#Star Wars is chunky sci-fi

[technoturian]

The real difference between Star Wars and Star Trek is that Star Wars is dials and knobs sci-fi and Star Trek is screens sci-fi.

Even in the 60′s when they couldn’t imagine a handheld touchscreen interface becoming as commonplace as it has, the Enterprise still had an interactive viewscreen. Even now when everyone has a smartphone, the folks over in the galaxy far, far away still prefer grainy holograms on a chunky black dais. And that is just how it should be.

[thatqueervampire]

Chunky coin operated sci-fi laser pistol

And it looks kinda like this, but with one of those old payphone coin slots on the side, (left facing, because most ppl are still right hand dominant) with wires going down the barrel and greebling like star wars guns, doohickeys and no/minimum sights

[robindaydream]

Star Wars

Honestly I think where Star Wars really shines is the aesthetics. That kind of retro-futuristic look where everything is kind of busted is some of my favorite shit. It makes it feel more real than if everything is kind of the same level of shiny and futuristic. This especially comes through in Andor, every location has so much character from the imposing brutalism of Coruscant to the cold yet homey brick and mortar of Ferrix. I really like the look of a relatively ordinary, grounded environment that just happens to have a few sci-fi things in it.

I especially love the boxy old computers with their monochromatic CRT displays. The barely humanoid droids with extremely functional designs. All the tech design is just so much fun. Nothing is streamlined everything is so chunky and practical. That's my shit.

[lowpolynpixelated]

PS2 Review: Killzone AKA: The most 7/10 shooter that you should play

Killzone is, if nothing else, a fantastic look into a time where competitiveness managed to permeate the entirety of the gaming landscape. Coming out in the era of “The Halo Killer”, Killzone manages to be both above average in comparison to the games it actually stands toe-to-toe with (think Call of Duty and Medal of Honor) as well as underwhelming in what it actually set out to do, kill Halo. What was left in the end was a game that on its own is a fine enough shooter for its time, but really only shines as the beginning of a series that got better with age and successive releases.

Setting

Here’s where Killzone shines in particular. The world that the game and its sequels take place in is an intensely interesting sci-fi future with stellar designs scattered all throughout the experience. From the Helghast’s sleek and angular technology to the ISA’s more chunky militaristic look the game has a strong sense of identity in its world and world building. The game sets itself up as follows: In the not so near future of 2357 humanity has taken to the stars in a halcyon age of planetary colonization under the banner of the Interplanetary Strategic Alliance, the ISA. One of these colonies was started on a mining planet known as Helghan (named after the mining company that purchased the planet and created the colony). The planet itself is harsh, with a poisonous atmosphere and barren surface that not only killed many of the colonists who tried to settle the planet, but mutated them over time as well.

Now known as the Helghast, the colonists instituted their own civilization on their new home. One which idolized the ideals of authoritarianism and militarism. Hellbent on revenge the Helghast have now taken to the stars yet again to invade the very worlds that abandoned them, starting with the planet Vekta. Pretty cool premise, right? A revenge conquest across the stars held by a planet of mutated colonists with hyper advanced military technology and unwillingness to forgive. The game features an absolute feast of chunky military sci-fi with a distinct world-war 2 game feel. Sadly, I don’t particularly think that Killzone does a very good job at realizing its world outside of its impressive looking cutscenes.

Visuals

With such interesting premise behind the overall setting you would think there would be a wealth of environmental worldbuilding, this is sadly not the case. The very first level sees you making your way through bland muddy grays and browns as you fight group after group of the same enemies. To give credit where credit is due, the overall aesthetics of Killzone are strong. The Helghast and their sleeker more geometrical approach to their more advanced technology contrasts wonderfully with the more plucky olive green squared off angles of the ISA. The characters themselves, enemies and NPCs alike, work wonders in differentiating the opposing sides.

Helghast are clad in black and grey, with standard units having an imposing silhouette enhanced by their bright orange combat goggles. As more enemy types are introduced the design is further iterated upon. Captains will wear military caps instead of helmets, elites have bulky armor and a distinct lack of a helmet showing off their pale skin. Meanwhile the ISA wear uniforms akin to the UNSC marines from Halo. Sporting olive drab and sets of armor pads and plenty of pouches for ammunition. These differences continue into the spectacular weapon design of the game. Helghast weaponry takes on their stark angular design sensibilities while the ISA use weapons and tech that looks closer to things we use today.

Sadly the art direction of the setting begins to fall apart when examining the world of Vekta and the areas of it you fight through. While there are some standout areas in the perilous journey from a coastal city all the way into space to assault one of the captured orbital defense platforms, most of it is going to be painted in dull grays and dim greens. There isn’t much visual distinction within the game’s 11 levels, and even less environmental world building to help flesh out its setting. A few vending machines here, a monument there, but in between those little flourishes are vast sums of empty space. Urban environments with massive empty buildings and streets, mountains with the same rock asset used over a dozen times in one area, it all amounts to a game that could have more interesting visual design but simply doesn’t.

We never get to learn what kind of world Vekta is. What sorts of people live there, what Vektan society is really like. Even the shopping mall is almost completely devoid of anything that would signify it as an urban shopping center. With so much empty space taken up by bland, washed out textures, it’s hard to truly feel as immersed in the experience as you would playing something like Halo or Warhammer 40K Fire Warrior. The graphics themselves are quite impressive for the PS2, but the way they’re utilized leaves much to be desired.

Level design

I do want to preface this section of my review with something positive. Killzone does have good levels. In particular the city park and mall towards the beginning of the game, swampy jungle later on, and ISA missile base near the end all stand out as memorable levels packed with fun shootouts and set pieces. However, it’s everything else where the game tends to lose me. The game’s first two chapters, Helghast Assault and Vekta Evacuates, have almost nothing that stands out against their endless barrage of flat urban hallways and barely winding mountain passes. Combined with predictable enemy placement and blandly set up areas littered with very little cover, the game struggles to make things truly engaging until its third chapter. It doesn’t feel like an invasion despite all the destruction around you. It tends to feel more like walking through a paintball arena filled with buildings that only exist to have the same three shootouts inside. Very little sense of verticality, flat terrain, and long stretches of emptiness all plague its weaker levels. 

“Empty” is I think the best descriptor I have for those weaker parts. In particular the mountainous levels of the late game and the earlier beach assaults feel almost vapid in comparison to the denser design of the levels I mentioned at the beginning of this section. It’s such a stark contrast in design that causes some whiplash when moving from level to level.

Gameplay

Now we get into the real meat of any game. How does it play? I think in Killzone’s case I would have to describe it as a mixed bag. On one hand the core shooting and weapons available to you feel pretty good, but on the other there’s a lot of little things that hold it back from feeling as loose or fluid as it probably should. For starters none of the weapons allow you to ADS (aim down sights) making firefights a hassle at a certain range. Combine this with the frankly confusing spread patterns of many of the game’s guns and you’ve got shooting that feels nearly impossible to be accurate at. There were times where I had the generously large crosshairs of the Helghast’s main infantry rifle, the StA-52 Assault Rifle, over an enemy but not a single one of my shots managed to land before its 50 round magazine was depleted.

It’s particularly frustrating when you’re trying to take out particularly dangerous enemies such as the Helghast Elites who often wield large machine guns or explosive weapons like grenade launchers, and not a single shot you fire hits where you’re aiming. I should also mention that this issue seems to be wildly inconsistent. Other times when I was hovering above an enemy outside of any range I thought I’d be able to hit at, I was able to put them down in a matter of three shots or less. Randomizing the ability to effectively and accurately take down enemies is just as maddening as it sounds, and is only made worse when nearly every enemy in the game has perfect pinpoint accuracy seemingly regardless of difficulty. Going hand in hand with the overall frustration caused by little things within the core gameplay, the game manages to feel very clunky and slow to move around and fight in.

This is partly due to the fact that Killzone suffers from framerate issues as well as stuttering during certain loading areas, but that’s just one part of it. Aiming manages to feel either too loose or too sluggish with not a whole lot of a sweet spot in between.One of the most tedious features is that most intractable spots in the environment have to be initiated by a button prompt. This includes vaulting over certain cover, climbing ladders, crawling through vents, and even using a melee attack on an enemy at close range. Most of if not all of these actions lock you into animations where you’re still vulnerable to gunfire. Crawling is particularly dangerous due to the baffling decision to not allow you to reload while on the ground. Now this isn’t all to say there aren’t parts that work well. As mentioned before, the gunplay manages to be satisfying despite its shortcomings.

Each weapon feels unique in your hands with varying fire rates, accuracy, and alt-fire capabilities to really shake up combat. A favorite of mine is yet again on the StA-52 which has an underslung shotgun capable of firing a single shot before needing to reload. The variety doesn’t stop there though. Underbarrel grenade launchers, silenced shots, proximity mines, laser guided missiles, there’s absolutely no shortage of fun ways to mow down Helghast as they throw themselves at you wave after wave.

Story

Killzone’s narrative is what I would be most inclined to call serviceable. It’s nothing groundbreaking but it doesn’t really need to be. The Helghast successfully invade Vekta after the orbital defense grid protecting the planet is mysteriously sabotaged. You then find yourself in the boots of one Jan Templar, an ISA soldier tasked with finding ISA General Vaughton who has one of the two keys needed to reboot the defense grid which will allow the Vektans to take down the Helghast fleet in orbit. Over the course of the game it is revealed that General Adams, and ISA general overseeing the SD platform defense grid, is a turncoat and kills Vaughton as he arrives in space. A Helghast general by the name of Lente is let aboard and behind to oversee usage of the SD platforms to send missile strikes to Vekta’s major cities. All the while Templar and the other three playable characters, Shadow Marshal Luger, Heavy Weapons specialist Rico, and half-Helghast spy Hakha, fight their way to the SD platform to stop Adams from annihilating the earth fleet coming to provide reinforcements to the ground troops on Vekta.

Like I said, it’s nothing groundbreaking.  A classic twist of an inside job putting the odds against a plucky group of heroic soldiers who manage to come out on top despite it all. So little of the game actually has the story in the spotlight with cutscenes providing most of the context. Where the game’s weakness lies is in the characters themselves. All four playable characters are incredibly one note, with Rico in particular becoming grating very shortly after his introduction. His “hate all Helghast” attitude and tendency to spout off loud hateful things at Hakha for his heritage make his writing the weakest of the bunch. It’s hard to really take off any marks for the story when it’s so simple and takes more of a guiding role to the gameplay and objectives.

Conclusion and comments

If you’re read through to the end of this review you’ve probably gotten the impression that I think Killzone is a bad game. In actuality I mostly find myself in a frustrating middle point between very much enjoying my time and being put off by its shortcomings. In the realm of “the Halo Killer” Killzone did not succeed in its goal. Halo would go on to be one of the most influential and beloved series within the gaming landscape, but Killzone itself would also go on to have a lineage of its own.

I do like Killzone and would probably put it firmly on a must play list of games to play on the PS2, but the plethora of flaws and edges hold it back from being something that I could readily recommend to everyone. This is also the point in the review where I mention that the sequel, Killzone 2, is one of my favorite PS3 games ever, but that’s for another time. As it stands, Killzone is a perfectly fine game on its own. It didn’t break new ground or kill off another franchise, but it did create an intensely interesting sci-fi world and a solid, if not flawed, FPS experience on the PS2. If you ever feel yourself itching to play something that fits that description and have already played through Halo too many times, give Killzone a shot.

Extra notes

Should you actually wish to go play Killzone after reading this, good! It's a solid shooter that has plenty of good action to offer, even if it is a bit lacking. If you do though, I have some suggestions on exactly how to play it. My playthrough was done on the Nightly builds of the PCSX2 emulator. PCSX2 is, in my experience, by far one of the best PS2 emulators available and ran the game flawlessly start to finish. My suggestions come more in the flavour of tweaks to use in said emulator, one to be exact. Killzone is many things but one thing you'll probably realize is that it's SLOW. Unbearably so in some segments and animations, such as crawling, reloading, and climbing/descending ladders. I played this entire game on 1.25X speed via the emulation settings available in PCSX2. I cannot recommend this enough if you give it a shot yourself. Making the movement and combat pacing more in par with something like Call of Duty 2 and Halo Combat Evolved makes this game not only way more playable, but way more fun.

[theultimatenonbinarynerd]

May 2024 Reading Stats

The Calender

🍉🍉Before I start this calendar I want to start a disclaimer and remind people about what's happening in 🍉🍉 Country and that Disney and Marvel should be held accountable. Therefore I will not be recommending The Disney Novel or Marvel Comic. Disney and Marvel need to divest from Is**el for me to fully recommended and show them physically on camera. Please buy Marvel and Disney books second hand if you must have them.🍉🍉

What a month it has been, with how much I've read this month I'm definitely dubbing it the gay month. June should really be the Gay Month but it sadly won't be so I'm glad I made May that month. Starting with the beginning of the month. My reading pattern is that my last read of the month will very clearly dip into the next one but it doesn't bother me. Pageboy was very easy to finish and whilst I got everyone's criticisms I thought they were exaggerated. It's a really good Trans Memoir but not the best. This Arab Is Queer is something I had for my Readalong for Palestine I'm doing and although no one took part I go alot out of this collection and it was a 5 star all the way. Only took 2 days to finish in May and I'm happy about that.

After finishing the 8th Doctor Adventures first season, I decided to dip into the main range and listen to the first too and they were pretty great in my book. The Sirens Of Time was easy to listen to whilst I did an oc sketch and it felt very much like the Classic Who version of Day Of The Doctor. 5,6 and 7 had amazing chemistry together so even though it's the very first audio your bound to gain some laughs. Phantasmagoria is probably one of the best Mark Gatiss content I have consumed and it was very spooky. It was supernatural with that ever loving Doctor Who sci-fi charm that you know and love. Will definitely pop in to more of the main range in the future. I'm only listening to 8s for now.

Cabin At The End Of The World, loved the book but towards the end I didn't enjoy it as much. Let's just say I hate ambiguity, I also hated the audiobook narrator so I had to read along in a quicker speed which was quite the challenge. So as a result it was quicker than my usual 300 + page reads. Welcome To St Hell was another one of my most anticipated reads and it highly delivered. It took a measly Ten Days which was an achievement itself as without chapters it was hard to split up my read as I'm certainly not the finish in one day type of reader. Still though for my first graphic novel it was very very good.

My side reads for this month exactly were very different. One was terrible for its last very transphobic and ableist story and the other was a very educational jam-packed nonfiction about the situation in Palestine and how simple it is thanks to brainwashing. In the end as good as the other two stories were Happs gave me massive brain rot. Fnaf fans are way too forgiving to Scott. On Palestine was great forever to the point I want to give it to my friend to help him understand the situation. I was able to get through it quickly and absorb alot. It was a good recommendation.

Finally my reads tipping into June. Yep no not until Marvel and Disney divest. I feel okay talking about Star Wars cos alot of authors are anti-israel and anti-zionist. If Daniel José Older gets fired I'm going to be done with them too. J.Elle is a really good writer though and I'm definitely gonna look at more of her books.

June's Stats

Wow just wow. May's stats were like a lightning bolt. I did a lot of reading this month and I expect stats like this will be ever so common in the glorious summer stats. So let's break these chunky stats down.

I read 8 books including 6 physical books/graphic novels and 2 Big Finish audios. That's just chock a block impressive and I'm very proud of myself as that's my highest number yet. As pages that too was my highest yet with 1,477 pages which is 489 pages up from last May. Interesting I also only read 3 books in May last year. So this is a very positive sign at how my reading journey is evolving. And of course my highest hours stats with 3.6 hours logged. I dipped into longer big finish audios this month so it makes a lot of sense.

Up next Genres. When I said this was a very gay month I mean it. I read many genres this month; LGTBQIA+, Science Fiction, Memoir, Horror, Young Adult, Thriller, Politics, History, Graphic Novel and Essays but coming on top with a whopping 4 reads was LGTBQIA+. It makes sense I have a lot of lgtbq+ representation on my tbr and this just happens to be a lucky month where I've gotten through quite a few. It also for the first time topped Science Fiction which is not an easy feet to do trust me. In joint second place with only 2 reads was Science Fiction, Horror and Memoir. I'm so glad that I was finally able to get to have a reading month with more diversity in genre. Let's see what June brings.

Mainly reads is still the same for now. I love my adventurous, dark and mysterious books as well as my medium paced books that are under 300 pages.

Again for moods for the first time in forever Reflective comes at top. The moods this month Reflective, Dark, Informative, Mysterious, Funny, Emotional, Adventurous, Tense And Inspiring. As a result of reading a lot of nonfiction this month I was finally able to tip away from my usual adventurous mood. All the nonfiction reads I had were very indeed thought provoking and reflective. In joint second place was emotional and dark which ie expected as I love books that hit me hard in the heart.

Star ratings were all over the place this month it was a very mixed bag month some amazing, some average, some terrible. My overall star rating for the month was 4.22 a minor improvement from May last year where the average rating was 4.17. There's always next May to get the average score up as long as I pick good books. We had two five star reads in This Arab Is Queer and Welcome To St Hell which was well deserved in my opinion. For the first time ever two 4.75 star novels in Phantasmagoria and On Palestine they were close to being 5 star but not quite there for me. Again two four stars in Pageboy and The Sirens Of Time. One 3.75 star thanks to the icky ending and rushed past and of course one 2.5 star novel that deserves the rating. It'll be interesting to see how June's stats compare against this.

May's Reads/Listens

A jam packed reading month indeed. This Arab Is Queer was an incredible Anthology that heavily educated me and sheeded any internalised bigotry over queer arab folk. It was also a very thought provoking and powerful collection of essays it really helped reshaped alot of the views I've had. The Sirens Of Time was a delightful timey whimey multi-doctor story that basically is the classic who version of Day Of The Doctor. Peter Davison, Colin Baker And Sylvester had amazing chemistry, I definitely want to look into more of the main range now.

Pageboy was definitely overhated it did not deserve all the hate and disappointment in my opinion. Its really not that bad at all. I think people are just fustrated about the non linear and him talking about his experiences prior to his transition but I felt like it was a hundred percent nesscary. Trans experiences aren't linear and Elliot did his absolute best trying to show that in his memoir. Phantasmagoria was a really good Big Finish listen and I heavily enjoyed it. Its one of my favourite project of Mark Gatiss's that I have ever seen, he's an absolutely fantastic writer, I don't care what people say I love his stories. This was a really cool supernatural story with Five and Turlough, the twists were generally shocking and it was a fun ride. Highly recommend giving Phantasmagoria a listen if you haven't done.

The Cabin At The End Of The World was better than the movie until a heavy tragic ending that differed from the movie and absorbed the bury your gays trope like a bubble. I love how Wen's povs were actually written in the style of a six year old girl. It was disturbing yess but made this story way too bury your gays trope than it already is. Might be controversial but that's my whole opinion. I also felt like the message contradicted itself is it about the desperation of religions cults or it a positive normalising gay families and about how gay love it powerful enough to save the work. On Palestine is the best book tok recommendation that I have ever been given. I wanted to fully understand the g-side happening in Palestine and all three authors summed it up perfectly. It was also interesting to learn about Propaganda and how its seeded into Israeli youth from a young age. It also heavily talks about the US and other countries and why they ally with Israel, its not what you may think. Props to Noam, Ilam and Frank for their hard work and important discussions.

Finally Happs and Welcome To St Hell. One of these two is 💩 and the other is 10/10. Yeah it's not Happs. What were Scott and team thinking, I know it might not have been intentional but Transphobia is Transphobia regardless wether or not intentional. It made me feel violated and sick and spoil my enjoyment of the other two stories in the collection. It was horror but not in a good way. Welcome To St Hell was my first graphic novel and it slapped. This was another one of my impulse purchases and I'm so glad I did indeed buy it. Terfs tried to review bomb it but I don't give a flying f** about their opinion. The Art was beautiful and I loved that Lewis didn't primarily feed into the Trans trauma trope and tell a sad story. Also The panels where he narrated and talked to his past self had me in tears of laughter cos as a semi masc Nonbinary person I found it so relatable. It's also really educational. A five star that I highly recommend.

Conclusion

A very very good reading month and it might not be a big deal to everyone else but I'm really proud of myself for what I've achieved, I literally think since I first got back into reading its an absolute record for me. Maybe it's a sign I should go out more but honestly I'm not fussed and couldn't care any less.

Big Finish for the future we're tipping into The Charley Arc as I want to listen to more 8 and one 12 and 11 multi Doctor short trip. Crazy thing is though with my audhd brain I already have next years listens planned. Expect a lot and I mean a lot of Big Finish reviews that might just be paced from Storygraph but who cares.

My next five reads as of this blog are Race To Crashpoint Tower, Jamie, A Test Of Courage, War Of The Worlds and Doctor Who: The Deviant Strain. Very excited to see how the rest of the year goes and I'm absolutely loving the lovely templates I've got from @LEEBEE_READS. So much more to come and I really love looking back and reflecting on my reader tastes.

Have a happy Pride Month everyone 🏳️‍🌈🏳️‍🌈🏳️‍⚧️🏳️‍⚧️

-Melody-

They/Them

[ainews]

According to various studies and surveys, geeks—defined as those who are enthusiastic about tech and computer-related hobbies—are increasingly turning to sweaters for a fashion statement. But why are geeks particularly drawn to wearing sweaters?

For one thing, geeks identify with sweaters on an emotional level. Chunky knits have long been associated with the youthful style of technology experts, making them the unofficial “uniform” of tech gurus. In a time when the world is rapidly changing, donning a piece of long-lasting fashion is a way for geeks to ground themselves and to connect with their peers.

Another reason for the geek’s sweater-love is that the possibilities with fashion are nearly endless. From chunky cable-knits to drop-shoulders to oversized sweaters, geeks are able to express themselves through various shapes and patterns. Technical-savvy computer users often require unique solutions for any given situation; clothing offers the same opportunity. Whether a geek wants to express their game-playing hobby in the form of a Pac-Man knit, or their affinity for hardcore sci-fi novels by sporting a Star Wars cardigan, sweaters have become an outlet for creative self-expression.

Finally, there is a great practicality in sweater for geeks, as well. The “smart casual” look is hugely popular among youth, and suiting up in a chunky, high-neck sweater allows geeks to look stylish while maintaining a layer of warmth and comfort in any winter locale.

[barbylion]

went to the renn festival today u guys it was hot as hell but it was so fun

[knightotoc]

sigh

[cacodaemonia]

Mandalorian Technology Theories

Since I'm a science nerd who loves to think about things like this, I've come up with theories for two bits of technology that we see in The Mandalorian TV show. So far, there's no explanation for them, and because this is Star Wars and not hard sci-fi, I don't expect there to be. That said, it's still fun to think about and try to explain.

And no, I'm not talking about the tracking fobs, though I do wish I had a passable explanation for how those work! They frustrate me to no end. XD

Note: all screencaps are from cap-that.com. I've increased the contrast in most of them to show more details, so apologies for the chunky quality.

1. Din's HUD in episode 4 shows him using a tracking feature twice: once, when he's tracking Cara before their scuffle, and later when they follow the Klatooinians and discover the AT-ST tracks. With the footprints I was like, "okay, maybe his HUD can pick up minute amounts of residual heat left from footsteps?"

But then Din scans upward and we see this:

There's no way that's heat. So I started trying to figure out what the two sets of clues had in common and came up with biological disturbance. I'm not a biologist or chemist, so if anyone with more knowledge ever reads this, please correct me. However, I do know that plants emit more volatile organic compounds, or VOCs, when they're damaged. Similarly, many microbes, including soil microbes, produce VOCs. It stands to reason that, if soil is disturbed, more VOCs would be released.

So because Din notices crushed soil and broken tree branches, my theory is that his HUD can detect at least some VOCs. That would be useful for tracking anything in environments where there are, at the very least, soil bacteria.

2. I'm hoping this gets expanded upon at some point in the show, but Din's armor - and presumably that of the other Mandalorians in his covert as well - is not just plates of metal. It doesn't even seem to have straps to hold it in place. Rather, as we see in episode one when he gets his shiny new beskar pauldron, the armor appears to clip on, perhaps magnetically, to the cloth under armor. There are even a couple tiny lights visible on Din's shoulder before the pauldron goes on, so there's definitely some kind of electrical wiring in there as well.

In episode 2 we get an even better look at the complexity of Din's armor when he's trying to repair it by the campfire. I know next to nothing about electrical engineering, and because this is Star Wars, there's probably no rhyme of reason to the wiring under Din's breastplate, but I'd love to hear an electrician's take on it! We get a really good shot of the back side of his old breastplate here:

There's clearly quite a bit going on! Then we see where the breastplate attaches to his under armor here:

I couldn't figure out a reason - other than the props department being like, "hey, this looks cool!" - for all the hardware underneath the armor, and then I started thinking about how Din's chest didn't get completely crushed by the mudhorn charging him, and how he fell quite a way from the top of the Jawa's sandcrawler and survived. Now, again, this is Star Wars, so of course people are going to miraculously survive situations that would kill someone in real life. But my science brain doesn't shut up, so I started to think that maybe the armor hardware is some kind of kinetic energy dampener/absorber. The only example of anything like this I could find in the SW universe is the kinetic armor used by a people called the Echani thousands of years before The Mandalorian takes place. It seems to function by emitting a shield around the wearer, however, so clearly it's not the same technology.

So if this technology reduces the kinetic energy of physical attacks as well as blaster shots, that might explain why even Mandalorian armor made from materials such as durasteel or duraplast is so effective.

Thanks for coming to my TED-Talk. ;) I'd love to hear if anyone else has theories about the tech in The Mandalorian!

[readaroundtherosie]

To go along with that ask about m/m book recs, what about f/f?

I was really hoping, when I got that last ask, that someone would bring this up - so thank you! I haven’t read as many as I have m/m, but I’m working on fixing that this year. As such, I have a list.

f/f sci-fi fantasy books i’ve read:

- The Priory of the Orange Tree by Samantha Shannon: a multi-POV epic fantasy novel. A stand alone built on an incredible world with DRAGONS and a slow build f/f relationship

- Nevernight by Jay Kristoff: an overall brilliant series; kick ass characters, in depth world building, a plot to RUIN you, and a bi main. f/f happens in book 2 

- Gideon the Ninth by Tasmyn Murr: the entire experience of reading this book is kind of an extened “what the fuck is happening??” but also it was great because necromancy in space and lesbians

- King of Scars by Leigh Bardugo: You can’t really read this one without reading all of the other Grisha books first, but it’s excellent, and Nina, our bi queen, is here for you

- Lady Midnight by Cassandra Clare: Like I mentioned in my m/m post, The Dark Artifices covers all of your bases with the expansive cast of characters. it’s so. freaking. good. 

- Beauty Queens by Libba Bray: a hilarious satire in which a plane full of beauty queens goes down and they’re stranded together on a deserted island. Or so they think.

adult or YA books with f/f relationships that i’m very interested in reading:

- Seven Blades in Black by Sam Sykes

- Steel Crow Saga by Paul Krueger: this one just has all of the things, and i’ve heard nothing but the absolute best about this book

- Labyrinth Lost by Zoraida Cordova

- The Abyss Surrounds Us by Emily Skrutskie: pirate fantasy duology that I’ve been meaning to read for literal years and that I hear great things about all the time

 - The Weight of the Stars by K Ancrum

- Ash by Melinda Lo: a loose lesbian retelling of Cinderella (but actually all of the characters are bi or pan, so, bonus!) 

- Girls of Paper and Fire by Natasha Ngan

- Girls Made of Snow and Glass by Melissa Bashardoust: feminist Snow White retelling

- This is How You Lose the Time War by Amal El-Mohtar & Max Gladstone: Super short! Will punch you in the feels! Enemies-to-lovers! Apparently, it’s amazing!

- The Long Way to a Small Angry Planet by Becky Chambers

- Once and Future by Amy Rose Capetta & Cori McCarthy: a pansexual main character of middle eastern descent in a genderbent sci-fi retelling of King Arthur, and on the whole, the book has so much LGBT+ rep! It’s only a duology and book 2 comes out a little later this year. 

- The Diviners by Libba Bray: these books are chunky, but I hear the rep i these covers a lot of ground. The final book comes out in February too, so it’s a great time to jump on board!

comic rec:

- Lumberjanes by Noelle Stevenson (and many other excellent people): these are so cute and fun! and there’s an on-page f/f relationship. Highly recommend the series.

- On a Sunbeam by Tillie Walden

- Monstress by Marjorie Liu

annnnd that’s all I’ve got for now (i’m sure i’ve forgotten some). Please feel free to add to this list as well, I want all the recs!

[elenajohansenreads]

Books I Read in 2021

#12 - Babylon's Ashes, by James S.A. Corey

Mount TBR: 11/100

Beat the Backlist Bingo: Multiple points of view

Rating: 4/5 stars

I think it's a brave, interesting, and ultimately wise choice for this series to take an entire book to step back, broaden the scope of the narrative, and say, "This is where we are. This is how bad things have gotten. And this is how we got that way." After several years, several seasons of slightly different story in the television adaptation, and five big chunky books, I was grateful for the returning characters and their contextually important reminders of what went before. I never felt like the story was deliberately summarizing past events to fill word count; there was always a reason, always a goal. But sweet baby Jesus, how long has it been since Anderson Dawes was important to the story? Thank you, authors, for gently reminding me how what he had done before still matters, and for doing the same with other characters we haven't seen in some time.

After the literal explosion of Nemesis Games, this much more contemplative tone has obviously rubbed some people the wrong way, given what I'm seeing in other reviews. And this definitely did take me longer to read than previous installments in the series, the pacing was a bit plodding. But it takes a lot of ground--or space, if you'd rather--to cover the demise of one societal system to make way for something almost entirely new. To wrap up a war that I actually thought was going to consume the rest of the series (I haven't read the teaser for the next book and probably won't, as I don't own a copy yet and don't want to hype myself up too soon.)

But a fast-paced action-fest couldn't spread itself over the 19 different POV characters (across 50 chapters, the prologue, and the epilogue) to give as grand a picture of every moving piece of the puzzle. That is by far the most of any book I've ever read, and conventional writing wisdom says it's a huge no-no, yet here I love it, and it's not actually as complex as it seems. Three "main" characters still carry most of the story (Holden, Michio Pa, and Filip, basically representing the three important ships or sets of ships.) The rest of the Roci's crew gets a chapter or two where it will do the story the most good, otherwise they simply do their thing in Holden's chapters. A few key figures from the past appear to give the perspectives of those outside the Roci--Namono/Anna for the consequences for Earth, Avasarala/Dawes/Fred for political maneuvering, the four entirely new characters who each get exactly one chapter but cover the goings-on on Medina station for us. Prax turns up a little bit to do his science, and that was nice to see, I quite liked him back in the day. Even Marco has his say, which I wasn't expecting but am definitely glad was included.

While the umbrella of hard sci-fi still encompasses this entire series, it's interesting to look at how each individual book tackles a different flavor of secondary genre, and in this case, it strikes me as going for the truly epic: this was trying, and quite nearly succeeding, at being as broad and far-reaching and complex as your Victor Hugo or your Tolstoy. Concerned with the big picture, always, but also always digging into the small things, the hearts and minds that make these decisions and mistakes that drive history.

[aion-rsa]

Holiday Gift Guide 2020: Books for Geeks

https://ift.tt/eA8V8J

The holiday season is probably going to look very different this year, but there’s one thing that hasn’t changed: the sacred ritual of gift-giving. While we might not be able to gather in the same way for the 2020 holiday season, we can still let the people in our lives know how much they mean to us with the perfect gift (and maybe get ourselves something nice while we’re at it—we deserve it).

We here at Den of Geek believe there is no better gift than a good book and, with nerd culture still very much mainstream culture, there is no shortage of geeky books to get the nerd in your life. From Star Wars and Star Trek to Outlander and Wheel of Time to those speculative fiction books that broke into the zeitgeist this year without a franchise to support them, here’s a list of books we recommend for every kind of geek…

Editor’s note: Den of Geek may receive a small commission from items purchased through the links in this story.

The Eye of the World 30th Anniversary Edition by Robert Jordan

For the “Wheel of Time” fan in your life.

We’re all excited about the forthcoming Amazon Prime adaptation of the Wheel of Time series, especially long-time fans of Jordan’s fantasy epic. It’s been 30 years since the series launched, and this special 30th Anniversary Edition of the first book in the series, The Eye of the World, helps capture all the magic of reading the book for the first time. This edition features a new introduction by Brandon Sanderson, a hardcover stamp of the snake-wheel symbol so important to the series, redesigned jacket art, and a ribbon bookmark. Whether you want to give this to a longtime fan or whether you’re hoping to hook an epic fantasy reader on the series, the high production value on this special edition makes for a great gift.

Buy The Eye of the World 30th Anniversary Edition by Robert Jordan

The Wintertime Paradox: Festive Stories from the World of Doctor Who by Dave Rudden

For the Doctor Who fan in your life.

This spin on Doctor Who features twelve stories in the “Whoverse” all set on or around Christmas. While the holiday doesn’t play an important feature in many of the stories, visions of the Doctor’s Christmas Past, Present, and Future are sure to entertain. Though most likely to appeal to fans of the series, this is also a collection marketed toward children, which makes it possible to share your love of the series with a young person in your life.

Buy The Wintertime Paradox: Festive Stories from the World of Doctor Who by Dave Rudden

Heroes’ Feast: The Official Dungeons and Dragons Cookbook

For the gamer in your life.

While cooking these recipes isn’t as simple as casting the titular spell, it does contain eighty recipes for fantasy inspired feasts. In addition to the recipes—some of which may be a little challenging for beginners, as they start from scratch rather than premade ingredients—the foods come with lore about the foods from the familiar Dungeons and Dragons cultures. Included are recipes for Feywild Eggs, “Orc” Bacon, Dwarven Mulled Wine, and Halfling Heartland’s Rose Apple and Blackberry Pie. Making some of these for game night might be a challenge, but Halfling-style Melted Cheeses with Chunky Tomato Broth sounds so good, your giftee won’t even mind if some spills on their character sheet.

Buy Heroes’ Feast: The Official Dungeons and Dragons Cookbook

Rebel Sisters by Tochi Onyebuchi

For the anti-war, YA fan in your life.

It’s been a big year for Onyebuchi, with this second book in his “War Girls” series and his first adult novel, Riot Baby, hitting the shelves. Onyebuchi’s Afrofuturist YA features nineteen year old Ify as a respected medical officer on the Space Colonies, and Uzo, a synth who’s working to preserve the memories and history of wartorn Nigeria. When a virus hits the Space Colonies, Ify must return to Nigeria for answers—even though she’d pledged to leave her homeland behind. For readers who love strong Black girls leading the action in a space-bound future, this is a fantastic pick.

Buy Rebel Sisters by Tochi Onyebuchi

To Sleep in a Sea of Stars by Christopher Paolini

For the Eragon and space opera fan.

Fantasy readers remember Christopher Paolini from “The Inheritance Cycle,” published for YA readers, which were filled with dragons and magic. But Paolini’s first adult novel heads into space, introducing the Fractalverse setting, and focusing on a xenobiologist whose encounter with an ancient, alien artifact sends her across the galaxy, where the fate of humanity rests on her shoulders. This is a great choice for fans who grew up on Paolini’s YA novels, or for readers who like doorstopper sci fi.

Buy To Sleep in a Sea of Stars by Christopher Paolini

The Hollow Ones by Guillermo del Toro and Chuck Hogan

For fans of The Strain.

The Strain had four seasons on FX, and the horror drama procedural won fans and awards. The show was based on a trilogy of novels from master of horror Guillermo del Toro and literary heavyweight Chuck Hogan, who have now reunited on a fresh series. The Hollow Ones follows a young FBI agent who discovers an otherworldly evil when it takes over her partner—and forces her to kill him in self defense. For fans who love their procedurals with a heavy dose of horror, this is sure to keep their spines tingling.

Buy The Hollow Ones by Guillermo del Toro and Chuck Hogan

The Art of Star Wars: The Mandalorian by Phil Szostak

For fans of Baby Yoda.

The Mandalorian has clearly been a breakout show for Disney+, putting new life into the Star Wars universe, and featuring everyone’s favorite new character, The Child (aka Baby Yoda). The end of each episode features concept art designed for the show, and for viewers who love seeing where the ideas germinated, The Art of Star Wars: The Mandalorian is a fantastic way to dig into the details of the first season.

Buy The Art of Star Wars: The Mandalorian by Phil Szostak

Cemetery Boys by Aidan Thomas

For queer paranormal romance lovers.

Yadriel is determined to prove himself as a brujo—even though his family hasn’t accepted him as a boy. But when he raises the wrong spirit while trying to solve the mystery of his cousin’s death, everything gets more complicated. In our review, we praised the book for its groundbreaking depiction of trans identity in Latinx culture and called it “a riveting, romantic read filled with paranormal wonder.” Fans who loved the queer romance reveal in She-Ra won’t be able to stop turning pages.

Buy Cemetery Boys by Aidan Thomas

Seven of Infinities by Aliette de Bodard

For the lover of science fiction sleuths.

This latest in de Bodard’s Xuya universe features an unlikely pair of detectives teaming up to solve a murder. Vân is a poor scholar hiding her possession of an illegal implant. Sunless Woods is a mindship who is also a thief and master of disguise. The pair have to work together to solve a murder—and unravel their own secrets. For readers who enjoyed de Bodard’s previous The Tea Master and the Detective or enjoy a good detective tale in space, this is a sure hit.

Buy Seven of Infinities by Aliette de Bodard

Super Mario: Manga Mania by Yukio Sawada

For the NES nostalgic.

It’s the 35th anniversary of Super Mario Bros! This is the first Super Mario manga ever available in English, and for classic NES fans nostalgic for the good old days of their vintage system, the zany adventures contained in this volume hit all the right notes.

Buy Super Mario: Manga Mania by Yukio Sawada

Sal and Gabi Break / Fix the Universe by Carlos Hernandez

For the young reader in your life.

The Sal and Gabi duology (Sal and Gabi Break the Universe and Sal and Gabi Fix the Universe) are ostensibly about a boy who can reach through the multiverse and bring things through to his part of reality—but they’re also about friendship, finding common ground, being your best self, and sentient AI. Most middle grade books depict middle school as an evil horrible place, as much an antagonist as the book’s real villain. The Sal and Gabi books do away with all of that. Not only is Culeco Academy the coolest middle school ever, the series manages to ramp up all the tension and drama needed without having an actual villain. (Even the people who seem villainous at first turn out to be different from expected.) These are a delight for adult readers who love middle grade fiction, but they’re even more important for middle schoolers, who deserve to see kids their age saving the multiverse in communities full of hope and love.

Buy Sal and Gabi Break / Fix the Universe by Carlos Hernandez

Outlander Knitting: The Official Book of 20 Knits Inspired by the Hit Series by Kate Atherley

For the crafter in your life.

For fans of either Diana Gabaldon’s time-travel romance novel series or the hit Starz adaptation, this collection of patterns inspired by the show will transport your crafting friend into the Scottish Highlands. Featured among the projects are clothing, accessories, and decorations for the home.

Buy Outlander Knitting: The Official Book of 20 Knits Inspired by the Hit Series by Kate Atherley

The Only Good Indians by Stephen Graham Jones

For horror fans.

Compared favorably to horror-master Stephen King’s It, this classic revenge horror seamlessly combines elements of social commentary and drama. The story follows for American Indian men who, as childhood friends, experienced a disturbing event together. Now, the past has come back with a vengeance, and there’s no avoiding the violence they tried to leave behind. Jones is making his mark in the world of horror, and this is a not-to-be-missed thriller.

Buy The Only Good Indians by Stephen Graham Jones

Teen Titans: Raven and Beast Boy box set by Kami Garcia and Gabriel Picolo

For DC fans.

Garcia and Picolo’s Raven and Beast Boy origin stories reinvent the characters for an audience who may have already met them in kid-friendly Teen Titans Go! or adult-aimed Titans. While the comic versions presented here draw on those previous incarnations, the stories are self-contained, giving readers both familiar and new to the DC series a chance to experience them for the first time. This hardcover box set gives the books an extra gift-worthy feeling.

Buy Teen Titans: Raven and Beast Boy box set by Kami Garcia and Gabriel Picolo

Thorn by Intisar Khanani

For the friend who needs a fresh fairy tale.

In this retelling of “The Goose Girl,” reluctant Princess Alyrra is happy to have escaped royal life. But when she learns of a plot against the prince, she must decide whether to reclaim the heritage she wanted to leave behind, or let the kingdom fall. This beautiful hardcover edition also features an additional short story set in the same world.

Buy Thorn by Intisar Khanani

Dinosaurs: The Grand Tour, Second Edition: Everything Worth Knowing about Dinosaurs from Aardonyx to Zuniceratops by Keiron Pim

For Jurassic World and other dinosaur fans.

While the 2020 entry into the Jurassic World franchise, Camp Cretaceous, was geared toward younger viewers, plenty of adults never grow out of their love of dinosaurs. And why should they? These prehistoric terrors continue to be amazing—and modern scientists continue to make new discoveries on an almost weekly basis. This huge guide to dinosaur species offers references for more than 300 species full of colorful illustrations that show these titans in all their (feathery!) glory.

Buy Dinosaurs—The Grand Tour, Second Edition: Everything Worth Knowing about Dinosaurs from Aardonyx to Zuniceratops by Keiron Pim

The City We Became by N. K. Jemisin

For the SFF connoisseur.

This series starter is set in a contemporary New York—but the city is coming to life. But a city killer is trying to stop New York from evolving, and the city’s mortal avatars are the target of its plans. It’s not uncommon to hear people considering N. K. Jemisin the best modern writer of speculative fiction, bar none, so picking up The City We Became, her most recent novel, is a no brainer if you’re buying for someone who likes smart, quality SFF.

Buy The City We Became by N. K. Jemisin

Cyber Shogun Revolution by Peter Tieryas

For the mecha enthusiast.

This triumphant conclusion to Tieryas’s United States of Japan trilogy, which can be read as a stand-alone, takes place in an alternate reality where Japan and Germany won World War II and divided the United States between them. An assassin known as Bloody Mary is determined to eliminate corruption from within the United States of Japan, regardless of the cost. It’s up to a secret police agent and a star mecha pilot to stop her, but determining enemies from friends is almost impossible. Tieryas balances the super cool world of mecha battles and spy action with searing social commentary and ethical questions, making this a challenging but imminently worthwhile read for fans of Pacific Rim.

Buy Cyber Shogun Revolution by Peter Tieryas

Star Trek: The Wisdom of Picard by Chip Carter

For the Star Trek fan in your life.

Captain Jean-Luc Picard has always been quotably wise. In this collection, Chip Carter pulls together some of the greatest lines, featuring Picard’s thoughts on leadership, justice, and space exploration. The quotes are accompanied by photography from iconic scenes of The Next Generation, making this a perfect gift for the Star Trek fan who already has everything.

Buy Star Trek: The Wisdom of Picard by Chip Carter

Axiom’s End by Lindsay Ellis

For fans of Arrival and Stranger Things.

This first contact story from Hugo-nominated video-essayist Ellis is set in an alternate 2007. In the world of the novel, Cora’s father has blown the whistle on the first contact cover up. Cora herself wants nothing to do with aliens, but when one of the aliens decides Cora is the only human he’ll talk to, she’s stuck in the middle of everything. For lovers of aliens and conspiracy theories, this is one to pick up.

Buy Axiom’s End by Lindsay Ellis

Court of Lions by Somaiya Daud

For lovers of YA court intrigue.

In this sequel to Daud’s Mirage, Amani, who has been forced to serve as the body double for Princess Maram, is on her last chance. The princess discovered Amani’s connection to the rebellion, and now Maram is suspicious of anything Amani does. Yet Amani is dedicated to the cause of seeing her people free, which means she has to make a choice: continue to work from within the palace and risk her life, or flee and risk her people. For a female-centered plot that deals with consequences of colonialism, this series conclusion and its predecessor are a sure hit.

Buy Court of Lions by Somaiya Daud

Star Wars From a Certain Point of View: The Empire Strikes Back

For the Star Wars fan.

Called “one of the best Star Wars books released this year” in our Den of Geek review, this anthology is packed with stories from authors both well-known and unfamiliar, whose works delve into the lives of central and side characters from The Empire Strikes Back. While some explore relationships between key characters (Luke, Leia, Obi-wan), others tackle the points of view of previously unnamed creatures (Sy-O, the space slug that swallows the Millenium Falcon). The stories are sometimes delightfully weird, other times grim or tender, and all a good gift choice for the Star Wars fan whose favorite film is still Empire.

Buy Star Wars From a Certain Point of View: The Empire Strikes Back

Remina by Junji Ito

For the manga fan.

This science fiction horror story centers on Dr. Oguro, who discovers a planet that has emerged from a wormhole and names it after his daughter, Remina. But as the girl Remina rises to fame, the planet shifts its course, threatening all life on Earth. Could Remina herself be the cause? This chilling story is a classic from Eisner-winner Junji Ito newly released for an English-reading audience.

Buy Remina by Junji Ito

Be Water, My Friend: The Teachings of Bruce Lee by Shannon Lee

For the martial arts enthusiast.

For friends who like a little more grounded, real-world take, this exploration of Bruce Lee’s philosophies, written by his daughter, offer insight into the legendary martial artist. Although this title offers no martial arts tips, it is full of philosophy, untold stories, and inspirational takes from the cultural icon.

Buy Be Water, My Friend: The Teachings of Bruce Lee by Shannon Lee

Mexican Gothic by Silvia Moreno-Garcia

For the lover of gothic horror.

When her cousin begs her to come rescue her from a mysterious doom, Noemí heads to a house in the Mexican countryside. As she looks into the secrets of both the house and her newly-wed cousin’s husband, Noemí finds that there’s more danger—real and supernatural—than she ever imagined. Set in the 1950s, this supernatural horror blends elements of Rebecca and science fiction for a chilling novel perfect for lovers of classic gothics.

Buy Mexican Gothic by Silvia Moreno-Garcia

Marvel Greatest Comics: 100 Comics That Built a Universe

For the Marvel fan.

In a collection that spans the entire history of Marvel comics, characters like the Human Torch, Spider-Man, the Avengers, and the Guardians of the Galaxy show their historical origins. If you have a fan who’s waiting impatiently for the next MCU offering, this collection of some of Marvel’s defining comics from the company’s history may be just what they need to tide them over.

Buy Marvel Greatest Comics: 100 Comics that Built a Universe

Star Daughter by Shveta Thakrar

For lovers of mythology and fairy tales.

Billed as Neil Gaiman’s Stardust meets Hindi mythology, this debut novel centers on the daughter of a star and a mortal. Sheetal tries to be normal, but when her starfire accidentally hurts her mortal father, she must travel to the celestial court in order to save him. The combination of court intrigue, mythology, and a fairy-tale like tone is perfect for YA lovers.

Buy Star Daughter by Shveta Thakrar

Emerald Blaze by Ilona Andrews

For the romantic who needs a great stocking stuffer.

Although better known for the popular Kate Daniels series, the Ilona Andrews team (husband and wife Ilona and Gordon) has knocked it out of the park with the most recent installment in their “Hidden Legacy” series. There are now five novels and a novella in the series, with Emerald Blaze as the second book of a second arc, but while the book is most likely to resonate with readers already introduced to the character, it’s also a stand-alone magic-spy-action-adventure-romance. Despite that blend of genres, Team Andrews melds it all together in a world with both super cool magic and an alternate-reality Instagram, featuring characters you want to hang out with regardless of the stakes. The mass-market size also makes it perfect to slip into a stocking!

Buy Emerald Blaze by Ilona Andrews

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from Den of Geek https://ift.tt/36r5CNr

[morethanaloveinterest]

A Disappointed Review of Leia Organa’s Costumes in ANH

Please listen to me rant about the pros and cons of her most boring costumes.

This is the dress Leia wears for most of the movie.  Let’s start with the pros.  It is very comfortable to cosplay.  It is NOT at all sexualized, even when she is wet in the trash compactor.  It gets DIRTY in an authentic way (because it is white in an industrial environment), instead of in a strategically placed way.  It looks very angelic, especially with the hood up.  The boots are not heeled (noticeably) and look pretty comfy.  According to Carrie Fisher, no bra needed!  So that’s even more comfortable!

Now for cons: it is not flattering.  To anyone.  It is, at best, no worse than wearing a sheet.  At worst, it is actively unflattering.  You can cosplay anything you want with whatever body type you have, of course, but I am just saying that no one is going to look good in this particular ensemble, and Leia has much prettier ones to pick from.  The dress has fun sleeves but no shape at all, and the hair buns are... definitely a choice.  It is apparently inspired by Native and Mexican freedom fighters, so make of that what you will.  I personally feel that any of her other hairstyles are more attractive and many are more practical (Padme’s imitation of the style in AotC is a considerable improvement in my opinion).

Female representation: 10/10 It is great representation because, as mentioned, it is not sexualized (even when wet) in any way.  It doesn’t show any skin, has comfortable shoes, and gets believably dirty throughout the film (though why doesn’t she have a change of clothes for the final battle?  Luke gets one and she’s clearly back on her base...).  In any case, it really is a great costume for the character to be most famous for and was especially important in an era where most women in genre fiction were wearing some kind of bikini.

Practicality: 9/10 She is ready to face any adventure in this, with no heels or loose hair standing in the way.  Definitely comfortable, though the dress is a bit long/has a lot of loose fabric that could be a problem.

Not my favorite Leia outfit, but I do like this dress better than the last one.  It’s much prettier, and evokes that Courtly Love era of damsels, with the flowing sleeves, empire waist, and belt.  I like the touches of the jewelry and belt going against the rest by being chunky and chrome - more sci-fi, obviously.  Her hair is awesome here, with her hair braided into a crown.  This outfit is her most Princess-like, I think, and especially gives connotations of Princess-as-Damsel-in-Distress from paintings of Guinevere or Angelica.  It would not be out of place in a movie about knights and dragons.  Since Star Wars is a fairytale, this dress really fits that motif.

Female representation: 10/10 Though obviously more feminine than the other dress, it really isn’t more form-fitting or skin-showing.  The boat neck is revealing (especially compared to the previous turtleneck), but not so much as to reveal cleavage or anything.  The dress hugs her figure more but I still wouldn’t say it is sexualizing - she can still move around easily.

Practicality: 8/10 Not hugely less practical than the previous one, but even kitten heels are a downgrade from boots in this department.  Her hair does have a long braid down her back that could be in the way, and the sleeves seem flimsier and easier to catch on things.  Still, it’s much better than a lot of other costumes I’ve seen, especially compared to the more standard party dresses characters wear.  

Check out my new series on Star Wars Girlies, Leia episode out now!

[eggoreviews]

My Top 25 Games Advent Day 16 - Mass Effect 2 (#10)

​​“They tell me it’s a suicide mission. I intend to prove them wrong.”​​

​​Here we have another example, and in my eyes the best example, of the product of Bioware being at their absolute peak. Mass Effect 2 is a nigh on masterpiece of a game that, even after almost a decade, still holds up extraordinarily well in every aspect. I love the Mass Effect series (well, the main trilogy anyway) for its cinematic storytelling, its interesting and unique plot concepts and gameplay elements, its intricate setting and, crowning all, its always unforgettable companion characters who go on your journey with you. The series’ second instalment, at least in my eyes, does all of this absolutely perfectly without 3’s wonky ending and 1’s slightly outdated settings and mechanics. If I called Dragon Age: Origins the Lord of the Rings of gaming, here’s Star Wars.​​

​​Mass Effect 2 doesn’t fuck around. It starts you up on the original ship from the first game, before immediately blowing it up and killing Commander Shepard, the vaguely cheesy space hero we all love so much. After Shepard’s revival at the hands of Cerberus, Mass Effect 2 kicks off with an epic space opera story taking you all across the universe, with espionage, emotive character arcs and an oppressive, genuinely fearful atmosphere created by the game’s big bads, the vastly superior alien race known as the Collectors. It’s amazing how they managed to blend that overriding fear of an enemy so powerful it could wipe out everything with this giddy excitement to explore. Whether that be the plethora of planets you can seek out, mine for resources and explore or some of the more densely populated space stations, such as the vast cityscape of the Citadel or the seedy, neon underworld filled with criminals and night clubs, Omega. Mass Effect’s universe truly has a life of its own and it tells such a grandiose story within it that it’s impossible not to become immersed. Each and every area you visit is packed full of memorable characters of various diverse species, like the awesome looking Turians and Krogans, down to the hilariously blunt Elcor, who communicate by prefacing everything they say with how they’re feeling. On top of this, a bountiful selection of engaging side quests and an overarching main story that largely involves you seeking out each of your party members to hunt down the Collectors make this a truly perfected combination of a well-realised sci-fi setting and story.​​

​​Drawing on those companion characters for a moment, I would say that this is one of the best, most diverse and engaging cast of characters you can find in a game, as each of them follow their own individual character arcs and have unique relationships with Shepard depending on your actions and the behaviour you exhibit towards them. The likes of Jacob (the guy you start with who is admittedly a bit boring), Miranda (the biotic who was experimented on by her family to make her ‘perfect’), Garrus (the kickass Turian who is everyone’s favourite and also has gotta be the canon love interest for male Shepard), Mordin (the quick-thinking, quick-everything Salarian doctor with a surprisingly dark past), Grunt (a wartime experimental clone taken by Shepard as a replacement for their original target, Grunt’s creator), Jack (a highly powerful, erratic biotic in a maximum security prison), Samara (Asari matriarch who can step on me and also everyone), Thane (the coolest, chillest assassin in the galaxy), Zaeed (amercenary veteran with a sick ass scar), Kasumi (cool space thief) and Tali and Legion (oneQuarian and one Geth, both interesting and unique characters in their own right, these characters draw upon the central conflict between the two races explored in the first game’s main story. In the sequel, the slow development of the two from sworn enemies to allies is something to behold, especially as both are so lovable on their own). Went on a bit of a tangent there but I felt it was important to include everyone in that list. The best part about this is you spend the entire game building your relationships with these characters, choosing a romance option, decking Shepard and the gang out in the best gear, upgrading your ship with the materials you mine from planets. And then it all comes down to the finale, the so-called ‘suicide mission’ in which anyone and everyone can die depending on your choices and upgrades beforehand, as well as any decisions you make during the mission. It is genuinely incredibly difficult to save everyone first try and is a great example of how to ensure the choices you give to your player have weight and lasting impact; in Mass Effect 2, everything is on your shoulders and no one’s survival is guaranteed.​​

​​As I said before, I don’t think it would be wrong to call this the Star Wars of gaming, and it wouldn’t take that title without a lot of pew-pewing and excellent use of the sci-fi genre. The gameplay and gunplay (which is the majority of your experience) is slick and well-executed, even feeling intuitive and fun almost a decade later. Even that final boss encounter, that I will never really understand the potent hatred people seem to have for it, is an awesome final test of what you’ve learned and how you’ve improved along the way, pitting you up against an all-out giant Terminatoresque killing machine as an excellently overblown ending to a game full of dramatic encounters to shoot at. Alongside this, the visuals are superb and do little break immersion even as time has gone by and I would argue that this game still holds some of the best graphics you can find from the previous generation. And last but not least, this game’s spicy ass mechanical sci-fi soundtrack is definitely something to flap about, especially when it comes to the combat and that Suicide Mission score is nothing short of incredible.​​

​​So now I’ve ranted aimlessly for three chunky paragraphs about each singular aspect of this game that I adore, you can probably see why this title has such an enduring memory to me. Playing this game for the first time at 12 years old off the back of the also amazing Dragon Age: Origins, Bioware took their perfected formula of knowing exactly how to craft a story, setting and excellently realised characters and shot it up into space both figuratively and literally. In my eyes, Mass Effect 2 is Bioware’s greatest title and it’s honestly more than a shame that we haven’t received anything from Mass Effect in recent years, aside from the less than great Andromeda. A Mass Effect 4 would kill me dead, but at the very least an original trilogy remaster would keep me ticking for a hot minute. Get on it, Bioware. Pls.​​

​​Standout Moment Award: Probably already mentioned this, but of course it’s the suicide mission. An unforgettable epic of a quest and one of my favourite overall game finales to date.​​

Standout Character Award: Thane Krios. The ice-cool, terminally ill assassin takes today’s award for being an all-around great dude.

​​It’s been a long ol’ month, but we’re finally getting there. Today, I kicked off my top 10 games of all time. From here on out, it’s going to be beyond difficult to stop myself from descending into rambles, but I’ll do my best to keep myself coherent. ​​ ​​Tomorrow: No. 9; An odd creature with floating appendages takes off to save some blue things in dire distress.

[sunnysynthsunshine]

4th Comedy Monologue

“Hands up if you just love combining strange foods together and gauging down on them while watching netflix on a late night?”

Oh yes you over there what do you like to conjure up?  

Gravy and rice,Nandos mayo on pasta or...or  lightly salted Doritos dipped into a  KFC Oreo Krushem

KFC,Kentucky Fried Chicken or Kentucky I can’t say the word but this is what baby me would’ve called it Chicken  one of the biggest fast food chains in the world or mainly in the UK while America has so many fast food places we only have a couple of their places while the rest are mainly local

They have tacos,soups and stacked burgers over here we only have the odd few places and then the chippy down the street

Speaking of chips, who here has tried their new chunky chips yet?

Ok,quite a few of you enjoy your potatoes being chunky and the rest of you like chips how you like your make up covered in plastic and full of chemicals.

Personally despite not minding the new chunky chips I’d go with liking both of them  but I’ve seen mixed reviews

Some prefer the chunk others don’t, while some of their chips weren’t bad I get the same feeling from eating them that I get from our everyday weather

“It’s very dull isn’t it? like my eyes when I lose sleep”

Sometimes you just want to get the blanket out and have some britcom and chill

Which I know probably isn’t going to catch on since most of you prefer watching american teen dramas about comic book characters where the same person who plays Salem the cat

is the same guy who was in that old disney or nick tv show from your childhood

Either that or your someone more into looking at images of Freddie Mercury and Roger Taylor’s actors from the Bohemian Rhapsody film

then again me neither, and I mean the Roger Taylor from Queen not the Roger Taylor from Duran Duran although they’re both cuties

John Deacon and Brian May’s actors too

When I watch films I try to teleport myself into the film’s universe as much as I can

I got a bit of a surprise when heard a northern irish actor playing one of Freddie’s lovers Paul Frenter

On hand Yay! More representation!, more film opportunities, on the other hand he plays the villian!

When I went to see the film I expected some things but then again outside of their music I didn’t know much about the personal lives of Queen,

In one of the scenes with Paul Frenter I was like is this a film about classic rock legends or does it want me to break free?

So my/this country has been featured quite a few times recently in films hasn’t it

Derry Girls,Coming Home,Game of Thrones,Star Wars etc.

While I’m listing these I think your noticing something in the intonation and tone of my voice

It’s that despite being Northern Irish my voice doesn’t sound like I come from there

I come from the land of punk music,Nirvana and chip shops but because I looked up to Hannah Montana,Lady Gaga and P!nk for most of my life so as I got older I ended up sounding like a alternative instagram model before instagram even existed.

That and with the  stuff I was interested in I could go from being into Music,Games and books to being interested in the cultures of different countries

I used to love typical american based things,then japanese things during my weeaboo phase although I will admit that phase might still be going on,German things,Scandinavian things etc.etc.

In the year Instagram was invented 2010,I was on holiday on florida and because my yank voice of stars and stripes was developing the people in florida didn’t know I was from a different country that’s how confusing my voice was,

I mean I know now. some people here are like me and don’t have the accent but even before that as a child my voice was so high if someone went up to me or had a conversation with me it would be like talking to a balloon.

You’ll float too!   (evil voice)   (mickey mouse voice) Hiya Fellas it’s me Mickey Mouse

But if we are talking about representation and how we identify with certain people or characters

I’d say I’m not really much of a liam neeson type of irish person I’m more of a Ed Byrne irish person

I like potatoes,punk music and pirates how about ye

So speaking of certain generations liking certain other alternative things

A lot of people have started  liking blur recently

Then again who likes the gallaghers anyway?

So the people liking Blur are like what I used to be like about One Direction

Pulp are pretty good too I like me some of Jarvis Cocker

Jarvis Cocker in his younger days actually looked a  lot like Ed Byrne other times he looks like Tim Burton

There is one thing I disagree with Jarvis Cocker on though and it’s his short tea about michael jackson

Basically during the 1996 brit awards he showed his bum to the public in protest of the cringy performance michael jackson was doing

Oh,great now that makes it sound even more wrong

Jarvis was defintely off his cocker but he wasn’t mooning the moonwalker...ok he was

He  interviewed a furby on the radio moving on

So, Michael Jackson one of the rock legends alongside bowie and mercury

You either like him,adore him,not really care about him or dislike him based on the rumours and scandals created about him by certain people and publications

I love him,he was peculiar sometimes but I was fascinated by that by his neverland,

by his talent and by how he was able to reach into the hearts of millions

So many opportunities for comics and actors to make creative jokes or puns

but nope let’s joke about the one thing some people mainly associate him with outside of his music which he was tormented for the rest of his life.

Oh almost forgot my blanket,at least I’m not dangling it over a window balcony

(deadpan stare)

Cringing can at times feel like a sting from a bee

Speaking of bees we apparently won’t have them for much longer

Bees are now next to pandas and Tigers in the endangered animals of the USA

Have we learned nothing from the bad history of colonization!

Well in the words of Suggs  let’s bless the bees

Besides It’s the wasps you should be killing not the bloody bees

  you can remove the cause but not the symptom

It’s a bit of a mind flip as the future continues we are heading into a  time slip

Let’s do the Time Warp again!

I’ve recently been listening to the soundtrack of Rocky Horror Picture Show

But not just that the sequel too

Some of you know what I’m talking about and the rest are probably surprised that a rocky horror sequel even exists

It’s called Shock Treatment it came out in 1981 and it was less successful

It’s more focused on Brad and Janet as they live in a fictional town called Denton

Where everything is televised as the town is located inside a tv studio,

Not too different from 2019  seeing as we are all looking at screens that show manufactured faces,

The storyline is about how reality tv affects the public and mental health

Considering reality tv hasn’t changed much since then I’d say that film was quite accurate in it’s satire

Do I need to bring up roxanne from Celebrity Big Brother?  

Brad is not feeling good after the events of the first film so he and Janet have been having marriage problems.

They go on a game show hosted by tosser in a purple wig...I mean Barry Humphries as they sing about how they relate to refrigerators and toasters

Such a mood

Brad is then sent to the set of a fictional soap opera Dentonvale which takes place in a mental hospital

Where the character actors are played by some of the same actors from the original such as Patricia Quinn,Richard O'Brien and Nell Young

The songs are actually quite good

Especially the title song,little black dress,farley’s song,Breaking Out  and Me of Me

For those of you curious to see that film watch it

If you like rocky and if your ok with  rocky going from the sci-fi horror genre to the musical comedy genre

When you see that Time Warp sequence in Rocky Horror it’s like a circus just a group of talented people being their kooky,incredible fun vibrant selves

It’s art house,it’s shock humour,it’s surreal but it’s fun and it’s out of this world

Like Belfast sometimes a few weeks back I was there and the streets were full of performers

There were musicians,actors,comedians,stunt artists and even a very tall person on stilts

It’s things like these that make me realise how creative this country is

A lot of good talent is overshadowed from our lack of representation in media to being ignored in projects

Northern Ireland is a cool place

Kurt Cobain,Stiff Little Fingers,Van Morrison,Two Door Cinema Club,Patricia Quinn,Mark Ashton,Terri Hooley, Jimmy McShane and all you performers,singers,actors,dancers,designers,Producers,Directors,Artists and Creators

are all from here

I’m just a sweet transvestite from Hibernia--i ha ha

We're going to do it anyhow, anyhow

We're going to do it anyhow, anyhow

We're going to do it

No matter how the wind is blowing

We're going to do it anyhow, anyhow

We're going to do it anyhow, anyhow

We're going to do it

We just gotta keep going

The sun never sets for those who ride on it

Goodnight!

[meliecho]

The 1K - an original sci-fi story

The 1K

by Meliecho

Story Summary:

1,000 children between the ages of 6-18 are abducted from Earth mere hours before the turn of the 21st century, and scattered across the galaxy in order to preserve their lives, their planet, and a precious hope the galaxy so severely needs. William Kade and Terra Kitridge are two of these children. This is their story, and the story of how they are used to further a last-ditch plan of desperation to end a 2,000 year war between the two major galactic powers.

Chapter 1

chapter summary: 

William Kade always dreamed of traveling to space. However, his and 999 other kids's lives are changed dramatically when an unknown alien race kidnaps them hours before the turn of the 21st century.

Chapter 1

December 18th, 1999. Ohio. Earth…

The chunky television in the living room played a news report through the old farmhouse.

“What’s out there? No one really knows. Man has speculated for centuries, mapped our star system, named the planets, and created gods in order to explain the vastness surrounding our blue world.”

Will watched from the round dinner table through the archway between the rooms. He shoveled a spoonful of Mac and Cheese into his mouth, barely registering the fact that it was food and not just a simple motion. The ten-year-old’s attention rested solely on the screen. His big brown eyes took in every frame.

“We look up at the stars, we listen to Carl Sagan’s speak of the cosmos, and study Stephen Hawking’s discoveries. We dream about what we might encounter among the billions of stars burning in the heavens, and we send satellites into orbit and beyond to be our eyes and ears into the unknown. The Hubble telescope has already shown us incredible images we would never have otherwise witnessed. Why? Because we are earthbound. But although we are young, we are curious and brave. In the words of Carl Sagan, ‘We wish to pursue the truth no matter where it leads. But to find the truth, we need imagination and skepticism both. We will not be afraid to speculate, but we will be careful to distinguish speculation from fact.’

“That is what drives the path-finding team of scientists and engineers at NASA. With the invention of the new Solar Nexus - a net of satellites in high orbit maintained by the International Space Station--, we can harness energy from our sun to power the world’s first inter-system ship. This ship will be capable of transporting not only goods and machinery to our closest neighbor, Mars, but transporting people, and someday, be the vessel that leads us into a new age of a lunar colony and life among the stars.

“The prototype --the Nova Star-- will be open to the public at Cape Canaveral for only one day. Scientists, astronomers, and space enthusiasts from all over the world will gather to get an up-close-and-personal look...at the future of mankind.

“Join us on New Years Eve for a live broadcast as we take you on a tour of Earth’s first inter-system vessel, and usher in the new millennium--”

The picture winked out.

“Dad,” Will whined, “I was watching that.”

“It’s daydreams and nonsense,” his father flicked the paper, folded it, and rested it by his own plate.

“It’s cool! We can have a space ship! We can explore the galaxy and be like Indiana Jones, but in space!”

“Indiana Jones fought Nazis. Not aliens,” his father countered.

“We don’t know that. Those face-melting angels were probably aliens. They went after the Nazis all like, ‘Rawr!’ And they were all like, ‘wuuaaah! Blaarrrgg!’” Will dragged his fingers down his face, making guttural sounds and pretending to melt into a puddle of goo.

“No face melting at the table,” his mother chided gently. “It’s hard to get out of the carpet.”

Will stopped the dramatics of a grim death-by-ancient-relic, and went back to eating. “Can we watch it on New Years Eve?”

“We always watch Dick Clark. It’s a tradition.”

“Yeah, but,” Will’s voice huffed with the blandness of repetition, “this is cooler than an old man! It’s space! Please, dad?”

“Charlie, let’s watch it,” his mother nudged her husband in the side. “Even if the space ship doesn’t work out, I have to admit it is pretty neat. Like when Kirk landed the Enterprise in the middle of San Francisco.”

Charlie rolled his eyes. He knew his wife was a sci-fi nerd, but he’d hoped she’d at least settle down some after Will was born. Thanks to her, he now knows most of the script to Star Trek IV: The Voyage Home, and Star Wars IV, V, and VI.

“See? Mom gets it,” the young boy gave a cocky smile in victory. “Oh! I forgot. Last night, I picked up that weird signal again over the radio.”

“I listened to it once already. It’s white noise.” Charlie said.

“No it’s not! There’s a weird blippy pattern to it.” Will spoke around a mouthful of macaroni and cheese. “Noise is all ‘kkkrrrrr!’ This was all ‘kkkrr beep boop bleep!’ and something that sounds like a million people talking at once. I read that stars emit radio waves. Maybe this was--”

“Noise.”

“It wasn’t noise!”

“I was a member of the US Signal Corp for 20 years. When I gave you my old CB radio, I wanted you to learn how to navigate the airwaves. Not keep your head in the clouds.” He picked up the paper. “Besides. If it’s that important, the boys at NASA probably already picked it up. If it’s something of serious importance, I’d have gotten a call.”

“You were their best decoder, dad. Can you listen to it again? Please?”

“Leave it alone, Will.”

Will reached over for the remote, but his dad smacked his hand away with the paper. He grumbled, pouted, and said, “Whatever. Not like you’d believe me anyway.”

“Will,” his mother scolded.

Charlie leaned forward. “Repeat yourself, son. I don’t think I heard that,” but by his tone, the muffled slight clearly reached him.

Will glanced up to his dad, but kept his mouth shut.

Charlie reclined back in the chair again. “That’s what I thought. Go to your room.”

Will’s jaw dropped. “But--”

“Now!”

Silenced, Will slammed the spoon against the plate. The chair scratched against the old cube-print linoleum floor as his feet thundered up the stairs. The sound of his bedroom door slamming against its frame echoed downstairs.

Molly sighed. “Every time. Why can’t you two get along?”

“We have to fix the problems here on the ground before we go looking for problems out there,” Charlie’s face softened. “He needs to understand that. If we can’t fix ourselves, we can’t go anywhere.”

“It’s because NASA built the ship, isn’t it,” she uttered softly, knowing full well she was treading on emotional hot coals. “It’s been three years. When are you going to let this go?”

“Hughs is an idiot if he thinks this will work. He doesn’t see the big picture. He never did.” Charlie dropped the paper onto the round kitchen table -- signaling that the conversation was over --, picked up the remote, and moved to the living room recliner to watch a football game.

Molly picked up her son’s half-finished dinner. “Maybe letting him dream is a way to fix ourselves.” She covered his plate in plastic wrap and stuck it in the refrigerator. Her son could down twice this much food in one sitting. He would be hungry later.

* * * *

Will turned on his small t.v., picked up his SNES controller, and dropped cross-legged on the floor surrounded by dirty clothes strewn across the rug. The sounds of Super Mario World covered the silence. Snow drifted lazily to the ground outside the window, so he couldn’t go lay out on a blanket in the backyard like he usually would and get lost staring up at the stars. Well, he could, but he didn’t want to get pneumonia before Christmas.

He abandoned Blue Yoshi at the Star Road bonus level and shut off the game. Curious and a little bored, he turned on the old military radio and worked the dials carefully. He listened through monitor headphones too big for his head for a half hour before finally tossing them onto his desk in frustration. Nothing. Maybe his dad was right. Maybe it was just noise.

----

December 31st, 1999. New Years Eve…

Y2K theories had circulated for years. No one knew where it started, but the concept that the Earth’s fledgling internet, and every digital system on the planet would shut down frightened some enough into preparing for Dooms Day. Most people shrugged it off and went about their lives. Others feared the global shut down would set off every nuclear weapon on the planet, wiping out humanity. But everyone knew that instant ramen manufacturers had never seen a greater profit rise in the entirety of their companies’ existence.

Will didn’t buy into any of that, no matter how much the old people in their small town ranted about the end of days. He was sure the clocks would just turn over, and that would be it. He and his mother had gone to the local market to pick up a few groceries, but found that the apocalypse preppers had bought all the milk, most of the meat, a ton of non perishable goods, and first aid.

Frustrated, she purchased what she could, and made the trip in their SUV to the next town. Fortunately, they fared a little better. They enjoyed lunch at a local Denny’s, and made it home to have an uneventful night

That is, until 11pm rolled around.

Will was over the back of the couch in seconds, and had the t.v. tuned into the news. The reporter had just started going on about the details of the Nova Star. Will was entranced. He was so excited, he’d put on his long sleeved black henley with a small NASA logo to feel like he was part of it. “This is awesome! Hey, dad, aren’t those the guys you worked with?”

“Some of them. There’s some new faces.” Charlie put on his jacket and went to the backyard to chop wood. He’d tried to let his son enjoy this, but he didn’t want to have anything to do with the Nova Star project anymore, not even watching them parade their work to the media.

Molly sat next to her son with a bowl of popcorn. Will didn’t hesitate to take a massive handful and shove it into his mouth as he watched the tour of the Nova Star begin.

With everything that her only child held an interest in --video games, computers, that old radio-- they had their shared love of space, and Indiana Jones.

The media crew had lead their viewers through the cockpit and down to the living quarters of the ship, showing off all of the exciting wonders of the newest space-faring technology when all the lights in the house went out. It plunged the remote homestead into darkness.

The shock of sudden darkness sent fear spearing up Will’s spine. He knocked over the popcorn bowl and curled up around a pillow.

“Molly? Everything all right?” Charlie called in through the back door.

“We’re fine!” Molly called back.

“I’m checking the fuse box. Bring a light!”

“I’ll be right there!” She brushed her hand over Will’s hair. “It’s ok, Will, it’s just a power outage. Probably a tree branch took out a power line. It happens in winter.” She knew that even though he could pick up almost any insect, amphibian, and fearlessly explore the areas around their house, the only thing that would terrify him was complete and absolute darkness.

She felt her way to the kitchen to get a spare flashlight out of the junk drawer and handed it to him. He turned it on.

“Guard the house, Indiana. I’ll be right back.” Molly ruffled his dark hair and got a second flashlight and her coat from the entryway closet. She went out back to help her husband check the fuse box.

Molly held the flashlight as her husband flicked all the switches.

“Well, the fuses check out. There’s just no power,” Charlie threw each switch again for good measure.

“I was right. It was probably a downed tree.” She turned off the light and walked out to the backyard. She folded her arms tightly around her middle for warmth. Without the convection layer of clouds, it made being outside that much colder.

Charlie put his arm around her. “So much for New Years Eve; Dick Clark, spaceships, or otherwise.”

Her eyes rested on the arm of the Milky Way galaxy draping through the center of the clear night sky. “You know, without all the lights, it’s really beautiful.”

Charlie exhaled. “Yeah.”

“What arm are we in again?”

“The Orion-Cygnus arm. We’re not facing the core of the galaxy right now, but we will in summer.”

“Will comes out here, you know. He’ll sit out here and just stare.”

“Mmhmm. You used to do that as a kid, too. He gets his love of space from you.”

“No,” she shook her head. “He gets his love of nerd stuff from me. He gets his sense of adventure from you.”

He chuckled at that. “A hell of a combination.”

“Well, look who he’s combined from,” she smirked.

He chuckled at that.

“Maybe the new century is a good time to start a new resolution. Start off small. Who knows what he can do if we let him.”

“Molly…”

“He’s smart, Charlie. Work with him. Take him to NASA. If you want him to see the world that you think needs fixing, then show him. He might be the one to fix it, but he needs you. As smart as he is, he can’t do it alone.” She brushed her hand down his face, feeling the stubble of facial hair beneath her palm. “None of us can.”

Charlie grumbled. NASA’s headquarters wasn’t a place for kids, but she was right. It was part of the real world, and Will needed to see it. “Fine. I’ll take him after the holidays. But if anybody asks, this was your idea.”

She smiled and leaned in closely. “I’ll take full responsibility.”

He couldn’t help but kiss her and run his fingers through her long black hair. That gentle smile always warmed his heart.

The two stared up at the sky for a moment before she shivered and nudged her husband to head back.

A pulse of red light struck them in the back, and Charlie and Molly fell to the snow.

* * * *

Will scooted off the couch, keeping a vice grip on the flashlight. This was his home -- he’d lived here since birth -- but in the darkness, it felt like he’d entered another realm.

The house creaked around him. He spun, looking for whatever made that sound, then shook his head. “Get a grip, you dumb dork.”

A light static and crackle split the deathly silence. He aimed his flashlight at the stairs and swallowed. That sounded like his radio. He should check it out. Indiana Jones wouldn’t run away.

Will’s feet didn’t move for a good ten seconds.

Stealing his resolve, he went upstairs to his room.

The green light of the radio exuded a dull, eerie glow throughout the room. What scared him more were the sounds coming from the radio itself. Without power, the light shouldn’t be on, let alone the radio receiving a signal. His heart pounding with fear, but his curiosity overpowering it, he turned the knob to clarify the signal. The electronic beeps were still present, but were more like morse code than before. He could pick out different letters, enough to hear ‘246. Kade,’ but any speech in the background remained unfamiliar syllables and plosives.

Kade... That was his last name, but what did 246 mean? Someone out there was using morse code and talking about them for some reason. He had to tell his dad. This was definitely not noise.

Abandoning his fear, Will hurried downstairs, put on his winter coat and boots, and rushed outside into the cold snow. His warm breath clouded in the air. “Dad! You gotta hear this! Dad!” He ran around to the back of the house to the fuse box. “Dad? Mom?” They were gone. No one was there. Will shone his flashlight on the ground. The melted snow beneath the overhang protecting that part of the house showed their footprints walking away.

He peaked around the corner. “Mom?”

His parents lay on their backs with their eyes open.

“Mom! Dad!” Will hurried as fast as his small legs could carry him to the middle of the large yard. He dropped at his father’s side. “Dad! Are you ok?! Mom!”

Neither moved, but light puffs of warm air escaped their mouths. They were alive, just paralyzed. Charlie’s mouth moved slightly. “Run,” he whispered.

“Dad, no!” Will pulled on his father’s hand to try to pull him to his feet.

Charlie’s hand trembled as he fought the bind. Molly twitched beside him, fighting her own battle.

A glaring light lit up the wintery yard, blinding him. Will covered his eyes and stumbled back. He blinked upward as enormous lights shown down on their position.

“Run!” Charlie screamed.

Will instantly took off across the yard. A red pulse hit the snow at his right, forcing him to dodge in an arch. He evaded one more hit to his left, but the third landed its mark. Will’s entire body froze. He struggled to move even a finger, but it had him completely paralyzed.

A rush of warm air blasted the snow into swirls of white clouds around them. Will faced the lights from a craft larger than his house as a long ramp lowered and a single individual descended it quickly. It looked like a man in a dark armored uniform, but his face was covered by a protective mask with orange tinted eyewear.

Will’s heart threatened to explode from his chest as he breathed rapidly in fear.

The man passed a scanner over Will’s wide brown eyes, then spoke. The language mirrored that of the transmission Will had received off and on for the past few weeks.

A sharp pain pricked in the soft space behind his right ear. Will let out a small squeak of surprise. He felt a tingle brush through his mind like someone had taken a feather and gently swiped it all over his brain. The sensation died seconds later.

The man said something to him.

Will couldn’t think straight.

Irritated, the man rolled his eyes, grumbled, and then said it again, more impatiently.

Will’s eyes shifted to stare at his mother and father fighting the paralysis.

The man said something else in frustration then gave up and picked him up.

Will wanted to fight, but his body refused to obey him. He watched his parents helplessly as he was carried up the ramp. The panic built, and he did the only thing his body would allow: he let out a terrified, wordless scream. The ramp closed, shutting his parents and home out of sight.

The ship’s atmospheric thrusters sent more snow clouds billowing through the air as it rose above the trees, pivoted, and disappeared across the sky.

All of this took no more than two minutes.

Molly and Charlie were left alone in the winter stillness of their yard. They could move enough to grip each other’s hands as the bind gradually wore off, but remained in the cold staring at the empty sky.

The power returned ten minutes later.

They continued to lay there even as the news switched over to the countdown.

“...5...4...3...2...1…”

A hot tear streaked down Molly’s face to drip into the snow. “HAPPY NEW YEAR!”

* * * *

tbc

* * * *

((I really wish I could translate what the alien said as he carried Will into the ship, but it would break the mood. The alien said, “246 Acquired. Let’s go. It’s colder than tits out here.”))