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kcwcommentary · 6 years ago

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VLD6x03 – “Monsters & Mana”

6x03 – “Monsters & Mana”

I love this episode.

This show has done several non-standard episodes, and they are at the bottom of the list of episodes for me. This one is the exception. This is my favorite episode since season two ended (though I do like 3x05 “The Journey”).

The episode is basically the Paladins sitting around playing Dungeons & Dragons, and it’s great. When I first watched this episode, it was part of my big marathon of seasons 3 through 7, and I had no idea this episode existed. When it first started, I instantly thought it seemed like D&D, so the more I realized that it was, the more excited I got about the episode.

We start with a monster pursuing Pidge and Hunk’s characters. Pidge’s character is geared up in heavy armor, and Hunk’s character seems to be a wizard, what with his casting a lightning bolt spell. That spell does next to nothing, and as they run away, Hunk’s character says that he’s “a healer, not a fighter,” so then how did he get access to a lightning bolt spell. I mean, he looks enough like a cleric that I thought he was one, but the lightning bolt spell made me think I must be wrong and he had to be a wizard. It doesn’t really matter.

The ogre (looked like an orc to me, but they eventually call it an ogre) continues to chase them, and he has an ocarina that he uses to make Hunk fall asleep. Pidge is immune to sleep because she’s playing a dwarf character (of course Pidge’s character would be immune to negative things). She uses a jump attack to smash the ocarina with her axe, giving Hunk a chance to cast some binding spell on the ogre. Pidge whacks the ogre sideways with her axe (can’t show a big giant wound like an axe would cause), and they defeat him. In a bit of cross-genre RPG content, the ogre poofs into a floating crystal more reminiscent of monster deaths in video games.

The crystal is one that neither Pidge nor Hunk have seen the likes of before, and Pidge proposes taking it to an innkeeper who for some reason she assumes will know more about it than the two of them do. I know the episode is setting up the innkeeper being the villain, and I know this episode can be looser with logic given its non-standard style of story, but that is an unexplained jump in logic for Pidge to make. Apparently, Hunk’s character’s village was turned to stone, so that’s his quest, to un-petrify them. Hunk’s character, anxious about travelling to wherever they’re going, says of his village, “I mean, they’re not really going anywhere.” That made me laugh.

They arrive at the inn, but apparently have no money for food. The animation changes to have a 16-bit RPG style as Pidge smashes some pots looking for coins. I have smashed a lot of pots in video games in my life, so I love that moment. They take the coin and Pidge orders a “greasy meat pile,” which the Coran-innkeeper calls a “health plate.” It kind of makes me go eew hearing Pidge specifically order it “greasy.”

Coran’s innkeeper NPC is something. Seriously tall, like giant-level height, super muscular, but hair that seems like more of a feminine style, but ever still Coran’s mustache. The innkeeper says the crystal is the type some evil wizard named Dakin uses. He’s, of course, located inside a dungeon.

As the innkeeper tells Pidge and Hunk where that dungeon is located (mirroring Lotor telling the group about both Oriande and the rift between realities, wherein they fight at the end of the season), Shiro’s character in a shadowy corner of the inn speaks up. I super love Shiro’s character. He’s a paladin! It’s really sad though knowing that the EPs thought they were mocking Shiro himself by having his character be a paladin concerned with protecting and helping people. It’s kind of infuriating that the EPs think there’s something wrong with a person just being a good person like Shiro is.

Anyway, Pidge and Hunk go over to talk to Shiro. Hunk says his character is named Block, and that he’s a sorcerer. I’m kind of confused now. Not that this episode is adhering to an actual game system, but with Block having earlier said that he was “a healer, not a fighter,” his being a sorcerer doesn’t feel right. Being a sorcerer matches the spells he’s cast though, so it was that particular “healer” line of dialog that is the dissonant element. Pidge’s character is named Meklavar, a fighter.

I love Shiro’s character wearing a shiny crown/horn in place of his white floof of hair. He gives the backstory of his character. He was chosen to be a paladin at a young age. He was raised in a monastery, but one day a leviathan-demon attacked, destroying the monastery, and killing his master. (He was educated at the Galaxy Garrison, and one day a Galra ship attacked, setting of his quest.) The master’s last words and immediate death is making fun of the cliché of so many stories having of a character dying as they say something important, and I laughed. And then the master is still alive just long enough to speak again and die again. And Shiro, recounting the tale while sitting in the inn, cries a big, long tear. The moment definitely plays with some tropes.

Hunk and Pidge’s characters get up and walk out of the inn. (Granted, they’re playing characters in a game, but it reflects their non-game character that they walk away from someone they’re supposedly friends with. Any decent friends playing a game together like this want their friends to feel included in the game, but that’s not their behavior here.) The sound of Shiro’s voice panicking, saying, “Where are you guys going?” as Block and Meklavar leave really gets to me.

Then Block says, “Man, that guy was so boring.” This is the voice of Joaquim Dos Santos and Lauren Montgomery talking about Shiro, not just Block talking about Shiro’s character in the game. This infuriates me. This is textual proof to go along with what they’ve said in interviews about how this episode is supposed to be mocking Shiro. JDS and LM always thought Shiro was boring. That’s why they resented being told they couldn’t kill off Shiro. One, if a character is boring, as head of the creative team, it’s your fault that that character is boring. Two, Shiro was never boring. That they think of him as boring tells us about how JDS and LM think about people. They think that someone who wants to serve and protect aren’t good people, that there’s something wrong with them being that way, and that they think no one could find value in a character who displays those qualities.

Shiro’s character refuses to stay behind and runs to join Block and Meklavar. Then a giant mouse attacks, eating Shiro. Cut to the table that Coran, Shiro, Hunk, and Pidge are playing at. One of the mice is chewing on Shiro’s character miniature. Shiro is mildly incredulous that Coran is declaring his character dead in the game just because the mouse jumped on the table.

Coran says, “Don’t worry, you can just make a new character.” There is a differential in people who play RPGs demonstrated here: Some players really don’t care about characters. As some people far more clever than I am have said, they’re the kind of players who roll play, not role play. Player characters for this style of player are little more than the numbers on the character sheet. For others of us, the character is a lot more than what’s printed on that sheet. We invest ourselves emotionally in our characters, think about their backstory, and can’t just discard them so easily when they die in game.

Shiro takes his mini and puts it back on the table, saying, “I’m going to be a paladin again.” Yes!

Coran says, “Come on now, do you really want to play a paladin?” and then lists a bunch of other classes.

Shiro counters, “I don’t know what’s more fulfilling than being a paladin.” I love it!

And Coran is animated angry and yells, “But you’re already a Paladin in real life!” Coran then growls. I’m sorry, but no. Coran getting angry here is unjustifiable. Why does it bother him if Shiro wants to play as a paladin in the game? (Because it bothers the show’s EPs and writers that they have to include Shiro as a Paladin in the show. The EPs wanted to get rid of Shiro so that they could have Keith as the Black Paladin, and so they’ve written their anger at not being able to into Coran’s dialog. Of course, they were eventually able to talk their way into completely sidelining Shiro in seasons 7 and 8 in order to get what they wanted in having Keith be Black Paladin.)

Also, this is technically the clone playing the game here, not the actual Shiro. The show eventually blatantly proclaims the clone to be an “evil thing.” But here we see the clone and subtextually here he’s telling us how much being a Paladin means to him. Here the clone is showing us through that subtext that he is not evil. He, as much as the real Shiro, cares about helping people, about serving and protecting. We saw that in 4x01 “Code of Honor” when he begged the Black Lion to let him help the other Paladins. But again, the EPs think that this makes a person “boring.”

Allura and Lance enter the room and see them playing. Allura is interested in joining them, though Lance is skeptical since it involves a book. He also freaks out over the idea of a d20. Lance asks if they don’t all have something more important to do (ignoring the fact that he himself isn’t doing anything important right now). Pidge and Hunk are waiting on diagnostic to run on some system of the Castle Ship.

Shiro responds, “And I’m trying to take a mental break. We’ve been going really hard lately.” Awe!! Let Shiro have some fun! (Especially since the show almost never writes him to have any moments like this.)

Lance is more interested in playing once he hears that Allura wants to play. Sigh.

We return to their game. Block, Meklavar, and Shiro’s character are walking through the woods. Allura’s character, an elven mystical archer, joins them. Lance is a cat-eared thief named Pike, which he says is not a thief but a ninja-assassin. He poofs around with smoke bombs, and loudly yells about his character “lurking in the shadows, silently watching!” The effect of having him yell so loudly about being silent is funny. And then they see him stealing money from a pouch. So yeah, thief.

Allura’s character summons a flying mount that they all then ride on to the dungeon.

I love Block asking, “Did anyone remember to bring torches.” Needing to see in dark environments is something RPG players are kind of notorious for forgetting, so Block’s comment is so very meta.

Shiro then says, “I really think my character would have remembered to bring a torch.” I do agree with him, and a good dungeon master, game master, or as Coran’s calling himself in this episode lore master wouldn’t be so strict as Coran is here. It reads more like Coran is again voicing the EPs’ dislike of Shiro. Allura realizes her character an make an arrow glow, so they have light.

They come to a dead-end in the dungeon. Lance says, “Maybe you just have to knock,” knocks on the wall, and they door is revealed. It totally references back to 1x01 “The New Alliance” where he gained access to the Blue Lion by knocking on its forcefield. So of course, I’m now thinking of how Blue valued Lance so much that she let him in just because he knocked, and then by moving Lance from Blue to Red, that bond he’s had with Blue from the beginning was senselessly taken from him.

The episode then goes meta again by having Lance’s character, as the thief, have to check for traps on the door. My experience suggests that the presence and use of traps in D&D is such that players rarely speak about the process in any in-character terms, only in terms of game mechanics. The way the dialog is written here totally matches that real way checking for traps is usually handled in games. So, Lance rolls low, the trap is triggered, and everyone plunges down a shaft/highly sloping tunnel. Once they fall out into the open, Block casts a spell that gives everyone a flying chicken to hold on to so that they don’t fall. The chickens are funny.

Then, there’s a montage of the group fighting various monsters, until they come upon a giant pile of gold and treasure. Allura gets a “quick draw quiver with a magical creature-summoning arrow.” Pidge gets “goves of transmutation,” the description of which kind of makes me think of Allura’s alchemy. Lance gets an invisibility cloak. Hunk gets a bowl of endless food because of course he does. (Sigh.) And Shiro gets a “blazing sword.” This makes me think of Voltron’s sword’s flaming version, and then I again think of how this show takes being the Black Paladin away from Shiro. As soon as his character lifts the sword, he’s super excited, and then he gets hit by black and red lightning and dies screaming, his hair-floof crown and the sword being the only things left behind. And how do the others’ characters react? Pidge says, “Ooo, he dropped a rare item.” They don’t care about Shiro.

The innkeeper is the villain. A silly, simplistic twist like this is okay since they’re playing a game here, but it does reflect on what the show is doing with Lotor. Like the innkeeper, he was brought in as an ally to the Paladins, providing them with information about where to go and what to do, and then, out of nowhere really, he’s suddenly not a good person but a villain. It’s a process that’s fine when they’re all sitting around here playing a game, but the main show itself needed to do way better than this.

Shiro’s new character arrives, teleporting into the dungeon. Shiro’s twin brother Jiro, “here to complete Shiro’s quest.” It has to be a meta reference to the clone story. And still, his new character, like the clone, is a good person, trying to help and protect people. Pidge responds, “A paladin again?” with a lot of derision, so this is more of the EPs’ dislike of Shiro being written into the meta-dialog of the characters. It doesn’t hurt anybody for Shiro to play whatever character he wants, so how about you shut up, Pidge.

Dakin talks about Block’s petrified village, saying, “I’ve already siphoned off their life force.” Clearly, this is a cryptic foreshadowing of Lotor’s colony and the Alteans there being the source of the unexpected quintessence. It almost feels like this is the show semi-consciously recognizing that how the rest of the season writes Lotor is super underdeveloped and shallow. Either the writers know they wrote Lotor’s end badly and just didn’t have the writing skills to do better or weren’t allowed by the EPs or something, or they actually think they’ve written Lotor well and are just mirroring it here, unaware that this reveals how shallow they wrote Lotor’s end.

Dakin blasts Jiro with flame, and his shield even generates some glowing forcefield-like energy to help deflect the blast. I love shields as tools and symbols, so I love that his character has one.

The episode changes animation style again to look like that of a video game while Allura’s character shoots enemies with arrows. The party takes damage, and Allura uses a “healing arrow,” complete with yelling the name of the ability as she does so – that’s meta. There is something odd, in a funny way, of shooting someone causing them to be healed.

Jiro then vows to avenge his twin. I wish with this show had Shiro care about the clone after it falls as much as Jiro cares about Shiro. If the EPs thought Shiro was a boring character, then how about writing him to want vengeance against Haggar for what she’s done to him and to all the clones the same way Jiro wants revenge here? It would have been a plot that would have let the show wrestle with the implications and significance of the clone story instead of just instantly forgetting any of it ever happened.

The shot from behind of Jiro running toward Dakin… yeah, that’s nice.

They keep fighting, Block casting “embiggen” on Meklavar, who grows giant and axes Dakin.

Jiro speaks, but with Shiro-the-player’s comments, “This game is so amazing. It requires problem-solving, teamwork, creativity. All the skills you want to imbue when doing team-building exercises.” I love Shiro going a little nerdy in the moment. I love seeing and hearing! him be excited about something. He’s clearly having fun. And it also reflects his character as a leader that he sees the game through that lens of leadership and teamwork. But remember, this guy is supposed to be an “evil thing.” Grr.

And Lance then yells at him, “Stop trying to ruin our fun with learning!” Stop trying to ruin Shiro’s fun, Lance. This show lets Shiro have such little fun as it is!

Surprise, Dakin isn’t dead. With the show using Dakin to foreshadow and mirror Lotor, his not being dead here could be read as further foreshadowing, a hint to the viewer that Lotor’s story isn’t over just because he dies at the end of the season. But it’s not.

Dakin is now a dragon. Block is hurt, and Allura shoots another healing arrow. Pidge gets smashed by a dragon tail. Shiro tries to draw the dragon’s attacks away from the rest of the characters, just like a tank character like the paladin class usually does in RPGs. Hunk realizes they need a plan, so he casts a “secret” spell, and the players huddle away from Coran to devise that plan.

Pike distracts the dragon with his quick speed and cloak of invisibility. Block throws out some food from his endless bowl. Meklavar transmutes the food into oil with her gloves. Allura summons what looks like a hippocampus, a creature from Greek mythology with a horse-like body, fish-like tail, and wings. Jiro mounts it, lights his sword on fire, and sets the oil on fire. The fire destroys the dragon.

Victory.

Pidge and Hunk have a breakthrough on what they’re working on on the Castle Ship. Lance reacts, saying, “Somehow I understand the fantasy words better than the science ones.” Is that the writers telling us that they know they don’t understand the science they try to write into this show?

Shiro says, “I can’t get over how great that game was!” It’s so nice. This man deserves to have fun!

Allura comments about how the fun of playing has made the time go by quickly, and Lance, of course, responds out of his attraction to Allura, “We have pretty good time together, don’t we?” She says, “We sure do,” and this feels like it’s setting up the idea that the problem is Allura just hasn’t realized the right guy for her (Lance) has been there all along, and that she’s wrong for having not been interested in him before. I really do not like this trope of romantic storytelling (and the ignorance it demonstrates some men to have about women).

Lotor contacts Allura to tell her the ship is ready to begin testing. Lance is instantly dejected, but I guess at least this jealous reaction isn’t one of anger and arrogance. Coran offers another round of playing, and Lance says sure.

Shiro says, “I want to be a paladin again.” So much meta on this line. It reflects how being a Paladin is so fundamental to Shiro’s character arc, and it makes that the show takes being a Paladin away from him infuriating. It also again reflects the goodness of the clone, and it makes the show declaring the clone to be an “evil thing” infuriating. And of course, Lance and Coran react like Shiro’s wanting to be a paladin (and thus the show/EPs/writers thinking Shiro being a Paladin) is somehow weird.

It amazes me that the EPs thought this episode would get viewers on their side in thinking Shiro was boring. And if I understand the broader audience reaction to this episode, that backfired on the EPs, as this episode just further reinforced for viewers why they like Shiro so much. At the least, it did so for me.

#voltron legendary defender #voltron #vld #voltron criticism #vld criticism #voltron critical #vld critical #vld season 6 #vld 6x03 #commentary

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e7y1 · 3 years ago

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Thank you for tagging me! I love Picrews!

This is Collin from Mice and Mystics. It’s my favorite board game! He’s a prince who got turned into a mouse and now he and his friends have to save the kingdom!

Tagging:

@avril-circus @amezure @honeyxmonkey @burasto @chamiryokuroi And anyone else!

hey look it’s another picrew—who wants to make their own mouse??

tagging @authorofemotion@accidental-spice@kanerallels@taleweaver-ramblings and anyone else

#picrew tag #tag game #Mice and Mystics

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shibara · 7 years ago

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Piece I did for an art show at a local board-game fest.

Each artist selected for the show had to intervene a 30x30cm mdf meeple (I used acrylics) referencing a favorite contemporary board-game.

I chose Mice & Mystics, one of the best games I’ve ever played and which I love with all my heart > u <

#mice & mystics #anthro art #board-game #acrylics #meeple #traditional art #myart #allmyart

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aylamoenwyb · 7 years ago

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In-depth Profile, Ayla Moenwyb

Note:Stolen/taken from @subetei-noykin

♪Through all the tumult and the strife,I hear its music ringing, It sounds an echo in my soul. How can I keep from singing? ♪

IDENTIFICATION —

· Full Name: Ayla Moenwyb Solaire

· Pronunciation: Eye-la

· Pseudonym: none

· Nicknames: Moon, Queen, Mistress

· Age: Twenty-Five Cycles (Immortal)

· Name Day: 1st Sun of the 6th Umbral Moon

· Birthplace: Tumet Winter Tribal grounds, Azim Steppe

· Guardian: Menphina, the Lover

· Residence: Goblet Crewhouse, Lavender Bed Home, Crimson Phoenix

REFERENCES —

· Motto: “My Mother had taught me to be nice first, because you can always be mean later, but once you’ve been mean to someone they won’t believe the nice anymore. So be nice, be nice, until it’s time to stop being nice, then destroy them.” –Laurell K Hamilton

· Theme Song: How can I keep from Singing (linked above)

· Face Claim: Ayla wasn’t designed to look like anyone specific. Still, this image overall is roughly her build, look, and aesthetic

STATS —

· Gender: Female

· Race: AuRa, Xaela, formerly of the Tumet Tribe

· Height: 5’3’’

· Weight: One-hundred and three ponz

· Eyes: Jade green with Crimson Limnal Rings

· Hair: Platinum Blonde with Honey streaks highlighting her face

· Skin: Alabaster skin set off against obsidian scaling.

· Build: A soft, slender athletically curvy frame. Petite.

· Scars: She is ‘unmarkable’ due to her vampire regeneration and healing.

· Tattoos/Marks: A paw shaped brand on the inside of her left ankle that only remains due to being burned into her skin during a rare loss of her vampiric powers.

At First Glance (+5)

A Siren: Her skill with a bow is only triumphed with her beauty and grace upon the stage. She can weave songs and stories into spells that enchant and entice and has been known to be able to tame even the strongest inner demons and beasts with the power of her voice and dance. A quick-witted flirt, who isn’t above using her sex appeal to catch the eyes and interest of her next meal…err ‘dinner date.’ Though while both her songstress and vampire sides rely on her ability to enrapture and capture, she is, not predatory by nature.

Maternal: Wife of a seafaring Captain with a crew filled with powerful pirates ranging from succubus to void mages to monster inside me types, it is seldom quiet around their home or group hangouts. Someone has to be the voice of reason, the mediator. And so while she wants typically nothing to do with brawling or scraping or stepping in between two raging xaelic men, someone has to and often the responsibility to maintain the peace falls upon her. On the other side of the coin, she is often the most informed member of the crew, and the one they are most often willing to pull aside for a soft heartfelt conversation or advice. She’s quick to give a hug or verbal lashing in equal measure.

Vampire: As a young, naive new actress, she fell in love with the company’s tall, dark and handsome bodyguard. Over time, they would marry, and to spare him the pain of watching her grow old and one day die as he remained ageless, she agreed to be turned. A vampire she became. But unlike so many of her contemporaries, her pure-hearted reasons for turning, and her lack of power lust in general did not create in her a dark, predatory killing machine. Yes, she still needs to drink blood to feed, avoid the sun and other typically vampire like things, but her power and over charged aether, instead of being transferred into might or destructive power, is instead used to cast potent healing spells, time and escape magic. She is protective, and while she has killed some victims in her feeding, she now has the control and self-assuredness to simply incapacitate them, take what she needs and then leave them with a hell of a headache to wake to the next morning.

Healer: Combining her Song-weaving skills with the surplus of aether she gains from feeding, she is a potent and skilled healer. Her caring and soft-hearted nature also lend to being concerned about the well-being and safety of others. Because she is immortal and hard to truly kill, she has been known to sacrifice her own well-being and safety to take a shot or blow or risk for someone else. She also has skill and knowledge of the stars, alchemy, and plants from her tribal and nomadic upbringing.

Insular/Private: She married probably one of the most gregarious and charismatic men one could meet in her Captain. And in doing so, and her constant presence at his side, she has been pulled out of her shade and shadows literally into his orbit and sun. Sometimes, errr often, it gets too loud and noisy for her there and she has to rush off to one of her spots of solitude where she can unwind, think and create and find her focus. Most people who meet her, see her performance persona or her authorities shades she needs to don to share her craft or stand at her Captain’s side, assisting with the running of a large crew. She can be forceful, and loud and domineering, but it’s out of character for her naturally and drains her quickly. Still, people thinking she is bossy and proud works in her favor as she’s not one to quickly speak of her own personal concerns, focusing instead on those of the people around her and their needs. Being invited to chat with her over port and snacks in front of her fire is a rare invitation indeed.

FACTS —

♪They tell me he’s poor.

They tell me he’s young.

I tell them all, to hold their tongue.

If they could part the sand from sea,

They ne’er could part, my love from me. ♪

· Occupation:”Queen” Right hand of the Goldbrand, Songstress/Performer, Musician, Healer

· Specialties: Healing, Archery, Escape, Listening, Music, Storytelling, Soothing, Bunny Magic

· Skills: Singing, Storytelling, Instrumentalist, Medicine, Natural Healing

PROFICIENCY —

· Education: Her Tribe (Tumet), Adoptive Mother, Self-taught

· Favored Weapon(s): Her wit. Bow.

· Secondary Weapon(s): Bite

· Magic Abilities: Healing, Time Magic, Escape Magic

· Magic Strengths: Healing

RELATIONS —

· Sexual Preference: Bi-sexual with a preference for men

· Romantic Identification: Loyal

· Relationship Status: Mated

· Sweet on: Kuro

· Alignment: Chaotic Good

· Allies: Goldbrand, Spies in different Grand Companies, Mercenaries, Tavern Owners, Patrons.

· Enemies: Vampire Hunters, Rival Pirates

FAMILY —

· Maternal: Her adoptive mother, Byldalona, a Roegadyn woman who rescued her when her tribal trial went awry.

· Parental: Shona and Batu were her birth parents. She was born a member of the Tumet tribe, part of the ‘Rose’ Clan. Her birth father and mother are but distant memories to her now, but she carries still the tribal dagger her father gave her.

· Mentor: Her adoptive mother, Byldalona, and her husband and Captain, Kuro Soliare.

· Associates: People of the Alliance with the Goldbrand and Contacts.

Kuro Soliare (Husband, Lover, Protector, Mentor, Adored)

Crew(Friends)

♪Easy silence that you make for me It's okay when there's nothing more to say to me And the peaceful quiet you create for me And the way you keep the world at bay for me The way you keep the world at bay♪

MENTALITY —

· Social Level: Exotic, Charming, Seductive, Witty, Mentor, Soft, Sensitive

· Optimistic View(s): We all have the power to make the world around us a little prettier.

· Pessimistic View(s): We are often heard but seldom listened to.

· One Positive Personality Trait: She speaks truthfully….even the truths we don’t wish to hear.

· One Negative Personality Trait: Her straightforward nature and need to keep others in good health and spirits can be mistaken as pushy and overbearing. She can be relentless. .

· ·One Personality Warning: Threatening her Captain’s Safety (so crew typically by default here too) or her sister’s. She’s also defensive of those she keeps in her care.

· Random Quirk: She often bites her lip. It happens for various reasons, but commonly, amusement, shyness, unsureness, worry or pain can lead to catching her biting her lip.

· Hobbies: Writing, Singing, Studying and learning, Collecting rare herbs and flowers.

· Addictions: Blood-aether.

· Habits: Lip biting, fleeing if pressured. Hiding in the Shadows.

· Pleasures: Port wine, Cuddles by the fire, fine music, dancing, Captain, Knowledge, Cool Starlit Groves, heart-felt gestures

Appreciates (List 5+)

Port Wine Discipline Flowers especially Sakurasou Flowers and Roses Pets Wildlife Bunny’s Stuffies Praise Culture Lions Love Music Learning/Knowledge Teaching Companionship Order Mysticism Magic Poetry Rules

Dislikes (List 5+) Arrogance Discrimination Loneliness Harm to Loved Ones Threats Mice

Strengths (List 5+)

Immortal Kindhearted Honest and Loyal Focused Supportive Resilient Kuro

Weaknesses (List 5+)

Relentless Opinionated Sunlight Kuro Maahes Self-doubt Emotional Flight Risk

Fears (List 5+)

Losing Kuro or his ‘real’ death. Harm to Saya or another in her protection Not being able to bear a pain that would cause Maahes to be harmed. A naked honeymoon on a deserted treeless isle ;) Sha, the Lurker Champion kidnapping and torturing her once again. Mice

FAVORITES ––

· Favorite Food(s): Captain Crunch ;) Port Wine, Chocolate, Berries, Steak, Whipped Cream.

· Favorite Drink(s): Blood, Port.

· Favorite Scent(s): Flowers, the woods after it rains, Campfires, her Captain when he returns from sea.

· Favorite Colors: Red, Black, Silver, White, Pink.

TRIVIA - - None currently.

OOC -

Server: Balmung

Timezone: EST

Mun: Female

Experience: Roleplay Experience of 1.5years Writes in any format, matches length and complexity where possible. Will scene In-Game (When possible), Discord and other mediums as requested. I also am irl an actress and performer and teacher/mentor.

Type of RP: Any/All, Mature and R-Rated themes included. Long-term Story-lines or One-shot scenes. Enjoys interacting with Canon and OC alike.

Looking for:

Friends, Partners, Employers, Brothers or Sisters in Arms, Privateers and Pirates, Rivals or Antagonists. Performers, Bards, Entertainment Venues.

Tagging: @bryterbythenight @captainkurosolaire @renni-razormane @ayane-mayuzuma @shinji-calar @smolcatte

-Or anyone.

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wonderfulworldofmichaelford · 7 years ago

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The Top 100 Movies of the 1980s

Ah, the 80s. In terms of art, they were a time of boundless creativity, where it seemed like artists would put any crazy idea out there just to see what stuck. As a result, we got lots of crap... but we also got a whole lot of awesome, memorable, and iconic movies.

This was the decade where fantasy really got big, with unique fantasy films coming out all the time. Sci-fi and horror as well had a good decade, with the latter genre churning out all manner of quirky slasher films in which supernatural madmen killed. Stephen King movies had a good run as well, kicking off the decade with The Shining and getting some other good to great movies along the way. Animation produced a lot of quirky, niche films that only later found the devoted audiences they deserved, but it also put out the film that would launch an animated Renaissance in the next decade. And of course, the 80s truly belonged to one man: Arnold Schwarzenegger, who put out everything from action classics to hilarious comedies to cult classic films.

But that’s enough history; let’s get right on in to the list:

100. Heavy Metal

1981

Sci-fi, fantasy, horror, titties, sex, and awesome music all come together in this fascinating cult classic that loosely strings together a bunch of vignettes that exist solely to show off badass, mindlessly awesome sci-fi and fantasy adventures. It’s one of the most awesome and underrated animated films ever made for sure.

99. The Adventures of Buckaroo Banazai Across the 8th Dimension

1984

One of the strangest films ever, this one is especially notable for having a surprisingly star-studded cast which includes Peter Wellers, Christopher Lloyd, John Lithgow, Jeff Goldblum, and Clancy Brown. It’s a pretty fun sci-fi story too, that asks the REAL questions, like… what’s that watermelon over there for?

98. The Toxic Avenger

1984

Did Troma realize what they were unleashing upon the world when they made this? This epic, trashy revenge film about a janitor dipped in toxic waste due to a mean prank cleaning up crime in his shithole of a town is as awesomely ridiculous as the title implies.

97. The Living Daylights

1987

And they say there were no good Bond films in the 80s! Timothy Dalton’s first outing is rather excellent, and features an awesome scene in which the villain Necros disguised as a milkman lays waste to a house. License to Kill was great too, but this one just has a bit of an edge, mostly thanks to a-Ha’s awesome theme song.

96. The Great Mouse Detective

1986

Disney released a Sherlock Holmes-esque film with mice, and it is perhaps one of their most underrated classics. Aside from the excellent Holmesian mystery story, you have an incredibly risque song number from a stripper mouse and Vincent Price devouring the scenery as an incredibly hammy villain. What’s not to love here?

95. The Dark Crystal

1982

One of the boldest, most daring fantasy films of the 80s, this is some of Jim Henson’s finest work, no doubt. The story may be cliché, but the excellent worldbuilding, puppets, and overall design of everything more than makes up for the flaws.

94. The Return of the Living Dead

1985

Horror and comedy come together in this homage to Romero’s zombie films. Not only does this movie feature the iconic zombie Tarman, it is also responsible for popularizing zombies craving brains in pop culture. Zombie cinema owes this movie quite a debt of gratitude.

93. Fatal Attraction

1987

Some parts of this movie have not aged particularly well, particularly that slasher film-esque ending… the rest of it though? Still excellent, gripping, and dark. Alex Forrest is a disturbing villain for the ages, a woman scorned who takes her vengeance much, MUCH too far.

92. They Live!

1988

This film is a brilliant satire of Reagonomics featuring one of the greatest fistfight brawls in cinematic history, and yet it will always be known best for that one, single line: “I am here to chew bubblegum and kick ass… and I’m all out of bubblegum.” And you know what? That’s ok.

91. The Lost Boys

1987

80s vampire movies don’t get much better than this one, one of the rare well-received films by Joel Schumacher. It has the style, the fashion, the Coreys! It’s the peak of 80s vampirism for sure.

90. Mystics in Bali

1981

This film is incredibly, insanely awesome, a complete and utter mindfuck. It’s basically what happens if you made a kung-fu movie except you replaced the kung-fu with witches and vampiric flying heads whose entrails dangle out their neck hole. This is one of the most batshit movies ever made, and deserves more respect.

89. Dirty Dancing

1987

I’d be remiss to not mention Baby and how no one should put her in a corner, but this movie has more going for it than just that, like an excellent soundtrack and an incredibly dreamy Patrick Swayze. Sure it’s a bit cheesy, but it really just adds to the charm of the film.

88. Twins

1988

Whoever would have guessed that Arnold Schwarzenegger and Danny DeVito would have such excellent onscreen comedic chemistry? More importantly, who could have ever guessed that they could convincingly and endearingly play twins?! Arnold and Danny made quite a few films together, but this one is definitely the best of the bunch, and easily one of Arnold’s best comedy outings.

87. The Adventures of Mark Twain

1985

This is a pretty dark story for a family film, what with it essentially being a man’s journey to commit suicide (that man being Mark Twain). Interspersed with vignette adaptations of his stories, including a scene based off of The Mysterious Stranger that is easily one of the most unsettling sequences of animation ever created, this is an underrated masterpiece.

86. Commando

1985

Somehow, some way, they managed to make an action movie that distilled everything amazing about Arnold Schwarzenegger action films together into one movie. It has one-liners, it has brutal kills, it has Arnold singlehandedly slaughtering his way through armies of goons, it has dozens of lines you can quote… this is a love letter to Arnold movies, starring the man himself.

85. The Last Dragon

1985

Blaxploitation and kung-fu go together like peanut butter and jelly; throw in some weird hokey mysticism and a gargantuan portion of cheese, and you have a cult classic on your hands. Throw in a villain as awesome and memorable as Sho’Nuff, and you have a gem for the ages.

84. UHF

1989

Weird Al only ever starred in one movie, but boy did he make that one movie count. This film is an excellent showcase of his odd, wacky sense of humor, and even then it still has a solid story to carry the jokes along.

83. Creepshow

1982

Horror legends Stephen King and George Romero teamed up with special effects wiz Tom Savini and paid tribute to old school horror comics of the 50s with this masterful string of short stories. Standouts include Something to Tide You Over featuring a shockingly terrifying turn by Leslie Neilsen, The Lonesome Death of Jody Verrill which has Stephen King himself in the titular role, and best of all The Crate, which is about the titular object… or, well, what’s inside it. All this adds together to make the best horror anthology film ever made.

82. Killer Klowns from Outer Space

1988

Step aside, Pennywise! Here comes a whole gang of man-eating clowns from the stars! In an homage to B-grade monster movies of the past, particularly The Blob, at that! Keeping the spirit of the old-school monster movie alive is an easy way to win me over, and doing it with tongue firmly in cheek? Well, that’s just icing on the cake!

81. Bad Taste

1987

Peter Jackson’s early work all truly lives up to the title of this film, but this one takes the cake, or perhaps the barfed-up bowl of goo. With all the gore and nastiness, this is one of the trashiest, most awesome sci-fi films ever inflicted upon this Earth.

80. The Adventures of Baron Munchausen

1988

Terry Gilliam’s charming flight of fancy is just as creative as his other 80s works, and honestly? It’s probably my personal favorite. Where else can you see an uncredited Robin Williams as king of the moon, or a young Uma Thurman as Aphrodite herself? Or the Grim Reaper in what might be its most horrifying cinematic interpretation ever?

79. The Land Before Time

1988

You wouldn’t think a film about dinosaur children journeying across the land could be so dark and gripping, but, well, here we are. This is one of the strangest coming-of-age films ever made… and also one of the best.

78. The Running Man

1987

Yet another Arnold classic, this one actually tackles some deeper themes beneath the cheesy 80s action, such as the glorification of violence in media and how the media loves to distort and twist the truth. This was years before reality TV mind you, and yet it was disturbingly accurate. And they say Arnold’s movies can’t be deep!

77. Clue

1985

Anyone who tells you “X is a stupid idea for a movie, it could never work!” is a fucking idiot, because in 1985 they managed to make an excellent screwball comedic mystery out of a popular board game… and it was magnificent! Getting folks like Madeline Kahn, Tim Curry, and Christopher Lloyd involved definitely helped.

76. Lethal Weapon

1987

I think it’s safe to say nearly every buddy cop movie after this one took a page from its book. This is a hugely influential movie, and thankfully it’s really damn good even looking back, giving us one of Mel Gibson’s best performances ever.

75. Christine

1983

What can I say? I love movies about killer cars. John Carpenter did a really good job at making the titular car as badass and menacing as possible, and it stands tall as one of the best films based off of Stephen King’s work.

74. The Brave Little Toaster

1987

Long before Toy Story 3, there was this film, which has a very similar plot, right down to the ending (which is no surprise as many people who worked on this went on to Pixar). With a charming and likable cast and several scenes that range from amusingly strange to nightmarishly memorable, this is one hell of a family film.

73. The Dead Zone

1983

Christopher Walken stars in this supernatural thriller based on a work by Stephen King, proving the 80s were probably one of the best times to be a Stephen King adaptation, because damn this is one hell of a film. Christopher Walken and Martin Sheen turn in fantastic performances in this one, highlights of their careers even.

72. The Untouchables

1987

While it is a somewhat fictionalized and dramatized account, there is no denying Brian De Palma managed to make the tale of Al Capone’s takedown as stylish and cool as you’d hope the story of the legendary gangster’s defeat would be.

71. The Killer

1989

This is without a doubt one of the finest films John Woo ever made. The action is incredible, the story is incredible, and it all culminates in a shootout at (where else?) a church. This is pure, classic, undiluted Woo right here.

70. Beetlejuice

1988

Michael Keaton portrays the ghost with the most, the titular spirit, with so much personality that it makes it nearly impossible to hate this film. It does help the other main characters have a lot of heart and charm to counteract his hilariously douchey antics, though.

69. Re-Animator

1985

Sci-fi and zombies collide in this H. P. Lovecraft adaptation. Jeffery Combs really makes the movie with his stellar performance as Herbert West. This is also probably the only movie where you can see a severed head try and perform cunnilingus on a young woman, so there’s that too.

68. The Name of the Rose

1986

What a strange concept: a detective story, except with a friar doing the investigating in an abbey in the Middle Ages. And yet, it somehow works really well, not in the least bit due to Sean Connery’s excellent performance.

67. Pumpkinhead

1988

One of the best overlooked horror films of the 80s, this is a rather unique demonic horror film. Lance Henriksen turns in a wonderful performance, but the real star here is special effects legend Stan Winston’s awesome creation, the titular monster. This is one hell of a directorial debut, I gotta say.

66. Caddyshack

1980

This is easily one of the best sports films and one of the funniest comedies ever made. Comedy legends like Chevy Chase and Bill Murray turn in excellent and hilarious performances, but as I’m sure you know it’s Rodney Dangerfield who’s busting everyone’s guts with his antics.

65. An American Werewolf in London

1981

This movie is pretty good as a horror film with comedic elements, but there’s no doubt it is most notable for the incredible special effects work from Rick Baker. And if that doesn’t tell you enough about this movie’s quality, Michael Jackson specifically sought out director John Landis and Baker to help him make the music video for “Thriller” solely because of this film.

64. Blow Out

1981

John Travolta stars in this fascinating thriller about a movie sound recordist who accidentally picks up proof that a supposed accident is murder while recording sounds. Dark, gritty, and as thrilling as a good thriller should be, this is one of Travolta’s and director Brian De Palma’s best films, hands down.

63. Ferris Bueller’s Day Off

1986

Damn, how is this perennial classic about the ultimate lovable slacker so low? Well, mostly because I kinda find Ferris to be a manipulative douchebag who manages to get away with everything by taking advantage of the good graces of others. But do my feelings toward the titular character change the fact this is a charming work of 80s genius? Nope!

62. The NeverEnding Story

1984

The 80s were a wonderful time for unique and creative fantasy films, and not many were as creative as this one, which has impressive puppet work, incredible designs for the sets and strange beings that populated the world, and a somewhat cheesy but charming and exciting story populated with likable characters.

61. Big

1988

This is a movie that just oozes charm. Part of it is due to it being one of the most lowkey fantasy films of the 80s; the other part comes with it being a unique take on the coming-of-age story. But let’s be honest: most of it comes from the living embodiment of charm himself, Tom Hanks.

60. Return to Oz

1985

This movie has a lot going against it, seeing as it’s something of a sequel to a beloved classic. But instead of going for the colorful and cheerful route of the original (with moments of darkness) this movie goes in the opposite route, with moments of cheerful quirkiness surrounded by some truly unnerving and dark content, such as a witch who steals people’s heads. In all honesty, this makes the film, in a lot of ways, better than The Wizard of Oz.

59. Stand By Me

1986

Many see this as one of the greatest coming-of-age films, and one of the greatest Stephen King movies ever made. And on both fronts, it’s easy to agree. Four boys walking down the train tracks together… is there a more iconic image in the history of coming-of-age films?

58. Ladyhawke

1988

A forgotten fantasy masterpiece of the late 80s, it features Rutger Hauer and Michelle Pfeiffer as star-crossed lovers, with Hauer turning to a wolf by night and Pfeiffer becoming a hawk by day. This is a creative and unique fantasy romance that definitely deserves more exposure than it got.

57. Willow

1988

What if George Lucas made Lord of the Rings? You’d probably get something like this, which features a story written by him, a story which despite the 80s fantasy cheesiness resonates with all the charm of the early Star Wars films and even featuring one of the franchise’s stars – Warwick Davis, AKA Wicket the Ewok.

56. Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade

1989

While it is something of a formulaic Indy film, it’s also the single best sequel of the series. Who isn’t a sucker for Arthurian legend, Christian mythology, and Sean Connery fighting Nazis? People you don’t want to spend time around, that’s who.

55. Brazil

1985

This is Terry Gilliam’s magnum opus, a sci-fi masterpiece with a similar dystopia to 1984. The difference here is that there’s a bit more dark comedy – not surprising since Gilliam is a Monty Python alum. Despite being fucked up by executive meddling originally, these days it has become hailed as one of the greatest sci-fi films of all time and a cult classic for the ages. Hard to disagree with that.

54. The Karate Kid

1984

Of course this would be on here. This is one of those beloved classics that has to be on every great 80s film list, in no small part due to Pat Morita’s Mr. Miyagi and the epic motivational jam “You’re the Best.”

53. The Naked Gun: From the Files of Police Squad!

1988

From the hilarious opening and the creative opening credits to Leslie Neilsen’s hilariously deadpan performance to all the clever jokes, slapstick, and visual gags, this is one of the funniest works in Neilsen’s career, and even in cinema as a whole.

52. The Little Mermaid

1989

Disney was in a dark, troubled time in the 80s… and then this film came along and kickstarted their 90s Renaissance era with a bang. Unforgettable songs, an entertaining villain, and one of Disney’s most charming main characters (so charming she doesn’t even need to speak!), The Little Mermaid easily stands the test of time, though it isn’t quite as good as some later Disney films.

51. Bill & Ted’s Excellent Adventures

1989

One of Keanu Reeves’ earliest films, this is the story of two lovable doofuses and their journey through time to meet some of history’s greatest mind. Filled with laughs and charm, this is to this day one of Reeves’ best and most enjoyable films. It helps to have George Carlin in your movie.

50. Jason Lives: Frday the 13th Part VI

1986

There were five films before this of varying quality, with the first being a horror milestone, but it’s pretty hard to deny that part six is the best of the bunch. It brings Jason back as a zombie, it adds in some humorous and tongue-in-cheek elements, and most importantly it has Alice Cooper popping out a badass villain theme song for Jason. This is where the series peaked.

49. Big Trouble in Little China

1986

One of John Carpenter’s greatest efforts, this film has truly earned its cult following. Martial arts and mysticism blend together to create a unique tale in which, in the words of Carpenter and Kurt Russell themselves, shows us “...A guy who thinks he’s the action hero when he’s really the comic sidekick.”

48. Spaceballs

1987

Mel Brooks proves he can be funny in any decade he decides to make a movie with this, a spoof of not only Star Wars but sci-fi tropes in general. You’ll be quoting a lot of the lines long after the movie ends, guaranteed.

47. The Elephant Man

1980

One of David Lynch’s most straightforward films… and yet, also one of his best. It is a powerful, emotional story loosely based on the real tale of Joseph Merrick (here in the film named John). John Hurt gives an incredible performance as Merrick, and in an important cultural milestone this film was the movie that helped establish the Best Makeup category at the Oscars following this film getting snubbed for it (it was previously merely a special citation award that had been given out twice).

46. Pink Floyd: The Wall

1982

One of the most infamously trippy and surreal music movies ever made, the deranged animation combined with some horrifying real-life imagery blend together to create one of the most inventive and strange artistic experiences ever put to film.

45. The Secret of NIMH

1982

Don Bluth’s magnum opus, and dark story of a mother’s bravery and love for her child as she goes against insurmountable odds to save her sickly son from death. Well known for its fucked up imagery, it also contains a lot of heart and spirit, particularly in the brilliantly done main character, Mrs. Brisby. There’s a reason this is cited as one of the finest animated films ever made.

44. Conan the Barbarian

1982

Basically every swords & sorcery film owes a massive debt of gratitude to this, the epic Arnold tale of a mighty barbarian’s quest for revenge. When everything from Red Sonja to Samurai Jack owes you a debt of gratitude, it’s safe to say you’re classic.

43. Clash of the Titans

1981

Greek myths have never been brought to life more enjoyably. While there is a fine layer of cheese here – the mechanical owl and Zeus’ disco lights being the chief offenders – it’s all part of this film’s charm. Ray Harryhausen did the work for the stop-motion monsters, and without a doubt his work on Medusa is some of his finest work ever, with her single scene being the stuff of nightmares. And let us not forget his reimagining of the kraken as the stand-in for Cetus; here, the kraken is a massive four-armed fish man, a take that has embedded itself in pop culture enough that other fantasy settings have cribbed this for their krakens.

42. Star Wars: Episode VI – Return of the Jedi

1983

The capstone to the thrilling original trilogy, it is a tad more uneven than the previous installment, but that’s about the only major negative going for it. From the opening scenes in Kabba’s slimy crime palace to the final battle with the Empire on the moon of Endor, this movie set the standard for how you should conclude a trilogy (though it didn’t set the standard on how you should treat Boba Fett).

41. The Last Unicorn

1982

The Rankin and Bass combo is best known for bringing delightfully corny stop-motion Christmas specials to life, but in 1982, they brought this, a gorgeous, dark, magical family film. At times charmingly magical, at others horrifyingly dark, but always stunningly gorgeous, this is one of the greatest hidden gems of the 80s.

40. Highlander

1986

Clever concepts and a fine cast come together beautifully in this unique fantasy film of immortals doing battle. Come for Sean Connery and Christopher Lambert’s excellent performances, stay for Clancy Brown’s early role as the badass and psychotic villain Victor Kruger. There’s plenty of silliness and badassery all around, as is only fitting for an 80s fantasy film.

39. Akira

1988

Motorcycle riding, explosions, telekinesis, psychic kids, horrifying mutations… this anime has it all! There’s even overdramatic shouting of the name of a friend! This film helped show to many that animation had a place beyond just entertaining kids or families, and that adult animation is a viable thing; not only that, it really helped introduce anime in the West, and helped inspire other great works like The Matrix. Truly a landmark, Akira’s place in pop culture and cinematic history can’t be ignored.

38. Pee-wee’s Big Adventures

1985

This film is weird; it’s a Tim Burton film that doesn’t really feel like a Tim Burton film (Large Marge notwithstanding). But that’s a good thing in this case; this charmingly simple tale of an eccentric man on a quest to retrieve his lost bike while getting into misadventures and meeting equally eccentric characters, culminating in an epic chase scene across Warner Bros. lots, is nothing short of fun.

37. Labyrinth

1986

Jim Henson and David Bowie were two of the most inventive, creative, and talented men on the planet, and yet putting the two of them together on one project seems crazy. And yet, it happened, and boy is the result glorious. The incredible puppet work and catchy songs are one thing, but David Bowie’s performance as Jareth the Goblin King is on a whole different level. He does so good he makes up for Jennifer Connelly’s corny acting in spades.

36. The Road Warrior

1981

Before Fury Road, there was The Road Warrior, a movie that lays as much claim to being called one of the most adrenaline-charged action films of all time. Filled with the crazy car stunts and action you would expect of a Mad Max movie, this movie is so good you almost forget you’re cheering for Mel Gibson of all people. Almost.

35. The Breakfast Club

1985

A group of misfits get together in detention, and inner reflection and a tight bond ensue. This is another one of those perennial classics, a teen movie that has stood the test of time and remained relatable through the years. It’s hard not to relate to a bunch of alienated, suffering teens; we were all there once.

34. First Blood

1982

Before the heavily actionized sequels… there was this, a tragic, almost Shakesperean tale of a Vietnam vet who is so traumatized by his experience there is just no place for him in this world. This was far deeper and more politically charged than newcomers to the Rambo movies might expect, but it is all the better for it.

33. The Fly

1986

Remaking a B-grade horror film and turning it into one of the most shining examples of body horror in all of cinema is quite an impressive feat, but David Cronenberg pulled it off! This movie is in many ways superior to the original film, and features one of Jeff Goldblum’s most impressive performances – one that is Oscar-worthy, I might add.

32. The Blues Brothers

1980

Movies based off of SNL skits have a reputation of sucking… save for this hilarious musical masterpiece, which has anything you could ever ask for from a comedy: Nazis getting run over, great songs and choreography, tons of cameos, and the greatest car chase ever put to film.

31. Field of Dreams

1989

If you build it, they will come… and cry their eyes out. This is one of the most tearjerking and heartwarming sports movies ever made, and arguably the best lowkey fantasy film of the 1980s.

30. TRON

1982

Sci-fi hardly got more groundbreaking than this cult classic. This movie just oozes style, what with its glowy video game aesthetics, and features a young Jeff Bridges (which is always a plus) and those kickass lightcycles. These days it has gotten a lot more appreciation due to things like Kingdom Hearts, and that appreciation is not undeserved; what other movie can spawn an awesome sequel three decades after the original?

29. Flash Gordon

1980

You COULD say that this film is nothing but a Star Wars ripoff that shamelessly cribs that series and its aesthetic… or you could say FLASH! AAAAAAAA-AAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH! SAVIOR OF THE UNIVERSE! The costumes, the cheesiness, the Queen soundtrack… this movie is the epitome of awesome.

28. Batman

1989

Tim Burton’s first crack at the Caped Crusader is still, to this day, one of the most impressive superhero films ever. Big props to both Michael Keaton in the title role and Jack Nicholson as his archenemy, the Joker; as it should be, these two and their performances make the film.

27. Full Metal Jacket

1987

One of Kubrick’s greatest works, it is a misunderstood work; you don’t just tune out after R. Lee Ermey’s part ends. You come for Gunnery Sgt. Hartman, you stay for him, and then you sit through the Vietnam war bit. Yes, even I’ll admit the Vietnam war part is not quite as good as the first half… but it still is filled with memorable scenes, characters, and quotes. Still though, mad props to Ermey, one of the few men to ever get away with improvising lines under Kubrick’s direction. You can’t understate an achievement like that.

26. Heathers

1988

One of the greatest black comedies, maybe even THE best black comedy, ever made. It’s like a dark parody of films like The Breakfast Club, with high school angst and bitchy cliques taken to their logical extreme.

25. A Nightmare on Elm Street

1984

This was really hard. The Elm Street series maintained a rather consistent level of quality overall throughout the 80s, from the underrated fifth and second installments to the third movie, which I would say is the best of the bunch. But I think that this spot can only belong to the original, without which none of the others would be possible. Wes Craven truly created an icon in the nightmarish Freddy Krueger, and Robert Englund brought him to life. This is truly the finest slasher film of the 80s.

24. This is Spinal Tap

1984

13 spaces away from its ideal spot, this mockumentary follows the world’s loudest metal band on one of their crazy tours. This film has apparently had actual rock stars scratching their heads and wondering what the joke is… apparently this film is too real for them. Whether that makes this better or not is up to you, but there’s really no denying this is a brilliant film either way.

23. Airplane!

1980

Remember the days when spoof movies were funny? This film is a crowning moment of comedic genius; it needs to be seen to truly be appreciated, it’s a comedy no amount of explaining can do justice. Just go watch it and laugh your ass off.

22. RoboCop

1987

Action and comedy are genres that really go hand-in-hand; being a bit tongue in cheek about slaughtering hordes of evil mooks is just amusing on a lot of levels. RoboCop manages to be ultraviolent, funny, bitingly satirical, and just a plain good time.

21. Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan

1982

Sci-fi rarely gets more Shakesperean than this. There’s very little about this that isn’t absolutely iconic and ingrained in pop culture, from Kirk’s infamous scream of Khan’s name to Khan himself as played by Ricardo Montalban to the tragic final moments of Spock near the end. This is widely considered one of the greatest sequels ever made, and it’s nearly impossible to argue against that.

20. Blade Runner

1982

Harrison Ford. Rutger Hauer. A dark sci-fi dystopia. It’s hard to believe this movie was once a cult classic that didn’t exactly wow at the box office, since it has gone on to be one of the biggest sources of inspiration in the sci-fi genre ever, and managed to produce one of the greatest monologues ever with Roy Batty’s “Tears in the Rain” speech. Some would argue that the recently released sequel surpasses this, but we still gotta give props for all this film gave us.

19. The Terminator

1984

The original unstoppable robot assassin film is truly iconic, and it is one of the films that helped turn Arnold Schwarzenegger into the massive pop culture icon he is today. So many quotable lines and a dark, brooding atmosphere that heightens the intensity, this is a film that, while overshadowed a bit by its incredible sequel, is every bit as good as you could imagine.

18. Gremlins

1984

This is heralded as one of the greatest Christmas movies ever, and it’s hard to argue; this is a charming, quirky, dark holiday monster movie. The creature designs are fantastic, the characters are likable, and the movie just has such a sense of black comedy and dark fun that it’s pretty much infectious. This is the standard by which all holiday monster movies should be judged.

17. Predator

1987

This is the definitive Arnold movie, and one of the manliest movies ever made on the face of the Earth. Not a single line of dialogue, not a single scene, nothing in this movie isn’t dripping with the sheer essence of manliness. Hell, the one woman that is in here is hardly noticeable due to the sheer amount of muscular men surrounding her. And even all the incredible manliness aside, we have one of the most awesome, badass alien antagonists ever put to film, with a unique design and an arsenal of weapons that make it into basically what Boba Fett SHOULD have been. This movie kicks so much ass it’s unreal; watch it, and you too can be a sexual Tyrannosaurus!

16. Scarface

1983

This is probably the best gangster movie ever. Yeah, you heard me: I think this is better than The Godfather, and maybe even better than Goodfellas (at the very least, those two are on the same level). I think the reason I believe this is because Tony Montana is just such a compelling character; his rags-to-riches story and his own paranoia and hubris causing his downfall is like a Greek tragedy, and the movie is like this dark, violent character study. In that way, you could call this the Citizen Kane of gangster films, except this film is also entertaining and engaging.

15. Escape from New York

1981

Kurt Russell has scarcely gotten a better role in his career than he did here. Snake Plissken is a hardened badass, and a pop culture icon who has inspired many incredible characters, from Solid Snake to Hoss Delgado. But the main character isn’t the only thing worthwhile; John Carpenter’s excellent and atmospheric score and the dark dystopian world shown here all help this film carve out its own identity amidst many bleak dystopian films of the 80s. But… yeah, Snake is what really makes this movie. I’m a sucker for ruggedly handsome men in eyepatches, sue me.

14. E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial

1982

What kind of list would this be without this film on here somewhere? Spielberg really outdid himself here; it’s a heartwarming, tearjerking, incredibly well-done lowkey sci-fi film for the ages. Spielberg somehow managed to make a lumpy brown alien into the most sweet, adorable thing you could ever hope to see, and managed to give us some of the best child acting ever seen with the child leads of the movie. There’s very little about this film that isn’t excellent; it’s no wonder it has gone on to embed itself in pop culture to the extent it has.

13. Blue Velvet

1986

It’s amazing how good straightforward David Lynch movies can be, considering the man is usually at his best with surreal mindfucks. But this somewhat less surreal film is a dark look at the rotten heart behind the cheerful facade of white picket fence America, a darkness completely embodied in the horrifying, insane madman that is Dennis Hopper’s Frank Booth, a frothing lunatic for the ages and one of the greatest villains ever put to screen.

12. The Thing

1982

People who say all remakes are inevitably doomed from the get-go and that there can be no such thing as a good remake are hard to take seriously when movies like The Fly and this, John Carpenter’s magnum opus, exist. Taking an old B-grade horror sci-fi film and reworking it into a gory horror story that acts as a reflection of the then-current AIDS crisis and Cold War paranoia was a stroke of genius, and manages to create a film that truly outshines the original in just about every way. Maybe more directors should try remaking old B-movies.

11. The Goonies

1985

Children going on adventures was a huge thing in the 80s, and for my money, it never got better than this film. This film is like a combination of everything great about 1980s adventure movies: creative death traps, likable characters, memorable music that will instantly get you to think of the film, memorable villains, and a solid plot about saving the neighborhood… all of it seems so cliché, but by god does this film make it all work. And for how cheesy it all sounds and how 80s the film feels, it holds up remarkably well! Goonies never say die, indeed.

10. Who Framed Roger Rabbit?

1988

And they say the movie can never be better than the book! Even the guy who wrote the book this is based on thinks the movie is better, and who can blame him? Not only do we have truly groundbreaking effects that really help you believe animated characters and live-action characters are interacting, Daffy Duck and Donald Duck have a scene where they get into a fight, and then later Mickey Mouse and Bugs Bunny share a scene! Holy shit, for those two scenes alone this movie would deserve a spot on this list, and the fact that the rest of it is as exciting and memorable as those scenes is just a showcase of what a genius work this is.

9. The Shining

1980

It’s hard to believe that Kubrick won the Worst Director Razzie for this movie (well, it’s not that hard to believe, the Razzies fucking suck), since this is one of the most intensely atmospheric horror films ever made. Leave it to an insane perfectionist like Kubrick to make a ghost story as chilling and terrifying as this. This movie is also the poster child for an adaptation that is excellent while deviating quite a bit from the source material. Hardcore Stephen King fans may be disappointed, but for everyone else, this is one of the greatest, most iconic, and most influential horror films ever made. Even King came around to loving it eventually!

8. Evil Dead II

1987

The original movie was a low-budget gorefest about a bunch of kids terrorized by demonic spirits in a cabin in the woods… with all but one person dead, where could they go from there? Why, they could add some more comedic elements and make Ash more badass than ever by giving him a chainsaw for a hand! Equal parts funny and scary, this film manages to improve on its predecessor in every way – and there’s no tree rape here, either, which is always a big plus! Bruce Campbell truly shines in his performance as Ash Williams, and really sets the tone for what the man would become in the equally awesome sequel and TV series. Sure, some of the stuff here is really campy, but there’s no doubt in my mind a lot of the silliness is intentional; it’s all part of the charm.

7. Back to the Future

1985

Time travel plots are tricky to pull off, due to all the tricky logic involved. You’re pretty much always gonna have holes in the time travel logic, so you better be damn sure you have charming, likable characters at the helm to keep the audience from straining their brains trying to make sense of the weirdness… and by god, this film has that! Michael J. Fox, one of the most charming people alive, is Marty McFly, and Christopher Lloyd is one of the most lovably eccentric scientists ever put to screen. It also helps this film takes on a more fun, lighthearted, and funny tone, leading to it just oozing charm. Much like many other films on this list, it’s easy to see why this has become such an iconic movie.

6. Die Hard

1988

This is considered one of the greatest action films ever made, one of the greatest Christmas movies ever made, and just flat-out one of the greatest movies ever made, period. But why is that? Because it’s a story of an average, everyday man thrust into an extraordinarily dangerous situation, and he deals with it like any ordinary cop would deal with a situation as crazy as terrorists taking over a skyscraper. Unlike other 80s action heroes, John McClane isn’t some crazy, invincible badass who can gun down a hundred mooks with ease. He bleeds, he gets hurt, he takes a fucking beating… but he is determined to save the day no matter what, and he perseveres to take out the charming, cunning snake that is Hans Gruber. Of note is that Hans Gruber is an awesome, incredible villain, one for the ages… and in a weird twist, the hero is equally good, if not BETTER than the villain. That’s a rare sight for sure!

5. Ghostbusters

1984

Few films from the 80s have aged as well as this. From the mostly great special effects (yeah, the stop-motion on the demon dogs is not quite up to par with the other effects) to the inventive plot, this movie is not short on good ideas, but the real glue holding this film together is the camaraderie between the four leads. The four Ghostbusters have such great chemistry and play off each other really well, with their differing personalities bouncing off each other with such great results… more movies should take notes from the chemistry that Aykroyd, Murray, Ramis, and (to a lesser extent) Hudson have.

4. Aliens

1986

This right here is how you do a sequel that strays from the original’s tone and even genre a bit while still staying true to the idea. And what do you know, it’s James Cameron doing it, pulling off a feat he’d do again in the 90s with the second Terminator film! The original Alien was a dark, claustrophobic horror film; this movie keeps some of the horror elements, but ups the action, the amount of aliens, and most importantly the amount of Ripley. Sigourney Weaver cements Ripley’s place in the halls of pop culture with her iconic portrayal of sci-fi’s greatest leading lady. It’s a sequel that’s so damn good, it may just be better than the original. Now, if only Cameron could come back to the franchise… Ridley Scott ain’t doing so well with it.

3. The Princess Bride

1987

The 80s was not short on great fantasy films whatsoever… but none of them can hold a candle to the masterpiece that is Rob Reiner’s comedic fantasy adventure. All of these characters are memorable, the dialogue is infinitely quotable, there’s just never a dull moment… and long before Dave Bautista wowed audiences in Guardians of the Galaxy, we had Andre the Giant showing us all wrestlers could deliver great film performances. There’s not really anything bad I can say about this movie… except that it ends. Ah well, nothing great lasts forever.

2. Raiders of the Lost Ark

1981

Cinematic adventures just don’t get better than this. There’s hardly anything I can say about this movie that hasn’t been said a million times better by a million other reviewers; this is a fun, exciting adventure with a bit of light fantasy elements tossed in to spice everything up. And you know, in this day and age, seeing an all-American badass bookworm beating the shit out of Nazis is just really damn refreshing.

1. Star Wars: Episode V – The Empire Strikes Back

1980

The dawn of the 80s saw the release of what very well may be the single greatest sequel ever made. It takes everything that was good about the original movie and just runs with it; there’s more aliens, more exotic locales, more Jedi action, more drama, more Han Solo… And then we have truly iconic moments, lines, and characters like the battle of Hoth, Lando Calrissian, Boba Fett, Yoda, “I am your father,” “I love you.”/“I know.” This is one of the crowning achievements of the sci-fi genre, the magnum opus of the Star Wars saga, and without a doubt the finest film of the 1980s.

#list #movie #movies #1980 #1980s #Arnold Schwarzenegger #Star Wars #Indiana Jones #Sci-Fi #Fantasy #Slasher film #horror

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shiroekoyuki · 8 years ago

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Another Tag Game~

Tagged by: @mikoe24

Rules: Answer the 20 questions and tag 20 amazing followers you would like to get to know more.

Name: Angel (not telling my full name~)

Nickname(s): Pikachu (my friend gave it to me since I drew Pikachu a LOT. Pikachu is adorable!!), Mily, Sakano Shiore, Shiroe Koyuki, Shiroe-chan, Mommy (mom friend here lol) and maybe something else I can’t remember??

But you guys can call me whatever you guys want :D

Zodiac Sign: Sagittarius

Height: 155cm

Orientation: Fictional characters from anime or games

Ethnicity: Chinese

Favorite Season: I love winter. Even though it doesn’t snow here in Singapore, the thought of a beautiful snowing scenery in another country makes me happy.

Favorite Book Series: Hataraku Maou-sama Light Novels

Mangas I love: Assassination Classroom, Servamp, K Project, Hataraku Maou-sama and probably more I can’t remember :p

Favorite Flower: Water Lilies I guess?? I don’t pay attention to flowers :/

Favorite Scent: …Ok this I have totally no idea I pay ZERO attention to scents.

Favorite Colour: Pink and all shades of blue. Blue is a beautiful colour 💙

Favorite Animal: Omg… Favorite… animal? With no ’s’?? Singular?! Omg omg omg what should I choose?!?! I love hedgehogs, hamsters, mice, cats, dogs and so much more I CAN’T CHOOSE, MATE!! I SIMPLY CAN’T CHOOSE!!!!!!!

Coffee, tea, or hot cocoa: Tea.

Average Sleep Hours: Weekdays - 2 to 4 hours Weekends - 10+ hours

Cat Or Dog Person: I’m a cat AND dog person.

Favorite Fictional Characters: I love so freaking many but my highlights are:

Tsubaki from Servamp

Takao from Kuroko No Basket

Isaac Foster (Zack) from Satsuriku No Tenshi

Orihara Izaya from Durarara

Miwa Taishi from Cardfight!! Vanguard

Shimotsuki Shun from Tsukiuta

Choi Saeyoung from Mystic Messenger

Urushihara Hanzo from Hataraku Maou-sama

Mephisto Pheles from Ao No Exorcist

Number Of Blankets You Sleep With: 1

Dream Trip: To Japan and some amusement parks with my family ❤

Blog Created: Oh gosh… I can’t remember but I’m sure it was last year.

I tag: @judaiteitoreokou , @reimeijennoir , @pocket-luv101 , @canthydefromthelicht …… I don’t have much friends who cares to do this so I’ll just tag anyone who feels like doing this :D and the people whom I tagged, you don’t have to do it if you don’t wanna ^_^

#too lazy to check for mistakes #tag game

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aroha-x-astro-blog · 8 years ago

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get to know me tag~!!

Was tagged by @mystic-astro-trash dlzkgdjvfvcx Thank you so much for the tag Alyssa~ i’m crying i love games like this.

Rules: Answer the 20 questions and tag 20 amazing followers you would like to get to know better.

name: fatuma

nickname: i had ONE in middle school. it was fadoomdoom... pls don’t judge me lmao

zodiac sign: picses

height: i think i’m 5′7 or 5′8. i know i’m one of the two, but idk which lmao

orientation: straight

ethnicity: somali

favorite fruit: MANGOS and WATERMELONS

favorite season: fall and spring

favorite book series: i don’t know if i can thing of any rn, but a series i used to read over and over again as a middle schooler was the Eragon series

favorite flower: i love blue bells but id k why really

favorite scent: i love my mom’s cooking and fresh out of the dryer clothes

favorite color: i like pastel colors and just soft colors in genereal

favorite animal: can i say mice PURELY for the sake of jinwoo being our mouse leader?? can i?? please?? imma say that when in reality i’m terrified of mice lmao

coffee, tea or hot cocoa: tea thru and thru

average sleep hours: 4-8 depending how much school work or how much i wanna write because i OBVIOUSLY have my priorities straight

cat or dog person: kitties are the way i swing, but i love both

favorite fictional characters: uhh... omg my heart just broke but i LOVE Dobby from the Harry Potter series.... excuse me as i go cry i’m emo now

number of blankets you sleep with: 1 normally

dream trip: just like.... a round trip to all the places i wanna visit

blog created: i think it was December 6 2016 but i could be wrong

number of followers: 108 i’m sTILL screaming about the fact that I have over a hundred... i love you guys :”) 💜💜💜

oKAY idk of i have 20 people to tag, but imma try tagging as many as I can. i’m sorry if you’ve already been tagged in one~! you don’t have to do this of you don’t want to.

@happy-yoongiday @kimnamsjoon @suhos-lotto @bbbambam @taetaesbff @calcifer-rose @cha-neho @nctdreom @chunghaos @lovethyfandoms2 @hunbaekyeol @sanhasbinu @onlyarohawouldknow i’m legit just going thru my activity now send help i have no friends @itshaechan @woozzi and whoever wants to do this but i didn’t tag, consider yourself tagged~!! just put me as the person who tagged you and we’ll keep it between us okay?

#this was fun #i LOVE tag games soo much #fatuma speaks #thanks for the tag!#tag game

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totallyboard · 6 years ago

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Hobby Stuff: Painting

I’ve gone down a road that I didn’t know I’d go down.

It started a long time back, maybe 10 years ago, when I got my first-edition copy of War of the Ring. The minis were / are mediocre, but they were pretty decent for the time that they were produced. My struggle at the time [or at least, I thought at the time] was that because there were so many of them, that I should probably paint the bases different colors that matched the factions [i.e., paint the dwarves a brown base, the elves a light green base, and so forth].

I went to Hobby Lobby and picked up some paints and some crappy disposable brushes not knowing how to do this, and not even knowing what paints I picked up. I grabbed the wrong paints, too. Got some stinky acrylics and off I went. My local game store had all this stuff, but I was either too timid to go in, or it just never dawned on me as if it were something I could get there either. The moment I put my brush on the mini, I knew I was making a huge mistake. 200 minis later, I made 200 mini mistakes. In some way I thought that I was particularly proud of what I’ve done, and didn’t think it’d be a problem at all. Deep down, though...I knew that I had just ruined my game.

I abandoned it, thinking that at some point that I’d get around to fixing it or playing it, but 10 years have gone by and I’ve done some repair, but not enough to put any energy towards fully painting the entire set of miniatures. Over the next couple of years and some new inspiration, I did repaint a few of the minis using proper paints and some proper brushes, but I still have it sitting on my shelf, unpainted [just typing this out is frustrating and I should absolutely fix this asap].

Recently I’ve painted through some other games like Mice and Mystics, Imperial Assault, Scythe, and Spector Ops. All of these games have some of my favorite board game miniatures, and with a lot of practice, I’m pretty proud of the work I’ve done.

Move ahead to 2017/18, when Warhammer Underworlds: Shadespire gets released...a small scale skirmish game, but with Games Workshop miniatures? I’m curious. I’ve never done any hobby-work with anything from GW, but I was quite curious! Minis to clip off of the sprues, prime, paint, play. I wasn’t aware that building minis and painting them was this much fun and this much addicting. Once I got the base set finished, I moved on to an expansion. And another. And another. And more. Then I got wind of Warhammer 40k’s small scale game Kill Team [not the same as Underworlds, but still]. It was basically a waterfall of painting, building, organizing, reading, building, painting...I haven’t played the game yet, but good grief: I’ve spent a TON of hours on this part of the hobby and I’m starting to hit the point where I need to play it in order for me to continue to find value in the things I’ve done [otherwise, these minis are either going to collect dust or get sold].

That’s probably the biggest contribution to the lack of blogging for me, because I’ve spent so much time at the table working on this stuff. I should have been documenting it! So, moving ahead, I shall do my best to not only put brush to mini, but also pen to paper so that I can document and share my experience with you. If you follow me on instagram [@thetotallyboard] then you may have seen a lot of the work I’ve been doing.

Hopefully, with some reviews coming up of board games in my pile, I will have some inspiration to keep reviewing them along with reviewing my experience with this new mini hobby I’m deep in right now.

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delightfulnerdinfluencer-blog · 8 years ago

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Misunderstanding Chapter 2 A Mystic Messenger Fanfic

Neither of the Choi twins slept that night. They also did not get much work done. Sure, later they would pay for it, but at this moment it did not matter. Their minds were racing over the different outcomes. If they did contact the man that was now calling himself their father. What would happen if they did not call him back? Would he hunt them down? If they did call him? Was it worth putting Yeoja and the unborn children at risk? Did he already know about them? What about their own safety? Was he reaching out to them to finish the job that he could not complete when they were children? Not even the mind-numbing grind of LOLOL raids helped them relax. Saeran had left in the middle of the night and came back with a few packs of cigarettes, and for the first time in about a year began to smoke. The only condition was that he wouldn’t smoke near Yeoja, which he was more than fine with.

Different outcomes played in their minds. The next one worse than the one before. Very little was said that night. The sound of tapping keyboards and clicking mice filled the computer room and the faint notes of music that was blaring through headphones. They were both dancing on the razor’s edge of having a mental break down. Yeoja knew something was wrong, with the way they were acting she figured it had to do with their work. But they had never been this stressed before.

Was it worth the risk to call? What did he really want after more than 20 years? What could he have to say if they did call and talk to him? Their mother was dead and they lived very quiet lives. The Choi twins were of no threat to the man.

Saeyong looked down at his phone and noticed it was time for Yeoja to get up and ready to go to school. Should he force her to stay home today? How would he? Getting up from his chair and made his way into their bedroom.

She was beautiful. Once Saeyong had read that some men became less attracted to their mates when they became pregnant. This was far from the case, he felt more now than before. There was a glow about her. Something that pulled him in even more. Something that he could not place but was happy it was there. He propped himself against the doorway as she tugged her sleeping shirt off. Looking around the racecar red room filled with life whereas before it felt empty. Pictures hung on the walls of the other RFA members and their life together. The group shot from the engagement party being the largest. The bed where they slept together sat in the middle under a shelf of model cars. A stack of textbooks beside the bed with filled notebooks. Dirty clothes piled up with old chip bags and empty cans. This was their room. This was what he wanted for as long as he could remember but believed he was too dangerous. There it was again dangerous. He was once again dangerous. A danger to his fiancée and children. Him and his brother were a danger to everyone around them. A hum pulled him back to the moment and felt the worry and stress melt away at that moment.

For the first time that night he felt at peace. Yeoja was humming a tune he had heard before but could not place. A magic spell that she unknowingly cast to wash his worries away. Just before she pulled on her shirt he came up behind her and held her close to him. His hands traveled to her stomach. Saeyong buried his face in her shoulder. Taking slow deep breaths, inhaling her freshly showered scent. Fingers played with the little bulged below her navel. It was soft and just below the surface, it was starting to get hard.

Yeoja’s fingers played with his own, “I was thinking. We should get a bigger car or at least look into one.”

Saeyong smiled as he interlaced his fingers with hers, “A minivan?”

“I am not driving a spaceship.” She crinkled her nose at the idea.

“I 10 out of 10 would!” Saeyong chirped as he spun around to face her. The smile on his face was that of the Cheshire cat.

“You would pilot the USS Soccer mom?” She asked with a smile. “I was thinking just a bigger car. My car is barely big enough for Saeran to sit in the back. You would have to prove to me two car seats would fit in any of your cars.”

“Can it be gray with warp nacelles?” The smile spanned his face. She had lost him.

“How many kids do you think we are having?” Fair enough question. They had never talked about children or starting a family.

“20” was all he said. The look on his face told her he was dead serious. Yeoja placed her face in her hands and shook her head. This was the man she loved.

“No,.” She said from her hands. “I got to get ready.”

She leaned in and kissed him. A smirk crossed his lips as he went in for another kiss. This time he lightly nipped at her lip causing her to moan. He kissed down her neck to her collarbone before she caught him in her hands. She brought his head to meet hers in another kiss. Yeoja broke the kiss and let his face go free.

“No, maybe tonight.” Reaching for her top. Saeyong got down on his knees and kissed her stomach. This caused her to stop again to watch him. He was gentle as he brushed his hand over the little bump. Wrapping his arms around her hips and pulled her closer to him; resting his face on her stomach. Yeoja combed her fingers through his fiery mop top. His hair was not as soft as it appeared; it was a bit coarse to the touch. She never liked rushing these moments and loved every bit of it. “I have to get dressed and go, my love. I will be back tonight.”

He nodded, brushing the side of his face against her. Just before releasing her, he kissed her stomach once more. Yeoja got dressed and shrugging on her bookbag, Yeoja kissed him again. “See you tonight, my love.”

Saeyong watched her head out the door. He repeated in his head that everything was going to be okay. That nothing was going to happen. She was going to return to him tonight.

After he heard the garage open and close, Saeyong went back into the living room. Saeran was out on the sofa with a lit cigarette between his lips. The younger Choi twin was in the middle of another raid. Saeyong watched over his twin’s shoulder. They stayed like this for a long moment, neither of them speaking.

Saeran was dancing on the same thin wire as his brother. Thankfully, his medication helped him with a pleasant numb feeling. What did break through was somewhat quelled by the current chain smoking. There was still the fear of the unknown. The memories of his childhood that flooded through his body making old scars ache as if they were fresh. Some of them felt as if they were bleeding again. The scars on his ankles from years of being tied up burned with the fires of hell and made it hard to walk. Flashes of being tied up in the kitchen filled his mind. The yelling and sounds of thing breaking around him filled his ears. He felt like that same scared child that was his mother’s favorite punching bag.

“What do you want to do about hi,” Saeran asked after his third or fourth cigarette. Saeyong shrugged.

“Maybe, we should just to see what he wants.” Saeyong threw it out there. It had come out before his mind could process the thought thoroughly. Was that the safest option for them to go with? His body screamed a resounding ‘no’ but his mouth would not listen.

Saeran returned to gaming, headphones on, music streaming out of them. They both had to think about that option. The man claiming now to be their father was the most powerful man in Korea. Was it worth the risk reaching out to him.

The living room was once again filled with the sound of clicking and keys tapping as the both processed what could go wrong. Nothing good could come of this. Still, they both wanted answers. Answers to why their life was a living hell. Why were they damned at birth to know only fear? This man offered it to them. It was tempting fruit that was being dangled in front of the men.

Looking around the living room to try and calm himself. Focusing on anything that would hold his attention. Saeran once said that the house was made to look like fun, but in truth felt lonely. A pretty wrapped box with nothing inside. That was the truth at the time. Saeyong had a character to play, and that character was happy and unpredictable. Now while the walls remained the same. Toy cars on shelves that lined one wall, stacks of papers with codes on them, the pyramid of PhD pepper cans that he was bent on completing, at once, it all seemed hollow. At the time, he was not promised tomorrow with his job. Waking up with the fear that if something went wrong he would meet the business end of a gun. To never be heard from again. His identity would have erased off the national registry as if he never existed and the world would continue without him. So he filled his life with stuff as if to prove he was alive.

Now everything was filled with warmth. He had his family, not only the RFA members but Saeran and Yeoja, and in that was his strength and warmth. Something that had been missing. He did not need to play something he was not anymore and there were people who loved him as he was.

“See what he wants. Don’t like what he says then we change our numbers and leave it at that. No one can get into the bunker.” Saeran shrugged this time as he took a long drag off the cigarette. Waited a moment and exhaled then stubbed it out in a coffee mug. “I have a VoIP that is untraceable. Nothing of mine has this address on it so even if we reach out to him he won’t be able to find us.”

“Your marriage application?” Saeran finally turned to his brother. “My medical stuff?”

“It has a P.O box on it, everything gets sent to it.” Saeyong was twisting his ring again. He was weighing the risk this could be to his family. He wasn’t just thinking about Yeoja and his children but Saeran as well. Was Saeran healthy enough to handle this? It had not been that long since he had gotten on the new medication. Could he handle going there and talking to the man? It would not be that hard to have a cell phone number that was unlisted. That was a call to the phone company. It was a completely different matter entirely to repair a broken human. One that now was functioning as an adult should. Would Saeyong risk his brother’s mental health? Could he risk it? Was it worth the risk?

“If we go the untraceable route then we should be okay.” Saeyong nodded to his brother as he spoke. Saeyong was already forming a plan. He would have to handle this like he was on a mission. While most of his work kept him at home. There were a few times where he had to go out in the field. He had contacted people he had been following before. That was how he was going to go about this. Just like another mission. Nothing more.

Saeyong felt himself slip into the role he once played. The role of the secret agent. He would have to be the strong one and not risk anyone close to him. The agent was cold. The agent’s voice was deeper than Saeyong’s. The agent could be the strong one for his family and protect the ones he loved.

They moved into the computer room. Saeran lit up another cigarette while Saeyong opened the programs he needed. They both felt like they were going to have a panic attack as Saeyong put in the numbers into the computer and plugged in his headphones. Saeran followed suit, the mic on his headphones turned off. Taking a long deep breath to steady himself Saeyong hit call.

It rang

And rang

On the third time, it picked up.

“Hello?” A man asked. They knew the voice on the other line. Saeran held his brother’s hand. Saeyong took another deep breath.

“Why did you contact us?” His voice was low and deeper than his normal voice. He was in secret agent mode. He was agent 707.

“Oh! I am so happy that you called!” He sounded happy. The emotion confused the twins making them look at each other. This was not what they were expecting. “Which one did I reach? Saeran? Saeyong?”

“You may call me Choi. It does not matter which twin is speaking to you.” Saeyong’s eye narrowed as a blip came on screen. The man he was talking to was in his office nowhere near them.

“That’s fine Choi. I am happy I got to speak to you.” The older man coughed, “The reason I called you both was because I wanted to explain my side of the story and get to know my sons.”

The Choi twins wanted to laugh, “After over 20 years?” Was all Saeyong could say and remain in character.

“Ah, yes, I’m sorry. I tried to reach out to you two as children but your mother never let me see you. When I heard that she had died I tried again, but I could not find either of you.” The man’s voice lowered and sounded remorseful. Saeyong could not be swayed, the man he was talking to was a lifelong politician, he was a better actor than Zen would ever be.

“What do you want?” Saeyong asked sharply.

“All I want is to see my sons and explain to you my side of the story. I will answer any and every question you have for me.” Politicians lie, Saeyong repeated in his head as the man spoke. “That is all.”

Saeyong thought a moment and looked over to Saeran. He was holding together better than Saeyong would have thought. Could he risk this. Was it worth it. They did want answers, but at what cost. Feeling the weight of his other half’s stare Saeran nodded. This was something they needed to find out.

“I have a few conditions if we are to meet.” Saeyong began to twist his ring again. “If we agree to this. Only one of us will meet with you. If one of us meets with you and does not like what is going on then, the twin as every right to leave. In the conditions, you will not look further into us than you already have. You will not contact us. You will not contact anyone we know. If you do so then we will disappear again. We are not going to threaten your political career. We just want to live peacefully as we have been.”

“That is more than fine!” He sounded happy again, excited even. The emotions in this man’s voice was beginning to confuse the twins. Wasn’t this the man who threaten to kill them as children. With a few strokes of the keyboard, the security camera in the prime minister’s office came on screen. The man had his head in his hands. “Choi I will be free around noon today. Can you come by then?”

Saeyong zoomed in on his face. It wasn’t all that clear but it looked as if he was crying. Saeran took command of the cameras and began to flick around the building. Nothing seemed out of the ordinary. People going about their day doing office things.

“One of us will be there.” Saeyong was mapping out the building as his brother went through all the security cameras in the building.

“Thank you.” Saeyong hung up as the man spoke and exhaled.

His mind was in overdrive in secret agent mode. He would have to go in not looking like himself. First, he would have to wear his contacts since his glasses were too noticeable. He had wished that Yeoja left her car with him. It was an older model and less likely to get noticed. He still had a dummy license plate that he could switch out with one of his cars. He would have to park down the street from the building and walk up to it. Maybe walk around it a few times before entering. With Saeran going through the CCTV feeds he understood the layout of the building. His phone he would leave in his car turned off. No, he might need the something on it. He had written a few programs that he could use on his phone in a tight situation. More importantly, if something happened to Yeoja, he would need to know. Saeran would stay behind watching the security feeds. Alerting him if anything came up. He could not mess this up. Yeoja, Saeran, and his children needed to remain safe.

In circling the building, he would have to look like a normal college student. Someone that the guards on the outside would not notice. Saeyong knew that he would not be able to bring his gun in, but he had a pin knife that was hidden as a lighter. From the feed from the front where people check in the metal detector looked very relaxed. It looked like a normal lighter from the a convince store. So, if they waved their wands over it would just pick up the metal on the outside. He could use the empty pack of cigarettes that Saeran had and take a few from the new pack. He had spent the entire night in the same room as him as he smoked. He knew he smelled like cigarette smoke. Saeyong knew that he had to leave the clothes he was going to wear in the computer room while he showered. His normal street clothes would work but he would have to use a different hoodie. Nothing that made him stand out. Maybe wear a hat to cover his red hair while he scoped the place out.

Glancing up at the time he had about two hours before the meeting. Saeran grabbed the pack of cigarettes and walked out of the computer room. Saeyong just watched as his brother went outside. He needed time to himself and Saeyong was more than happy to give it to him.

The outside world was cold and covered in a blanket of white. Freshly fallen snow covered the land. The porch under bare feet creaked as the younger twin stepped out. Relishing in the brisk frozen air as he lit another cigarette. Taking a deep drag, Saeran looked at the sky. Dark clouds hung low, threatening the more snow to come. On the exhale his mind thought on the interaction that had just taken place. While the world outside of the gate buzzed with life. Saeyong had said that the man would meet with one of the twins. Saeran knew he was not healthy enough to go, but with the way, the older twin spoke it was going to be him. Saeran would be left at the house. Surely, the elder was already planning how he would go in. Leaving the younger to man the cameras in case something happened.

The promise of knowledge was a tempting fruit. One that even he wanted, even if it might be all lies.

A shaky hand brought up the cigarette again as the earth underfoot began to move. The nicotine that was flowing through his system was beginning to make him light-headed. A wonderful feeling to the man, it was a rush of dizzying high. Something his new medication could not give him. Nearly dulling his senses and feeling towards everything and leaving him in the almost constant state of annoyed. Shifting again to steady himself he took another hit. His entire body shook, not from the cold, but from adrenaline. Maybe from being scared or from something completely different; either way, it was adding to the high he was currently feeling.

The porch creaked again as the wind cut through him. Causing the powdery flakes to kick up in a mini tornado in the yard. The gate around the building stopped it from going any further. Turning his mint green eyes back to the sky Saeran watched as the clouds raced across the sky. Letting his mind clear for a moment. With the wind once more moving across the earth he took a deep breath slowly and exhaled even slower. In that moment, he felt free. Years of abuse and neglect lifted off his shoulders. The pain of old scars faded. No longer feeling bound by the ankles. The cold of the winter’s winds sent the feeling he had across the land. He was not the scared little child anymore, he was free. The knowledge that he had to calm down or he would be of no use to his brother. If he was willing to take the risk, then so was he.

Yet, his mind kept wondering to one person, Yeoja. Saeran had no romantic feeling towards the woman. His feeling towards her was something akin a to a friend. The first one he had made after leaving mint eye. Even after tricking her and wanting to use her to bring down the RFA, she was good to him. She was kind to him and did not judge, yet challenged him in all the good ways. She helped him get the therapist he currently had. Even got in contact with a case manager that was going to help him with integrating back into society. Even with the promise, due to her ethics, she would never treat him like a client; he still felt comfortable to talk to her about his problems. Explaining to him things that the doctor had told him and he did not understand. He could not lose her, she was important to him. Saeran could not mess up helping Saeyong.

A small smile cracked across his face as he remembered when Saeyong had told him that Yeoja was pregnant. He had threatened his brother that if he treated those children like their mother treated them. Then he would kill Saeyong and raise the twins as his own. In a way, they were his own. They would be no different to his own children. Saeran knew he might never be mentally healthy enough to have his own. So, Saeyong’s children were his as well and always would be. Exhaling and watching as his breath mingled in the sky. The long-forgotten cigarette burned at his fingers in a good way. Proving that he at that moment was alive. Flicking it over the edge into the untouched snow and watched it sink into it.

Once inside the warmth of the computer room, Saeran got to work. Sending the security camera feeds to his computer and setting up the programs that he would need. Taking control of the badge in only doors. Testing it out on a door with no one around, the door made a light jerk to notify that it was unlocked. Then he set to covering his tracks, it had to look like he was a ghost in the system. Something that would just annoy whoever was watching the alarms and not draws attention. Long fingers set to work on finding the layout and blueprints to send it to Saeyong’s phone. Heavy American rock echoed off the walls with the tapping of keys it became its own kind of music. Unknown was ready for this mission.

The sound of metal settling on his desk beside him made the younger twin look. It was Saeyong’s ring, looking up it was a silent plea to the younger twin.

‘If anything happens to take care of them.’

After explaining what the younger twin would be doing, Saeyong set out.

Pray for peace but be ready for war.

#fanfiction #fanfic #m rating #707 #MC #Spoilers

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