#When the Ends Justify the Means... Even if Terrible Things Happen Along the Way (Brandon Buzzard)

[soul-heart-and-beyond]

Previously On!: @butimrich

$*”The only one making this trivial nonsense ‘mean’ anything is you and your childish attitude. You can have all the beggars and whores that come crawling to your doorstep for I want no part in that. While you’re at it, think about how to help regain our lost assets during one of your ‘sessions’, perhaps they might jumpstart that mind of yours.”*$, Brandon replied in a very blunt tone, not necessarily angry, but more so disappointed from what he had to talk about.

$*”Now keep that head on the plan and not in your pants. You’ll have time for that after we achieve our mutual goal.”*$

[cookiedoughmeagain]

Haven DVD commentaries; 5.13 - Chosen

Commentary with Gabrielle Stanton and Matt McGuiness (and another brief appearance by Assistant Josh) [Josh’s surname isn’t mentioned in any of these but from a brief googling I assume this is Josh Brandon]

MMG: Welcome to the commentary for the final episode of season five, the name of which escapes me right now GS: It’s called Chosen. It’s been, how many months since we shot this? MMG: Oh, seven or eight months maybe. GS: Yeah so we might just fall silent, like; Wow I forgot about this! MMG: I’m already mesmerised by how good our show looks. I really think it looks so good. We’re picking up here directly after the last episode, and this is a real jaw dropping moment [Charlotte revealing that she’s Mara’s mother] GS: We’re kind of hoping that no one saw this coming. If all went well no one did. I know Adam certainly didn’t see it coming. MMG: This was fun for us with Adam Copeland because, fans will know that Adam was a wrestler, and we’ve sort of watching him matriculate as an actor on Haven. And now, I remember saying to him that he was going to get to do all sorts of new and interesting things. I never said to him that he was going to get to find out that the woman you’re sleeping with comes from another dimension. GS: No. We said ‘love interest’ but then I think we kept it a little vague after that. MMG: And we didn’t tell him what was going to happen with his love interest. And he played it great.

[On screen Charlotte is talking about microscopes as a metaphor for this world and hers being different and separate] MMG: There’s one of the two microscopes. I was not thrilled with those microscope choices. Put them a little closer together, perhaps. We were not there for this episode. A lot of times we go up to Canada when we shoot these, which is super fun. It’s like going to camp, seeing everybody and running around, but for this episode we were furiously writing. GS: I think we were already writing the premiere of the next season. MMG: Yeah, so we couldn’t go up. GS: I thought Laura [as Charlotte] played this whole thing very well. MMG: She was great.

[As we see Duke deep in thought outside the Gull] GS: Oh this was kind of cool. Obviously finales often set up a whole bunch of stuff for the up coming season, but this finale in particular set up a lot of stuff to come back to in the next season. MMG: I really like this scene. This is one of those scenes that I like because it manages to be horrific and kind of gory in a way, but  if you are twisted like I am, it sort of makes me giggle a little bit too. My buddy Chris makes his own Kaluha. GS: I didn’t even know you could. MMG: It’s very easy to make GS: What’s in it? MMG: I don’t know. But he makes Kaluha and I drink it. Happily. [As stuff starts exploding] GS: I thought the effects were really good here. MMG: Yeah this scene came out great. [As the guy explodes] MMG: That effect was a little odd, but it still worked out great. GS: A little over the top but still kind of awesome. [As Duke’s line about needing to see a doctor ] MMG: And Eric delivered this line well.

MMG: And here’s our lovely theme music, I love it. My kids sing it. Well, hum along to it

[Credits on screen: Editor - Thorben Bieger] MMG: This was edited by Thorben. His name is Thorben and I wrote an episode of Haven back in season three and there was a guy in it named Thor [pronounced Tor], which was a shortened version of Thorben. And I remember people saying that wasn’t a real name, no one’s named Thorben, that’s ridiculous. And I thought, well our editor is named Thorben.

[Gloria making a scene in the hospital to cover for Duke] GS: I love Gloria. Let’s do the Gloria spin off. MMG: Jayne Eastwood loves this kind of stuff. She was great here.

[As Duke arrives to talk to Charlotte] MMG: This is another cool moment, this episode was full of cool moments. GS: Well it’s cool because everyone knows something that the other person doesn’t know, in every scene MMG: Right. There’s a lot of secrets. And look how great Laura looks with her hair down. GS: I know, I was so happy when we brought it down. The second we were going to change her from a doctor to Audrey’s mother, we were like; bring the hair down! [Charlotte to Duke; Remove your shirt please.] GS: And the fans go wild. [As we see the handprints on Duke] GS: And even wilder. Can I say, that little handprint right on his butt, we were told that was very important that that was there.

GS: Oh this is a cool scene coming up [Audrey and Mara talking in the bronco]. How did they shoot it, was there special effects, or? MMG: This was a cool scene. But no, I think they just shot over … well let’s see but I’m pretty sure they used Lydia our stunt double. GS: So they didn’t do any split screen MMG: I don’t think so. This kind of stuff is so fun for Emily, and this was a really good Mara performance. And the dialogue in this scene is fantastic, really it’s clever. GS: Wait, didn’t you write this episode? MMG: Yes I did. GS: Ah ha, that explains it.

MMG: Can you turn it up Josh, I can barely hear … Oh, I had the wrong - OK that’s better. Don’t laugh like I did something wrong. GS: No, no! The technology is all new to us. We have new exciting technology for this year’s commentary.

[Mara talking to Audrey] MMG: There is an homage in this scene, a line of dialogue from a very famous science fiction show; “make the Troubles look like a square dance.” GS: Oh I remember you telling me what it was at the time …

MMG: Oh this scene [with the kids on the boat] was great as well. The name John-John [the school kid] came from a top ranked ASP surfer named John-John Florence, who is nothing like that kid but I just liked the name John-John. Am I going to get sued for that? GS: I don’t think so. Because you said they’re not alike. MMG: Yeah I just like the name. GS: This turned out really well too [the kids trapped in the boat as it starts to fill with water]. We were kind of nervous trying to picture how it was going to turn out. You know, when you write on the page ‘and suddenly the boat is being crushed by ropes’ you’re kind of wondering exactly how it’s going to work. [The teacher on screen; I am so fired] MMG: That was an ad lib right there.

[Dave justifying his daytime drinking; The sun’s past the yardarm] MMG: That is lifted from my friend Danna. She’s from Maine and she always says that; the sun’s past the yardarm. Which means the sun’s past the little thing that sticks out on the mast, so it’s five o’clock. GS: It’s five o’clock somewhere. And if I had visions like that, I’d be drinking too.

[Nathan and Audrey talking outside the bronco as she nurses her head where Mara hit her] GS: Where did they shoot this? This is right near Nicky’s, in Chester I think. MMG: Sure looks like it. But I think we’re trying to hide where … Oh yeah! We are trying to hide where it is because, I remember this was a production nightmare, it was supposed to be right outside of the lab because Audrey goes in talk to Charlotte at the end of this scene. This was a very tricky piece of production right here.p

[Audrey talking to Mara in the lab] MMG: This was an interesting scene because we really wanted Audrey, someone who’s been looking for her mother for her entire life, to connect with this woman somehow. But it was hard. GS: But it’s a nice setup, for everything that happens in our next season.

*gap in the commentary as they are both silent for a while* GS: Josh is like, please say something guys. Alright, you would think after doing four years of these we would be in some way better at them. MMG: You know what? You can hate yourself, but I refuse to live my life that way. I think we’ve been doing great at this. GS: I don’t think there are supposed to be these big stretches of dead air. My problem is I don’t watch the commentaries on other DVDs, even shows I love, just because doing that makes me feel like I’m being pulled out of it like the universe doesn’t really exist. But I should because then maybe I’d be better at these. MMG: Sometimes I just get sucked into the scene and I just start watching the show.

MMG: It is interesting to contemplate Charlotte as Audrey’s mother, and you start thinking; there is a vague, sort of passing resemblance there in an odd kind of way. GS: There is. The nose, and the eyes are similar.

MMG: I like the giant card catalogue in the back of this office [the Herald]. I always expect them to open it up and pull out a dewey decimal system card or something. GS: This was always one of my favourite sets. It seems the most Haven. And also the Gull but that was always such a nightmare to shoot in. [Duke, to Vince: If you know where an open thinny is, then you are going to tell me right now. Or I am going to beat you to death. With him.] GS: I really like that line. MMG: I got grief for that line. People felt Duke was being a bully or something. GS: Ah, they could take Duke down if they wanted to. They put up with him.

[The location with the boat full of school kids] MMG: That’s North West Cove, is it not? GS: I think it is. Up by the Grey Gull where all the lobster traps are. That had to be a terrible job [for the actors playing the school kids in the water-filled boat]. I’m sure that water was not super MMG: Oh yeah there were some tough local kids who just got drenched all day, I suspect.

[Charlotte explaining the merge-Audrey-with-Mara plan to Nathan] MMG: I like this scene. GS: Nathan’s like; WHAT? MMG: Look how great our show looks. No it really does. Maybe it’s this computer? I just think it looks great. GS: No, it does. It’s that grey rainy weather that’s so difficult to shoot in but looks great on screen. MMG: This is bad news for Nathan. GS: And I think what’s so surprising to him is that Audrey’s going along with it.

MMG: What’s with Audrey’s jacket with the American flag on the arm? Has she borrowed that? GS: Is that her cop jacket? No, I think that’s just a random jacket. MMG: This was very emotionally tricky bit [Audrey convincing Nathan to let Charlotte do the merge thing]. I’m now having total ‘PTSD’ on writing this episode becuase it was very, very challenging. Actually, Josh just looked at me, we could tell a funny story about Josh right now. My recollection is, I was struggling with the idea that Nathan’s motivation in an earlier draft was basically to let Audrey go. And that made it very hard to sort of keep him driving, and have these moments. But it was Josh’s suggestion, and it plays out in this scene, where he basically gives the ‘stay alive and I will find you and I will bring you back’ speech. Do I have that right Josh? Josh: Yep. GS: Nathan is nothing if not determined. MMG: And diligent. It’s called love, don’t hate it. GS: I could never hate love. If these two weren’t made for each other, who are.

MMG: Ah, the Cape Rouge. Which isn’t at the bottom of the ocean any more I don’t think. They floated it. GS: The actual boat, that we used for the exterior shots, sank. The hull finally rusted out and it hit the bottom. Fortunately where it was, the water wasn’t too deep so I don’t think the entire thing ever went entirely under.

MMG: That was a slightly confusing cut. We went from Duke in his boat, to the kids in the sinking boat - like woah Duke, there’s kids drowning in the bottom of your boat.

[Mara coming to talk to a chained up Duke in the hold of the Rouge] MMG: This was one of those scenes that comes out in a way that’s not exactly how you’d imagined. But I like it. GS: These two actually could have lived happily ever after too, in a different universe. MMG: For sure. We miss Mara. GS: She was a great character. You loved to hate her. MMG: I liked to write her. She was fun. GS: Yes, super fun to write. Characters who are a little darker or have more of an edge are always (for me at least) more fun to write. A little more complicated. That’s why Duke was always really fun to write. MMG: Yep

[Charlotte and Dwight’s conversation] GS: I thought Adam did a great job in this scene. MMG: Yeah. His last line’s good, because he’s very vulnerable.

GS: This was such a tricky episode, because we had to have our Trouble of the week, but I always felt that no one was caring about anything except what was going on with Charlotte and Mara and Audrey. MMG: This was a very difficult episode, and I’m now remembering. It was terrible. I remember we all squeezed into Adam Higg’s, what was that room in his apartment building. GS: Oh the conference room in his building. Why were we in there? Josh: The plumbing went out. GS: Oh that’s right. The plumbing went out here and one of our writer’s lived just up the block so we all went and took over his apartment building. MMG: Which had a giant fish tank. GS: And a really nice pool. Really nice apartment building.

[Nathan finding Gloria emptying the Gull of its alcohol] MMG: This was another scene that didn’t come out exactly as I had imagined it. But Jayne Eastwood is just a delight. I slow danced with Jayne at the wrap party. It was very, very fun, but I’m going to stop that story right there.

MMG: This was hard for Emily. God, there were so many vectors in this. Because she also had to be getting sick in this sequence too. That was tricky, she had a lot going on.

[As the Troubled guy is talking to his daughter trapped in the boat and telling her how much he loves her] MMG: I have three daughters, so I always like to write this kind of stuff. By that I don’t mean drowning them. But you get to use someone else as a mouthpiece to write little speeches to your kids.

MMG: Ah, the seaplane. This was going to be a boat, and then we changed it to a seaplane.

[As Charlotte is confirming to Audrey that merging with Mara will effectively mean she dies] MMG: Oh my god, there were so many tricky scenes in this episode. Explaining so much stuff. GS: I think Emily loved playing Mara. MMG: She did. She’s having a great time. And this is our goodbye to Mara, sadly. And these were Charlotte’s first little hints about “Dad” in this scene I think. Both actresses do a great job here. It’s tricky stuff here.

[As Duke and Nathan meet at the seaplane place] MMG: There’s a LOT going on between these two here GS: In one draft didn’t they take swings at each other here? MMG: I don’t know. That should have been stung with music right there, that Duke’s plan was to kill Mara. And there’s Duke once again being slightly noble; doesn’t want to explode in Haven, wants to go and explode in the void.

[As the wind starts blowing stuff over by Duke and Nathan] GS: I remember we had so many discussions about what this was going to look like. MMG: This didn’t come out exactly as we’d imagined either. We’d imagined that everything was going towards them, sort of like a singularity. But the wind seemed to be blowing in a variety of directions there. This is a great shot [looking down on Duke and Nathan] and this one [as we see Charlotte and Audrey kneeling, before the reveal that it is Audrey and not Mara]. That pile of clothing looks like it should be smoking, like Terminator.

[As Audrey and Nathan hug] GS: Aw, yey! Duke’s like; how come I’m not getting a hug? [As Charlotte tells Duke Mara turned the Trouble bomb off] GS: It’s a happy ending! But wait … can it really be a happy ending on Haven? [As we see Duke’s black eyes] GS: His eyes look good. MMG: Yep.

[As Vince and Dave find CROATOAN carved in the rock] GS: That is very neat handwriting, wow. MMG: I was just thinking that. So perfectly spaced. Ah that’s OK. [As they see the fog wall going up through the trees] GS: That’s a cool shot. MMG: Yep, I agree.

[roc-thoughtblog]

Sense and Sensibility Readthrough Part 24

Chapter 27, Pages 144-150

Previously, the Dashwood sisters arrive in London. Despite apparently being in town, Willoughby seems to be ghosting poor excited Marianne, who is getting more disappointed by the minute. A consolation Brandon just doesn't hit the same.

Readthrough below.

Chapter 27

Dashwood girls and Mrs. Jennings open this chapter by discussing the consequences of fine weather: namely that it keeps sportspeople from wanting to leave the open playing fields of the country. Sir Middleton might delay his arrival to enjoy a few extra days of sunshine, and Marianne's anxieties are eased by considering that maybe Willoughby too couldn't tear himself from a fine country day.

That the sunshine isn't expected to last much longer also makes her excited for the possibility of it no longer (hypothetically) holding Willoughby away from London. I think Elinor and I both suspect the weather has nothing to do with it.

The Miss Dashwoods had no greater reason to be dissatisfied with Mrs. Jennings's style of living, and set of acquaintance, than with her behaviour to themselves, which was invariably kind.

It's been a while since actively noted an Austenism but I feel like it just got inverted. Usually it's something positive that gets the rug swept out under it; this time it's something negative that got inverted. I guess it's extra appropriate here seeing as the Miss Dashwoods have never really held any particularly positive disposition to Mrs. Jennings before. I like it.

Colonel Brandon, who had a general invitation to the house, was with them almost every day; he came to look at Marianne and talk to Elinor

:'D

I would like to do that. The constantly casually visiting friends thing, I mean. Not the looking part. That's a bit odd, though I'm taken to be aware that "can't take my eyes off you" is definitely a thing a that happens to people, so, eh. It's harder in reality though, the constant visiting. Pandemic aside, Mrs. Jennings most definitely has servants taking care of general affairs when anyone visits. If I dropped by on any of my friends though, there's a high probability that I'd be imposing in some way that requires personal domestic effort on my friends' part.

Elinor observes that Brandon's little crush on Marianne is growing somewhat larger than little. Hmm.

Oh! But also, a week into the visit, a card arrives from Willoughby! So he's recieved the communications from Marianne. Despite that though he's made no real substantial response... Marianne's even more highly strung now just waiting for anything. No sitting still, no getting on with anything else in her life. Yeah, I know that feeling, it ain't nice.

Whoop, she got to the point where she snatched a random letter off of a servant just to make sure it wasn't from Willoughby. At this point Elinor can no longer refrain from probing at least a little, but mostly that just offends Marianne who claims to have nothing to hide. While snatching letters from people and pretending it ain't nothang. Nobody is convinced but it doesn't help Elinor extract anything from her.

The Middletons have arrived and Lady M has invited her mother and the Dashwoods over to visit. Sir M has, extremely characteristically, immediately thrown a big party. :'D

Willoughby is of course not in attendance, so it will be impossible for Marianne to feel happiness tonight. The Palmers are there, and Mr. Palmer has apparently forgotten who the Dashwoods are; fair enough. Has forgotten for ONE PARAGRAPH until remembering them AN HOUR LATER dear god this disaster man. :'D

"I thought you were both in Devonshire," said he. "Did you?" Elinor replied. "When do you go back again?" "I do not know." And thus ended their discourse.

This exchange. :'D

I had to go back and check to make sure that the Barton Cottage actually was in Devonshire, because it would've been even funnier if Mr. Palmer just thought they were in some completely irrelevant place altogether. I feel like Jane Austen has to have known somebody who was Mr. Palmer.

Apparently Willoughby was invited to this party, because Sir Middleton ran into him on the street in the morning. He's still not here to even see her. Poor Marianne seems very hurt. Elinor's pretty resolved to get Mama Dashwood's support in intervening now. Marianne is also writing a letter in the morning, which Elinor assumes is addressed to Willoughby, specifically for the lack of any other candidate.

See, when the narration puts it like that, I really start to think she's not writing to Willoughby at all. Maybe somebody else with a W. Or an M, if we're doing the upside down letters fakeout. The Middletons? ... Miss Williams...?

As Elinor drafts the letter to her mother, Brandon visits. Marianne has already vacated the room on account of not being in the mood for company, which is just as well because Brandon seems to want to talk to Elinor alone. ... He probably does that in a general sense anyway, he and Elinor like talking to each other and I sense that Marianne just has zero interest in interacting with him in general, even without considering the current situation with Willoughby.

I haven't really bothered to speculate on who ends up who but it occurs to me that there being three suitors around with varying levels of chemistry for the two sisters, perhaps that is intended to be part of the allure of the novel. It is a romance after all.

Hmm. Nope, can't tell. All three men are rather broadly too absent. Eddie seems too detached to even hold a relationship, and Willoughby is doing his whole ghosting thing. Brandon is the only one who seems to have some kind of normal friendly relationship with either of the sisters, but neither he nor Elinor seem to be remotely interested in each other in any kind of non-platonic capacity, even though they seem to get along quite well. There's too much story left to go.

Oh, anyway, Brandon's come to ask about Marianne's engagement to Willoughby, which is apparently fairly public knowledge. That's not terribly surprising considering I feel like Elinor is the only person who really cares who holds any real doubts. But the rumor doth fly. Brandon's been holding onto some hope that it ain't true, but he's caved after seeing a servant carry a letter in Marianne's writing addressed to Willoughby.

OH NO. HE'S ALSO ASKING ELINOR FOR ROMANTIC ADVICE. HE'S IN SHAMBLES. THAT'S EVEN WORSE THAN ASKING ME FOR ROMANTIC ADVICE. :'D

At least I have absolutely zero stake in any situations people are foolhardy enough to consult me on. Such are the perils of appearing prudent. People bugging you for advice on matters that you really can't give.

Brandon is in some serious shambles right now though. He's kind of stumbling over himself, maybe even rambling a little. He's asking Elinor to fill him in on the exact state of the engagement, but it's almost like he's begging. He's desperate for either a last window for... something, or just some kind of absolute closure that will let him move on. He kind of has it pretty bad; even Elinor is in some shock right now, as though she were the one who suddenly had to deal with a rival engagement. Well. I mean, as though she had to deal with one a second time.

Well it's another tough week for Elinor's advice column. She doesn't barely know much of anything about Marianne's current relationship with Willoughby to begin with. To say what she thinks, that there's something odd going on and in no way confirmed, is to give Brandon false hope because for real he ain't gettin no time of day from Marianne. So she lies and just tells him about as much as anyone else probably says, that it's basically confirmed even if she doesn't know any details.

And that's that. Brandon leaves, emotionally, while wishing Marianne well.

she was left [...] with a melancholy impression of Colonel Brandon's unhappiness, and was prevented even from wishing it removed, by her anxiety for the very event that must confirm it.

Imagine being forced to break your friend's heart on behalf of somebody else, and needing to justify it on the a relationship you're hoping will actually even work out. That's a lot to handle.

That's this chapter. I wonder what this means now? Obviously something is still going to go wrong with Willoughby, and we still have a bunch of loose ends with Brandon, so he can't lose relevance yet.

[aurimeanswind]

Let’s Make Up—Sunday Chats—4/22/18

So last week I had a Sunday Chats all written and done, and while writing the last two closing paragraphs, my web browser crashed and Tumblr, being the platform with apparently no fail safes at all, completely lost all of what I wrote. I was initially going to just rewrite it the next day or the following Wednesday (my next day off) but then life happened and to be perfectly honest I had what we call in the biz a godawful week, so it didn’t happen. I apologize, I took your questions and selfishly coveted my answers when you had taken your time to submit them, and I am very sorry for that.

To make up for it, this week I am answering all of last week’s questions IN ADDITION to the few I got for this week, so hopefully it’ll be jam packed. Luckily I didn’t have a big editorial thought-piece ready for last week, so for this week...

The 10 out of 10

So I’ve been playing God of War, as I’m sure many of you readers have been, and I’m delighted by it in so many wonderful ways. But I think the reviews definitely set an expectation that is really impossible to meet. I’m not treading new ground here, I think that’s safe to say (as is usually the case with my writing) but it’s just the thought I’ve had the most playing God of War.

I think you get this idea that it’s a series of incredibly brilliant moments that tie together beautifully, and while I think much of that is true, a lot of what you do in God of War is run around and fight dudes. As great as that is, I’ve only had maybe two big moments in my ten or so hours with it. But the quality of what I’ve seen so far just gets me excited to see what moments I have coming up, especially since at this point, I really have absolutely no idea what the hell is going to happen next.

What i think gets understated in such a masterful score is just the sheer volume of production value poured into every inch of a game. I think that’s something that’s hard to convey across an entire review, let alone just a score, but boy, there is just a ton of polish and excellence throughout the game, from the small animations, to how Kratos always grabs a cliff’s face and doesn’t clip through it.

It’s really excellently made, and I hope everyone out there is enjoying it as much as I am.

What’s on Tap

So I finished Kingdom Hearts 1

I re-beat this game again, finally going and doing all the additional content, like synthesis, extra bosses, grinding to level 100, etc.

I dunno... I think Kingdom Hearts is great but its “post-game” content is really underwhelming. I think none of the bosses are truly “special” in a way that they are in Kingdom Hearts 2. They don’t have these strategies seared into my mind, at least.

That being said, the design philosophy in KH1 versus its sequel is so completely different and fascinating. It’s far more Metroidvania in its intent to have you backtrack and re-explore already searched areas. It feels almost like it’s from a completely different franchise.

Like... There is ZERO platforming at all in Kingdom Hearts 2. Like, none. I can’t think of a section where you have to jump from a thing to a thing, except maybe the extra dungeon they added in the Final Mix version.

It makes me hopeful that maybe they’ll revisit some of these ideas in Kingdom Hearts 3 but eh. I doubt it.

Kingdom Hearts 2 on Critical

I started this and it’s about as frustrating as I anticipated. It’s not terrible or world ending, as its essentially just Proud mode difficulty with half your total health.

But I’m about to fight Xaldin in my playthrough so basically it’s all downhill from here.

God of War

So yes, I’ve been playing God of War. It is indeed, a video game.

I mean it’s really great. I talked about it a lot on last night’s podcast if you want some more detailed thoughts. But here are some standouts:

The combat is labored in a way that makes it so much more intense and significant. Of all the things that remind me of The Last of Us, it’s this aspect. It’s the intensity of each hit, the feeling of desperation in every slam and slash, and the violence that goes with it feels justified in the God of War universe where it absolutely never has before.

I get a ton of Darksiders vibes from this game, specifically Darksiders 2. The way it introduces side areas, side dungeons, side puzzles, and especially chests, reminds me a ton of how Darksiders approached formulaic Zelda ideas. It works very well here.

The Axe is, of course, excellent. But I’d say it isn’t the throw of the axe that works, it’s calling it back.

The ambient dialogue between your characters feels pulled straight out of a Naughty Dog game, and it feels so derivative of that that it makes me like it a bit less that I’d personally want to. It just feels almost exactly the same, just with different characters, and so far, outside of Kratos and how “deals” it dialogue, there isn’t enough separating it.

Overall very good. I will eventually be writing a review for IrrationalPassions.com. Look for it someday.

Questions

Remember to look for my tweet with the hashtag #SundayChats every Sunday afternoon, reply to it with your question, and boom. That’s how the magic happens.

Last week’s questions:

Ya know last week I’d have a different answer but I’ll revisit that later. In short: stuff is happening. I’m trying to live my life. Trying to do good. Failing a lot, but I’ll keep trying.

I’ve been crazy busy too. I feel like this is the year I am trying to teach myself different and new things, whether they be on a technical level, or maybe software, or something else along those lines.

Thank you for the kind words. As for the future, I think there is another question asking a bit of something like this, but it’s trying to stay busy and trying to make bigger and better moves. Like, E3 I think is out of the question, but PAX West isn’t, and aiming for something like that is really exciting and it gives us a lot of new options and opportunities. Plus, we’ve been trying to have actual meetings on the reg about what we’re doing and what ideas we have.

A big one that Scott White has been spearheading you’ll probably know more about by the end of this month, and there are some new shows and new styles of pieces I think we are all trying to do. As for me, I just want to get better with video stuff, with supporting the team, and with GA, as that’s my main new project.

I like milk. I drink milk, by itself, or in chocolate form, pretty regularly. I’ve been at a restaurant with friends and asked for a glass of milk and everyone laughed at me. I’ve since never done that.

Milk is good.

I mean the biggest one was assuredly The Messenger, which is like, my #1 most anticipated. But I was lucky that my team got to go out there and see stuff and present it to me with cool thoughts and perspectives on all of them. Like, Solo sounds super cool and I want to see more of it, and City of Brass wasn’t on my radar at all but seems really cool. Mike convinced me to see Omensight and that’s just a really rad new entry from a team I didn’t think had it in them.

I mean, I don’t even really know who Kid Rock is. I mean I know of him, but eh. I’ve never heard his music before a day in my life. I hear he is like, not good? Like, not a good person, not necessarily a bad musician. But I don’t want to assume. Is this libel? Am I getting black balled out of the industry right now?

Also you look hella cute Roger. So proud of you.

It absolutely was not. A big thing was I was planning on getting a 4K TV, and since I had the Xbox One X I was happy with just that and then the HDR that my original PS4 could reach. But there was a good deal and if I was already investing so much I wanted to get the most out of my TV. So I swear to god if a PS5 comes out next fall I’ll be pissed.

Brian. Nabeshin. Jackson. So I can know what it feels like to be the nicest dude in the world and also a great uncle.

It’s really sad. But also nice since I can be alone again. But also sad.

A bit of a mixed bag.

Pretty much anything in Final Fantasy 15 looks amazing and delicious. But that Beef Bowl in Persona 4... Man, I’ve had dreams about that Beef Bowl.

This week’s questions:

Shoutout to Brandon Gann, who is in ALL WEEK’S questions for Sunday Chats.

Yes, God of War is great. I think I got into it pretty well above, but yes, I really enjoy it. The combat, above all else, just feels so great. It reminds me a TON of DmC Devil May Cry in that it is training me well and I feel really good at it. Plus the way the weapons work kind of reminds me of that kind of combat too.

It absolutely has to be the SNES. I think I’ve lost countless hours to that system, and it’s something that, as a gift for me, I had my parents go and buy of eBay waaay past its time so as I could sit down and revisit all these classic games. Something I’m still incredibly appreciative of to this day.

But A Link to the Past and Super Metroid are just so formulative of my current taste in games and the things I seek out the most in video games (see: adventure and backtracking) and that was the console I sank the most time into without a doubt. I think GameBoy is totally a great choice, I didn’t have my own until I got a GameBoy color, but the GBA was the one I fell in love with the most, and I wouldn’t really get deep into that until much later.

Hey like, real talk everyone? Hey? Everyone bring it down, it’s real talk time?

Like, I’m doing suuuuper not good. Like actively very bad, and it’s just a whole lot going on. Last week is like, top three, top four worst weeks ever for me, and I had to make a whole bunch of adult decisions that, while I was prepared for them, I wasn’t happy about anything, and everything seemed to just make the situation more miserable. On top of that, I just feel like I’ve been really shitty and a shitty friend to basically all the people in my life that matter the most, and on top of that I have a lot of stress from work and money and blah.

Like, in the grand scheme of things, I’m doing okay, I’ll be okay, but I feel bad, it all feels bad, and it’s pretty shitty. Like, I know this probably wasn’t the answer expected, but it’s definitely the truth.

I’ll do better next time.

In my defense, it’s what I was doing up until I started writing this, and, while I do need to go do the dishes before I get back into God of War because lord knows no one else will, I’ll be continuing my adventure in Midgard until I pass out tonight.

I mean I feel really good about it, so long as everyone involved feels good. Like we’ve certainly hit a lot more readers and have broadened our audience in a way we’ve never been capable of before, and we have opportunities now that we’ve never had before, and I feel really good about that. I’m not super into the numbers, but I am into opportunity, ability to cover games pre-release, go to events, things like that.

As for the end of the year, I feel like, or at least I hope, there is a bit more cross pollination as far as skill, like more folks will be able to support Social, and more folks will be able to do video, or host shows, or whatever that may be. But I want that to all happen within comfort: like Social is Jurge’s thing, and if he doesn’t want to share that because of his ownership of it, I get that, I respect that, and I’m all about that. People gotta have their territory of expertise, and since I’ve been jack-of-all-trading it alone this whole time, I’m all about doing that for myself.

Even though I kind of already have and that’s editing.

The Ninja Samurai from Ghosts of Tsushima (upcoming, I know) and Sly Cooper, because I’m all about creating the greatest Ninja clan this side of the land of the rising sun.

That’s all I got for this week. Thank you all for your patience and understanding. I’ll do better next time. I will try and continue to do these more consistently. I love you all, thank you for reading and supporting and listening and being great.

Until next time, keep it real.

[libralita]

Reread Review

Title: Oathbringer

Author: Brandon Sanderson

Summary: Dalinar Kholin's Alethi armies won a fleeting victory at a terrible cost: The enemy Parshendi summoned the violent Everstorm, which now sweeps the world with destruction, and in its passing awakens the once peaceful and subservient parshmen to the horror of their millennia-long enslavement by humans. While on a desperate flight to warn his family of the threat, Kaladin Stormblessed must come to grips with the fact that the newly kindled anger of the parshmen may be wholly justified.

Nestled in the mountains high above the storms, in the tower city of Urithiru, Shallan Davar investigates the wonders of the ancient stronghold of the Knights Radiant and unearths dark secrets lurking in its depths. And Dalinar realizes that his holy mission to unite his homeland of Alethkar was too narrow in scope. Unless all the nations of Roshar can put aside Dalinar's blood-soaked past and stand together--and unless Dalinar himself can confront that past--even the restoration of the Knights Radiant will not prevent the end of civilization.

Rating: ★★★★★

Original Review

Review:

I am not ready for this.

“You’re close to them, and I’m being watched.”—Gavilar, Page 23

Wait, who’s watching Gavilar?

Gavilar, I think you have a bad interpretation of what “Unite them” means. Who was stupid enough to pick him?

Did we ever find those Listeners who ran away in Words of Radiance?

“Instead, Dalinar had only a handful of new Radiants, and there was no sign of help from the Heralds. And beyond that, the Almighty—God himself—was dead.”—Page 31

We are so screwed.

“Looking for him? You lost your highprince?”—Dalinar, Page 37

Hey, now. You lost a Herald.

SEBARIAL AND PALONA!!

“Along the way they’d picked up Highprince Aladar, a distinguished bald Alethi with dark tan skin. He was accompanied by May, his daughter: a short, pretty woman in her twenties with tan eyes and a round face, her jet-black Alethi hair worn short and curving around her face.”—Page 40

This reminds me: WHO THE FUCK IS MAY ALADAR? In this reread I count and she shows up nine times in the book. I think she barely has a line but Brandon bothered to give her a physical description (that sounds strangely like Vin with her being short with short black hair). Plus she has a weird name. WHO IS SHE???

“Thakka nodded, shouting the ordered. Dalinar reached for some water. He’d beed to meet up with Sadeas and— Something slammed into Dalinar’s shoulder. He caught only a brief sight of it, a black blur that hit with the force of a roundhouse kick. It threw him down, and pain flared up from his side.”—Page 48

Honestly I could watch Young-Dalinar get shot with an arrow all day.

“He glanced to the side, where Sadeas’s soldiers had rounded up some weeping women for Sadeas to pick from. ‘I was looking forward to tonight,’”—Page 52

Now I remember why I feel no pity for his death.

“Storms, Dalinar, at this point I’m not certain a rockslide could kill you.”—Page 52

…True.

“He’s a sliver of the Almighty himself.”—Page 59

Just like the Lord Ruler was a sliver of divinity.

DALINAR, HE JUST WANTS YOUR APPROVAL!

“YOU HAVE BROKEN OATHS BEFORE.”—Stormfather talking to Navani, Page 62

What oaths?

“‘It is you,’ Lirin said. Then he scrambled over and caught Kaladin in an embrace. ‘Oh, Kal. My boy. My little boy. Hesina! HESINA!’”—Page 74

Well…at least one father didn’t die.

“‘That,’ Kaladin said, ‘was for my friend Moash.’”—Page 78

Roshone getting punch is significantly less satisfying. Also FUCK MOASH.

“‘So…some of my spears have been women, then? Kaladin asked. ‘Female, at least,’ Syl said. ‘Roughly half as these things tend to go.’ She flitted up into the air in front of him. ‘It’s your fault for personifying us, so no complaining. Of course, some of the old spren have four genders instead of two.’”—Page 83

Wait, what?

"The way she spoke, she expected to be there when Kaladin...Well, he'd never considered that before, though she went with him everywhere else. Could he convince her to wait outside? She'd still listen, if not sneak in to watch. Stormfather. His life just kept getting stranger. He tried--unsuccessfully--to banish the imagine of lying in bed with a woman, Syl sitting on the headboard and shouting out encouragement and advice..."—Page 111

Oh, Lord….

“Fen’s reply came. ‘‘I will admit that my merchants are intrigued by these Oathgates. We have lore surrounding them here, that the one most Passionate could cause the portal of worlds to open again. I think every girl in Thaylenah dreams of being the one to invoke it.’’”—Page 136

Important.

“‘Why do they refuse you, Uncle?’ Elhokar asked, ignoring the question. ‘Do they think perhaps you will try to usurp their thrones?’

Dalinar drew in his breath sharply, and his guards looked embarrassed to be standing nearby. They backed up to give him and the king privacy. ‘Elhokar…’ Dalinar said. ‘You likely think I say this in spite,’ the king said, poking his head into the room, nothing his mother then looking back at Dalinar. ‘I don’t. You are batter than I am. A better soldier, a better person, and certainly a better king.’”—Page 139

YOU COULD HAVE BEEN A GOOD KING DAMMIT!

“Elhokar shook his head. ‘Perhaps…perhaps I’m a fine king. Not extraordinary, but no an abject failure. But in the face of these events, the world needs better than fine.’”—Page 140

SOBS!!

“‘We all must accept the consequences of our actions, Uncle,’ Elhokar said. ‘I’ve been learning this very slowly, as I can be as dense as a stone.’”—Page 140

This section is going to make me sob.

“Elhokar perked up. ‘Yes! I’ll do it, Uncle. I’ll take a team and reclaim our home. Aesudan is there; if the rioting is still happening, she’s fighting against it.’”—Pages 141-142

OH MY SWEET CHILD JUST WANTS TO BE USEFUL.

“‘It is fitting,’ Dalinar said, ‘that their king should be the one who saves them. I will see that you have whatever resources you need, Elhokar.’ Glowing gloryspren orbs burst around Elhokar. He grinned at them. ‘I only seem to see those when I’m around you, Uncle. Funny. For all that I should resent you, I don’t. It’s hard to resent a man who is doing his best. I’ll do it. I’ll save Alethkar. I need one of your Radiants. The hero, preferably.’ ‘They hero?’ ‘The bridgeman,’ Elhokar said. ‘The soldier. He needs to go with me, so if I screw up and fail, someone will be there to save the city anyway.’”—Page 142

Brandon Sanderson is a cruel man who needs stop doing this to me.

“Dalinar blinked. ‘That’s very…um…’ ‘I’ve had ample chances to reflect lately, Uncle,’ Elhokar said. ‘The Almighty has preserved me, despite my stupidity. I’ll bring the bridgeman with me, and I’ll observe him. Figure out why he’s so special. See if he’ll teach me to be like him. And if I fail…’ He shrugged. ‘Well, Alethkar is in safe hands regardless, right?’”—Page 142

Fuck, now I’m just imagining when Elhokar is in the Cognitive Realm, before he goes into the Beyond he’s just like “I failed…but the Hero will save Alethkar…it’s in good hands”. Fuck, noooooo.

“He beamed.”—Page 142

Oh Elhokar….

“‘Shallan?’ Adolin asked. ‘Are you well?’ No.”—Page 149

And here we begin “Shallan, I’m concerned about you”.

“‘Inappropriate?’ Pattern said. ‘Such as…dividing by zero?’”—Page 150

Pattern is the best.

NO MATING!

“Shallan did spend quite a lot of time drawing you all.”—Page 162

Adolin doesn’t question that Shallan is talking in the third person.

“I’m offended by everyone’s presence. You’re no more revolting than the rest, Mister Highprince.”—Page 171

Oh, Zahel….

“Don’t be melodramatic,”—Page 176

I’m sorry, Dalinar, have you read your book? From the prefaces I’m pretty sure you hold the melodramatic shard.

I wonder if Kal’s captor’s daughter is going to be an Arc 2 character.

“No. We’re nice. We’ve always been nice. I never hit anyone, even when I was mad.”—Page 188

I would love to watch Jasnah try to ram an Ivoryblade down this little Listener’s throat.

“‘My brothers. Pattern, I didn’t kill them, right?’ ‘What?’ he said. ‘I talked to Balat over spanreed,’ Shallan said, hand to her forehead. ‘But…I had Lightweaving then…even if I didn’t fully know it. I could have fabricated that. Every message from him. My own memories…’”—Page 199

Much concern.

“An explosive burst of wind drove him against the wall, and he stumbled, then stepped backward, driven by instincts he couldn’t define. A large boulder slammed into the wall, then bounched away. Dalinar glanced and saw something luminous in the distance: a gargantuan figure that moved on spindly glowing legs. Dalinar stepped back up to the feast hall, gave the whatever-it-was a rude gesture, then pushed open the door”—Page 209

You’re so edgy, young Dalinar.

“‘We’ve been assessing the sister,’ Ialai said, leaning in from Gavilar’s other side. ‘She’s a touch vapid—’ ‘A touch?’ Navani asked. ‘—but I’m reasonably sure she’s being honest.’”—Page 211

FIGHT ME.

“I could literally survive being stabbed with a sword through the chest. I think I’ll be fine with some ruffians in the market.”—Shallan, Page 222

HOW. DID. JASNAH. DIE?! Oh my god, Shallan is so bad at putting two and two together in this book.

“[Ialai] and her husband were too wild a variable for us to invite. Their motives are their own; I don’t think they align to those of anyone else, human or listener.”—Mraize, Page 231

So the Ghostbloods are interested in the human-listener war.

CREEPY YELLOW SPREN!

“None could stand before [Dalinar]; all were tinder and he the flame.”—Page 265

Especially Evi.

The Midnight Mother is still so weird.

Sah’s daughter’s name is Vai. Need to remember that.

So does Ellista’s smutty romance novel contain the secret to the cosmere universe or…?

“Sequels always have to be bigger.”—Page 335

BRANDON SANDERSON!

When you realize that Rock is basically SA’s Sazed.

“‘In short, everyone who might have been able to help us is crazy, dead, a traitor, or some combination of the three,’ [Kaladin] folded his arms. ‘Figures.’”—Page 412

That’s usually how it works.

“‘The Stormfather said their pact was weakened, but did not say it was destroyed,’ Jasnah said. ‘I suggest they we are least see if one of them is willing to return to Damnation. Perhaps they can still prevent the spirits of the enemy from being reborn. It’s either that, or we completely exterminate the parshmen so that the enemy has no hosts.’ She met Kaladin’s eyes. ‘In the face of such an atrocity, I would consider the sacrifice of one or more Heralds to be a small price.’”—Page 415

Jasnah’s plan B is genocide.

“‘Jasnah?’ Pattern asked. ‘I do not think you are paying attention, Shallan. She is not very empathetic.’”—Page 453

Whaaaaaat? Nooooo.

“‘It’s your daughter,’ Dalinar guessed. ‘Her lunacy.’”—Page 493

I’m sure this is absolutely nothing.

Every time there’s a Moash chapter I write ‘FUCK’ above his name. Because FUCK MOASH.

Like one who was born unto himself. A beautiful name! You are who you are!

Isn’t it interesting that Elhokar and Jasnah are both extremely paranoid people? Was it because of something Gavilar did?

Does the idea of fighting in the Tranquiline Halls come from Listeners? Because the best are reborn to fight against the humans and reclaim their land….

“Storm it, Kaladin had been protecting a murderer.”—Page 534

No….

“‘Your Majesty, you’re going to be a woman.’ ‘Fine,’ Elhokar said. Kaladin started. He’d have expected an objection. Judging by the way that Shallan seemed to stifle a quip, she’d been expecting one too. ‘You see,’ she said instead, ‘I don’t think you can keep from carrying yourself like a king, so I figure that if you look like a highborn lighteyed woman, it’s less likely that you’ll be memorable to the guards who—’ ‘I said it was fine, Lightweaver,’ Elhokar said. ‘We mustn’t waste time. My city and nation are in peril.’”—Page 609

Look at that! Look at that character development!

“This is a time to be realistic. A king must do whatever he can for the good of his people, and my judgment has proven…deficient. Anything I have ‘accomplished’ in my life has been handed to my by my father or my uncle. You are here, Captain, to succeed when I fail. Remember that. Open the Oathhgate, see that my wife and child are ushered through it to safety, and return with an army to reinforce this city.”—Elhokar, Page 610

FUCKING END ME.

“The king let Kaladin pull him away, and a good thing too. Elhokar had been fishing in his pocket, perhaps for a sphere to give the exhausted woman. Storms! In the middle of the crowd!”—Page 616

HE CARES DAMMIT!

“‘Your Majesty, it might be best to catch the next highstorm, return to the tower, and report back to Dalinar. He can’t reach us with his visions here, and one of the Unmade could very well be beyond our mission’s parameters.’ ‘We don’t need Dalinar’s permission to act,’ Elhokar said.”—Page 625

Nooooooo.

“‘It’s a good plan, Elhokar,’ Adolin said. ‘Nice work.’ A simple compliment probably should not have made a king beam like it did. Elhokar even drew a gloryspren.”—Page 667

Sweet child is trying.

“[Elhokar] took a drink of his wine. ‘There are few people remaining to whom I can still be a hero, Radiant. This city. My son. Storms. He was a baby when I last saw him. He’d be three now. Locked in the place…’”—Page 734

YOU’RE A HERO TO ME, ELHOKAR!

“Elhokar watched silently as she filled in the shading and finished the picture. Once she lifted her pencil, Elhokar reached past her and rested his fingers on the page. It depicted Elhokar kneeling on the ground, beaten down, clothing ragged. But he looked upward, outward, chin raised. He wasn’t beaten. No, this man was noble, regal. ‘Is that what I look like?’ he whispered. ‘Yes.’ It’s what you could be, at least. ‘May I…may I have it?’ She lacquered the page, then handed it to him. ‘Thank you.’ Storms. He was almost in tears!”—Page 735

HE COULD HAVE BEEN GREAT!!

Oh, Evi dying is even worse the second time.

“Chapter 84: The One You Can Save”—Page 809

Nopenopenopenopenope.

“Kaladin joined Syl and glanced behind the dressing screen, which had been pushed back against the wall to section off a small cubby. Here a child—two or three years old—huddled and trembled, clutching a stuffed soldier. Several spren with soft red glows were picking at him like cremlings at a corpse. The boy tried to turn his head, and the spren pulled on the back of his hair until he looked up, while others hovered in front of his face and took horrific shapes, like horses with melting faces.”—Pages 812-813

And here we have the youngest new Radiant in our crew.

“Elhokar had fallen to his knees. In one arm he held his terrified son, in the other hand he held…a sheet of paper? A sketch? Kaladin could almost hear Elhokar stuttering the words. Life…life before death… The hair on Kaladin’s neck rose. Elhokar started to glow softly. Strength…before weakness… ‘Do it, Elhokar,’ Kaladin whispered. Journey. Journey before… A figure emerged from the battle. A tall, lean man—so, so familiar. Gloom seemed to cling to Moash, who wore a brown uniform like the parshmen.”—Page 819

Please…no….

“Moash pulled the spear free and glanced at the Shardblade. Then he kicked it aside. He looked at Kaladin, then quietly made the Bridge Four salute, wrist tapped together.”—Page 819

Fuck you, Moash. Go fuck yourself. God, I fucking hate you.

I hope Venli is the main character in the next book.

“Ahu giggled at Dalinar. ‘Have you seen me?’”—Page 852

Nothing like drinking with god.

Dalinar can’t even remember Renarin’s age….

“‘I know,’ she whispered. ‘I’m crazy.’”—Page 933

Yep.

Aluminum falling from the sky?

Maaaaaaan shit really hits the fan in this book.

I’m excited to see Rlain and Venli interact.

“A Blade that bleeds darkness and cannot be defeated.”—Page 1078

WAIT DOES THE NIGHTWATCHER HAVE NIGHTBLOOD AT THIS POINT???

“She prompted them, and their leader looked down, the spoke to Anxiety. ‘It’s just that…Thaylen City? This is our home. We’re expected to attack it?’”—Page 1087

UNITE THEM!

So if the world’s ending hold onto Way of Kings for dear life. Got it.

Lift is our lord and savior.

Taln is such a fucking champ.

“I will protect those I hate. Even…even if the one I hate most…is…myself.”—Page 1138

Dead.

So the Dustbringer spren are probably going to be bonding with Listeners so that’ll help with the whole Unite Them thing.

“Elhokar’s son.”—Page 1212

My poor dear!

“‘So you’ll break rocks?” Moash asked. ‘We heard something. Made us want to be near you.’”—Page 1222

By heard do you mean like Moash killed a god? Or do you me like Listener business? Because if it’s Listener business and Moash becomes a Knight then FUCK THAT NOISE! I will never forgive him!!

I’m so mad at Wit for taking Elhokar’s spren.

[soul-heart-and-beyond]

The Disgusting Truth

Versus!: @andy-squirrel-and-friends

As he was reading some papers in his study, the buzzard had been wondering about the results of all the latest information that F.O.W.L. had gotten so far. With Bradford and his old partner Black Heron having given away their main advantage in this little battle, this war of ideologies between Bradford and Scrooge, more minds had to be put on what the next steps would be for both sides. While not having that journal of Finch’s findings, they have been able to spy on Scrooge’s escapades and managed to do a last minute swipe for some of the ones already found. Now all that was left were a few more before that part of their plan was complete. If anyone with a brain was looking at their situation, it would go to using the genie they just acquired to bring about their goals and be done with it, although Brandon had suspected that Bradford would not go through with that plan.

By now, he was sick on how the older buzzard went about trying to justify his reason for not using such items, such tools that they have readily available at their hand to swiftly alleviate the situation and make F.O.W.L.’s goal a reality. Blabbering on about how they weren’t evil, just trying to bring about order into the world and not reckless evil. $*”If only there were a way to refine all of this. It has a goal, it has the intent, but..... it lacks the vision needed to see it through. Hmph, such wasted potential....”*$, the buzzard mentioned to himself silently as he truly was disappointed by how things were moving along. Yet, he didn’t really have enough time to finish the papers that he was reading as a message was being transmitted to him over his communicator. Picking it up and hearing for someone on the other side, someone who didn’t have the voice of any of the more ‘colorful’ portion of F.O.W.L. was asking for him. $*”Yes, Brandon Buzzard here. What do you want?”*$, he questioned with a nonchalant tone as he adjusted his glasses. Apparently, they had wanted him to start looking through the Money Bin for any leftovers there that they could use. $*”That is possible, however, it would be very unwise given that both Bentley and I no longer work for McDuck and Bradford terminated his relationship with him somewhat..... ‘in person’.”*$ He wasn’t given much to work with as the voice on the other side still told him to go and retrieve any salvageable items from there and come back with them. $*”Look, if I do this absurd task for F.O.W.L., I better have that transportation ready to drop me off and retrieve me along with anything I find. I rather not want to go through Bradford’s mistake so he can gloat about me following in his bad example. I do not work like that. Have that helicopter prepared and absolutely no buffoonery. Scrooge and his merry band of misfits, outcasts, and jokes may know of our presence, but I wish that the whole world did not know of it as well. Good day to you.”*$, Brandon replied with a more demanding and stern voice to compliment his distaste and underlying aggression for this mission he was tasked with. Why place him out on the field when this would have been a job for Bradford’s subordinate or the tech lass? Even someone as dull as Steelbeak would be more fit for this than him but perhaps they were still recovering their wounds from being spanked by an old coot and his several kids, the magic-wielding one aside.

Straightening his black tie as his dark magenta eyes peered over to some of the objects lying on his desk, Brandon’s eyes squinted as a small sigh escaped his nostrils before he headed out of his study. $*”This mission better grant me access to a small squad, as going in alone would be lunacy.”*$, he mumbled to himself as he made his way for the transportation department of the base so he could get his ride to the bin. It would be a long night, one that he would rather spend adapting his own plan to these latest events. Fortunately enough, he did get a small amount of Eggheads to escort him on this mission, four to be exact, and as they boarded a gray chopper, after securing their places it floated from the helipad point and flew off towards Duckburg. During the ride, he thought once again about how his future would be secured but stopped as he had just remembered where that would have gone. There were only two options, and he personally hoped that he would never have to resort to the second one. With that thought now quelled, he could prepare himself for the gargantuan task ahead of him, which probably did not help as this would be after Bradford’s small takeover to some of the defenses and obstacles Scrooge was having installed in the bin.

[soul-heart-and-beyond]

Previously On!: @butimrich​

$*”You do realize that one can very well ‘sulk’ as you so aptly put it and still try to think on ways to make up for our losses? And making ‘funnies’ about Bentley’s.... sacrifice seems to be a new low for you.”*$

Of course, they had to recover any assets left around that they could in the midst of that unexpected turnaround, something even he didn’t foresee. He would have been better prepared should he have had an inkling to the doppelganger from a parallel universe but alas, he wasn’t and he almost paid the ultimate price for it. No one would take that away from him, as if his life should end, he’d do it by his own hand more than anyone else’s, but.... he couldn’t say that he wasn’t grateful for the real Bradford to.... rescue him in the nick of time. One he would rather not have as he’d fight for himself, but, what’s done is done.

$*”I suppose there is no way to get our fallen companion back, should we tamper with time to undo that event. If he doesn’t exist anymore... then that would mean there’s nothing left of his body to salvage or save... Hm.... This is quite the predicament we have against us. Along with F.O.W.L. being shattered into many separate pieces...”*$

[soul-heart-and-beyond]

" Brandon, be a dear and stop pouting. " Bradford muttered (butimrich ) post finale

Versus!: @butimrich

$*”Oh? And as if you have anything to smirk or even cackle about? Besides, I rather be true to myself than to pretend to be happy when I’m not.”*$, the younger male declared with a rather annoyed tone as he truly did not wish to hear any of that. Things didn’t go as planned, and well, either they could start from the smoldering remains or just quit and live in a world that is run by.... fools who are willing to risk everything, including the wellbeing of others just to fulfill their “adventure prescription” for the day.

[soul-heart-and-beyond]

' ... Why are you even on the Board? What do you actually do besides stand there and mock me with your handsome face? ' - 'Bradford' ( butimrich )

$*”........”*$

$*”This had better not be another one of your deluded, ‘flirtations’ with me, Bradford. I am in no mood for any of that demented rubbish. Now, please try to keep your mind on the task at hand and not my ‘handsome face’.”*$

[soul-heart-and-beyond]

Versus!: @butimrich

$*”Hm.... I suppose you’re ‘Mother’s favorite’? Or am I confusing you for one of the others? ....The second one seems more likely, since you all sound similar.”*$

[soul-heart-and-beyond]

Versus!: @runningafowl​

$*”Bradford.... you certainly do have some knack for making the situation worse for everyone, don’t you? Don’t tell me that I have to pick up after your slack.”*$

[soul-heart-and-beyond]

Versus!: @qucththeraven

So much had happened during that day that F.O.W.L. was in ruins, practically dismantled and all of his hard work had gone to waste at the plan and ignorance of a fool who was too shortsighted to see what needed to be done, or to actually carry out those steps. Honestly, it was a miracle that the world’s governments didn’t try to go around searching for the stragglers and divided members of the organization now that Bradford had been.... incapacitated in some sense. Perhaps... it was for the best that he was no longer in a position for giving orders in F.O.W.L., seeing as to how his vision of world order was so fundamentally flawed. As one of the few that had stayed with some of the other remnants of the separated group, he was trying to recover resources to make for a better plan, one that wouldn’t end in such a disaster or cause for them to lose so many members. A membership drive would be silly to publicly announce, but one was needed along with some new talent and skills on board to achieve their goals.

Brandon was handed a few papers that had mentioned sightings of a girl that looked similar to one of the few members F.O.W.L. had lost before any of this, during their more earlier days. Adjusting his glasses to take a better look at the picture that had somewhat of a blurry image of a black haired and feathered girl running away with some small item, it did bring something back in the buzzard’s memory. Yes..... There were a pair of scientists that had fallen due to an accident at one of their labs, and their child was considered deceased as well. Not like she was fairing any better than they were, but perhaps he could use her to his advantage, get her to infiltrate Scrooge’s family household once she was properly conditioned, moreso than any of the clones were. Yes, it was so much of a stretch, rather a liability than anything else, but if they were going to get something they could use, might as well give it a try with the things they already had scattered around the world instead of making new ones. He wasn’t even entirely sure that they had any of the cloning technology like they used to considering how the main base was just abandoned once Bradford lost his plight with Scrooge and his family.

$*”It does seem rather too much of a waste if we try to reclaim this girl for our purposes, but I doubt any funding we once had will be as lucrative without some members to give it to us. However, that only means we have to spend more of our own money and find anything we have at our disposal to use for the moment. That means from here on out, none of us can make any mistakes. The slightest one could very well have us imprisoned, or worse, dead. I understand that this is no longer the time to feel at ease, but we will just have to set that aside for work for now.”*$, Brandon declared to his small team as they were in a helicopter hovering over the last known area of where this lost part of F.O.W.L. was. Taking two Eggheads to scout with him, the ropes were dispatched as they would gently slide down them towards the inner confines of the forest. Best not to underestimate what this girl could have learned within the years she was alone. Most tended to lash back after being simply aggravated or intimidated but he could handle coaxing her if that was necessary.

[soul-heart-and-beyond]

Cue an old buzzard shaking his head with eyes closed as he massages his forehead and eats a petite sandwich. 

$*”....Amateur...”*$

[soul-heart-and-beyond]

Make Your Muses’ Heart!

tagged by : @listofevilinventions and @ducktales-wco-oo tagging : @wcrldtcp​, @moonmiissed​, @terrorofthenight​, @casesforchipmunks​, @amaranthinemuses​, @pick-and-shovel-laborer​, and whoever else wants to!

Character Select -> Duckworth, Negaduck (Drake Mallard), Megavolt (Elmo Sputterspark), Brandon Buzzard, Fenton Crackshell-Cabrera, and José Carioca (Last 3 under read below)

Duckworth

Negaduck

Megavolt

Brandon

Fenton

José

[soul-heart-and-beyond]

👎, 🎭, 💕, 🐷!!!

munday meme // multimuse edition

👎 which muse secretly (or not so secretly) loves terrible movies

Out of all of the muses on here, hm.... I’d probably say that Paddywhack would be the one who loves terrible movies, though mostly it’s due to the misery that he would acquire from other viewers. Even then, it’s not like he has refined tastes for movies. 🎭 which muse is the easiest to write

Heh, I guess that would go to either Dewey or Brandon. With others it depends but with those two, usually they are the fastest, mostly because Dewey is pretty simple for who he is (Classic Louie should be the same by that extent but he does have a bit of the Scrooge tendencies too), and Brandon has the perks of not having canon really hold him back. Besides, one’s more fun and optimistic while the other is more serious and pessimistic. 💕 which muse falls in love too easily

Yippee or Sparky would likely be the two that tie for this one. Yippee comes from an older time where love was more glorified, but for someone who believes in a fiery passion such as him, he can’t help but feel like there’s someone out there for him, even if some of his goofy mistakes can be a bit off-putting. Sparky is mostly just naive and he does really believe in people for what he would see firsthand. (Plus when he first saw Gadget, he had a bit of a crush on her so...) 🐷 which muse is most likely to win a pie eating contest

This one goes without saying, but it’s Son Goku. Maybe Ralph Runner could give it him some challenge, but not for long.

[soul-heart-and-beyond]

MUSE MEME

italics sometimes apply & bold always applies

tagged by: Stolen from @pick-and-shovel-laborer (I think?)

tagging: @rosdtmuses​, @gamblealife​, @amaranthinemuses​, and anyone else up for dibs!

Character Select -> Duckworth, Brandon Buzzard, and Fenton Crackshell-Cabrera

Duckworth

FLAWS

moody | short-tempered | emotionally unstable | whiny | controlling | conceited | possessive | paranoid | lies | impatient | cowardly | bitter | selfish | power - hungry | greedy | lazy | judgmental | forgetful | impulsive | spiteful | stubborn | sadistic | masochistic | petty | unlucky | absent-minded | abusive | addict | aggressive | childish | callous | clingy | delusional | cocky | competitive | corrupt | cynical | cruel | depressed | deranged | egotistical | envious | insecure | insensitive | lustful | delinquent | guilt complex | reclusive | reckless | nervous | oversensitive | rebellious

STRENGTHS

honest | trustworthy | thoughtful | caring | brave | patient | selfless | ambitious | tolerant | lucky | intelligent | confident | focused | humble | generous | merciful | observant | wise | clever | charming | cheerful | optimistic | decisive | adaptive | calm | protective | proud | diligent | considerate | compassionate | good sportsmanship | friendly | empathetic | passionate | reliable | resourceful | sensible | sincere | witty | funny

Brandon

FLAWS

moody | short-tempered | emotionally unstable | whiny | controlling | conceited | possessive | paranoid | lies | impatient | cowardly | bitter | selfish | power - hungry | greedy | lazy | judgmental | forgetful | impulsive | spiteful | stubborn | sadistic | masochistic | petty | unlucky | absent-minded | abusive | addict | aggressive | childish | callous | clingy | delusional | cocky | competitive | corrupt | cynical | cruel | depressed | deranged | egotistical | envious | insecure | insensitive | lustful | delinquent | guilt complex | reclusive | reckless | nervous | oversensitive | rebellious

STRENGTHS

honest | trustworthy | thoughtful | caring | brave | patient | selfless | ambitious | tolerant | lucky | intelligent | confident | focused | humble | generous | merciful | observant | wise | clever | charming | cheerful | optimistic | decisive | adaptive | calm | protective | proud | diligent | considerate | compassionate | good sportsmanship | friendly | empathetic | passionate | reliable | resourceful | sensible | sincere | witty | funny

Fenton

FLAWS

moody | short-tempered | emotionally unstable | whiny | controlling | conceited | possessive | paranoid | lies | impatient | cowardly | bitter | selfish | power - hungry | greedy | lazy | judgmental | forgetful | impulsive | spiteful | stubborn | sadistic | masochistic | petty | unlucky | absent-minded | abusive | addict | aggressive | childish | callous | clingy | delusional | cocky | competitive | corrupt | cynical | cruel | depressed | deranged | egotistical | envious | insecure | insensitive | lustful | delinquent | guilt complex | reclusive | reckless | nervous | oversensitive | rebellious

STRENGTHS

honest | trustworthy | thoughtful | caring | brave | patient | selfless | ambitious | tolerant | lucky | intelligent | confident | focused | humble | generous | merciful | observant | wise | clever | charming | cheerful | optimistic | decisive | adaptive | calm | protective | proud | diligent | considerate | compassionate | good sportsmanship | friendly | empathetic | passionate | reliable | resourceful | sensible | sincere | witty | funny