ang Lee

I can’t even talk about this. When I was around 13 I snuck downstairs to watch this on TV at 11pm in secret, and my life was forever changed. I wouldn’t be who I am if I hadn’t seen Brokeback at the age I did. I seriously can’t talk about this or I’ll write an even longer essay than this already is

God’s Own Country (2017) dir. Francis Lee

The antidote to Brokeback Mountain, I’m so glad I managed to see this one in the cinema too. It makes me cry every time, as someone who’s spent years working on a cold British farm with sheep it was very realistic, which is expected since Lee grew up on a farm in Yorkshire. I love that this movie isn’t really about being closeted, but about being so emotionally repressed and self-loathing that the main character finds it so hard to accept love. Or that he deserves to be loved. The cinnamontographies.... lordt... but also the intimacy and sex scenes are fucking searing wow who hasn’t seen this movie by now. 10 stars. 20 stars!!!

Tomboy (2011) dir. Céline Sciamma

I saw this years ago but I’ve never forgotten it, it cut so deep. It’s from the director of Portrait of a Lady on Fire and it’s about a gnc kid struggling with gender and misogyny and homophobia in a really raw, scrappy way, it reminded me very much of my own... childhood... ahh the central performance is amazing for such a young age. I haven’t seen Portrait yet but I feel like if you went nuts for that, you should definitely check this out, it’s lovely.

Donnie Darko (2001) dir. Richard Kelly

EVERY TIME I WATCH THIS MOVIE I UNDERSTAND LESS AND LESS and that’s what I love so much about it. I love surreal movies, I love time-fuckery and stuff about altered perception etc etc and Donnie Darko scratches all my itches. I wish I could find a way to figure out an IT AU for it, because I know it would work! Somehow! Plus it’s got the subdued 80s nostalgia and I found it at an age when I was really starting to explore movies and music and the soundtrack FUCKS.

Offside (2006) dir. Jafar Panahi

I wish more people knew about this!!! It’s an Iranian film about a disparate group of women and girls who are football fans and want to watch Iran’s qualifying match for the World Cup, but women aren’t allowed into the stadium, so they all get thrown into the Stadium Jail together? They don’t know each other beforehand, but it’s about their changing relationships with each other and the guards and just, their defiance alongside hearing the match from the outside and WOW it’s so lively. Great dialogue and very funny, and such a different kind of story from anything you usually see from Hollywood.

The Fall (2006) dir. Tarsem Singh

This movie... I guess it’s the ideal. This is the platonic ideal of a film for me, it has fantasy, magical realism, glorious visuals, amazing score and costumes and production design and a really interesting, heartbreaking relationship at the core of it. I don’t know why so many of my favourite films feature incredibly raw performances by child actors but this is another one, Catinca Untaru barely knew any English and improvised so much because of that, and it’s fascinating to watch! Also the dynamic with Lee Pace is one of my favourites, where a kid forms a friendship with a guardian figure who isn’t their parent, but the guardian grows to really care for them by the end. It’s like Paper Moon in that sense. What is there to even say about this movie, it’s pure magic joy tempered and countered by genuine gutwrenching emotional conflict in the real world, it’s also ABOUT old moviemaking, in a way, and it’s stunning to look at!

Mad Max Fury Road (2015) dir. George Miller

I know I included this in my “most rewatched” section but it deserves its own thing. We all know why this movie is fucking incredible. I remember clutching my armrests in the cinema and feeling like my skeleton was being blasted back into the seat behind me and tbh that is the high I’m constantly chasing when I go to see any movie. What a fucking gift this film is

Théo et Hugo dans le Même Bateau (2016) dir. Olivier Ducastel, Jacques Martineau

I only found this movie last year and it became an instant favourite. Initially I was just curious because I’d never seen a movie with unsimulated sex before, but it’s so much more than the 18 minute gay sex club orgy it opens with. No, not more than, AS WELL AS. The orgy is important because this movie is so candid and frank about sex and HIV treatment in the modern day, it was eye-opening. Another thing that really got me is that I’d never seen a real-time film before. It’s literally an hour and a half in the lives of these two men, their intense connection and conversation and conflict in the middle of the night in Paris, with some really nice night photography and just!!! Wow!!! AMAZING CHEMISTRY between the actors. This is such a gem if you’re comfortable with explicit sexual content.

Ok. This is already over 3k but film is obviously one of my ridiculous passions and I can and do talk about it for hours. I’ve been reading magazines about it for years, listening to podcasts and reading review blogs and recently, watching video essays on YouTube because the whole process is so interesting to me and I want to learn more!!

Recently I’ve been thinking a lot about the concept of valuing form over narrative. The idea that story can often come second to the deeper physical experience and emotional reaction that’s created by using ALL the elements of filmmaking and not just The Story, y’know? Whether that’s editing, shot composition, colour, the sound mix, the actors, how it should all be used to heighten the emotional state the script wants you to feel. And so, I think for a few years now this approach has been influencing the types of films I really, really love.

I think I love surreality and mind-bending magical realism in films specifically because the filmmakers have to use all those different tools to convey things that can be way too metaphysical for just... a script? I’m always chasing that physical response; if a movie can make me stop thinking “I wonder what it was like to set up that shot” and instead overwhelm that suspension of disbelief, if I can be terrified or woozy or crying for whatever reason, that’s what I’m looking for. That’s why I watch so many fuckin movies, and why I’ll always remember nights like seeing IT (2017) for giving me another favourite.

Thank you again for this question, I didn’t mean to go so overboard. Also there’s no way to do a readmore on tumblr mobile so apologies to anyone’s dashboard 😬

#long post #films #this is like bill hader being asked to pick his fave comedies and he gives a 4 page list #he has such good taste though ahhahbfhfhfhh lemme talk with him nonstop about movies while i ride him. thank you

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jolienjoyswriting · 4 years

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Electrical Disturbance, Ch. VI

Chapter 6 of "Electrical Disturbance," a Rockman (Dr. Chou Numbers universe) fan fiction story.

This story kind of went off-the-rails, but I think it ended up this way because I was tired of just doing slice-of-life stuff. It's still plenty saturated with that "boring" stuff, though, 'cause I can't help muh-self~

Word count: 2,918 – Character count: 17,270 Originally written: July 19th, 2020

Rumble at the Lab: Dr. Right vs. Dr. Wily! Who will claim victory in this fateful showdown?!

Rock/Rockman, Turboman, Roll, Rightot, Rush, “Rockman” series, and related characters and concepts created by various people and © Capcom Co, Ltd. "Dr. Chou Numbers" concept and related characters and concepts created by and © Jussy Kaitlin/Thundergirl created by and © KaitlinEXE

[ ↶ Prev. Story | ← Prev. Chapter | Next Chapter → | Next Story ↷]

To say that Kaitlin was a little upset as she stomped out of Right Labs, that morning, was an understatement. Her body was crackling with an aura of violent electricity and her eyes sparked with fury. “Kaitlin? What’s– auuhh–!!” The fox-man from before tried to run up to her, but her aura blasted him clear across the room and into the nearest piece of furniture! Then, as she stepped outside, she looked up into the sky, vengeful eyes looking for a rust-red dog or a sky-blue beam of energy. It would be the latter that made its way into her few, seconds later.

“Kaitlin! I–” “Shut up!” A loud crack of thunder boomed out from around her, making the windows of the nearby greenhouse and the lab rattle. “You killed my favorite brother, Rockman! Dr. Wily was right about you, all along!” “Kaitlin! Hold on!” “No! I’m not listening to anything you have t’ say!” Something unconsciously clicked in her systems. Without meaning to, she Quick-Changed into her battle armor. Even when she held one arm out toward the blue bomber, she didn’t seem to realize what had happened.

“My brother didn’t deserve t’ die!” she yelled, charging a powerful, sparkling attack in her hands. “I’m gonna make you pay!!” “Kaitlin, stop!” The girl narrowed her eyes as her vision turned yellow. Some statistics appeared in her field-of-view and a target locked onto Rockman… as well as something else. “What… what is that?” Her energy slowly dissipated as she took note of the gray thing Rockman had on his back. “I keep trying to tell you,” the boy-robot shouted, “I didn’t kill Turboman! I was really-really careful not to do any permanent damage!” “I don’t believe you– I don’t believe you!!” She channeled her energy down her arm, again, holding it in her palm. “This is a trick! Just like with Break-Blues!!” “Look, just… let me bring Turboman to Dr. Right, and–” “No!” She shook her head, closing her eyes. “Bring him to Dr. Wily!” “I… I can’t do that, Kaitlin…” “Why not?!” “I won’t let any more innocent robots get hurt…” Rockman turned his head with a frown. “Dr. Wily would probably throw him away…” “Dr. Wily would fix him, but you don’t wanna give him the chance because you’re selfish and evil! All of you are…! I–” “Kaitlin…” “What?!”

She narrowed her eyes, again, as Rockman gently set Turboman’s body down on the grass. From there, he stepped away and to the side, all-the-while never forgetting that any sudden moves might make the enraged girl in the purple beret attack him. “If you really want to fight me…” He looked up, his expression full of determination. “Then, let’s do this somewhere else – where no innocent people can get hurt. Okay?” “Shut up.”

The boy-hero’s eyes widened as she fired off a blast that crackled through the air. He was about to roll out of the way… until he noticed it zip right past him… and hit Turboman. “What did you do that for?!” he shouted. When he noticed the smirk on Kaitlin’s face… “Wait…” Rockman turned around, staring as Turboman’s body sparked and flickered. Then, all-at-once, the engine in his chest kicked on and he rolled back, springboarding up onto his feet. “Baby, baby, baby, awwooo!” he shouted as he spun around and struck a pose as his body glowed with energy. “I’m am turbo-charged and feelin’ fine!” “Huh, I guess you weren’t kiddin’ about goin’ easy on Turboman… Hey, Big Brother!” “Huh?” Turboman adjusted his sunglasses. “Well, hellooo, baby! Who’re you?” “It’s me, Turboman!” She waved with a bright smile. “Your fave little sis, Kaitlin!” “Kaitlin?” His engine rumbled. “Heeey, Baby-Sis! Long-time-no-see! Ah– there’s somethin’ different ‘bout you… Did you get your wig clipped?” “Dad gave me some upgrades!” She shot a small amount of electricity into the air. “I’m battle-ready and rarin’ t’ go, Fast Bro!” “Whoa…! That’s mondo cool, Baby-Sis! But, uh… where are we? Last thing I remember was– oh, hey. It’s you…”

Rockman blinked. Turboman’s eyes glowed from behind his sunglasses, almost as if trying to gaze through him. When he slid into a battle-pose, the boy-robot heard a noise from his other side. Kaitlin had walked closer and took a pose of her own, readying her electrical attacks in both hands and wearing a sinister smirk. It seemed like whether he wanted it or not… he was just a few seconds away from being double-teamed…

“Yo,” Turboman called to the blue-eyed boy. “That was most-uncool, the way ya stopped me from drivin’ all over Times Square, kiddo.” “You were causing a lot of traffic accidents, Turboman!” the boy in the blue suit argued. “Plus, you were driving inside all the shops! That’s really dangerous!” “You’re just jealous that you can’t be as cool as this hay-burner.” Turboman took another pose, revving his engine as he waggled his arms in a wave. Kaitlin cheered him on from the other side of the yard. “Yo, Baby-Sis!” “Yeah, Fast Bro?” “Let’s say we mess this clown up but good?” “Stoooop…!!”

All eyes turned back to the front door of Right Labs. Roll had run outside, screaming with a worried look on her face. Rightot followed close behind with his homemade howitzer. It seemed like he prepared to do whatever it took to stop the fight from happening. “If you hurt Rokkuman, das,” he shouted to Kaitlin, “then we are no longer friends!” “Fine by me,” Kaitlin said with a shrug. “Who wants t’ be friends with a fatso, anyway?” Massive tears formed in Rightot’s red eyes, on-the-spot. “Kaitlin-chan is so mean…!!” he shouted as he started crying. “Bwaaah…!” And just like that… the oversized lab assistant ran back inside, crying.

“Now, that was just plain uncalled for!” Roll scolded with a stern look. “What’s gotten into you, Kaitlin…? I thought we were friends?” “We were… ‘til I saw what your brother did to mine!” the girl-in-purple spat. “Now, if you’ll excuse me…” “Right on, Baby-Sis!” Turboman backflipped into Funny-Car Mode and revved his engines. “Let’s teach all these punks not to mess with Dr. Wily!”

The tension mounted in the area… Turboman was peeling out on the Rights’ front lawn and Kaitlin was charging a huge, overhead energy attack. Rockman wasn’t sure who would be the first to fire, but he knew one thing… He had to be ready for anything. “H-hey, hey, what’re you doin’?!” Including an untimely intervention by his little sister. Apparently.

“Kaitlin, don’t do what you’re thinking about doing!” Roll cried as she held onto the other girl’s waist. “I’ll do whatever I damn well please!” Kaitlin shouted back. “Including french-frying you, if ya don’t knock it off!” “I won’t let you hurt my Rock…!” “And, I won’t let you stop me!” “Gyaaah…!!” “Roll…!!”

Kaitlin had intended to use all the energy she was charging to attack Rockman. However, when it became apparent that Roll wasn’t letting go… she brought both hands down, grabbed the girl’s arms, and sent a huge surge of electrical energy into her body. Even so… Roll still refused to let go.

“Roll! Stop!” Rockman cried. “You’re only going to get your self– gyah!” While the boy-hero was distracted, Turboman released his break and sped right at Rock! There was a loud thump, followed by a noisy crash, as Rockman found himself tossed in the air and subsequently landed face-down on the ground. “Watch your back, speedbump!” Turboman mocked as he did a sharp turn. “And, stay outta my way!” Rockman instinctively fired a couple of shots at the charging vehicle-‘bot, but they bounced right off. A second later, he rolled out of the way and got back to his feet.

“The King of the Road rules this roost with speedy moves and speedier tactics!” Once Turboman spun around, he transformed back into his humanoid form and jumped into the air. “Time to make like rubber and burn, kid! Burning Wheel!” A quartet of flaming, petrol-soaked spheres spun around the tall, slender robot, gaining speed. When it finally cut loose, they went straight for Rockman. “Turboman, no…!” Who absorbed the entire attack, rather than let it hit the house.

“Rooock…!!” Rock screamed as the sticky fuel mix splashed and set him completely on fire. Watching this, Roll growled and trembled, her grip on Kaitlin’s mid-section tightening. “Let… me… go!” Kaitlin shouted, sending ever-more electricity into the other girl. “Rock…! H-hang on…!!” The brown-haired girl blinked. Something was happening… “Wh-what are you– ack.” All-at-once, her power stopped surging through the person who had grabbed her. She blinked, again, noticing the upside-down interior of the Right House, as well as the seemingly-anti-gravity fox-man standing with inside the open door. “She… she…” The fox sputtered a little… then he went wide-eyed. “Roll, you suplexed Kaitlin…?!” Roll turned to the side, letting go of her captive and shakily getting to her feet. “Yeah, I did!” She posed and winked. “Guess the doctor was wrong about us watching Pro Wrestling, huh?” “As cool as that was,” Joseph said with starry-eyed admiration, “I wish you hadn’t…” “She started it!” the blond-haired girl countered. “And, I’m gonna finish it! Rush!”

Kaitlin felt confused and embarrassed. How could she have let Roll throw her?! As she got back to her feet, she prepared another attack – this one meant specifically for her. However… “Power Roll: engage!” Roll had run outside and leaped into the air. Then, a bright flash of pink light engulfed the girl. When Kaitlin’s vision cleared… “Oh, shi–” She was subsequently hammered in the face by a white hand crackling with green energy. “Holy crap…!” Joseph gasped, going starry-eyed, again. “You look so cool, Roll…!” “H-hey, hey, hey…!” Kaitlin rubbed her face and glared at Joseph. “Whose boyfriend are you, anyway?!” The fox grew flustered. “U-um…” “Don’t listen to her, Joseph!” Roll shouted. “She doesn’t remember you!” “The hell I don’t!” The girl in purple got to her feet… only to get clobbered a second time. “Give me a minute, you blond bi–” And a third time.

“She’s not the Kaitlin we know-and-love, Joseph…” Roll said with an angry frown. “The Kaitlin I know would never use such foul language in front of a lady!” “Lady, you’re no lady!” Kaitlin jumped up and clapped her hands. “Which means there’s no reason to hold back!” “You want a piece of me, Sister Spark?!” “I want all’a you, Dog-Girl!” “Let’s go…!”

All hell broke loose outside of the Right House, that morning… On one side of the yard, Rockman was having a rematch with Turboman, fought at a significant disadvantage. Every time Turboman launched a Burning Wheel, he had to take the brunt of the damage and put out the fire before it reached anything important. He thanked his lucky stars for the Water Shield ability Pumpman had given him two days prior… even though he’d had to fight the mind-warped robot to get it. On the other side of the yard, Kaitlin and Roll were having a power battle. When Kaitlin swung an electrically-charged punch or made a surging kick at the blond-girl, she blocked it with her Rush Power Armor and took a swing of her own, staggering the high-voltage warrior. They were wearing each other down, slowly-but-surely, but it didn’t seem like either of them was going to stop until they were both down-for-the-count… Meanwhile, Joseph stood inside the doors of the Right House, staring with wide eyes and an open mouth. He’d seen the chaos that Wily’s robots caused on the television, before… but never had he actually been in the middle of such a struggle! Worst of all… three of his favorite people were involved. He had to do something… anything… to make it stop.

“Kyaaah!!” Kaitlin sent a powerful thunder-clap Roll’s way, throwing her through a tree and into the boughs of another. When the armored girl fell back down, she stood up… only to stumble and crash onto her hands-and-knees, panting. “Geez, Kaitlin…” She smirked with one eye closed, staring at the maniacal girl who was walking toward her. “How’d Elecman kick your butt, the other day? You’re really tough!” “Couldn’t tell ya…” The other girl grinned, tapping her head. “Amnesiac. Remember?” “No, I forgot,” Roll said with a tired laugh. A second later… “Ready to give up?” “That depends…” Kaitlin cracked her neck one way, then the other. “You?” “Not if it means Rock gets hurt…” Roll stood, staggering and putting up her fists. “Guess this means we’re not friends, anymore, huh…?” “That’s fine…” The other girl’s grin turned wicked. “You were kind’a clingy.” “Only ‘cause I like you!” “Hah, I knew it…” Again, Roll laughed. “Not like that, you silly…” And, again… Kaitlin smirked. “I know.” And then… “Hnnk–!” Something happened that neither girl was expecting.

“Joseph?!” “Joseph…”

Joseph had finally exited the building and, against his better judgment, contributed to the fray. He held, in both hands, a metal pole that had landed right across Kaitlin’s skull with a metallic clang. Even when she vengefully growled his name, he didn’t flinch.

“What the hell do you want?” she snarled, shoving the pole away and turning back. “I want the old Kaitlin back!” he shouted as he spun the polearm around. “The one that didn’t attack innocent, heroic robots like Rock and Roll!” “What would you know about bein’ a ‘hero?’ You back-attacked me!” Her eyes narrowed. “That’s a bitch move…” “I–” He paused, blinking. “Okay, you’re right. So… take a free shot at– faaah–!!” “Joseph!!” Without waiting for the invitation, Kaitlin threw the attack she’d originally charged for Roll right into Joseph’s face. “Idiot.” She spat on him as he lay there, holding his face and writhing. “Anyway–” “Kaitlin…!!” “What– fuh–!!” Just as it had with Breakman… time seemed to pause. Kaitlin had turned back around right as Roll threw a fully-charged Power Punch into her gut. However… “Fuuuuuhhh–!!” Instead of dying… she was sent flying!

“Joseph! Joseph! Are you alright?!” Roll ran over to the fox, kneeling beside him. She quickly held one of his hands while the other arm moved under his head, raising his upper-half. He’d stopped screaming, but his face looked… messy. “It hurrrts…! I can’t– I can’t see, Roll…!” he half-screamed, clearly panicking. “Kaitlin must have overloaded your eyes… oh, no…” She hugged the taller fox a little closer. “We’ll get you to the hospital as soon as we can!” “Wait!” Joseph blindly gripped Roll’s shoulder. “Where’s Kaitlin…?” “My best guess?” The girl grinned despite knowing he couldn’t see it. “Somewhere the next town over! I walloped her but good!” “Not good enough, Dog-Girl!” “Look out!”

Joseph blinked his blank eyes as he felt Roll effortlessly pick him up. He wasn’t sure, but he thought the two of them were flying…? He also heard the crackle of ball-lightning exploding behind him – which made his tail go tingly and frizzy with static. “What’s going on, Roll…?” “Hang on, Joseph… Time– time out, Kaitlin! Man down!!” “I don’t give a sh–”

Joseph yelped as he suddenly found himself rolling across some grass and pavement. His ears picked up on a loud swear coming from one girl, as well as a pained cry come from the other. He got to his feet, his ears swiveling… “Roll? Roll!” he called. “This armor’s pretty strong… but tell me… How well is it grounded?!” “Roll…?!” The fox didn’t know what was going on. All he could hear was what sounded like powerful energy snapping and popping, as well as a loud, piercing scream that made his fur bristle. Even without seeing it… he got a pretty good idea of what was happening.

And, it was absolutely horrible…

Rockman and Turboman became momentarily distracted from their semi-one-sided melee, the two watching what their respective sisters were up to. Roll was screaming in complete agony while Kaitlin stood over her, both hands on the crystals of her Rush Power Armor, both girls violently flashing and crackling… “Roll!!” “At’a girl, Baby-Sis!” Wave-after-wave of electricity poured into the canine armor and clear through to the girl wearing it, sending a previously-unknown amount of pain all through her sensors. Just like when Elecman did the same thing to Kaitlin several days prior, Roll’s sensors all lit up with warnings and panic lights, and her body writhed uncontrollably! She could feel her systems starting to fail and, what was worse, she could feel Rush starting to fade. If she didn’t do something soon… they would both die at the hands of someone they loved…

“Kaitlin, stop!!” The brunette blinked. Somehow, Joseph had found his way over and put her into a weak headlock of sorts. “You want some juice, too? Well, then…” Roll gasped. “Kaitlin, no!” “Drink up!!” The blond-haired girl watched, horrified, as Kaitlin put one hand on Joseph’s head. Her wide-eyes shimmered with sorrow and started to cry as the fox screamed out with the pain that, up to that point, was meant for her. She was a robot… she could handle a bit of electricity. Joseph, though… he was organic. That much electricity… even half of it… would be enough to seriously hurt him – if not outright kill him! She had to do something – fast!

“No… no! Nooooo– raaaaah…!!” Roll let loose a primal shout and charged what little energy she had left. “Roll! Nooooo…!!” Her brother screamed, realizing what she was about to do. And then, Roll shouted… “Double Power Punch!!”

With that final act of courage… the fight was over.

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