#JUST HIGH ENERGY FISTICUFFS

[silvadour]

[sidecharactersdomatter]

Thoughts I had during TGCF S2 Ep 6

Previously on TGCF…

This is gonna be epic!!!

Cw: Past homicide

-That’s Yong’An in its heyday 

-Sparrows

-Fang Xin

-It’s Qianqiu’s assistant from Eps 1-2!

-Young Qianqiu is literally me in my Freshman year of High School during the first semester

-His butterfly shaped mask

-Writing the Laozi 10 times has the energy of making a kid stay in class and write a sentence over and over on the chalkboard till they’ve learned their lesson (Literally every Simpsons opening)

-He doubled it

-Imagine if Piandao talked to Sokka like that when beginning his sword training

-Man wonder who voices Young!Qianqiu?

-I mean the move could also get you hurt if you’re careless

-This is the Ancient Chinese version of the trolley problem, same analogy though

-I like to think this advice was taught to Zuko and Sokka when they were learning swordsmanship

-See, trolley problem esque

-Good advice to not intervene

-More dead bodies

-Oh no and that was his Dad

-That’s when the survivor’s guilt set in

-I can see why Xie Lian and Hua Cheng are perfect for each other, they both have a freaking high kill count

-Just like when Bruce Wayne lost his parents

-What did he say?

-He’s not a monster

-That was during his second ascenscion

-That’s gonna be a bad outcome

-“I wish to be stripped of my divinity” Literally every fangirl’s brain drifted to something else when he said that.  Just look at Kictor and Stitch

-Doesn’t seem like he earned it at all

-He just wants to get out of the drama

-If there was a modern AU, you know Shi Qingxuan would make an awesome and wealthy defense attorney

-There’s the Amongus quote

-Dang no answer

-There’s Prosecutor Pei Ming, that’s a good nickname.

-He made a solid point

-That’s the result of the Fang Xin trial with XL on house arrest and a restraining order from Taihua

-He made another enemy

-Aaaa pickle jar, better believe it Qingxuan

-How is she going to get air???

-That upset Qingxuan, Feng Xin, and Mu Qing

-The interior looks hollow in Xie Lian’s palace

-That’s coming out of Qingxuan’s pockets

-He deserves the apology hun

-He’s doing it, he’s doing the iconic old time Put your head between your arms against a flat surface like a Disney Princess!

-He still has the dice

-It’s snake eyes!

-Hi Mu Qing

-Stick it to Jun Wu, Mu Qing

-I know right, it did NOT seem like a healing spell at all

-Wonder if I can conceptualize a similar healing potion for TOH MTC…?

-You just had to ask him that didn’t you?

-Hi Feng Xin

-A guest who invited himself inside

-Welp he really was honest

-Seriously, Mu Qing you couldn’t have felt bad for his house arrest

-Xie Lian’s trying to mediate again

-Mu Qing’s response had bite to it

-One Punch!!!

-Fist Fight!  Fist Fight!

-“You’re a hypocrite, you’ve always looked down on me, but you’re not better than I am!!!”  Oh my gods, Lucien Dodge freaking delivered!!!

-“Enough…” Oh man, Xie Lian’s emotions

-The Junior Officials witnessing the Generals fisticuffs:

Feng Xin!  Feng Xin!  Feng Xin!

Mu Qing!  Mu Qing!  Mu Qing!

-“Did it really have to come to violence?” Yeah it pretty much did. - Iroh, dragon of the West, the Waterbending scroll

-Mu Qing: Fine I’ll break your face

Feng Xin: Not if I break yours first!  It’s too late to beg for mercy!  

That’s what I translated to the best of my skills during Xie Lian’s internal monologue

-He’s like a parent that’s disappointed with his two kids constantly at odd

-Don’t worry, hon what’s really gonna help them is Couples’ therapy, and I’d hate to be that therapist

-A dramatic sound effect!

-I can’t wait to write the Gaang’s reaction to the Wraith Butterflies

-That was a cool shield spell

-I love how the butterflies are easily dodging Xie Lian, but are charging toward Mu Qing and Feng Xin to scare the sh*t outta them

-He’s gonna hold one of the butterflies, he’s holding one of the butterflies, yeah too late man AND HE’S NUZZLING THE WINGTIPS WITH HIS NOSE Cue keyboard smash! WAE TESDHGFYFJ. RYGJ GUFTDRSSDFAEGRRESVGTGTRS DFGSTRWG EIEEEIIIIIIIEEEEEE!!! I always love this joke, no matter how old it’s gonna get in my reaction posts.

-Yeah he’s just going

-The real reason this episode took so long to air last year was that the animators had to get the waist snatch scene past censorship to spite their censor companies for not having Xie Lian fall into Hua Cheng’s lap in Eps 4-5.

-Xie Lian: Hello Again, Literally me: HAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHH! (This is the same noise Eleanor Shellstrop made when she was gifted a Shrimp Dispenser in The Good Place)

-They’re just backing up

-You two had one job!  Looking at you Feng Xin and Mu Qing!  I see ya

-He’s just tugging his sleeve as they’re walking

-Man, it’s like Hua Cheng took Little John’s advice from Robin Hood 1973 to “Climb the palace walls.  *Tosses out Gross Carrot* Sweep him off his feet, carry him off in style.” - Little John, Disney Robin Hood (1973) (Best Disney film hands down, freaking fight me if you dare)

-That must’ve hurt his ears

-Y’all had one job

-Feng Xin is just worried

-*Hua Cheng has entered the chat*  Like a goat!

-The subtle eye contact and expression he shared with Xie Lian!

-Some of the 33 gods he defeated are also in the chat

-That shook the veils

-Won’t that be pain in his mind?

-Looks like he saved you yeah

-A flashback from Ep 5!

-Touchstarved!  Touchstarved!  (Try prying this headcanon from my cold dead grip!)

-And here you’re about to see Howard Wang’s best performance in the series so far

-Best apology I’ve ever heard in media

-It healed that fast

-Petition to have James Cheek voice an iconic lead character in a Shakespeare play?

-Aw, they were actually both at fault for what happened

-You can actually feel Hua Cheng’s Shame

-E Ming: Noooo…. You hurt him!  I hurt him!  We hurt him! AAAHHH!  *sobs*

Season 2 has fed us once more!  I’m still busy with writing the Scrap Immortal and the Avatar.  For writing inspiration, I’ll be busy rewatching Avatar:  The Last Airbender

[spidori]

Hey. Didn't Kurama kinda... Die?

It's a bit of an open question what dying entails for a creature consisting of consciousness imprinted on the life-energy that is chakra, but I'd say what he went through probably counts. I mean, he took the life-energy that he's literally made up of, smashed it into Naruto's life-energy hard enough to perform spirit-particle-physics, and used the new and exciting types of chakra this pseudo-quantum annihilation of their life-energy spat out to power some (admittedly pretty devastating) fisticuffs. It's literally called 'Baryon Mode,' as in it's named after a type of subatomic particle, like the type you would get smashing atoms together in particle accelerators in our world.

That must have produced some really interesting types of chakra, huh? Especially since the technique was still a bit rough, what with it being the first time Kurama was actually using the technique as opposed to just theorizing how it would work. It must have been like some of the first nuclear fission and fusion prototype experiments, where you don't know all the things you have to look out for yet so you just kinda wing it, but also use every safety protocol you can think of. Except they were pulling this out in the middle of a life-or-death fight so strike the safety protocols. That type of winging it must have produced some wild kinds of life-energy-particle byproducts, maybe even some life-energy-anti-particles...

Anyway, back from that tangent to what I was talking about. Kurama knowingly paid his own life- literally smashed the substance of his being into exotic high-energy spirit-particle soup, one piece of himself at a time, to provide fuel- sustaining total focus throughout the entirety of what must have been an extremely painful and emotional process through his absolute will to help protect his friend and their village. Something which he succeeded at in the moment, but did so knowing that other dangers would come for his friend and village, and that his job wasn't truly finished...

He's totally coming back as a ghost, isn't he?

Specifically, I bet the once beast of destruction would form as a protection spirit of all things, although he'd probably refuse to admit it.

So, please imagine, recently-formed ghost!Kurama, floating around the Zone while trying to get his bearings. He's used to working with/being composed of spiritual energy- and has been shown to have a pretty high-level understanding of spirit-energy quantum physics to even come up with Baryon Mode in the first place- so he probably gets the hang of it pretty quick. Maybe he decides he wants try to go back, see his partner again. Who's gonna stop him? You, floating eye-ball things? Hah! *Beast-bomb's repeatedly* He thinks the hell not!

And, oh look! A conveniently open portal back to the world of the living! Just gonna walk right on through that, find the nearest ninja village, and get directions back to the Leaf to check in on his friend.

Except this place looks less like a ninja village and more like a lab. It's not like any of the labs he's seen on infiltrate-and-decommission missions with Naruto either. The tech is all wrong! Some of it is way too advanced, other tools and techniques which he knows are absolutely basic standards (like seals for example) are missing entirely, and everything is absolutely saturated with anti-chakra to the point where he almost can't feel the difference from the world literally made of the stuff he just left! Something is deeply off about this place, it's like a whole different world from the one he died in.

The child attacking him is a point of familiarity though.

Eh, he'll cut the kid some slack. They're obviously in the kid's village after all, judging by all the buildings around when he phases through the roof with the kid hot on his tails, and Kurama has learned to admire the kind of spunk that it takes to so immediately put oneself in between a threat and its target. He'll even do the kid the favor of trying not to do too much property damage while they fight, since it quickly becomes obvious the kid is set on trying to chase him down. Seems he'll have to rough the kid up a bit before he can go exploring...

Ok, maybe he'll actually have to exert himself a bit. The kid is at least as durable as a Hidden Stone shinobi...

Ok, maybe he's going to have to actually try. The kid is taking everything he can put out- at least while still avoiding doing 'major' property damage- without budging, and then hitting back just as hard. That last punch even managed to stun him for a mome- shit! Is that some kind of Sealing Device!?

NO! NO! NO! NO! NO! He is NOT getting sealed in some random person to be used as a Sage-Damned BATTERY again! He's NOT! He's absolutely N- DAMN IT!

Now he's gonna be shoved into some new random kid who's been brainwashed to think it's his duty to shackle the beast. Both of them used as nothing more than weapons until the chakra he leaks like a sieve when he's trying to contain it- and flows in a deluge when he isn't- slowly melts the poor bastard's soul. And it won't stop until they either rip him out- and kill the ex-host in the process due to traumatic soul injury- or until the probably blameless child is left a withered husk. Either way, his reputation as nothing more than a dangerous but powerful weapon, suitable only to be pointed at another bunch of 'enemies' and forced to rampage, will only be further cemented. He can't do that to another kid any more! Or another village full of civilians! He CA-

???

He's back in the place from before? The one from before he went through the portal? Completely free?

The kid just? RELEASED him? Just like that?

This calls for some recon to figure out what the kid's deal is, sneaky ninja style instead of rampaging beast style. Don't look at him like that! He spent long enough with Naruto to see the value of sneakiness as an option (mostly because Naruto couldn't manage subtle if it would save his entire village and Kurama saw how many headaches that caused for his advisors). Not to mention, he IS a Nine-Tailed fox spirit. He's got the cunning to learn and adapt.

One-and-a-half extended recon sessions later, and Kurama comes to a realization™. This is a teenager, yes. One with way too much power in his deceptively young frame. One who will take one look at someone in trouble, ask "is anyone gonna' help out with that?" and then not wait for an answer before devoting their entire soul to saving the person no matter who they are. One who's taken the responsibility for protecting their entire village onto shoulders which seem far too small to carry such a burden at all, much less so effectively. He's even all tied up with Clones for sage's sake!

It's like looking at a younger Naruto in far too many ways for him to just dismiss.

Kurama can't believe he somehow stumbled into another one! He also can't admit to himself that he's already decided to take the boy under his wing and pass on all those lessons he picked up by watching Naruto successfully lead a village for over a decade. Not that never admitting it will stop him from doing so, he'll just insist that it's for purely selfish reasons the entire time. Yeah! He's just getting the kid to trust him so he can eventually pump him for information on who's in charge and who can help him get back to his home dimension for a visit.

That's totally all this is...

Totally...

@hdgnj @babbling-babull @evilminji @nerdpoe @lolottes @freedomanddisorder @resetium @stargazer-luna

[satoshi-mochida]

Dragon Ball: Sparking! ZERO ‘Power vs. Speed’ trailer and gameplay showcase; new systems and 11 new characters announced

From Gematsu

Publisher Bandai Namco and developer Spike Chunsoft have released a new trailer and 13-minute gameplay showcase video for Dragon Ball: Sparking! ZERO, introducing new and returning gameplay elements and 11 new playable characters. The newly confirmed characters include:

Burter

Dyspo

Hit

Jeice

Kakunsa

Master Roshi, Max Power

Nappa

Super Saiyan Broly (Full Power)

Super Saiyan Kale (Berserk)

Super Trunks

Toppo

Elements that the Budokai Tenkaichi series is known for are back and enhanced in Dragon Ball: Sparking! ZERO, and evolved features such as “Skill Count,” “Revenge Counter,” and “Vanishing Assaults” have been added. Here are the details, via producer Jun Furutani:

“Because this game is a genuine sequel and evolution of the series, one of our goals was to preserve the essence of what made the Budokai Tenkaichi series so popular: an enjoyable, dynamic 3D-action battle experience that deeply captures the elements of Dragon Ball. “To do so, in addition to close-range attacks with rush attacks and combos, we kept battle systems such as the Dragon Dash, which enables high-speed movement, the iconic counter system that fans know and love, as well as the ‘Impact Action,’ which allows intense fisticuffs or the exchange of energy blasts. “We have also paid attention to the graphic aspects so that you can enjoy not only the challenge of the battles themselves, but also the fun of just watching battles. “Ultimate Blast is one of the references in terms of stunning effects that can only be achieved on the current generation of consoles. I hope you will feel as stunned as I am by the dynamism and intensity of the Dragon Ball-like battles we have created in this game. “So far I’ve been talking about the elements that we value in the series, but I’d like to take this opportunity to go a bit more into detail on the new features as well. “As I said before, the game keeps the core mechanics of the series, but after some considerations we’ve tweaked some and added new ones to better express the high-speed and authentic battles unique to the Dragon Ball action. Let’s break down four of them in detail using the battle video shown earlier. “One of the biggest changes was to boost the normal movement, making it as fast as the dash in the previous title, and to allow a short dash that lets you move at lightning speed with a button that used to be for dashing. This change opens up more possibilities for movement, attacks on the go, and even more complex actions. In fact, you can perform various actions to suit your style, such as dodging an opponent’s attack with a short dash, unleashing a charged attack, or even a Ki Blast while moving, or linking to a Dragon Dash to pull off a huge move in one go. “Besides the basic actions, this new entry also introduces actions using ‘Skill Count’ that builds up over time during battle. ‘Revenge Counter,’ which lets you strike back while absorbing an opponent’s attack, is an action that enables high-speed attack and defense that are unique to Dragon Ball, as seen in the original story, where characters launch an attack even while being hit. “‘Super Perception,’ a counter command that lets you counterattack in anticipation of various attacks—even Ki Wave types of blasts. Both can only be triggered when you have enough ‘Skill Count,’ and this new element expands the choices you have in the fight and makes the game more fun, while enjoying the distinctive elements from Dragon Ball. “Last but not least, we’ve added a new action using Ki called ‘Vanishing Assaults’ that lets you approach an opponent instantly and swoop in. I’m sure you’ll love this new option at mid-range, where it’s hard to choose whether to attack from afar or get up close and personal. “We believe these new features will make the battles more Dragon Ball-like and more strategic.”

Dragon Ball: Sparking! ZERO is in development for PlayStation 5, Xbox Series, and PC (Steam). A release date has yet to be announced.

Watch the new trailer and gameplay showcase below. View a new set of screenshots at the gallery.

Power Vs. Speed Trailer

English

Gameplay Showcase

English

Japanese

[puppyluver256]

[Image Description: A fam-made Pokemon meant to be a fighting-type evolution to the Pokemon Eevee. It resembles a bipedal Eevee--a tan fox-like creature with big brown eyes, a ruff of cream-colored fur around its neck, and a large fluffy tail with cream-colored fur at the tip. There are beige bandage-like materials around its wrists, calfs, and waist, and its upper legs resemble light brown martial artists' pants. It has its front paws up and its legs in a fighting stance. Red text outlined in maroon to the top left of the image reads "Brawleon". End ID.]

-----

Brawleon - Fisticuffs Pokemon - fighting Brawleon is considered the closest to an unevolved Eevee compared to any other form it can evolve into, sharing coloration and some basic features. Its genetic code is much more stable than Eevee’s, though it is able to adapt to its circumstances in different ways. / Its unique upright position allows for a wider range of motion, making it capable of utilizing all kinds of martial arts. Brawleon are high-energy Pokemon that enjoy lots of physical exercise, so Trainers should be sure they have the lifestyle to accommodate this.

More Cantessy Fakemon and the last of my Eeveelutions! I decided I wanted Brawleon here to kinda fit the niche that most people tend to make a normal-type Eeveelution from, in that they just make Big Eevee, but with a twist. Brawleon isn't just Big Eevee, but is Big Eevee That Took Karate Lessons, hehe. And yeah, I know Brawleon is kind of an easy grab name for fighting-type Eeveelutions, but I um...I only realized that after XD

Like all my Eeveelutions, Brawleon evolves via high friendship while knowing a new Eevee-exclusive attack, specifically Punchy Pow.

Reminder that if anyone wants to suggest moves for any Cantessy Fakemon to learn and some physical stats where I haven’t yet figured them out, feel free to throw ‘em at me :3 Links to their info pages will be provided in the replies!

💖🐶 Check out my pinned post for ways to support my artwork, among other things! 🐶💖

~If you like, please reblog to show your friends! Likes are appreciated, but reblogs let more people see my content! If you have something to say, feel free to give feedback in tags/comments/replies as well!~

Pokemon and related concepts © Nintendo/GameFreak Brawleon, the Cantessy region, and artwork © PuppyLuver Studios

[pollylynn]

Entzuterre—A Season 1 Caskett One-Shot

Title: Entzuterre WC: 1200 A/N: Set pretty early in Season 1. No “Tell Me More” tonight, so I dashed this off. 

Entzuterre (Basque) — A distance that allows you to listen to another conversation

He doesn’t know her. This is her unshakable creed. The rest of them, from the Captain on down to Lanie, of all people, can all fall for his cheap carnie tricks.They can ooh and ahh and look around the circle, shaking their heads and asking one another How could he have possibly known that? That’s their prerogative. But he does not know—will never know—her. 

But on the subject of carnie tricks, if she were inclined to bother with him—and she is not at all inclined to bother with him—she’d make sure he was within earshot, then she would tick off all the obvious ways he could have known whatever the that  of the hour is. She’d be happy to remind them that they might be homicide cops—or homicide cop–adjacent, in Lanie’s case—but they’re not supposed to let any old crime just slip on by. They’re not supposed to be encouraging  grifters and charlatans. They’re definitely not supposed to suddenly turn into a collection of especially credulous yokels for nothing more than the thrill that apparently comes with being sized up by the great author. 

But she doesn’t bother with him, so everyone in and around the precinct goes merrily on, unenlightened about his shoulder surfing, his trash-can diving, his completely out-in-the-open snooping and eavesdropping, to say nothing of his fishing expeditions around that damned espresso machine. He’s turned them all into such chatterboxes, about themselves, about everyone else, that he hardly even has to exert his cold reading skills with any of them. 

He saves those for her. That’s what he seems to think, anyway. He scopes out some detail the he’s sure is significant—he’s sure it’s downright revelatory—and he hits her with it. He homes in on what she’s wearing, how she moves, what she’s muttering under her breath, and with a flourish, he speaks to her as an authority on . . . her.  It’s pure provocation, and she doesn’t have the time or energy to waste on him, so she doesn’t react. She is a pointedly blank slate at all times, and if she were bothering with him at all (she is not bothering with him at all), she’d be positively giddy thinking about how badly it must frustrate him. 

He’s annoyingly good at hiding it—the frustration he must feel every time he swings and misses in his strange game of one. He doesn’t know her. He doesn’t know a thing about her, and he wants to. Badly. So he must be frustrated, right? He only looks like a golden retriever who could not be more excited to be working on a particularly complicated kong puzzle filled with frozen peanut butter every time one of his pronouncements falls flat. And his jaunty I’m mulling things whistle must be a sad attempt to disguise how much he wants to scream at how unknowable she is. 

It has to be what the highly irritating whistle must be hiding as he shoves his hands in his pockets and stretches up on his toes in a vain attempt to see over the top of the chaotic scene inside Ruby’s. She doesn’t actually care at the moment  if that’s what it’s hiding—or if it’s hiding anything at all. She’s starving and it was an insane idea to try to get a table here during the lunch rush. 

It was his insane idea, and there’s another swing and a miss for him. He seems to have dumpster-dived his way into the information that Ruby’s ranks high on her list—or a certain traitor, who probably either has a way with a scalpel or an impressive collection of sweater vests might have clued him that she likes to come here and linger over the Ragu and a glass of red as she gets in some quality people watching. But it’s strictly a geriatrically early dinner or  lucking into a table in the minutes before the kitchen closes kind of place. It’s laughable that he thought they’d waltz in for lunch. But then again, he is nothing if not laughable. 

“This is stupid,” she snarls, and if she’s very, very lucky, her voice might have carried just enough to cover the fearsome growling of her stomach. “Castle!” 

He doesn’t hear her. Or he’s ignoring her. Or he’s . . . too distracted by the woman making a beeline for him, squealing his name on one long, ascending note as she launches herself into his arms. “Riiiiickkkyy!” 

She can’t catch the woman’s name over the din. She should know it anyway—she’s the manager, and Kate has crossed paths with the woman a hundred times. It’s excruciating that she doesn’t know her name. And the possibility that she knows Kate’s is absolutely paralyzing. She wonders if she’d still be hungry and cranky to the point of murderous if the floor opened up and swallowed her whole right now. 

Since the floor doesn’t seem inclined to oblige, she’s thinking of bailing. Castle and the woman whose name she should definitely know are deep in conversation. It’s low and intense, and she has no idea how the two of them can possibly hear one another in the midst of this madhouse. In any case, it’s clear she won’t be missed. She’s on the actual verge of bailing when a burger walks by her—supported by a human, presumably, though she wouldn’t know. She only has eyes for the crisp golden fries accompanying it. There’s a mad moment when she’s thinking of swiping it, plate and all, and disappearing into the seething mass of bodies that is SoHo during the lunch rush. 

But with some kind of sixth sense—without even looking—he reaches back and takes hold of the elbow of her coat. He holds fast, and there’s no way she’s getting out of here without resorting to fisticuffs. The woman who hasn’t seen Ricky in ages is pointing to one table. Castle is pointing to another. The woman’s brow wrinkles, but she marches toward the second table with a sense of purpose. The deadbeat twenty-somethings who’ve been holding it down rise before she even gets there. They dissolve into the ether or something, and suddenly the table being cleared and reset.

Suddenly he’s ushering her over to it and pulling out her chair. She’s so stunned by the events of the last ninety seconds that she doesn’t even think to object. She doesn’t think to do anything at all other than look from him to the manager and back again. 

He’s thanking the woman. He’s gesturing to her—to Kate—and saying something about the table, about its perfection And the damnable thing is perfect. Annoyingly enough, it’s just the table she would have chosen, and he knows that. He fucking knows it. And just so she knows that he knows that she knows that he knows it, he catches her eye. 

“Really, Jeanette, it’s perfect. The Detective”—he winks at her as her title curls its way out of his mouth as thought he formality hides a million intimacies between the two of them—“she’s a bit of a people watcher.” 

He fucking winks. 

A/N: Castle Puppeh likes the very challenging kong puzzles, FOR SURE. 

[ellie-reacts]

The Vampire Diaries s1 e11

- how far is stefan’s house from elena’s? cuz she’s on some back country roads rn

- uh oh car cwash 

- uh oh cweature with reforming bones oh no

- damon my dude that you?

- uh no it wasn’t damon but damon is now here and man actually knows how to get child out of crashed car so good for him

- please bring her to the er she is covered in some #cuts 

- “i look like her”, said in a broken voice, and then she passes out. kinda funny but also i see how it would be heart breaking 

- alaric are you also running a blog? let’s go bud, blog buddies

- LIGHTING CHANGE TO CHANGE THE SCENE

- good song choice. a bop. “the stars the moon” 

- ricky’s got wife trauma

- damon how long have you just been driving elena into the middle of nowhere. damon she needs medical attention, she doesn’t need to go to GEORGIA

- no one needs to go to georgia

- damon she’s literally still got blood on her forehead. dude. take better care of your crush

- “I could very easily make you... agreeable” THE COMPULSION IN THIS WORLD NEEDS TO BE HEAVILY REVISED ON HOW IT IS HANDLED YOU MOTHER FUCKERS

- “step away from your life for five minutes” damon, she’s got family. jenna’s gonna get cps called on her because of you

- stefan you could just come out and say from the beginning that elena is mia w/ damon but instead you had to drag it out all dramatic-like

- “yes today we will do magic in the central courtyard at our high school. nothing bad could possibly come from this” 

- damon’s lil bite or emily’s possession fucked up bonnie’s magic and she’s only noticing now 

- my cat is curled up with her paw over her nose 

- elena, shell shocked as damon and the bartender start making out: 

  me, sitting here watching as well: yeah that’s the exact face to have in this situation

- “YOU ARE NOW ENTERING THE QUIET ZONE” has the energy that it should be followed by “SO BUCKLE YOUR SEAT BELTS AND SHUT THE FUCK UP”

- here we go, let us place jeremy back into a relationship. let’s go, kiddo, let’s go. back into your place in this romantically dominated world of ours

- waaa jenna’s dress looks so pretty in this episode (15:07)

- damon really said “today, i will kidnap a child and make her run errands with me”

- oh god bonnie no you’ve fallen in a hole. bonnie please

- damon w/ his listening powers except he’s holding one of those hearing bugles up to his ear whenever he does it 

- UH OH BARTENDER GOT SECRETS

- bonnie in a crypt, what will she do. get out, hopefully

- vamps eat. vamps shit. 

- good lookin burgers tho

- elena getting day drunk? more likely than you’d think

- “vampires are folklore for the demons of the day! the union soldiers!” do. how much do the characters think the confederate was the good side

- ahhhhh drunk elena.... some kind of threat.... chaos is gonna ensue soon

- would 100% love jeremy and andy (andi? addi?) to just have a friendship pf two nerds finding out about stuff together but I fuckin KNOW it’s gonna transform into ~something more~

- and voila, elena has been kidnapped

- damon get your drunk ass off the stool and go get her. please. 

- mans really said “blunt force trauma” 

- damon put up your fisticuffs please. you got hit with a baseball bat a couple times, that’s it

- do we ever see lexi’s boyfriend again or does he simply appear for 5 minutes, use baseball bat, cry, and then leave? 

- damon please don’t kill this woman 

- lexi’s friends grieving her... :(

- DAMON I SWEAR TO GOD 

- stefan is going over how he was there when elena and her parents crashed into the river and i’m sitting here realizing she’s STILL got blood on her forehead.

- stefan, revealing he’s a whole ass stalker:

  elena: oki doki i won’t comment on that at all

- stefan. stefan my dude. why are you dropping family secrets that aren’t even from your family. you can’t just go around telling people they are adopted 

- “you are the woman that i love” she’s like 17. you’ve known her... WELL you’ve TALKED to her for like a month tops tho apparently you’ve been stalking her for six+ months or some shit

- jenna: worried about elena

  elena: UNO REVERSE CARD AM I ADOPTED?

  jenna: who the fuck told you that i’m literally your only surviving family other than jeremy 

- damon 90% of the problems on this show are caused by you

- jeremy my son. my sweet boy. this is why we shouldn’t keep SECRETS from other owners of the HOUSE 

- who is this random man. where is your context. 

[parasighting]

Top 20 albums of 2020

New place for Parasighting (here you can find the old blog), as it seems that Facebook and several social media platforms in general don’t very much agree with Blogger. Oh well, if we don’t change we die, isn’t that what they say? So, this will be the new place for posts from now on, including the Rodon Underground playlists (that is, if I manage to wrap my head fully around how Tumblr actually works). For now, and as a fitting starting post, here are the best 20 albums of 2020, always in my opinion and always in a mood for fisticuffs:

1. Fontaines D.C. - A Hero's Death

This normally shouldn’t come as a surprise, but it’s not like we haven’t had our fair share of scares in our lifetime when we’re dealing with a sophomore album following after an explosive debut. Last year’s Dogrel gave everyone what they wanted/expected, since basically it was, more or less, a gathering of all the great singles Fontaines D.C. had released in a 2-year period prior to that. As it seems, we are indeed dealing with an absolute gem of a band that, this time around, did anything but staying safe with an already tried-out and successful formula. Instead, they chose to give all weight to feeling, proving their songwriting genius at the same time. A Hero’s Death doesn’t contain intended typical radio hit songs (although it plays a lot on today’s radio, something hopeful for the music industry in general), instead it’s full of meaningful introvert compositions saturated in melody and atmosphere, while Fontaines D.C. themselves, despite their huge and abrupt success the last years, keep a low profile and support their material exemplary. This record is music history, and one to be mentioned for years or even decades from now in music in general.

Listen to A Hero’s Death

2. C.O.F.F.I.N. - Children Of Finland Fighting In Norway

Many have wondered about the air in Australia. Or the water. Or maybe it’s the crazy wildlife that makes one either to be on their toes all day or to “yolo” it like there’s no tomorrow. These lads right here sure seem to be the latter. It would be futile to try and get right now into the history of Australian music and what this country has offered the world, especially when it comes to garage/punk. So, it shouldn’t surprise us that C.O.F.F.I.N. have released this record this year but, then again, uncontainable excitement gets usually mistaken for surprise. It’s not that they had been under the radar or something until now, but Children of Finland Fighting in Norway is the flag all Turbojugends around the world should gather behind this year. This album is the Apocalypse Dudes of the band and, mind you, I’m not talking about copying Turbonegro or anything like that. I’m talking about the spontanity and the pure energy that is emitted here throughout. The band, although they surely step on the foundations of (especially the scandinavian) rock ‘n’ roll history, the final result can’t be mistaken with any other band. A look on the videos the band has put out will give you a total idea that here we’re dealing with original Aussie craziness, and that is something not to be messed with, if you ask me.

Listen to Children of Finland Fighting in Norway

3. Napalm Death - Throes Of Joy in The Jaws Of Defeatism

I don’t think that the name Napalm Death needs much introduction, even to those who have little contact with the extreme sound in general. Pioneers of hardcore punk, grindcore and so many sub-genres at their birth, they have been shaping much of the contemporary extreme music scene through the years. And, in order for this to be achieved, it couldn’t be without constant musical unrest and experimentation. Shane Embury & co returned in 2020 with their 16th album, in which they push their (and music’s in general) boundaries to new territories. Of course, this in no way means that it is a soft or mellow record, even for Napalm Death standards. Instead, the band incorporates even more diverse elements from bands that one could say have been their followers, only to prove once again that they are the true pioneers. Throes of Joy in the Jaws of Defeatism is a full record where something exciting happens each minute, and this is the chance for any listener that (maybe has been living in a cave up until now and) hasn’t yet captured the grandeur that a band like Napalm Death exhales.

Listen to Throes of Joy in the Jaws of Defeatism

4. All Them Witches - Nothing as the Ideal

What is “rock” anyway? If there was a faceless recipe, then everyone would be able to just follow the rules and do it. Instead, through the over-production in today’s music, it’s damn hard to find something original and spontaneous, as most bands can’t do anything better than copying a “recipe” or reverse-engineering their idols, at best. And this is why bands like All Them Witches shine brightly and justly from within the pile. Nothing as the Ideal elegantly showcases that this band basically carries a significant amount of all the weight of today’s rock music. Yes, they started off having been labeled as “stoner” or “desert” or whatever, but the signs were always there. Dying Surfer Meets His Maker was the first blast, but, with this one, All Them Witches establish themselves among the leaders. After all, how can you go wrong with a band that sounds better playing live than on their studio recordings?

Listen to Nothing as the Ideal

5. Hurula - Jehova

It’s safe to say that the name Robert Petersson is nothing short of a landmark when it comes to Swedish punk. Showcasing some fine moments of hardcore skate-punk with Epileptic Terror Attack, hardcore rock ‘n’ roll with Regulations, melodic punk with Masshysteri (among others), finally Hurula is his personal musical vehicle, where he is in absolute command of everything. And, although this is already his fourth full-length release and, thus, it’s not like we had no idea about the potential, Jehova proves to be his grand opus so far, in a sort of unexpected way. The general orchestration remains “rock”, but the multiple melodic layers all over make for a unique experience for the listener who is not limited within specific musical genres or styles. The Swedish lyrics throughout might make it a bit unaccessible to many, but don’t let this minor detail keep you from discovering an incredible record.

Listen to Jehova

6. Wailin Storms - Rattle

Wailin Storms are a “where had they been hiding up until now?” case. Although they released their debut album not before 2015, Rattle is already their fourth one, and what a kick in the head it was for me discovering them last year! Going through their discography in retrospect, one should not be surprised, of course. The North Carolina rockers always carried their certain and specific type of lyricism amid their heavy and, at times, almost noise/sludge guitars. Fitting all this alongside the mystical atmosphere and Justin Storms’ agonizing vocals, the speakers exhale a strangely attractive as well as condemning dark beauty through the speakers. Many things come to mind as to what one could say Wailin Storms sound like through their definitely personal identity; in my ears, it’s kind of like the Black Angels jamming with Unsane and smoking whatever Electric Wizard passed them through. If this doesn’t make you want to check out Rattle, I have no idea what could.

Listen to Rattle

7. The Hawkins - Silence Is A Bomb

All those that know me, also know what a huge sucker for swedish rock ‘n’ roll I am. But, ever since the great scandinavian rock ‘n’ roll revolution by Gods like the Hellacopters and Gluecifer started to happen, a lot of things have also happened in the meantime. Especially to the younger rockers, the aforementioned bands now carry a “classic rock” label, but then again that kind of makes sense if you were born around the years Supershitty to the Max! was released. Time for the new generation to show what they’re worth, then. Through the flood of copycat and mediocre bands (justifiably, in a way), luckily from time to time there will be one or two cases to stand out, and these four kids from Arboga, Sweden surely make the cut. Although their debut album three years back was definitely a beautifull high-energy record, Silence Is a Bomb is what adds a special kind of maturity in rock ‘n’ roll, while still maintaining its edge. The Hawkins take their Hellacopters, but they also add several doses of Queen in them, maybe making the final mix too soft for purists; but who cares about them anyway?

Listen to Silence Is a Bomb

8. Chubby & the Gang - Speed Kills

It feels like nothing short of a fresh breath of life, a feeling that there is still hope in this damn world, when debuts like this one right here appear out of nowhere. Chubby & the Gang are just some kids from West London who, with Speed Kills, give you, if not something else, a feeling that here we’ve struck pure gold. Carrying a hardcore tone, apart from that they’re just a bunch of absolutely fresh and fun punk rock ‘n’ rollers, and, if this is not exactly what we need these days, I just don’t know what is. With gang vocals throughout the whole record and with the average running track time below two minutes, this band has automatically climbed near the top of my bucket list of bands I want to see live at first chance.

Listen to Speed Kills

9. This Is Nowhere - Grim Pop

Plainly put: In a fair world, This Is Nowhere would be globally greeted as one of the greatest bands of today’s psychedelic heavy rock; and this is not an exaggeration. Then again, them being from Greece and their members being scattered in three different countries are not factors that objectively help. Even at that, it’s astonishing how they’ve obviously achieved a certain chemistry between them through the years in order to achieve such a feat, like Grim Pop definitely is. Their two previous albums contained a significant amount of all the mystical energy the band emits on stage, but, if you ask me, there was always something missing; something I couldn’t quite put my finger on. Well, with Grim Pop, it’s like everything is finally falling into place. This Is Nowhere have irrevocably and definitively left terms like “stoner” or “psychedelic rock” behind; instead they have unrepentantly dived into the ‘60s, distorted everything they found there through their personal prism and created an inviting sound vortex ready to suck you into its very own black hole. Who cares if we never return?

Listen to Grim Pop

10. Στράφι (Strafi) - Παραδομένοι στη Γιορτή (Paradomeni sti Giorti)

If you asked me some years back, I could never imagine myself including a street punk record in a yearly music list. I have to admit that Strafi being from my hometown Larissa played its role; but this role played a part only for me to take note of them. Because genre-wise, the band’s sophomore release is just perfect. Having gone over the somewhat general “shyness” of their beautiful debut album, here the band presents an absolutely confident and sturdy face. The sound production contains no faults, the compositions are meaningful and inspired, the lyrics carry a level of poetry rarely found in the genre (and yes, one would have to speak Greek in order to enjoy them, unfortunately for many). Really, this is one of the cases that there’s not much to be said, as music takes over all the talking. We need more music coming straight from the heart, and Strafi are here to deliver exactly this.

Listen to Παραδομένοι στη Γιορτή

11. Minerva Superduty - In Public

Another Greek entry, one that the world definitely has to discover. I find it a bit strange how Minerva Superduty started their discography, which was with an instrumental metal record that, amid its creativity, left the listener with a somewhat lack of closure and fullness. 2016′s Gorod Zero came to showcase a new potential for the band, and In Public, coming just days before last year’s end, fulfilled this potential to the fullest; well, until their next album, at least. Minerva Superduty merge their mathcore foundations with Converge-like hardcore and, under just 20 minutes, they deliver the absolute soundtrack for the chaos 2020 has left the world with. Do not let this gem pass by.

Listen to In Public

12. Yovel - Forthcoming Humanity

Blackmetal is a genre that has been through a lot. Of course, through its extremity, it has given way to experimentations that could never have taken place within other kinds of music but, on the other hand, this very extremity has always served as a twisted fortress for far-right and generally fascist ideologies. Yovel emerged in 2018 to rectify this problem and restore part of blackmetal’s infamy. Hɪðəˈtu had made clear of these intentions of the band, but Forthcoming Humanity drops like a milestone to declare that this was anything but a one-time wonder. Yovel take blackmetal forms and orchestrations but add atmospheric (not shoegazey) elements borrowed from folk music and create a concept album that speaks loudly against racism, fascism, bigotry, oppression. Interludes dressed with poetry and melody give place to wrecking sound outbursts and, if there is one thing they do, that’s passing on the message clearly and successfully. Yovel are here to stay, and that’s one encouraging thing about extreme music today.

Listen to Forthcoming Humanity

13. Oily Boys - Cro Memory Grin

Ahh Australia again. And a debut that has surely turned heads. Oily Boys come from Sydney and this is their hopeful debut, that being an understatement. This new band delivers an outburst of a record, bringing to mind New York hardcore at one time, taking you to sick psychedelic noise rock at the next. It all feels so cold and unhospitable in here, yet something urges you to look at it straight in the eyes. Of course, there are a lot of Converge elements in here, but this never stays in that place, as, before you know it, it jumps to post-punk and to other experimental lengths, always maintaining a chaos that may be baffling but, then again, you don’t exactly want for it to fall into order. Fans of Old Man Gloom will also find many things they like in here. Bizarre listen for bizarre times. It’s an uncomfortability we just cannot ignore.

Listen to Cro Memory Grin

14. The Good the Bad and the Zugly - Algorithm & Blues

The Norwegians with the funny and long name (one can only wonder after how many beers it was conceived) struck for the fourth time in 2020. Although their debut Anti-World Music in 2013 made an impact in the scene breathing Turbonegro with a hardcore twist, personally I can’t say the same for the next two albums; it always felt to me that something was amiss. Maybe it was that humor was taking over a bit too much or something. Mind you, the Good the Bad and the Zugly are not a joke band by any chance, but the playful sarcastic elements were always a basic ingredient in their overall sound. Coming on to Algorithm & Blues then, I think this time around thay have managed to balance it all out perfectly. With Ivar Nikolaisen being the lead vocalist of the mighty Kvelertak for a couple of years now, this might be a factor that has made the band mature compositionally. Algorithm & Blues is more melodic, more substantial, more sing-along-y, but it never loses its humorous charm, preserving the band’s identity. And with song titles like “Fuck the Police” and “The Kids Are Alt-Right”, you know they’re also on the right side.

Listen to Algorithm & Blues

15. Pallbearer - Forgotten Days

One of the most tired genres of extreme music is definitely doom metal. Ever since the “stoner” plague came into existence, the world has been saturated with kids that, discovering the pentatonic scale, thought they were the new messiahs drowning us in a sea of boredom. It was not all bad of course, but, having to surf through oceans of mediocrity in order to find something that stands out, can be quite tiresome. Pallbearer from Little Rock, Arkansas surely did stand out at the start of the last decade but I think it’s taken them a while to perfect their craft. Alas, Forgotten Days. The monster riff that starts off the opening title-track is more than enough to set the mood straight. Black Sabbath riffology, Candlemass atmospheres, even Electric Wizard and Cathedral hooks; all done in a modern manner breathing life into the genre which, with bands like Pallbearer, can look hopefully into the future. The incredible cover artwork and the lamentful lyrical themes revolving around family loss surely add to the big picture. This is the definite release of 2020 for doom fans.

Listen to Forgotten Days

16. Video Nasties - Dominion

Another debut of another band to definitely watch out for. Video Nasties from UK start off looking like they know exactly what they’re out for. The whole image is brought out from ‘80s horror video tapes and this is enhanced by the movie samples all over the place paying homage to John Carpenter. Musically, here we have some exceptional death/black ‘n’ roll, and what a pleasure it is when done right. Yes, the band takes a lot from Swedish melodic deathmetal but, to my relief, they surely sound like they detest metalcore and its sub-genres as much as I do. Dominion is an absolutely enjoyable record that flows beautifully, always maintaining its theme and atmosphere and calling for repeat plays. Fans of death, black, thrash and extreme genres in general will surely feel at home here. Sometimes it’s as simple as that.

Listen to Dominion

17. The Frights - Everything Seems Like Yesterday

The Frights from San Diego, California started in 2013 as garage surf punks carrying their own distinct feeling and melody. They were always enjoyable with the lyrical themes being more esoteric, something that set them apart from the usual stuff in the genre. At first, the songs of Everything Seems Like Yesterday were intended to be released by the band’s main man Mikey Carnevale as a solo effort, but something apparently changed his mind. Many were obviously surprised by this new acoustic direction the name Frights has taken, but, setting aside specific expectations, the best thing one has to do is appreciate the artistic worth independently. And how rewarded they’ll be doing that with this album! Everything Seems Like Yesterday is a beautiful introvert, substantial and entirely acoustic album, ideal to keep you company after a hangover or through many types of hard times. It’s one of those times that this type of quiet sounds just liberating.

Listen to Everything Seems Like Yesterday

18. Umbra Vitae - Shadow of Life

With Jacob Bannon from Converge and Jon Rice from Uncle Acid & the Deadbeats on board, here we’re dealing with nothing short of a super project. And especially when Bannon (apart from all his many other musical projects) decides to venture into death/black metal areas, this is absolutely something you don’t want to miss. Shadow of Life is anything but your average deahmetal fix, and it demands your undivided attention throughout. Explosive in its grim and dark temperament, and with stunning artwork dressing it perfectly, this is an album that grabs you by the throat. Not that you haven’t offered it willingly in the first place.

Listen to Shadow of Life

19. Idles - Ultra Mono

Unless you’ve been living under a rock for many years, there is no way that you’re ignorant on the Idles phenomenon. After Brutalism and Joy as an Act of Resistance, I don’t know what we all expected from them. It’s not the easiest task to surpass two albums that have set new standards in today’s punk music (”punk” being used as broadly as possible, as a term). And, to put it bluntly, Ultra Mono doesn’t do anything like that, like, it would be something impossible, especially so soon. Then again, Idles are a band just incapable of releasing a bad record and, although it didn’t make it to the top spots of 2020′s list, Ultra Mono is an Idles-trademarked sharp and edgy album (musically and politically) that preserves them at the top where they indicate to the rest of the world where music is going.

Listen to Ultra Mono

20. Protomartyr - Ultimate Success Today

Protomartyr from Detroit have always served their unique blend of post-punk. In Ultimate Success Today, they continue their gloomy journey in symphony with this dark world. Joe Casey, always carrying a Nick-Cave-like vibe in his tone, delivers his grim lyrics atop the heavy basslines, the strange drumbeats and the almost free-jazz saxophone. Always melancholic and dystopic, Protomartyr is the band this world needs and deserves.

Listen to Ultimate Success Today

[dailydianakko]

How adept are the gurls and the adults in combat? Like magic combat and cqc and that?

Let’s see here

Chariot- combat god. you saw her in the anime. Her best trait is close combat and combat magic. Longe rage can be iffy. Do NOT let her catch you.

Croix- Defensive magics and Hexes are her specialty. Long range is great when she has her roombas. Cant hit hard, no muscles, all she eats is ramen.

Akko- Ball of energy takes after Chariot. Is a tank, whatever you throw at her she will either dodge or take and keep going. Close combat and tanking hits is her specialty.

Sucy- Ranged combat, basically has the equivalent of grenades in her potions bag. If you get close she’d probably just dump acid on you.

Lotte, generally non-combative until you tick her off. Then she siccs the spirits on you. Run. There’s no hiding. They will find you.

Amanda- Close combat, high DPS, a bit of a glass canon. Can dodge well but has trouble taking a hit. Speed demon.

Jasminka- A tank and strong as hell, thanks to the hunger demon. Moves fast in spurts. Stay out of grabbing range, if you get close it’s all over.

Constanze- Long range combat! Imbuing weapons with magic is her specialty, her melee weapon of choice is a hammer, but she’s not too good at close combat.

Diana- Healing magics and defensive magics are what she’s best at, but is all around well rounded at combat in both long and short range. Can’t really take a hit though. Very good at shield spells and has a quick reaction time.

Hannah- Fisticuffs. She definitely took self defense classes. Can probably suplex someone if she has to.

Barbara- prefers to be rescued rather than fight. Not very good at combative or defense magic. She is best at talking her way out of things, could probably talk someone into shooting their own foot if she had to.

[stringsofstarlight]

Boston Red Sox

    I wore a Red Sox hat for so many years when I played baseball.  One of my teams had a sponsor that was named Beacon, so we opted for the MLB wool hats to wear for our B.  I wore that darn hat for so long that someone took it because it had gotten too much “wear”(scent).    The Martha’s Vineyard trip, a month before my birthday, a couple of friends and I some  how ended up at the game at Fenway Park right on the third base line for a sold out game with the Yankees (huge fisticuffs kind of rivalry back then) while the Red Sox were on a 13 game winning streak, no joke.    One of my friends  had a birthday, so I played hooky from work (got fired when I got back) and we headed for the most magical trip that had happened to me at the time.    We didn’t have a car, we didn’t have tickets(sold out for months), I was underage for another month, and it was high season in the old days.    This is trip that showed me that Magic happens if you just believe.   They held the ferry at Vineyard Haven (ask Abigail--they never hold the ferry), just as they had to go, my friend Chris comes running out of nowhere and hops across a couple feet of space (water) as it is pulling away.  (check #1)  We get to Woods Hole and go to rent a car, the guy at the place just started laughing at us “kids” as he said, because there are no cars available at high season.   Well, he goes to the green screen computer (1995) and says “it look like you guys are in luck, somebody just cancelled 1/2 hour ago.” (check #2)    

      We ended up high tailing it to Boston to get to the game just laughing at how this was all coming together, we knew this trip was blessed by this time.     So we get to  historic Fenway Park, I played baseball my whole life, this was literally like Mecca to me, everyone I knew dreamed of catching a game at Fenway.     The place is jammed packed and there are no tickets anywhere, when out of nowhere a guy comes up with some standing room only tickets for cheap, we jumped and ran off to the game.   While inside we ventured closer to the part we wanted to be to see if any seats were empty.  What do you know but there is this single seat in the weirdest triangle that only Fenway could have, it was completely empty.    We scouted that baby out for an inning, no one was sitting there cause really it was a sucky seat.   The three of us grabbed it and huddled around the area--Right on the third base line, exactly where we had talked about the whole day. (check#3)   The ushers didn’t even kick us out, still to this day I don’t know why.    The Yankees ended up winning and breaking the streak.   So we went to go to bar afterward, and some how I was able to walk right past the bouncer to go right up to the bar, there was an elated Yanks fan who had won a bundle on the game.  He proceeded to buy us all rounds of flaming shots for the evening. (check #4)    This how I learned, yet was not able to understand that “god(dess) alive, magic is afoot”.    Of course, I was fired when I got back and kicked out of the Navigator restaurant housing, which led me to the fateful night on my birthday in Oak Bluffs.    The big thing on the Vineyard that summer was the reunion of James Taylor and Carly Simon.

Despite divorcing more than a decade earlier (they announced their split in 1981 and finalized it in 1983), James Taylor and Carly Simon continued to maintain separate residences in the same place: Martha’s Vineyard, Massachusetts. Both developed strong ties to the area, and when the Agricultural Society of the area came to them individually and asked if they’d be agreeable to participating in a benefit concert called Livestock ’95, both Taylor and Simon agreed, thereby providing fans with their first live performance together in 16 years.

From The Christian Science Monitor:

“Taylor sang first, backed by a seven-man band and three singers. He shifted easily between his trademark gentle songs and the energy needed for ‘Copperline’ and ‘Shower the People.’ Then as the crowd roared, he said, ‘Let’s get Carly out here.’ She bounded on stage, her 500-watt smile beaming as the two friends embraced. She sang ‘Anticipation,’ and half the audience knew the words. She dedicated the next song, ‘Nobody Does It Better,’ to Taylor, saying, ‘I honestly feel this way about him.’”

Entertainment Weekly put it best when describing the former couple’s performance: “The two danced cheek to cheek in front of another wildly cheering crowd during their signature duet, ‘Mockingbird’ – and for a moment, it seemed the way they always heard it should be.”

  -Rhino insider aug 30, 2017

“invisible string”

love,

james

[writingquestionsanswered]

Hello WQA~! Welcome back! (I just found out!) Can you help me a little bit? How do you spice up a fight scene? This has been my third beta-reader and they all agree that in this scene, no one is in actual danger. Like, from word one they just knew that nothing would happen despite my MC being badly mangled in-text. Didn't I raise the stakes high enough? What can I do? Thank you so much!

Giving Fight Scenes More Impact

Here are some things you need to consider when trying to give a fight scene more impact…

1) Does the fight scene feel forced or unnecessary?

One of the most important things to consider when writing a fight scene is why the fight is happening in the first place. What motivates each side to jump into this fight? Why is it important to them? What does each side have to gain by winning? What do they risk losing if they don’t win? Your reader should be aware of all of these things, and even if the fight happens suddenly or unexpectedly, your reader should be able to understand why it’s happening.

2) Are there consequences just for fighting?

Even impromptu bar fights come with consequences for both sides aside from just getting roughed up. Fighters may be be thrown out by the establishment or have the police called on them. They may have to pay for property damage and prohibited from ever returning. Depending on the type of fight, both sides might take damage to their reputation, lose resources, damage or lose a valuable area, lose time and money, and potentially lose fighters.

3) Are there even bigger consequences for losing?

Like we talked about earlier, there has to be something lost by the losing side. Maybe it’s just major damage to their credibility and faith in their skill. Maybe it’s self-esteem. Maybe it’s losing someone or something they were trying to defend. It could be losing money (as in a bet), territory, supplies, resources, a cherished possession… Whatever it is they lose, it needs to be something the reader already knows is important. Your reader should understand the consequences of that potential loss going into the fight. Otherwise they won’t care as much about who wins and who loses.

4) Have you created a level playing field?

Nothing steals the oomph out of a fight scene more than when your MC/s are overpowered going into the fight, because if your MC has no weaknesses or vulnerabilities that can be exploited by the opposite side, or if there’s no reason to believe the opposition is at least equally qualified to fight this fight, your reader won’t have any reason to doubt which side is going to win. So, whatever your MC is fighting with–be it magic/supernatural powers, weapons, or their own two hands–you need to build in vulnerabilities and weaknesses. They can’t be perfect or anywhere near it. If the other side doesn’t land some believable hits, the fight isn’t going to feel real.

If your MC is a skilled martial arts fighter, they could be fighting with an injury that undermines their ability a little bit. Or maybe there’s a certain defensive move that they just can’t get the hang of, and of course that move ends up being required and they fail to execute it which causes them to take a bad hit. Maybe they have a hard time focusing under stress, and since they’re worried about their companions who are also in the fight, they’re having a hard time keeping their head in the game.

If your MC is using magic or other supernatural powers, maybe they haven’t yet mastered something that they’ll definitely need for this fight. Maybe their magic only works under certain circumstances, or there’s some other spell or magic at play which is weakening their magic by 25%. 

5) Does fighting take a toll on the fighters?

No matter what kind of fight it is, whether it’s fisticuffs in a billiards hall, a territorial battle on Mars, or a supernatural showdown among witches, every kind of fighting takes a toll on the fighters. Fighting is hard. It isn’t just about throwing a punch or pointing a wand at someone. It takes concentration, physical effort, and stamina. All of a fighter’s focus and energy has to be funneled into the fight, not just to trying to defend themselves and land offensive hits, but also trying to anticipate their opponent’s next move, being aware of their surroundings and potentially keeping an eye on other fighters or even companions. It tires you out. And, for characters using magic or other supernatural skills, it often drains the person using the magic after a while, meaning that the fight can only be kept up so long before they either collapse or have to step back and recharge for a bit. Sometimes there are even bigger consequences for using magic/supernatural powers. It may be a one-time use type of thing. The power may be linked to someone or something else that will take damage if used. Or using the magic might just take such a huge physical toll on your character that it’s like they were injured in the fight even if they weren’t. Either way, the fighting needs to take a physical and/or mental toll on the fighters, and there should often be consequences for using a particular power or skill. 

Keep all of these things in mind when writing your fight, and you should be able to create a fight scene with a lot more impact! :)

[amplesalty]

Christmas 2019: Day 1 - Anna and the Apocalypse (2017)

On the first day of Christmas, my true love gave to me...

A burning Christmas tree!

And the angel said unto them, fear not for behold, I bring you good tidings of great joy, which shall be to all people. For unto you is born this day another marathon of Christmas related movies and TV specials. As is tradition, we start by saying what a tradition it is to start the month with a horror. As we shall come to see, a not as serious Christmas Horror movie this time. Well, having said that, Silent Night Deadly Night is pretty silly at times. My horror tastes have a tendency to lean towards the silly anyway and I did do all 31 days this year so there’s perhaps less of a need to make up for lost time by extending it over in Christmas. Look, stop going on about it, it’s Anna and the Apocalypse.

It makes for a fairly obvious choice to open proceedings, it’s a Christmas zombie movie. What more do you want? Well, how about a musical? Yeah, this is like Nativity crossed with Shaun of the Dead. Or more appropriately, High School Musical crossed with Shaun of the Dead. Or, as the marketing goes with, La La Land crossed with Shaun of the Dead. I think that movie is cursed to be forever associated with anything vaguely zombie related and comedic. It’s like the new ‘It’s Die Hard but…’

Anyway, we start with the eponymous Anna on her way to school with her bestie, John, and her dad who is the janitor at the school. This is meant to be a British film, I think you’ll find it’s caretaker, lousy Americanisation. I think this is more specifically Scottish made actually, whole bunch of English people around mind you but there’s a few Scots mixed in as well. I feel like there was a lot of Scottish made kids shows when I was growing up, I dunno if they just get good investment up there or if it’s like a tax or lottery thing or something?

There’s a total Michelle Keegan thing going on with the girl who plays Anna, not a bad thing since she is one of the most desirable women in the world.

The real star of the show here though is Paul Kaye as Mr Savage, a jobsworth assistant headmaster who we first meet warning off one of the students, Steph, who is running a piece on the school blog about the local homeless problem. Mr Savage points out that the local council set their budgets so it’s probably best if she drops the whole thing. When she threatens to go over his head to the more soft touch headmaster, we learn that he’s retiring next month and Mr Savage is taking over and things are going to be a lot different around here. Kaye is hamming it up a bit as Savage but in a more reserved way? He pretty much delivers every line in this very hushed but stern tone, it’s like he’s a villain in a cheap action film but he’s really just a teacher at a small school in Scotland.

We very quickly get our opening number ‘Break Away’, dealing with the problems that Anna, Steph and John are dealing with. Anna wants to get out of this town and see the world, John has an unrequited love for Anna and Steph feels abandoned by her parents who are on the other side of the world. It’s a powerful song that talks about wanting to be more and the girl playing Steph is really giving it socks and emoting. I don’t think they’re dubbing their voices or anything so fair play to her. They even work in some lyircs that tie into the whole zombie thing; “As I wake half dead in this same old bed at the dawn of another day”. It does catch you off guard though when you’re not expecting a musical.

This would work well as one of those deceptive genre bending movies you could trick someone into watching and be like ‘Boom, zombies!’ halfway through. At the very start there’s a radio piece that kinda spells it out before it’s cut off midsentence that talks about a supposed super flu that has now being discovered to cause ‘reanima-‘. But there’s little nods here and there otherwise that make it sort of cute like those lyrics or people theatrically clawing at a wall like a zombie.

The songs in the Christmas show don’t quite match up. They’ve probably got that whole non-demoninational thing to adhere to where they can’t sing about Jesus so instead they’ve got two break dancing penguins dancing to a fish rap. Yes, fish rap. “My favourite dish is fish, mother flipper, and I eat it for the hell of it!”

Then there’s Lisa’s song which is basically an attempt to seduce Santa. Think ‘Santa Baby’ but a bit more explicit. Like, she invites Santa over to ‘empty his sack’ at one point, that sort of thing. Then you have a bunch of backing dancers who are all topless and wearing short shorts. This is a high school production, right? Seems a bit risqué. Mr Savage seems to agree so too, though at first it just cuts to him saying ‘Filthy....salacious...’ whilst pulling these funny faces, almost like he’s getting some illicit thrill from all this. Thankfully he ends that thought with ‘and it must be stopped!’ before storming off.

Going back to the zombie movie in disguise thought, when we finally do get the zombies, the movie still plays dumb to the whole thing by having Anna and John walking to school whilst performing a musical number (Turning My Life Around) where they say they’re ‘miles away’ whilst being totally oblivious to the carnage unfolding behind them. This rather disturbingly includes a zombie eating the contents of a pram. It’s an amusing scene, the juxtaposition of this bright, upbeat song and these two cheery characters with no knowledge of all the death and destruction behind them. The song has a similar message to ‘Break Away’ but looked at from a slightly different perspective, much more optomistic and poppy.

Mr Savage’s breakout moment comes when everyone gets trapped in the school after the outbreak and they hear of evacuation plans that call for them to stay put and await the arrival of the army. The headmaster seems to be out of the picture and he revels in taking charge. But, when days past with no contact, everyone wants to head out and Savage has a bit of a run in with Anna’s Dad. Savage snaps before sulking off in a corner muttering that this is his school now, hearing zombies clattering at the door and seemingly having a ‘lightbulb above the head’ moment. I’ve made comparisons before to Dead Rising and how the proper movies based on it missed the ‘psycho’ characters. This right here is a psycho character, that sense of a rather mundane character being pushed over the edge in this apocalyptic situation. I’m thinking specifically here of the supermarket worker in the first game who thinks you’re looting and tries to run you down with his adapted trolley that has a bunch of pointy things stuck on it whilst screaming ‘THIS IS MY STOOOOOOOOOOORE!!!’.

Speaking of looting, Anna’s dickbag ex shows up to help her and her friends out of a jam with a trolley full of toys he’s ‘found’. Him and his friends arm themselves to take out a nearby hoard but I feel like only two of them are actually trying. He has his baseball bat and another guy puts knives in his hands like they’re Wolverine claws. I don’t know how useful knives are going to be, especially wielded like that, but at least he’s making a better effort than the other two who have a video game controller used like a mace and the last guy who has two watermelons. Okay, so we see a vaguely similar situation to this earlier in the movie in a bowling alley where someone squishes a zombies head in between two bowling balls so maybe that’s what this guy was thinking? Well, A) I don’t think that’s going to work with watermelons and 2) say it does, that’s only going to work once with watermelons because they’re going to explode. What’s your secondary plan once they’re done with? At least the guy with the bat can keep on swinging it.

This is the lead in to the ex’s song ‘Soldier at War’ which is really good as well. Between the delivery of the song and the way it’s acted physically, there’s this kind of sultry, seductive thing going on? Apparently Rocky Horror Picture show was an inspiration for this movie and I definitely get a Dr. Frank-N-Furter vibe from this.

They all eventually fight their way back to the school only to find Savage is just calmly eating his Christmas dinner. He points them in the direction of their parents, only to lock them in a room full of zombies. He even gets a villain song as they all struggle to survive, basically summarising that for too long he’s been held down but now it’s his time. There’s a fast paced energy to the song and, at the risk of making another Shaun of the Dead comparison, having it cut to shots of the kids fighting off the horde and the fact that it’s called ‘Nothing’s Gonna Stop Me Now’ makes me wonder if this wasn’t a conscious nod to the big climax at The Winchester.

Things come to a head when Anna tries to track down her Dad, only to find him tied up with Christmas lights on the stage with Mr Savage waiting for some sort of final showdown. I say showdown, it’s more a duet with Anna fighting off zombies and Mr Savage prancing about on stage trying on top hats and wrapping himself in tinsel like they’re cheap feather boas and he’s a fifty pence tart. There is a bit of fisticuffs between Mr Savage and Anna’s Dad in the end though and there’s even a call back to a moment from the start of the movie to serve as the final blow which is neat.

I was a little taken aback upon the revelation that this was a musical but it turned out to be really good fun. Just a really cool mix of genres with some good songs that are complimented at times with on screen theatrics. For the zombie portion of it, there’s some creative kills in one portion of the movie in the bowling alley but otherwise it resorts to blunt force trauma in order to ‘destroy the brain’. But the kills can be suitably over the top with a lot of blood splatter so that all adds to the cheese factor it’s got going on. It’s a suitable addition to the Christmas Horror or even just comedy-horror sub genres.

[evolutionsvoid]

It is sad to see how many people have bad feelings towards trolls, including folks who have never even set foot near the habitat they dwell in. Tales and superstition have done everything they can to make these creatures seem like vicious monsters, despite the fact that they are rather peaceful when left alone. Valiant "heroes" seek to protect towns from these beasts (though I suspect most just use that as an excuse for a hunting trophy) and miners complain of how destructive and terrible these "pests" are (ignoring the fact that they were the ones doing the territory invading and home destroying). Hearing all this rubbish and seeing how wonderful these creatures actually are, I have kind of taken it as a personal mission to help their image and spread better information. One of the big things that I think would help people change their mind about trolls is telling them about their sociability and the strength of their family bonds. Though others like to pretend that trolls are destructive loners that seek only malice, they are actually incredibly sociable creatures. As they travel, eat, sleep and look for partners, trolls will always happily take the company of others. The grunts, snorts and bellows they let out to each other may sound crude, but it is a form of communication between them. Even competing bachelor males may take the time to size each other up and get a few playful pushes to see who is the toughest. If such a meeting escalates, they do not go into fisticuffs, rather they perform feats of strength to intimidate the other. The most common is picking up a large boulder and hoisting it high in the air, just like they do when trying to attract females. The one with the heaviest rock wins, and the winner can puff their chest out with pride and let out a cocky snort. Those who do not have families of their own will often travel in groups, both for extra protection and so that they have others to interact with. They may partake in social grooming or playfully bat around rocks with each other for amusement. If something curious is found, the whole group may gather round to check it out and give it inquisitive pokings. While this type of social interaction is leaps and bounds more than some other species, you haven't seen such a bond until you have watched a troll family. When trolls pick a partner during the breeding season, it is often for life. The male and female will rarely leave each others side. This can be seen when the female undergoes the birthing process, as the male will guard her rocky shell with every ounce of his strength. When it comes time for her and her trogling to emerge, he will help crack open the cocoon and protect them as they re-adapt to the outside world. Once one or more troglings are added to the family, they will become inseparable. Mom and Dad will watch over their young and help rear them until they are big and strong. The mother will be the one who provides food for the youngsters most of the time, vomiting up digested rocks into a mushy "slag" that the troglings can eat. The father may provide as well, especially if the female is sick or tired. Both parents will work to teach their young the ways of locating tasty rocks and smashing apart large boulders with their forearms. In some cases, they don't even need to try and form a lesson, as troglings tend to mimic their parents in an utterly adorable manner. When one of the parents is cracking open a chunk of stone with their arms, you can see the young try to copy them using much smaller stones. Lacking the strength of the adults, it becomes somewhat comedic when they try smashing their rock apart with little avail. It is kind of like watching a toddler with a toy hammer try to act like their blacksmith parents! If there is any part of trolls that could warm anyone's heart, it is the troglings. These young ones are absolutely bursting with energy and curiosity, so much so that it can tire me out just watching them! They absolutely love to play and run about, and they especially love to act like their big and strong parents! You should see them when the family is on the move, as the young ones try to imitate the big tough aura of their parents. They will hold their head high, puff their chest out and strut along with comically high steps. It is both hilarious and adorable to watch! When it isn't imitating mom and dad, it is time for play, as troglings never seem to stop moving. They are either knocking a bunch of rocks around, or scampering around their parents or finding something to chase and wrestle. I don't know how the folks keep up with them! Sooner or later they will tucker themselves out, and the folks will carry them on their backs, but it takes forever to reach that stage! When dinner time comes around, the mothers practically have to catch them and hold the squirming little ones until they realize they should eat. It is extra hard to get their attention when they come across another trogling. Be it a sibling or a child from another troll couple, troglings become friends almost instantly and will quickly get down to playing and wrestling. The two latch on to one another and go rolling about as they "fight," letting out playful snorts and barks. They tumble about with such speed and energy that you would be hard pressed to tell the two apart! While this playing is adorable to watch, it is not something I would suggest taking part in. Though they are babies, they are still incredibly strong compared to other species. I once got into a scenario where a trogling thought I was a playmate and it nearly snapped me in half. Their roughhousing and bear hugs are harmless to other troglings, but to the rest of us it is quite the opposite! I think the only species who could really play with a trogling without having their bones crushed would be demons, and even then it would have to be an adult one!

It is strange to say, but if there was any danger to be had from trolls it would come from the curious troglings. I am not saying that they are a menace, and don't you dare think this is fuel for your anti-troll crap! What I am saying is that despite their cuteness and playful nature, one should be mindful to keep their distance from troglings. I say this because adult trolls do not have the energy the young do, and they are not ones to go bounding off towards every little thing. If you were to stroll past a group of adult trolls, they may watch you but they will rarely give chase. The young, however, will go after every point of interest. A marmot dashing amongst the rocks will have troglings scrambling after them, eager to chase and play. Unfortunately, troglings are not accustomed to their strength, and the small critters they catch often wind up crushed. Once again, this is not done out of malice or hate, but it is just young ones not yet grasping the idea of delicacy. That is the reason why one should keep a safe distance from family groups that have troglings, as you have a chance of catching their curiosity and attention. This advice may sound weird, but I suggest you act as boring as possible when you encounter a nearby trogling. Do not run or make any fast movements. Do not show bright colors and make any weird sounds. Try to be slow and dull, so that they don't find you worth checking out. If you somehow do have a trogling bounding towards you, do not run. Instead, go limp and do not make any effort to fight back. They are in a playful mood, and any struggling or fighting will be interpreted as play and they will keep going. If you go prone and do not react, they will hopefully get bored and go back to mom. The one thing to NEVER do, and I mean NEVER, is try to harm or hurt the trogling. Some folk suggest jabbing or hitting them in the eyes or respiratory orifices to scare them off, and it is advice that will land you straight into the grave. The other reason not to tangle with troglings is because mom is incredibly protective of them. Even if she is laying back and chewing on a hunk of slate, her eyes and ears are constantly on her young. The second they get anywhere close to danger, she is bounding after them and scooping them up in her arms. If she hears even the slightest yip of actual pain, she will be on the warpath. You don't know fear until you see an angry troll mom barreling straight towards you! A colleague of mine got to see this protectiveness when he went to tour the mountains. He hired a "guide" (I say this because I am pretty sure this idiot was just looking for some easy coin) to take him out to the plateaus and vistas. When they spotted a troll family, my friend was eager to watch and learn. The "guide" coaxed him into getting closer, boasting about how knowledgeable he was in the field of trolls. As they approached, the young one noticed them and went bouncing over to investigate. My colleague was terrified, but the "guide" told him there was nothing to be afraid of. Mom and dad were busy crushing rocks, and the young ones could be easily scared off. When the trogling got too close for comfort, the man took his sheathed sword and used it to smack the young one right between the eyes. The poor thing let out a frightened yelp and went scrambling back to mom. The "guide" turned to my friend with a smug grin of "see? I know what I am doing" right before a boulder the size of a horse turned him into a red mist. From the story, it sounds like my colleague was inches away from the huge missile as it sailed past and wiped the fool from existence. Turned out mom was watching and she wasn't happy that someone hurt her baby. The tale ends with my friend running for his life as an angry mother pounded her fists against the ground and bellowed louder than the thunder. So if you don't want to be paste, leave the young ones alone and keep your distance! One last thing I wanted to mention is how all trolls interact with their young. While it is easy to see why the mother and father care and protect their troglings with their lives, it is not something they do alone. From what I and many other researchers have seen, it seems that all trolls show a level of kindness and protectiveness towards troglings, even those that do not belong to them. Trolls outside the family group will allow the young ones to run about and even clamber all over them with hardly a complaint. They will even share food with them if the young ones appear hungry. Slag is not something only females produce, as males can regurgitate it too if a trogling needs something to eat. If tragedy occurs and a trogling is orphaned, practically any troll they encounter will take them in and care for them. All females will immediately take a parentless young one, even if they have some of their own. Lone males will even allow them to hang around, feeding them and protecting them until they find a female to pass them off to. So while other species may hold grudges or dissent towards young ones that are not their own, trolls will not follow such rough ideals. No matter what happens, they will stand with one another and will do what they can to help out their kind. A heartwarming thing to think about, I say! Now bring that up the next time someone wants to talk ill about trolls! Chlora Myron Dryad Natural Historian --------------------------------------------------------------------- I love my trolls and have always wanted to draw up what young one would look like. It turned out adorable.    

[aftermathdb]

DEATH BATTLE Review: Ben 10 vs Green Lantern

Two guardians of the universe, clad in green. Though, one will be going home in blood-red stained clothes.

So, apparently  the reason it’s not Ben 10 vs. Beast Boy is because Ben  just outclasses Beast Boy with his variety of aliens.

Ben 10′s Preview.

Benjamin Kirby Tennyson started out as just your average ten-year old kid. But on a strange day for his summer vacation, an alien device did what it did, and stuck itself on his wrist with secrets that it hid. Now he’s got super powers, he’s no ordinary kid, he’s Ben 10!

Look, the theme song is catchy. It would be a crime not to reference it in some way.

Anyways, the alien device was the Omnitrix, a portable library that houses all sorts of alien DNA. It allows Ben to “Check out” an alien to transform into and use their superpowers.

From aliens that can control water, ice, electricity, and fire, Ben’s got it all. And if he finds an alien that isn’t in the library, the Omnitrix will scan and replicate the DNA, allowing Ben to have another alien to use.

(Ignore that timebar at the bottom. I thought I had cropped it out).

Though, the Omnitrix has numerous defenses to fight back against anyone who wants to take it from Ben’s wrist.

With all those superpowers, Ben also has aliens for smarts as well. Including Brainstorm, an alien who has an I.Q of one nonillion. That’s a one, followed by…

THAT many zeros. And still not enough to beat out EXE’s record of highest number ever recorded.

But if Ben wants to just suck, he can turn into Walkatrout… Who is a fish… with legs.

It’s easily his worst alien. And that’s saying a lot, considering he has an alien literally named “The Worst.”

Though, if Ben wants some refinement, he can turn into Molestache. Boomstick’s favorite alien, who does fisticuffs with his moustache.

The Omnitirx is easily one of the most powerful tools ever created. And apparently… Boomstick has one?

But if there’s ever a weakness of the Omnitrix, it would probably be the cooldown timer.

… Which is thankfully negated with Master Control, giving Ben unlimited access to everything.

But, there is one alien that blows the rest of them out of the water. Alien X.

Alien X is a Celestialsapien, a being that exists beyond the universe, and has control over all of reality. It even once survived the universe being destroyed by the Ahnialarg, and then recreated it. Hell! Alien X didn’t just survive the Universe being destroyed, he basically didn’t even notice!

HA! now we beat EXE’s record! Alien X managed to survive an event worth 4x10^69 Joules of energy!

Ben even managed to get past the “Needs to come to a unanimous decision“ thing later on, making Alien X the most powerful being in his universe.

And as Alien X, Ben has managed to fly fast enough to create a black hole.

If there was ever any real weakness that Ben himself has, it would be his immaturity. Sure, he’s pretty great at ingenuity and thinking on his feet, but for a long time, Ben was pretty immature, and has a bit of an ego.

But when lives are on the line, you can set your clocks. Because there would be only one time it could be.

HERO TIME!

Green Lantern (Hal Jordan)′s Preview.

Hal Jordan was just your average devilishly handsome Military Test Pilot. Until the day that destiny fell from the sky (sound familiar?).

Upon investigating an alien crash landing, HAl Jordan found Abin Sur, an alien being who had a powerful device known as a Green Lantern Ring. This device belonged to a group of protectors known as the Green Lantern Corps.

The Lanterns are essentially like space cops, and the universe is divided into sectors. Hal’s sector is designated Sector 2814, and he was given the prestigious job of Green Lantern.

The GL Power Ring is the ultimate weapon against those who worship evil’s might. It has a variety of tools to help with a fight.

Think of the Power Ring as the ultimate Swiss-Army Knife. Now think of that thing on steroids. Now think of those steroids as also being on steroids. Now think of the Swiss-Army Knife as having special treatment so as it doesn’t die from those steroids, add some more steroids, then times a thousand.

It gives Hal a bunch of different powers. From time travel, to matter manipulation, to phasing through objects, to a powerful shield.

It can also protect his mind.

And Hal can also reasonably scale to other Lanterns, like the time when Kilowog survived the Crisis on Infinite Earths event.

With all this power, you gotta be wondering: What the hell does this thing run on? And the answer is willpower. Part of the emotional spectrum that makes up sentient life.

Red is linked to rage, Orange to greed, Yellow to fear, Green to willpower, Blue to hope. Indigo to compassion, and Violet to love (This isn’t actually mentioned in the episode, but I thought I’d mention it here).

And Hal is definitely a powerful Green Lantern. Like…

With all that power, that definitely solidifies Hal as being the most powerful Green Lantern. It also means that he can irrefutably scale to other Lanterns.

Hal also could move from the center of the universe to a planet in moments.

This puts Hal in the high-end of the spectrum.

And being so fast that you nearly enter the Speed Force is all kinds of impressive for someone not connected to it.

And one time, Hal was without his ring. Meaning that he had to fly a ship moving faster than light on his own.

That is to say that Hal managed to avoid stars, planets, without the ring helping him.

And as a being who defeated the physical embodiment of willpower with his own willpower, Hal can do things that other Green Lanterns can do.

Green Lantern Kyle Rayner once survived the Big Bang, since Hal did that previous thing, it’s reasonable to say that Hal can do the same.

But the ring aren’t perfect. They do have a limited power source, and the constructs are limited to the user’s imagination and confidence in themselves. If they aren’t confident enough, they lose their will.

But there’s also a really big elephant in the room. An elephant painted yellow.

Thankfully, this was done because Paralax had corrupted the Green Battery, and is now a non-issue. Not that it compares to the weakness of Alan Scott, who had a weakness to wood.

But Hal is one of the best. Be it brightest day, or blackest night, no evil will escape his sight. Let those who worship evil’s might, beware his power…

GREEN LANTERN’S LIGHT!

(That’s not the end quote, so I figured that I’d put it here).

The Battle Itself.

Zack and Luis (Animation director) on animation, Ben will be voiced by Nicholas Andrew Louie and Green Lantern will be voiced Bradley Gareth. , Jerky on sprites, Therewolf on music (Emerald Warriors), and audio is led by Chris Kokkinos.

So, as we know from the preview, Hal tries to take in Ben for having a “Class A” Superweapon, and Ben fights back. Which immediately makes this one of the better stories around, as it fits both characters and their roles very well.

… I’ll put the reason why some people were put off by the use of kid Ben sprites in the “Overall Impression” part. Meanwhile, let’s look at this hand-drawn animation of Ben going Fourarms!

But, given that Hal has handled stronger blows before, he takes it in stride. Leaving Ben to go for Heatblast.

And one explosion later, Ben boasts that he could possibly beat Hal with Grey Matter… Which he turns into. But he quickly recovers and goes big. Way Big.

Hal, obviously not impressed, creates a meteor to smash Way Big with. So Ben brings out the big guns.

Behold! Alien X!

The fight is taken to space, where Alien X opts to just erase Hal.

But, as he possesses a device that lets him take a retcon to the face, Hal doesn’t break.

So Ben goes for a swarm tactic and tries to break Hal’s shield.

Hal recites his Lantern Oath to break free and summon a weapon to attack with.

This attack works, but Alien X rewinds time to knock Hal back.

He politely reminds Hal of a thing that he forgot about.

Which means that finishing blow in 5…

4…

3…

2…

1…

I wonder if that was a size ten sorrynotsorry.

I can’t tell if Present!Hal is talking about the battle wounds that he has, or the one-liner he made, and I’m okay with that.

Verdict + Explanation.

So, right off the bat, one of Ben’s biggest advantages was his absurd versatility in his transformations and his ingenuity. But Hal outclassed him in many areas.

Sure Ben has an absurd amount of versatility, but here’s the thing: He can only use one alien at a time. Whereas Hal has his whole package in his one little ring.

Essentially, even with Master Control, Ben is always playing catch up. Fourarms and Way Big are strong, but not on the level of what Hal regularly faces. Diamondhead is tough, but not planet busting tough. XLR8 is fast, but- You get the picture, right?

Alien X was really Ben’s best shot at winning. But Hal has not only fought alongside allies with that kind of power (Like Dr. Fate), but he’s also fought against that (Like Darkseid).

And even then, Alien X is still vulnerable to damage (albiet, it has to be super absurd). Ben’s own fight with the Galactic Gladiator proves that Celestialsapiens can still lose fights. And the fact that Alien X failed to stop the Anihilaarg was because Ben was busy arguing with the other two personalities about what to do. In other words, Alien X isn’t omnipotent.

There’s also no real evidence to suggest that Alien X could resist anything that Hal could either. Ben’s versatility put up quite the fight, but it wasn’t enough to match Green Lantern’s speed, strength, durability, tools, and literal willpower.

And don’t be green with envy. That pun was Ten out of Bens… Yes, these are all of Boomstick’s puns.

Overall impression.

7.8/10.

Overall, the fight is impressive. There are great hand-drawn moments in it, though I do have to knock some points for using Kid Ben sprites. Not only does the voice sound more appropriate for a teenager, these guys went on about how if the had “trimmed down Ben to his original 10-15, then it would be more fair of a fight to put him up against Beast Boy.”- That’s stuff that would lead people to think “Oh. So they’re going to use teenage Ben sprites.” This isn’t like using younger sprites of Jotaro or Naruto. The big heads never said anything about how “If we had used pre-Kurama friendship Naruto, then pitting him against Luffy would be fair” they just went straight into the battle due to power levels.

In short: Had they not made a big deal about it, then this wouldn’t be a problem.

Also, I think there’s a valid criticism about them primarily pulling from the classic-era aliens and only having Alien X from the AF/UA be the only one not from that era. Like… would have using Humungousaur instead of Fourarms been too much?- What about Atomix from Omniverse?- He’s delightfully hammy.

But, I can’t blame them for using so few. It would be a pain to try and animate all those alien forms.

But the spritework is nice, the research is solid, and it has great moments and callbacks to each character’s respective series. So it gets points for that.

Next Time…

*Inhales*

FUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUU

UUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUCK!

Y’know, the last time a RWBY character fought, an entire hate group for them sprung up on Deviantart (I’m not kidding). So, this will be fun. Please excuse me for my lack of enthusiasm, but I have bad memories of that hate group and I am not looking forward to having to go through that again.

Is there a fight that you want me to review? - Send an ask/request, and I’ll look into it!

Do you want to read my fanfic based around DEATH BATTLE itself? click here!

Thank you for reading, and I hope to see you next time for…

… Yeah, I got nothing.

[truthbeetoldmedia]

iZombie 5x10 "Night in the Zombie City" Review

With just three episodes of iZombie left, we are inching closer and closer to the truth about the cure, and characters are going to more drastic measures as time ticks on. 

For this week’s murder, a young sex worker and private eye detective are killed back to back. Liv eats the detective’s brain, bathing the episode in noir. Sad saxophones, light bars across the eyes, and long trench coats. A thunderstorm plays in the background for the whole episode, making every scene feel like a dark and stormy night. The power goes out in the station, giving it a 50’s black and white movie vibe. Bunny, the sex worker, was one of Candy’s girls, so the investigation naturally winds up at Don E Be Good’s. All signs point to the waitress, Jane, who ends up returning to the scene of the crime. Blaine confronts her near the bar, and right before Jane is about to shoot him, Crybaby comes in and knocks her out cold. Blaine eats her brain in hopes of finding out more, and he has a vision. The private eye detective had managed to secure a cure for Bunny, and Jane caught wind of it. Trying to steal the cure for herself, she killed both of them. Of course, getting another cure would be in Blaine’s best interest, and so he eats Jane’s brain in hopes to figure out where she stashed the cure. 

Blaine and Liv cross paths at the private eye’s office while working on the case, but tensions finally boil over between the two when they are looking for the cure in the kitchen of Don E Be Good’s. Peyton gets Liv to come out drinking, and Peyton drowns her sorrows and delivers wobbly karaoke. The fun comes to an abrupt end when someone tells Peyton that she was a bad mayor. She tells him exactly what she thinks about that by sockin him right in the mouth. A huge bar fight breaks out. “Seriously? On karaoke night?” Don E moans. If only he knew the knockout, drag-out Liv and Blaine were having in the back. This is certainly not the first time that these two have come to fisticuffs, but this time it gets ugly. Crybaby intervenes again, with more intentions to kill. Right before he brings the bat down on Liv’s head, Clive comes to the rescue. Blaine throws Crybaby under the bus for Jane’s murder, which is what Blaine does, and Crybaby truly should not be shocked about it.

 Peyton is also arrested. Poor girl is clearly having a hard time dealing with not being mayor anymore. Now that she’s off the hook for all of Seattle’s problems, what else does she have to do? “Did I ever tell you I wanted to be a paleontologist?” she tells Liv. “Seems hard to get fired from that job.” I hope in the next three episodes, Peyton can get her groove back, rather than taking up an extended stay in Margaritaville and getting arrested for bar fights. 

Another character who has been under a lot of stress lately, as well as a new relationship, is Don E. In a bought of frustration, he calls the murders a “hassle” for business, which rubs Darcy the wrong way. Confused about what he said, Liv soothes him while sipping on hard liquor. “Dames got you dizzy, Don E. It’s what dames do.” He has a sweet moment with Candy, where she encourages him to get Darcy back, and it seems a little bit like a final goodbye. Candy has been an unsung hero of this series. She has never had a full plot on her own, unfortunately always at the mercy of the unethical men in her life. We aren’t often in tune with her thoughts and feelings, but she has been with us since the beginning. So when we see her steal the cure for herself and get on the back of a sexy motorcycle, I cheered out loud. Cue the Lucille Bluth “Good for her!” gif! Although it sets our heroes back, yet again ending an episode cure-less, I can’t help but feel like out of all the people to get one of the rare original cures, Candy deserves it the most. Be free, Candy! 

Darcy agrees to speak to Don E, and she tells him that she was angry at his reaction to Bunny because his chief concern was finding a replacement for her. Darcy doesn’t have much time left, so she was worried that would be Don E’s reaction to her death as well. Don E has matured the most out of any character on this show, and so when he tells Darcy that he’s hardened by all the death in his life, but still loves her, it feels like a hard won, vulnerable moment from him. He asks Darcy to marry him, which was the perfect mix of corny and sweet. At first I was sure that we would see Darcy die by the end of the season, but I’m beginning to wonder if the show has a future for these two after all. If there’s any zombies standing after Liv and Martin’s showdown, that is. 

Ravi wastes no time telling Liv the truth about her father, that he also, in fact, is Father of all Zombie-kind. In turn, she wastes no time confronting him about it. Not only is she angry that he withheld something so major, it also means he holds the key to the cure. He created the recipe for utopium that could be the solution to all their problems. He quickly tells her that he was high all the time in those days, so there’s no way he remembers the recipe. The audience knows this isn’t true, and it’s only a matter of time before Liv and the group find out. But not before Ravi lapses judgement a little and tells Martin he was testing rats with Max Rager, the energy drink that gives extreme psychological effects. When it’s paired with utopium, it turns people into zombies. Ravi explains that it stimulants the frontal cortex. Martin seems incredibly interested at this piece of information, and we found out later that Max Rager is the last piece of the puzzle that he needs to control his army. 

At Fillmore Graves, Major is begging for a distraction from the negotiations with the government. His second gives him a note that the keycard system needs to be replaced. While she mentions that it’s “just boring stuff,” it turns disturbing fast. Major catches a janitor with a huge carton of Max Rager with two keycards. When Major tells him that he wants to ask him some questions, the janitor runs into a shower hook, impaling his brain rather than talk. When Ravi hears what the janitor was trying to steal, he brings up to Liv the conversation he had with Martin. Liv proposes sneaking into Martin’s house while he’s in an AA meeting, and boy do they hit the motherlode. Not only do they find the exact recipe from the night of the yacht party that created the first zombie outbreak, but they find the army too. Ravi pulls aside the curtain, hoping for an escape route, and finds a pack of Romeros staring back at him behind a cage. 

Meanwhile, two of the weakest plots of the show finally meet each other and seem to resolve. As a little recap, Hi Zombie is the webseries that Peyton got fired for funding. The premise is two families move in next door to each other — one human, one zombie — and they root out all the stereotypes they have against each other. Every clip or scene we’ve seen of this show has been didactic and a little forced, but surely it was a plot device to build some kind of crucial bridge. The threat of nuclear warfare has been looming over New Seattle for quite some time now, and I mean a long time now. I understand this is a big decision, but it’s been stretched to the point of taking the wind out of the story’s sails a bit. I never actually believed that New Seattle would get nuked, and now we know it’s probably not going to. Why? All because of Hi Zombie! The chairman walks in on her grandson watching the show, and leans over to watch it with him for a while. Over the course of the evening, she has a change of heart about the zombie community. When it comes down to a vote on whether or not to nuke the town, she breaks the tie by voting no. “They have the capacity to become monsters” she says, but she can’t base her vote on “for fear for what they might become.” All of this is certainly not good enough for General Mills, who pays a phone call to our favorite local criminal, Dolly. These two make a toxic team up, for sure, but how will they factor in to the grand finale?

Final thoughts:

Ravi does an amazing noir detective monologue that I can only assume is based off Harrison Ford’s Bladerunner voiceover 

Was it just me, or was there extra alcohol in this episode? 

“I’ll sleep when I’m dead” “You’re already dead.” It seems unbelievable to me this joke hasn’t been played yet 

“We’re not talking about your book. By the book. My book.” I’m going to miss Malcolm Goodwin rolling with every brain swing. He’s exasperated by a brain nearly every week, but this one particularly got under his skin. He tells Liv she’s off the case until she eats a brain tube, but that certainly doesn’t stop her. 

“That was just a love tap!” 

I always feel frustrated when this show uses terribly dated language, like “hooker” and “junkie.” It leaves a bad taste in my mouth. 

“The classic lamp reveal.” Finally, a brain that matches Blaine for his dramatics. 

Don E’s laugh when Peyton starts singing is pure iZombie 

“We’re going to Don E Be Good’s.” “Good’s enough!” Again — so obvious but brilliant. 

Haley’s episode rating: 🐝🐝🐝🐝

iZombie airs Thursdays at 9/8c on the CW.

[fiinalgiirls-aa]

GENERAL INFORMATION.

FULL NAME - nuan / nadja feng NICKNAMES - fengoria, feng, nad GENDER / PRONOUNS - she/her DATE OF BIRTH - november 12, 1990 PLACE OF BIRTH - vancouver, british columbia CITIZENSHIP / ETHNICITY - canadian / chinese & white RELIGION - atheist SOCIOECONOMIC STATUS / POLITICAL AFFILIATION - middle class; nihilistic, but liberal. MARITAL STATUS - single. SEXUAL & ROMANTIC ORIENTATION - pansexual. EDUCATION / OCCUPATION - associate’s degree in business; bartender, projectionist. LANGUAGES - mandarin, english

FAMILY INFORMATION.

PARENTS - guoqiang feng ( deceased ) and megan robbie / feng / clarke ( estranged ). SIBLINGS - none OFFSPRING - none PETS / OTHER - pyewacket ( a small, black cat ) that she hasn’t obtained yet in canon, grandpa ( a blue heeler ). NOTABLE EXTENDED FAMILY - grandmother, nuan feng ( her namesake ) stepdad, preston clarke ( estranged ).

PHYSICAL INFORMATION.

FACECLAIM - chloe bennet HAIR COLOR / EYE COLOR - brown / brown HEIGHT / BUILD - 5′6″ / athletic TATTOOS / PIERCINGS - a cheesy dragon tattoo she’s embarrassed of from high school that is on her right shoulder, an A with a circle around it on her right index finger. three lobe piercings per ear. DISTINGUISHABLE FEATURES - several scars across her hands from the time she smashed her stepdad’s windows in with a skateboard. black eyeliner. a trademark smirk.

MEDICAL INFORMATION.

MEDICAL HISTORY - appendectomy at seven. adhd and dyslexia. KNOWN ALLERGIES - lactose intolerant, but largely does not care. VISUAL IMPAIRMENT / HEARING IMPAIRMENT - slight hearing loss in her left ear from too many concerts–uses earplugs now. NICOTINE USE / DRUG USE / ALCOHOL USE - uses cigarettes and alcohol to excess. occasional drug use is limited to marijuana and cocaine. thinks hallucinogens are for hippies and ecstasy is for hipsters.

PERSONALITY.

TRAITS - ( + ) charismatic, robust, loyal ; ( - ) aggressive, sardonic, contrarian TROPES - anti-hero, functional addict, good old fisticuffs, brutal honesty, jerk with a heart of gold ( sometimes ). TEMPERAMENT - sanguine ALIGNMENT - chaotic neutral CELTIC TREE ZODIAC - reed, the inquisitor MBTI - istp HOGWARTS HOUSE - gryffindor VICE / VIRTUE - wrath; diligence LIKES / DISLIKES: music, bar fights, beer, smoking cigarettes all night, movie marathons, sleeping in her underwear, diner food, her cat and dog, sleeping til three pm,  /  people, pop-punk, anything she associates with the term ‘mall core,’ motorcycle clubs, children, dogs ( in general ), conversations, her parents. QUOTE:  ❝ in the company of wolves, they respect i eat first. ❞

FAVORITES.

FOOD - congee when she’s sick, pepperoni pizza, food truck burritos. DRINK - whiskey, black coffee. PIZZA TOPPING - pepperoni. COLOR - black. MUSIC - crust, thrash metal, unironic love of power ballads. BOOKS - comics, amityville horror, some stephen king, doesn’t read much. MOVIES - horror and scifi, especially 1970-present. CURSE WORD - she has a creative vocabulary, but leans on the word ‘fuck’ like it’s a crutch. SCENTS - leather, marlboros, french fries.

BIOGRAPHY.

trigger warnings: death, murder, gore, sex mention, assault, implied racism, violence, drug mention

▓ ▌NOW PLAYING : GOOD THING – FINE YOUNG CANNIBALS

it’s a whirlwind romance, so the journal of nadja’s father would tell of it when her mother finally lets her read it. megan robbie spends her year abroad at tianjin university, hoping to make a new start for her life after the death of her parents. she has no siblings to lean on for support and the once strong childhood and college friendships that had promised permanence and fortitude had failed–crumbling under the weight of complicated grief. megan finds the exchange program that will take her as far away from victoria, bc as possible. northern china connects her somewhat distantly to her mother’s mother, a woman she barely sees in her own features and hardly remembers from her own childhood. megan finds herself falling in love with the coastal metropolis.

guoqiang feng plays guitar and spends his sunny college days reading in the quad. he has long hair and wears oversized sunglasses that megan thinks only he could pull off. they take their first trip during break with some friends down to sanya on hainan island and between the romance of the salty beach air and the hum of anchor beer have the new couple swimming in the saccharine haze of young love. they don’t wait until graduation to get married.

the wedding is a tasteful, small event where everyone remarks on the glow of megan’s soft face, as it shines like the moon–even brighter than the soft cream of her delicate lace dress that floats away from her body in an a-line cut just below the knee. when guoqiang sees her the whole world melts away. in her dark hair, she wears a modern filigree comb and lets her hair cascade over her shoulders in gentle waves. they have never been completely traditional.

no one seems to notice the small changes in megan’s body beneath her bridal garb. it is not long before the wedding that baby nuan grows in her belly–just now the size of a peach pit–kicking with the thunderous force of athena banging around in her father’s head. she is guoqiang’s daughter through and through. when she is born, it is a difficult birth and megan thinks that surely all this pain is worth it. she doesn’t see her baby for hours as she hemorrhages blood and the fundal massage the nurses perform to train her uterus to do what it was engineered to after birth is excruciating. there is nothing she wants more than to be a mother, she thinks, and when she holds nuan in her arms for the first time, she knows she cannot return to work and there is nothing left for her back home in british columbia.

they name the small girl for guoqiang’s feisty mother and megan gives her the english counterpart of nadja and the middle name of her own later mother. in megan’s arms, nuan can never seem to find peace and is quieted only long enough to eat before howling for her father. megan feng cannot understand what she has done wrong, but is comforted by the soft tutting of her husband as he quiets their precocious baby girl, insisting that she is just a fussy child and only seemed preferred him because he was so often at work.

college had worked out well for guoqiang and soon he was working for future tv in tianjin. the train rides home extended his time away as did the occasional afterwork dinner or meeting leaving megan and nadja to themselves for the most part during the week. if distance made the heart grow fonder, time made the heart grow sweeter. megan was full of yearning and though she cherished her time with the fussy, mischievous toddler it soon became not enough. she yearned for stimulating conversation and found herself nose deep in any literature she could get her hands on–eager to discuss the stories with guoqiang as he entered the house late at night with slumped shoulders.

▓ ▌NOW PLAYING : BELA LUGOSI’S DEAD – BAUHAUS

the time comes where guoqiang feng is bestowed with the good fortune of moving up in the company. despite being dead tired everyday, he considers himself lucky even as the dust continues to build on his baby blue fender stratocaster. once relegated to the work week, guoqiang’s long hours continue on long business trips throughout the country. the time apart does not shatter their foundation, but it does take its toll on the young couple. unwilling to let megan and nuan come second to anything, guoqiang makes some important changes.

on most nights, guoqiang starts skipping the afterwork cocktails–coming back home from with a little more energy than before. he starts to plan a family vacation to sanya to revitalize the marriage and get some much needed rest and relaxation. megan takes the news to heart and enthusiastically begins planning their itinerary. there is a new glimmer to the feng household and even nadja seems to be less fussy–toddling around with a smiling face. she takes steps on her own and starts to speak; her first word is ‘cat.’ the fengs get a cat. nadja can hardly remember life in tianjin, but nearly every moment of her childhood includes that cat she cannot name. the gossamer wings of nostalgia obscure so many things.

the fengs are as shocked as the rest of the world when news hits of sarin gas in nagano. it’s a stark juxtaposition when held up against guoqiang’s busy work days in tianjin or megan and nadja playful days in the coastal city of tianjin. the fengs have never been to japan aside from guoqiang’s rare trips to tokyo for business. when guoqiang doesn’t return to his hotel room in tokyo on time from the train to make his night call with his family a year later, it’s the furthest thing in the world from megan’s mind. she’s certain–despite nuan mounting tantrums–that he simply stayed out too late with colleagues following an impromptu dinner. when he never makes it home, megan wonders if she should count herself lucky or unlucky that nadja does not have the words to ask the deeper questions–not yet.

as spring approaches, ushering in the reminders of trips to sanya, megan feng holds nuan firmly in her arms in a dark room. they are all that is left. everything reminds megan of him. guoqiang’s ghost is inescapable and he is present in everything she does. guoqiang’s mother nuan comes to mourn her son, but stays to help a mother and child heal. it’s too much for one woman to carry alone, but despite their grief the two mothers make a go of it together.

▓ ▌NOW PLAYING : BURN – THE CURE

every grain of sand in bohai bay carries a piece of guoqiang in it. megan cannot breathe in her husband’s shadow and, despite the love she has for her home, she knows it is time to make a new life. the goodbyes are painful, but after she is accepted to study at the university of british columbia she knows that fate has chosen a new path for her. she is blessed to leave with her daughter in tow. the cat with a forgotten name stays with nuan’s nainai in her modest house by the sea. it will be a long time before little nuan looks upon her face again.

nuan starts kindergarten in vancouver, british columbia and struggles behind her classmates. back home she was touted as gifted, if not just a little too busy, but here she feels behind. by elementary school she is taking the bus and walking home to the apartment herself while megan finishes her degree. so many kids struggle with the name nuan, even though it is the simplest thing on her own tongue. she doesn’t get to choose between nuan and nadja; it is a choice made for her by her mother and the rest of the people she comes across. it isn’t perfect, but nadja will look back later upon this time with palpable longing; it’s the only time she remembers feeling happy with her mother because, as she’ll learn in an encroaching reading assignment–nothing gold can stay.

where nadja struggles, megan thrives. majoring in literature, she puts her love of reading to good use. it doesn’t even matter that she has to start seemingly from scratch when all of her credits don’t transfer over. three years into her bachelor’s and she meets professor preston clarke and is immediately enamored by his lecture style. he is, for all intents and purposes, the quintessential cool guy professor. they meet during his office hours and discuss poetry over coffee. the romance doesn’t cross the line until graduate school, when she becomes his teaching assistant. to protect his reputation she drops out of the program and applies for a teaching program instead. megan and nadja move into his tasteful craftsman in english bay. every time preston calls her ‘naddy’ instead of nuan or nadja she bristles; she knows this man has no business playing her father.

▓ ▌NOW PLAYING : LEXICON DEVIL – THE GERMS

as nadja grows so do her problems in school. the letters seem to dance off the page like fall leaves and she is unable to sit still to focus like the other kids. the more nadja struggles, the more megan and preston push her. it only deepens the divide between them. the only balm for her anger is the occasional stretches of the year when nainai visits. it is the only time nadja freely speaks chinese in the household where her mother coddles her monolingual partner. when nainai is there, nadja does not break her toys or rip apart preston’s coffee table books–she runs into the arms of her grandmother and finds the comfort of her father. with grandma feng in the house, the tensions seem to lessen.

there’s an anger in her that is burning, stirring–embers glow now and soon they will be flames. she is talented at finding trouble. she hates her stepfather because he acts like he understands her mother and pretends he understands her. he is holden caulfield. he is jack kerouac. he is a thousand and one tired perspectives. he understands nothing. resentment mounts like bile in her throat and it coats every acrid word she speaks to her mother for choosing a man like him–for choosing that same man every time over everyone and everything else.

it’s the music that nadja channels this anger into. she spends her afternoons skateboarding of messing around on her dad’s old stratocaster. she paints her lips black and clings to anything that turns to corners of her mother’s lips downard in disapproval. nadja tells herself it’s her mother’s choice, this rebellion. it’s the choice she made when she plucked her small daughter from her father’s home and forced her into the hostile canadian soil. in that soil, megan feng becomes meg clarke. she blossoms and grows, building a home in old grief to runaway from new loss. nadja refuses the surname and stands her ground; she will not forfeit her father’s name.

▓ ▌NOW PLAYING : OH BONDAGE ! UP YOURS ! – XRAY SPEX

freshman year brings a new sense of freedom to nadja life. skipping class to smoke cigarettes and crush beer cans under the bridge beats the annoyed sighs of teachers who think ‘nadja feng just doesn’t apply herself.’ when she runs out of cash for smokes or weed at the end of the school day, nadja skates over to the university to bum a few dollars off her stepdad. she’s done it half a dozen times this month alone and there’s nothing to suggest this day will go any differently. as she approaches his office, she zips up the black hoodie she’s altered with dental floss to cover the band shirt beneath as a small act of appeasement.

instead of finding him alone, drinking scotch and contemplating the loneliness his mediocre life affords him, nadja finds him with his hand on the thigh of another bright-eyed literature major–his position as a professor adding an attraction to him that would otherwise go overlooked. she turns sharply on the heel of her black doc martens, storming out to the parking lot to the tenured professor’s coveted parking spot. the silver sedan glistens in the spring sunshine. it’s so close to the anniversary of her father’s death, which has come and gone unmarked yet again in preston clarke’s household. april showers bring may flowers, but in the parking lot it is raining safety glass as she smashes out the windows of the sedan with the trucks of her skateboard. the clarkes have always seemed to be more interested in the status of parenthood rather than the labor love takes. it feels good to break something he loves.

when preston finds out he insists that nainai’s summer visit be cancelled and megan feels pressured to oblige; she has always only wanted harmony between preston and nadja and it seems farther away than ever. the punishment does not serve to temper her into a well-honed tool. nadja anger is a wolf lapping its own blood off the blade of a knife; the meal satiates her, but it is she who is hemorrhaging. she runs away several times before it sticks–never speaking to her mom and stepdad again when she finally manages to get out.

couch surfing with friends and surviving somewhere between traincar and tall boys of steel reserve, she joins a series of moderately popular local punk bands–unable to commit to anything for too long. it builds up her reputation in vancouver’s punk community, however, and soon she has the family she’s always wanted–a large group of friends. nadja casts off her old identity. she is finding her footing in brand new velvet burgundy docs–a kickdown from some drunk girl at a show. they’re a little too big, but with a couple pairs of wool socks, she can hardly tell the difference.

▓ ▌NOW PLAYING : I LOVE LIVIN’ IN THE CITY – FEAR

by twenty-one, things have picked up for nadja. the girl has split her time between working at smoke shops and alternative cafes long enough to have obtained her ged and now she works the front door at a popular punk bar. at an average heigh tof 5′6″ the fast-talking, loud mouthed runaway has other ways to cut even the tallest men to half her size. her temper gets her into trouble, but her charisma and work ethic keep her employed.

without her parents’ finances, it becomes more and more difficult for nadja to see her grandmother and their visits are relegated predominantly to weekly skype conversations. nainai works with her granddaughter to keep up her mandarin and the girl dreams of returning home and spending the weekdays working in tianjin only to return to the calm beach town where her grandmother still lives in the house she was born in. it seems like a pipe dream, but it is one both women hold onto. it is the only dream either one has left. grandma feng no longer has any reason to speak to her once beloved daughter in law either, but there is no spite. she knows that nadja’s mother cannot bear to have the thorns of guoqiang’s death in her paws for a lifetime. grief is complicated, but better understood by those who’ve lived long enough to see enough of it.

after a few years, nadja becomes lead bartender, but the money just isn’t rolling in. the bar threatens to close and nadja begins taking night classes and setting money away in the hopes that a business degree will legitimize her enough for a business loan so she can buy the place herself. it cements her in bc, but with enough money she could at least afford to bring her grandmother out to see her on occasion. it’s not a homecoming, sure, but perhaps it is a homemaking.

▓ ▌NOW PLAYING : EVER FALLEN IN LOVE – THE BUZZCOCKS

like her mother and father before her, nadja falls in love with a boy playing guitar–spitting his own blood on the crowd of the bar like gasoline. kurt is tall and lanky with a padlock securing a chain around his throat. his long, dark hair frames his freckled face so delicately for someone with such an obtrusive frame. it’s not long before the spiteful bartender and the guitarist who lives in his van and calls himself ‘freegan’ to justify dumpster diving cheese pizzas are inseparable. he moves in quickly to her place, more or less because he doesn’t have a stable place to leave his shit when he’s on tour.

it suits her just fine when he’s away playing shows or laying down tracks on a seven inch. the bands slays and kurt and nadja have fun together. they get drunk on forties in train yards and cemeteries. they drive out to the beach and fuck in his van before tagging up the concrete retaining walls of a beachfront housing development. it seems like they might spend the rest of their lives smoking weed and cigarettes on the porch, scarfing down breakfast burritos at three am, and marathoning eighties horror movies like each time is the first time. nadja doesn’t know if she believes in love, but she thinks that maybe this is close enough. her skype calls to grandma feng become spotty in these first few months. it is the thing she will live to regret the most.

nadja becomes lax under the spell of love. coursework does not go unfinished, but she lets kurt hangout sometimes in the bar when she’s closing. eventually, her boss concedes to hire him on as a dishwasher and–though he complains about wanting a better position–he shows up to work most days more or less on time with a fresh cigarette behind his ear and an easy grin. he closes up some nights with nadja or the other bartender–a menacing looking american girl named natasha that bites her nails when she thinks no one is looking and always smells like damp patchouli and sweat.

on a moonless night in december, not long after their one year anniversary, nadja arrives to the community college to see that class is cancelled. excited to return early to the bar and surprise kurt with some burgers and garlic fries, she is crushed to find him in the arms of natasha. the pair are showered in burgers and nadja catches one of them with an empty bottle she isn’t sure she truly means to make contact with. the sound of shattered glass has always been a lullaby to an angry girl.

she’s not even all the way back to her apartment before she gets the call. nadja feng is fucking firedand kurt has given her the blame for the money he’s been skimming from the place on the sly. they’re debating on whether or not to press charges. nadja sells all of kurt’s second-rate band equipment to a pawn shop along with the things that don’t mean enough to carry on her back. she buys a plane ticket to tianjin by way of los angeles that day. with christmas lurking around the corner, it’s the best bang for her buck. nadja leaves her house keys on the empty floor. fuck leases and fuck kurt stevens.

▓ ▌NOW PLAYING : SPELLBOUND – SIOUXSIE AND THE BANSHEES

the corrosive memories of kurt and natasha’s tryst are far from nadja’s mind as she finishes the skype call with her grandmother giving her the good news. understandably, grandma feng is concerned about the impulsive decision, but she knows her granddaughter well enough. even a girl as rash as a summer forest fire sometimes makes the right choice. they have dreamed of reuniting for so long, it is hard to take the news with anything but a tearful smile. nadja hears it in her voice–it colors every word. for the first time in nadja’s young life she thinks: i’m coming home.

the drive is a long one, but nadja is worried about the possibility of being forced to stay in bc due to assault charges. she can drive down the west coast and breathe in the salty air. she can eat clam strips and throw bread to seagulls in some seaside diner while she watches the tumultuous waves of the oregon coast thrash violently against the rocky shore. maybe it’ll be therapeutic, she thinks, to be one small person along a great, dark sea. a few days more. a few days and she’ll be back in tianjin and maybe she and nainai can get a new cat together. maybe the waves that beat the sands of dongjiang bay beach are softer and kinder than those in the pacific northwest.

it’s a lonely ride down and after three days of reflection and solitude, nadja feels like crawling out of her own skin. it’s too much peace for a girl born of chaos. perhaps it’s self-destruction or maybe it’s idle boredom, but when she sees the young crust punk couple hitchiking on the side of the road, she thinks fuck it, at least it’s something new and pulls over for them. they’re on the way to yuma city and she agrees to drop them off on her way to lax. they seem fine enough. she doesn’t even mind the little blue heeler they have with them, even though she’s a dyed in the wool cat person. the track marks don’t go unnoticed, but it’s nothing new to a veteran of the punk scene and nadja feng can handle anything.

▓ ▌NOW PLAYING : DEAD END JUSTICE – THE RUNAWAYS

after a day on the road, the trio and their small dog throw down a few bucks to sleep in one of the cabins at a kampground of america. it’s not so bad, but the puppy whines all night and pees on the floor once in the early hours of the morning. nadja lies awake on the top bunk and she can hear the pair talking below her. wes speaking in his dopey voice, hardly whispering and maya shushing him in harsh whispers. nadja eeps her movements to the minimum and her eyes closed after she hears them pause for several moments when she readjusts. she’s certain she can smell maya’s breath for a moment as she hears the bed creak and feels a steely finger in her ribs. keeping her breaths steady, she plays opossum.

it becomes clear to her, once the bed creaks and maya starts talking again that they mean to rip her off. maya even asks wes is he’s ever wondered what it would feel like to kill somebody. nadja’s seen the way he looks at her; he’d die for her. he’d kill for her. boy, have they fucked with the wrong girl, nadja thinks darkly. covers pulled up to her chin. there’s a butterfly knife in her pocket and the shape of it has left an impression on the skin of her thigh. slowly she reaches for it and works to silently unfold it, clutching it to her chest beneath the covers when she’s through. they’re gonna pay. she’s never thought herself a killer, but she’s been a fighter since she was in her mother’s belly. let them try it, she thinks. and they do.

lying in wait, knowing it was coming doesn’t prepare her for what it will truly be like. there’s a fist in her face before she can speak, with the harsh instructions to get up. sucker punched and it’s not even four am yet. helluvah night. the punch stuns her, but she means to be ready. as wes pulls the covers from her bed, she spring on maya like a cat–butterfly knife, formerly a novelty, an aesthetic–arching blood across the cabin walls. maya has to be first, because she’s meanest. the shock will stun wes long enough for her to turn on him even though he’s bigger. somewhere in the darkness, their small dog yelps and paws at the door.

maya is easily overtaken. nadja has the element of surprise and a few inches on her. she wonders what it says about her that she can dispatch a shitty person so easily. it’s not like highlander; she doesn’t gain mystical powers when she sticks maya in the neck with that cheap butterfly knife. all she gets is blood. wes, on the other hand, he’s harder once he realizes his life is on the line. easily, he has half a foot and thirty pounds on her and he gives almost as good as he gets. nadja swallows a molar and take a hit so hard her ears ring, but she doesn’t stop. her whole life has been filled with a rage that she has let out in metered doses. tonight she lets it all out; tonight she knows she can never go back to vancouver, but she can still go home. she doesn’t stop until the dog barks at her loudly to go outside and she wonders if he didn’t trust them either.

they’d named him something stupid, like chaos or dogmeat. he wasn’t a fucking fallout canine companion even if they fancied themselves raiders. heroin and the open road, punk rock and a boxcar–she knows how romantic it all can seem. they probably thought they were mad max or negan. in the end they were just assholes. nadja feng is a cat person, but she can’t just leave this poor dog in the cabin with all that blood. he’s barely more than a puppy. nadja doesn’t know what the fuck to do with a dog, but … he is kind of cute. his blue-grey fur reminds her of an old man’s beard–a little old grandpa–and so the name, while never meant to be permanent, sticks. and so does grandpa, it seems, as he never leaves her side. they’ll have to head east, farther from the scene of the crime and buy a plane ticket from somewhere like phoenix. she chides herself as she wonders how much it costs to ship a dog to tianjin and decides fuck it, it doesn’t really matter. their friendship was baptized in blood, she and the dog belong together.

▓ ▌NOW PLAYING : THERE IS A LIGHT THAT NEVER GOES OUT – THE SMITHS

the open road at night in the desert has an eerie quality to it and nadja is running from ghosts. phantoms who catch her easiest when she is sleeping, grandpa curled under her arm, in the back seat of her beat up muscle car. she’s never seen a place quiet like this and maybe it’d even be beautiful if she wasn’t alone–lady macbeth on the run. at least the dog’s good company, he doesn’t seem to care what she’s done and long as she feeds him. there’s something kind of nice about the newness of unconditional love.

she doesn’t call her grandmother to tell her about the change in flight plans, not yet anyway. once nainai’s voice sound on the other end, she knows she’ll burst into tears. she doesn’t deserve a grandmother like that, but she knows that an old woman can’t care for herself forever. she can at least give her that. if she can’t give her fat grandchildren and a fancy house on the beach, she can at least be there for her–if only she could find the highway.

driving and coffee, it seems like that’s all she’s known as she focuses on getting to phoenix as fast as possible. inhumanely fast, impossibly fast. it can be an alibi or an escape. there’s no way anyone’s going to believe she was the victim when they see wes’ body. too angry for too long–she’s really fucked it up this time. she doesn’t even google news reports, not wanting to know what might be waiting for her when she finally makes it to the airport and fuck, she can still not find the main highway, but there’s hope in the form of some no horse shithole named boot hill. ahead of schedule from driving like a bat out of hell, maybe she can rest for one night. maybe her demons can’t find her in this place. it’s almost a mirage–the oasis in the desert of cartoon, she thinks. who would ever think to find her in a place like this? the don’t even have a starbucks here, let alone a prison.

before she knows it, it’s been four months. nainai was understanding when she said she’d run into some bad luck and was staying in this small town. she’s just laying low of course, and she promises her grandmother everyday that she’ll be out to phoenix to catch her flight before she knows it. maybe nainai even believes it, because she says ‘my friends in la tell me there was a murder along the freeway there, be careful, sweet girl’ and nadja cringes, because she is not a sweet girl. she’s a killer and a prisoner and only one of those truths is she fully aware of in boot hill.