#alas. i do not have the episode files....

[naivety]

For if not…

[sskk-manifesto]

And so the big sskk shortage begins (no sskk for the next 15 episodes) (and the sskk episode coming after kind of sucks)

[roccinan]

My theory after learning it's in 2013: Probably he already knows Martín and the gold plan is there as an idea (you know, he told sergio when he arrived at the monastery about "old plan of stealing gold"), but they are not rushing it, since they don't know about andrés' illness. They are not always together, doing each their own work too. (i think, even if nairobi's comment about martin loving andrés for 10 years is wrong, they met before 2013... or idk - was martin a crazy stalker watching andrés for 10 years?) this paris heist was planned by damián mostly as i understood it. but if there is a s2, andrés has to learn about his illness and start the gold plan again. but where did damián go? did he retire? the ending suggests he will be part of the next heist... what about jakov and his strong loyalty towards andrés? at least bogota's story is not confusing...

At this point, we have nothing to prove your theory wrong, anon XD Maybe Martin and Andres were truly just extremely lazy procrastinators so Andres had time to do 100 heists on the side while Martin's attending orgies every day.

But I'm also dying at the idea of Martin being some crazy stalker who was secretly hiding in some corner peeping on Andres in every shot of the spinoff asdfasdf It fits in with the spinoff's view on romance tbh

I understood it as Andres coming up with the idea and Damian figuring out how to do it (so again Andres contributes the least to his own heist lmao). In s2, unless there's a major timeskip I don't think Andres has to learn about his illness since he didn't learn about it until the time he met Tatiana. Like you, I was also confused about Damian becoming part of the next heist because it means we'll see the same gang again, which means we have no idea why none of these people were in lcdp.

Like, did Damian die? retire? get sick of Andres? and ditto on Jakov! When and where did Andres meet a retired HITMAN, and what did he do that was so important that Jakov pledged undying loyalty to him, his brother, and his legacy??? That's such an interesting story I can't believe Pina ignored it for giving Andres a new group of people (and then not elaborating on who these people are to him, with the exception of Roi, whose relationship with Andres also went sidelined in favor of a romance with a new character).

Bogota proves to be the best cormorant once again by not confusing the shit out of us asdfasdf

[frogsmulder]

Wait there's a txf porn movie!?

Ahhh ahahah yeah. I think there's two actually.... Lemme. Okay do there is at least two, maybe three that I know of. I've only seen the first one but there's a cut of the sequel with all the sex scenes removed that's on YouTube. And if it's anything like the first one. Then the plot is better than some actual x files episodes.

I know for the first one there was a lot of attention to detail, like there is a title sequence and one of the shots is the porn actors walking into a room with flashlights ala tooms. Just for the title sequence, it doesn't appear in the movie. Then they have a shot panning down from the pencils in the office ceiling to mulder at his desk. They have star and time stamps for crime scene investigations that say 10:13am Carter Drive. Mulder makes inappropriate quips at crime scenes that are actually quite funny, and Scully tells mulder he can't break into a house because the evidence will be void. It even has a Skinner/Arlene sex scene which is really funny. But probably the best part is when Mulder and Scully finally get together, Mulder goes down on Scully while romantic music plays in the background.

There are just so many details it is genuinely a work of art.

[randomfoggytiger]

With the help of your analysis, I started wondering if CSM and the syndicate chose Scully to be a "mole" in hopes of one day turning her into one of them as they did with Krycek.

Perhaps, because of their knowledge of Mulder's penchant for porn, they thought that she could be a distraction and a wrench in his plans. Once they could turn or initiate her, afterall she was young and relatively inexperience and possibly easily influenced (at least in their eyes), she could help manipulate Mulder ala Diana. They didn't expect Scully to be as strong-willed and connect to Mulder as she did.

I wonder what the plan was with Mulder and Scully had Gillian not gotten pregnant. I think I read that one of the writers or directors wanted to create some angst between them by having them turn against one another at some point. I could be wrong.

Another issue that my brain was trying to reconcile is who is the "boss"? Is Mulder technically Scully's "boss" or manager and is that why he seems to order her around. OR, is Scully technically the boss since she begins by monitoring him and reporting back about his doings to CSM/Belvins? I know they are supposed to be "partners" and on equal ground, but are they. Honestly, no matter what, Scully is in control because she has Mulder wrapped around her tiny little fingers.

Okay, let's answer this in chunks! >:DDD

Neither Mulder nor Scully is the boss. They both report to Skinner, and he holds them equally accountable for mistakes made on the files. If Mulder had been "the department head" in anything other than name/title only, then he would have had a lot more one-sided punishment from Skinner for the basement's escapades: hierarchy and rank bring require more responsibility. Which is what Mulder wanted to avoid (amongst other things-- like spies. Speaking of which:)

I think the Syndicate had a different goal than CSM for assigning Scully.

Blevins thought they could reign Mulder in; and his groupies constantly raged at CSM's or Deep Throat's interference whenever Mulder was "saved" or bailed out from various scrapes. They wanted Scully to debunk his work: Blevins admitted as much in Pilot. If they wanted to sexually distract Mulder from the files, they wouldn't have thought to recruit-- or let CSM recruit-- Diana Fowley out.

CSM kept trying to thwart or kill Mulder in Season 1-3; but canon rewrote that motivation in Musings of a Cigarette Smoking Man to become one of deep curiosity and interest. In Season 4, we learned he sent Scully down because she would complement Mulder's work and hopefully lead that doe-y eyed younger man closer to the Truth-- specifically, to what CSM believed was the Truth: his beliefs and goals, his Syndicate. In Season 6, he lamented that Jeffrey was a lame buzzkill and not comparable at all to "Bill Mulder's son." It's not until Amor Fati-- David Duchovny's episode, really-- that we were given a more cogent reason for CSM's actions: he is more than willing to sacrifice Mulder for his own selfish gain. "Every man just wants to live a normal life" (loosely quoted) was what CSM believes, for himself and for Mulder; and we saw him constantly get mixed up with women left and right-- Tena Mulder, Cassandra Spender, Diana Fowley, nearly Scully-- trying to find a snippet of that normal life (the opposite of Mulder and Tena Mulder and Bill Mulder's strategy.) It's also in Amor Fati that CSM influences Mulder to wonder if Carl is his father-- an idea canon left mostly on the back burner the entire show. Here, we realize he wanted to draw Mulder to "the Truth" not for Mulder's benefit but for his own: either to join his side, or to leech off his brain (metaphorically and literally) like a parasite.

Mulder's pornography/phone sex is very different than an actualized sexual relationship with a woman; and the Syndicate, I believe, factored in that difference. As previously mentioned, the Consortium would have been aware that Mulder recruited his own girlfriend onto the files when he discovered them. Yet, they chose to-- or allowed CSM to, which I think is the case-- pull Diana away with an elevated position in Europe. Blevins and the group explicitly sent Scully in to debunk and humiliate Mulder's work. They could have chosen anyone else, including a planted spy; but they didn't feel the need because they thought it would be a one-and-done case-- that Scully would wrap her partner up tight and deliver him for slaughter. Further, I think they selected Scully because she was an excellent agent who, they assumed, wouldn't respect Mulder or his theories... and she inadvertently reinforced that impression by calling him "Spooky Mulder" in Blevins's office (after that exchange is when she was told about the job.)

Those are my thoughts, anyway.

[5yours-yours2]

Season 2 Theories

Possessions. Jon and Elias, the eye and the thing from angler fish respectively.

Not Sasha. Large part of season 2, table too. Tim involved?

Jon and Martin. Jon's paranoid, I am worried about what happened in the panic room because bonding might be broken. This will most definitely effect martin for the worse, leading to later problems.

Gertrude's death. Reasons Jons paranoid, gonna have to do with martin (as listed above), Dreamer says it was violent, three shots to the chest.

The Church of the Divine Host. The eye? Unsure of its connection to anything. Please note: the man burning. Edwin Burroghs possession was a ceremony in session? Kathy unscrewing lightbulbs and the spinach-like substance.

Jergen Leitneir. Fuck this guy, rich ass pimp, going to be the deaths of way to many (almost surely innocent) people. The tomb and under the building.

Tims dying. Only character w/out side plot (so far, Not Sasha? Unsure.) All signs point to yes.

New characters? Maybe Melanie King??? Unsure.

The sky???? Maybe????????? Unsure.

Beacon and Hope Deliveries. In two episodes, will be important. The delivery men from 35, was it? Coffin reappearance?

Places to remember. 93 Lancaster Rd, Hilltop Rd, St. Thomas Hospital,

The family with straight faces. Related to 34? (Thoughts are going to 24 as well, but doubtful.) Unsure.

Lost Johns Cave. Unsure of connections, has to do with the dark, like the guy from angler fish, amogst other things.

Major Tom. He better show up or I'm throwing HANDS. The spider on the shelf that Jon broke? Jon has Arachnophobia, has to do with this episode? Unsure.

The Meat. Where did the man upstairs get it from? Has to do with the Killing Floor?

The Circus of the Other (specifically Nikolai Oretsev) Unsure of its connections, but will be important.

Micheal, has to do w Not Sasha? I am almost positive there are more of him.

The spirit haunting Paul Macenzie, unsure of connections, possibly 24?

Death. Unsure of its connection to the main plot, but death is a largely feared thing. so will be connected somehow I believe.

Jon's fear. Connected to Martin somehow? He has a fear of many a thing.

The Hiker. Or, more accurately, The Hunter. Unsure of its connections but will be important to something.

The crew of the Tundra. Possible connections are as follows; The Church of the Divine Host, other sacrifice cult things?

Gertrude's filings. She solved it and thats how they were filed. By major plot lines (or…fears)

The sickness. similar to the man upstairs? Unsure. Trevor makes and appearance however and might reappear?

The Vase. Or, more accurately, the creature within it. I am unsure of its connections to the main plot but it will reappear in artifact storage

Mikilaie Sailsa. No i didnt spell that right but alas. He is the keeper of things that are 'lost' in my opinion. Connected to Leitner. Sold table to Graham? Unsure.

No more Jane. No more worms. Please.

[toomanywatchers]

Why I Love Travel Season’s Editing Style:

Okokok- I already made a post stating my love for Travel Season after my first initial watch-through of the first two episodes, but I have more to say. Last night, I could not stop rewatching these episodes. Possibly because I am just over the moon seeing Steven, Andrew, and Adam back in action in a show created 100% by them, and where they are allowed to make it their way- BUT there is another reason I could not stop watching it. All do in part of the editing style.

As a self-taught (and soon to be academically-taught) video editor, my favorite thing when watching digital media is seeing what techniques and styles creators use to convey an overall concept to their videos/shows. Some of the more detail-oriented editing I see in today's climate of internet content comes from Watcher's shows. For instance, Mystery Files with the corkboard graphics. Are You Scared of the hand-drawn art from illustrators Mollie Ong and Rafael Mejia. Dish Granted with the use of circle cutouts and white negative spaces. Weird Wonderful World with its cartoon sound effects and stylistic graphics/music to fit whatever atmosphere the boys are in. Puppet History with the motion graphics being put within the confines of the puppet theatre and just everything that goes into the post-production process of the lore events of that show. I could go on, but I might end up writing a whole novel in the process.

Plus, this is about Travel Season... so let's talk about Travel Season.

I was barely 5 minutes into the first episode when I realized just how different Travel Season stands out against anything Watcher has ever created. The overall vibes of the show are calm, peaceful, comforting, and relaxed. The whole show feels like I am watching an old family home video made in the 90s with a camcorder. This style of content that isn't constantly moving at a fast pace and in your face would not perform well in the YouTube algorithm, and I am glad that Watcher was able to launch their own platform to make shows like Travel Season because gosh, this is the kind of content I miss. Oversaturation and pleasing the algorithm can only go a long way as a creative, trust me.

Anywho- back to editing. I am going to point out just some of my favorite editing details that were showcased in the first two episodes of Travel Season. Starting off with probably my favorite scene from both episodes:

This small clip highlights many of my favorite details of the post-production of Travel Season. The first detail I brought up in my previous post involves The Brick aka the camera. The concept of The Brick ties in with what Meredith, Watcher's Development Coordinator, said in Pod Watcher episode #23 about physical hobbies. Something that we can create in a physical sense that does not belong to a digital realm ala the internet/social media. The idea of having a functional prop with The Brick can tie a whole show aesthetic together, but in this case, The Brick also aids in the post-production allowing the team to make smooth-flowing transitions. What I mean is sometimes, especially with a show like Travel Season where they cover many different locations/activities in one video, finding a perfect, easy-flowing transition can be difficult. Jump cuts can be useful in certain cases to hit a comedic mark or shock the viewer, but that is not the overall vibe of Travel Season. The pictures taken on The Brick from their work tripe an easily organized B-roll for harder transition points and simple things such as finding Seoul provide space for much-needed voiceovers for context.

Another editing point that is provided in this clip is the audio. Watcher has never missed the mark regarding audio choices and the addition of sound effects in their work. Sometimes people think that when editing, the editor finds a song that fits and slaps it on the timeline, but here showcases the idea of editing for the environment. What really stuck out to me is the jump cut to the location and using an effect like Lowpass on the audio to make the audience feel as though they are truly standing outside of this nightclub-esk restaurant. Then it jumps to the audio back to normal with Steven dancing as Andrew browses then back to Lowpass edit as they introduce this next location. It's just such a subtle touch that had me all giddy because small details as this audio editing elevate the scene to another level. Showing that Watcher was trying to make you feel like you are there with the boys on their travels. A true immersion effect that I just love.

Also to Adam and Annie who were both camera operators, your b-roll is absolutely superb and adds to the overall vibe of Travel Season.

The last point of editing I want to bring up as it's on the top of my head are these moments:

When they use a frame hold and then change the aspect ratio for a transition. I just find it such a charming technique in video editing. Plus I feel like this transition fits in with the whole "taking photos" approach because in a way the changing of the ratio on a frame hold is like taking a snapshot of that frame like a picture.

I just... I just love it, okay?

Honestly, I could go on and on about every little detail of this show and how they decided to overall produce it, but like I said- novel.

Watcher just puts so much love and care into all the shows they make. Even when it comes to the last process of video production which is editing the episodes together. I have not seen many channels put this much thought into the specificity of their videos like Watcher. This is why I gravitate towards them so much they care about the little things in the shows they create.

Moral of the story: I am in love with Travel Season and with Watcher as a whole.

thank you for listening to my ted talk aka my nerdy ramblings

[mulders-too-large-shirt]

s3 episode 10 thoughts

WHEW!!! another rollercoaster of an episode tonight!!!

without further ado, please buckle up and get comfortable while i walk you through everything in excruciating detail. and below, i shall copy and paste my notes.

oh man, back for part TWO. i need to prepare myself. but honestly, can you do such a thing?! it’s debatable! you can only do the best you can. and after yesterday, i’m expecting some further big feelings. so we must keep our delaying brief. 

so i have some popcorn, and now we’re gonna get into it.

(wait. i see this episode is titled “731”. so i made that sort of disclaimer last night about needing to gather my thoughts on that being used in this show but i assume it’ll dive more into it today. so i guess just… keep that in mind? i try to be as articulate as i can when handling sensitive subject matter, but there are some things i know i’m not the most qualified to speak on)

but okay. jump in for real and i’ll try not to get too academic. 

oh we get another “previously on the x files”!! a recap!!! how special!!! and now we remember how high the stakes are. 

back in west virginia. at a gate. OH! this truck is just driving through that closed gate. well! that was abrupt. no care for property here in WV. we see that this is a disease research facility.

a lot of men with guns and disembarking into the facility and we hear a soft mewing… sort of how i’d imagine an alien cat tells you it is hungry?? are there more aliens here today?

no! it’s a man, not an alien, who emerges from a trap door.

JUST KIDDING!! THERE ARE ALIENS BEING LOADED INTO THE TRUCKS. so my alien noise detectors (ears) are in proper working order. 

(author’s note: or… are they aliens? it’s cast into doubt after the end of the episode, but for the sake of the LIVE nature of this liveblog, i will keep my original notes)

now i’m conflicted here, because these aliens look real small and sad, but if they’re behind what is being done to scully, they need to be punished. but it also seems that after last episode, it is the HUMANS who are doing the evil things. so how evil are these critters?

oh… i don’t like their fingers. 

the man is running up to the rest of the aliens, who are being taken into a clearing. oh no… not looking good for them.

and we see the man has a very distinctive face… hmm

alien execution by fire squad? noooo!!! this is exactly what happens. the soldiers seem to check that they’re dead and walk away. wtf??? do bullets work on aliens? i guess??

theme music plays as i type frantically. but i look up JUST IN TIME TO SEE THAT TODAY’S WORDS ARE DIFFERENT! “APOLOGY IS POLICY” HUH?

apology is policy… i feel like the government is really bad at apologizing for stuff though. so??

scully on the phone. mulder on the train.

scully wants to know what is on that train but x says it doesn’t matter. well not sure if you get to make that call!

SCULLY PULLS A GUN ON HIM!!! but he disarms her quickly. omg she is NOT playing around!! 

OH HE BROUGHT HER SISTER INTO THIS??? WHAT THE HELL???? X READ THE ROOM??

okay, that was uncalled for, but he says that if she wants to know what is on that train and who killed her sister, to figure out what they put in her neck…… he says it holds more than he could ever tell her. and then. he gives her the gun back and leaves. such an interesting dynamic between this dude and the agents.

SCULLY WHY DO THEY MAKE YOU SUFFER?

mulder trying to get into the train. still hanging on. and he finally found a way in!

looks at a sign that says quarantine and then tries to get into it lmaoooo. alas, he cannot.

so he goes to someone on the train and pulls the federal agent card, but the guy says he can’t help him. but a particular japanese doctor on board might be able to, dr. shiro zama. okayyyy are we getting somewhere????

mulder has a lot of confidence getting into these situations. so he takes the conductor to the dr. shiro zama’s room and says unlock the damn door.  and his room is…. empty??? is the conductor in on this. i’m suspicious.

he finds a suitcase full of writing though, and asks “why did i study french in high school”

! MULDER LORE REVEAL ! HE STUDIED FRENCH IN HIGH SCHOOL!!!! EXCELLENT!!!! CHEERING AND YELLING!!!

mulder says that if the conductor finds the doctor before he does to make him lie on the ground and hold him at gunpoint. so he’s showing the conductor how to use a gun. and he says he’s never used one before but again i am suspicious!!

back to the fbi. chip from scully’s neck analysis time. it seems to be… collecting information as if they are memories? and could even tell you A PERSON’S EVERY THOUGHT. she seems to be terrified. i would be too.

the chip guy says he found the name of the manufacturer!!! he destroyed the chip but he found the name!!! big shoutout to chip guy. 

AND THE CHIP WAS SENT TO DR. SHIRO ZAMA!!!

she’s touched and grabs his arm and this guy clearly has a crush on scully but like 1. same and 2. if it gets her life saving information idgaf

back on the train. we see the guy who killed all the other doctors last episode!!! and he’s going after who is presumably this episode’s doctor. henceforth he shall be referred to as “the strangler”

he gets dr. zama in a bathroom just as mulder walks by and seems to miss whatever is going down in there, which i assume is murder.

okay a car is pulling up in west virginia. IT’S SCULLY!!!!!!!!!!!!! with a flashlight at night. and people are running out of the disease building!!! where are they going….

this is spoooooky. very dark and quiet and just a flashlight and a dream here. but something is under the floorboards!!!! is it the guy from the start of the episode??? she is no fool, she sees him. AND A BUNCH OF OTHER PEOPLE DOWN THERE??? begging not to be hurt. HELLO??? THERE ARE MULTIPLES???

mulder back on the train. sleuthing. finds the dead doctor!!! straight up STRANGLED. a woman screams that he’s dead but mulder is like “no he’s sick :)” and pats her kid’s head and smiles <- LMAOOOOOOO i knew this man did improv in high school

back to the disease facility. scully wants to know who these people under the floorboards are, and says she won’t hurt them and that she is an fbi agent, which is the truth, but possibly not the most reassuring answer. they live here!! 

she puts together that this place used to be a leper colony but it isn’t anymore. so they just left these people there? :(

they say dr. zama “isn’t here anymore” SO HE WAS, AT ONE POINT, HERE?

THESE PEOPLE ARE HIDING FROM “THE DEATH SQUADS” HUH??? scully is deeply confused. but they explain that hundreds have been killed.

she’s like, i thought leprosy was curable, and he says yeah, but we were disfigured before treatment arrived so they kept us out here :( this is so sad!!!

and the others had the “hansen’s deformities” (i do not know what this refers to sorry but we can google later) and he says dr. zama would BURN them. horrific human experimentation!!!!

so he leads her to the execution site from the start of the episode. and it is an open pit of what looks like, to me, aliens. it’s horrific. and he says there are more. it’s really really sad. like i can’t explain how sad it is. 

and just as they do that, a helicopter arrives and shines a light on them both! i realize we don’t even know that gentleman’s name :(

scully is hiding in the woods but people with guns are running in and have surrounded her. they say “move and you’re dead” AND WE HEAR GUNSHOTS IN THE DISTANCE!!! NOOO… WHAT ABOUT OUR UNNAMED FELLOW???

mulder says not to stop the train until he finds the killer and i’m like okaaaay this is freaky. he is really hoping the conductor isn’t evil. but the quarantine door is unlocked!!! so he goes in. hopefully not to contract a scary disease. and he looks in the back AND SEES AN ALIEN!!! ALIVE!!!

but then the strangler comes to kill him!!! he starts to strangle him until the conductor comes him with his (empty) gun!!! the strangler says he’s a “law enforcement officer” which um. okay.

the conductor locks this “law enforcement officer” in the quarantine car with mulder. and poor mulder is covered in marks around his neck from the strangling :(

strangler claims he works for the NSA. and that there is a bomb on the train. because of the back room alien. and he says anything could make the weapon blow up.

is he bluffing??? 

scully in custody. some guy wants to speak with her alone and he knows her name. HE SAYS HE KNOWS EVERYTHING ABOUT HER??

he says this was a place where society sent its monsters to live in isolation. and that the people here were all victims of Zama. OKAY BUT ANSWER WHY YOU KNOW HER… WERE YOU THE FREAK PUTTING STUFF IN HER NECK??? so is this whole ordeal with scully and the others in allentown zama’s fault??? and THIS guy who was talking to her, he was the one that BROUGHT ZAMA HERE???

oh no, dr. zama began secret evil experimentations… who could have seen this coming when you recruited the guy SPECIFICALLY for his past secret evil experiments? truly no one! /s

this guy says he wants to show her something. ummm who is this guy and also what is he doing and why? because i want to throw hands. 

back on the train. the conductor asks if he should pry open the door. and the strangler has the keycard. and he claims to have a code, but if they use the code again it’ll set “the bomb” off. 

mulder doesn’t buy it and starts to put the code in. but a phone starts ringing. it’s the strangler’s. he says the phone call is for him. can we put it on speaker. 

OKAY SO. THE GUY WHO IS BEING WEIRD AND HAS SCULLY IS NAMED “ELDER”. shoutout to closed captions. 

anyway, she is on the phone and says that whatever is on that train isn’t actually alien. and that the people he was experimenting on were homeless, subjected to diseases and radiation. so he goes to check and see if the “alien” in the secret room really looks like a alien.

hmm… i find this hard to believe and am curious as to why scully claims to buy it. unless elder is forcing her to say these things….

she answers this very question by saying that SHE HAS BEEN IN THIS CAR BEFORE. WHEN THEY WERE EXPERIMENTING ON HER. NOOOO SCULLY :(

she says there is no alien abduction, and it’s a smokescreen for the government to experiment on people. and the “UFO” he saw was NOT a UFO, but a russian submarine. hmm not sure i’m buying that…

OH??? TWO WEEKS AGO the president made a public apology for secret radiation tests?? (are we still in bill era for s3 or has it transitioned to george bush town? i honesty can’t tell when this season dropped. need to look up radiation apologies)

and she says that there is a BOMB in the car as the strangler said, and the test subject/alien in the back was exposed to an awful fever, and if it blows up, a ton of people will be exposed. huh… who IS this dude trapped back there?

she says there is a ventilation grid, and the timer to the bomb is hidden inside. so the strangler opens it.  and yes! there is a bomb!!! with a little under 2 hours left!!!!!!

she says that they need to get the train to stop so a bomb squad can get out there, but he PRETENDS THE CALL IS BREAKING UP!!! and he hangs up!!!! what a traitor, thinking he can use his own smarts to get out of this! what an ego or a blind optimism this man has!

SCULLY :( why does she have to suffer in such ways… now she can’t reach her friend on the train that is about to blow up….

mulder says to reroute the train to the least populated area and unhook the car…. OMG???? WHAT IS HE PLANNING??

doing that thing where people move the train tracks. so cool. and they unhook the car they’re in!

the strangler is on the floor but he sees a scalpel…. what is HE planning…. 

scully is speeding home. “scully, let me tell you, you haven’t seen america til you’ve seen it from a train” “DAMN IT MULDER, WHAT HAPPENED” <- LMAOOOOOO, line delivered by man whose coping mechanism is Quips

he says that if what HE thinks is on that train is in there, they’ll get him out. she says if what SHE thinks is on that train, they’ll let ‘em blow up. 

mulder is asking the strangler what the hell is going on. and when he is giving smarmy looks instead of an answer, mulder says that he’ll shoot him in the stomach, which is THE MOST PAINFUL AND SLOWEST WAY TO DIE. OH. HE MEANS BUSINESS!

so the strangler says this creature on the train is a weapon. and that dr. zama was trying to find something immune to radiation and biological warfare. and mulder pulls out the “alien-human hybrid” card… but the strangler is like, well if that were true, wouldn’t someone have come to save it by now… UGH, SO WHAT IS THE TRUTH?

scully in mulder’s apartment. searching through his things. his journal. calling a number? CALLING THE SENATOR?!

we learn mulder’s number is 555-0199. so that’s some useless information for ya but maybe it’ll help you sweep trivia night. and she puts the tape X up! just bites the tape right off to cut it. love that for her. 

watching the autopsy again. and she winces, possibly realizing that she is seeing what was done to her. 

SHE SEES DR. ZAMA ENTERING A CODE IN THE VIDEO!!! carefully going frame by frame to figure out each number. whilst the strangler smirks from behind. possibly with the weapon…

she can’t fully see the last number though!! and it works!!!!

BUT THE STRANGLER!!!! HE ATTACKS!!!!!

BUT THEN HE GETS SHOT!!!!

is that…. X?????? (he has kinda like almost bell bottom looking pants but it could also maybe be skinner?)

MULDER’S FACE IS COVERED IN BLOOD!!! AND IT IS X!!! HE SEES THERE IS ONLY A MINUTE LEFT ON THE BOMB TIMER. what is he doing???! going to the creature in the back?!! is he gonna let it get blown up……… 

X is carrying mulder like a rag doll and it IS FUNNY LMAOOOO it’s kinda cute…… they’re getting out of there RIGHT AS THE CAR BLOWS UP!!!!

so was that an alien?? was it a plague bearing human??? will mulder now be exposed to plague?? WHAT IS THE TRUTH???

time skip to a week later. mulder is making calls to try and figure out what happened to the car and his face :( it’s all beat up :(

and senator matheson isn’t returning his calls…

she has a briefcase from the train but it ISN’T THE RIGHT ONE!!!!

scully says that mulder is doing the government’s work for them, chasing aliens that aren’t there to help cover a shameful story. AND SHE SAYS “APOLOGY HAS BECOME POLICY!!”

he says he wants them held accountable for what DID happen, he wants an apology for the truth, and he looks like he is gonna cry. their disagreements make me sad because they want the same thing, but i see her point…

so someone is translating a journal written in japanese… is it the OG or the fake?

GASP!!! CIG MAN IS WATCHING THE TRANSLATION PROCESS!!!

OMGGGG a million thoughts.

i really liked this episode in terms of plot. i thought we were steering straight into alien territory after the last episode, but they’re giving us more non-alien explanations that are honestly pretty damn believable. i mean, i don’t know what the results of inventive radiation torture would make a human being look like, but maybe it could look like what we assume an alien to be? OR it could be a hybrid of both stories, there’s experimentation going on with vulnerable people AND aliens are involved. 

and the reveal that scully was tested on by people- man!!! on the one hand, how horrific to learn this for a person whose greatest fear is the evil humans can create. but on the other hand, it was human, not alien, so there should be an explanation that could make sense. even if the answers are being hidden, she can try and find them. but again, how terrifying to know humans do this to fellow humans.

they’re fighting a bit at the end, because they have entirely different interpretations on what is going on, and their own individual reasoning and experience that backs their thoughts up, and it’s so deeply personal for both of them. but they want the same thing. i want to make them sit down and say that they are approaching the same problem from two different angles!! and that is okay!!! 

sighs. mulder, willing to gamble his life for a creature that could be an alien, could be a bio weapon, could be anything, but if it keeps people safe he will risk anything for it. anything for the truth.

and x showing up in the nick of time, hauling him out, saving him… after all the fights they’ve gotten into, x risking his life just to sneak him information, but never telling him enough… no matter how many times they come to blows he still showed up, dragged him away from the bomb, killed his attacker… truly, what is this dude’s motive? what is his job? whose side is he on? i would bet there is no consistant side for him, just a paycheck. 

omg. so the terrible things being done to scully are being done by humans… it doesn’t explain everything (and i don’t buy either of their stories fully) but how juicy. how terrible for scully, but juicy for a viewer of the plot.

but if they WERE experimenting on people who were homeless or otherwise vulnerable as she claimed, why on earth would they pick her? her absence was noted, her job was prominent, it’s not like she was scooped off the street. and duane barry had to bring her to where she was taken. also, duane was the only guy that we know of that was taken… maybe they were taken by different groups?? different experiments going on?? maybe one was taken by aliens and the other by people??? maybe they’re lying about only taking people who were already vulnerable, and will take anyone for sample size? man. i have so many questions. but i LIKE that. i like having mystery and a big conspiracy to try and crack, even if you run into a million endless snakes biting their own tails. nothing explains everything.

what was cig guy doing!!! and who made the chip that was in scully!! and who really sent the strangler!! and what was that creature!! why did “elder” know scully!!!

i think that the government doing awful evil things is a lot more compelling to me than an outside alien force. and sure, both can work together, don’t get me wrong, because we know aliens exist in SOME capacity after the whole poisonous gas blood and endless clones of that one lady pretending to be samantha from last season, but it’s an infinite universe, there are probably a ton of alien species. maybe the clones were one and these guys are another. 

the point i was trying to get at was this: i think the government doing evil stuff is compelling. but i’m torn on the use of real human suffering as a story building element. the things committed by unit 731 were unspeakably horrific, beyond description. but that really happened, to REAL human beings, not characters on a screen. to use that suffering and build off it it, to incorporate that into fiction is… troubling to me.

and this isn’t exclusive to the x files by any means, there are other stories that take the human experimentation that was actually done to real people in WW2 and imposes it/expands upon it in fictional contexts- but i feel a sense of… like, these things were truly real and horrible, and using them as a jumping off point feels… maybe trivializing is the word? they’re treated in the show as awful, horrible things, but they’re expanded upon in a fantastical manner that almost makes it feel like the real horrible things that happened weren’t horrific enough. idk, i’d be interested in hearing thoughts on the subject. 

but i feel that if i want to expand upon that at length, it would be best to do it in its own post. as is my rule with things that are too serious for just one post. 

(to be clear, i’m not critiquing the episode, which was well done and performed and had me at the edge of my seat. i’m raising a question about the ethics of the writing itself and if using that real horror as a jumping off point is a morally sound thing to do. feel free to chime in, you don’t have to make a huge think piece or anything, just wondering if that crossed anyone else’s mind)

morality of the plot points set aside to discuss for another day, this episode was another banger. i was at the edge of my seat and KEPT pausing to take notes lmao. i would get one thing down and ANOTHER WOULD HAPPEN! the pacing was great, i was sad to see our agents separated but isn’t there something wonderful about a phone call connecting them despite the distance? i feel that we are getting closer and closer looks into what drives them, what their essential differences are despite their commitment to figure out what is going on and their mutual skin in the game. i just don’t want them to argueeee :( my babies :(

wow! that was a lot to say, and i’m sleepy, so i best end here before i am tempted to develop all the lore into course content that i subject my friends to.

[theloopus]

Get to know you game! Answer the questions and tag 9 people you want to know better.

tagged by @livepoultryfreshkilled hiiiii<3 i've never been tagged in one of these! or i have but then i forgor to do it. alas

Last song listened to: not counting background music and soundtracks from watching tv or youtube i believe i was listening to The Communists Have the Music by They Might Be Giants a few days ago? just because the sick ass music video popped up on my youtube tab and i was wasting time. yes i can go days without willingly listening to music sorry to the musicheads everywhere

Currently reading: still Las Malas by Camila Sosa Villada. yes it's been months and i am still trying to get through this really short and easy read. it's an unbelievably good book though if you speak spanish you should read it. rough and raw semi-autobiographical travesti magical realism

Currently watching: actively i've been binging GLOW i have like two episodes left i got really hooked! it's such a good show i'm already so fucking pissed it got cancelled and i haven't even gotten to the cliffhanger yet. but the more i learn about this cancellation the more pissed i get. also very funny that whenever i watch a tv show about women doing sports i'm like "omg i should do that" my friend said it's like sports anime to me and she's so right. other than that i'm still getting through Laverne & Shirley (S5), The X-Files (S4), Columbo (S8), and i've been watching a bit of Buffy the Vampire Slayer (S1) with my little sister!

Currently obsessed with: i am in such a slump lately i'm not gonna lie to you. am i obsessed with anything rn? up until one or two weeks ago it was Starsky & Hutch occupying my every waking thought but i've calmed down about them i think rn. uhh. of course Quantum Leap and MASH always on the mind. well i've been trying to grow some plants (Hutch core) but they all keep dying except for my loyal pothus (Starsky core).

augh tagging 9 people this part is always the worst i feel like i'm annoying and also inevitably leaving out people. FEEL FREE TO IGNORE noooo pressure but beloved friends and mutuals @alukardtheabysswalker (birthday guy!!!) @kittymoding @archerism @theboost @just-a-fucked-up-kid @argentinosaurus @pomegranate @opqrstuv04 @dykebeckett @simpmasterv2 + bonus @aheathenconceivably what are you guys up to lately! ily

[lazulian-devil]

Ive been playing Stardew Valley since launch but I never actively thought about that until I started a new file for 1.6 and just kinda... did my thing. Frolicking around, throwing flowers and vegetables at people. Fishing a lot. Mining a lot. Being bad at combat. I thought Im just doing a normal run, right? No expectations. No stress.

The Community Center was done by Spring 13th, Year 2. Ginger island has been unlocked on Fall 7th, Year 2. I have 200K in the bank. My eight dinosaurs are useless but pretty. My army of wizard pigs find endless amounts of truffles. I have an entire greenhouse filled with a fruit that went extinct centuries ago. For some reason, all my fruit trees bear fruit all year long. Almost everyone in the valley has at least 5 hearts. Half of them are maxed out because I shoved sunflowers down their greedy maws.

I did not realise this until my partner went "Wow, Im never that fast."

I have become the cryptid.

Im over here, listening to audio dramas and spending like 30 minutes ever evening in Stardew, then my Episode is over and then I go to bed. Its not my fault every Bachelor in town loves me.

Also, Concerned Ape did an excellent job with the 1.6 and its rekindled my love for the game. It feels very complete. I loved all the new festivals, all the new Events. Ive always loved this game, but this really is a masterpiece now. It always was but somehow, its even more of a masterpiece than it was before.

Anyways, Imma marry Sebastian for once. I never did but he likes Tabletops and frogs and has anxiety. Thats the ideal partner.

I would prefer to marry the wizard, but alas.

[olivescales3]

The Forgotten Legends of Chima Episode 4

“My dad really knew what he was talking about. There’s nothing in here”, Eris ruffles up her white feathers in frustration as she picks up everything available to analyze in this small section of a tall shelf.

The piles of paper and files have been growing ever since noon. And even before that, Eris’ voice didn’t stop echoing around the library from morning until now. The sunlight that was hitting our heads is now softer, but still feels like a heat wave is upon us, with the ceiling made out of glass radiating extreme warmth on us. I’m surprised how this hasn’t gone down with fires yet. Cragger is panting, trying to cool himself off, alas, to no avail— his arm’s temperature is hotter than normal, I can sense his scales getting dull from the touch of my paws. Eris, however, seems unbothered by all this heat.

She turns around, giggling a bit, “Guess you guys live in the cooler side of Chima. Just wait for the sun to move away.”

We continue listening to the incessant page-flipping noises. How come we’ve been almost the entire day here, and yet no sign of clues?

“If we don’t find anything soon, I fear that our situation might actually turn for the worse. I might’ve recovered, but this doesn’t mean we don’t have someone behind our backs.”

Eris freezes in place for a brief moment, her beak pointed at the empty shelf. She then turns around, facing the mounts she accumulated throughout the day. They look intimidating for sure; I wouldn’t have the brainpower to absorb— furthermore dissect— all of that information. She’s very dedicated to her goals. Pages upon pages of archived material won’t stop her from spreading them all across the wooden floor. This vast library’s walls are covered with books, but its center is empty; how many books are there, really? After a few minutes of thinking, the eagle calls us to stand besides her, then sits down.

The countless papers describing our sky and starts in detail… Ah, even from the distance I can find studies about the moon!

Eris sighs, perplexed, “So far, the only information I’ve found about the Hundred Year Moon was from anecdotes—”, she picks up a piece of thick, old paper, “and the document my dad previously talked about, like, a week ago”.

Unfortunately, ever since I got myself entangled on the inter-tribal dispute with those crocodiles, my dad started to be more worried with my vulnerability on the outside world… which is something I can’t deny. The incidents related to wolf deaths and the Purple Moon also began to increase, alongside to the strong rise in robbery of Chi— it’s a strange coincidence, too.

“The old piece of document aside, which I’ll try to decipher later— we only have three crucial clues for our mystery: the Purple Moon being linked to wolves going insane, who afterwards go searching for Chi.”

I ask, “Do you mean that the Purple Moon and Chi are somehow linked?”

She nods in response.

“Aight, but… If that’s the case”, Cragger interrupts our conversation, “then why did a lone wolf attack Laval?”

Eris shrugs; perhaps that specific wolf wasn’t affected by it, as they attacked me independently of the others in a premeditated manner.

She proceeds to grab a book, one that is open on a section about the moon. “I’ve been speculating about this for a while now… Chi has a liquid form, doesn’t it?”

I nod; Chi, in a liquid state, can be seen all the time, back at the Sacred Pool of Chi.

“It’s a well known fact— at least inside our Eagle circle— that the common moon shakes the lakes and rivers of Chima”, the bright eagle continues speaking as she looks at me attentively, “but the Sacred Pool of Chi is unaffected by this strange pull.”

The heat begins to die down a bit, enough for our minds to refresh. I have slight difficulties breathing because of the altitude, but it’s the expected. I’m feeling better, at least.

“Chi is normally found in crystal form, Eris.”

“Yes… but!”

She observes once again all of the things she had previously scattered, and focuses on them with her eagle vision. If there’s something unclear to us, then it’s obvious to her. I don’t doubt that a genius like Eris will let us down.

She adds, “ It wouldn’t hurt to test it out. Tomorrow will be Chi’s Giving.”

Because of the reoccurring incidents, our visits have to be done from inside the lion temple. Lagravis had discussed with his brother on how to let important visitors without risking them being attacked by the wolves— they reached the conclusion that events such as our “Chi’s Giving” can only be executed in the morning, around the time the Sacred Pool of Chi is bright enough like the sky above it.

I observe the blue, liquid Chi inside the pool; it twitches around in small waves, almost freezing at certain areas, which soon sinks then rises to the surface as a crystal.

Those waves… do they react with the Purple Moon?

“What are you looking at, son?”, Dad interrogates me, his worried tone of voice sounds passive aggressive— or that’s what it feels. He’s behind my area of view.

Lagravis kept his body stiff on top of his throne the entire time we waited for our guests. He chose to not budge. I fear for my dad, that anguish has started to consume him whole…

The temperature in the room refreshes a lot, and not even the scorching torches that hang from pillars are able to heat us up properly. It’s much better than whatever went on at the library.

I turn around; Dad’s head lies on his hand as support, and he’s sitting with legs crossed. The tapping noises from his toe echo across the octagonal room, though they blend in against the noises of the Chi waterfall behind my father.

“I’ve been thinking about Chi for a while. Do you believe there’s a reason for the wolves to want it so much?”

He sighs. “One can only speculate, Laval.”

Tall silhouettes appear on the distance, who seem to walk at our direction. A surge of relief falls upon me— I’ve been waiting for this moment, eager even, as Eris might push us forward and give us a boost to end this mess. Then, the clouds of feathers shine through the Chi’s light, revealing themselves as Ewald and his kin. They greet us with a shy hello.

It’s only a few minutes later that someone brings the courage to speak:

“Ah… well, quite complicated, isn’t it?”, Equila stuttered.

His white feathers blend with the blue reflection of the Chi; the light also hit his eyes, which aren’t protected by his goggles.

No one else had the audacity to speak over Lagravis’ silence, but Equila’s words have compelled my father to reply.

“Good morning. Yes, everything thus far has been more than complicated”. The lion king stands still behind the Sacred Pool of Chi, itching his chin nervously. “I hope you understand why I took these measures. It is simply not possible to hold the Chi’s Giving event outdoors. We have to escort Chima’s kings inside the lion temple.”

Ewald bows in agreement without letting his golden wreath fall down to the ground.

Eris and I glance at each other; this is the longest my dad has taken to execute this ceremony. He seems hesitant, his eyes staring down the electric blue liquid. I can see his paws shaking ever so slightly, and his black, shiny lips struggling to open.

I walk next to him and hold his hand; it’s cold and sweaty, kind of like mine sometimes. Lagravis melts a bit, his anxiety tones down. My eagle friend also comes to comfort Dad: she lays her head on his shoulder, then hugs him tight. It’s not we’re supposed to treat a king, but he isn’t bothered by our manners at all.

Ewald chuckles. “I’m sorry—”

“No. Do not apologize. I… needed this.”

Lagravis detaches us off him, proceeding then to kneel to the Sacred Pool of Chi; his muzzle falls near the reserve’s water, appearing as a distorted reflection on the liquid’s surface. Afterwards he raises his arms to honor Mount Cavora above us.

“I, king of the lions, hereby lend you the Chi bestowed by our creator, Mount Cavora. Your tribe shall be blessed by its magnificent power.”

This isn’t even the beginning of the ritual, and yet, the water inside the pool already begins to vibrate with intensity— it sways in huge waves, forming crystals from below. Nature itself is manifesting its power. It intimidates both Eris and I– her eyes glint not in a way it would–, because we’re sure to test whatever it takes to learn about this miracle we call Chi. Some may say it’s a daring move, or that we’re going against nature’s will, but I don’t care—

A surge of uncertainty pierces my heart.

Well… perhaps I do care. But I believe that I’m doing this for Chima, for everyone.

Lagravis continues his speech, while retrieving the crystals, “Please, accept this gift from Mount Cavora. We would be nothing without it.” He marches towards the leader of the Eagle’s Ruling Council. “Use it well, use it wisely.”

Lion guards, including Longtooth and Leonidas, surround them while wielding ceremonial spears, and tilt them, making some kind of ‘tent’ shape. They raise their spears and shout, “For Chima!”, before hitting their polearms on the ground in synchrony.

Usually, music would play. Seems that this event is going to be more discrete than usual.

The lion guards leave, marching outside the temple. Lagravis nods to signal that the event is over. It was quicker than I expected.

Eris waves to me. She blinks, because she knows she’ll see me later. I wave back. They leave.

…A surge of loneliness hits me. Why does all of this feel so… lonely? Before, animals from all tribes would look at us receiving our Chi. They would cheer out of excitement. Now, it’s just us, afraid, in danger. We’re terrified, with no light giving us hope to leave the cave of despair. I can’t understand why would this Purple Moon even happen in the first place, but it’s making our lives miserable. That’s why I want to find a solution; I want to bring peace again, just like a prince would do. Or, I hope to do such a thing. I will not disappoint.

----

I had seated myself on the first step of the Lion Temple’s entrance, as the scorching sun sizzled on my bruises and made them ache. I kept observing the few clouds that barely did anything to protect my fur; they came and went, just like the hours did. I ended up submerging myself into some kind of weird reality where only the blue sky existed, but it was just me drowning under my boredom. I had waited for Eris, and she came.

“Laval! Hello? Please, get away from the sunlight, you’re going to have a heatstroke!”, my friend scolds me, “You’ve been still for a while, it’s worrying, you know.”

I nod. “Yes… Sorry.”

I didn’t notice it at the time, but she parked her white, shiny Speedor right in front of the stairway. Animals go up and down, avoiding the vehicle that’s blocking their path. A few of them even glance at us, which is understandable, because they’re witnessing two important animals just… staying in the middle of their way. Me almost suffering from a heatstroke is also concerning. Eris hops on her unicycle, and I place myself behind her. As she takes her leave, riding us away from the Lion Temple, she turns to the left.

Our surroundings become drier, the landscape barren and fragile. Eris took a decent path towards the Eagle Spire. I think it’s quite fun to see that tall peak from far away.

She begins to speak, waving her head sideways, “So… you see, I may have just found something important… Actually— it may be just a hunch, but I need to test something out.”

I poke my friend’s back to remind her that she’s driving.

“Sure. What is it?”

She points at the sky, bringing my attention to an almost transparent dark dot. “That might be the Purple Moon. I saw it using my telescope just to make sure.”

“And you’re still not sure?”

“…Yeah— Doesn’t hurt to test it out, though!”

“Test what—”, my voice is cut off by Eris’ sudden speeding.

A marvelous sight at the Eagle Spire’s helipad greets me. It’s awesome! Eris brought a single Chi crystal with her. It shines bright, spreading light blue across our view.

The eagle observes her Chi up close.

“After the ceremony, my dad told me about the wolf invasion that happened inside your borders. I am sorry for the losses of both the Lion and Wolf Tribe… However, he said that those wolves were after your Chi, and it made me think for a while!”

Eris’ enthusiasm with her research surprises me�� How can she keep such a bright spirit amidst the horrors of the Purple Moon?

“I have a tiny speculation… that might crack the code! That’s why I chose to call you under the Purple Moon.”

I ask about her ideas; she raises her voice in excitement.

“The Chi might be influenced by it!”

“Does this mean that you’ll have to use this crystal for your own research? Chi is a scarce resource! Do not!”

She groans. “Do you want more wolves to die?”

I shake my head.

Then, a familiar approaches us. Equila has come to see us, but why? Eris smirks in silence, refusing to utter a word. She giggles a bit before raising her head with a menacing grin. A macabre and suspenseful weight pushes both Equila and I down as we wait for the genius eagle to speak.

At the helipad, our horizon broadens exponentially— I can see the Outlands from here! It’s amazing to see the gray landscape of the Alpine Tundra, where stipples of dull greenery scatter across the surface. Sometimes, if I tilt my head, everything flattens up.

A cold touch pokes my shoulder, catching me off guard. Did I get distracted again?… Eris and her brother stand behind me; Equila’s expression right now has changed into fear, with sweat falling down his slick feathers, an unbelievable face considering how overly happy he was at the time of the last Speedorz Race; his orange goggles can’t be found on him, which reveals a worried and anxious look I’ve never seen on him before. He’s quiet. 

Eris, on the other hand, is excited, chirping underneath her fluffy feathers. She has been holding a Chi crystal between her delicate talons. But then, she hands it to Equila.

“What do you want..?” He shrieks quietly.

Eris has not spoken yet, as she would only chirp merrily; a macabre suspense haunts the air around us, raising anxiety at each breath she takes. The bird looks at her awkward, scared brother, who reciprocates the visual contact. 

“I want you to eat the Chi.”

Equila gasps in response, his beak open wide; this terrifying demand pierced through Equila like a thunder and left him paralyzed from head to toe. It was only seconds later that he managed to sweep away the shock and snatch the crystal from Eris’ talons, placing it behind his back.

“Eris! What went through your head?”, his despair shoots through his screaming voice, “Where did you get that idea from!”

In the blink of an eye, Eris holds herself back but returns to her eager face; her eyelids shine slightly with a faint violet tint of the Purple Moon that’s far away into the sky, hidden in plain sight.

She sighs, “I’ve thought hard about this. I’m not doing a sort of gag— if I understand how the Chi works, we might solve the problems that cause the wolves’ aggressiveness.”

Equila is visibly unable to understand his sister’s words and chooses to not ask any further.

“Your sacrifice won’t go in vain! Please, help us free the Wolf Tribe from suffering.”

“S— sacrifice? I don’t want to die! Eris, I’m begging you, for the Phoenixes’ sake, leave this idea behind. I am not going to swallow a Chi crystal.”

My friend clenches her palms; she frowns her fluffy eyebrows; her patience is reaching its limit. In an outburst, she cries:

“If you won’t, then I will!”

She’s not willing to back down.

I swallow my saliva in anguish. There’s no way she would do that, I thought, but if she’s this determined…

I lay my paw on her tall shoulder. She freezes for an instant. 

Equila’s eyes twitch between the Chi on his grasp and his sister. He has a multitude of choices, but seems to only think of two. And so, with grief… he shoved the Chi down his throat. He flinches in pain, gulping multiple times; he starts to gag uncontrollably afterwards.

Eris stands there, staring at her brother— who once was an extroverted, outgoing eagle— transform into a surge of uncontrollable anguish. As the Chi went down his throat, he choked for a bit— then, a blue, almost ghostic silhouette of his rose from the ground, and it pushed us away with a powerful blow. After that, Equila’s eyes shined like the Chi he had swallowed. He couldn’t hide the pain, wouldn’t stop screeching; his cries have been piercing our eardrums, along with the noises of his nails scratching the helipad’s floor. Tears fell down his face until he was unable to hold himself any longer. It feels like an eternity—

He pounces on me, but lands face first onto the floor. I quickly turn around and run up to Eris, who kept watching everything without moving an inch. Senses come back to her, she pulls me tight to her bulky chest.

The haze leaking from Equila’s beak transitions from blue to purple, and the screams that rise out of his lungs become more and more unbearable.

“Somebody help us, please! Equila, hang in there!”, Eris pleas, her voice blending in with the painful noise underneath. Her panting breath grows louder as she holds me strong in the air.

A flash turns at us, and, in the blink of an eye, we’re inside a jet. My head stumbles itself into a state of shock; all that surrounds me become twisted into a fuzzy mess hurting my brain.

Soon enough, my eyes return to normal, yet I feel light headed. To my side, where the passenger’s door is, I can see ten other jets surrounding the Eagle Spire’s helipad, beaming downwards blue fire to stay afloat in the sky.

“Stay where you are, Equila!”, a deep, breathy voice shouts, “We won’t hurt you— just be still!”

The feral white eagle can be seen clenching himself from afar; he’s really trying to not go against those orders. However, I have a gut feeling that it won’t take too long for Equila to lose his control.

A sudden gust of wind races from Equila’s wings and wobbles the jets, including the one I’m in. At this moment, I turn around and notice that Ewald was the one who saved Eris and I from any further harm. He, the leader of the Eagle’s Ruling Council, put his life on the line for our sake. Right now, he looks horrified. His son has gone into a state of madness because of the Chi.

Eris cries with her hands over her face, “D— dad! I’m sorry! It’s all my fault.”

“What do you mean?”, her father shuddered.

Then, Equila punches his wings around the sky and they push the air at every flap, but it seems like he can’t keep up with the flight— the bright electricity on his body begins to sizzle, and the eagle has become unable to maintain his position. He lands on the Eagle Spire’s ground, exhausted.

When our eagle jet roosts down, Eris pushes the door open and sprints towards her unconscious brother. I follow suit, walking behind her.

The bird’s face rests emotionless, besides the pain felt wrinkles near his eyes. My friend lays her head on his chest; the tears that fall across her feathers would soon hit her brother’s apparently unmoving keel. His wings are spread across the floor, tainted with dust. However, Equila’s body is not stiff; when I lay my fingers on his wrist and press it for a bit, I can feel the blood crossing inside of him.

I smile in tears. “He’s not dead”, I cry.

A navy blue eagle— the one who helped us just now— leaves his flying vehicle. He walks up to Equila and, with a red magnifying monocle, analyzes his every feather.

Ewald whispers, his voice weak, “Eglor… Tell me that my son is alive!”

“Yes, he is. It would be a lie to say that he isn’t!

Eglor pokes Equilas knee, and the tendons jerk in reaction.

“Now, call the paramedics! I can’t help him all by myself”

Both Ewald and Eris screech with every strength their lungs can muster; thereafter, from a faraway building at the Eagle Spire, blue-tinted raptors slide in the air towards us, and four of them seem to hold a stretcher; they quickly come by, laying their golden claws down on the helipad. Equila is placed on top of the stretcher, disappearing alongside the other adults.

For a fleeting moment, I saw Eris' eyes shed tears, but she fled just as fast as the other eagles while mumbling to herself; each step she took was too fast for me to keep up with, and her words got lost in between her despair. I could see her silhouette from afar, getting farther away from me.

She continues to sprint without looking back; one of her talons twist right at the edge of the ground— and Eris has fallen in front of my eyes. As I reach the same edge as she did, my heart starts to punch down my guts. However, she's flying fine— a bit disoriented, I'd say— straight up to the library. I run around the stairs of the mountain, trying to reach the same destination as my friend; they are long and hard to climb for a lion like me, though bearable enough right now; at my top speed, I drift along the stairway a few times and enter the library.

Absurdly tall bookshelves corner me akin to a maze, yet they cannot stop me from overhearing Eris' weeps that echo from left to right. I go through the jungle of books; the sections vary by subject, like religion and geography. Until, something catches my eye: Eris is removing a book from a shelf; her body quivers a lot, shaking the arms without control; she opens the book, trembling, which reveals pages filled with child-like handwriting.

"I— I can't believe! Where is it?" She wails, the sound of flipping papers whispering beneath her tears.

The eagle seems to land on a specific part of the book, one that makes her stop and read; afterwards, she drops it and herself onto the wooden floor.

My soul can't stand looking at Eris like this!

"Eris! Don't worry, I'm here... Please—"

"I almost killed my brother!"

----

I can’t wipe the image off my mind— Equila’s reaction to the Chi was awful, and I suppose the pain he felt was horrible too. Though… I still don’t understand how this was influenced by the Purple Moon. Is it even a moon? And Equila ate a crystal, instead of drinking a liquid. Anyhow, now’s the perfect time to ask questions. Cragger and I have been waiting for our other friends to come, in hopes of discussing what to do next.

During our time doing nothing, Cragger kept nagging me about what games to play next.

I told him, “We’re in a critical situation right now, Cragger. It’s not safe to play out there!”

But then he got down to his knees and looked at me with big, watery eyes, begging me to race at least once.

“I have cool tricks to show you that Papa taught me! …Pretty please?”

“Okay, okay”, I grunted, “We’ll play later, just promise me to not do anything hasty.”

Well, at least that made my buddy calm down… He’s leaning on the same rock as I am, somewhere in the route between the Lion Temple and the Eagle Spire.

To think that I’ve been frequenting this area quite a bit…

Eris and Worriz arrive on their Speedorz, and we greet them.

“Good to see that you kept your promise, Laval…“, Worriz laughs, “You’ve been keeping a keen eye on this Chi stuff.”

I sigh, “Only keeping a keen eye… Since Eris is the one doing the actual research.”

My fur looks unkempt; I barely had the energy to tidy up, as the recent memories of Equila’s agonies haunted me down to my core— it made my paws tremble, and I needed to hide from Dad whatever happened beforehand by lying through my teeth that I was fine. I’m laying lies after lies; this will not end well. Dark circles cast from underneath my eyes, very much so, to the point where not even makeup could make them less visible.

“What are you going to do next?”, the pup asks Eris, snarking, “You guys are catching up some pace, but are still nowhere. Sacrificing your brother won’t do much.”

She puffs up, frustrated at Worriz’ words. “I’m planning to bring a bucket of Chi where the Purple Moon is near.”

Cragger, who was distracted with the rattling leaves from above, becomes startled with our conversation. “Where is the bucket of Chi? Don’t we just have crystals?”

“Or so you’d think— but I let the Chi simmer on hot water and melt for a long time. Oh, also, I thought that you could take notes with Laval during our experiment. We have to document everything we see... Everything.”

He nods. 

Eris speaks with a melancholic tone of voice, “Great... Let’s go at the West side of Chima tonight, the three of us.”

Worriz huffs while hopping on his Speedor without afterthought and quickly leaves the area. It’s surprising that he spoke so little during our short meeting— perhaps it’s another jab against us? Or is he wimping out like a coward? … Is it my appearance? 

----

The sky is pitch black, but It doesn’t bother us for the experiment. Instead, this might as well be the ideal scenario for Eris’ plans. From above, the only source of light remains the Purple Moon, and from below– where we are– dances a tiny flame at the eagle’s palm; a torch brightens the liquid Chi inside this bucket on the floor.

“When the moon moves, it might pull the liquid Chi. I made sure to come here when the normal moon was unable to be seen”, says Eris.

I— I can’t believe we’ve come this far. Equila's temporary sacrifice of his well-being showed itself to be the key for our experiment. We will save the wolves, I’m sure of it. If this water sways along with the Purple Moon, Chima will finally have some peace of mind.

I poke Cragger’s shoulder and point upwards. “Are you keeping track of the moon?”

He looks at me, slightly startled, as if I had caught him off guard, then returns his gaze to the bright, cursed sphere that hangs atop the horizon.

I stare deep at the Chi. Adrenaline pushes my heart back and forth. Pencil and paper in hand, my paws shake as sweat begins to crawl down my forehead— I swipe it aside with the back of my wrist as to not let it fall into the bucket. But the liquid wont move.

A sudden force pushes my arm.

“Look! The stars, they’re shinin’.”

At that moment, the Chi shook— it moved!

“Take notes!”, Cragger shouts.

I rapidly push my pencil on the paper and scribble down what I witnessed.

Eris and Cragger rush towards the bucket, observing it with all of their energy. Again, it moved!

Tears slide down Eris’ eyes. Cragger shoves us into a hug. We start to jump around and frolic.

Who could’ve thought that this was so easy, so quick? It’s amazing!

Thud!

Something hit the bucket; it’s circling on its own circumference. The liquid rocks violently, and it’s pushing the metal object.

Thud!

The bucket falls down. All of its insides flow out, being absorbed by the grass.

Then, a gust of dust blinds us for a second, before our surroundings tremble. Worse— I can see that a huge stampede runs at our direction.

A piercing agony cuts me in half, hardening my legs like dry clay. I can see the wave of creatures consuming the horizon. They get closer and closer each time I blink.

“Laval, what are you doing? Run!”, Eris screams from the bottom of her lungs.

She pulls me with her hand. I can’t stop looking behind me, even if she’s dragging me away from that crowd.

Loud howls form a symphony of wildness, followed by the percussion of paws running on the ground.

My legs return to their senses and begin moving with my will. I turn around and sprint far away from the stampede, but the darkness of the night engulfs us into a sudden, unpredictable maze. The cracking noises of leaves and branches can’t muffle down the stalking wolves; they get louder by the minute— they might catch us soon.

A sudden pebble gets stuck in between my toes— I loose my balance and trip. I can only feel the leaves breaking under my fall. But something lifts me just after, as it tightly grips my tunic.

I tried to scream, but fear shut my mouth.

And yet, the stampede is behind us. Maybe.

“How’re you this heavy?”

This familiar voice breaks the suspense haunting me. Childlike and brittle… It can only be Cragger!

“Alert! There’s a big tree nearby. Follow me!”

We follow suit the eagle’s words.

An explosion of leaves echo out of our sight.

“I— They’re getting closer!”

Eris’ voice becomes louder than before, "Cragger, please, hold my friend tight!”

He groans, “What do you mean?”, before a gush of wind pushes upwards on us.

Wing flaps can be heard, slow but steady. Worse— it seems that Eris picked us up just by herself! The pressure on my tunic gets stronger, starting to rip part of my clothes, and it worsens with my friends wobbling atop the sky, until I’m finally able to touch on high branches.

My friends proceed to hold themselves onto the tree alongside me. From the looks of it, as I stare downwards at the tree’s roots, the trunk is very, very tall. Weird enough, the branches are long yet sturdy, flowing in whatever direction it can.

The moonlight shines, hitting faintly on these huge, hollow seeds that hang from those branches. They’re not just hollow; they have open holes like doors and windows! Are they houses?

Cragger whimpers, “Eris… Tha’was close! How did you…”

“You just answered me by yourself.”

He sighs.

From below, the rush of wolves pass galloping in a hurry, avoiding us and the tree, but their noise attracts an unexpected rumble at our height too. We hear heavy panting, and it gets louder by the minute.

“Dude!”, the disembodied voice groans, “What in Cavora is going on?”

I look behind me and notice a small gorilla, perhaps a kid even, juggling from branch to branch until he reaches us— up close, his bright markings all across his face feel familiar.

“Ey, Gorzan!”, Cragger greets the child in relief.

“Oh, hi bud. Crocodiles never climb trees.”

Gorzan stares at us, suspicious of why we’re here in the first place. Though, he looks down once more, then analyzes us briefly, before nodding.

“So you guys are also troubled by this mess?…”

“Wait— what do you mean ‘also’? Where were you during all of the past Hundred Year Moon incidents?”

Eris starts to propel herself using an offshoot in an attempt to wrestle the kid, but he remains unfazed. The eagle’s eyes shine with tears— I suppose adrenaline also pumps violently in her, just like it does in me.

“…We stayed home each and every night it crossed our view. We’re not reckless, you know!”

I unwillingly giggle, my voice trembling a bit; now everyone’s attention is directed at me, so I lower my voice.

“Yes… We aren’t reckles… I guess…”

The gorilla laughs loud, swaying himself around. He’s amused, but I’m not. I don’t think my other friends are amused either. But he’s there, kicking his feet on the air, for a minute. Underneath his smile, I can notice he’s slightly nervous. Then, he returns to a calmer stance, hanging with one hand.

"You guys should come with me. My grandpa won't be happy to see us here like this..."

After being led with my friends by Gorzan into his village, we're greeted with faint lights that scatter across the enormous tree they're hanging from. Those lights all come from the houses of the Gorilla Tribe; one of them in particular strikes attention because of its flashy blue paint job. Gorzan points at it, telling us about a little party that was going on in there; it got previously interrupted due to the sudden wolf stampede, followed by our screaming. He proceeds to vocalize and whoop; the other gorillas who remained inside that house reply and wave at us. We swing our way to the party.

As we set our foot inside that abode, a dizzy sensation makes me lose focus; the seed is more hollow than I had imagined, with a lot of empty room, besides a circle of gorillas awaiting for us. One of them, a grayed elder, itches his dry lips before drinking straight from an open coconut.

"Thank you, grandson, for saving the future of Chima...", he bows to the child in relief, "When I heard them, I immediately recognized their voices... An old leader like me can't do much."

Gorzan gives him a massage on the shoulders. "Grizzam, don't worry about it, I brought them here just fine! Let's just relax and party!"

Another tiny gorilla, dressed up with flowers, hands us a handful of coconuts. Her blue skin bears a resemblance to Gorzan's, but her fur is brown.

“Drink it— you’ll feel much better, especially if you did a lot of exercise beforehand!

She crawls up to us, then whispers, “My bro loves coconut water… That’s because it helps you regain the salts you lose when sweating!”

Gorzan blushes in reaction after overhearing our small conversation.

He says, “Don’t mind G'loona, please! My sister's kinda talkative about our lives…”

“But she didn’t say anything special… Oh well, perhaps I do need to drink this more often”, I tilt the fruit at my muzzle and drink the refreshing liquid, “I tend to sweat a lot… Do you Gorzan?”

His face immediately becomes shiny, with water dripping from his forehead. He covers his face in shame and everybody laughs.

Eris starts to dance to the rhythmic clapping of the animals around us; Cragger also joins the fun; everyone chants and sway around eagerly... but me. I look behind, stare at the dead of night, thinking about the bucket of Chi we abandoned. Oh well, I wonder what those wolves did with it. The music bounces around the house— my ears hurt! Eris, however, probably noticed me crouched on the floor; she reaches her hand, inviting me to dance.

Should I?

My legs wobble and I fall back to the ground. She giggles and lifts me up.

"Don't be shy, Laval! I know you can dance."

"Yes... But—"

The gorillas stop their music. Grizzam's pale blue eyes shrink unexpectedly.

"You heard that?", he utters, "Troops are marching their way here. Gorzan, take care of the unwarranted visitors!"

The grandchild bows before hopping down the house; he descends from branch to branch, until I can't see him well at this height. I crouch again and tilt my ears forward; the silence helps me eavesdrop a husky voice below, then faint metallic noises. Eris sits near me, picking her feathers.

"Hey—", "Calm down..."

"Bring them to me!"

Afterwards, Gorzan comes back, panting and trembling.

"It's... It's the Crocodile Tribe's commander, grandpa! He wants Cragger and Laval!"

My blood runs cold— The commander, he said!

Grizzam coughs. "I suppose someone had to come rescue these children..."

I snap, "But— Why would it have to be the commander-in-chief? What about Cragger's dad! He's the king! Right, Cragger?"

He stays quiet. "I— uhh... I dunno..."

Gorzan pulls our hands, visibly afraid. Cruz— I can't even imagine what that deplorable criminal said to him!

"Guys... We have no choice", he whispers.

Cragger and I are brought down to the earth's level, face to face with the blue, tall, intimidating crocodile and his army. The moon still shines bright, but the purple tint has gone away. Gorzan runs back to the tree, and we're left alone with the crocs.

A medium sized vehicle stands behind Cruz; it's bulky and wide, with a crocodilian mouth open on the front. Cragger is slowly escorted by some guards to the back of that tank, slow enough to be deliberate; I see him distracted, his back facing me.

A blunt force hits my head and all fades to black.

----

That... horrible, disembodied voice— I know it... I've heard it one too many times. It pierces my skin without remorse. It haunts me, crawls inside my eardrums, spits on me, screams at me.

"And you thought that you could get away from me, brat!"

Cruz' foul breath hurts my eyes; I tear up, and whatever I could barely see is now gone. The humid and airtight room makes me squirm.

"What are you even doing?", I cry.

He pushes my head onto something hard; the pain spreads around the back of my skull. "Making sure you don't get in my way."

"Way of what?"

He hits me again, but I hold myself back from crying. "What do you have to do with the wolves?"

A finger shoves itself onto my muzzle; it pulls my mouth upwards, then snaps it back to place.

"You rat— Why should I tell you anything?" He stays silent for a moment, breathing heavily. "It doesn't matter anymore. I got what I wanted; you'll see it soon when I kill your entire family!"

No— not my family!

Chains rustle as I shake my body, trying to free myself. Cruz laughs with a raspy, sadistic cackle, before wet steps begin to hide his voice: "The Crocodile 'king' has a huge storm coming for him... Hah!"

Dead silence.

Here I am, once again caught in between these chains, hidden by the shadows of a selfish commander. 

"If someone tried to attack us, we'd have no choice but to defend ourselves", the words of my uncle echo in mind.

While I am left here to rot, Cruz will, without a doubt, start war against my tribe. Perhaps... kidnapping me was the plan, to avoid the wolves from being saved, to continue this disaster and take advantage of it? Stir violence from violence? Meanwhile, where is Crominus? He's the one in charge; where is he in a fragile moment like this! 

I stare down at my stiff, tightly held body; the strength of those chains begin to hurt my bones. An anguished sigh leaves my throat.

If I recall properly... Cragger didn't know where his dad was, right? I wouldn't be surprised if my Dad summoned him because of Cruz' actions. But it doesn't make sense for Cruz to be left alone and do what he wants!

Sudden noises– of what sound like sparks– burst around the surface; I hold my breath and listen to them, but they're interrupted by faraway screaming; it's followed by dashing steps that get stronger by the second, alongside a torch I see, being held by Crawley. He enters the cave, looks around, then whispers: "Dang it! Cruz has to stop drifting away from my plans!". When he noticed that I listened to it all, he gives me an ugly look, akin to a threat, and leaves the place.

"Troops, to the entrance! Go!", Cruz' orders manage to get inside my eardrums.

Noises of metallic weaponry clanging and banging around follow suit, but one seems to direct itself inside the cave. A tall brown crocodile, with a metal lower jaw, rises from the depths holding a torch.

The crocodile moves behind me and begins to melt down the chains holding me; the dampness of this cave makes them sizzle ever so slightly, as fire appears within my view.

“W– what are you doing!”, I cough blood.

Suddenly, the chains fall free onto the muddy floor, but I’m held by unbelievably huge, muscular arms.

“Silence”, he whispers, “They’ll catch us if you make any noise.”

The stranger hugs me tight before running away; I cannot see properly for I have been tied up longer than anything in my life; though I lost track of time, the light quickly blinds me in a matter of what feels like minutes, and deafening noises of heavy vehicle tracks invade my unrecognizable surroundings.

Even if my senses are adrift, I will always find my way— unfortunate, however, the stench of blood floats on the atmosphere; rich and metallic— a smell that I am too familiar with.

I cry, “The gore… It’s sickening…”

The crocodile’s heart beat shoots fast.

“Crug, you insolent swine! Go to the battlefield like I ordered you to!”, Cruz’ orders echo from afar.

Crug rubs my eyes, helping me regain my sight. He pets my tiny little mane and leaves me behind, hidden besides a tall tree, whose roots rise of the ground with very good shade. I hide underneath it, then stare at the mud on my legs and arms. Ugh.

And so I dive myself into the mud, hoping that my adrenaline stink becomes less noticeable.

Ugly screams of agony shake the ground, mixed with thuds of dead bodies being shot with Chi lasers, metals clanging, blood splattering. I could not interfere. Neither could I help. I'm left to rot here, and if I leave, I will die! Oh Mount Cavora— I had a hunch that Cruz was indeed plotting something... And he did! Outside of the Crocodile's Swamp Hideout is a battlefield!

Underneath all of the noise, a firm voice passionately screams far away: "Give my nephew back to me, heinous criminal! You will never be king, speaking as the brother of one! You are nothing but—"

A heavy gunshot silences Lavertus.

"I will run over all of your lions! Crominus is no longer with us— I, the commander of this tribe's army, have become the Crocodile Tribe's only ruler!", other gunshots ensue, followed by painstaking roars of demise, "Your nephew keeps meddling in my business; I'll take care of him just like I did with those soldiers!"

Crocodile soldiers bellow in pain; I close my ears in reaction. My body shakes in fear, as sweat surges from my skin.

No... First the wolves, now the crocodiles... No... Cragger— Oh Cragger, I'm sorry, I hope you're alright...

Lavertus groans, "Crominus... Crun— They're at the Eagle Spire, and you pounced at the moment they left because of the Purple Moon! You coward!"

I shut my muzzle shortly after, as to not gasp. My heartbeat loses all rhythm and goes out of control. Tears cascade down, burning my eyes.

Everything around me becomes bleached of color in a sudden— these wooden walls that surround the Crocodile's Swamp Hideout curl into an oddly familiar shape, similar to the Coliseum; it's like I'm watching a Speedor Race from above, as the tiniest of ants spiral, until a crocodilian mount of dirt rises from the ground, holding a gun.

Its eyes shine bright, like amber.

"The wolves, Laval... They don't know it yet!", it screeches into a macabre laugh, "It's too late. Give up."

In a fraction of a second, the entire scenario dissolves, revealing Lennox in front of the hideout's now burnt down walls. He pulls me away from underneath the tree, and, while he runs to somewhere, my eyes begin to lose their senses.

"Laval! Oh, please...", Lavertus' voice is swallowed by the never-ending cries of misery, as I fall asleep within someone's grasp.

----

I start shoving my face onto the bed's pillow with strength— it becomes stained with warm tears and mucus. I cry, scream, muffling down my voice on the cushion.

"Why, why? I'm useless! Oh Mount Cavora— ever since that sinister wolf hurt me, everyone's lives have been falling apart. I tried all I could, but it always ends up unfolding into something terrible. Wolves are being killed everyday, and now we got crocodiles trying to take advantage of this for power!"

My tail, whipping sideways, hits something— then it gets grabbed and pulled around! Ouch! And so I turn around.

It was Furty who picked my tail; but as I stare at his body, I notice the stiffness of his bright orange fur; his tan raggedy clothes are covered in dirt and grass. The fox’s quaking in place, kneeling in front of my bed, clenching his hands as if begging.

“Please, Laval, hear me out!”, he whimpers, “I’m sorry, I’m sorry, but please give me one chance!”

“W— what is it? How did you even get in here? Guar—“, I tried to scream, but he shut my muzzle shortly after.

Furty lets me go, then wipes the tears off his eyes. “I betrayed you, okay? I told them about your plan. They went after you. It was my fault! But it was at that moment where things escalated— I had to run away! But they found me and threatened to kill me if I…”

 His cries start to become too loud, so I shut his muzzle for a second.

 “You… were involved with Cruz?”

“Yes! I thought he was some… crazy, overenthusiastic croc, but he’s actually doing it! His plan… He told me that if I snitched, he’d kill me. I don’t want to go back. I am the last of my kind— and I am done for!”, he cries on my bedsheet.

 “You sneaky— Argh! Guards!”

Furty grabs my cold hands in despair; his dry paw pads uncomfortably itch my skin. He moans in fear. “No! If your guards catch me, they’ll kick me out! Don’t you understand?”

He looks at me with very, very wet eyes. It is a life or death situation for him— it must feel horrible to be the last fox, with his impending doom right behind the door. I don’t want to be responsible for anyone’s death… No… He put my life at risk, but I would never want to do the same… 

 “I need refuge. Please.”

I sigh, hiding the pain of my voice, “Look… I’ll try to save you, Furtivo. But you will have to promise me two things!”

His ears raise.

“First, you’ll have to tell my dad everything you know, spoke and heard about this; and you will never, under any circumstance, meddle yourself in crime! I will call the guards and you’ll be imprisoned— then, you’ll soon be interrogated by my dad and kept behind bars for your own safety.”

Before the fox could do anything, Longtooth gently opens the door, catching him on sight; to my surprise, I'm able to get out of bed and walk to the bodyguard. He looks at me with a worried expression, but he's understanding of Furty's presence; the lion pets Furty's orange fur and wipes away his tears. Of course, it was only a matter of time for that cunning youngling to be arrested. He better explain everything he knows about Cruz and the wolves... If he wants to be forgiven by those around him...

The leaders from each and every tribe of Chima have reunited to discuss about the reoccurring issues of the Purple Moon. Not only that, but—

"The commander-in-chief of your tribe has attempted to overthrow your ruling", Dad speaks with an assertive tone of voice that echoes within the lion temple, "Explain yourself, Crominus."

I tug on my father's leather skirt, afraid. Cragger... I am so afraid for you...

"Your Majesty, I went to visit the Eagle Spire with my wife and children— we had important matters to solve with the Eagles, right, Crunket?"

She, queen of the crocodiles, remains silent, without budging any of the pale green scales of her lips. Her moist pink dress flows stiff as she pinches it in inquietude.

He continues, "The wolves began to advance into our territory each Purple Moon. Their power is... Uncontrollable. The walls protecting the Crocodile's Swamp Hideout might not be enough. I had to consult Ewald for help— his tribe has the technology, after all."

Ewald picks on dead skin of his talons. "Exactly that, Your Majesty! But we're at a tough place right now. As I've said before, we have almost nothing about the Purple Moon. My daughter found extremely crucial clues, though they're not enough..."

Dad sighs, tapping the index finger on his arm. Those words don't seem to convince him of anything...

"You're drifting away from the point, Crominus. The captain you chose was not a trustworthy one; he kidnapped and tortured my son multiple times! I can't imagine how you weren't able to crack down on this sooner."

The crocodile king tries to speak, but his words are run over by those of my father, who gives Furty his turn to speak. Lagravis' menacing stare pieces through the poor teenager, whose face has become expressionless with dread. He laughs a bit, shaking.

"Ah, Lagravis— I mean, Your Majesty... It is of—"

 Dad roars, "Do not play with me! Be honest and direct or face a father's wrath!"

 Furtivo audibly gulps, "Yikes! Sorry— I first saw Cruz at the swamp... He was gnarling at Crawley— you know the one, who shot a bullet during the Speedor Race— about kicking Crominus out of power. His tirade was so absurd that I had to butt in... I swear to Mount Cavora, I didn't know he had that much power!

His breath runs short with saliva dripping from his muzzle down to his tan raggedy clothes. "He kind of hired me as his personal spy... But it was only at the moment where he began to manipulate the wolves that a red flag rose, especially with whatever happened after the Speedor Race. I couldn't back away as he had threatened my life when I did so."

I hide behind Lagravis' back, holding myself from tears. All of this can't be a ruse, the Chi moved along the Purple Moon, how could that crocodile even control such a raw item of nature?

"Furtivo, are you implying that the wolf attacks against my son have a correlation with Cruz' actions?"

"Yes, sir."

"Argh!", Lagravis screams as he hits the hilts of his throne, "I should have summoned the wolf elders. Was Wakz right all along? Is Wilhurt on the loose?"

"I... am afraid so, almighty king of the lions."

Taglist: @fenth-eiria @harleyacoincidence @awleeofficial @eldritchx @tigeryasou @shadow-of-tea-and-tea @the-lesbian-demon-queen1 @nexusofdomains

[dingodad]

If troll blindness causes their eyes to be red, as

shown with Terezi and post scratch Aranea, then why

does Sollux’s eyes turn black when he goes blind?

Does he just lose his eyes completely? Did he ever

have eyeballs in the first place or does he just have

open sockets with red and blue energy. It kinda looks

like blind Sollux he just has empty eye sockets. Did

being hit in the head just destroy his eyes entirely,

whereas Terezi retained the actual structures of her

eyes? I know its the same with every blind psionic,

since hiveswap shows they have the same black

eyes as well. I’m not sure psionics have irises or

pupils either but I’m not sure that extends to all

goldbloods. I also can’t help but think of how

Cherubs eyes become black when they become

ghosts, though this is probably a coincidence, since

they aren’t blind. This is a bit of a weird question,

sorry about that lol

the ways terezi and sollux went blind are pretty crucially different. terezi's eyes were burnt, sollux... i guess i don't know? people say "head trauma" but when you actually look at the series of events it's clearly a blow to the torso which leads to some internal rupture, and that's what causes him to cough up blood. so i guess it's super up to interpretation? the only thing that makes sense to me is that it had something to do with having his optic blasts countered by a beam of pure angelic light. in which case maybe they were burnt?? i don't know if there's any dialogue that elucidates this matter any further.

this certainly isn't the first time i've heard it suggested that he is literally just missing his eyes, though i've never really seen any reason to believe this. like, wouldn't that idea be communicated more clearly if his sockets were the colour of his blood? (but i DID watch an x-files episode just last night where victims' eyes were burnt out of their sockets by an angel's countenance - so i guess there's actually cultural precedent for this??) considering sollux' eyes can flash different colours it seems like the only reason they were red and blue in the first place was because they were brimming with concussive energy, ala cyclops of the x-men, so it doesn't seem all that odd that they could just change colour in the event of a traumatic injury that also caused blindness. (sollux never uses his concussive blasts after this, so far as i can recall, but he DOES use his telekinesis, which starts to appear in black+white instead of red+blue... so i guess those are just two completely unrelated powers??? it's really unclear!!!)

you would THINK this is what they were trying to evoke by giving folykl black eyes and a similar psychic deficiency, but i haven't retained enough about any of the hiveswap trolls to know if she's even blind. poinko suggested she was before friendsim ever released and descriptions of her development imply that she was conceived of as being blind - and that this was maybe changed into a purely psychic disability as the concept was refined? - but nobody seems to have ever listed this on her wiki article so i've got genuinely no idea if this idea manifested itself in any of folykl's actual appearances. i mean, i wouldn't have guessed that she was born with no eyes, but i really don't know.

the cherub thing i've never even been able to figure out to begin with. it does feel totally plausible that it's connected to sollux' thing, since both sollux and the cherubs go through various phases of being either one soul in two bodies / two souls in one body...? but i would also be very willing to believe that dead calliope DOES just have a skull with no eyes, since the cherubs have always had glassy "window to the soul" doll-eyes and have been known on occasion to take their eyes out and replace them with something else.

so. this is a really good question. i just don't know if i have the answers for it LOL

[abyssalzones]

what are your favorite sci-fi stories?

hmm. david carpenter's "the thing" and the first two alien movies are probably my favorite sci-fi movies despite their "fear of the unknown" approach not being 100% in line with the things I typically like about sci-fi. I've been extremely fond of treasure planet since childhood... I also grew up watching star wars, though as an adult I think the only one I can say was legitimately interesting was rogue one. I'm more of a star trek nerd but I have yet to watch most of the series, I'm usually too busy doing other things to watch long serialized tv shows... then there's also farscape, which I enjoy despite good reason telling me it kind of sucks. there's good stuff in there if you find an episode guide from the early 2000s that tells you which ones to skip. is "severance" sci-fi? add severance to the list if so. the x-files is good but I haven't finished it, doctor who still kind of intrigues me but I also haven't scratched the surface of it... oh and PLEASE watch "magnetic rose". absolute must-watch if you enjoy satoshi kon's work or if you've never heard of him.

I've recommended both of these already in that ask I got about video games but SOMA and the half life franchise are great sci-fi games, one scary and one less scary. "south scrimshaw" is a great sci-fi visual novel if you're interested in specbio worldbuilding, the first chapter is up for free on steam! if you're more interested in something grounded and not-scary, "tacoma" is a fun short exploratory story ala "gone home". but in space.

as for literature the southern reach series is definitely my favorite... though I have yet to read the fourth book because I'm scared of it. oh and 17776 ("what football will look like in the future") is one of the most incredible works of internet fiction I've ever read, so. go check that out if you didn't already when it initially came out.

lastly if you're a webcomic nerd go check out jay eaton's "runaway to the stars", all the related worldbuilding is fascinating to dig through. I admittedly don't focus on specbio in my work very often as that's just not the creative direction I want to go in but their stuff has always been highly inspiring... talita if you're out there I love youuuuu

[gunterfan1992]

Episode Review: “The Star”/“Jerry”

(Fionna & Cake, Eps. 7–8)

Airdate: September 22, 2023

Story by: Anthony Burch, Adam Muto, Hanna K. Nyström, Jack Pendarvis, Kate Tsang

Storyboarded by: Iggy Craig, Graham Falk, Jacob Winkler, & Sonja von Marensdorff

Directed by: Ryann Shannon (supervising), Hans Tseng (art)

It is hard to believe that we are already privy to the penultimate episodes of the Fionna & Cake miniseries. So far, this series has been hit after hit. So do "The Star" and "Jerry" live up to what has come before them? Read on for more...

The plot to "The Star" is deceptively simple: Fionna, Cake, and Simon are transported into a universe where Simon was killed by vampires, which led to Marceline being abducted the ice crown-wielding Vampire King (once again played by the wonderfully sonorous Billy Brown) and turned into his protege, known as "The Star." While the world has been almost entirely overrun by vampires, a Mad Max-esque version of Princess Bubblegum is still putting up a hell of a fight (Mad Max Bubblegum is aided in this task by Peppermint Butler-as-a-Tank, a human[?] version of Huntress Wizard, and a non-psychopathic version of Martin). Cake's shapeshifting impresses Mad Max Bubblegum, and so she decides to enlist Fionna, Cake, and Simon's help in defeating the Vampire King and his evil 'daughter.' Alas, as goes the best-laid plans of mice and men... The episode ends on a purposeful anti-climax: Fionna, recognizing that all is effectively lost, forcibly teleports herself, Cake, and Simon away from Vampire World while Mad Max Bubblegum and The Star struggle in the sky, with neither wanting to land a killing blow. The fate of Vampire World is thus left unresolved.

As a major fan of Stakes, I was delighted to be transported back into the world of vampires in "The Star." And this time, the show does a very solid job showing just how powerful and scary these monsters actually are (despite their Kermit the Frog-meets-Nosferatu appearance). And let us not forget Evil Marceline (oh, where to start)! I quite like that Ooo's Marceline is a heroic anti-anti-Christ, but even I found the titular antagonist of "The Star" to be a terrifying delight. It has been a good long while since Marceline has rightly pranked someone, and while I don't know if killing people or sucking souls count as pranks, it was nonetheless wonderful to see her ornery side return—only this time, turned up to 11. You can tell that Olivia Olson had a lot of fun recording her lines for this episode; her performance is energetic, her tone mocking. When I heard The Star taunt Mad Max Bubblegum and Co., it took me back to when I first heard Olson's voice acting in "Evicted!"

It was a clever move having The Star and Mad Max Bubblegum be sworn enemies, as it allowed the series to explore their dynamic as a couple without focusing on their past or present relationship. In the Vampire World, we learn that the two have never been in a relationship together. But despite this, still found themselves pulled toward one another in an almost preternatural way. Who knows… Just as the souls of Finn and Jake seem to be destined to always find one another, perhaps Marceline and Bubblegum are "soul mates" in a similarly metaphysical sense? Regardless, the hesitancy to kill one another that both characters show at the end of the episode speaks volumes as to how they feel about one another, even in a universe where they are sworn enemies. (Man, I really hope we get a Bubbline spin-off one of these days…)

Ah, I feel like I could talk about the Star for days, but there is more to consider, so let me move on to…

Airdate: September 22, 2023

Story by: Anthony Burch, Adam Muto, Hanna K. Nyström, Jack Pendarvis, Kate Tsang

Storyboarded by: Hanna K. Nyström, Anna Syvertsson, Jim Campbell, & Jackie Files

Directed by: Steve Wolfhard (supervising), Hans Tseng (art)

"Jerry" begins with Fionna, Cake, and Simon finding themselves in a dead and desolate world—humorously dubbed "Crapworld" by Cake—that we later learn was created by the Lich's wish in the season five premiere "Finn the Human." (As a mythological aside, when the Lich made his initial wish, it seems that Prismo did not simply wipe out all life in the Oooniverse; instead, he effectively created a copy of the Oooniverse within the Oooniverse. After killing off all life in this bubble dimension, Prismo then transported the Lich to his new wish-altered reality. Really, it is turtles all the way down…) While searching for the Crapworld ice crown, Simon tries to cheer up an increasingly despondent Fionna by telling him the story of how he and Betty met.

Eventually, our heroes run into Crapworld BMO, who upon learning that Prismo's remote is out of juice, attempts to recharge it with his robot heart. This does not go as planned (it actually results in Crapworld BMO spectacularly exploding, which is somehow both horrifying and funny), and Simon, Fionna, and Cake decide to track down Crapworld BMO's oft-mentioned friend "Jerry" and tell him that BMO has passed. Upon finding Jerry, however, the trio discover that he is actually the Lich… albeit a depressed Lich; it seems that after fulfilling his mission of ending all life, the Lich lost a sense of purpose. (I've been there, dude...) Simon sees this as an opportunity, and using the Crapworld ice crown and the Lich himself as a conduits, he manages to summon GOLB just as Scarab materializes to deliver divine punishment.

To be continued!

"Jerry" is a decidedly bleak episode that more than anything radiates the creative sensibilities of its supervising director, Steve Wolfhard. For those out of loop, Wolfhard was a storyboard artist on the original Adventure Time series, and he helped write some of the show's strongest outings (e.g., "Puhoy," "Lemonhope," "Escape from the Citadel," "Graybles 1000+"). Wolfhard has a unique approach to writing, often using humor/cuteness to paste over more existential horrors, and while he did not storyboard "Jerry," the episode nevertheless feels like the apogee of his "voice," brimming as it does with a darkness that is only lightly covered with a veneer of humor. Indeed, many of the episode's funniest moments (e.g., the scene in which BMO cheerfully, stupidly kills itself, the reveal that the Lich has depression) cannot be described as anything other than gallows humor. Wolfhard often joked in interviews that many of the episodes he pitched involved main characters dying. With "Jerry," he finally got his chance.

Ultimately, what prevents "Jerry" from becoming a bummer-fest is the way the episode is interspersed with flashbacks that tell the story of how Simon and Betty fell in love. Despite their being the emotional heart of the episode, I do not have much to say about these scenes other than they are sweet. They largely expand upon details that we already knew, but in doing so, they enliven those details, infusing them with a sense of affect that exposition or background detailing could never convey. There's a couple easter eggs thrown in for die-hard fans (e.g., several relics from the main series are name-dropped, we see when a photograph of Simon from "I Remember You" was taken), and its all tied-up nicely with a new HALF SHY song, "Everything in You." All in all, these scenes are the sweet, sweet eye bleach we need, given the tone of the episode's other half.

My biggest gripe with these episodes is that they both lean too far into Fionna's failures while somehow not leaning in far enough. The former issue is most noticeable in "The Star," the beginning of which sees Fionna follow up her candy genocide by making a series of increasingly bone-headed decisions, one of which leads to the direct death of a character (although, Mad Max Bubblegum was also quite bone-headed for letting Random New Girl put everyone in danger immediately after introducing them to her few crew members). Put simply, I feel the episode excessively plays up Fionna as a gullible girlfail, which seems a bit much. Paradoxically, in "Jerry," the show did not have Fionna properly, fully, believably consider the ramifications of the mistakes she had made; instead, the episode focuses much of its emotional energy on the story of Simon and Betty's relationship. Yes, Fionna does have a realistic breakdown in the middle of the episode, but almost immediately, the show decides to have Simon distract her with more of his own love story. None of this sinks the episodes, but it does make them less than perfect.

For some, the episodes' bleakness might also be a defect: indeed in both "The Star" and "Jerry," lots of characters die, and the fridge horror is off the charts. But while I have criticized the show for such cruelty in the past (e.g., my review of "Wizard City"), the bleakness in these episodes is not meaningless. Instead, it arguably serves to underscore that without Simon Petrikov existing and doing all that he has in the Ooo Prime universe, the world (any world) quickly goes to hell. (This is perhaps most noticeable in "The Star," given that the big twist of that universe is that Simon was killed by vampires, presumably before he placed the ice crown on his head, thus resulting in Marceline's capture and indoctrination by the Vampire King.) Even in his crazed "Ice King" state, Simon is something like a cosmic lynchpin holding together reality! Considering how much Simon/the Ice King is a woobie in the original series, it is nice to see Fionna & Cake accentuate just how important he actually is.

Final “The Star” Grade: A-

Final “Jerry” Grade: A-

[broodingheroine]

tmagp 9 thoughts

rolling with it........ idk transportation? hair rollers? I'm bad at guessing

pen scribbles :3

ONBOARDING PAPERWORK....... SAM STOP FILLING IT OUT WHAT ARE YOU DOING

refuse to give "it" the satisfaction of giving up. sam don't give it sentience.

IF ITS DELIBERATELY WEIRD DONT FILL IT OUT

negative emotions. no stop.

why zero to seven.

JUST WHY????

okay they're flirting now. not in front of my salad.

sam humming to himself lol

CHESTER

MAGNUS WHAT??????????????? STOP

"STATEMENT" FUCK OFFFFFF

artifact storage moment

haunted game sounds interesting though.

oooooo wait the dice are haunted........

it's giving the card game with death episode of tma

divination dice 👀

SCARS?

turning gambling into a horror story is so creative though.

nah I'd probably roll the dice to be honest with you

oh this dude was on the way to Becoming huh

oh this is definitely like the Death episode of tma

oh fuck not the snake eyes

lol end of that one final destination movie

INTERRUPTION?

DECLARED DEAD??????

first assignment

"I don't watch television" lena ur so hot

hm tv ppl.

TEDDY!!!

back in the crypt lmao

alice jealous moment???

teddy u sneak I love u

alice the lady doth protest too much

BIG FOOTS A GOOD LAY HAHAHAHA

NO. NO DO NOT GO. DO. NOT. GO.

SAM. SAMMMM NOOOOOO.

YOU HEARD A CASE FILE ABT A GUY GETTING HIS EYES PRESUMABLY RIPPED OUT AT THIS PLACE AND I DECIDE YEAHHHHH LETS FUCKING GOO[?????

alice. alice uve been adamantly against any kind of investigation this whole time and now ur just like. sure whatever??

I'm so stressed right now.

I have a bad feeling about allll of this.

so the mention of some big name TV guy is very reminiscent of web statements so I'm a little wary of that

I'm assuming that lena is blackmailing ppl? can't really think of a reason why some tv guy would actually be involved with anything Horrors related considering he'd be in the public eye pretty frequently.

unless he is and it's the guy who burned the hilltop charity shop down and the envelope is another job? but I doubt that

presumably lena is the one handing out "hits" now vs being handed them. maybe "killing" klaus is what got her the position?

I'm lowkey nervous abt teddy reappearing? what if it's true that you can quit but you always get drawn back? teddy is seemingly the only ex employee anyone has any contact with soooo

I LOVED the case file today. dice are cool as shit. wish I could remember the episode title of the tma ep with the card game to become death but alas.

also hey! even more evidence that fr3-d1 is listening instead of just recording. computer has sentience let's gooooo.

I don't want sam to go to the institute but also I really hope next ep we get to see the institute.

sam filling out the paperwork presumably for no reason 🤨 he's being compelled 🤨

overall I'm STRESSED right now

how are we doing folks

[discordantwords]

20 questions for fic writers

I was tagged by @khorazir and @raina-at. Thanks so much for tagging me!

1. How many works do you have on AO3? 47 (how is it that many?!) 29 for BBC Sherlock 18 for The X-Files

2. What's your total A03 word count? 897,533

3. What fandoms do you write for? Currently only BBC Sherlock

4. What are your top five fics by kudos?

(Never) Turn Your Back to the Sea

White Knight

Incidents with Dogs, Curious and Otherwise

Another Auld Lang Syne

The Dead Detective

5. Do you respond to comments? Why or why not? I try to! I'm not always the best at keeping up, especially lately as my schedule has been erratic and I can only steal a few minutes here and there for fandom activities. But even when I don't have a chance to reply, I do read and treasure each and every comment.

6. What's the fic you wrote with the angstiest ending? I guess maybe The Pillar upon which England Rests has the saddest ending of anything that I've ever written, but I don't really consider it a sad story. It's set immediately post Reichenbach, told mostly through flashbacks as Mrs Hudson shares the story of how she met Sherlock with John. Sherlock is still "dead" when the story comes to a close, and John and Mrs Hudson are both grieving, though we as the reader know their loss is temporary.

I have a few shorter fics with ambiguous endings that lean in the angsty direction:

Nothing Happened in Belarus deals with accidental time travel, with grief-stricken S4 Sherlock finding himself briefly in the care of S1 John. Alas, the reprieve is a short one, as neither Sherlock nor John become aware of what is happening in time to take advantage of the opportunity.

At the end of Leaves Sherlock and John have either triumphed over the hallucinogenic vines that have invaded 221B… or they haven't. (I have my own theory, but you are free to interpret the ending however you choose.)

In EXECUTE John inadvertently deletes Mary from existence. He gets his happy ending, but has to live with the uncomfortable knowledge of the choices he's made.

7. What's the fic you wrote with the happiest ending? Most of my fics have happy or at least hopeful endings. I like leaving the boys in a good place. I guess it depends on the flavor of happy you're looking for. But I'd say that these are probably the happiest:

(Never) Turn Your Back to the Sea

Inscrutable to the Last

White Knight

Another Auld Lang Syne

Whirlwind

8. Do you get hate on fics? Thankfully, no. A few weird comments here and there, but nothing too bad. The vast majority of my interaction with others in the fandom has been absolutely wonderful.

9. Do you write smut? Most of my sex scenes stay in R rated territory. But I tend to roll with whatever the plot demands of me.

10. Do you write crossovers? I've done quite a few fusion fics, but not crossovers. Crossovers aren't usually my cup of tea.

11. Have you ever had a fic stolen? Once, sort of, but I don't believe it was done maliciously and I don't wish to call attention to it.

12. Have you ever had a fic translated? Yes! I'm always flattered by requests to translate my writing.

13. Have you ever co-written a fic before? A friend and I used to write together quite a bit in high school, but nothing that has made it out into the world.

14. What's your all-time favourite ship? Sherlock & John and Mulder & Scully.

15. What's the WIP you want to finish but doubt you ever will? Crime Writer is a Sherlock/Knight Rider fusion that ran out of steam a while back (although it was intended to be episodic and IMO doesn't feel too horribly unresolved where it ends, so don't let the unfinished nature of it put you off if you're inclined to read it).

I'm still optimistic about most of the WIPs in my WIP folder, heh. I guess we'll see what next year brings.

16. What are your writing strengths? I like to think I'm good at writing complicated people with complicated feelings that don't always resolve neatly.

17. What are your writing weaknesses? I don't think my smut is particularly inspired. And I have a very hard time writing fluff or domestic situations without having some angst to drive the plot.

18. Thoughts on writing dialogue in another language for a fic? I personally wouldn't attempt it. I'm not fluent in any other languages and there's far too much nuance to leave in the hands of Google Translate. :)

19. First fandom you wrote for? X-Files! (Unless you count unrefined and unposted scribblings from my younger years, I definitely went through a phase where I was trying to fix the Terminator time loop in a way that allowed Sarah Connor and Kyle Reese to live happily ever after.)

20. Favourite fic you've ever written? Oh, this is always such a hard question to answer. The Pillar upon Which England Rests is the first fic I wrote for the Sherlock fandom, so it has a special place in my heart. I'm really proud of the cases and complex plot in Out There. (Never) Turn Your Back to the Sea is the one that seems to resonate with the most people. And White Knight is the fic I'd most like to see turned into an episode of the show. :D

I'll tag @thetimemoves @insistentbass @lololollywrites @arwamachine @naefelldaurk @clueless-mp4 @totallysilvergirl and anyone else who would like to play along!