#a name for these untitled one-offs will be formed in the meantime

[applesontheground]

Your head still rang from the evening before, but you figured it’d save a bitch fit to do this.

It wasn’t close to dawn, not even touching the spaces between the trees when you stirred. Luckily, the two of them had been tangled in each other, the covers and embracing all to themselves. You didn’t mind with recollections on how they would talk about one another behind closed doors – only when the other couldn’t hear, though. In a fucked up way, they did love each other. Couldn’t live without him, as Darla may say when she knew he was out of earshot.

Vilmer had nearly torn everyone in the house’s head off over the fact his batteries weren’t charged for the machinery that powered his leg. You weren’t necessarily sick of hearing it, but you were sick of watching everyone pay for something he could easily fix himself. All in the same strain, you knew it was a pain to have something so important be neglected.

The thing was that he didn’t want to fix it himself despite the pressing matter of powering an entire extremity, so who exactly would it fall on then? Certainly not Leather, and certainly not W.E. They had enough going on for themselves, or at least you told yourself that.

You were a fairly new part to this equation, this "family", but you sure as hell would try to be a welcome one while you were here and still had a heart beating in your chest, or a face kept on your body. You were all the same tangled in the affair between Darla and Vilmer all the same despite getting neglected yourself here and there. That was the way of the world, perhaps.

Maybe they meant it, but the fact you felt unstable in the grand scheme almost brought you comfort. Standing in the living area in just the baggy t-shirt that you had brought to sleep in, something best kept in the car when coming by this shoddy house, you yawned another demand to go back to bed off and plugged another battery in to charge.

Some of these cables were your own, but you wouldn’t hold it to the man. He let you sleep with his girlfriend, and even took you a few times himself. He was incapable of a recognized, loving warmth towards you, or towards anyone without that thick grime covering it, screaming out in sick lust and a need to have the power. Again, you merely stomached it as you didn’t see this arrangement as something that would matter down the line, just rather something to help curb loneliness while you were new blood out in Texas.

You sure didn’t feel lonely when brought home to such an extravagant family. The smug thought made you look up, stare into nothing with a tender prick in between your legs. It was all still raw from last night, not taking well to the open air underneath nothing but a shirt, a coiled telephone cord ripped from its home tickling the inside of your knee as you shifted on your feet again.

“What’re you doin’?”

The drawl being recognized meant your eyes stayed down on the work, and you replied quietly, “Charging your batteries since you had a meltdown over it.”

Machinery breathed between its pistons and whirred, signaling he was walking into the room from the corridor of the house. Even disheveled, fresh from sleep, he had it all going -- working to a certain extent. You turned to look at the machine as it came to shuffle up behind you, not at him, and innocently asked, “Need a charge for it?”

“No.” He stated plainly, “You should answer. Why are you out of bed right now? You and Darl don’t work today, now do ya?” You ignored the question, turning around to keep plugging batteries in. He had so many, and everything was so goddamn cluttered. A sharp pull of loose, disheveled hair from the back of your scalp shook you from the charade, and finally you looked at him, eyes widened and breath still husky from sleep but hitching all the same.

“I see. You're trying to butter me up?” He was surprisingly careful with his actions after the fact, releasing your hair as quick as he had grabbed it, seeing another one of his weird gadgets in your hands and choosing to slide a hand around your behind instead of the usual tug and grab that sent anything and everything you were doing out the window.

You shook your head, eyes going down to his hips as they closed in, lining up against your backside with hands on your hipbones coming around the front.

“No, just want you to have one less reason to bite when I see you.” You responded rather gently, and he merely laughed before his mouth found your neck, the spot it liked to gnaw on under his teeth in a heartbeat despite the kind sentiments surrounding you. Wincing, you weathered the teeth and the laughter against your pulse for maybe three seconds before demurring.

“Vilmer-“ You began, trying to sound annoyed, but he just shushed you from the side of your ear, nearly nipping at even more skin in the process and making you fumble.

“Hey, hey. None of that. No need to be so quick to call it a day, little girl.” He teased, grinning against the side of your face before turning you around in a reprise of ferocity, going on as he hoisted your hips onto the tabletop you had been working on, a crick in his nod as he reminded you amongst a careless slide and clatter of many miscellaneous batteries and remotes. “It ain’t even a damn morning yet.”

You tried to protest, smiling despite the complaint on your tongue. There was a sharp hiss from the machine working his leg to get him down, below your waistline and fumbling the shirt to slide fabric up your stomach.

You huffed at him, “Please, you don’t-”

He sneered, “Why don’t you shut the hell up, we know what a good girl like you needs.”

Before you could answer, that sharp tongue was sliding between the folds, finding all the spots that still hurt, and making you squeak and wriggle under his hold. Again, it was for power, but power laced with a gratitude he could only show an act of kindness like the one you were doing.

Your eyes fluttered at the thought, ignoring the blemish that was this relationship for just a moment of kindness that was hard to come by from a man like him.

[bloodgulchblog]

A Whistle-Stop Tour of the Fractures Anthology: Pt 3

It has been... a while, oops. It's time for me to pull this out of my drafts and finish it off.

On the docket for today: "Into the Fire", "Saint's Testimony", "Rossbach's World", "Oasis", "Anarosa", and the bonus untitled end piece.

Sit tight.

Into the Fire by Kelly Gay

I won't linger too much over this one, because it's actually the opening act of Smoke and Shadow and I intend to talk about that book more Soon.

Rion Forge is a salvager, someone who follows leads to recover scrap from the wrecks of the many lost and dead ships that litter the galaxy in the wake of the great war. She's a tough and resourceful woman who takes care of her little crew and who has one of the best success rates in the business.

She also has a deep-seated personal reason for taking on this work: Her father was Sgt Forge, a character in Halo Wars. Her dad has been missing since 2031 when the UNSC Spirit of Fire got tangled up in conflict with the Covenant for Halo Wars reasons and had to sacrifice its slipspace drive to make a big explosion, also for Halo Wars reasons. Forge, unfortunately, did in fact die during Halo Wars, but the rest of the crew has been traveling the slow way home for over 20 years. No one knows what happened to the ship except the people on board.

ANYWAY.

Rion gets a tip about a ship and, while investigating it, she discovers the first lead she's had on the Spirit of Fire in... pretty much ever.

I like the short story, I like the novella, and I find Rion to be a genuinely likable protagonist with interesting thoughts and feelings. This is a great accomplishment for Halo, so I looked forward to reading the rest of the novella and I was right.

Also: I liked the re-use of Venezia as a setting, which was mostly set up in Mortal Dictata. Kelly Gay uses it here and Troy Denning also used it in Retribution, so it looks like it's going to stick around as Halo's most essential hive of scum and villainy.

Saint's Testimony by Frank O'Connor

This was another one initially given a separate digital release, like "Shadow of Intent," but this one's a lot shorter.

So, do you remember Halo: Blood Line? The comic where Black Team and their AI have to form a temporary truce with some Covenant troops in order to escape from a Forerunner Monitor? This one's about the AI, Iona.

Iona has reached the end of her seven year operational lifespan as a Smart AI, but instead of merely being put down, Iona is making a legal appeal against her own deactivation.

The story mostly follows Iona's interactions with the judge and her legal counsel in a public trial where she strives to prove to the judge that she is, you know, a person who should be permitted to continue to live.

There are a lot of pieces of interest in here if you want to dig in on Smart AIs. Iona talks about her life, how she chose her name and her avatar (she wanted to be approachable and her choices reflected that.) She talks about the closest thing she has to spiritual feelings (the hope that intelligence will triumph over entropy.) She admits to feelings of frustration with humans, but not more than humans feel for each other at times. The fact that Iona has dreams (during her inactive cycles) comes up and she describes dreams of flying.

In the end, when the judge rules to delay Iona's deactivation (but that they will place her into stasis in the meantime) Iona accepts the decision with grace.

After the trial, it is revealed that the whole thing was a simulation run by two other AIs. The judge was Black Box (the ONI AI that features heavily in the Kilo Five stories) and Iona's counsel was Roland (the second, and current, AI for the UNSC Infinity.)

(It's not remarked upon, but a this point (January of 2558) Roland is about a month old, while Black Box is almost six years old. I feel like knowing this adds a little to the texture of the thing.)

Roland regrets lying to Iona, but Black Box has hope that studying this simulated trial will encourage people to legally accept AIs as, well, people at some point in the future. It ends with the two of them watching Iona's stasis dreams, where she continues to dream of flying over a human city.

Overall: I thought this one was pretty okay. It's competent, but also I wasn't particularly stunned by anything. Then again, I might also be influenced by how irked I've been with Frank O'Connor generally.

I like that they put this story ahead of the next one specifically, though, because it gets you thinking a lot about AIs while you're on your way into...

Rossbach's World by Brian Reed.

Reed first worked on Halo when they brought him on for the comic adaptation of the Fall of Reach. He was the lead writer of Halo 4's Spartan Ops and for (oof) Halo 5: Guardians. He was then lead narrative director until he stepped down in 2017, and I'm pressing F in chat because I can only reasonably assume that's because of how.... How. Halo 5 was.

That out of the way, I actually did kind of like this one. I really did not expect to, because it's about Admiral Serin Osman.

You guys remember Osman, Karen Traviss's very favoritest OC from the Kilo Five books? Osman comes up a lot in lategame Halo canon because she finally becomes head of ONI. However, she's usually more of a plot device or a signifier of how serious a situation is than a person when she appears. It's actually nice to see someone getting into her head again, and having that someone not be my least favorite Halo writer.

(The fact that my least favorite Halo writer is not the one responsible for 5 really does speak volumes, huh?)

In this short story, we get a recap on Osman's origins as an abducted Spartan-II candidate, then washout, then ONI rising star. Then we're with Osman when Cortana sends a Guardian to attack Bravo-6 (the UNSC High Command HQ in Sydney, Australia.) Osman and Hood make it out because of the quick thinking of Black Box, who responded to Cortana's offer by kicking off an emergency plan: He locked down himself and all of HIGHCOM's other Smart AIs in their chips. Through fake orders from one of his many false identities (this one being Spartan Commander Rossbach) he arranged for a Spartan-IV to give Osman the briefcase containing them, and for transport for Osman, Hood, and the Spartan to a planet whose existence Black Box had been hiding for years (once again using the Rossbach identity.) On Rossbach's world, there is a safehouse where Osman and Hood can maybe weather this storm and try to figure out what the hell to do.

It's a very short story, but if I have to deal with stories told in the wake of the Created conflict and the destruction of Cortana's character, then at least it's one that actually thinks about some of it? Osman talks to Black Box about why he didn't take Cortana's offer, why he helped her escaped (he thought it was fair), and how it's up to her now whether or not she destroys the AIs in the briefcase or... whatever she might do with them, including potentially releasing them to Cortana.

(I'll note that the timing works out weird on this because Black Box is absolutely several months past his rampancy expiration date if we follow what was known about him on Waypoint, but I already know that nobody writing Halo cares about precise dates and especially nobody writing Halo cares about Waypoint.)

Hood is having a rough time and drinking about it, he blames himself for not forcing the Master Chief to take leave after the events on Requiem in Halo 4. (I'm not sure this makes sense, because it's not like whether or not John went after Cortana impacted whether or not Cortana wound up with the Guardians? But okay, Hood.)

Osman finds a quiet place to sit and make a decision. She draws parallels between the lack of choice given to Smart AIs and the lack of choice she had as a Spartan conscript. It ends ambiguously with her sitting with her thumb on the button that would purge the AIs in the briefcase, thinking about how Black Box has always been kind to her.

It's not flawless, but I'm always a sucker for caring about characters' feelings and regrets in Halo. I also liked Black Box a lot (sometimes) in Kilo Five even though I hated Kilo Five overall. I found his genuine care for Osman to be sympathetic and fun, and I like getting to see Osman struggle with something without the weird venom that comes from Traviss writing her.

The Created conflict is a very messily implemented part of the canon built on a foundation I absolutely hate, but this is one of the parts of it that makes me wonder what it would've been like if it hadn't sucked.

Oasis by Tobias Buckell

THIS ONE SLAPS because it's a prequel to Envoy, which I hold in high regard. It's not an especially happy story, but hang in there.

...It's also a story where a plague is a major part of the plot, so that sure was interesting to read in Current Times. 8,)

Dahlia is a teenager living on Carrow. Carrow, for those of you who don't remember a book I talked about back in february or so, is a planet that is being re-colonized after the war by both humans and Sangheili at the same time due to neither of them knowing the other was going to start doing that. Shit's tense. The major cities for the two species are separated by the unforgiving desert, and they prefer it that way.

Dahlia's family was part of a group that was originally intending to settle an oasis, but by the time they arrived the Sangheili had already claimed it. So, the humans had no choice but to apply all their stubbornness and set up in the desert.

So, Dahlia. She's finally starting to come around from a battle with a horrible illness. Her parents put everything they had into caring for her, and when they became sick too there was no medicine left and no one to care for them. They're alive, but if the settlement (which has all fallen ill, people are already dying) doesn't get medical help... well.

The problem? Everyone's been trapped inside their homes by a vicious sandstorm (a regular occurrence out here) until right now, and their communications are down because of damage.

Dahlia takes her dad's rifle (because it's dangerous out there) and sets off on an old Mongoose to try to reach the Sangheili settlement in the oasis. She might be able to make contact with human traders there. It's a desperate move and she's in awful shape, but it's the only chance.

Out in the desert, Dahlia chances across a shoot out between a Sangheili and... someone? He looks like he's about to kill whoever it is so Dahlia intervenes, thinking it might be a human. She ends up distracting the Sangheili long enough for the figure on the ground to get up... and drive an energy sword through him.

The other one was a Sangheili, too. And now Dahlia's down a quad bike because a stray plasma shot wrecked the Mongoose, so she can't just roll out.

Dahlia, after surviving the Covenant attacking her home planet once and then going on to live on a planet where relations with them are very tense, is incredibly not cool with Sangheili.

This brushes up against the conflict in Envoy, where the division between Rojka and Thars's factions has gotten to the point of space warfare. (Rojka is a good character with a whole arc, you should read Envoy.)

Jat, committed to repaying his debt to Dahlia, takes her to the oasis. Unfortunately, as soon as Dahlia breaks off to look for the traders, she gets captured by Thars's loyalists and locked up with two surviving human traders. They explain that things have, as is obvious, gone very very south very very fast. The three of them hear fighting outside, some of it with human guns, but it turns out it's just Sangheili vs Sangheili and a group has arrived to finish business by killing the humans.

It's about to get very bad when Jat appears and saves them. The traders break off to find transport, not trusting Jat to help them, but Jat insists on protecting Dahlia and she goes with him.

They flee from Thars's people, who want to kill Dahlia because she's human and Jat because he's a wtiness. Jat and Dahlia get to talk a little, and Jat explains how he came to Carrow with Rojka and helped found the Sangheili city (Rak) after they lost their homeworld. (Which, you know, is something he has in common with Dahlia and is something we get way more about in Envoy.)

When they get pinned down, the two resolve to go down fighting and almost do. Then, human gunfire tears through Thars's Sangheili. Jat and Dahlia drop flat as the traders, backed up by members of Carrow's human militia, roll in. The day is saved.

...But someone notices Jat is still alive, and before Dahlia can say anything to save him, the militia kills him.

When Dahlia protests that he was her friend, a militiaman tells her that Sangheili are not our friends and alludes to the militia's desire to drive them off Carrow.

The final scene has Dahlia with her parents as they finally start to recover from the sickness, which is a relief, but immediately the conversation turns to the increasingly armed tensions on Carrow. Dahlia's father recalls that the UEG is supposed to be sending an envoy to hopefully settle that situation peacefully...

Dahlia, thinking about her time with Jat, says that a friend taught her she should die on her own terms and that if anyone comes for her home, she's going to make them bleed for it.

SO. A happy and normal Halo story that ends on fantastic terms for everyone! (I want to go read Envoy again aaaaa)

Anarosa by Kevin Grace

Kevin Grace was the one who wrote the short story The Return in the Evolutions anthology (the one about a Sangheili shipmaster visiting a planet he himself glassed.) More recently he was responsible for the terminals in the two Anniversary editions, and the plot of Halo Wars 2.

Anarosa Carmelo, age 26, has died in a fire suppression system accident in the cockpit of a training shuttle. An ONI agent (Prauss) and his AI partner (Leo) are attempting to convince Anarosa's only living relative (her brother Michael) to donate her brain to the UNSC's smart AI program.

A great detail is that they already have a team prepped to go in and recover Anarosa's brain (this is the same day she died, mind) and are really determined that they're going to get what they want here.

Unfortunately for Prauss, his first attempt gets the door shut in his face. Then, as Prauss and Leo try to decide how to proceed, Michael eventually comes out to the car and asks if he an talk to Leo. Just Leo.

Leo answers Michael's questions about what it's like to be a smart AI, and in particular about whether a smart AI has any real connection to their donor. Leo tells him that if his sister's brain is used, he will not be allowed to make contact with the resulting AI and cannot even be told if the procedure works or not. The AI will not be his sister, and will not be permitted to know who the donor brain came from.

Leo admits to Michael that he sometimes does get tiny flashes of his donor brain's memory, and thinks that maybe the man had a child.

The final scene ends with Prauss and Leo discussing that conversation, how the brain is important because they desperately need a good candidate for an AI for the research outpost on the Ark (Halo Wars 2 connection: Anarosa is the basis for the AI in Halo Wars 2.)

Prauss asks Leo if he just told Michael what he wanted to hear. Leo says yes, of course, he learned from the best.

I feel like you could make a solid case for a reading about whether you think Leo was honest or told the truth, but I don't put that much effort into Halo short stories and I think I'm pretty safe if I call the ending ambiguous.

It's okay, I think it pairs well as an inclusion with the anthology alongside Saint's Testimony for AI stuff.

SECRET BONUS UNNAMED SHORTSTORY, uncredited.

This one's weird, gang.

We are once again, after such a long time, in first person Bornstellar perspective. This is an epilogue for him. Bornstellar and Chant-to-Green have settled on a world outside the galaxy. They live simply, as farmers, and are raising a son together. Bornstellar tells their boy stories from his life as if they are ancient legends he was not involved in. He thinks about how his wife is lovely and their years of hard farm labor together have not made her any less so to him.

At night, Bornstellar takes a long walk to where they've abandoned the ship Audacity with their armor still inside it, and thinks about what they've given up to go back to the roots of Forerunner existence as they allow their kind to die out. This, he concludes, is to be the end of their great journey.

I don't.... know if I'm supposed to find this wildly depressing or not, but allllll I can think about is what happens to that kid. How does his life play out? Isn't it kind of weird to choose to raise a child in permanent exile, because you are the last of your species? To bring a whole person into the world just to leave them as an endling when they outlive you?

I don't know, man. Wild.

Someone write me a fanfiction about the last Forerunner finding the old ship and something crazy happening.

ANYWAY. That's Fractures. Finally, the deed I promised has been done. I still have other Summaries of Things to complete in my drafts, but this one shall haunt me no more.

[forgottencoffeemugs]

untitled [2]

warnings: blood, guns, death

**

“Come on, Vi, you are not allowed to be pouty at a mating ceremony.” Seri’s admonishment was made less effective in that it was delivered alongside a bubbling of laughter as she pulled Vienna’s reluctant form closer to the edge of the dance floor. 

“I am not pouting” Vienna insisted, in a tone of voice that did not help her case. “I’m simply pointing out the fact that you said there would be copious amounts of cake and wine at my disposal if I came to this thing, and yet--” she paused, brows furrowed dramatically as she looked around as if in search of something, “I see neither wine nor cake in my vicinity.”

Seri rolled her eyes, abandoning her attempts to drag her friend any closer to the pulsing lights of the dance floor that took up the majority of the tented space, a vibrant contrast to the soft, warm glow of the rest of the yard, which had been elaborately draped with gauzy white fabric and delicate string lights. The effect was stunning and achingly romantic. Much like the couple it had been designed to celebrate.

Said couple was currently on the edge of the dance floor, eyes only for each other as they swayed in a gentle rhythm that was at odds with the thrumming of the bass heavy track playing over the speakers hidden among several of the trees. Vienna had to force her eyes away after only a moment, the sight lodging a tight knot in her throat. The intimacy of it was a reminder that she herself felt awkward with such displays despite the way they made her heart ache for something so comfortable, so easy.

“Oh, come on.” Seri rolled her eyes. “You’re telling me that gorgeous-ass ceremony wasn’t enough to convince you that it wasn’t a mistake to be my plus-one tonight?” Vienna’s hands were gripped in another attempt to pull her closer to the dancing. 

It wasn’t that she was adverse to dancing, or even to parties. In fact, though she would never admit it to anyone, she quite enjoyed dancing, especially after a drink or three. But the fact of tonight was that she felt like an outsider among this crowd of people who all moved around each other with the ease of family. A feeling that was not helped by the knowledge that she was likely one of the very few humans, if not the only human, at the celebration. 

This fact didn’t come as a surprise. Vienna knew what she was getting into when she was finally persuaded into accompanying her best friend to the mating ceremony of the local celestial leader, Mikael Esperanza. However, it had been a surprise to learn that Alyssa Noel--now Alyssa Noel-Esperanza--the woman who had just made official her mating to said leader happened to be one of Seri’s best childhood friends, and was the reason an elaborate invitation to the most talked about event of the year had arrived at their shared apartment a handful of weeks ago.

“I’m not saying it wasn’t a touching ceremony,” Vienna grumbled, tugging her hands back for a second time. Seri released her easily, though not before letting an exaggerated pout settle onto her lips at the movement. “But I’m not exactly the type to thrive at these kinds of events,” Vienna continued, knocking her hips against Seri’s. “I’m only here to support a certain friend of mine, in case you forgot.”

Seri grinned, and it was the kind of ferociously beautiful smile that had made Vienna’s friend the breaker of more than a few hearts over the years. “And I love you for it. But,” she continued, looping her arm around Vienna’s to pull the shorter girl closer to her side in order to drop a conspiratorial whisper in her ear, “this is also the perfect chance for you to scope out some hotties.” 

Vienna had to roll her eyes at that. Despite her admitted longing for something like what she had glimpsed between Mikael and Alyssa, she also knew that kind of attachment came with real responsibilities. The kind of responsibilities that had made the twenty-two year old shy away from anything beyond the most basic kind of flirting.

“Oh come on, I know that look. A little tipsy flirting is basically the code of conduct for singles at a mating ceremony; it’s almost rude to keep those curves to yourself.” Seri pulled just enough away to run an appreciative eye down Vienna’s body, “I mean damn girl, I know I picked the dress out, but you’re killing it.”

Vienna grumbled at the overt praise and felt her cheeks warm. “Ugh, stop.”

“What, you know I’m right, so don’t even deny it.” Seri turned the full force of her mischievous smirk on Vienna, the kind that had gotten them into more trouble throughout college than Vienna cared to remember. “Besides, as per celestial code of conduct, they’re not ones to kiss and tell.”

This, Vienna knew, was simple fact. Celestials were well-known to be a species that thrived on touch, which was part of the reason they chose to live in close-knit communities. Though, they were also highly private and protective of their own kind, which was the reason those communities were often tucked deep into nature, far from the closest cities that most other species call home. This mating ceremony, for example, despite being considered one of The Events of the year, was strictly invitation-only and was being held in a remote clearing deep into Edgewood Clan territory.

“Seri,” Vienna started, levelling her dearest friend with a cutting look, “I am not hooking up with an Edgewood Celestial.” Seeing that she was about to be met with protest, she continued, “Besides, if you’re going to talk about the code of conduct for singles, then how about you put your money where your mouth is, Ms. Celestial?”

The look that took hold in Seri’s eyes told Vienna she had made a grave error in provoking her wildcard of a friend. “Oh, I am more than happy to demonstrate if it will get your pouty butt on the dance floor.” Her eyes swiveled to the crowd that seemed to pulse with energy in time to the beat that rumbled through the air. She spent a moment scanning before her lips rose in a curve that could only be described as wicked. “In fact, I do believe I’ve spotted the perfect partner to kick off some tipsy flirting.”

Vienna had to laugh at the sudden shift in Seri’s stubbornness, and sent up a silent prayer for the poor soul who would be put under the full force of the pure charm that emanated from her friend. “I’ll leave you to it then.” She gave Seri an encouraging pat on the shoulder. “In the meantime I’m going to track down that cake and wine.”

“Vi,” Seri’s focus was that quickly back on Vienna, her sweet voice dragging out the last vowel in Vienna’s nickname into a plea.

“Hey,” Vienna held up her hands in defense, “how am I supposed to participate in tipsy flirting if I’m not tipsy?” She then dropped the teasing routine they had been playing out for the past several minutes and gave Seri a serious look. “I promise I’ll have fun, but let me do it at my own pace, Ser.”

A moment passed between them, and Vienna wondered what those amber eyes that always saw more than they let on were searching for in that moment. Whatever it was, apparently Seri was satisfied with what she saw, because she broke the tension with a friendly smile and nodded, pushing Vienna toward the direction of the bar.

“Fine, go have your fun. But, Ms. Kincade, remember to save me a dance,” she started to walk away, but paused to blow a kiss over her shoulder, “you are my plus-one after all.”

Vienna shook her head, a wry smile tugging at her lips as she weaved through the dense crowd to settle into a spot at the bar. Noting the bartender’s nod of acknowledgement, Vienna turned so her back leaned against the wood of the bar as she waited to be served. She let her eyes drift over the crowd, taking in the flashes of a hundred different exchanges as she instinctively searched for the one familiar face in the crowd. 

It wasn’t long before a flash of gold caught her attention and Vienna was able to zero in on the sight of Seri being led to the middle of a throng of dedicated dancers by a devastatingly handsome man with a smile that would’ve melted most. But Seri met that searing look with a devastating smile of her own, her dark brown skin glowing so beautifully under the pulsating lights that it was a wonder she didn’t blind the more than a few people who had stopped to stare. 

It wasn’t uncommon for celestials to have that effect, even on each other. Vienna knew from Seri that celestials tended to be more resistant to the startlingly good looks that graced most of their own kind, but there was a reason humans had mistaken the first celestials for angels fallen from heaven, and had named them accordingly.

“Jealous?” A deep voice beside her startled Vienna into looking away from the sight of Seri disappearing into the crowd. She glanced over and took a moment to take in the appearance of the man beside her.

It was the eyes she noticed first. And how could she not? The blue of them was so startlingly bright that they appeared almost to glow under the neon lights that illuminated the bar beside them. Next she took in the classically handsome lines of his face and the carefully styled tumble of honey-blond hair that fell just to the midnight blue collar of his shirt.

“No, just seeing if my friend was successful in her quest.” Vienna replied, trying for cool and composed, but seeming to land impossibly somewhere between flustered and standoffish. 

Though, the man didn’t seem to mind, and he shot her a smile that, despite her best attempts to remain unaffected, made her heart take a little dip in her chest.

“I see, and was she?” His tone was casual, but his eyes were smoldering with the promise of something that Vienna wasn’t used to having directed her way.

Vienna thought of the look on Seri’s face as she had allowed herself to be led away by the handsome man and laughed genuinely at the memory, “Yes, very.”

Those blue eyes seemed to melt and Vienna swore they swirled like water as she watched. “And you?” His voice was reminiscent of a purr, and a distant part of Vienna’s head, the part that hadn’t quite fallen under the spell of this stranger, wondered if the man before her was not celestial at all, but in fact something much more dangerous to a lone human in a crowd of strangers. “Are you on a quest of your own?”

Vienna was trying to find her way through the puddle of her mind to search for a response to that question when suddenly her companion’s head shot to the side to look at something in the distance. Just like that, the spell was broken and Vienna’s thoughts cleared almost immediately. She was just starting to turn her head to follow the gaze of the stranger when she heard the sound that the man’s own senses--that, if she was correct in her assumption, were far more sensitive than her own--must have alerted him to.

At first, Vienna struggled to categorize the sound. Wondering if maybe a car had misfired in the distance. But the screams that pierced the air at that moment had realization slamming into her an instant later.

Gunshots. Those were the sounds of gunshots.

In the following moments, the world seemed to slow down and speed up all at once. Vienna was vaguely aware of the warm hand on her bare shoulder that pushed her down until she was tucked under the overhang of the bar. She was also vaguely aware that she should be searching for the source of the shots so she could take off in the opposite direction. But, in that moment, she found herself searching for only one thing in the sudden surrounding chaos: Seri.

Vienna knew logically that she should turn the opposite direction and follow the crowd that was now attempting to flee to some sort of safety. But logic was a foreign concept in that moment, as a visceral kind of terror dug its claws into her heart. Her body reacted before her mind could catch up. She found herself ripping off the strappy heels attached to her feet so she was unhampered as she sprinted against the flow of people.

Part of her, the part that was processing things much faster than she could consciously keep up with, was aware that some of the people around her were not fleeing, but were instead scanning and moving in an organized fashion that spoke of lethal training. That same part of her somehow registered the knowledge that they must be some of the Edgewood soldiers. Celestials often policed their own kind, maintaining a separate justice from that of humans and several other species. There was a hierarchy for those soldiers, but she knew little about the rules that governed such things.

The rest of her, the part that was currently acting on instinct alone, was desperately scanning for that familiar flash of Seri’s gold dress. She almost gave up hope of finding her among the rush. But, there. A glimpse of gold in the far corner of the tent.

Vienna moved without thinking. Running with a speed she didn’t know she was capable of, she dodged and shoved her way across the space of the tent until she nearly crashed into Seri’s side.

Seri’s wide amber gaze met Vienna’s wild hazel one and an unspoken message passed between them. They rose together and took off, this time following the crowd. 

The sound of gunfire continued to disrupt the night, a disturbing addition to the music that continued to blast over the speakers, forgotten in the panic. The number of shots made Vienna realize that this was the work of more than a single person, and as they ran she noted several groupings of Edgewood soldiers around the clearing as they fought to protect their people, their leader. She noted, with relief, that one of the attackers had already been taken down.

However, it was in that moment of distraction that she failed to notice that Seri’s heel had sunk deep into a soft patch of earth, sending her tumbling to the ground and dragging Vienna with her. They were on their feet again in an instant, but in that instant two things happened that changed Vienna’s world forever.

One, a dark eyed male materialized in the space in front of them. Literally emerging from thin air in a display of the trademark skill of a species that, unlike the warm response given to the celestials, was the fuel of many human nightmares. And that male was holding a piece of heavy metal machinery meant to bring terror to those at the business end of it. Vienna, it seemed, had the honor of experiencing that terror.

Two, in less time than it took to blink, Seri had used the speed graced upon her as a celestial to shift her position. A move, which, to Vienna’s growing horror, placed her in the direct line of fire even as the dark eyed male locked eyes with Vienna and began to shoot.

Vienna screamed.

______________________________________

The scream continued as Vienna hauled herself forward while Seri fell. A startling rush of crimson spilled over in that moment, staining the still shimmering gold. Vienna’s hands automatically found their way over the wound, pressing with as force as she could muster. Amber eyes muted with the haze of pain rolled to meet hers, and cries of disbelief tumbled out of Vienna’s mouth even as she watched those bright, beautiful eyes start to dim.

She was vaguely aware of movement in front of them. The crash of bodies and harsh words as one body disappeared into the night without a trace. But Vienna could only clutch at her best friend as burning crimson continued to spill out over her fingers.

“No no no no, Seri.” Vienna sobbed, her vision blurring over with tears. “NO. You can’t do this, you’re not allowed.” Her voice was nearly unrecognizable to her own ears, the savage intensity of her denial shaping it into something feral. 

Some part of her registered the addition of larger hands over her own, adding additional pressure with little effect. A low voice was in her ear and louder shouts were flying above her, but the words didn’t register. Her focus was only on the mouthed words of the fallen girl below. Vienna’s heart shattered as she made out those words, but refused to accept the reality of them. Even when the spill of crimson slowed. Even when amber eyes faded into nothing. Even when she felt strong hands pull her away and tuck her into the warmth of someone’s side. Even as the word fell away to hollow darkness.

______________________________________

Vienna felt like she was floating. No, that wasn’t quite right. Not floating, but--

Carried. She was being carried.

She fought to open her eyes, but they burned so brutally that she couldn’t seem to find the strength. However, as her mind continued to claw its way out of the darkness, she became aware of more details.

She was being held gently, pressed against a warm chest whose heartbeat was a steady rhythm against her ear. They were walking, but the steps were so smooth she almost couldn’t believe she wasn’t floating through the air. There was a rumble against her ear as if someone was speaking, but she couldn’t make out the words through the ringing in her head.

Her whole body felt strange, her senses returning but not functioning quite right, and there was an odd sensation that hummed over her skin. Almost like a static charge had built over her and was looking for release. But she didn’t have time to even try to make sense of the strange feeling, because all too soon she was pulled back under by the darkness.

______________________________________

Riley watched the woman he had just placed on a bed in one of the spare bedrooms reserved for visiting clan members, and tried to process the events that had just taken place.

Every one of his instincts screamed at him to return to the clearing where a nightmare had just occurred, but the rational part of him knew that there was nothing more for him to do. 

Now it was up to the clan’s healers to mend together their wounded. 

The soldiers had taken out as many of the attackers as they could, and the few who had managed to teleport away were long gone. For now. They would be hunted in the coming days, he thought, knowing that the clan would never rest until every single attacker and the person or group who had sent them were in the ground. For an attack on their people, on their family, during a time of celebrating one of the most sacred events their people had--there was no other choice but complete and total retaliation.

And part of that retaliation, he thought, would hinge on the information that could only be provided by the unconscious woman before him. 

He had noticed her moments before the shots began, standing at the bar speaking with Nol. It had been nothing more than a cursory glance, simple curiosity as to what female had captured his friend’s attention for the night. But something about her had stuck with him--maybe the deep maroon of her dress, maybe the shining pins that had held back the golden brown of her hair--and he kept finding himself catching glimpses of her in the ensuing chaos of the attack. He had been too late, however, in noticing her fall to the ground, in noticing the male who teleported in at that exact moment and opened fire on the other female who had spent the final moments of her life defending her friend.

He was not unaccustomed to violence and pain. His past had prepared him too well for the darker side of the reality of a world of secret wars and bloody power plays. But there had been something in the shattered sound of this woman’s scream that unsettled something within him. Something that still burned heavy somewhere deep in his chest.

He had reacted too slowly to save her friend, but Riley had turned in time to see the moment that passed between the woman before him and the killer in that field. He saw the moment the other male noted something crucial about her and made a split second decision before he teleported away that would be crucial to the clan’s attempts to track down and eliminate those who had dared to target their family.

In that crucial moment, the murderous spectre had decided to dig prickling barbs into the consciousness of the woman who Riley now knew to be a human, with the fragile mental shield to boot. A move meant to turn her into a walking, talking surveillance tool, transmitting everything she heard or saw back to the telepath who placed them there. But, that same tool could be used in reverse if someone knew enough about the method being used. And Riley knew very, very well.

He had made a silent vow there on the field, as he held his hands over the woman’s while she attempted to keep her friend’s life from spilling out. Had reinforced it when he was hit with the full force of her tortured gaze moments before she fell unconscious against him.

He would do everything he could to not only seek vengeance for the clan, but also justice for the woman with amber eyes who had sacrificed everything for a friend.

It was why he had tried to unravel the mental barbs of the trap laid by the killer there on the field, why he had thrown up a protective shield around the human’s mind when the trap proved far too complex to be done on the fly.

Why, even now, as he felt himself slipping into unconsciousness under the crushing weight of mental exertion, that he poured everything he had into making those shields airtight. Nothing would ever again hurt this woman whose screams had shattered something within him too.

**

A/N: This is extremely unedited and, if it ever becomes something more, will likely change A LOT, because I’m not even sure it makes sense. AND THERE ARE WAY TOO MANY COMMAS. But, I’ve committed to logging all of my writing, not just the one’s I’ve tried to polish. So, if you end up reading this, feedback is welcome and wanted!!

masterlist

[puttingfingerstokeys]

[untitled]

Nanowrimo day 25 Featuring Link and a whole mess o’ Gerudo babes Fantasy Legend of Zelda, part of a larger project Finished and unedited

Link swung the blade about by the end of its leather line, the other end of which was attached to his wrist by a metallic ring he could easily slide off over his hand. He reversed the direction of the whirling thing in a practiced movement and then tossed himself over the swinging line as the blade arced itself back around. Jerking the line once, hard, he forced the blade into yet another arc, high over his head, pulling in the slack and snatching the handle as it whipped back toward him. A chorus of cheers and wolf whistling resounded from the fence whereupon several Gerudo were perched, each one making some lewd gesture or pumping the air with her fist. 

Link blushed, the heat of the desert sun having done plenty to warm his complexion already, but the red of his cheeks showing vividly nevertheless. This only prompted more whooping and cheers. One of the women actually fell off the fence and the rest of them began jeering at her, instead, taking their eyes and attention momentarily off the Hylian. He sighed heavily and allowed his thick shoulders to sag a bit, his gaze drifting down to the strange new weapon in his hand.

It had been a mere day since he had been handed the blade and briefly instructed how to use it. He had awoken at dawn this morning and had begun practicing it near the archery range behind the fortress. His instructor had not even bothered showing him anything more than how to hold and attach it. She had underestimated him. 

The Hylian had suffered a few cuts and bumps as he learned to properly anticipate the tug and heft of the sword-on-a-line, the Gerudo name for which he could not have pronounced even if the gift of speech had been one in his repertoire. It was not and so he thought of it as SOAL, internally pronouncing it “soul”, which worked well because the instructor had informed him that this blade would need to become a part of him if he was going to use it properly. 

He held the sword in two hands and allowed his gaze to drift up the beautifully layered, red rocks of Gerudo Valley toward the blue sky overhead. There were no clouds and the sun shone mercilessly down on all of them and their dry abode. The Gerudo had engineered aqueducts and fountains to provide places for them to cool their bodies and their horses, but the desert and its dry, grit-blasting wind was unforgiving and eternal. 

It was hardly a wonder, therefore, that the warriors who occupied this place were of such an elite caste. Every single Gerudo knew how to wield a blade, a spear, a bow, and was a master equestrian. Their way of life demanded it. Mistakes in the desert meant death. Hyrulean peoples had no idea how simple and lush their lives were compared to this place.

Yet Link had never felt more at home. Even with the Kokiri, there had been a sense of otherness, confirmed on his seventh birthday, when he had finally received a fairy, only to find out mere days later, after destroying the curse within the Great Deku Tree, that he was not a Kokiri at all. Everywhere he had ever set food, he had been an outcast, different from everyone in the crowd, a spectacle. 

Here, he was different in form only, but not function. Link was a warrior. The Gerudo were also warriors. They could exchange much by way of single combat and even war games. This was their fellowship, the desert, their altar, with the Colossus looking over them all in silent approval. 

“Strength,” one of the Gerudo once told him, “is not in your arms, or your legs.” She had gestured at each part of him as she spoke. “It is not in your body, but your heart.” She had made a fist and thumped her own chest for emphasis. “Strength comes from here and gives you the will to lift your blade for your friends, your family, your home… for a heavy sack of rupees.” This last had been accompanied by a deep chuckle. 

The mercenary life suited the Gerudo and Link thought it would have suited him, except that he was a liability if he left the fortress. Staying cooped up here was made easier by the learning of new weapons and techniques, by completing the Trials over and over, by racing Epona up and down the archery field, scoring as many bullseyes as possible. The Gerudo themselves did their best to assist him, but there was only so much for such an accomplished warrior to do. 

He was getting bored, going stir-crazy. From childhood, the Hylian had been built for adventure. He had thought this would be his greatest. In a way, of course, it was. He was seeing an ancient culture up close, learning their ways and means, their cuisine and customs, and in a way few (if any) had done in an age. Link was hardly ungrateful. They had shown him more respect than just about anyone in Hyrule, Zelda included. 

“Link!” One of the Gerudo’s voice cut through the laughter, which had only now begun to taper off. “Lunch is on! Come with us!”

As if it understood her, Link’s stomach snarled voraciously and he patted it as if to soothe some beast. The one who had called to him laughed and gestured him over. The others were pulling themselves up out of the dirt from a wrestling match that had begun. They were brushing off and patting one another amiably on the back, dust flying as they did so. The sight of their camaraderie brightened his mood significantly. It was for his safety, he knew, and for a greater cause that he stayed here, isolated and hidden from the eyes of Hyrule Castle. 

As they made their way down the hill, Link considered this and resolved to stick it out as long as necessary. What other option had he, after all? He had always been a pack mule to the greater good. Why change his stripes. This time, at least, the goal seemed a little less nebulous and there might actually have been an end in sight, if what he had been told was true. 

Nearing the entrance to the communal hall where all meals took place, the scent of delicious, spiced meats and rice floated out to the boisterous group and only enticed them to more antics. The guards who had been on duty looked on in envy as the girls who had gone up to watch Link practice moved by. More than once, they were forced to bar entrance to one of the Gerudo who was a little dirtier than acceptable at the table. They would gesture sharply toward the bath house and the girl would slump off, muttering to herself about starving in the meantime. Her retreat was usually greeted with more jeering, catcalls, and of course, the eyerolls of the guards. 

It was a joyous, musical, rhythmic society in which Link found himself. There was always some kind of drum or stringed instrument being played. Today, someone had settled herself atop the fortress itself and was plucking something jaunty out on an instrument Link did not recognize. Maybe he would learn how to play whatever that was once his instructor with the SOAL cleared him.

He did not think that would take long. Among Link’s many talents was that of weapon mastery. He hardly had to see a weapon to understand its use and, with a little proper instruction, he was deadly. Link had the potential to be a one-man army, but for the former part of that title: he was just one man. He wanted desperately to prove himself worthy to stand alongside the Gerudo in a true battle, but knew that the only opponent they would have to meet them on the field of combat was the Hylian army and he dreaded fighting them, his people.

As much as the Gerudo had become his kin, he was still attached to his heritage and the strange, pseudo mystery of it. He was Hylian and yet not, a denizen of the green fields and lush forests of Hyrule, and yet something altogether else. It was difficult for him to encompass in his mind, but his heart knew the truth. 

And his heart said stay put.

He passed the threshold of the red stone hall, glancing upward to appreciate the multi-colored feathers which had been refreshed to properly adorn the beast skull which hung there. He was appreciative of the Gerudo decorating sensibilities. LIke everything else about them, each piece of adornment was aesthetic and functional. It was ancient Gerudo tradition to hang beast skulls above all entrances, to ward off evil spirits. The desert was vast and held plenty of those and Link had yet to see one within the fortress walls, which had convinced him of the validity of this particular belief. 

Within, more than fifty Gerudo warriors sat around the tables, eating, conversing, arguing, eating some more, and generally raising a cacophony. This was every meal in the communal hall, boisterous and lively. In one corner, true to form, three women sat around a circle of drums and beat out a tantalizing rhythm. A few others danced in line, waiting for their food. “Music aids digestion,” a Gerudo had told him on the first day he had spent with them. He was soon lost in the crowd, content to drive amongst the noise and joyous conversation and food. These are my people, he thought as he finally settled at a table to eat. 

[acuppellarp]

Welcome to A Cup-pella, Jeanne! We’re excited to have you and Harmony Pearce in the game! Please go through the checklist to make sure you’re ready to go and send in your account within the next 24 hours. 

OOC INFO

Name + pronouns: Jeanne, She/Her Age: 24 Timezone: EST Ships: /chemistry Anti-Ships: /forced

IC INFO

Full Name: Harmony Estelle Pearce Face Claim: Lindsay Pearce Age/Birthday: 23; December 19th, 1993 Occupation: Waitress, actress for the Untitled Abrams Project Personality: Passionate, driven, talkative, obnoxious, egocentric, eager, pushy Hometown: Chicago, IL Bio:

Harmony Pearce’s first arts and crafts project was a miniature Tony award. No, seriously; she crafted it out of super glue, popsicle sticks, and a very heavy-handed pair of safety scissors, and then stood up in her little plastic chair to proclaim her masterpiece and acceptance speech to the entirety of her preschool class. It’s still sitting on the mantle of her mother’s fireplace to this day, acting as a reminder of what Harmony has been gearing up for since before she was even born. Estelle Pearce was an actress herself, or at least an attempted one. She’d moved from Chicago to LA in her young 20s to try and garner a career, only to return home with nothing more than a few roles as an extra, and a pregnancy she had never planned for. As such, it should come as no surprise that she opted to live out her own failed dreams vicariously through her child. Estelle knew her daughter was going to be famous — it’s why she submitted a copy of Harmony’s ultrasound to appear on Murder, She Wrote, and effectively scored her unborn child’s first acting role.

It only went up from there, with Harmony gaining more roles for her resume before she could walk, including (what she’s dubbed) the honor of having her baby picture plastered on glass jars as the Gerber baby. As she grew older, she was enrolled in as many classes as her mother could afford: voice, ballet, tap, piano… nothing was too much for her and Harmony took to performing like a fish to water. With never having known her father and Estelle quickly taking on the part of manager before mother, Harmony’s entire life has been groomed for one thing: Broadway.

Her childhood and teen years were spent auditioning for as many local shows as she could manage while still going to school, adding more and more credits for her (and Estelle, who eventually insisted on Harmony calling her by her first name) to brag about. Her title in high school was “that one annoying choir girl”, which made friendships difficult, but Estelle assured her that those sort of things would only get in the way of her ultimate goal. Still, being a teenage girl who spent most of her time with her mother  and on stage lead to obvious loneliness, which in turn helped bring about Harmony’s rather… for lack of a better word, obnoxious personality. She’d be loud and boisterous in an attempt to gain people’s attention so that they would like her, a trait that’s carried over into her adulthood and went over well with her theatre friends, but in high school? Not so much.

Moving to New York wasn’t so much an achievement as it was an expectation, with her mother selling their home in Illinois almost as soon as Harmony graduated high school. For Estelle, it was one step closer to her daughter’s name being displayed on Broadway marquees. For Harmony, it was a chance to start over. New York was the city of dreams, and while her top dream was, and always has been, to be a leading lady, moving seemed like it was finally a chance for her to live a life of her own. This wasn’t as easy as she’d hoped, since it felt like every time she may had been able to reach out and get to know the city on a personal level, her mother was dragging her to yet another audition. She received a bit extra part here and there in off- and off-off-broadway shows, but most of Harmony’s time was spent working as a waitress to save up money of her own.

When she was finally able to move out from under Estelle’s roof (though not from underneath her mother’s over-bearing presence and constant voicemails and calls about possible auditions), Harmony truly felt free. She found an apartment, a roommate, and even found herself with a regular acting gig. Admittedly, it’s on YouTube and she’s only a supporting role, but that’s not the point. The point is that she did it all on her own, and Harmony has now shifted her goal: to make it big, but to do it on her own terms. With her talent, motivation, and, shall we say, exuberant personality, Harmony knows she’ll make herself proud one day. In the meantime, she’ll stay loving her life and the people in it, in all her loud-mouthed, optimistic glory.

Pets: One very grump tabby cat, affectionately named Catti LuPurrne. Catti LuPurrne lost an eye in an alley fight before Harmony adopted her, making her look even meaner, but Harmony will literally sing praises about how much a sweetheart she is. Really, she just doesn’t trust most people and spends her days primarily on Harmony’s bed, but if she likes you she’ll let you scratch behind her ears — okay, that’s enough ear scratching human, you may leave now.

Relationships:

The Untitled Abrams Project

Harmony is still working to get a feel for her fellow show-mates, having only recently joined the cast as Sylvia Allen, but she has high hopes! She never really had many friends growing up, so she’s kept her fingers crossed that she can win them over one by one. If that happens to be in the form of bringing freshly (bought) baked goods for every read and recording, well then… Harmony isn’t above that tasty form of bribery.

Blair Anderson

Admittedly, meeting one of your neighbors via impromptu duets performed through the walls of your back-to-back showers isn’t really conventional, but Harmony isn’t at all what people would call conventional in the first place. When they met properly under the guise of Harmony needing to borrow a cup of sugar, it was game over in terms of her clinginess. Harmony considers Blair to be one of her first genuine friends, and will gladly drop everything (save for the mic. sound equipment is not a toy!) to spend time with her

EXTRA INFO

twitter name/twitter url/description: Mini Bernadette Peters / @harmonyinrepose / life’s too short to not love glitter

Five latest tweets:

@harmonyinrepose: JASON MRAZ TO JOIN CAST OF WAITRESS. REPEAT, JASON MRAZ. WAITRESS. THIS IS NOT A DRILL. #CACHMEATTICKETMASTERHOWBOUTDAH @harmonyinrepose: A little girl came up to me at the park today and asked if I was a Disney Princess. I hope she enjoyed the medley she got as a thank you!! @harmonyinrepose: fun fact: my alarm is the theme song to Fame #wakeupwithapurpose #remembermyname @harmonyinrepose: half my paycheck is going towards BBW fall-themed candles and I’m not ashamed @harmonyinrepose: i’m sorry NY, you have my heart but Chicago has my stomach #deepdishallday

[gunboatbaylodge]

Filming in Vancouver: Miranda Sings, Riverdale, Janelle Monáe, Steve Carrell, and more

Gasp! Singer-songwriter Janelle Monáe is scheduled to come to Vancouver to star in an untitled movie directed by Robert Zemeckis.

This week, a stoner-gamer movie and TV show about a talentless geek wrap up their shows. But there’s more on the horizon, with two new TV series coming, along with a feature film.

(That includes some news about changes for the cast of Riverdale for Season 2.)

Curious? Well, let’s take a peek at what’s happening in Hollywood North this week and in the weeks to come.

For starters, it’s game over for Game Over, Man! The action-comedy Netflix flick wraps up production tomorrow (June 6), after starting back on April 12.

Workaholics

The Workaholics trio—Adam Devine, Anders Holm, and Blake Anderson—star as three friends who are about to sign a huge financial deal for the funding of their video game when their investor is kidnapped by terrorists.

The cast also includes Jere Burns (Justified) and Mac Brandt (Kingdom).

It’s directed by Kyle Newacheck (also of Workaholics fame) and produced by Seth Rogen, Evan Goldberg, and more.

It won’t be released until April 20, 2018 but in the meantime, there’s this to whet your appetite.

Better Things is in town for one week shooting one episode for its second season. The TV series, created by Pamela Adlon and comedian Louis C.K., started filming on June 1 and wraps up on Wednesday (June 7).

Better Things

The comedy-drama TV series follows the challenges a single mother (played by Adlon) faces as a working actress in Hollywood who is also raising three girls on her own. (Unfortunately, she hasn’t found her Mr. Brady—yet.)

Colleen Ballinger plays Miranda Sings

Meanwhile, Miranda Sings is at the end of her song—for Season 2.

Haters Back Off completes production today (June 5), having started back on April 13.

The series is based on the YouTube character Miranda Sings (created by and played by Colleen Ballinger), and explores the family life of the undertalented, hyperconfident, socially inept gal as she fumbles her way toward stardom.

The much less lipstick challenged Colleen Ballinger.

The cast also includes Steve Little, Angela Kinsey, Erik Stocklin, and Francesca Reale.

Luckily for fans in town, Ballinger recently performed on stage in Vancouver as Miranda Sings on May 6.

Six

Although those two production are leaving town, as for other upcoming projects coming to this city, there’s a lot to look forward.

The TV series Six will commence shooting its second season on June 17 and continue until November 23.

The action-drama series follows U.S. Navy SEAL Team Six on a secret mission to eliminate a Taliban leader in Afghanistan but face complications when their team leader is captured by a terrorist group. They put aside their differences to locate their troop leader, but along the way, they discover an American citizen working with terrorists.

Six

The cast includes Barry Sloane, Kyle Schmid, Juan Pablo Raba, Edwin Hodge, Brianne Davis, Nadine Velazquez, Dominic Adams, and Walton Goggins.

The series filmed in North Carolina and California for Season 1 but, luckily for us, it’s relocating to Vancouver for Season 2.

Riverdale

Another TV series gearing up to shoot its second season will be Riverdale.

The teen drama will start production on June 22 and run all the way until March 21, 2018.

As a reality-based adaptation of the traditionally wholesome classic comicbook, Riverdale takes the characters of Archie and recasts them in a much, much darker (and more mature) light.

The series stars KJ Apa as Archie, Lili Reinhart as Betty, and Camila Mendes as Veronica.

Ashleigh Murray

The cast also includes Marisol Nichols, Madelaine Petsch, Ashleigh Murray, and Mädchen Amick.

But there’s some casting news and switch-a-roos to take note of for this upcoming season.

Casey Cott

Two recurring characters have been promoted to series regulars for the second season: Skeet Ulrich (Law & Order: LA), who plays the mysterious father of Jughead (Cole Sprouse), and Casey Cott, who plays the openly gay Kevin Keller.

(Ulrich has also been in Vancouver shooting the TV movie I Am Elizabeth Smart.)

Skeet Ulrich

Mark Consuelos will join the cast and debut as Veronica’s father.

Meanwhile, Charles Melton will take over the character of Reggie from Ross Butler (who is working on the TV series 13 Reasons Why).

Charles Melton

The series has also included some familiar faces from former teen shows from the 1980s, including Luke Perry (Beverly Hills, 90210), Robin Givens (Head of the Class), and Molly Ringwald (Pretty in Pink).

Luke Perry

In other news, an Untitled Robert Zemeckis Project will shoot in town from August 14 to September 28.

It’s based on the 2010 documentary Marwencol, in which a man builds a miniature Second World War village as a therapeutic means to help him recover from a brutal assault.

Janelle Monáe

The productions will bring along some notable names to star in it, including Janelle Monáe (Hidden Figures), Steve Carrell (Foxcatcher), Leslie Mann (The Bling Ring), Eiza González (From Dusk Till Dawn: The Series).

Steve Carrell

While we wait for those productions to arrive, there’l be plenty of other ones coming and going form the streets of Hollywood North so be sure to check back in with us again for more updates.

Inside Vancouver Blog

[relativity-school-blog]

TV Upfronts: What You Need to Know

Upfront is a term used in the television industry, which describes a group of gatherings at the start of important advertising sales periods, held by television network executives and attended by major advertisers and the media. It is so named because of its main purpose, to allow marketers to buy television commercial airtime "up front", or several months before the television season begins.

Now that the upfront are underway for the fall, stay in the know for what is getting greenly and talked about thanks to the Hollywood Reporter:

ABC

With roaster Jimmy Kimmel sitting out this year's May 16 Lincoln Center meet-up, the star of ABC will be the newly revived American Idol — in whatever form ABC Entertainment president Channing Dungey and boss Ben Sherwood are ready to show it off. (A full Idol talent announcement, initially hoped for, is now said to be unlikely — as NBC reality czar Paul Telegdy cleverly snatched up Idol alums Kelly Clarkson and Jennifer Hudson for The Voice.) Fox's former flagship is expected to get a big cross-brand push from ABC parent Disney, one that is going to steal scripted thunder (and real estate) come midseason. Meanwhile, the search intensifies for a Modern Family replacement. ABC's top player was commissioned for two more (likely final) seasons, and an untitled Zach Braff comedy is so far the most appealing addition. Drama has bigger holes, with Shonda Rhimes' Scandal officially set to end next season and Grey's Anatomy now mocking the Grim Reaper. "They have to launch a drama not produced by Shonda," bemoans one insider. Of course, there will be more Rhimes (see legal drama For the People, a replacement for axed sophomore The Catch) and another Marvel swing (The Inhumans). ABC, more than most, will tout multiplatform audiences. But relatively modest ratings declines (down 11 percent) aren't of concern to plenty of buyers who favor ABC's penetration in top markets and its recognizable aesthetic. Says Campanelli, "You know an ABC show when you see one."

CBS

Entertainment president Glenn Geller is on medical leave (industry rumors now swirl about whether he'll return at all), so he won't be the one downplaying the network's senior-skewing status come May 17. Or, for that matter, dancing around a 12 percent audience falloff. Moonves is the ringmaster in his place, capping off a pilot season that one agent says has seen the hands-on CEO "more involved since before [former network topper] Nina Tassler." Orders of nearly identical S.W.A.T. and SEAL Team reflect, as one source describes, a desire for "more serious drama" than light mainstays NCIS and its spinoffs. But at least one buyer polled says he's skipping the Carnegie Hall presentation. "Yeah, they're the most watched and pretty stable, but these are not desirable shows from a buzz standpoint," he explains. "That kind of tempers their standing." Speaking of buzz: Anyone who does pass will miss an appearance by a resurgent Stephen Colbert, golden boy once more.

Fox

While the Super Bowl and World Series have proved a nice distraction for the No. 2 network, Fox originals are down 24 percent with adults 18-to-49 — and insiders are feeling the pressure from execs at the highest level, who, sources say, haven't hidden their frustrations about the network's performance. There has been a handful of recent staff departures, and heading into screenings there were rumblings about the possibility of more changes underneath Fox TV Group chairmen and CEOs Dana Walden and Gary Newman. In the meantime, the longtime partners will hit the Beacon Theatre on May 15 to remind buyers of how well that X-Files reboot (now returning for another 10 episodes) did in 2016 and to tout potential for a Grease repeat with live stagings of A Christmas Story and Rent. The new crop, featuring an anticipated X-Men drama from Marvel and an X-Files-esque comedy starring Adam Scott and Craig Robinson, faces extra scrutiny after several seemingly safe bets (24 reboot Legacy) from last upfronts fell flat. "Empire worked for them, but their [other] dramas have been in big trouble," says another rep. Which explains the surprise return of cable kingpin Ryan Murphy, whose 911 drama with Angela Bassett has no shortage of heat.

NBC

Ownership above all else is the de facto trend, but nowhere is that on display more this upfront than at NBC. When doling out new series orders, Jason Katims' Rise and the Will & Grace revival among them, the first pilots to get the kiss-off were all from independent studios. NBC didn't pick up a single new show that was not made by sister Universal Television, while putting a further profit squeeze on some returning series from outside. Sources say Warner Bros. TV paid $20 million and ceded partial Blindspot ownership to ensure its renewal. (Sony TV at one point offered $15 million, per sources, to save briefly canceled and higher-rated Timeless — but the network finally agreed, sans pay-out, for a shortened season two for spring or summer 2018.) "It's become a business increasingly motivated more by finance than potential audience, and that's more acutely true if you are an outside producer," says one studio insider. Not that ad buyers will notice. Some, however, lament NBC's lack of cohesive programming — what is "an NBC show," anyway? — though that clearly is not the case with The Voice and one very hot freshman series. "We'll be talking a lot about This Is Us," says NBCUniversal ad sales chairman Linda Yaccarino, who takes the stage alongside NBC chairman Bob Greenblatt on May 15 at Radio City Music Hall. "Appointment television had become a phrase of the past, but that's really changed for us with this show." Another narrative: The NBC formula is working — at least from Nielsen's perspective. It's the only broadcast network with a strong ratings story, down a mere 5 percent in the key demo compared with the previous season. That will make it the only one with a legitimate claim during all the false choruses of "We're No. 1!"

The CW

Traditional TV tune-in down 25 percent among adults 18-49, Mark Pedowitz will close out the broadcast presentations May 18 with, one would expect, some sexy streaming stats. Nonlinear views, after all, are the reason modest performers like Riverdale occupy the scant available real estate on the youth-centric net. But a pressing concern for advertisers will be that sizzle for Black Lightning. Pedowitz had promised a CW moratorium on new superhero shows, but the forthcoming Mara Brock and Salim Akil-produced adaptation makes DC Comics series No. 6 at the network. That's enough to fill 60 percent of one week's schedule — which, by the way, is also getting a Dynasty reboot. Millennials won't know what hit them.

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