#Rise of the Footsoldier: Origins

[flarree]

Rise of the Titans - Yurika of the Yiga Clan

They have only five things that make them happy...

[thekingofwinterblog]

Dragon Age Imperium - Chapter 1.

Summary:

All the Origins PC's join the quest at once. 3 survive the blight. and it all spirals from there...

An alternate timeline set in a world where Hawke becomes Viscount directly after Act 2, amongst other different turns of fate.

A new Arlathan is founded in the bracilian forest after the blight, The Dwarven Empire is on the rebound, both the young Hawke siblings lived, Hawke Killed Talis for the list of Qunari Spies, and so on.

The Dragon Age is an era of blood and chaos, of Empires falling and rising. Waning Orlais, Rising Ferelden, Resurgent Orzammar, a new Arlathan, and at the southern end of the Free Marches, the City of Kirkwall, gets a new Monarch, who is forced to play the game of internation politics, to lead her nation to glory... Or fall into the dustbins of history.

The year was 37 Dragon.

It was a bloody year, as 3 different wars burst into life across southern and middle Thedas.

Kirkwall, and all its neighboring enemies in the Free Marches, Orlais, and the Triple Alliance between Ferelden, Orzammar, and new Arlathan, and the war between Mages and Templars.

All 3 would have enormous consequences, up there with Andraste's march on the Tevinter Imperium, the Qunari invasions, or the destruction of the Dales.

All 3 had also been bubbling under the surface for a good while by the time the monstrous apostle Anders lit the fuse in Kirkwall.

The Templars and the mages had been a boiling pot for centuries only waiting for something to rip the lid off it and expose everything to the world.

The more recent developments outside of the Circles and Templar conflict, could however be traced back to the end of the Fifth Blight, and the Developments created by the four Grey Wardens of Ferelden who survived the Blight.

A number of Grey Wardens survived the battle for Ostagar. 3 Humans, one which was the second in Line to Highever, one a King's bastard, and the third a Mage of the circle Tower.

2 Dwarves, one a casteless Thug, and the other a Princess.

3 Elves there were, one Dalish from the wilds, one elf from Denerim's Alienage, and the third a boy forced at a young age into the Circle Tower.

All of these had been recruited by the Grey Warfen Duncan, in the time period leading up to the Fifth Blight.

Of these lot, only 4 survived the decisive battle for Denerim.

King Alistair of Ferelden. His Queen, Daemona Cousland more commonly known as the Hero of Ferelden, Galenhad Surana, the first Elvhen monarch in centuries, and Princess and Paragon Moria Aeducan of Orzammar, also the new Teyrn of Gwaren.

Of the three nations who emerged from the Blight, bloodied and bruised, Ferelden was the lynchpin for what would come afterwards.

The kingdom had suffered a catastrophic loss of people in the war, with a tenth of it's entire population lost, either to death at the Darkspawn Horde, starvation from the ensuing Famine, and having fled abroad to escape the Blight.

Still, stubborn and fierce as a mabari, Ferelden bounced back, in large part due to it's new monarchs.

Alistair Theirin, first of his name was a charming man, who despite his ability with the sword, and strange form of humor had a remarkable ability to make men like him... But it is acknowledged by most that the true driving force of his government was his wife, the Lady Daemona of house Cousland, known far and wide as the Hero of Ferelden.

It was Daemona who was the leading driving force behind Ferelden's recovery and reformation period after the Blight, both militarily, politically, and economically.

She reformed the military, by remaking the common footsoldier into the famed Ferelden Longbowman, which would in time be remade into the Ferelden Bolter, but for it's era would become known one of the most feared soldiers in the known world. She also defeated the minor invasion of Darkapawn of Amaranthine, and founded the city of Vigil's Keep.

She also reformed the political structure of the Kingdom, by turning the Landsmeet into a permanently sitting body, rather than just something called when the King needed something, or the years taxes would be called. This made taxation of the lands, despite their devastated state at the time, much, much more efficient.

And finally, she drastically overhauled the economy at the time by introducing what for the era was modern technology in as many ways as she could, encouraging the widespread implementation of things such as water mills, repairing the Imperial Highway, and making plenty of newer mills and roads, as well as rebuilding the capital. The only thing she failed in in this regard was the woefull failure of Ferelden naval technology to catch up with the rest of the world.

Alistair was a well liked figurehead and symbol to rally around, while his wife was the true power behind the throne, an arrangement both seemed perfectly content with.

The second part of the triumvirate was also the youngest.

New Arlathan was the newest state in Thedas by quite the wide margin, it's lands having been granted as a boon to Galenhad Surana, former Elf Mage of Ferelden's Circle. It's population at it's inception was comprised of the Dalish Clans of Ferelden, along with the Kingdom's city elves, and the majority of the Elven tower Mages who fought in the Blight, and jumped at the chance to escape having to go back to the tower once the war was over.

Needless to say, this state was highly, highly controversial from it's very inception. A state for Elves, harboring Mages, led by a Mage king? In the long term, there was no way this was going to stand withoth some massive opposition, and fallout.

Orlais had been a staunch opposition to the formation of the new Elvhen state in the Brecilian forest following the Fifth Blight but had not been in a position for a military invasion until the Chantry officially opposed Ferelden's relationship with this new state, and called for its destruction, as well as giving them an excuse, as well as Chantry approved blessing to invade Ferelden once again.

The third part was, by contrast, far and away the oldest one.

Orzammar had no quarrels with Orlais, or the Chantry… But was dragged into the war as a result of the Triple Alliance between the resurging Dwarven Empire, Ferelden, and New Arlathan, which had been so instrumental in their quest to retake the Deep Roads and Thaigs under Ferelden.

The Alliance had been formed behind the scenes in the aftermath of the Fifth Blight, thanks to the Work between King Galenhad, King Alistair, his Queen Daemona, and Teyrna Aeducan(Former princess of Orzammar) of Gwaren, who served as go between between surface Kingdoms and her brother Bhelen.

It started as better trade deals between Orzammar and it's neighbors. Then became military support to fight Darkspawn underground. And finally, as Bhelen became more and more controversial amongst his own nobility, it became a full-blown military alliance on which effectiveness he banked his entire offensives against the Darkspawns, and by extention his political career.

Hence why the continued wellbeing of Ferelden and New Arlathan was extremely important to Bhelen and his dreams of one day restoring the Dwarven Empire to it's old glory.

And so, the official signing of the Triple Alliance came about.

Both of these conflicts were in many ways, inevitable. The only question was when and how the spark for war for war would be lit.

The great battle that would lead to the unification of the Free Marches from a loosely connected confederacy of city-states, into a unified political entity was not.

It was a conflict that had only taken root a few years earlier, after the death of the previous Viscount during the Qunari invasion, and the rise of the next one.

The year was 34 Dragon…

---

34 Dragon.

Knight Commander Meredith was annoyed.

That part wasn't unusual. Meredith had never been famous for her ability to remain calm and level-headed under pressure.

Her mood as she stomped through the Gallows on the way back to her room however, was blacker than it had been in a long, long while.

The Qunari was finally gone... But it their place had come other worries that had replaced them.

Dumar was dead, and so the throne of the Country was now empty.

Not a problem, if she could Trust the nobility to elect a new Viscount who understood the duties of his office, and the devotion it required to the Maker and his Servants.

She could not. Kirkwall's nobility was a decadent flock of sheep that could barely know where they were supposed to go withouth falling off a cliff. And that was on a good day.

This was not a good day. In fact, she doubted it would be a good year.

There was no way she could trust Kirkwall's future to these lot.

All it would take was a wrong choice for the Throne, and they would be right back to the old days, when the Viscount got it into their head of acting above their station.

The first election was to be held in a few days. Those might take a day or months, depending on how unified the nobility was regarding their choices.

Not that there would be a question of how long.

Meredith would shut down the election before it could begin. There was sinply no way she could allow it, as the city was now. Mayhaps later, when the situation had calmed down...

But the Throne and the Question of who would sit in it was but one of her problems.

The other problem was the newly chosen Champion of Kirkwall.

Daemona Hawke, scion of the Amel family was anything but what a proper Champion should have been. Openly supportive of the Mages, having the audacity to have sheltered an apostate since she came to the city. Her very first action as Champion had been to add to that, as she put both a heathen Elvhen Blood Mage, AND a Grey Warden ABOMINATION under her official protection putting them above the law of God and Men!

The woman, thinking her new title made her above any sense of decency, had even had the audacity to request her sister be transferred out of the Circle and into her care!

There Meredith had put her foot down. Bethany Hawke would not leave the Gallows so long as she lived.

Unfortunately, that was where her ability to do anything about the damned Rogue ended.

The title DID put her above the Law unfortunately. So long as Kirkwall adored her, Daemona Hawke was untouchable.

There wasn't much she could do about it right now, but someday... Someday there would be a straw that broke the back.

As Meredith finally reached the door to her office, she entered, the klanking of angry steel clad feet loud and obvious as she opened, then shortly after, closed the door behind her.

She glanced over to the side of the wall, where on a rack, her new weapon was lying. A massive red sword, looking like someone had taken a giant red ruby and chiseled it down to a triangular sword.

In the brief moment after she closed the door behind her, Meredith's thoughts went to the beauty of the Blade, so wonderous it was almost like it sang to her...

Then a sharp, excruciating pang of pain bloomed in her neck.

Her eyes immediatly widened, and she tried to react, but her mody wouldn't move, whatsoever.

Nothing except her eyes, which went down to where a long, narrow blade puked out from her mouth, like a blood coated, grey tongue.

"Should have let Bethany out of the circle Beredith~"

The low voice in her ear made a tsk, tsk sound.

Then the blade was wrenched back, and existence ended.

The figure was clad in black and dark blue from toes to head, with the only exception beong the white symbol of the Qun on the chest and Back .

Just as precationtion in case she was seen after all.

No one in Kirkwall would doubt the Qun ordered her death.

As it happened, she wasn't.

She came in just as easily through the tunnel system form Kirkwall through the Gallows, as she had coming in, getting rid of the clothing in the darkness of the sewers, as she made her way through the tunnels, beneath the River, and then up into her own mansion in Hightown, where a warm bath awaited her.

---

Hawke laid back in her bath, taking deep breaths, smelling the incense of roses.

After a while, she began scrubbing the sweat and other odors and fluids off her skin.

Ah… How wonderful it was to be filthy, filthy rich.

You could do a lot of things as rich folk.

More as a Free Marches Champion.

Champion of Kirkwall… It had a nice ring to it. Power too.

Her companions got to walk freely around, and display their talents and abilities as they saw fit… Even Anders and his crazy spirit friend.

What it had not done, however, was free Bethany from the Gallows.

That had infuriated her… But Lord Commander Meredith had been hard on the subject.

Champions had a lot of freedom in the world… But she was not willing to bend far enough to have a mage released from her precious Gallows.

Meredith was a real, bloody hardliner. The worst kind of Templar. The ones who believed they were truly, completely in the right.

She would never let Bethany be released into her care…

Which was why earlier that night, Meredith had gotten a knife across the throat.

It had taken a while to set up and create an alibi for herself, but when Meredith was found in the morning, no one would be able to trace the murder back to her.

Hawke suspected the next Knight Commander would be less obstinate on the matter.

---

Though she did not know it then, by killing Meredith when she did, Hawke had unintentionally drastically changed the political trajectory of Kirkwall forever.

Had she lived just two days longer, Meredith in her quest to turn Kirkwall into a templar-ruled police state, would have shut down the Kirkwall nobility's election for the next Viscount.

It was their custom, that if the royal dynasty died out(As it just had) there would be an election amongst the rich lords of the White City of chains, to choose the next monarch, and by extension the next dynasty from amongst their own ranks.

Meredith would have rather rudely interrupted this custom, and denied the election of a new leader, and as she saw it, a political rival for power in the city-state.

But with her gone… Well, even if she had left written orders(which she had not) there were none amongst the temporary leadership that followed her, who had the guts to so blatantly challenge the nobility of the city.

And so, as the Templars were scrambling in the wake of the Knight Commander's assassination, the election for the next Viscount was held 2 days after Meredith's death.

As for the choice of the next monarch, a various number of lesser nobles stepped forth to cast their names as candidates.

None gained traction though. No one had the support, the abilities, charisma or the clout to get the rest to follow.

It was very much the same as the last time a Viscount had been elected.

Then one name was tossed forth... More to ask why she hadn't been named before that as a candidate, rather than to suggest she was the obvious choice.

That was all it took.

Several nobles enthusiastically vouched for her her, having had personal dealings with her, where she had left quite an impression.

Those who did not know her personally, also vouched for her. She had quite the reputation... But truthfully, killing the Arishock and saving them all had left far, far more of an impression than any rumors and tales.

And so it was decided.

Lady Hawke would be the next Viscount of Kirkwall.

---

Varric Tethras in his early years had never expected to live through interesting times. Oh sure, the usual backstabbing feuds and developments that came with being part of a merchant city-state and a Dwarven Merchant guild, was to be expected.

But actual, real, lasting changes in the world at large?

That was generally something he'd not thought he'd see in his lifetime.

The Dragon Age might be full of… Well, Dragons, but the world he'd be born into would still be the same as the one he'd been born into.

The words on the page beneath him told a different story.

The pages told of how the Triple Alliance had retaken Bownammar, as the latest Thaig under Ferelden to be reclaimed from the Darkspawn.

It was the latest in a series of spectacular victories beneath Ferelden's soil.

Cadash, Kal'Hirol, Aeducan, and more, all had been retaken from the Darkspawn in less than 10 years.

The victories would have been surprising enough on their own, but it was the source of those victories that was the bigger surprise.

Orzammar, the beacon for dwarven pride, and nobility with a collective stick up its collective backside about everything, was starting to change.

A lot. The new King Bhelen might be the same kind of bastard all power-hungry Dwarven nobles were, but the man had vision, ability, and a love for practicallity that genuinely surprised Varric.

Casteless being armed, surface dwarves being allowed to resettle underground in the retaken Thaigs to bolster their numbers, and actual coordination with their surface allies becoming the new norm.

Hey, it only took nearly a 1000 years... Give them another one, maybe they'd remove the distinction between surface Dwarf and "Regular" ones entirely.

The changes were simple really. So simple Orzammar could probably have used the tactics they were currently using, to do this ages ago.

The Deep Roads, once the Dwarves' biggest marvel, had become their greatest weakness after the appearance of the Darkspawn. They had swarmed through the tunnels, cutting each Thaig off from all the rest, killing and slaughtering as they went until only 2 kingdoms were left, both surviving by cutting themselves off from the network as a whole.

The Dwarves had been utterly dependent on the Deep Roads to thrive. Take that away, and they had no way to help one another, as each thaig fell one by one.

And of course, because of the countless labyrinthian network of tunnels, it had been a nightmare to try and retake lost Thaigs.

You would have to fight your way through every single road, all the way to your destination, and if at any point the way back got cut off, you were dead.

That was the way it had been for centuries and centuries… But things changed.

Now they were using the cramp, narrow corridors and tunnels in an offensive manner, to deny the Darkspawn the ability to use their greater numbers to full use.

The strategy was simple.

Cut off and fortify every single path you found, except for one, then kill everything single thing you found through that pathway until you found other paths through the roads.

Then cut off all the roads except one, and go through that one, and kill everything you found until you found another entrance. Rinse and repeat.

Only once you found no other paths on your way, did you go back to open one of the other pathways, and begin the process there.

It was a stupidly simple tactic, but it wasn't the only innovation they had now.

They'd also invented some new tactic called Halberds and Bolts.

He wasn't entirely sure how it worked, but there was a pike wall, and crossbows involved.

And of course, the most logical innovation was coordination with the surface.

This tactic worked a lot better when Ferelden and New Arlathan would simply supply them from above through reconquered Thaigs, rather than have to rely on some stupidly long supply train all the way back to Orzammar.

Even if the Darkspawn broke through the fortified doors at some point in the Deep Roads, this wouldn't be the automatic death sentence it had once been.

It would take a long, long while, but unless something changed, this strategy might actually see the Dwarven Empire triumph over the Darkspawn at long last.

And hey, if they were really lucky, maybe it would happen before the next Blights.

The new King Bhelen had taken a bad, bad situation, and turned it around.

As he was reading, he heard through the wall a familiar whistling, grinned, and sat up, quickly jumping out of bed and getting dressed, before opening his door for one of the more lovely women in Kirkwall… And by far the deadliest.

"Morning Varric."

"Hello, Hawke. Come on in."

They quickly seated themselves in their usual chairs, with a familiarity that spoke of total casualness.

"So Hawke what brings you here today?"

"Can't I just want to see my favorite dwarf?"

"Oh, you can… But the four last times you came by you wanted to hear about news from home, and not much else."

Hawke grinned sheepishly.

"Alright. Guilty as charged. Though I must say Varric, you're not in a position to judge… I know how much you read up on Bhelen's side of the Triple Alliance."

"Bhelen's side? I'm not Bartrand Hawke, why would I be interested in stuffy old Dwarven crap, like Orzammar's campaigns?"

Hawke narrowed her eyes, and without a word went over all the various Dwarven crap that Varric had chosen to decorate his home away from home with.

"I could not begin to tell you where I got that notion… But whatever, any news from the south?"

He shrugged.

"Not much… Or at least not much I think you'd be interested in… More mines opening, new trade routes… Oh, wait, there was one thing."

From his stack of papers, he fished out about 9, before handing them to Hawke.

"Newest Ferelden fashion developments… Or what you guys call fashion anyway."

"Oh!"

Hawke quickly snapped them up and began looking them over.

"Hmmm… So Redcliffe is moving back towards traditional clothing… Interesting. I guess Teagan wants to distance himself from Orleasian fashion as much as possible."

"Is… That a bad thing? Don't you guys hate Orlais?"

"Oh, we do! But going back to the past for fashion isn't exactly… Well, you've seen Ostwick fashion right?"

"The ones that have men running around in those checkered skirts?"

"Kilts, yeah. Those guys still think it's Calenhad's time…"

She shook her head and began flipping through the pages.

"Oh, but here! Here is real fashion! Highever and Denerim are switching over from casual plate armor to Brigandine coats!"

Varric looked down as she put them on the table. Neither of the two examples was a particularly stylish example of Brigandine armor… Well except for different helmets at least.

"You know, sometimes I forget that and Aveline are both from the same stock."

"Heh… Maybe I should show this to Aveline! I'm sure she'd appreciate-"

From downstairs, someone called out her name in a very loud, and frantic manner.

"Ah, Carver… Wonder what my little brother wants now."

"Maybe the little Hawke finally wants to make a move on Daisy, and wants your advice."

As they heard Carver make his way up the steps of the Hanged man, Hawke chuckled.

"The Maker will return before that happens."

Sure enough, Carver burst into the now unlocked room, panting, and looking absolutely frantic.

"Sister!"

"What is it little Hawke? Do you need some help wooing Daisy?"

"What? Wait-NO!"

"History would suggest otherwise brother, or have you already gotten some Advice from Isabella?"

"Can you two PLEASE not talk about this right now!? This is serious!"

"...Fine, Carver… What is it then… An-Damn, you are drenched… Did you run all the way here?"

"Yes! An hour after you left we got a message from the Viscount's palace!"

"What do they want now?"

"They elected you Viscount!"

"What." Two voices said in unison.

"They held a vote earlier today over who would be the next Viscount after Dumar… And you won. In a landslide they said. You're the next Viscount of Kirkwall!"

"Well… Shit."

Hawke, for once in her life, looked absolutely stunned… Then a missive grin appeared on her face.

"But that means… That means I can just appoint Bethany as my Court Mage. Rulers have the right that that right? I remember old Willhelm got to live free as one right!"

"Wh-THAT'S what you're focusing on?"

"Eh, it's the most obvious benefit. Oh, and I get a shiny crown too… Varric is that crown the Viscount had the official regalia, or can get something personalized made?"

Varric smiled.

Still the same old Hawke.

"Eh, I think you can. What did you have in mind? A band with a ferocious Hawk at the front?"

"Oh, that's good! But I was thinking more that old design in Gold, or Silver… I mean did you see that crown? Great design, but in dark Iron? Who makes a crown in Iron?"

"I don't know, it's better than a Throne of the stuff, I mean imagine how uncomfortable that would be."

"Can you two PLEASE take this seriously? This is big news."

"Oh we are, we're just having some fun along the way Carver. Well, let's get the band together and have a pint before I head back to Hightown. This is gonna be great. All the problems the city had with the Qunari are gone now! Which I get to swoop in, and not only take all the credit and glory for fixing it, but I get to come in and rule without any huge issues breathing down my neck."

She grinned. Then suddenly had an epiphany.

"Oh and Varric? Congrats."

"On what?"

"On becoming the new Viscount's right-hand man of course! Is there a title for that? Or just… Royal advisor?"

Carver rolled his eyes.

"If you want to give him a fancy title, you should just marry him… Then you could call him the Count Regnant."

It took a moment before both of them realized it was a joke.

"Well look at that, the Little Hawke finally started to grow a sense of humor."

The younger sibling, and new heir to the throne of Kirkwall, groaned.

Chapter 2

[rosecoloredmuses]

Can we have more information about Swan's Form Changes please? 🥺 I liked to read about the Strawberry form one 🩷

((I have a similar ask to this one that I’ve neglected to answer but sure!

Macaron Waltz is renamed from Bubblegum Waltz and its theme colors are green and gold as it is inspired by pistachio macarons. Her main attack is Moonlight Soiree which compels footsoldiers and any enemy who’s weak enough to fall under its sway to dance.

Strawberry Beat originated in a thread with Wraith’s Gentaro as Berry Beat, a form that made her look just like Poppy from Kamen Rider Ex-Aid. I replaced Swan’s previous second form change, Grape Figure Skate, with this renamed form when I was writing The Tale of Rising Wings. Its theme colors are red and white while taking heavy inspiration from Hatsune Miku’s 15th anniversary illustration. Likewise, her attack, Extreme Solfege, is named after the hardest difficulty in the Project Diva games. It uses sound to disorient opponents. It’d affect Swan too if it wasn’t for the form’s noise cancelling headphones.))

[moviesandmania]

RISE OF THE FOOTSOLDIER: VENGEANCE Reviews of Craig Fairbrass crime thriller - free online

Rise of the Footsoldier: Vengeance is a 2023 crime thriller about a gangster on a violent rampage. The movie is the latest entry in the franchise that began with Rise of the Footsoldier (2007) and continued with Rise of the Footsoldier: Part II (2015), Rise of the Footsoldier 3 (2017) and Rise of the Footsoldier: Origins (2021). Directed by Nick Nevern (Rise of the Footsoldier: Origins) from a…

[yeonchi]

Kisekae Insights #44: Kamen Rider Zi-O Part 2 - Ohma’s Day

“Hark, Ohma’s Day! The future of the Kamen Riders lie in a battle for the fate of time. Will a saviour rise or will a king take his throne? Peace on earth and mercy mild, past and future reconciled!”

The first arc had Sougo and Geiz gaining the cooperation of Decade and all the Riders that came after him. The second arc takes us into 2019 as Kamen Rider Woz makes his debut, bringing forth the existence of new Riders and powers that will take us to the dawn of Ohma’s Day.

Episode 11: Men from the Future ~ Happy New Woz 2019 ~

The episode closely follows the original, the only difference being that Rentarou’s friend in this episode is actually Isamichi Konjou, who will also appear in the next episode.

Kensuke Nitta (White Woz) makes his debut as Kamen Rider Woz. He is Kazuto’s nephew from the year 2040 and has come to 2019 to guide Geiz to become the saviour Geiz Revive. His Future Note allows him to manipulate events by writing or speaking into it.

At the end of the episode, Rentarou and Isamichi decide to enrol in a ninja academy…

Episode 12: The Amazing Era of the Future ~ Future Time 2022 ~

Inspiration for this episode was taken from Rider Time: Kamen Rider Shinobi.

In the original series, Geiz was unable to go to the year 2022 to find Rentarou because it is an alternate timeline created by Sougo’s dreams. In the last episode of this version, Geiz does go to 2022, but it is pretty much the same as 2019 and Kamen Rider Shinobi is nowhere to be seen. However, Another Shinobi’s defeat does allow Kamen Rider Shinobi to exist in 2022, something that Sougo discovers when he decides to head there in this episode.

In 2022, Rentarou, his sister Iroha and his friend Isamichi are studying at the Leapfrog Ninja Academy. Rentarou took on the banner of Kamen Rider Shinobi to fight the Rainbow Serpent Clan led by the Dark Ninja, but right now, he is being tasked with investigating three of their operatives, namely Hikaru Azuma, Kanon Azuma and Moe Nakajima of the Wind Ninja Academy. Yes, these are the Hurricanegers, aka the “unofficial” ninja Kamen Riders from Decade’s Nine Riders Arc. Kazuto suggests to Sougo that he gain Hikaru’s power as Kamen Rider Ninja so they can gain the upper hand on Kensuke.

Andrew, Luna and Kensuke arrive in 2022 to find Sougo, but they are confronted by Kanon and Moe, who transform into HurricaneBlue and HurricaneYellow, aka Kamen Riders Mizuna and Okachi. Kamen Rider Fuma from the Ex-Aid movie also appears as another Dark Ninja operative to attack Sougo and Rentarou, but Isamichi comes to their rescue as Kamen Rider Hattari. The Dark Ninja tries to kidnap Iroha but fails to do so, leading him to capture Isamichi instead.

Zi-O, Geiz, Woz and Shinobi work together to free Ninja, Mizuna, Okachi, Fuma and Hattari. The Dark Ninja admits his defeat and leaves. Sougo doesn’t take Ninja’s power as he believes he and his allies can help Rentarou and Isamichi in 2022. After saying their goodbyes, Sougo and his friends head back to 2019.

Episode 13: The Parable of the Hyperstudious Father ~ Your Final Answer 2040 ~

Due to the modifications made for this episode, the scenes featuring Another Quiz’s creation are brought back to the last episode.

Like how Shinobi and later Kikai were created from Sougo’s dreams, Kamen Rider Quiz is also shown to be likewise where it wasn’t originally. Sougo is being chased by Bugster Virus footsoldiers in 2040 when Kamen Rider Quiz appears and fights them. Quiz asks Sougo, “You will wake up from your dream,” and the answer turns out to be true as he kicks some Bugsters into him, causing him to wake up.

Quiz’s identity is a man of Vietnamese descent named Reimondo Doan, born to his father Jeremy and his mother Mylena. The O and X part of his gimmick is translated as “true” or “false”, which is essentially what those symbols can represent.

Episode 14: Battride War Salacia ~ Advent 2002 ~

Inspiration for this episode was taken from Rider Time: Kamen Rider Ryuki. If I followed that mini-series more closely, some Rider identities would change. Also, imagine Soraia having Unite Vent sex with Marcello before betraying him the next day lmao.

This episode is an additional tribute to Ryuki that serves as a prequel to Sougo gaining the Zi-O II Ridewatch. I’ve covered most of this episode’s plot in #27.

Linsum makes contact with Dark Daniel from Mirror World and gives him the power of Another Ryuki. Dark Daniel then goes to confront Daniel Camielez and Polvina; they are defeated, but Daniel is nowhere to be seen after.

Sougo, Geiz and Luna are having a picnic on a beach when the Shark King, Lorah and their Riders attack from the sea. Sougo and Geiz transform to fight them; they are no match for the power of thirteen Riders as they are defeated, with Sougo being taken by the Salacians as well, having been willed to do so by Kensuke to get him out of the way of Geiz becoming the saviour. However, Geiz insists that he will fight Ohma Zi-O his own way. As Sougo is interrogated at the Shark Palace regarding Polvina and Daniel’s disappearance, Kazuto is nowhere to be seen as he has gone to meet with Ohma Zi-O to obtain half of the Zi-O II Ridewatch.

Andrew and Luna are approached by Daniel to ask them for the way to Salacia and they head there. As the Shark King is informed of this by Tata and goes to investigate, Ester and Tubarina meet with Sougo and the latter gives him the Ryuki Ridewatch after telling him that the Daniel with Andrew and Luna is the imposter Dark Daniel because the real Daniel and Polvina would never leave each other behind if they were in trouble.

Sure enough, Ryuga reveals himself and the Salacians Riders fight but to no avail. Ryuga summons Dragblacker but Kensuke arrives in his Time Mazine and uses Woz Future ring Quiz to fend him off before using his book to free Sougo, Geiz and Luna as Ryuga transforms into Another Ryuki. The fight is brought to Dryland, but despite help from Knight, Saga and Poseidon, the Salacian Riders are defeated. The goddess Salacia chides the rest of the Salacian Riders while Kelvin Galvarro gives Geiz the Knight Ridewatch. Sougo and Geiz use the Ridewatches they obtained to defeat Dark Daniel. The Ryuki Anotherwatch is picked up by Swartz, which he uses his power on to reform it into the Ryuga Anotherwatch…

Episode 15: Making the Time Connection ~ Zi-O the Strongest 2019 ~

In a basement somewhere, the other Sougo creates the Zi-O II Ridewatch by coming the data from his Zi-O Ridewatch with the data he recovered from the destroyed Time Mazines. This creates the left half of the Zi-O II Ridewatch, which the other Sougo holds against a mirror to complete its other half and duplicate it as well. The left half would be given to Woz in 2068 while the Mirror World right half would be given to Sougo in 2019.

The rest of the episode follows the original, with the differences being detailed in #27 already. Polvina takes the place of Okubo as Sougo encounters her while handing out fliers to help find Daniel. Mirror World Sougo is a more toxic version of his other counterpart as creating the Zi-O II Ridewatch copied his personality over to him. Mirror World Sougo merges with Sougo as his version of the Zi-O II Ridewatch is completed, unlocking Ohma Zi-O’s power to rewind time.

“Inside and outside, past and future. This is the Watch that will rule over both worlds!”

“Good and evil, light and dark, I accept it all! And with this power, I will forge my future!”

Sougo uses Zi-O II to defeat Another Ryuga and Dark Daniel makes peace with Daniel as he reunites with Polvina.

Episode 16: Soldiers Facing the Enemy ~ Musou 2008 ~

The Japanese title of this episode is based on the Japanese kuji-kiri, namely 臨兵鬥者皆陣列在前 (rin-pyou-tou-sha-kai-jin-retsu-zai-zen). This is an original episode with no reliance on the original Japanese plot or footage.

Multiple armies are being defeated across the land. Parker in the east gets a call from his friend in the west asking for reinforcements, but he can’t do anything because his side is being invaded as well. On top of that, Queen Fifi is upset with Parker over her Never Land reinforcements being killed every time he borrows troops from her. Sougo heads on an excursion to the mainland and is brought in by one of Parker’s allies. Parker is relieved that Sougo has returned, only this Sougo doesn’t remember him.

We then learn about the history of the land; the land turned into chaos after the Battle of Chibi in 2008, made worse by Sougo’s parents being killed the year after. The armies of the land blames each other for causing the accident; Parker had enough of this and decided to unite the land by any means necessary, whether by making alliances with friendly groups or violently subjugating hostile groups, some who blamed him for the accident. At some point, a demonic overlord appeared and it turned out to be Sougo.

Sougo offers to help defend Parker’s camp when enemy troops arrive. While fighting as Zi-O, he is confronted by his other self and they fight. The main Zi-O is defeated, but he meets with his other counterpart later, telling him that he will have to help Parker’s ally in the west sooner or later.

After the main Sougo asks a favour from Kensuke to will it into happening, the two Zi-Os fight again in their different forms. It is in this battle that we also get the Decade Origin Ridewatch and Decade Armor Origin; the Ridewatch does not have the extra slot for Ridewatches, making it similar to the Gashapon version of it, and the transformation sound is the shortened version as used for the Decade Violent Emotion Ridewatch; the Armor is identical to the main counterpart’s but the helmet is styled like that of the other Armors instead of being a screen. The main Zi-O wins and the other Zi-O agrees to help Parker’s ally in the west. This battle between them was for the main Zi-O to teach his other counterpart not to take the people he meets for granted. The two Zi-Os save Parker’s army as Zi-O II before Kazuto comes to pick up the main Sougo and take him home.

Episode 17: My Best Friend ~ Man or Machine 2121 ~

“Are you man, or are you machine?”

Another direct adaptation of the original plot. However, due to Sougo no longer going to school, the retest study plot is changed to Sougo coming down with a fever after coming back from the mainland. The Humanoise in the year 2121 are named Cyberdroids in this version, being Cybermen that have taken on human disguises and are using emotional emulators to blend in, which admittedly does go against their creed of abandoning emotions. Yes, 2121 Earth is the early years of the Cyber-Wars, which in the Doctor Who extended universe didn’t happen until the 2150s with the Vogan War. Minato-Sugaru Island has become a human enclave against the Cybermen, though the Cybermen are doing all they can to infiltrate it.

Kamen Rider Kikai is Handles Machina (you can guess what the inspiration for that name was), who was a Cyberdroid until he grew a heart and became the friend to a group of children escaping the Cyber-Wars. His power source comes from the solar generator satellite Zeark (and the autists at the Kamen Rider Wiki who called it “There” can go fuck themselves), which the Cybermen hack to turn Handles evil.

Because Heure had already become Another Kuuga in episodes 9 and 10, Ora is the one who Swartz turns into Another Kikai in this episode, swapping the roles of the two in this version. In the end, I never understood Ora and Heure’s nature in the series because their origins and motivations are never explained.

In this episode, the other Sougo sends the main Sougo a gift to thank him for the lesson he taught him in the previous episode. The gift is a Cyberman figurine with “WILL BE THE KING” written on it, which Luna intercepts because Sougo was still in bed when it came. Of course, Sougo’s initial password guess “WILL BE THE BFF” is retained from the original version because Engrish.

Geiz and Luna realise that Sougo isn’t just seeing the future in his dreams, but creating them and the Future Riders with them; the Another Riders are merely a side effect of that. As the two decide to leave 9TO5, Kensuke brings the Shinobi, Quiz and Kikai Miridewatches to bring forth the Geiz Revive Ridewatch…

Episode 18: The Reverse King ~ Another Zi-O 2019 ~

Admittedly, this arc is my favourite arc of Zi-O.

This version of the series adds some backstory to Hiryuu Kakogawa and how he became Another Zi-O. With Sougo’s acquisition of the Zi-O II Ridewatch finally allowing Swartz to create the Zi-O Anotherwatch using the research taken from his previous experiments, Swartz finds Hiryuu in the middle of a battle against Parker’s army and rescues him from being killed by the other Zi-O, revealing his identity to him and offering to make him the king of time. Aside from the Anotherwatch, Hiryuu is also given the Another Driver, which is the black Ziku Driver that appears when he transforms into Another Zi-O, only we made it an actual thing that Hiryuu uses to transform.

Hiryuu is modelled on a friend I used to know when I was little. His mum and my mum were friends and we used to go to the same playgroup and church together. Then, my friend went to a different school and we just lost contact with each other. The last time I saw him and his mum was at least a decade ago at this point. I’d never brought him up when I was searching for characters to put in my stories and his significance in my youth made him a perfect candidate to be Sougo’s nemesis. Oh wait, I’m giving away the story at this point, aren’t I?

So, Hiryuu goes around attacking the previous Another Riders to obtain their powers. Sougo and Geiz try to stop him but to no avail. Luna tries to ask Mark about Hiryuu but the name doesn’t ring a bell to him. She finds Karen Brewer’s number and asks about Hiryuu; she doesn’t remember much about Sougo because it has been so long, but she looked into his past and learns that his parents were killed in a bus accident in 2009. However, because the Sougo we know only arrived in 2018, Karen is referring to the other Sougo, and the connection isn’t made clear to the others until later.

Luna heads to 2009 and goes to the hospital where Sougo and Hiryuu ended up. A nurse gives Sougo the Cyberman figurine from the last episode before he freezes the nurse in time and rewrites their memory before getting dressed and leaving. This is seen by both Hiryuu and Luna.

Geiz apparently sees Luna being killed in the crash, which gives him the determination to unlock the power of Geiz Revive, something that is rejoiced by Kensuke. Geiz sends Another Zi-O fighting before he turns his attention to Zi-O…

Schwarzer is a newly-featured OC in this episode as the owner of a magic café where Trixie now works.

Episode 19: The Day It All Began ~ Geiz Revive 2019 ~

Kazuto interrupts the fight between Zi-O and Geiz to take the latter away. Geiz fights Kazuto, but despite Geiz Revive’s side effects, Kazuto is no match for him. As a result, Kazuto goes to the Time Jackers for help and Heure helps him steal Kamen Rider Woz’s power from Kensuke using blank Miridewatches (and not blank Ridewatches as shown in the original). The words Kensuke uses to take back Woz’s power is changed to “Kamen Rider Woz’s power returns to its proper owner” in adaptation.

Kazuto transforms into Woz in an attempt to stop Geiz from fighting Sougo, but just as they are about to fight, Hiryuu comes in to fight the two with his Another Rider Army. Sougo and Geiz work together to defeat them and Sougo encourages Hiryuu to let go of the past and live for the present.

Meanwhile in 2009, Luna gets onto the bus that Sougo and Hiryuu were on, which is being driven by Hiroki Ichigo. Sure enough, Swartz hijacks the bus and takes the children to the alternate 2019 with the Dai Mazines attacking, the only difference being that Sougo was the boy that Swartz was looking for from the beginning and that their meeting wasn’t by chance. After saving Sougo and Hiryuu from being killed, Swartz gives some of his power to the former before taking the two back to the site of the bus crash where their parents and everyone else onboard were killed either in the crash or in the alternate 2019.

Luna is sent back to Sougo and Geiz in 2019. She and Geiz return to 9TO5, only this time, Kazuto decides to join them as well. With his version of Ohma’s Day now never coming to pass, Kensuke concedes his loss to Swartz.

Episode 20: The Trinity Begins ~ Blade Joker 2004 ~

You are supposed not to know about Trinity. You would have known if you’d been following Kisekae Insights up to now.

The BOARD Riders fight a Kamen Rider Blade from another universe before Swartz takes their powers upon their defeat and creates the Blade Anotherwatch. That Anotherwatch is then given to Kensuke for him to use as he pleases.

The Blade from another universe is, of course, Takeru Tenkuuji from an alternate Dai-Shocker universe. Another Blade is this universe’s counterpart of Serena, the mother of Mermaid Prince Seretao aka Zhuge Shu, Kamen Rider Chalice. Zhuge Shu is present in this universe, but he isn’t really her son; he only stayed with her to make her happy, though after the entire ordeal is over, Serena is happy with looking for her son on her own because seeing Zhuge Shu gave her hope that he would still be out there somewhere.

The biggest change in this episode, though, is that Daiki Kaitou as Diend is changed to Narutaki as Gold Drive, meaning that Diend’s fights had to be reshot. She didn’t appear in episodes 9 and 10 because she was working for Ohma Zi-O following the Ohma War.

When Another Blade absorbs Blade and Chalice’s Rider powers and causes the end of the world, Sougo talks with Kensuke as he, Geiz and Kazuto go to confront the Another Rider. Sougo convinces Kensuke to fight for the future he wants until the very end and so, he manifests the Zi-O Trinity Ridewatch from himself along with the Zi-O II and Geiz Revive Ridewatches. How could Kensuke have done that when his powers were taken? That will be explained next time.

After Another Blade’s defeat to Zi-O Trinity, Takeru flees and Zhuge Shu allows Sougo to keep the Blade Riders’ Ridewatches. Kensuke does not disappear after his future of Geiz Revive does not come to pass, but he throws away his Future Note as he prepares to become Sougo’s new rival in a different way. The Future Note is taken by Narutaki, who confronts Sougo and Geiz with a message from Ohma Zi-O; there are six more Ridewatches left for Sougo to obtain, one of them being the Drive Ridewatch despite it being in Geiz’s possession.

Three Equestria Girls characters make cameo appearances in this episode; Fluttershy is shown at the beginning working at Serena’s cafe, wishing her luck in finding her son before leaving. Sougo and co encounter Photo Finish when Another Blade attacks her studio, then Geiz and Luna encounter Juniper Montage at another photo studio where they find out where Zhuge Shu is staying.

Ohma’s Day was originally the day when Sougo would become Ohma Zi-O. Thanks to Sougo briefly giving up his destiny, a divergent timeline was created where Geiz Revive would dethrone Ohma Zi-O and become the saviour of the world. Despite delays to Zi-O and Geiz’s grand duel caused by various parties, Ohma’s Day still came to pass, but with Zi-O Trinity being born instead. Despite this, Sougo is still destined to become Ohma Zi-O, with the true Ohma’s Day still yet to come.

The Time Jackers’ machinations would continue, but Kensuke would set his own plans in motion as well. Join us next time to see how their plans come into conflict with Sougo’s quest to collect the Ridewatches.

[cassierobinsons]

@castielsclitoris

there's some context missing because i wrote the original post in a fit of insomnia. it was prompted by this reblog in which a mutual talks about cas being betrayed by hannah + heaven, accompanied by tags from another person talking about why they hate the idea of cas rebuilding heaven post-canon. i agree with the general sentiment but can't say i've seen enough of later seasons to fully co-sign.

when i said i've already commented on the subject, i was referencing a post where i expressed my dissatisfaction with how heaven-as-a-cult discussions tend to erase the political dimension to their zealotry. i'm of the opinion that kripke was most likely drawing deliberate parallels to rl evangelicals and the power they wielded during the bush era when he wrote lucifer rising. so it's not "heaven is good and so is everything they've done" apologia so much as it is downplaying how bad they are. they're genocidal and while the individual rank-and-file angels are victims, they are also enablers and perpetrators.

so when discussions of anti-monster bias in canon come up and the angels get lumped in with vamps/werewolves/etc it irritates me. while you can argue that monsters are portrayed as The Other and how that means that hunting is bad for reasons other than "it'll ruin your life and you'll die bloody", heaven is for the most part a metaphor for the church/government/military. this makes the angels footsoldiers or like, the clergy. clergy might not be the word for it but i'm too nonxtian to care so w/e.

and i wanna be clear that i'm aware canon has depicted angels as capable of thinking for themselves as far back as s4. cas' desire to reconnect with the other angels and pull them to his way of thinking is something we can all empathise with. but personally i can't fault sam & dean for being cagey about this, considering that they're the product of a millennia-long eugenics program organised by the angels. like, i don't get treating it as akin to the anti-monster beliefs john instilled into them. even if spn followed up on the early season storylines that questioned the ethics of hunting and took the show in a more compassionate direction, i'd still consider a certain level of wariness towards angels to be entirely warranted.

i've already said this before but the way people talk about heaven and angels in this fandom is so warped. angels aren't inherently bad but heaven as an institution absolutely is! sorry! They're evangelicals! they're introduced as militaristic doomsday cultists who wish to sacrifice all of humanity so they can reach their ideal paradise. if you failed to pick up on the real world parallels that's on you.

[laresearchette]

Saturday, August 12, 2023 Canadian TV Listings (Times Eastern)

WHERE CAN I FIND THOSE PREMIERES?: A SAFARI ROMANCE (W Network) 8:00pm KINGS OF BBQ (A&E Canada) 9:00pm HIP HOP TREASURES (A&E Canada) 10:00pm

WHAT IS NOT PREMIERING IN CANADA TONIGHT? ABDUCTED BY MY TEACHER: THE ELIZABETH THOMAS STORY (TBD - Lifetime Canada)

NEW TO AMAZON PRIME CANADA/CBC GEM/CRAVE TV/DISNEY + STAR/NETFLIX CANADA:

NETFLIX CANADA BEHIND YOUR TOUCH

FIFA WOMEN’S WORLD CUP SOCCER (TSN/TSN4/TSN5) 2:45am: Quarterfinal - Australia vs. France (TSN/TSN4/TSN5) 6:15am: Quarterfinal - England vs. Columbia

NATIONAL BANK OPEN (SN1) 12:30pm: Women’s Semifinal #1 (SN1/SN360) 2:30pm: Men's Semifinal #1 (SN/SN Now) 6:00pm: Women’s Semifinal #2 (SN1) 7:30pm: Men’s Semifinal #2

MLB BASEBALL (SN) 2:30pm: Cubs vs. Jays (SN Now) 7:00pm: Angels vs. Astros

CFL FOOTBALL (TSN/TSN4) 7:00pm: Stamps vs. Lions

LET'S GET PHYSICAL (Global) 8:00pm: A fitness instructor leads a double life by running a sophisticated prostitution ring with a client list that includes prominent men in the community.

THE DEATH AND LIFE OF JOHN F. DONOVAN (CBC) 9:00pm: A young actor reminisces about a dead American TV star and the correspondence they shared.

LOVE UNDER THE LEMON TREE (Super Channel Heart & Home) 8:00pm: While staying at the Lemon Tree Farm, budding photographer Beck is determined to help the handsome owner save his picturesque farm with the power of social media.

SHE SAID (Crave) 9:00pm: The New York Times journalists Megan Twohey and Jodi Kantor publish a report that exposes decades of sexual abuse allegations against powerful Hollywood producer Harvey Weinstein.

THE WEAPON (Starz Canada) 9:00pm: A one-man killing machine working for a Vegas mob boss goes on a mysterious rampage.

RISE OF THE FOOTSOLDIER: ORIGINS (Super Channel Fuse) 9:00pm: The origin story of how Tucker, Rolfie and Pat Tate unite to form their own firm. Tucker returns from the Falklands War a bitter and angry man, making a name for himself in the Essex underworld with his security business and drug dealing.

THE WIND DOWN (APTN) 11:30pm: Kursten witnesses as two of the characters discover an attraction towards each other; she provides her insights with a musical performance by Shawnee and the art of beading.

[tapdlir]

فیلم Rise of the Footsoldier: Origins 2021 دانلود فیلم خیزش سربازپیاده: پیدایش Rise of the Footsoldier: Origins 2021 : داستان اصلی این است که چگونه تاکر، رولفی و پت تیت با هم متحد می شوند تا شرکت خود را تشکیل دهند. #فیلم_خارجی #اکشن #جنایی #درام #دوبله ادامه مطلب و دانلود 👇 https://tabdl4.ru/?p=19766 تب دانلود

[thepeoplesmovies]

Win Rise Of The Footsoldier: Origins DVD Boxset

Win Rise Of The Footsoldier: Origins DVD Boxset

To celebrate the home entertainment release of the Top Ten UK box office hit RISE OF THE FOOTSOLDIER: ORIGINS, we have a copy of the DVD box set (includes all five films) up for grabs courtesy of Signature Entertainment! WE ALL KNOW HOW IT ENDED. THIS IS HOW IT STARTED. VINNIE JONES STARS AS REAL-LIFE HARDMAN AND THE ULTIMATE GANGSTER IN RISE OF THE FOOTSOLDIER: ORIGINS RISE OF THE FOOTSOLDIER:…

[cultfaction]

Rise of the Footsoldier: Origins trailer released

Rise of the Footsoldier: Origins trailer released

Rise of the Footsoldier: Origins in cinemas September 3rd. Courtesy of Signature Entertainment. Eagerly awaited British gangster film Rise of the Footsoldier: Origins, starring legendary leading man Vinnie Jones, and directed by Nick Nevern will be showing in UK Cinemas this September. Lock, Stock and Snatch superstar Vinnie Jones teams up with premiere acting veteran Keith Allen (Kingsman,…

[azspot]

In the early 1790’s, there was an uprising, just as Hamilton had expected. It occurred in western Pennsylvania. That meant the president’s personal business interests were involved.

By profession Washington was a real-estate developer like Trump, only successful. His rise to greatness was driven by an intensely focused career of financial speculation in what was then called western land: vast reaches of fertile forest across the Appalachian chain, unseen by many British colonists until young Washington got out there himself. Especially important was the region called the Forks of the Ohio, in western Pennsylvania, where the Allegheny and the Monongahela join to form the great river into the farther West. Before a United States existed to be president of, Washington owned thousands of acres around the Forks, and even downstream along the Ohio, his holdings ripening for markup, sale, and settlement. The payoff was potentially huge.

“Holdings” and “potentially” are the tricky terms. Washington’s land claims were in many cases illegal. The land was reserved, under British law, for multiple indigenous nations, who in any event held and inhabited it. Undaunted, Washington dodged law, treaties, and rules for purchase and kept making dicey claims, leveraging his connections with British governors of Virginia, the British Army, and the Virginia militia—he was for a time the militia’s commander—as well as chiseling some of his former footsoldiers and even his upscale partners along the way. He remained confident that things would work out for him, one way or another.

He was right. His focus on gain was so intense that as British government grew increasingly committed to stifling fervid land-speculation by elite American investors, Washington grew increasingly committed to American independence. He, Patrick Henry, the Lees, and a lot of other Virginia speculators—Pennsylvanians and others, too—saw their real-estate investment portfolios about to be wiped out by new measures of Parliament. Equating their sacred liberties with their freedom to seek out and monopolize new lands for investment and gain, they viewed any restriction as both robbery and tyranny. That view had a deep basis in English law and tradition, according to some of the key writings of Thomas Jefferson, ultimately including the Declaration of Independence.

[maswartz]

Power Rangers Pirate Legends Set Sail

In space there is a legend of a ghostly ship. Captained by a cruel necromancer. Captain Necruel! It is said that when his ship was damaged by crossfire during a battle a Dark Spirit appeared to him and offered him a way to live. Necruel accepted and was turned into his current form, the spirit gave him the Eye of the Netherworld to use to get vengeance…. On the way to the Empire homeworld Doc, Lewis, and Zinda make two important breakthroughs. First they upgraded the Pirate Ranger Keys so that they can still use the power of past teams (however if the original Ranger is morphed at the time the Pirate Ranger cannot use that power until they demorph). Second they create a new Ranger Key, The Purple Privateer Ranger Key.

Zinda- 29- Purple Privateer Ranger- A classmate of Doc’s from the IIoS. She escaped the attack on the school and arrived on Earth where she found work in a repair shop. She reunited with Doc and helped repair damage to the Pirate Megazord. She would go on to assist the team many times before finally gaining a Ranger Key of her own. On the way to the Stellar Empire’s homeworld after the fall of the empire Lewis and Doc created the Purple Privateer powers for her. She uses the Condor Speeder as her personal zord and it gains a megazord form. Face Claim: Naya Rivera On the Empire homeworld the Pirate Rangers raid the Empire treasury and recover all the relics and artifacts (as well as a ton of money they take for themselves… they are pirates after all) The Pirates take it upon themselves to return the relics to the rightful owners. On their first stop they arrive on Grifforzar and are approached by a winged warrior (using the Neo Griffozar suit from Kyoryu Vs Go-Bust). Upon seeing him Lewis believes it’s Goldar and pulls out his weapon. The warrior explains that the Griffors are a race of honorable warriors and that Goldar was the exception. To this day they are haunted by the shame of his crimes as evidenced by Lewis’s reaction. After apologizing the group gets a horrible surprise. Goldar approaches. He has a squad of ghostly figures armed with scythes. These are the Reapers. The Rangers and the warrior engage Goldar in battle and defeat him, when he falls a giant eye appears in the sky and shoots him with energy causing him to grow, when they defeat him once more the eye appears again and seems to absorb his explosion. This pattern continues for a while, the Pirate Rangers return a relic and are confronted by an enemy thought dead. They travel to the world of Rangers and other Heroes (The rangers are some of the teams I’ve already covered and the other heroes I’ll cover in separate files) Each time the eye appears again. Each revived monster claims they are seeking vengeance. Finally during a battle with Darkonda the Pirate Rangers meet Captain Necruel. The ghostly captain tries to use the eye on Lewis. It seems that after the hit and run Lewis’s heart briefly stopped. A situation Necruel seeks to exploit. However Lewis resists and as he does his Silver Ranger Key and his Gold Anchor Key emerge and glow and become one. Lewis uses it and the Anchor Armor descends like usual however this time his visor turns a shining silver and the gold armor becomes one with his suit. Lewis has morphed into the Golden Pirate Ranger! Necruel admits defeat and retreats leaving Darkonda to face Lewis’s new power. He presses two buttons on his morpher and to his left and right the symbols of the Green Dragon and White Tiger Rangers appear and pull back revealing the respective Rangers. With a point at the enemy the Energy Clones attack. Lewis then uses the new key to activate his Final Wave attack. Above him a golden sun forms and Lewis rises his blaster. The sun attaches to the end of the blaster and Lewis shoots the Golden Solar Blast at Darkonda destroying him. However after beating him with the DrillRex Megazord Lewis passes out. A vision of Zordon reveals why, when he uses the Golden Ranger Key he taps directly into the Morphing Grid bypassing all safeties to do so. The human body cannot handle such power for long periods of time. Upon hearing this Marvelous talks to Doc and Zinda to discuss a project to take the burden off of Lewis. On the next planet the Pirate Rangers encounter a monster made from remains of footsoldiers that the Rangers of Earth have defeated. He calls themself Legion. Legion is one of Necruel’s Gravengers. The Pirates meet the other four soon. Tatauros- A bull like gladiator cheated out of his final victory and his life. Centeen- A centaur freedom fighter betrayed by one of her followers and executed Solien- A scientist who was forced to create an artificial sun to use as a weapon but used it on himself to keep his captors from using it as a weapon. Scorpiter- A scorpion like warrior who fought when her homeland was being taken over and fell in battle. Eventually Doc and Zinda finish their project. The Red Captain Ranger Key. A battlizer for Captain Marvelous. Red Captain Ranger- An armored version of the classic pirate captain. Full of the power of the previous Red Rangers from Earth (MMPR-Bushido) With these new powers at their disposal the Pirate Rangers begin to defeat the Gravengers and continue to destroy the revived villains. Finally Marvelous destroys Legion forcing Necruel to unleash his trump card and combine the remaining four Gravengers into a massive warrior named NOTOO (anyone who gets what those four and the combined form are a reference for gets a cookie) After a fierce battle Notoo falls, realizing the time had come Necruel lures the Rangers to the Dead System. A solar system where all life was destroyed after a weapon of war went out of control extinguishing the very sun. Finally the Pirate Rangers board Necruel’s ship and defeat him, however Necruel begins to laugh. He reveals that the Eye of the Netherworld has been collecting the energy created when a monster is destroyed. This has all been for a single purpose. Before revealing that reason Necruel reveals the legend was wrong. It wasn’t a Dark Spirit he made a deal with. IT WAS A DARK SPECTER! At those words Lewis urges a quick retreat. Indeed all the energy has been collected to restore Dark Specter to life! The ghostly ship is pulled apart by the Eye as Dark Specter tears a hole in the universe to pull himself out of the Netherworld. During the long battle the Rangers have to deal with villains attempting to escape the Netherworld while fighting Dark Specter himself. Eventually they get an idea and taunt the stronger villains that if Dark Specter escapes he’ll leave them all to waste away. Enraged the dead villains turn on Specter distracting him enough for the Rangers to push him back and destroy the opening. Dark Specter falls once more. On the way back to Earth they get a call from Cody. Cody reveals that much has changed while they were gone. The satellites used to broadcast the signal to rebel are now used to allow communication across the universe! Furthermore Earth has opened its arms to alien visitors and those seeking to live on Earth. Already at least 100 have moved to Earth. There is also a plan to create warp stations in every system to allow quick transportation throughout the universe! The universe has gotten bigger and smaller at the same time. The universe is changing… ———————– Set Sail Files The Space Sheriffs Elemental Squad The Silver Spider Ultraman ———————– MISC Each Pirate Ranger (and Dresk) have their own leitmotif song Marvelous- The Pirate in Red (invokes images of epic fights on pirate ships) Dresk- Give to Gain (a version of TPIR reversed) John- The Blue Swordsman (invokes images of sword fights) Lucy- The Yellow Bandit (stealthy quick song) Doc- The Green Scientist (techno beat) Zinda- Purple Science (remixed version of TGS) Amanda- Pink Princess (starts out royal and elegant and ends more adventurous and yet still elegant) Lewis- The Legacy (starts soft at first as Lewis is unsure of himself as a ranger especially compared to all who came before him, but by the end is triumphant as he has blazed a trail for those who follow) Relationships Marvelous- Thinks of his crew as if they were his own family. Knows for a fact that John is more than capable of taking him down in an instant. John- Sometimes annoyed by the antics of the others (especially when Marvelous gets drunk) but is willing to lay his life down to protect them all. In a relationship with Amanda by the end Lucy- Has a sisterly relationship with Amanda though sometimes wishes she wasn’t so fancy about everything. In a relationship with Lewis by the end. Doc- Amused by Lewis’s reaction to most things. Felt out of place among the crew until Amanda arrived. In a relationship with Zinda by the end. Amanda- At first is disgusted by Marvelous but learns quickly that the man makes himself sound worse than he is. So is drawn to John’s serious attitude. Relieved and thankful that the crew treats her as Amanda and not as a Princess. In a relationship with John by the end. Lewis- Looks up to the Captain and John. Enjoys hanging out with Doc (he dubs him DD upon learning his real name). In a relationship with Lucy by the end. Zinda- Gets along nicely with Lewis having spent more time on Earth then the others. In a relationship with Doc by the end. Fates of the Pirate Rangers Marvelous- He travels the universe in the ship offering his services when needed (be it transporting researchers or sightseers or adventurers) Misses the crew but knows he can quickly travel to them to see them again. Eventually gives his Red key to a stowaway named Scarlet making her the new Red Pirate Ranger while he uses the armor of the Red Phantom to continue his legacy

Scarlet- Second Red Pirate Ranger- 27- An escaped slave who stowed away on the ship after the team parted ways. Marvelous took pity on her and helped her get away from her pursuers. By the time of the first Universal Union conference she’s his first mate and the second Red Pirate Ranger. Face Claim: Karen Gillian John- Becomes the captain of the guard on Momos and eventually the King. Lucy- Lives on Earth with Lewis and spends a lot of time volunteering at an orphanage Doc- Opens a repair shop with Zinda and enjoys every moment. In his spare time he and Zinda try to create better prosthetics to heal those hurt by the Empire. Amanda- Crowned Queen of Momos she appoints John as the captain of the guard, he will one day sit on the throne next to hers. Lewis- Returns to finish school (he had dropped out of college prior to his accident) Lives with Lucy. Zinda- Opens a repair shop with Doc and also enjoys every moment. In her spare time she and Doc try to create better prosthetics to heal those hurt by the Empire. Thanks to the Pirate Rangers a new age has dawned across the universe. An age of unity and peace. Of hope and possibilities. (Bios by @dream-chef-flavors and @rosegrl18) Power Rangers Pirate Legends <————-Powerverse—————> Power Rangers Biotec Busters

[moviesandmania]

RISE OF THE FOOTSOLDIER: VENGEANCE (2023) Preview of Craig Fairbrass crime thriller

Rise of the Footsoldier: Vengeance is a 2023 British crime thriller about a gangster on a violent rampage. The movie is the latest entry in the franchise that began with Rise of the Footsoldier (2007) and continued with Rise of the Footsoldier: Part II (2015), Rise of the Footsoldier 3 (2017) and Rise of the Footsoldier: Origins (2021). Directed by Nick Nevern (Rise of the Footsoldier: Origins)…

[acediian]

—𝓉𝑜𝓋𝒶𝓇𝒾𝑜𝓃'𝓈 𝑔𝓇𝑒𝒶𝓉𝑒𝓈𝓉 𝑔𝒾𝒻𝓉 (𝒾𝒾𝒾.)

thanos x original character fanfiction  |  pre-infinity war  |  2.3k words +

a/n: several thousand words in and - finally - enter purple hubby-to-be!!! hope you enjoy c:

chapters  i.  ii.  iii. 

Aerendis closed her eyes, lips parting to breathe in the soft breeze that swept over the hill and through her hair. Her steed, a majestic Tovari Faraax, shifted underneath her, its broad, paw-like feet padding loudly against the silvery grass. Fingers moved gently through the creature’s soft mop of grey fur, feeling the warmth of its body and the ebbing motion of its slow breaths.

“Cassiopeia, it’s alright,” she cooed to the beast, which responded with a hearty grunt. But as her eyes turned upward to once again regard the great warship hovering above Tovarion’s capital city, her words turned acrid in her mouth.

The Faraax shifted again, turning its large, deer-like head towards her. Those eyes, dark as midnight, conveyed their usual kindness, but disclosed something else as well. Worry. The princess was akin to a mother, having hand-reared and cared directly for the creature since its birth many centuries ago. The two shared a certain bond, so undoubtedly it sensed her own trepidation.

“It will be alright.”

From astride the Faraax’s large back, Aerendis could behold the valley in its entirety. The smoke rising out of chimneys in the city streets. The people, appearing as small as grains of rice from their place atop the hill. Ship after ship whizzed past, converging on the palace, where hordes of foreign soldiers stood toe-to-toe with the guards that protected the queen.

Aerendis knew. He was already there. She was out of time.

Tugging at her Faraax’s reigns, she breathed in the cool morning air one last time. “Come on, girl.” The creature took off, its muscular, elongated legs carrying them both across the grass at tremendous speed.

---

“Where is your sister?” Queen Aredhyn asked under her breath, a furrowed brow meeting her son’s gaze.

“I do not know,” Erodhil replied, leaning down to whisper into his mother’s ear as she sat, awaiting their guest’s imminent arrival. “I have not seen her all morning.”

The princess’ absence did not sit well with the queen. She never knew Aerendis to be tardy, least of all on such a significant occasion as this. But there was no time to send someone after her, and no one to spare.

Every guard in the palace and every soldier from all corners of Tovarion had been called to the capital city. None ignored their queen’s request. Fighters encircled the throne, stood watch outside of the palace, and lined every street in the city - and yet, it became clear quickly enough that they were far outnumbered by the Mad Titan’s forces. Not only were there hordes of ghastly footsoldiers, but also countless numbers of flying beasts and other ships at his command. And all waited for the signal to attack should his demands go unmet.

The queen sat motionless, expressionless, in waiting. On the outside, she was the embodiment of a strong leader, an adept warrior. Her dark hair, intricately plaited away from her face and flecked with grey streaks, revealed the silvery-white skin that bore lines of age. Her silver armor, gleamed in the morning light that flooded into the hall from above.

Only her son could see the turmoil boiling underneath. White knuckles grasped the armrest of her throne. Her eyes watched everything, yet seemed to see nothing.

Aredhyn breathed in sharply as a figure appeared in the doorway to the throne room. A broad silhouette gave way to a tall figure cloaked in golden armor. The Mad Titan, as promised. Four other figures soon followed behind him, two of which the queen recognized from just two days prior. They approached the throne with haste, stopping just shy of the guards they so easily towered over.

There were no niceties, no formality shown before the queen of Tovarion. Not even so much as a bow. She prickled at the heavy silence that followed, lips downturned as she looked her guest up and down.

“Welcome to Tovarion, Thanos of Titan.” Her attempt at a smile came off as more of a grimace.

The Mad Titan glanced around the throne room with incredulity before meeting the queen’s gaze from underneath his helm. “Your people have an interesting way of welcoming guests, your highness.”

Aredhyn didn’t much care for his mockery. Her hand balled into a fist against the cold stone beneath her arm. Still, she remembered the warship hovering just over the city and bit her tongue.

With a passing smirk, Thanos began to pace in front of the queen’s guard, formidable fighters who now looked so puny in comparison. He towered over each one by nearly two feet. As he walked, each one tightened their grasp on their weapon. Honorable, the queen knew, but it would be folly should this meeting end badly.

“I don’t see the power stone.” He turned to the skulking creature from before. “Was the Maw not clear enough when communicating my expectations?”

“He was perfectly clear,” the queen replied, her jaw tightening. “But it is safe... in the vault.”

Thanos’ calm, calculated expression faltered for a moment. His scowl fell away just as quickly, but his displeasure was all too evident. “I have given you a choice, your highness. Out of my own generosity, I offered to spare your world in exchange for the stone.” The Titan’s gaze pierced into hers, is voice lowering to a more threatening tone. “It would take… seconds… to wipe your ancient culture from the cosmos and I would still pluck the stone from the rubble.”

Queen Aredhyn raised a hand, unwilling to indulge him any longer. “You will have the stone, Thanos of Titan. Do not waste any more breath threatening me and my people.”

“Your people,” he repeated, now with a glint in his eye. “I know the Maw conveyed the other half of my demands.”

“In so many words, yes. He did.” Aredhyn rose from her throne, moving down a few of the glimmering steps. Her pale grey eyes never left those of the Mad Titan. In her daughter’s absence, her following statement would carry far less weight. She could hear her heart pounding in her ears amidst the utter silence in the throne room. “I have consulted my Council. Prayed to our gods.” She turned to the prince. “Consulted my children. We cannot ally by giving you Tovarion’s armies.”

Thanos’ expression soured. “That is unfortunate.”

“We cannot eschew our existing alliances by supplying soldiers to their enemies. On my honor, I will not break faith with millennia-old allies.”

“You are just that, your highness. Honorable. But tell me - will honor save you? Will your gods save you?”

“Spare me,” the queen mused, staring down her nose at him from where she stood, bathed in sunlight on the steps to her throne.

“Tovarion is one of the universe’s very few remaining ancient civilizations. I have given you the opportunity to save it. An opportunity I only extend to you one last time.”

Aredhyn threw a passing glance at her son before continuing. “We have another offer.” She watched as the Titan’s brow creased in surprise and interest. “One that we hope you will consider.”

The Mad Titan heaved a sigh - the queen could only hope that he would indulge her for a few moments more. “Go on.”

But as she drew in a breath, a commotion just outside the throne room doors caused the queen to pause before sharing their proposal. It was a moment of immense confusion - the Mad Titan’s forces all turned, weapons drawn, to face what they believed was an approaching threat. But the queen’s guard were quick to react, preparing to counter the opposing forces.

“Make way!” a voice called from the rampart outside. “Make way for the princess.”

Aredhyn sighed in relief for more than one reason, loosening her grip on her own sword. “Stand down! Stand down, all of you!” she called to her own soldiers. “Have your men stand down, Thanos of Titan. It is only my daughter.”

The energy in the room quickly dissipated as a new figure appeared in the colossal doorway. The silhouette of a Faraax came lumbering in, its short, floppy ears swaying with each step. As it moved closer, the Mad Titan’s forces parted to let it pass. Until the creature dipped its head, no one would have expected it to be carrying a rider. But in its saddle sat the princess, hair windswept and overcoat draped elegantly across its back.

Aerendis sat proudly astride her steed, her torso moving back and forth with each one of its strides. The Faraax vocalized confusedly at the strange creatures that flanked it on either side, which elicited a soft hush from the princess’ lips. After the long walk to the throne, the creature’s feet thudded to a stop just before the Mad Titan himself, who seemed utterly unfazed. From where she sat, more than twelve feet above the ground, Aerendis looked down to meet his gaze.

Whatever she had expected him to look like, this was not it. Even do, he had the appearance of a conqueror, no doubt, with his intricate golden armor, broad frame, and formidable stature. She would have to get accustomed to the sight of him should he accept their offer and spare Tovarion from the fate of so many worlds before it.

The Faraax knelt to give the princess an easier dismount, grunting once again as it beheld the strange being before it. Aerendis’ hand patted her steed’s side as she passed, briefly meeting the gaze of her potential betrothed once more before approaching her mother.

“I apologize for the delay, Ama,” she said, bowing before her queen. Her voice lowered. “Tovarion still stands.”

Aredhyn reached out to take her daughter’s hands, her own shoulders relaxing in relief at the mere sight of her. “For now,” she uttered in their mother tongue. The pair touched foreheads, a usual greeting among Tovari who were very close.

Aerendis glanced over her shoulder at the Mad Titan, still standing impatiently on the other side of the guards. “You command quite the army. I would say you outnumber us... ten to one? And I am sure there are forces still aboard your ship.”

“Forces that will answer my call at a moment’s notice.”

“Yes, I am sure.” She was truly her mother’s daughter, choosing to ignore his threats and simply continue as she began to pace back and forth. “We have but a few thousand elite fighters at our own call. Tovarion has not needed a great army since -” With a tsk, she looked to her mother and shrugged. “- oh, the time of my great great grandmother, I believe?”

Thanos’ eyes narrowed. She knew he was already aware of what she would say next.

“Our army would not add much in the end, I am afraid. You are already so well equipped.” A sleepless night had given way to a wave of arguments against supplying their soldiers to the Mad Titan’s army. Arguments that now came spilling forth. In a way, she was delaying their final proposal. Now that the moment was here, the words did not seem to want to leave her lips. “And, of course, pledging our best fighters to your cause would leave us defenseless. What sort of an alliance is it if your allies should bear the brunt of an attack - from, say, other allies who are displeased with our support of your cause - with no means of protecting themselves?”

Before he could interject, she continued.

“That is a short-lived alliance, indeed.” All her nerves caught in her throat suddenly, choking the very air form her lungs. There was so much sorrow in the thought of the Mad Titan refusing their offer, which would bring the prompt decimation of her people. The thought of him accepting elicited immense trepidation of its own. But she was assured in her faith that the gods had laid a path for her millennia ago, and she was ready to take it if this was the way.

“Alliances need not be between armies,” she went on, turning fully to face the Titan. “If you wish for a lasting alliance with Tovarion, then you should do so through marriage.” Her words clearly caught even him off guard. Aerendis watched as his brow lifted in surprise. “In exchange for the lives of my people, I extend my hand… to you. I will go with you as not only a… wife, but also as an envoy of the Tovari people. You will have the stone you seek as well as any resources, weapons, and armor that you require.”

“I have no need of a princess on my ship,” he retorted.

The queen was quick to step in. “Aerendis has not seen war herself, but she is an adept fighter and even more effective diplomat. She has handled our affairs with other worlds for more than a thousand years. I trust you could benefit from her presence.”

“You give yourself away for the sake of your people,” Thanos addressed the princess, who showed no signs of fear in her steely exterior. “A noble sentiment.”

“Thank you. I have meant every word.”

“I do not doubt it.” A long, slow breath left him. “Very well, princess. Your people can rest easy tonight.”

It was as though Aerendis could breathe once again, yet that same fear as before came over her all the same. Arranged marriages (or whatever one called such a situation as this) were unheard of on Tovarion. As a girl, she had hoped to one day fall in love with the one that she would spend her fifteen thousand years with. She had hoped for a marriage as loving as the one that her parents had shared. Those hopes were dashed. But, she reminded herself, her people were safe. They were safe. Perhaps this was what the gods had intended for her, after all.

“Your generosity is much appreciated,” Aerendis replied, meeting the pale blue of his eyes with the soft grey of her own. “Thanos.”

[yaldev]

Concerning Carving

Among the various types of Commanders in the Ascended Army, Colonel is the highest rank that sees battlefield deployment. With his recent promotion to Brigadier, the esteemed Commander Bruzek the threat of death, and more importantly, the grip of fear over his mind. Despite the added responsibility of his new role, he's called it a freedom from clouded judgment.

The fear returned when Bruzek contemplated this carving, though it's faded over the three hours he's been sitting with it, even as the rising sun adds to its menacing countenance. Its shadow cast across the sand reminds the Brigadier of a legend from the unification of Origin, when the Highest Ascendant ordered a cavalry charge at the First Battle of Lackayth with the morning sun at their backs. The dazzling light hindered the defending infantry and sent panic through the ranks, prompting a costly retreat.

Over the last few days, patrols have brought back a dozen wood-carved animals they found in the desert, from crystal bugs the size of a fingernail to crude horses that would fit in your palm. This one is unique for its rotatable head, but tiny grains of sand stuck in the groove of its neck make it hard for Bruzek to use this function smoothly, to the disappointment of his inner child.

This monster has a spiked back and a hideous face, but Bruzek is less worried about its countenance than its context. Those other figures are roughly proportional. A horse is much bigger compared to a crystal bug than their respective carvings, but that only adds to the problem. This model is a foot tall. The Ascendants have never encountered such a beast, apparently known in local languages as a "dinosaur." But if it towers over a horse as high as the carvings imply, the Commander still has much to fear.

Would such a moment of terror, whether for his men or himself, be the end of Brigadier Bruzek? To falter as a footsoldier against incoming cavalry is a mistake, but to order that devastating retreat, to even position those soldiers where it could have been necessary, was unforgivable. Courage is the source of all strength, and the conquest of Asteria will not be won with weakness.

---

Yaldev is a sci-fantasy worldbuilding project by Ulysses Maurer, with art by Beeple. By looking at narratives, stylized loredumps, bad poetry and little details, we'll witness the story of a planet filled with magical power, the nation which tried to conquer it, this empire’s dramatic collapse and the new world which emerged in its wake. Along the way we'll meet the characters who live here, and we'll explore questions about nationalism, rationalism, the natural world and the quest to master it. For all stories in chronological order, check out the pinned posts at r/Yaldev!

[tebrex24]

Rise of the Footsoldier: Origins

Rise of the Footsoldier: Origins

A brutal account of how real-life, hard-as-nails Falklands War veteran Tony Tucker came to be involved in one of the most notorious gangland murders in British history.