#also andrew. my beloved. his only line in the book. perfect.

[deklo]

obsessed

[codename-adler]

WIP Game: aftg television soundtrack project

I love everything going on with this, just constantly imagining it in my head with different lines and scenes and everything 💖💖💖

my beloved, beloved insane project... i've already spoken about this here and there on my blog (i will organize a tag now that i think about it, dw), but in short i'm imagining AftG as if it were adapted as a TV series (first it was films, but i can do more with a show, and HBO TLoU changed me as a person and writer). it was 3 seasons, one for each book, but i've added a 4th season for TSC, and will add another one or 2 depending on how many more books Nora Sakavic blesses us with.

what i did was, i extracted the most impactful scenes from each book, those that would fit a soundtrack moment. i've created a sort of PowerPoint presentation, like a mood board for the scene, of how i'm picturing it shot, the angles, the pace, the tempo, etc. it is very, very clear in my head how everything goes. i'm not kidding. making playlists is my passion, and one i excel at i believe, but it brings me so much joy, pride and satisfaction. it's also really good for my mental. in parallel to this, i've also got the aftg x tlou project, which was wholly inspired by @cielalune 's own Andreil tlou AU fic turn out the lights, which i will NEVER shut up about. i have found a true kinship in their writing and musicality and i will forever be grateful for finding them and getting to exchange. all this to say, the playlist-making/planning for that fic is very time-consuming and brain-obsessing.

now back to the purely soundtracked wip. i'll share one of the first scenes i imagined and that has yet to change. this is for you too @minyard-05 <3

All for the Game (S2): The Raven King

"Betsy closed the door behind them. Neil could just make out the sound of her engine starting, and then it was quiet. Andrew was gone." (p. 255)

the slide currently looks like this as i haven't gotten to editing S2 of the project, but rest assured this is in no way the final look:

i'm going for a sort of echo-y, daze-y, numbing eulogy. TFC ends with Seth's death, and in a way, TRK ends with Andrew's. luckily it is a good "death" as he will come out of this freer, himself, accepted. but it is a death nonetheless. death of his past. a point of no return. a definite cross on all of it. no going back. and he also cannot bury this under his skin like before. over it. it's all in plain sight now. for as unapologetic as he is, Andrew was hiding.

Neil loses his best friend. Neil reckons with another's demons, and loses to them, loses him to them. That closing door rings the gong. And it's quiet. As manic as he may have been, Andrew was never noisy and full of life. Still he is missed. His absence is an abyss. It's not peaceful without the "monster"; it's deafening silence.

and the title of the song, too, is so perfect. Andrew leaving Neil behind that closed door, in that moment, means he is letting go of what he thinks is a hallucination. Neil will only be a memory now. he does not know yet Neil isn't a pipedream at all.

but both men will hold on to the memory of each other to survive what comes next.

[charlesemersonwinchesteriii]

Things that I have learned about A Stitch In Time after finishing Part III of the audiobook:

Basically nothing from the last 3 pages of the story because I'd been resolutely Not Looking at how much of the book was left because I could not even contemplate the atrocious specter of No More ASIT so as soon as I realized the story was wrapping up I was far too distracted by my agony to retain any information.

Seriously. I was lost in the sauce. Garak mentioned his shed, as in like, the fucking building he's been living in this whole time, and in between my hiccupping sobs I was like omg wait Cardassians shedding their scales is canon now?? My ass was NOT listening.

The Lizards Have Become Democratic. good for her dot jpg!

The BEST part of the new Cardassian government, of course, is that Garak is not a part of it at all in any way <3 Oh my dear Mr. Robinson, I knew you wrote this book just for me <3

Listen. I swore to myself that I would give in and never publicly give voice to my irrational passionate dislike for the concept of "Garak becomes president of Cardassia" if ASIT contained even a hint of it, out of deference for how much I love the rest of the book. But not only did mine beloved book NOT contain it in any way, it kind of refuted the whole concept imho???

He has the perfect opportunity to become a literal political influencer! He gets the chance to infiltrate the Directorate for the Reunion Project, to use all his relevant skills for good, it's the perfect setup, and he makes the choice to walk away. It's one of the few real, decisive choices he's had a chance to make in the entire novel. And he chooses not to become a powerful leader. He rejects the very thing he used to dream about becoming at the very beginning, when he was a little kid.

BOOK OF ALL FUCKING TIME!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Hey so where are my Kelas and Pythas spin-off novels btw. I need those on my desk by the end of the week. I would like you all to make this a priority. Thanks.

SERIOUSLY THOUGH. The way DS9 is just complex fascinating characters all the way down??? I just spent twelve (12) fucking hours learning more about one (1) minor recurring character who appeared in less than a quarter of all the episodes of the series and I was somehow left yearning for MORE details. Is this a standard Star Trek experience??? Do you all just live this way???? I NEED TO KNOW WHAT HAPPENED TO THESE LITTLE GUYS

I've gotta say. of all the possible explanations for who Kelas is and why he was tortured, Andrew really managed to come up with one that I both never would have guessed and am going to be haunted by forever. The man simply does not fucking miss huh.

Also I NEED both Palandine and Julian to show up now (preferably on the same transport ship so Garak can find out these two talked about him behind his back. can you fucking imagine.) so nearly all the people Garak has ever had a crush on can be here together in one place like the universe's most hilarious war-torn trauma-scarred dating sim.

Sidenote I keep forgetting that Garak never actually says he has feelings for Kelas, does he? I guess we're just supposed to glean that ourselves from Garak's various insane behaviors towards him. He really IS just like Julian, huh.

Just one more thing though. real quick. WHAT THE FUCK IS "I hope that someday you'll have the opportunity to see it. Nothing would please me more. You're always welcome, Doctor."????? BITCH I'M GOING TO KILL YOU

LIKE COME ON. LAST FUCKING LINE OF THE WHOLE BOOK? WE NEED TO DO SOMETHING ABOUT THIS. I CAN'T FUCKING TAKE IT ANYMORE.

In conclusion:

• PAGING DR. BASHIR!!!!! BOY IF YOU DON'T GET YOUR ASS DOWN TO THAT DAMN PLANET!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Things that I know about A Stitch In Time prior to listening to it:

Garak goes to spy school, which is for spies (for some reason the idea of this is amusing to me. like I get it duh of course the Order must have some sort of training system but also. fanfic ass trope. Spy School! For Spies! it's even a boarding school and everything. DARKEST ACADEMIA)

Garak performs a classic bisexual rite of passage by falling in love with both members of an older(?) married couple (or well textually probably only the wife. I feel like I'd have heard about it if he were Betacanonically Queer (TM) in this book. but here's hoping I'll be astonished while listening!)

I can't remember if I read anything specific about it or not but just based on vibes alone I do not have high hopes for this couple's like. life expectancy.

Based on vibes alone I do not have high hopes for ANY character's life expectancy in this book tbh. If it involves Cardassians in general and Garak in specific I usually just assume everyone involved is doomed. This is going to be a FUN 12 hours and 28 minutes!

There was a post somewhere that mentioned that some supernatural magical stuff happens in this book and I'm SO FUCKING STOKED. HERE'S HOW GARAK ORB EXPERIENCE CAN STILL WIN!!!!

The entire concept of this book is so funny to me. Garak goes 7 years being ohhh so mysterious to Julian about himself or his past and then just spills his whole life story to him in a letter as soon as they're separated. Babygirl is going through Bashir Withdrawal Syndrome.

Most importantly KELAS MY BEST FRIEND KELAS FROM ONE (1) LINE OF CANON!!!!! I have no actual evidence that he ever shows up in this book but like he has to right. right. he's absolutely everywhere on ao3 y'all had to have gotten him from somewhere. I assume.

[comixconnection]

Choose Your Three Free Comics!

At long, long last...Free Comic Book Day is here! Unlike the usual “first Saturday in May” celebration that has defined the even in normal years, due to issues with the ongoing pandemic the folks in charge have decided to move this year’s celebration back to August 14th. Want a sneak-peak at the books...?

The following titles will be available at Comix Connection on Aug 14th (while supplies last!). Everybody gets to pick three! Unlike previous years, we will NOT be accepting FOOD DONATIONS in exchange for additional comics. Instead we will be collecting monetary donations to give to the Central Pennsylvania Food Bank. For every DOLLAR donates, you may select an additional free comic book!

We know the line for the FCBD comics can get long (if you want to come in and shop first, you can skip the line and head straight inside!) so in an effort to both entertain you while you’re in that long line and to help it go a little faster by giving you a preview of the various titles so you can decide ahead of time what looks good, the Comix Connection Counter Monkeys have read and reviewed all of the available FCBD books! Take a peek!

CHOOSE YOUR FREE COMICS:

One hundred years before the Skywalker Saga began, the Jedi Knights were the guardians of peace and justice in the galaxy! In this prelude to the ongoing Star Wars: High Republic Adventures comic series, follow padawans Ram Jomaram, Lula Talisola, and Zeen Mrala as they try to save Lonisa City from the dreaded Nihil. Also read the beginning of Star Wars: High Republic Adventures #1! [All Ages]

“Two brand-new adventures from the world of Avatar: The Last Airbender! In Clearing the Air, Tenzin attempts to teach his rambunctious children a lesson Aang taught him about how to resolve conflicts. In Match Makers, Iroh runs into some trouble with a few friends...that just might lead him to something fun he’s been trying to hide from!” [All Ages]

Who Sparked the Montgomery Bus Boycott? gives a sample of the upcoming graphic novel by the same name, a tale telling the true story of the “Mother of the Civil Rights Movement,” Rosa Parks! This excerpt features the immediate aftermath of Rosa’s arrest, and her decision to start a legal battle that would change the course of American freedom! [All Ages]

“There's nothing better than a beautiful sunny day reading comics, so join us for a look at this summer's fantastic all-ages reads, courtesy of Oni Press! From the gentle, magical worlds of The Tea Dragon Tapestry (by K. O'Neill) and The Sprite and the Gardner (by Rii Abrego and Joe Whitt), the adventurous magical mystery of Mooncakes (by Suzanne Walker and Wendy Xu), and the action-packed Jonna and the Unpossible Monsters (Chris and Laura Samnee), there's something for everyone. Sneak a peek at these four fantastic fantasy graphic novels!” [All Ages]

Sonic is 30 years old! Celebrate the anniversary of the world’s fastest hedgehog with this peek into the ongoing Sonic comic series. Things get meta when Amy Rose starts drawing a comic about Sonic, Tails, and their friends...but what will Sonic think when he finds out he’s been turned into a comic book? Prepare for the big 30th Anniversary Sonic Celebration here! [All Ages]

It's the crisis of infinite Archies! Celebrate 80 years of the Riverdale Gang with this tale featuring a dimension-hopping Archie Andrews in his quest to save the multiverse. Then, witness Archie go toe-to-toe with... himself?! May the best Archie win! Plus, get a preview of the newest Archie One-Shot in shops! This title includes several versions of Archie (from classic to TV to horror) and showcases his evolution as a character over eight decades, all while being a tie-in to the company's 80th Anniversary plans. [All Ages]

“Despite the pandemic and the swirl of world events, back issue comics are booming! It's not all record prices (though there are many) or bargain basement deals, but rather it's many different categories! The team that brings you The Overstreet Comic Book Price Guide shines the spotlight on this exciting part of the universe of comic books. Includes tips on how to collect, care for your comics, and preserve them, among other things.” [All Ages]

“Get a sneak peek at book four in the bestselling InvestiGators series! With agent Brash trapped in a mysterious coma, the technicians at S.U.I.T. have designed the ultimate replacement: RoboBrash! This high-tech replica has been programmed with all of the original Brash's crime-fighting skills and know-how--but it seems he's got a few bugs in his system! Will Mango and his new partner be enough to stop the giant ants that are on a rampage in the city? Orchestrated by the spaced-out villain, Maestronaut, and Houdino, the dinosaur escape artist, it seems criminals are certainly upping the ANT-e!” [All Ages]

“My name is Grace, not ‘Kyle's little sister’!” Having a good-looking, friendly, outgoing older brother sucks--especially when you're the total opposite: someone who likes staying home and playing video games. Your parents like him better (even if they deny it!) and everyone calls you "Kyle's little sister" while looking disappointed that you're not more like him. Grace was really hoping she'd get to go to a different middle school, but no such luck. At least she has her friends...until he finds a way to ruin that, too! What will Grace have to do to get out of his shadow?! [All Ages]

Jewish mythology has it that when God created the universe, He left one corner of it unfinished. Opinion is divided on why, but everyone agrees that the Unfinished Corner is a dangerous place full of monsters. Twelve-year-old Miriam is too busy preparing for her Bat Mitzvah to care about the Unfished Corner. She spends her days wrestling with whether she even wants to be Jewish--until a peculiar angel appears, whisking her, her two best friends, and her worst frenemy off to this monstrous land with one mission: finish the Unfinished Corner. [All Ages]

“The City of Gloomhaven isn't "safe" at the best of times, but lately, more folks than usual seem to be disappearing. In a city paralyzed by an unknown menace, only one adventuring crew will do: The Jaws of the Lion! Based on the hit games, Gloomhaven and Jaws of the Lion from Cephalofair Games, comes a fantasy adventure with humor and heart.” [All Ages]

The Last Kids on Earth and their friends each tell their own best story of the Monster Apocalypse, including Jack's high-stakes baseball game, Globlet's attempt to take over the world, Quint's bad-day-away invention, Dirk's bragain with a witch, and June and Skaelka's creepy carnival--plus a surprise story from some bad guys on the run... [All Ages]

Being the new kid is tough, even for a superhero/ward and heir to a billionaire, Damian Wayne (aka Robin)! Join Damian as he struggles to learn patience and understanding from the students at Gotham Metro Academy, including star student and all-around Great Guy, Howard! Plus, an adventure of Amethyst, princess of the mystical realm of Gemworld by bestselling authors Shannon Hale and Dean Hale! [All Ages]

To celebrate the new animated TV series premiering on Nickelodeon Fall 2021, Papercutz is releasing a new series of graphic novels entitled The Smurfs Tales. Preview it here with a number of silly short Smurfs Tales, with a back-up appearance by one of Peyo’s other beloved creations: Johan and Peewit, the young page and the court jester. [All Ages]

In Edge of Balance, a new High Republic story set in the wake of the Hyperspace Disaster, meet new Jedi and their enemies 100 years before the events of the Skywalker Saga! Young Jedi Knight Lily Tora-Asi is assigned to help displaced civilians relocate to Banchii in the Outer Rim. She and her padawans will face more threats there than just anxious settlers, from the insidious Drengir to the Nihil! And in Guardian of the Whills, encounter Baze and Chirrut before they join the Rebellion against the Empire in Rogue One! Presiding over the Kyber Temple on Jedha, the Guardians of the Whills had hoped to maintain the balance despite the growing presence of the Empire in their Holy City. Yet when a rebel named Saw Gerrera appears, Baze and Chirrut must decide if they're willing to compromise for peace, or if Saw's plan is too dangerous to risk. Read the first chapter of these two new Star Wars Manga Graphic Novels here! [Teen]

It wouldn’t be the Teen Titans without heightened teenage emotions and romance! Fan favorites Beast Boy and Raven are travelling away from the dwellings they know to find homes they can feel comfortable in. Along the way, their paths cross, sparks fly, and even a destiny or two might be found. [Teen]

“Street Fighter heads back to school, as the world's young fighters flex both their academic and martial arts prowess! Fan favorites Sakura, Ibuki, Karin, Makoto, and Elena come face-to-face with a new challenger - the leather-clad, motorcycle-riding Akira! It's a square-off of (rival) schools in this action-packed one-shot!” [Teen]

[NOT FINAL ART] “This Fall, jump on board here as VALIANT UPRISING overthrows the status quo with new titles, new creators, and new takes on Valiant's most iconic characters! The VALIANT UPRISING FCBD SPECIAL features: A brand new X-O MANOWAR story from Harvey Award-winning writer Dennis Hopeless and breakout star Emilio Laiso. It's the perfect jumping-on point as Valiant's flagship hero prepares to "Upgrade the World"! Then, get a special advance preview of THE HARBINGER #1, an all-new series from co-writers Jackson Lanzing and Colin Kelly join superstar artist Robbi Rodriguez that promises to take Valiant's psiot rebel in a vivid new direction! Plus, find out how the world's greatest spy responds to being unmasked, hunted, and trapped in a first look at NINJAK #1, the pulse-pounding thrill ride from Ringo Award-winning writer Jeff Parker and legendary artist Javier Pulido. Finally, get a sneak peek from writer Cullen Bunn and artist Jon Davis-Hunt of what's to come when SHADOWMAN returns!” [Teen]

Three epic new Marvel moments begin here! Read the beginning of the upcoming Spider-Man Beyond story that will be starting in Amazing Spider-Man #75! Big changes are coming to everyone’s friendly neighborhood Spider-Man...but are they for good, or ill? Also discover the new Venom series, which will take spider symbiosis to whole new levels in the wake of King In Black. And last, sneak a peek at the Luke Cage: City On Fire mini-series, which will pit Luke against not just the Kingpin, but Daredevil too! [Teen]

Gotham is under attack, and it’s by the people claiming to keep it safe! Billionaire Simon Saint has slowly been taking over the institutions of Gotham with his insidious private security Magistrate program. Meanwhile, Batman finds his mind infected by Scarecrow’s fear gas, forcing him to question every decision he makes. It is all leading to the DC-spanning event FEAR STATE that will rock Gotham to its core. Plus, read a preview of Oscar-winning screenwriter John Ridely’s I Am Batman series in which the sons of Lucius Fox struggle with the legacy of both their father and Bruce Wayne as they take up the cowl to defend Gotham. [Teen]

Who is Avenger Prime? And what has spurred the chronal collapse that has them sending their army of Deathloks out to save all of space and time? Discover the start of the end here! Then, journey into the unknown with the Incredible Hulk! Bruce Banner never wanted to smash, he wanted to discover. Now, it’s finally time for the Hulk to expand his horizons with Operation: Smashtronaut! [Teen]

In this story from Critical Role, explore a small but important corner from the adventures of the Mighty Nein. Then, in The Witcher, it's an original tale featuring the iconic witcher himself, Geralt! Created in close collaboration with CD Projekt Red! [Teen]

A fascinating graphic adaptation of historian Timothy Snyder’s book On Tyranny, a collections of essays and reflections on lessons from history and how they can help America steer away from the course of authoritarianism. Recommended for anyone looking to learn more about how tyrants all through history have manipulated people and systems to take away the freedoms of others. [Teen]

“Side A: "BLACK: Interlude" What else was going on the night Kareem Jenkins was shot by police and discovered only Black people have superpowers? Find out in this FCBD one-shot! Side B: "CALEXIT: Hollywood Babylon" Once California refused to be ruled by the US government, its resistance fighters became overnight celebrities. Zora used her infamy for recruiting, but Emmie-X has other ideas.” [Mature]

In 2019, James Tynion IV (Batman) and Werther Dell'Edera (Briggs Land) introduced the world to Erica Slaughter, the iconic monster hunter who came to Archer's Peak, Wisconsin to save the town's children from the monsters only she can see. But Erica is not the only member of the House of Slaughter... With nearly half a million copies sold, Something is Killing the Children has become a true comic phenomenon and this Free Comic Book Day you are invited to enter the House of Slaughter...if you dare. [Teen]

Crewed by teenage geniuses frozen in cryosleep, the JEMISON is on a mission to terraform other worlds and provide hope for the human race. But when the ship is mysteriously stopped over a planet that isn't on any of their maps, the crew finds themselves suddenly awoken ten years early. One half remains behind to try and assess the damage and the other is dispatched to the planet below to figure out the answer to a perilous question: What stopped the ship, and is it friend or foe? [Teen]

As the earth dies, salvation is offered to five thousand children who will be spirited away from our planet’s apocalypse -- but what of the other children, still hoping to find one of the bracelets that give them their ticket off planet? In this wistful one-shot from the sci-fi hit We Live, go into the Broken Lands with a group of friends...but there are four of them, and only one bracelet to be found. How will they decide who gets to leave? Then, preview the Rainbow Bridge graphic novel where Andy has to help his beloved dog Rocket save eternity! [Teen]

“The comic adventures of Max, Chloe, and Rachel from the award-winning video game Life Is Strange continue in this exclusive lead-in to an epic new story arc! This FCBD special features the first comic book appearance of an all-new character who will feature heavily in the Life is Strange universe in 2021! This FCBD issue contains exclusive original material!” [Teen]

“To reclaim the Dungeon that fell to the scheming William Delacour, the plan is simple: Marvin the dragon, Isis, and Herbert the duck must find some magic “fugus purit” and use it to dislodge the current occupants of the fortress. But is this really the Guardian's plan? Our heroes will have to fight against everyone to save the Dungeon. Meanwhile, will Marvin succeed in his engagement blast-of-firebreath 'Tong Deum'? Preview the new series here!” [Teen]

See the next chapter of the super-powered scifi epic The Resistance, and then meeet the “Moths”: a subset of the super-powered Reborn. The pandemic that granted the Reborn their gifts during The Great Death gave power to people like  Emily Kai and the rest of the Moths, too...but the moment they use their gifts, their clock starts ticking and they have six months to live. Also, get a sneak-peek at the just-released Not All Robots futuristic techno-depressive-thriller! [Teen]

The second semester of School for Extraterrestrial Girls is in session! Peer into the lives of Tara Smith (fire lizard!), Misako Sato (extra-dimensional fairy!), Summer Cortez (pink tentacle void beast!), and Ekaterina and Zvenislava (anthropomorphic Russian kittens!). They’re all normal teenage girls...except that they’re all aliens stuck on Earth, and since Tara partially destroyed their old school they’ve been sent to bunk at the School for Extraterrestrial Boys while it’s repaired...that’ll go fine, right? Read the first issue here! [Teen]

This official spinoff manga of Rent-A-Girlfriend, the rom-com turned hit anime, features fan-favorite Sumi, the shy girl longing to come out of her shell. Written and illustrated by original creator Reiji Miyajima! Catch up on the manga before the Rent-A-Girlfriend anime returns for a second season, coming soon! [Teen]

Zom 100 is a violent and funny take on the zombie apocalypse! Its main character, Akira, is so depressed in his soul-crushing job that he uses the undead hordes as motivation to finally complete his bucket list! Also included is a sample of the hit fantasy manga Demon Slayer. [Teen]

“Known as the the Weakest Hunter of All Mankind, E-rank hunter Jinwoo Sung's contribution to raids amounts to trying not to get killed. Unfortunately, between his mother's hospital bills, his sister's tuition, and his own lack of job prospects, he has no choice but to continue to put his life on the line. So when an opportunity arises for a bigger payout, he takes it...only to come face-to-face with a being whose power outranks anything he's ever seen! With the party leader missing an arm and the only healer a quivering mess, can Jinwoo somehow find them a way out?” [Teen]

In the small Pennsylvania town of White Ash, there isn’t much going on aside from mining...and keeping the fact that there are elves and dwarves living in the town secret, of course! In this pre-launch of Season Two of the ongoing series, a romantic rendezvous for the grieving dwarf Alex and mischievous elf Lillian doesn’t go as planned...with potentially disastrous consequences! Also read a preview of The Game, a new series where your every action affects impacts the score of your life! Plus a sneak-peak at some vampiric troubles in colonial America in Stake! [Teen]

World of Zorro gives readers a peak at the upcoming titles for the legendary masked swashbuckler, both new stories (that range from the familiar to supernatural horror) as well as newly-translated classic tales! [Teen]

For FREE COMIC BOOK DAY, enjoy this special expanded edition of the hit IMAGE series, STRAY DOGS! Stray Dogs is a comic thriller that features art inspired by classic Don Bluth-style animation, telling the story of a group of dogs brought together by a mysterious loner. Rather than behave like four-legged humans, the brilliance of Stray Dogs is that it gets inside the heads of its canine characters, showing the human world from their perspective. Unique, entertaining, and creepy. [Teen]

The undead Vampirella has been around since 1969, and as the celebrations of her 50th anniversary draw to a close, Dynamite presents a reprint of the first issue of their series that kicked-off her modern adventures! [Teen+]

Take an inside look at everyone’s favorite bipedal shark god, King Shark (aka Nanaue)! Suicide Squad’s many-toothed muscle is currently inside Belle Reve prison, but he won’t remain there for long. PLUS: a sneak peak at the just-released Suicide Squad miniseries Get Joker! [Mature]

“After 20 years of antics coming out of Sunnyvale trailer park, the underground TV phenomenon Trailer Park Boys is finally coming to comics! Full of short stories and activity pages, several of comics' finest join to create a series of comic book specials in 2021 and beyond honoring Ricky, Bubbles and Julian and everything fans have come to love about the series.”  [Mature]

Fungirl is a humor comic that is as unpredictable and hilarious as it is observant and smart. Cartoonist Elizabeth Pich’s creation does as much smashing the patriarchy as she does dreaming of delicious donuts and being spit on by llamas. [Mature]

“Tensions between the clans are high, so when Cecily Bain, an enforcer for the Twin Cities' vampiric elite, takes a mysterious new vampire under her wing she finds herself in over her head and dragged into a massive undead conspiracy! Meanwhile, on the outskirts of the city, a rebellious found-family of clan-less vampire cast-outs investigates a vicious killing.” [Mature]

“Preview the forthcoming full color, original Space Pirate Captain Harlock series from ABLAZE, personally overseen by the legendary Leiji Matsumoto!  In this brand-new Captain Harlock adventure, planet Earth is threatened by an upcoming invasion by the Sylvidres and despite being banished as a pirate, Captain Harlock won't give up trying to save the world. Will Captain Harlock and his crew manage to solve this mystery and save the Earth from yet another menace?  Also includes teasers for 3 highly anticipated upcoming manga/manhwa releases from ABLAZE, including The Breaker Vol 1 omnibus (critically acclaimed martial arts manhwa), Versus Fighting Story Vol 1 (Capcom e-sports shonen manga) and Crueler Than Dead Vol 1 (zombie horror seinen manga).” [Mature] 

“An evil so profound it threatens all mankind... the mightiest heroes on the planet uniting to defend us all... a secret crisis of such utter finality that a countdown to civil or infinite war seems unavoidable... but have you ever wondered what really happens during Crossovers? The Seven, Payback, Teenage Kix, Fantastico and every other supe on Earth team up for an annual event like no other... and where the supes go, can a certain "five complications and a dog" be far behind? Vought-American prepare to make their move, in a story that will change the world of the Boys forever: Herogasm #1. The first-ever Boys spin-off mini-series features the pairing of Ennis with Hitman artist John McCrea and covers by Boys artist and co-creator Darick Robertson!” [Mature]

“The most eagerly-anticipated series of 2021 gets the FCBD treatment with this ALL-NEW "bonus" issue of the series! Featuring 33 pages of comics produced exclusively for FCBD, from the creator of Hip Hop Family Tree and X-Men: Grand Design, designed as a perfect entry point for new readers and a must-have for those already on board. Aided by the anonymous dark web and nearly untraceable crypto-currency, there has emerged a subculture of criminals who live-stream and patronize webcam murders for entertainment. Who are the murderers? Who are the victims? Who is the audience? How do we stop it? An outlaw, splatterpunk masterpiece, as seen on Piskor's YouTube channel sensation, Cartoonist Kayfabe!” [Mature]

“An award-winning comic and soon to be Netflix anime series!  When dusk arrives in the city of Manila, that's when you become the most likely prey of the underworld. Kidnappers and thieves will be the least of your worries. Beware the criminals that can't be bound with handcuffs nor harmed with bullets.  Beware the ones that crave your blood, those who hold your heart ransom, and the ones that come to steal your soul. When crime takes a turn for the weird, the police call Alexandra Trese. Featuring a preview from TRESE Vol 2: Unreported Murders, a section on the forthcoming Netflix TRESE anime series launching this summer (including an interview with Director Jay Oliva), bonus pages with w/ background about the monsters of Philippine myth as told by TRESE creators Budjette Tan and Kajo Baldisimo, and a teaser on TRESE Vol 3: Mass Murders, coming this Sept from ABLAZE!” [Mature]

“2000 AD Presents All-Star Judge Dredd is a thrill-powered showcase of the past and shocking present of the iconic lawman of the future! Witness the birth of the world of Judge Dredd in an incendiary preview of upcoming prequel graphic novel Dreadnoughts by Michael Carroll with art by Watchmen's John Higgins. Fan-favourite Judge Hershey travels to the ends of the earth to dispense her own brand of justice in long-anticipated blockbuster spin-off, Hershey: Disease by Rob Williams (Suicide Squad) and Simon Fraser (Doctor Who). Along-side these teases for Fall 2021 epics enjoy a bone-rattling all new stand-alone Dredd caper from elite writer Al Ewing (Immortal Hulk, Marvel's Empyre) and Caspar Wijngaard (Star Wars, Home Sick Pilots)!” [Teen]

“Four titanic tales of pure fun and entertainment for everyone to enjoy! First up. It's no dog and pony show here! Bringing back the iconic puppets from the San Francisco Bay Area "Charlie and Humphrey"!! The modern-day Gumby and Pokey! A true love for al ages featuring a tale by Justin Sane and John Hageman! Next up is "Red Dawn" Written and created by Brandon McKinney, with inks by Bill Anderson and vibrant colors from Ross Hughes!! The government has created the first "controlled" superhero doing the bidding of a shadow operation until things go bad leaving our hero to blame and now on the run. The following story is only exclusive to this FCBD edition. Written by Greg Boucher and illustrated by Victor Moya they bring you "Rock and Roll Biographies: FIGHt" See how a troubled Rob Halford leaves the world biggest heavy metal band to form his own supergroup and take metal back!! Our last preview is written by Mel Smith, illustrated by Frank Cirocco/Alex Sheikman and hand colored by Gerhard! "Becoming Frankenstein" takes down the journey of a troubled Victor Frankenstein as he grieves the loss of his mother while harvesting the body parts of victims to create life again for his monster! Learn the tales of the victims and who they were before they became what becomes Frankenstein's ultimate creation! : This will be the only edition to feature this Rock and Roll Biographies story featuring FIGHT “ [Mature]

Enjoyed your Free Comic Book Day books? Want to read more? Let your friendly neighborhood Comix Connection Counter Monkey know which ones caught your eye, and we’ll be happy to direct you to the next part of the story!

[garloszeczek-blog]

My new review Birds of Prey

You'll see where this is going very quickly. All right. So that movie was about the horror of someone else playing with your toys in a way that you feel they are not supposed to be played with. It's a great site to see the Birds of Prey. It's a very jarring experience, and most of us have been there, but in line with the message of that movie, I think it's important that we all take a step back and recognize that at the end of the day, We're all loving the same characters.

And that's nice right now that said my problems with birds of prey are not simply the significant, significant changes made to DC Canon. That bothers me, but the film has plenty of its of its own problems as well. Uh, and we're gonna discuss them, but I just want to make it clear that I wouldn't say this movie is a bad movie, but I wouldn't say it's a good movie.

Either in fact, I have been struggling since I saw it as to whether or not as a rotten tomatoes critic. I should give it a fresh or a rotten tomato, because to be honest with you, I don't think it deserves either. I feel putting a rotten tomato on it. It's too harsh, but I feel like a fresh tomato is a bit too much of a pass.

What made me see the Birds of Prey

But I got to pick one. Right? So what was the deciding factor? Well, I've been talking to a lot of you, uh, you know, some of you who've been very nice. Uh, I'll be curious to see the box office on this movie. Cause while there's a small contingent, that's very vocal about film. Uh, you know, the tracking has still been very low and I'm curious to see how it all eventually shakes out.

We'll see. But to some people, I think it's undeniable that this movie means a lot to them. Uh, and then also it's viewed as an important staff. And I think this is true in regards to who's in movies and Hollywood and who makes those movies, that con you know, I think that is fair. So for that reason, I think that's enough of a tiebreaker that tip the scales to a fresh tomato, but I'm going to put in the comments that it was a real squeaker between fresh and rotten.

Cause you know, again, that's really the case. So now we're going to talk about the movie, right? No spoilers, but boy, do we have a lot to talk about the spoiler review? Uh, but first I'm going to start with what I like about the movie. There. Isn't a lot of stuff that I like, and then I'm going to talk about what I don't like.

All right. So the good. The acting, I think the acting is quite good in this movie, everyone. Well, I have to say Andrew Kane and rename on tour. Really one toy isn't bad. I just feel totally unnecessary in the movie. I did not like Cassandra Kane at all. Um, But everyone else I thought was excellent. And you know what?

I thought very, very committed to their roles. Nobody is doing a paycheck gig here, and I think that has to be respected. I certainly respect it. All right. So first off, Margot Robbie personally, I prefer the current animated version of the character to me. That's perfect. This Harley does a lot of things by accident.

Happiness at every turn

You know, she's very lucky. Let's say right. She could almost be black cat in terms of luck powers to some degree. And the Marilyn Monroe comparison by the way is actually very apt because Robbie is playing Harley Quinn, like a criminal clown, Maryland Monroe. And I totally understand that choice by the way.

And on that note, she looks absolutely gorgeous here. Not only on the outside, but on the inside. Sure. She does some mean things and she is, you know, a criminal, but she does, you know, she does radiate, um, a fun factor and a kindness factor, which is great, which is, I think one of the things that makes the character so likable.

Along with her cool look and her costume changes. She's fun, right? No wonder Margot Robbie is going on to play Barbie. Uh, and while I don't agree with many of her choices here as to how to play Harley. You can't deny that Robbie's definitely making strong choices and that she really has made the character her own.

Uh, and we're going to talk about this at the end of the review to many people. She's the only Harley Quinn they've ever seen and she's beloved. And I think that's great. You know, you love to see comic book characters succeed beyond the initial medium. Right. And she has one. Undeniably good gag where let's just say she punches Zass in the fun house.

Curiosity is the first step to hell

You'll know it. When you see it, it was the one genuine roaring laughter that came from my audience and it was totally deserved. Uh, you and McGregor, he's having a lot of fun here, right? Speaking of fun with a very camp, but also very disturbed performance, which is. Very important. The disturbed part two black mask, one of the most disturbing characters in DC comics, from what you know, from, from one fire, the joker to the next, right.

I wish that had been commented on more. There's a lot, that's not commented on here. Um, but anyway, you and McGregor's performance is a hundred percent believable. I mean, I really thought he did a great job. I don't like a lot of what's done with his character, but that's not on you and McGregor. And it's undeniable that like with Margot, Robbie, You can't take your eyes off of either of them when they're on screen. For your message, you won't see the movie on Netflix.

I hated the end with this character though. I absolutely hated it. I was like, this is where we part ways, birds of prey. I don't know if I can, I don't think I can get over this. And it's a real travesty of justice. We'll discuss it in the spoiler review. I was like, wow. That was a mistake. I can't believe he did that.

All right. So next up journey smaller much, much, much better than I'd anticipated. Very good. I can see why so many people were singing her praise. Um, you know, in the run up to this film's release, she has the best fight scene in the film fitting since black Canary of course is an iconic character in the comics.

For her fighting skills, the kick to the car door that I heavily criticized and the trailer is still weak, but it's her only weak kick. Every other kick is controlled and powerful and made to look even cooler by the gold pants and matching boots that she's wearing. It's really phenomenal. I was really impressed.

Unlikely personality

I thought that she could definitely kick butt. I loved it. And her look for most of the film I feel is much better. I mean, I know they eventually incorporate the fish nets. You've already seen this look in the trailers, but the leisure suit. It was bad. I was like, what are you wearing? That's really bad.

Like that fabric, you would think it was instant. No, no. The costumes on the other women are so bad. It almost seems intentional. It's it's for hunters. I actually liked Hunter's. We'll talk about her in a minute. In terms of her costume choices. I speaking of unnecessary though, the canal cry, which of course is something else that character is famous for in the comics.

It does make an appearance and it does look great, but it really came across. It's unnecessary because no one else has metal powers in the movie. So you were like, this doesn't really go with the rest of the film because you know, I think black Canary got the Canary. She didn't start out with it. She got that Canary crime.

So she could be in stories with other meta human characters in DC comics. They call them meta-humans. Uh, so that's why she has it, but here there no such character. And then I really didn't like what they did right after she did her Canary cry. Which really bothered me, which we'll talk about in the spoiler review.

Great combat scenes

But in addition to her fighting skills, small, like bell was simply very likable here, really likable. And while she doesn't have a lot of character development for shame, a smaller bell still manages through the sheer force of her acting and personality to come across very much like a real person with a lot of.

You know, dynamic elements. I really liked her a lot. Mary Elizabeth Winstead curious. So funny. She got, she got some good genuine laughs as well. Not as many as the Harley Quinn bed, but she got some laughs. She was good. I mean, Huntress has never been very particularly well-defined in the comics, but to see her go from a mid midriff wearing sex pot.

Too wearing a sweat, sweat sweatsuits, right. With anger issues and poor social skills playing up her New Jersey mafia angle. Well, that was just really clever and a true joy to see too bad. She has hardly any screen time. I mean, that was a real shame. Uh, both black Canary countries are very good. But they're really restricted in what they're allowed to do on screen.

It's unfortunate. I'm thinking HBO, or I'm going to make a video about it. I'm thinking HBO, max show for them just because. The actresses aren't as high profile and their stories seem a little bit smaller, but if the movie does really well, maybe a spinoff movie, but you know, streaming today is a hot, a hot spot.

And I think it would be very happy with the HBO max show. We were really, really explore both of their origins and there's good teases to their origins, but again, you know, kind of just shuffled in there to, for fan service and to give them a look it's a little as backstory as possible. Alright, so now we're on the positive.

Gotham never sleeps

A Christmas scene again, while I do not like it at all, what's done with his character. I did feel that Mussina fully commits here is that, and therefore is very engaging to watch on screen. Uh, also like black mask, he feels truly dangerous. I felt they were actually dangerous characters, which is great.

Especially if you're in an R rated movie. I'd also like to include director Kathy and here again, I don't feel she was the right choice for this movie. I think she makes it feel very small, but I have to hand it to her that she handed in a film that very much feels like a mainstream studio product. And that's incredible for someone who's never made one before.

I mean, you cannot tell that this is someone's first studio picture, so that's impressive. Then finally, in the good section, I would like to also include the police station raid, which is really three delightful sequences. They're not perfect. But they have the best visuals and some of the most clever elements in the movie. Besides, I recommend reading reviews of the movie on Metacritic.

And definitely the best overall action Harley really is good with the baseball bat. There was one where she one instance where she throws it and I thought that was incredible. I loved it. And a smiling Harley Quinn emerging from pink and blue smoke. Mimicking her hair. Holding a shotgun is probably my favorite shot in the film.

What it's like to be an anti-hero

I was like, wow. And I also liked the wanted poster joke. This is very good stuff. Now let's segue over unfortunately to the bat. And I have to say there was something about this police station raid that bothered me, even though I did enjoy it the most out of all the action sequences and that's that Harley is clearly using non-lethal rounds in a misguided thing to make her the antihero.

Right. They're like, yo, she can't shoot the police. The audience will not like her then. And I'm like, You know, either she's a criminal or she's not, I don't like things to try and have it both ways, which I think is a good way to describe this movie is we're going to discuss, but anyway, she's using non-lethal rounds, but yet still, for some reason, the police who have real guns cower in fear, and there are a lot of, Oh, whatever you want just don't hurt us.

I mean like the people of Gotham should be very upset. Okay. I mean, it also, at that point, the whole. Knows. She's no longer under Joker's protection for them. So there's really no reason for that this to be the case. And it just really bothered me. I thought it was sloppy writing to make her be able to pull off this raid.

I'm like, just figure out how she can do it for real, please. I also felt that even though Chad's the housekeeper came in here to help with the action with some reshoots, it just still didn't work out there. Isn't a lot of action. Um, even when there are action sequences, they aren't that great. Right? Uh, the fun house, for instance, it's a cool set, but it makes for a very awkward action sequence.

I mean, for instance, you can literally see the actors and the stunt people struggling to maneuver. In the fun house, their footing is very unsure. They're like, I guess I'm supposed to do this and it's not working. And you're like, it's not working. You should redo the scene. Um, my favorite moment in that sequence, by the way is again, black Canary, uh, needing a hairband to pull her hair back out of her face mid-flight she has to get it from someone else.

Women on top

And I just thought that was very real. I liked it. I thought a woman would really do that, but the fact that's my favorite moment in that fight sequence, I think says a lot about how little fighting is actually going on there. Uh, furthermore, for some reason, the tone dramatically changes in the third act.

And our leading ladies get really silly, like really silly it's on choice, considering that this is the time that they're in the most danger and also teaming up for the first time. I thought that was, I was like, this is a very weird tonal shift. Uh, next, I felt this movie had a lot of the same problems that suicide squad did yet.

For some reason, nobody is saying anything. I suspect that a lot of people in the media felt joker was irresponsible. I didn't like where joker was coming from. And this really is like the exact opposite of joker, um, which is unfortunate. Cause I feel like a really good Harley Quinn story could be as good as Todd Phillips do with joker, but talking about women in abusive relationships anyway.

I do feel that there's something of like, let's push this cause we want to see this more than joker. And I hope that's not how the conversation evolves because it's going to be super annoying. But anyway, um, so yes, a lot like suicide squad, like instead of doing the work and the script, a lot of things are written up on the screen.

A comedy movie

Sometimes it gets laughs, but I do feel it's a little bit sloppy. Um, similarly, the editing is very choppy. The story is told out of order. Um, And a lot, a lot. I don't, I don't know if suicide squad did that too much, but I have to say a lot of what we saw being filmed or was in the trailers, never makes it into the movie.

I know it. And you had it too. I know it had to be reworked, but there's stuff that's not in there that you feel should be in there maybe a little bit. Like for instance, Jared letter's joke or body double, even the body doubles doesn't show up. So it's kind of weird to have joke would be so much a part of what Harley's talking about yet.

You don't see him. I wish that they had managed to maybe. Work something out to Jared Leto could return cause his shadow weighs heavily on the entire film. Um, so yeah, there's a lot missing. There's a lot missing, right? Also many, many times just when the movie hits on a really good idea and you're like, wow, this might be something it stops short and moved on.

Right. A perfect example of this is the diamonds are a girl's best friend musical number. I didn't think it was going to work. But then when it was in the movie, I was like, wow, this is really working. I can't believe I'm good. Oh, it's over. That's what it was like. It was like less than a minute. It felt like there was less footage about dance sequence, that musical number in the movie that has been in the trailers. Before I watch a movie I always try to check the information on this page.

So that was weird. Um, I mean, I'm, I'm like, you must've felt more than this. Why did you not put more of this sin? For instance, also one of my favorite shots from the trailers when she does like the boom would hit somebody with her head. That's not in the movie. I also have a real problem with the hypocrisy of birds of prey.

What I didn't like

I really hate this kind of stuff. It really bothers me, which is maybe one of the reasons that I have a problem with this phone and it's has hypocrisy on a number of points. All right. So number one. It's supposed to represent women, right? Yet Harley Quinn is front and center and the other female characters have very little screen time in development.

Margot, Robbie has famously now said that you wanted to shine a spotlight on lesser known DC characters, which I think is admirable, but she's not doing that. They very much come across a cross as backup dancers, right. Instead of partners. Uh, that kind of works a little bit with where the story goes again.

I don't want to give away any spoilers, but you know, it's unfortunate. Uh, you could easily cut my least favorite characters Ram on toy and Cassandra Kane and give that screen time, which is very badly needed to black, Canary and hundreds. Also considering again, how great Harley Quinn's multiple costumes are.

It seems almost intentional that the other costumes are so bad. I like the joke of Hunter says, you know, sweatsuits, right. Or, you know, I think that's very funny, but black Canary should look much closer to her comic book origins. They don't even give her the leather coat. It's it's it's it's frustrating.

Um, but anyway, the movie is also supposed to support characters of color diversity, but bottom line it's it's hero and villain who have by far, the most screen time are white. And so I don't know why this movie is getting rewarded for doing something it does not do. And also again, I loved smell like bell and that she was great, but you can't ignore her.

Supporting LGBT communities

Hollywood's continued colorism. It's really unfortunate. The movie is also supposed to support LGBT representation. I felt I was worried about this. Some people misconstrued, my comments is not wanting in the movie. That's totally incorrect. I really wanted in the movie, in fact, in a moment, we're going to talk about why, uh, but I was worried that it wouldn't be done well, or it would be more queer baiting, which is exactly what it is.

Right. For instance, you only know that Montoya is a lesbian because Harley says so in voiceover, she never does a single thing on screen. To show that that's the case. Even her interactions with her supposed ex-girlfriend have no subtext to them whatsoever. They could just as well be friends, former friends, to be honest with you, uh, Harley Quinn who's famously by in the comics.

Not here. There is a quick visual gag, which could easily be cut for foreign audiences, uh, about her experimenting in college. And that's it on a side note while we're talking about it now, uh, black mask, uh, is very campy as a character, but some of you have actually written me and told me that foreign dubs take that out of the movie. It is worth noting that the main character was played by the wonderful Margot Robbie.

That's stripped away from the performance. Um, so there's the campy aspect, but the movie just refuses to commit to him being. Even potentially a gay character. It's very cowardly. I think even the moment where he puts his arm around as his shoulder, I don't think that's in the actual movie. I might be mistaken on that to be fair, but I was looking for it and I didn't see it.

Uh Zara's does Fort with black mask, but, uh, Zass flirts with everyone. Right. He just seems like he's just kinda like into everything. Uh, and he gets the most sexual gratification from violence. There's a specific kind of violence, but I don't want to give it away. Uh, then finally, I really don't like how this movie depicts men.

I think, I think it's problematic. I don't like this trend that for one thing to be awesome. Another thing has to be torn down. Why can't I, why can't, you know, again, from the Lego movie, why can't everything be awesome? Right. Harley Quinn can be a great villain without having to put out the idea that she was the one who came up with all of Joker's good ideas.

Joker-related threads

Right. I was like, why do you have to tear down joker to make her like, when a great character? I don't think that. Good at all in the comics and an animation Montoya, it gets along great with Gordon and books. She's part of the inner circle of the GCPD, but here she's ostracized, but every single man in the department bullied by them and her case is stolen by them.

Um, Now it's hard to go into many more specifics without spoilers. So we will definitely revisit this issue in my spoiler review. But I will say here that all the men are depicted as very rapey. And I just didn't see one positive male character in the film. There's one character that you can maybe argue as positive, cause he doesn't want to get killed, but like that's a really horrible excuse for what he ends up doing to a woman. We can read about the history of the Birds of Prey on the wiki.

I'm like, We'll talk about it. I mean, wow. I mean, their men are definitely portrayed as the enemy and at one point Harley even Moes down a male store manager with her shopping cart laughing, and we're supposed to laugh at it. And you're like, that guy is responsible for the paying. You know, he has to take the monetary loss for what you just stole.

Um, you know, joker was a man of the people I'm just saying, and, you know, Harley the selfishness, there's a little bit of a one character flaw for the character. I was also particularly devastated to see that even black mask is portrayed as hating women, like really being misogynistic. Right. And there's one scene in the film, which involves that other guy that is truly appalling and which we will definitely discuss in the spoiler review.

Does it pay to see

I'm not even sure if it should be in the movie. I don't understand exactly why it was put there, except it'd be just like the pinnacle of men hating women. I didn't like it. Um, And it made no sense story-wise either who would ever go to black masks club, but this kind of stuff happens there. Uh, and the, one of the main reasons that I find it disappointing is that gay men and women have historically had a bond.

Right. And I had hoped that that would be played up. And highlighted in this movie and might be a really clever reason or one of the really clever reasons for making black mask, a gay character in the context of this specific film about representation and victimization either. That could be really cool, but instead he's just another woman hater, which, you know, women have no friends who are men and I don't like that at all.

I mean, I think that there's definitely abuse that goes on. Um, and that I have, I have absolutely no problem. I'm being depicted. The Harley Quinn animated series does a great job with that, but I don't think you should vilify all men. I think that's not a good. That's a good path to go down. So yeah, I have a lot of problems with this movie and I'm surprised that so many people are seeing the film as revolutionary, right?

Public expectations

I suspect it's because the number of people have not seen it yet, but some people have and have been very laudatory. And I was thinking about it and it occurred to me that for many, many people, and this is sad, they've never read mad love. They haven't read any of the Harley Quinn comics, which admittedly.

Are really dodgy in terms of quality, but they've also let seeming wonderful new animated series, which is stuck behind a paywall. And unfortunately, very few subscribers to that service. I mean, it's really unfortunate because mad love and the new animated series, not the comics, unfortunately, but mad love.

And the new animated series are both much better than this movie, but have a smaller audience. So I guess at least the story's getting out there, but it's been told better. So that's my non spoiler review of birds of prey. My spoiler review will be coming very soon and again, as I said, we have plenty to discuss, but for now, share your thoughts down below.

[a-man-for-hire-and-his-archives]

EXCLUSIVE: On Set With The Cast Of INXS: Never Tear Us Apart

LOCATION # 1:

New Council Chambers, Trades Hall, Carlton (7.30am)

Approximately 45 extras file down Lygon Street. There's an abundance of acid wash denim and it could be 1987 all over again. This morning, Trades Hall becomes the makeshift venue inside which one of INXS' college gigs as they targeted the US market is about to be recreated. During a previous shoot, Sidney Myer Music Bowl became Wembley Stadium. “Being on that stage and imagining what it would be like to play to 70,000 people” is a highlight from Ido Drent's experience portraying INXS drummer, Jon Farriss. Luke Arnold, who's perfectly cast as frontman Michael Hutchence, marvels, “It was pretty ambitious what we set out to do in the timeframe we had, really: turning Melbourne into places around the entire world over a couple of decades.”

As soon as Arnold heard about the project, he sent in some tapes “before they were even asking to cast anyone”. After auditioning other actors for the role, it was a tape of Arnold dancing “as Michael”. “I think it was on a Friday night while I was in Cape Town, after a big day of filming [Black Sails],” he remembers. “I set up my iPhone and filmed myself dancing around to an INXS song and that was the last thing that clinched the deal.”

Inside Trades Hall, the band cast of INXS: Never Tear Us Apart – which is rounded out by Nicholas Masters (Tim Farriss), Andy Ryan (Andrew Farriss), Hugh Sheridan (Garry Gary Beers) and Alex Williams (Kirk Pengilly) – get acquainted with the stage and their instruments. Masters wanders past and good-naturedly corrects us when we 'admire' his “dirty, rotten perm” (turns out they're his own natural curls). Williams wears a lot of Pengilly's “actual clothes” for the mini series, but the red billowy pants the actor sports today are brand new. “His red suit which he gave us was looking a bit tattered so we got another one made,” Williams clarifies.  

Drent actually learned how to play drums for a couple of years as a teen and took drum sticks along to the audition. “I was tapping away during the scene as if I was practising at home,” he recalls, “and that kinda worked 'cause – I didn't know about this, but Jon had requested that whoever plays him has to have at least played the drums along the line.” As Kick cranks through the venue soundsystem, hearing Hutchence's original snarling vocal makes his presence felt somehow. Onstage, Arnold's a bit more buff than the naturally streamlined Hutchence, but the actor has clearly done his homework.

INXS: Never Tear Us Apart director Daina Reid agrees. While filming this project, she says Arnold “has these weird moments where you go, 'Woah!'” because his resemblance to the beloved late INXS frontman is “quite uncanny at times”. And it's not just physical similarities; Arnold has perfected the Hutch strut, international accent and mannerisms. On his preparation for the role, Arnold shares, “I locked myself in a little house in Elwood and kinda got up every morning, had a beer, put on some INXS, watched every video that was available, read every book, listened to every song, read through all the lyrics and just kind of immersed myself in it and spent as much time as I could on his walk and his voice.

“Occasionally in the rehearsal room, I'd do something and Tim Farriss might be like, 'Oh, that! Like that!' If it jumped out at him that it reminded him of Michael, I'd kind of put a little pin in that and try and incorporate it in the show somewhere.” Although Sheridan spent a lot of time chatting with Beers, who is currently based in LA, via Skype, he confirms Farriss as “the go-to overseer of the whole thing”. ”I run everything by [Tim] and if he thinks I'm doing a good job then I don't care,” Sheridan laughs. “I go, 'Does this look like Garry?' and he's like, 'No, spot on!' I go, 'Thank god'.”

“It was great having the band there,” Reid acknowledges of their presence on set from time to time, “but I felt for them in a way because it seems like a long time ago, but it's not really, emotionally… You would see Kirk or Tim acting in a certain way [on set], and in a way I probably didn't expect, which would have to be confronting.”

Reid promises, “There's a lot of people who have a personal connection with Hutchence and we approached it in a very respectful way.”

UNIT BASE # 1:

Entrance driveway to Royal Exhibition Building, Rathdowne Street, Carlton

“Those girls were asking me who INXS are!” Sheridan points out a couple of the extras, 16-year-old twin sisters who originally thought he was Guy Pearce before correctly identifying him as “That guy from …Rafters”. “They were like, 'We've never heard of this band.'” The actor then busts out some footage of Reid teaching the 'band' some '80s moves. “I just had to get back and film it because I was like, 'This cannot be the job that I'm working on now',” he cackles. “I couldn't stop laughing. Look at how shit they are!? They're SO shit!”

LOCATION #2:

Wilson Street (near corner Macpherson Street), Princes Hill

As the minibus delivering us to this location rounds the corner, Arnold (styled immaculately as Hutchence circa 1981 in a flowing, red, long-sleeved shirt and jeans combo plus trademark cascading mullet-mane) is leaning back against a Citroen ID21 safari wagon ready to shoot the next scene. Definitely another 'Woah!' moment. When the production sound mixer hands us some cans, we can not only hear the scene's dialogue once action is called, but also Arnold and Jane Harber (portraying Michele Bennett, Hutchence's first love/girlfriend whom he referred to as his “touchstone”) engaging in banter between takes. They cheekily discuss whether or not Bennett should in fact put down her uni books and jump into Hutch's car to move to Sydney (as is scripted) given that there's probably crossover with Kylie Minogue just around the corner and history shows the pair didn't work out romantically.

Hutchence and Bennett remained lifelong friends, however. The final phone call Hutch ever made, from Room 524 in the Ritz-Carlton hotel, was to Bennett. When asked how the star's death is handled in the mini series, Reid responds, “Because the world is divided, we cannot take a stance either way on that and it's not for us to do… Just because we are observers into someone else's life there will always be our own version of the truth. We're presenting the facts as they came to us from the band, but no one knows what went on in that room – nobody – so there cannot be a judgement. There just cannot be. There can be things people said, things that we know or heard, you know, a sequence of events and a result, but then we have to step back from that slightly.”

Arnold is acutely aware of the profound effect that the aftermath of Hutchence's 1992 motorcycle accident in Stockholm – following an altercation with a taxi driver – had on the singer. “When you're condensing someone's life into a story, you're looking for those big turning points,” he tells. “That really changed so much of who he was and his essence.” Hutchence suffered a fractured skull as a result of the incident and permanently lost his sense of smell. “When you talk to anyone about it, too, that's the moment where things just changed and, whether he always had demons or they were new, his ability to control them – the way his emotions worked – just changed after that.”  

When he contemplates watching the finished product, Arnold sounds tentative. “When I wanna see Michael, I'm gonna see me. I mean, I have real faith in everyone that I worked on this with, but this is probably gonna be the toughest thing for me to sit back and watch at the end because it means so much [to me] as a role… I'm sure it's gonna be great and I'm sure everyone's gonna love the show, but I'm gonna be over in Africa with my phone turned off I think,” Arnold laughs, thankful that Black Sails will have commenced filming on season number two in Cape Town. - The Music Australia

[dustedmagazine]

Listed: Tomás Nochteff (Mueran Humanos)

Mueran Humanos, an Argentinian duo now based in Berlin, mixes post-punk, industrial-inflected synth explorations, garage rock and psychedelia. Carmen Burguess and Tomás Nochteff share vocal duties and play a very basic line-up of instruments: bass, synths, drum machines and samplers. In his review for Dusted, Andrew Forell called their latest, Hospital Lullabies, “a thrilling concoction of electronic, industrial, bass-driven body music fueled by the transgressive spirit of a DAF or a Psychic TV.” Here, Tomás presents his list of visionary music.

A list of visionary music

What is a visionary? Visions can come in dreams, in journeys to other worlds, in hallucinations. They can be the product of will, of a derangement of the senses, or they can come uninvited to save you or to haunt you and destroy your mental balance, even your life. It can be heavenly, or hellish, but to be authentic visions they have to be otherworldly. And to be visions rather than just imagination, they must have an element of truth. Not literal truth, like “that wall is green,” but a different kind of truth, the one that´s expressed in symbols, in metaphors, in omens and obsessions. In “Heaven and Hell,” Aldous Huxley analyzed the visions of people under the influence of psychedelic drugs, the visions of mystics and the visions of schizophrenics. He found fundamental parallels and concluded that they must have been visiting the same places. These people are not merely hallucinating, but they are perceiving another reality, visiting a different world, or maybe they are perceiving the world as it really is. And he quotes Jung on this: “schizophrenics and mystics are on the same ocean, but schizophrenics are drowning and mystics are swimming.” A visionary could be a mix of all these archetypes. Like Philip K Dick: was he on drugs? Yes. Was he mad? Yes. Was he seeking enlightenment? Yes. Had his visions an element of truth? No doubt about it. Were his visions revelations? To some extent, yes.

On our last album, Hospital Lullabies, the songs deal with all these different experiences on the journey to another world and on the invasion from another world into everyday life, with its horror and its beauty, the agony and the ecstasy. And how one copes, or doesn´t, with it.

So to celebrate it, I made a list of music that I do consider visionary. There’s madmen, there’s mystics and there’s psychonauts, all possible combinations of the three archetypes and everything in between.

Pharoah Sanders—“The Creator has a Masterplan” (Impulse)

I don´t know much about cosmic jazz, or any jazz for that matter, but what I know is that this record is pure bliss. “Harvest Time,” on Pharoah is another masterpiece. Alice Coltrane and Don Cherry are also incredible. This is music of the spheres; it has the touch of God.

Rudimentary Peni—CacophonyI (Outer Himalayan Records)

One of the few perfect punk bands ever, for lots of reasons. The bass lines are extraordinary, for example. But they belong here because of schizophrenic member Nick Blinko: incredible artist & novelist, obsessed with Catholicism and the supernatural horror. A guy who stopped his medication to force himself into a psychotic crisis just to write an album. Hero. Martyr.

Nico— “Janitor of Lunacy” (Cherry Red Records)

For me, Nico was the best and more underrated of all Velvets (and we love Velvet Underground as much as anyone). Also, the production from John Cale on her records is probably his best work too, or at least among his best. I feel that she is not appreciated enough. Iggy said that meeting her changed him. I suspect that´s true for all her famous friends: Bowie, Lou Reed, John Cale, Leonard Cohen, etc. They were all larger-than-life characters. And we know there is an element of self-built mythology on all that, a bit of acting. There is nothing wrong with that; rock and roll at its best is a complete artform and we must appreciate this self-built mythology as part of their craft. But with Nico you don´t get that feeling. She seemed that she didn´t care about her image, she was born Nico and I suspect that in that sense she inspired them all to no end. She was the genuine article. One of our main loves in music. Essential with a capital E.

Coil—“I Don’t Want To Be The One”

Jhonn Balance wanted to be a magician, and he died trying. I think he succeed in building a shamanic body of work with the help of the great late Sleazy and a myriad of brilliant contributors. Coil´s music at its best it´s like a plasma between worlds, or a very, very good psychedelic drug. My most beloved electronic/industrial/post-industrial project ever and one of our main influences. This performance is superb.

Lungfish — Feral Hymns

I´m not interested in DC post hardcore per se, and I don´t have any tattoos. I shouldn´t care about Lungfish the way I do, but they knock me out every single time. Daniel Higgs is a seer. I don´t know what he is talking about, but at the same time, my gut knows exactly what he is talking about. He speaks in images, like Tarot, like the religious painters, like Rimbaud and San Juan de la Cruz. His delivery is supreme. Raw and fragile, yet powerful and precise. Over circular, repetitive, minimal structures of music that have a haunting, arresting effect. Hypnotic, magical, devotional music. Either you get it, or you don´t. I can´t explain it. That´s the beauty of it, I suppose. And the truly mark of the visionary artist.

Ghedalia Tazartes—“Une Éclipse Totale De Soleil Part 2”

Ghedalia for me represents the pure, untouched, sui generis artist. Applying the techniques of musique concrete to the ancient folk music of the Sephardic Jews with a raw energy that usually you can only find in punk, or blues. I see in him an archetype, the Fool card in the Tarot. The madman that opens the gates of heaven and hell, gives himself to these supreme energies and survives only because of his perfect innocence.

OM—“Sinai (live at Sonic City)”

Maybe the greatest rock band of the last 20 years. Here with Robert Aiki Aubrey Lowe to maximum effect.

Charlemagne Palestine—Live in Holland 1998

Like Ghedalia, Charlemagne Palestine is a Jewish artist that works in the avant garde field but subverts it with the tradition of his folk music instead of sticking to the cold, cerebral, rational program of academia. He has his own world. Watch this and you will understand what I am talking about.

Virgin Prunes—Excerpts from Sons Find Devils/“Walls of Jericho”

There is a VHS tape called Sons Find Devils, comprised of live shows and short experimental films (some of them made by Balance, from Coil). I had it as a teenager and watched it countless times. Sadly, it is not complete on YouTube or elsewhere but here are some small extracts. With their heretic mix of Irish Catholic imagery, Irish Paganism, Bataille, performance art and post punk, the Virgin Prunes made a unique and extraordinary body of work. A testament of its importance is that Gavin Friday was guest singer of two bands in this list: The Fall and Coil. And Mr. Scott Walker himself invited him to sing on a play. Maybe the historians ignore them, but Mark E. Smith, Scott Walker and Coil knew where it’s at, didn´t they? Their record If I die I die is a masterpiece. Produced by Colin Newman from Wire, no less, if you need more validation.

Boredoms—Vision Creation Newsun

I like some of the more comical, early work of Boredoms, but with Super AE and this one they got me. They got serious and spiritual, channeling Alice Coltrane, tribal drumming, kraut rock and noise into a glorious, euphoric sound. Maybe they are not visionaries, but their music can produce visions. I saw them around 2005 (on acid) with the three drummers line up, still in this phase. I remember thinking “this is what cavemen had in mind when they invented music.” I actually saw it, with my eyes closed. Early humans. In caves. Inventing music. God bless LSD.

Aphrodite´s Child — 666

The one record I bought for the cover only, it cost me 50 cents, best deal of my life. A concept album about the apocalypse. Easy contender for the best psychedelic rock album of all time. Pet Sounds? Get outta here. An absolute masterpiece.

Tim Buckley—Starsailor

Tim Buckley is a mystery. He died too young. How he went from his L.A. folk rock first album to the absolute unique sound of Starsailor and Lorca is impossible to understand and a miracle of music. All six records in between are masterpieces. He was possessed by genius and has the most beautiful voice. I don´t know much about him, but his music put me out there.

Sun Ra—Night Music 1989

Watch this. Space is The Place, indeed.

Pescado Rabioso—Artaud

This guy, Luis Alberto Spinetta, is considered by many to be the most important rock musician in my country. So being an arrogant teenage punk, or whatever, of course that alone was enough to reject him altogether without even thinking. But a couple of years ago I was blown away by a book of poems he published in 1978. Incredibly beautiful, unique and sophisticated poetry. I recently started, too late, to listen to his music. This is one of his most famous and revered records. It´s dedicated to, and inspired by Antonin Artaud, who tried and failed to reach the mystic enlightenment, generating a body of work in the process which is a testament to his spiritual ambition, his radical rejection of the material world and his pain. Spinetta understood this, he said the record was trying to find an answer to Artaud, a way out of it, a way out of the pain. It´s psychedelic music of the highest order. The lyrics are incredible but you can enjoy it even without understanding them.

Dead Can Dance—Dyonisios

I kept forgetting this band exists. This new album is great. I listened to it non-stop during last Winter/Spring. It´s the perfect time because the record is about Dyonisios, so as a soundtrack for the rebirth of Nature it´s perfect. Probably their best work in years. Sublime.

The Fall—“Garden” (Live at the Hacienda, Manchester, UK, 1984)

No list of visionary rock and roll would be complete without Mark E. Smith. Famously he said, “I used to be a psychic but I drank my way out of it.” Indeed, there was a time, between 1978-1990, when he was possessed by something, injecting realism with mysticism, mixing high and low planes, exposing the supernatural forces that hides in the cracks of everyday life. He never talks about hell neither heaven, but rather the way they mix and manifest here on Earth. You’ve got countless of bands using occult/mystic imagery, and you know it´s nice but it´s just a game. You’ve got thousands of bands referencing Burroughs and the cut-up technique, but no one can write as Burroughs did. MES did it. MES wasn´t playing. He was a realist of the augmented reality, he told it like it is, in his fragmented, hallucinatory, unpretentious, visionary prose poetry.

There is a lot in his lyrics that can be read in a mystic, occult way. He left a lot of clues for the ones that can read them. His texts are kaleidoscopic, and they reflect what´s in your mind, really. I think he will be recognized with time as the great experimental writer that he actually was rather than merely an angry Mancunian punk. He had more in common with someone like Iain Sinclair than with any other rock musician. One of my favorite web sites is The Annotated Fall, where fans analyze his lyrics in depth. Pay a visit if you can, I can´t recommended it enough. In many ways, he was too intelligent for rock and roll, and that´s why he was misunderstood, but he didn´t care, he believed in constant work, never explain, never apologize. The Fall took all the best things in rock and roll: Can, Velvet Underground, punk, Captain Beefheart, and pushed it to the next level. Our favorite rock group ever.

Huun Hur Tu — “Prayer”

I tried to stick to Western, modern music but I can´t help including this.

[traincat]

So I recently rematched ASM and ASM2, and I must say it’s nice to be validated as to why I liked them so much when they first came out. I have nothing against Rami SM, but I just liked ASM better. Plus that scene in the first one where Peter comes out of the sewer and kind of crawls along the ground even tho he could totally walk like a normal human. He just *skitter skitter* away and shoves a 300lb manhole cover back over the hole. A responsible boy.

Plus! Now that I’m more into the comics than I was even back then, I totally see more of 616 Peter in Andrew Garfield’s Peter. He’s doing his best but half the time he has to manage his own Chaotic Dumbass decisions more than anything else. Sometimes he’s a Dick and an Asshole but sometimes it just be like that. I never understood why people didn’t like ASM more.

I really love how spider-y TASM!Peter’s movements are! The skittering with the manhole is a great example, but I also love him making a web and just hanging out on it playing games on his phone during the Lizard stakeout right before, and when he’s hanging upside down in his room designing the costume. I think that physicality is so important to the character, and to see it so embraced in both movies is great. It’s not spider-y, but the scene where Peter distracts the Oscorp security so Gwen can get away is so funny and relies so much on Andrew Garfield being able to pull off that physical humor. It’s great. (He also does his chin touch move in the bedroom scene with Gwen in the first movie! Don’t know if anyone else noticed that tends to be a thing in the comic, or if everyone just knows face touching is very romantic, but I appreciate it happening all the same.) 

Out of the live action adaptation Peters, I do think TASM is the closest to 616 Peter that exists, in part because of that embrace of his physicality and in part because they actually let anger be a part of his personality, which is a big thing. (Out of all the film Peters, though – both Spider-Verse’s RIPeter and Peter B. Parker were amazing ringers for their comic book counterpart and I was so delighted.) Embracing the spider in Spider-Man is kind of important – one of my big problems with the MCU is how thoroughly they’ve pushed the spider out. The webs are there, sure, but the spider logo is so blocky and computerized looking, and I can’t say for sure what purpose the breaks in the webbing pattern in the costume were supposed to serve (I do think it’s suspicious that they’re in the same place Miles has red stripes across his shoulders) but the lines on the costume do make Tom Holland appear physically smaller than I think he actually is, which is a choice that I’m sure appeals to a lot of people despite my hating it, but even as a teen in 616 Peter was 5′10″ and described as muscular. Where are the spiders, MCU! Get weird! It’s like they only had one bug in the budget and they went “hmm… ants.” And I know the Raimi films are beloved, but they really just leave me cold. I tweeted recently that between Harry and Peter, if you cast the more conventionally attractive actor to be Harry, you automatically don’t get the dynamic, and I stand by that.

I do think part of the recent TASM bashing comes from it always being in the current adaptation’s favor to frame the previous as not being very good – otherwise, why would anyone want the next one? And Disney has a lot of money on their film being The First Real Peter Parker Film, to the point where their screenwriters have openly bashed TASM in interviews. I remember one where they shaded TASM by saying their May has a job and doesn’t just “wait around for Peter to bring home the eggs.” Because living up to even the small responsibilities isn’t part of what Spider-Man is about, clearly. Anyway, we know what jobs, plural, TASM’s May had. The MCU apparently didn’t consider it a worthy use of screentime to do the same for its own May. But yeah, the detail work in TASM is incredible. I’d rather have a movie that is interesting that a movie that might look technically perfect, and the amount of stuff TASM/2 manages to cram into the series and communicate through not just words but actions and scenery is like catnip to me.

[dfroza]

being brave is doing something you believe is right

despite the fear of what others will think or do. and only God is truly right and the Spirit inspires within from our own hearts to know right from wrong behavior.

A set of lines from Today’s reading that illuminates this:

Don’t be afraid or intimidated by others, for God will bring everything out into the open and every secret will be told. What I say to you in the dark, repeat in broad daylight, and what you hear in a whisper, announce it publicly. Don’t be in fear of those who can kill only the body but not your soul. Fear only God, who is able to destroy both soul and body in hell.

The Book of Matthew, Chapter 10:26-31 (The Passion Translation)

The whole chapter in The Passion Translation:

Jesus gathered his twelve disciples and imparted to them authority to cast out demons and to heal every sickness and every disease.

Now, these are the names of the first twelve apostles: first, Simon, who is nicknamed Peter, and Andrew, his brother. And then Jacob and John, sons of Zebedee. Next were Phillip and Bartholomew; then Thomas and Matthew, the tax collector; Jacob the son of Alphaeus; Thaddeus; Simon, the former member of the Zealot party, and Judas the locksmith, who eventually betrayed Jesus.

Jesus commissioned these twelve to go out into the ripened harvest fields with these instructions: “Don’t go into any non-Jewish or Samaritan territory. Go instead and find the lost sheep among the people of Israel. And as you go, preach this message: ‘Heaven’s kingdom realm is accessible, close enough to touch.’ You must continually bring healing to lepers and to those who are sick, and make it your habit to break off the demonic presence from people, and raise the dead back to life. Freely you have received the power of the kingdom, so freely release it to others. You won’t need a lot of money. Travel light, and don’t even pack an extra change of clothes in your backpack. Trust God for everything, because the one who works for him deserves to be provided for.

“Whatever village or town you enter, search for a godly man who will let you into his home until you leave for the next town. Once you enter a house, speak to the family there and say, ‘God’s blessing of peace be upon this house!’ And if those living there welcome you, let your peace come upon the house. But if you are rejected, that blessing of peace will come back upon you. And if anyone doesn’t listen to you and rejects your message, when you leave that house or town, shake the dust off your feet as a prophetic act that you will not take their defilement with you. Mark my words, on the day of judgment the wicked people who lived in the land of Sodom and Gomorrah will have a lesser degree of judgment than the city that rejects you, for the people of Sodom and Gomorrah did not have the opportunity that was given to them! Now, remember, it is I who sends you out, even though you feel vulnerable as lambs going into a pack of wolves. So be as shrewd as snakes yet as harmless as doves.”

“Be on your guard! For there will be those who will betray you before their religious councils and brutally beat you with whips in their public gatherings. And because you follow me, they will take you to stand trial in front of rulers and even kings as an opportunity to testify of me before them and the unbelievers. So when they arrest you, don’t worry about how to speak or what you are to say, for the Holy Spirit will give you at that very moment the words to speak. It won’t be you speaking but the Spirit of your Father repeatedly speaking through you.

“A brother will betray his brother unto death—even a father his child! Children will rise up against their parents and have them put to death. Expect to be hated by all because of my name, but be faithful to the end and you will experience life and deliverance. And when they persecute you in one town, flee to another. But I promise you this: you will not deliver all the cities and towns of Israel until the Son of Man will have made his appearance.

“A student is not superior to his teacher any more than a servant would be greater than his master. The student must be satisfied to share his teacher’s fate and the servant his master’s. If they have called the head of the family ‘lord of flies,’ no wonder they malign the members of his family.

“Don’t be afraid or intimidated by others, for God will bring everything out into the open and every secret will be told. What I say to you in the dark, repeat in broad daylight, and what you hear in a whisper, announce it publicly. Don’t be in fear of those who can kill only the body but not your soul. Fear only God, who is able to destroy both soul and body in hell. You can buy two sparrows for only a copper coin, yet not even one sparrow falls from its nest without the knowledge of your Father. Aren’t you worth much more to God than many sparrows? So don’t worry. For your Father cares deeply about even the smallest detail of your life.

“If you openly and publicly acknowledge me, I will freely and openly acknowledge you before my heavenly Father. But if you publicly deny that you know me, I will also deny you before my heavenly Father.

“Perhaps you think I’ve come to spread peace and calm over the earth—but my coming will bring conflict and division, not peace. Because of me,

A son will turn against his father,

a daughter her mother

and against her mother-in-law.

Within your own families you will find enemies.

“Whoever loves father or mother or son or daughter more than me is not fit to be my disciple. And whoever comes to me must follow in my steps and be willing to share my cross and experience it as his own, or he cannot be considered to be my disciple. All who seek to live apart from me will lose it all. But those who let go of their lives for my sake and surrender it all to me will discover true life!

“Whoever receives you receives me, and whoever receives me receives the One who sent me. Whoever receives a prophet because he is God’s messenger will share a prophet’s reward. And whoever welcomes a good and godly man because he follows me will also share in his reward. And whoever gives a cup of cold water to one of my humble disciples, I promise you, he will not go unrewarded.”

The Book of Matthew, Chapter 10 (The Passion Translation)

and a few encouraging words from Today’s devotional email sent by The Passion Translation as Whispers (written by Brian Simmons and Gretchen Rodriguez)

I Hear His Whisper . . .

All I have asked for is your heart.

I’ve seen your struggle. I’ve heard you crying out to know me more. I know that you want to please me, but feel as though you just can’t get it right. Beloved, we are in this together. Meaningful relationships are raw and genuine—each person free to be themselves. I want you to be yourself. I created you and love you just the way you are. You don’t have to perform for me or try to impress me. I simply want you to get to know me—to not only know me as Lord and Savior but enjoy me as Friend.

Let me smooth out the rough edges. Let me teach you how to walk as my child. Don’t worry if you mess up. Just stay close to me with a tender heart and admit when you notice I’m tapping on areas that need to change. Growing into my image isn’t a duty; it’s something you desire to do when you get to know me on a deeper level. Stop putting so much pressure on yourself and relax. All I’ve ever asked for is your heart—completely.

Romans 12:2

The Passion Translation

Stop imitating the ideals and opinions of the culture around you, but be inwardly transformed by the Holy Spirit through a total reformation of how you think. This will empower you to discern God’s will as you live a beautiful life, satisfying and perfect in his eyes.

•

Today’s paired chapters of Matthew 10 and Numbers 33 reminds me of the address number 10733 of Love envelopes, inc. in Tulsa, Oklahoma with a view here i took on Saturday, march 2 of ‘19

and a personal poetic memory about opening to share secrets:

And to accompany Today’s reading here’s a set of posts by John Parsons of the page [Hebrew for Christians] on Facebook:

"Blessed is the person who does not heed the counsel of the wicked, nor take the path of sinners, nor join the company of the insolent; but his delight is the Torah of the LORD (תּוֹרת יהוה), and in his Torah he meditates day and night" (Psalm 1:1-2). Note that the Hebrew word "torah" (תּוֹרָה), often confusingly translated as "law," comes from a verb (יָרָה) that means to aim or direct something to its goal. Torah therefore is a general term suggesting direction, focus, volition, training, instruction, or guidance as imparted by a teacher.

Now since the Torah of the LORD is comprised of sacred words spoken to guide our souls, its synonym is rightly called the Word of God (דּבר יהוה), the Agency that reveals heavenly truth to the heart of faith, as it says: "The Word of God is living and active, sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing to the division of soul and of spirit, of joints and of marrow, and discerning the thoughts and intentions of the heart" (Heb. 4:12). In other words the Torah of the LORD "cuts to the bone," past all the outer layers to connect with the inmost of who and what we are. Torah is therefore not something abstract but intensely personal; its message penetrates and transforms the listening heart, directing it to understand God's passion that is behind the words.

"My child, keep your father's commandment (i.e., mitzvah, “connection”), and do not forsake your mother's instruction (i.e., Torah, guidance); bind them over your heart; fasten them around your neck. When you walk about, they will guide you; when you lie down, they will watch over you; when you wake up, they will talk to you. For the commandment (mitzvah) is like a lamp, instruction (Torah) is like a light, and rebukes of discipline (musar) are like the road leading to life" (Prov. 6:20-23). O LORD our God, help us to love your Torah and to meditate upon it all day long (Psalm 119:97). Amen. [Hebrew for Christians]

6.24.20 • Facebook

Christian (and Jewish) theology insists that truth matters, and knowing the truth about God is absolutely essential for life itself. Nothing is more important. Nothing is more vital. “This is eternal life (חַיֵּי עוֹלָם), that they may know you, the only true God (אֶל־אֱמֶת), and Yeshua the Messiah (יֵשׁוּעַ הַמָּשִׁיחַ) whom you have sent (John 17:3). The truth sets us free; it is the unbreakable seal that bears witness of reality. In the Gospel of John it is recorded that Yeshua said, “I am the way, the truth, and the life” (i.e., ᾽Εγώ εἰμι ἡ ὁδὸς καὶ ἡ ἀλήθεια καὶ ἡ ζωή). The Greek word translated “truth” in this verse is aletheia (ἀλήθεια), a compound word formed from an alpha prefix (α-) meaning “not,” and lethei (λήθη), meaning “forgetfulness.” (In Greek mythology, the “waters of Lethe” induced a state of oblivion or forgetfulness.) Truth is therefore a kind of “remembering” something forgotten, or a recollecting of what is essentially real. Etymologically, the word aletheia suggests that truth is also “unforgettable” (i.e., not lethei), that is, it has its own inherent and irresistible “witness” to reality. In that sense light is a metaphor for truth: “The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it” (John 1:5). There can be no truth apart from moral reality. People may lie to themselves, but ultimately truth has the final word.

Greek scholars note that the word lethei itself is derived from the verb lanthano (λανθάνω), which means “to be hidden,” so the general idea is that a-letheia (i.e., truth) is non-concealment, non-hiddenness, or (put positively) revelation or disclosure. Thus the word of Yeshua - His message, logos (λόγος), revelation, and presence - is both “unforgettable” and irrepressible. Yeshua is the Unforgettable One that has been manifest as the express Word of God (דְּבַר הָאֱלהִים). Yeshua is the Light of the world (אוֹר הָעוֹלָם) and the one who gives us the “light of life” (John 8:12). Though God’s message can be supressed by evil and darkened thinking, the truth is self-evident and intuitively certain (see Rom. 1:18-21).

We have a moral imperative, given by God Himself, to receive the truth and to live according to the nature of spiritual reality. Those who reject or suppress the truth, however, are responsible for their actions, as it is written, “No one who practices deceit shall dwell in my house; no one who utters lies shall continue before my eyes” (Psalm 101:7). [Hebrew for Christians]

6.24.20 • Facebook

How do we share the message of God with others? How do we reveal the truth of Messiah in this world? In other words, how may the Spirit of God be manifest within us? The Scriptures say first to "sanctify the Messiah" within our hearts and then we will be ready to give a reason for our hope -- though we must do so in humility and reverence before heaven" (1 Pet. 3:15). We sanctify the Lord by choosing to make sacred place for him within our consciousness; we enshrine him and make him beautiful within our affections and actions (Exod. 15:2). When God said to his people, "Let them make for me a sacred place (i.e., mikdash: מִקְדָּשׁ) that I may dwell in their midst," then, he was inviting them to make room within their hearts (בְּתוֹכָם) for His Presence to be revealed (Exod. 25:8). King David understood this principle: "I have set the LORD always before me..." (Psalm 16:8). In other words we must open our eyes to see; we must humble ourselves to believe; and we must open our hearts before the greatness of God. This is the first step, as Yeshua taught us: Avinu shebashamayim, yitkadesh shemekha - "Our Father in heaven, let your Name be sanctified" (Matt. 6:9). As we sanctify the Lord we bear witness of the truth of Reality, and the Spirit of God will empower us to living signs of the Divine Presence. “But the fruit of the Spirit (פְּרִי הָרוּחַ) is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness... (Gal. 5:22-23).

"Know therefore this day and lay it to your heart, that the LORD is God in heaven above and on the earth beneath; there is no other" (Deut. 4:39). Note that the phrase “lay it to your heart” in this verse may better be rendered as “return to your heart” (וַהֲשֵׁבתָ אֶל־לְבָבֶךָ), suggesting that the truth of the LORD is found there – within the heart that truly seeks him (Jer. 29:13). Hashivenu! In other words, the truth is found in the heart’s seeking for the LORD and His love. Know this truth today... "The most important part of teaching is to teach what it is to know," that is, to know "in your heart." [Hebrew for Christians]

6.24.20 • Facebook

The Spirit of God cries out, “choose life that you may live!” (Deut. 30:19), which implies that is our responsibility to believe in the Reality of God, to trust in his providential care, to affirm that “all is well and all manner of thing shall be well,” and to understand that our present struggle is designed by heaven to help us grow in grace and the knowledge of the truth (1 Pet. 3:16). All things work for our good (Rom. 8:28) and therefore we “choose life” both in happier moments when all goes well, but also (and especially) in the midst of our afflictions, in the panting of our hearts for deliverance, in the loneliness of our heartache, and in the lament of our soul over the pain of our sins (Psalm 25:16). Faith courageously refuses the messages of fear, silences the angry voices of this world, and resists the idols of the age that offer spurious respite from the struggle at hand... “If we live by the Spirit let us also walk in the Spirit” (Gal. 5:25). We may ask God to help us choose life, but what does that mean if not asking God to grant us the ability to believe in the miracle of love - despite everything else? Choosing life involves the surrender of the heart and the will to the promise of God, choosing to receive the blessing of the Divine Presence – his word, his promise, and his healing – and resolutely deciding to live in light of that hope today...

To de-cide means to “cut away” other options. Yeshua tells us to “take up the cross and die” because that which is dead no longer suffers from ambivalence and carnal inner conflict... "I have been crucified with Messiah (Χριστῷ συνεσταύρωμαι): it is no longer I who live, but Messiah who lives in me. And the life I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me" (Gal. 2:20). There are no "half-measures" here; when we accept that we have already been crucified with Messiah, we confess that our true life is not here, in this world, but is bound up in Him, and that God alone is our ultimate concern and end. In that sense, the life we now live in the flesh "catches up" with the truth and power that God has decreed for our salvation.

If we are spiritually identified with Yeshua, we are both made "dead" to this age (olam hazeh) and awakened to a realm that transcends the appeals of the flesh (olam habah). We no longer live chayei sha'ah (חַיֵּי שָׁעָה, "fleeting life") but chayei olam (חַיֵּי עוֹלָם, "eternal life"). "If then you have been raised with Messiah, seek the things that are above (τὰ ἄνω ζητεῖτε), where the Messiah is seated at the right hand of God; focus your thoughts on the things above - not on things here on earth - for you have died, and your life has been hidden with Messiah in God" (Col. 3:1-4). The aorist verb "you have died" indicates "you have died once for all," that is, that this is a condition granted by the power and agency of God on your behalf. You don't "try to die" to the flesh; you accept what God has done by killing its power over you through Yeshua...

All this takes faith of course. Affirm then that you are dead to this world; you are dead to sin's power; you are set free and no longer enslaved to the deception of the worldly matrix, etc. Now you are made alive to an entirely greater and more powerful order and dimension of reality, namely, the spiritual reality that is not disclosed to the vanity of this age. Therefore we are to consciously focus our thoughts (φρονέω) on the hidden reality of God rather than on the temporal world that is passing away: "For we are looking not to the things that are seen but to the things that are unseen. For the things that are seen are transient (i.e., "just for a season," καιρός), but the things that are unseen are eternal" (2 Cor. 4:18). [Hebrew for Christians]

6.25.20 • Facebook

Today’s paired chapter of the Testaments of Numbers 33 documents the travels of Israel through the 40 wilderness years:

Based on the meticulous records of departure points Moses kept, at the direction of the Eternal One, he reported that the Israelites’ wilderness journey from Egypt led by Moses and Aaron followed this itinerary: They started out from Rameses in Egypt on Month 1, day 15 (the day after observing the Passover), and were exalted before the Egyptians’ eyes (who were burying their firstborn dead, struck down by God, and whose gods the Eternal was punishing). The Israelites’ first camp after Rameses was Succoth. The next, Etham, was right where the wilderness begins. From Etham, they went toward Pi-hahiroth, facing Baal-zephon, and camped in front of Migdol. From Pi-hahiroth, they crossed the sea and entered the wilderness proper. For three days, they crossed that Etham Wilderness, stopping over at Marah and then Elim. That was a good spot to camp. Elim was an oasis with 12 springs and 70 palm trees. After Elim, their next stop was at the coast of the Red Sea; then they camped in the Sin Wilderness. After leaving Sin, they traveled to Dophkah, then Alush, and then Rephidim. At that point, the people were getting desperate for water and ornery on account of their discomfort and thirst. There, God told Moses to produce water for them from out of a rock. After that, the Sinai Wilderness. Their stopping places after Sinai were first Kibroth-hattaavah, then Hazeroth. They camped as they moved from place to place through Rithmah, Rimmon-perez, Libnah, Rissah, Kehelathah, and Mount Shepher. From there they moved through Haradah, Makheloth, Tahath, and Terah. Continuing their journey from place to place, they went through Mithkah, Hashmonah, Moseroth, Bene-jaakan, Hor-haggidgad, and Jotbathah. They camped in Abronah, Ezion-geber, Kadesh (in the Zin Wilderness), and then Mount Hor (on the Edomite border). It was at Mount Hor that Aaron the priest went up the mountain and died as the Eternal said he would. That was in the 40th year after the Israelites had left Egypt, and it happened on the first day of the fifth month. Aaron was 123 years old when he died on Mount Hor. That was also when the Canaanite king of Arad, from the Negev region, caught wind of the Israelites’ arrival and attacked them.

After Mount Hor, their next camp site was Zalmonah, then Punon, Oboth, Iye-abarim (on Moab’s border), Dibon-gad, Almon-diblathaim, and Nebo’s foothills of Abarim. From Abarim, they set up camp on the flatlands of Moab, on the western banks of the Jordan River, east of Jericho. Their camp stretched from Beth-jeshimoth on the riverbank to Abel-shittim in the flatlands.

In that Moabite flatland, next to the Jordan, east of Jericho, the Eternal One told Moses to speak to the people.

Eternal One: Tell this new generation of Israelites that as soon as they cross the Jordan into Canaan, they must make its inhabitants flee. They must obliterate any carved or molded images of other gods and goddesses and the high places where they’re worshiped. Tell them they must take that land. I promised it to them and have determined they should live in it as their own. Divide it up among the people by clan, and make decisions about who gets what partly based on the size of the groups. But once you’ve made that rough distinction, draw lots for the specific territories. Whatever you draw, that’s how the land shall be allotted. Each of the tribes from Jacob’s extended families shall have their own land. If they do not fully conquer and take the land from its native inhabitants, those remaining people will be a constant irritation, causing trouble and annoyance like thorns in their eyes and barbs in their sides because if they don’t fully dispossess the present occupants, I will do to the Israelites what I would have done to the Canaanites.

The Book of Numbers, Chapter 33 (The Voice)

my personal reading of the Scriptures for Thursday, june 25 of 2020 with a paired chapter from each Testament along with Today’s Psalms and Proverbs

[xxmudcakexx]

A Christmas Miracle - Part 2

Plot: Hailey had it all planned out. She was getting married to the sweetest guy on Earth, Jake. He was perfect, or well at least with the most of it. He didn't like her listening to her favorite boyband MONSTA X. He thought that they were bad influences on her. One night on Christmas Eve Hailey made a wish, a wish that changed her whole life. A change that she'd never thought would happen. She was suddenly in Korea and best friends with the boys. And Jake was nowhere to be found.

Genre: FLUFF/FICTION

Words: 3216

Pairing: Minhyuk | Reader

Authors Note: So stuff is happening in the book.. What if that magic actually worked in real life? :’)  

It was right after Piano class when Hailey heard someone yell her name. She wasn't expecting someone, neither did anyone know her at that part of the town. She looked the way where the sound came from, but it was empty. She walked towards the parking lot when she noticed a small poster on her car. It said 'Hailey' and she opened it and saw a picture of MONSTA X.

"Where did this come from?" She asked the air confused, when she noticed a little girl smiling at her. She had the looks of an half Asian girl, a long brown hair with bangs with a red headband. She had a smile on her lips, and something reminded Hailey of herself when she was younger, but also someone else.

"Was it you?" She asked. The girl nodded and walked away from her. Hailey looked after her quite confused and wondered what just happened. Hailey drove home to Jake and walked to the door. She knocked on the door and a fully dressed Jake opened the door with a smile on his lips.

"My love, you're here early" He said and let her inside. She smiled at him and gave him her coat as she walked towards the his bedroom.

"No, not my bedroom! I'm busy cleaning it! Let's be in the kitchen" he suggested. She nodded as she walked to the chairs. She sat down and studied the room closely, seeing two glass on the counter beside the fridge. She looked at it for a while.

"Did you have company?" She asked. He shook his head, but followed her gaze to the glass. He laughed a little with a bit of nervousness in his voice.

"Ahh.. Troy was here earlier! So let's talk!"

"Well I guess you should be doing the talking, I don't get why you got angry at something so ridiculous" She said with a sigh. He shifted his way of standing and a small frustration grew inside of him. He didn't like how she couldn't be a nice girl all the time and agree with him.

"Ridiculous? You stood in a classroom while talking about boybands, and also made everyone think of me as a substitute whenever you don't have them. Troy has been laughing about that all day, how you like bad guys all of the sudden!" He argued. Hailey got irritated at how he always commented her idols like it was a bad thing.

"Don't worry, I have them all the time! So you're not a substitute. And why is is such a bad thing for me to like a boyband? You like Eminem don't you?"

"Eminem is a good guy and a American citizen! You're listening to Chinese people with tattoos and weirdly big muscles who sings about killing people and fighting" He argued.

"What's wrong with them being Korean??? And what's wrong with tattoos or muscles? You have them too! And what? Killing and fighting? Search for the lyrics if you want to know what they're singing about. Just because they have a song named Fighter doesn't mean that it's about them killing or fighting someone" She argued back. He looked at her with anger and slammed his fist in the table making her frightened. She looked at him.

"Both your mother and me thinks they're bad influences on you! So stop spending time with listening to them before you go psycho! Listen to One Direction instead! If you excuse me, I have soccer practice in twenty min" He said and grabbed a glas of water.

Hailey sighed and walked to the door and grabbed her coat when she felt his eyes in her neck staring at her with the ownership look. She gulped and turned around towards him.

"I guess I'll see you after Christmas Jake" She said with a smile.

"I'll be there on Christmas Eve. Your parents invited us over, so we're celebrating together"

"Oh okay" She said and walked out to her car. She sat down and drove home with thoughts about what he said. She stared at the wheel and took a moment of breath before walking into the house.

The moment she walked into the hallway, she heard her moms voice calling her from the kitchen.

"Hailey Smith" She said with her scolding tone. Hailey walked into the kitchen and saw her mother standing with her wine glass in the air, while her father sat down working on his computer.

"What mother?" She asked concerned.

"Jake called us earlier today and told us what you did during the presentation! You're going over the line, and one more move with this Chinese thing and I'll take the computer away" She said. Hailey stared at her mother in disbelief and shook her head as she walked up to her room with tears forming in her eyes.

Hailey opened the closet and took out a big box with a lock on. She locked her door and walked with the box to her bed as she opened it with the key on her necklace. The big box contained posters, letters and other things regarding MONSTA X. A big pillow was inside and she hugged it while letting out her tears. This was something she always did when she was sad. She opened the box and let it all out, including words in the diary that was inside.

"Hailey, can you please help me with the gifts?" Mr Jones asked when he entered the living room. Hailey nodded and walked out to the truck to get the other gifts when she noticed Jake inside the car. He jumped out when he saw her and smiled.

"Hey beautiful" He said. She looked at him and walked past him and inside. She looked at Mr Jones who looked proudly at her. Kids were running around her legs and taking candy from the kitchen counter.

"Kids, calm down with the candy" Mother said. Hailey looked at her mother as she smiled big when Jake entered the kitchen. She looked at them and then at Mr Jones who had his eyes on Hailey with a concerned look on his face. She smiled a little and turned away and walked up to her room. She sat down on the bed and started to read her book.

A knock was heard and Jake entered the room and looked around, probably after boyband stuff. She looked at her book and continued reading as he sat down on the bed and took the book away.

"Why are you ignoring me?" He asked.

"I'm not, I just don't see how I must be obsessed with you" She answered. He rolled his eyes at her.

"You're my girlfriend, so you're supposed to be clingy and obsessed" He said. She looked at him for quite a while. He smirked when he saw her looking and laid down over her trying to kiss her. She kissed him back a little and smiled when he continued, but on the neck. She felt uncomfortable and pushed him away.

"What are you doing?"

"Isn't it time for us to do it?" He asked and did it once again. This time she tried to push him away harder, but with his strength, she wasn't able to do get away from him.

"Please stop Jake. I don't want to"

"We need to do it"

"It's Christmas Eve! Let it go today, please" she said while sighting on the same time. A laugh left his mouth and he sat up. She stood up from the bed and walked out of the room. She walked down the stairs when she noticed Mr Andrews in the hallway talking to her mother.

"Mr Andrews?" She asked. He smiled at her and opened his arms as Hailey ran up to him and gave him the greatest hug someone could get. Mr Andrews had always supported her through everything in school, even with her liking of the boys. He was the only one who understood what she wanted and who she was on the inside. He was like a grandfather who reminded her of Santa. He had white hair, and a long white moustache. He always wore Santa shirts and had glasses on his nose whenever he read something.

"I see that you made our beloved Hailey happy with joining us on this beautiful day" Mother said.

"Your daughter is a miracle in this world. You should be happy that you got just her as your daughter as she is the smartest, but also the most lovely student I've ever had." He said with a smile on his lips that was seen under his moustache. Hailey laughed a little and looked at him. His smile disappeared when he saw something behind Haileys back. A look of disgust was formed in his eyes.

"Jake! Your wonderful teacher is joining us today" Mother said. Hailey looked at Jake and then at Mr Jones who seemed disturbed by his existence. She felt Jake grabbing her hand and embracing their fingers together. She looked back at him and saw his wonderful smile. She smiled back at him and walked to the living room where the kids were playing around.

"It was beautiful earrings Mother" Hailey said when she opened her mothers gift. Her father gave her his and she looked at him rather shocked. It was bigger than it usually was and she smiled as she opened it. But a disappointment formed inside of her when she realized the content of the gift.

"Oh a camping trip with Jake! Thank you Father" She said with a smile. Everyone had their eyes on her with a smile except for Mr Jones who looked rather disturbed and irritated of everyones gifts for her. She smiled and looked at her gifts.

"Hailey, I have a gift for you! But you're not allowed to open it now." Mr Jones said as he gave her a package, a heavy one. She looked at him with a curious look and smiled big.

"Thank you Mr Jones! I can already feel that I will love it" She said. Mr Jones smiled at her in a way no one else did. His love for her was different than someone else. It was like a real grandfather love.

"Are you the real Santa?" Jasmine, one of the kids asked. Everyone laughed a the question including Hailey. She looked around the room and couldn't find Jake when a voice was heard from the entrance of the room. He held the box she kept hidden in her closet. She stared at it.

"What are you doing Jake?!" She asked as she stood up from her seat. Everyone looked at him and he opened the box and turned it upside down as all of the stuff fell out. She looked at her parents who stared at her with anger. The calm and cozy atmosphere turned into anger from many ways.

"You kept these stuff from us?" Mother asked. Hailey felt tears forming in her eyes as she sat down and tried to put everything back in the box.

"Where's my girlfriend?" Jake asked. She looked up at him and then down at the box that her mother took away from her.

"This is! We're fixing this right away" Her mother said as she walked out of the house with everyone behind. She turned fire on everything that made Hailey cry. She shook her head and run back inside and up to her room. She fell down in her bed and cried while hugging the pillow.

She didn't know why they were against it. But she knew that none of them felt good with people who wasn't American, or white. She had to accept the fact that she wasn't allowed to like this boyband. She was marrying Jake and he wouldn't let her like them if they were married. She had to accept the fact that she was weird and crazy.

"You're not crazy or weird" Someone said. She looked at the door and saw Mr Jones with the gift in his hands. He closed the door and sat down on the bed brushing her tears away.

"Mr Jones.."

"I know it's hard right now. But it will get better, so don't stop listening to them. It will change soon, everything will change. You have no idea how unlucky you are right now" he whispered.

"Unlucky?" She asked.

"You're not happy if that's what you think. Your parents are manipulated by your boyfriend who clearly is a jerk and a psycho one. And there you are in the middle of it thinking you're the wrong one. "

"I'm getting married with him"

"Don't do anything you know you'll regret. And about my gift.. I want you to open it when everyone's asleep. You can only make one wish, and when you make that wish it will come true. So think what you really want before wishing for it" He said.

"I'll wish for the boys" Hailey said with a laugh. Mr Jones laughed together with her and gave her a hug before leaving the room.

"Remember, you're worth more than this" He said. She looked at him leaving and thought about what he said. She smiled while thinking of what to wish for even if she didn't believe in it coming true.

Hours went by and soon everyone was asleep. She opened the box in silence and noticed a snow globe sparkling. Inside of it 7 boys were sitting on a long bench. Soon she noticed that it was them, her idols. She studied the snow globe for quite a while before making up her mind. She walked out on the balcony under the stars as she put her hand on it.

"Dear Santa, I wish for myself to live in Seoul while being best friends with MONSTA X. I wish for my life to be happier than it is right now. Please Santa, make my wish come true. " She said before she ended it with an 'Amen' just in case. She looked up at the stars before going back to bed. She laid down with the snow globe standing on the table beside the bed with the moon shining on it. She slowly fell asleep

"Hailey! Wake up before I hit you with a drum" a voice said. Hailey turned around and sat up slowly as she looked around the room. She was in a different room, and a lady was looking at her with a spoon in her hand.

"Uh.. I'm awake" She said.

"Dress yourself and come out. It's breakfast time and school starts in one hour" She said. Hailey looked at her confused and got up from the bed and looked around the room before noticing a school uniform. She laughed at herself as she thought she was having a lucid dream.

"So can I just ask you something?" Hailey asked when she came out in her school uniform. The lady looked at her as she nodded her head.

"Ofc sweetheart"

"Where am I?" She asked. The lady looked at her confused and put the bowl of rice infront of her.

"You're in your home in Seoul. I'm your mother and you're on your way to school. Where else would you be?" She asked.

"Oh.. No nowhere.. I just woke up with memory loss" Hailey said as she laughed a little. She started to eat and looked around the kitchen amused.

"Don't forget that the boys will pick you up at 4PM outside of the gates! Okay?" She asked when a sound was heard. The lady, or well mother walked over and answered a call with a webcam.

"Oh Meli, come in" She said. Hailey looked at her mother and noticed how alike they looked. It was something total different than how she and her mother outside of her dreams looked. She wasn't alike none of her parents, but this lady was a older version of her. She noticed a girl in the same type of school uniform walking into the kitchen.

"Gooooodmorning bestie" she squealed. Hailey looked at her confused and studied her every move as she sat down and started to eat. Hailey looked up at her mother who smiled at something. She turned her eyes towards the way her mother was looking, and she noticed a young man some years older than Hailey.

"Who is he?" She asked.

"I'm your brother stupid" He answered and hit her head with a smirk. She noticed how the girl beside her stiffed up when he walked into the kitchen. Hailey was sure that she had a crush on him. She laughed at her and continued to eat when she realized how lucky she was to have company to school.

"Let's go!" Meli said as she dragged Hailey to the hallway. They said their goodbyes as they walked out of the house. Hailey looked around while they walked towards the school. She had never been in a lucid dream that kept on going for that long, and she had never been able to think in her lucid dreams either.

"You're acting weird" Meli said.

"Huh? Why? How?" Hailey asked. Meli laughed and jumped infront of her and walked backwards.

"Well you're usually on your phone searching for videos of your wonderful MONSTA X boys, or talking how you're forever alone" she said. Hailey laughed and looked at her best friend.

"Hmm.. I'm just lost today I guess. So you have to be my ultimate best friend today and help me with the studies so I can pass them"

"You're kidding me right?" she said. Hailey looked at her while shaking her head confused.

"You're literally the smartest girl in school and I'm the most unwise person you'd ever know" She said.

"But I'm not awake today you know" Hailey said. They walked past the gates and she looked at her school before walking into it. They walked to the classroom while she looked for her seat.

"You're sitting here stupid" she said.

The clock was 3:59 when the class ended. Hailey looked at the clock and then at the board before turning her head to her phone.

"Aren't you in a hurry? You're supposed to hang out with the boys today remember?" She asked. Hailey nodded and dragged her outside. They walked towards the gate and she were worried, nervous and her thoughts were everywhere when she thought of the boys she was about to meet.

"Oh I see Wonho"

"W..onho?" Hailey asked and looked at the big black van that stood infront of them. Wonho had half of his body outside of the van while laughing before he fell down over the window to the ground making everyone laugh. She laughed and ran up to him.

"Are you okay?" She asked and helped him up. He stood up and had his eyes on her making her stare. She stared at him as she realized that he was real. That Shin Hoseok, Wonho was right infront of her eyes. He smiled at her with his charming smile.

"Hello pumpkin"

"p...pumpkin?" She stuttered. His big smile fade away and turned into a concerned look.

"Oh you're not reacting?"

"..W..what are you doing here?" She stuttered once again.

"To pick up our best friend"

[aresaphrodites]

Wicked Games Chapter Seventeen - Epilogue.

Thank you to everyone who read this story and who commented and left kudos on it. Your kind words are what made me want to update and finish this story. To those of you who have been here since the beginning; thank you for sticking with me throughout all my crazy cliffhangers. I love ya'll so much.

To @itstenafterfour, this story never would have made it here without you cheering me on and gassing me up 24/7. Hope you're ready to be my beta forever.

We've come to the end of this journey.

Thank you and enjoy. <3

It’s that time of the year again, for the news to broadcast her struggles and pretend they understand the pain she’s been through. For some reason, Betty can’t tear herself from the screen, so she watches the anchor read a speech that sounds plastic and pre-written.

“Today marks the five year anniversary of the death of Veronica Lodge. Veronica Lodge was one of Hollywood’s most beloved actresses; starring in countless films and box office hits, such as End of Tonight, Hollow’s Creek, and The Darkness In Us. Her life was cut short at a tragic twenty-two years old when she was brutally murdered in her Los Angeles home by Marisol Hemmings. Hemmings was one half of what would later be known as the duo in the Betty Cooper Scandal, along with Christopher Cooper, otherwise known as Chris Matthews.

Veronica Lodge is remembered through her movies as well as through Archie Andrews’ who was her longtime boyfriend before the incident.”

Betty can’t help but scowl. It wasn’t an incident, she was fucking murdered. Say it, you coward.

“His new album, titled Veronica, is a complete tribute to the late actress and I have to say, it’s one of his better albums. The lyrics are both painful and beautiful, you can see how much his work has grown since her passing, and how much he truly loved her. Andrews’ is currently taking a break from singing and is traveling the world, something the young singer said Veronica had always wanted to do with him when they both had breaks.

As for the other person targeted in this scandal: Betty Cooper, former supermodel, found herself front and center of a stalking situation that quickly turned deadly.”

The TV turns off and Betty turns around to see Jughead standing behind her, remote in his hand and a frown on his face.

“Do you think they’ll ever stop talking about it?” Betty asks him. They always talk about it, every year; acting like they knew Veronica. They post pictures of her face everywhere and have marathons of her best movies. They always show End of Tonight, a movie that Betty and Veronica had once dubbed her worst work yet.

Betty never missed a marathon.

At first when she’d see a picture of Veronica, she’d go into a frenzy; yelling and screaming and then nothing. She’d sit and stare at nothing for hours, not moving and not talking. And that pain would bring back other things. For a while, she couldn’t even cope with loud sounds, especially anything closely resembling a gunshot. During a particularly bad incident, Betty was curled up on the kitchen floor, whispering Veronica’s name catatonically.

That’s when Jughead told her that it was time for her to sit and talk to someone.

He knew this wasn’t like his gunshot wound, not like the surgical scar on his lower back. This was something invisible, internal, something he couldn’t see and fix, so he had to make sure she did was was right for her to heal from the entire disaster.

She started seeing a therapist in Riverdale. It took her a long time to open up about everything, but she finally did. One day, a year after everything, her therapist told her to try to sit through a movie of Veronica’s, a funny one, one that would take Betty to a time when everything was okay.

So she did.

She watched one of the earlier movies that Veronica had starred in. It was a teen comedy about a highschool girl whose life was a complete mess and how she ended up becoming the most popular girl in school. It was cliche and trashy and perfect. Betty didn’t cry while watching it like she thought she would. Instead she smiled and laughed. Sometimes it felt like Veronica was right there with her, a hand on her arm, laughing along with Betty. Veronica always believed it was important to laugh at yourself sometimes.

“Probably not,” Jughead answers her. “But you don’t need to watch that right now. Jellybean’s expecting us over at the high school.”

Betty nods, remembering.

Jellybean is Jughead’s little (well, not so little anymore) sister, and a permanent fixture in their new life in Riverdale. Betty often freaked out over how alike the two siblings were, but she welcomed it. Jellybean was a godsend to her. She had been through things, just like Betty and Jughead, and she was living proof that your past didn’t have to define who you were now. Betty adored her.

Jellybean had done something good with all of the terrible things that had happened to her. She had written a book, a self-help kind, that talked about her experience that night with Chris back in high school, her mother’s death, her father’s alcoholism, and how she was able to overcome everything even though times seemed tough. She was strong; she was part of the reason why Betty hadn’t crumbled and fallen apart a long time ago.

She was giving a talk at Riverdale High today and had asked Betty and Jughead to attend.

“I only got the hour off,” Jughead says as he hands Betty her coat. “We don’t want to be late.”

Jughead works as a cop. It’s really the only job he could see himself doing, he had told her once upon a time. He said he wanted to protect people in a way that no one had protected Betty when she needed it most. He also jokingly mentioned that if the officers of the law weren’t going to do their job, someone had to and it may as well be him.

Betty was somewhat the same. She couldn’t let go of her modeling, as much as she wished she could. For all the bad memories she had tied to it from the last year she’d been in Los Angeles, she still loved it. Modeling was something she had always loved, it was her. She only did small events in Riverdale now; charity appearances in New York and sometimes, if she felt like she could, she would fly to Los Angeles and do a few shoots. It wasn’t like before, it didn’t take up her entire life, but it was still there.

“Cheryl and Reggie are coming with the baby,” Betty tells him as they walk out of their house and to the Range Rover parked outside. “They really wanted to hear Jellybean speak and they miss us.”

Cheryl had stayed a constant in her life, to which she was very thankful. Her therapist had told her that people tended to either grow closer or drift apart during traumatic experiences. Betty was blessed to say that her and Cheryl, and her and Jughead, all grew closer. Even Reggie had snuck his way into Jughead’s good side; Betty and Jughead had even been named the Godparents of their baby boy; Jason Mantle, named after Cheryl’s late brother.

They had all lost someone. Sometimes she wonders if maybe that’s why they were all able to stay so close; they understood the pain and suffering each was going through.

The ride is full of a comfortable silence. Jughead holds her hand the entire way just like he always does. He toys with the ring on her wedding finger and Betty smiles. The diamond sparkles as the sunlight catches it and she doesn’t think she’s ever seen something so beautiful.

They arrive to the school soon enough and Betty’s not surprised to see that there seem to be a lot of people already there.

They’re late; of course they are, and they walk into the gym and stand off toward the side. Jellybean is in the middle of talking already, and Jughead takes a hold of Betty’s hand as they listen to her speak.

“For a long time I blamed my actions for what happened that night with Veronica. I blamed myself for what happened with my sister-in-law and brother. I thought to myself, what if I had just pushed the issue with Chris harder? What if I had demanded that he be locked up? It was irrational, but all I could feel was shame. Shame at myself for not having stood up for myself all those years ago. Shame for letting him walk back into the world, just so he could do something far worse to others. Shame at the cops for letting it be swept under the rug.”

“But as time went on, I realized that no one was to blame for what happened that year except for one person. And that person was Chris Matthews; Chris Cooper.” Jughead squeezes Betty’s hand tightly, but it doesn’t really hurt anymore. She knows who Chris was. He was her brother; her brother that she had shot and killed.

Sometimes she still has nightmare about that night. She can’t really look at guns the same way anymore. Even now, as Jughead wears his work belt around his waist, he keeps the gun on the opposite side of her. She’s not completely healed from that night, she doesn’t think she ever will be, but she’s working on it. Understanding that Chris was her brother and accepting that is part of working on it. Instead of crying when she turns at night to face Jughead, looking at the scar from his surgery still lining one side, she traces patterns on it until she falls asleep. She’s not 100% over it, but she’s getting there and Jughead is proud of her. His hand tightens around hers and they continue to listen to Jellybean speak.

“The main point that I want to get across here is: Don’t let yourself be silenced. If someone puts you in an uncomfortable situation, then you make sure that you speak out and you let yourself be heard. The same thing that happened to you, could happen to another person. Speaking out could ultimately save a life. Do not let people look at you and tell you that you are making things up or that your problem isn’t big enough to deal with. You make sure that you get justice in the end; however you need to. Sometimes justice is demanding proper action from officers of the law, but other times it’s just -- it’s just taking time to talk to someone about how you’re feeling. Asking for help from people who love you. That’s justice too, if you want it to be.”

It feels like she says the last part directly towards Betty.

For a while after Betty had killed Chris, people deemed her a murderer. This stopped her from getting jobs for a period of time, but she’s thankful the tabloids hadn’t followed her to Riverdale. She always felt like this small town was a world in itself, and most people never leave.

Her leaving to be a model was the exception. But to the press, it didn’t matter that he had tried to kill her and Jughead. They just looked at her and saw a woman who killed a man “without a fair trial”. Betty knows better, though. There’s no such thing as a fair trial. She did what she had to do and she’d do it all over again if she needed to.

Jellybean continues her speech, talking more about her parents and this time it’s Betty’s turn to squeeze Jughead’s hand.

Jughead had been shocked when he found out that his father had gone to rehab. He had went to go see him over in South Carolina and when he came back, he told Betty all about it. His father was in a good place now. He’d been sober for about four years. Betty didn’t meet him until Jughead had deemed his father stable enough, but when she did, it was amazing.

FP Jones was a kind man, he was a good man. He was smart and funny. He was a little bit broken, but he had a heart full of good. He was just like Jughead. He was there at their wedding, standing alongside Jellybean. It was one of the happiest days of her life.

Jellybean finishes up by answering a few questions and then the speech is over.

The herd of kids flows out of the gym doors, a couple of them wiping at stray tears with a brash hand, but Betty and Jughead stay behind.

Jellybean is standing in the center of the gym still, but she’s holding a redhaired child in her arms as she talks to two people.

“JB!” Jughead shouts as he jogs over to her. Jellybean turns around and grins as she sees the both of them.

Betty didn’t know her growing up, but she looks at the beautiful young woman standing in front of her and she feels a sense of pride.

“You guys made it!” She squeals out.

“Yeah, like thirty minutes late,” Cheryl snips from behind her but there’s a smile on her face. Betty runs and engulfs her in a hug. She hasn’t seen Cheryl in a few months and she’s missed her like crazy.

“Jughead was late getting home!”

“All work and no play,” Reggie sighs as he brings in Jughead for a hug. “When you gonna let up, man?”

“Well, I’m sorry not all of us can throw a football for a living.”

Reggie gasps and holds his chest in mock hurt. “Keep talking like that and guess who’s not going to the Superbowl for free.”

“If you even make it to the Superbowl.”

“Oh, that’s it.”

Reggie takes off after him, Jughead laughing the entire time and it feels like they’re a bunch of kids in high school again.

“Think they’ll ever grow up?” Jellybean asks with a smirk.

“God, I hope so,” Cheryl sighs. “It’s easier to take care of a newborn baby than it is to take care of Reggie.”

Betty disagrees. She hopes that Jughead stays this young and this happy forever. She hopes that he’s always as happy as he is right now in this moment.

“You know, Betty,” Cheryl says in that tone of voice that means she’s up to no good, “Louis Vuitton’s looking for someone to be the new face of its brand. If you’re interested.” Cheryl is still her manager. That’s completely true, but somewhere along the way she stopped holding so much authority and became more of a friend. But it’s still her job to inform Betty of the requests brands put up to her.

Once upon a time, Betty might have leaped for joy at the offer. She would have dropped everything and anything for just the chance to get the job. Louis Vuitton could wait, right now she had to go untangle Jellybean from the disaster that was Reggie and Jughead as they begin to chase her around the gym. She places a hand onto the growing bump on her stomach, Cheryl smiling at her, and she realizes that there are so many more important things in the world.

She’s staring at a few of them right now.

Tag List: @pearlywise @novelistjugheadjones @thedenisecarla @oldfashionedvanilla @eliza-hamilton-helpless

[theonyxpath]

Scion Origin art by Shen Fei

    Okay, maybe not so brief! Things are in crazy going to GenCon mode now!

A few things to catch up on since I was out last week, and then I’ll talk more about GenCon, or #GenCon50 as I’m told the preferred hashtag goes, after that.

  First, White Wolf‘s Storytellers’ Vault went live and oh boy is it rocking!

What, I say, what, is Storytellers’ Vault, you say?*

Why, this little ol’ thing*: http://ift.tt/2vtvPqh

*Read these lines in a Foghorn Leghorn voice, for no particular reason.

Basically, it’s a site that enables you to create V20 (and the earlier editions of Vampire: The Masquerade, too) supplements using pre-created formats and a wide variety of art used in WW books over the years. You price it and then put your book up for sale on the site and retain half of what people pay for it.

Which is a pretty sweet royalty!

Already, a talented handful of Onyx Path freelance creators have stepped up to offer their projects. Folks like Bill Bodden, Jacob Klunder, Crystal Mazur, and Mike Tomesek. Last I checked, Jacob’s Denmark By Night was ranked top on the site! Which doesn’t even touch on all the folks from our community who have also already contributed projects!

Very exciting, and just the start as White Wolf intends to add game lines and settings to the Vault as soon as they can roll them out with the same quantity and quality of formats and graphic and art selections.

Speaking of other game lines, we’ll be creating our own site for community content for Scion as we had announced about a year ago during its Kickstarter, and Fast Eddy Webb and I have finished up the plan to open up a community site for Pugmire and its world. And I expect a similar setup for the Trinity Continuum as that massive universe rolls out.

But again, those will not be on the Storytellers’ Vault, as that’s only for WW-owned game lines.

    While I was out last week, our Deluxe printer sent me this nicely framed Guttenberg Award, which we received for the Ultra-Deluxe Exalted 3rd Edition cover. We won the Outstanding Technical Achievement in Finishing/Bindery for coming up with and producing the etched First Age glyphs in metal (Orichalcum?) and binding that onto the front cover.

The Guttenbergs are printing industry awards, and are really indicative of the amount of care and innovation that go into the creation of our books, both from our Onyx Path team and the teams at our various printers. Plus, we really couldn’t create these award-winning projects without our community contributing their pledges during Kickstarters towards allowing us to innovate like this. Thanks!

I also received notice that our V20 Bundle of Holding from awhile back was able to give the RPG Creators Relief Fund the ability to enable the most claims since its founding. http://ift.tt/1uhPKBC

We are incredibly thrilled to have been able to help this cause that is near and dear to our hearts thanks to all of your purchases. Next, in September, we have plans to run a Werewolf20 Bundle of Holding with the International Wolf Rescue as our designated charity. Even in these dark times, and coming from these dark settings, it is so very good to know that we can help at least a little.

    Snippet from the Trinity Continuum Storypath Brochure cover.

    Which brings us, at last, to GenCon50.

First, what will you be able to buy at our booth? Oh, so many books.

Easy to carry and economical Fiction Anthologies, and the Chronicles of Darkness: Dark Eras individual chapters if you want to try a taste of another era or gameline. The Tomb of Dreams adventure for Exalted 3rd. Our Storypath rules primer brochure with a focus on the Trinity Continuum this year. And this year’s Onyx Path brochure that runs through all of our gamelines and teases a few as yet unrevealed…

Here are the brochures waiting to be loaded for transport to Indy. Note that in 2013 we only had ten small boxes of brochures total to take!

We’ll have all manner of larger books for sale at the booth, including lots of Demon: The Descent and V20 Dark Ages books, and Mighty Matt McElroy, our GenCon maestro, has mentioned throwing a few sales into the mix during the con.

Specifically, we’ll have the M20 Book of Secrets and the Secrets of the Covenants for Vampire: The Requiem available, so “secrets” must be our thing this year.

But, and this is just such a crappy segue, it’s no secret that Pugmire will be making its non-Kickstarter debut at our booth, and we’ll be selling the book as well as the Screen and Dice until our supplies run out. We’ll also have copies of the Monarchies of Mau Early Access rules.

So if you are coming with the whole family, now might be a great time to page through Pugmire right there where creator Eddy Webb can answer any questions you might have.

Eddy will be one of the many creators at our booth hoping to have a chance to talk with folks, as well as demoing our games. Keep an eye out for that red-bearded rascal and Scion developer Neall Raemonn Price!

And if you are an aspiring artist, graphic designer, cartographer, Roll20 or Fantasy Grounds content creator, or any kind of visual creator, Mirthful Mike Chaney will be holding portfolio reviews every day at 2pm. Now’s your chance to contribute to our amazing visuals!

Our booth is #501:

And we’re in a really great spot this year. We’re also sharing our booth with Nocturnal Media, and White Wolf. Onyx is closest to the doors. Because of Stewart Wieck’s death, and how that shook up his company, we don’t really know exactly what Nocturnal will be bringing to the show, but we’ll be promoting Stew’s legacy by having some proof copies of Scarred Lands books, and developer Scott Holden is slated to run some SL demos.

I hear that my old friend Mark Rein-Hagen may be visiting at the White Wolf side of booth #501 to playtest his new Vampire board game, and most of the WW coterie will be there talking about V5.

They’ll also be talking about their plans at a couple of panels, but more on that in a sec.

Onyx Path‘s panels are a Freelancing for Onyx Path panel at 1pm Thursday in Grand Central Ballroom C in the Crowne Plaza. Please attend if you’re interested in doing any sort of freelance work for us; development, writing, editing, art. We are always looking for excellent folks for our projects.

The next day, there’s a What’s Up with the White Wolf IPs? panel on Friday at 11am in Penn Station C in the Crowne Plaza. This panel will cover WoD, Chronicles of Darkness, and Exalted 3rd.

Now, we had a bit of a scheduling snafu with this panel, as White Wolf has a panel on V5 at the same time in a different location. They are not happy about this either, but in the giant Tetris game of scheduling, GenCon just never thought to avoid scheduling our two panels simultaneously. So we’re exchanging “reps” to sit in on the other company’s panels, and hoping that somehow everybody can get the info out they’re trying to.

Also on Friday, but not conflicting with any similar panels, is What’s Up with Pugmire, Cavaliers of Mars, and Scarred Lands? at 1pm in Victoria Station A at the Crowne Plaza. These are the game lines that we work together with the owners of the IPs on, and is a great chance to talk directly to those folks. With the Cavaliers of Mars Kickstarter coming up in the weeks after GenCon, it’s a perfect time to talk to Rose about the project.

Finally for Friday at 6pm in ICC room 105, GenCon is holding a White Wolf Retrospective that will delve into the early days of White Wolf, from the Magazine through the first industry-changing editions of the World of Darkness games and beyond. I’ll be there with Mark Rein-Hagen, Lisa Stevens, and Steve Wieck, talking about the start of it all, and sharing stories about the company, the projects, and Stewart Wieck (who was originally scheduled to be on the panel as well).

Last, but in no way the least, we’ll have a What’s Up with Scion and Trinity? panel at 1pm Saturday in Penn Station B at the Crowne Plaza. We’ll talk about our plans for these two beloved lines, the upcoming Trinity Continuum Kickstarter, and the Storypath System rules engine that both lines operate on. Rumor has it that a third game line will also be announced at this panel…

One more thing to mention, and that is that for the first time this year, the demo team maniacs at The Wrecking Crew have an Onyx Path and White Wolf room completely dedicated to our games. They will be running the new V5 adventure, written in large part by our friends Matthew Dawkins and Jason Andrew, and just tons of Onyx Path game scenarios (I think over a hundred) for you to enjoy!

Even if the program says they are sold out, go ahead and pop in to ICC room 145 and see if there is a cancellation- those folks want you to have a great time and work really hard to make that happen for you. And here’s a handy map graphic:

Expect a lot of news, noise, and pics of the booth this week. And shrimp cocktails. So many shrimp cocktails…

  BLURBS!

ON SALE!

  ON AMAZON:

  We’re delighted to announce the opening of our ebook store on Amazon! You can now read our fiction from the comfort and convenience of your Kindle. Our initial selection includes these fiction anthologies: Vampire: the Masquerade‘s Endless Ages, Werewolf: The Apocalypse 20th Anniversary Edition‘s Rites of Renown: When Will You Rage 2, Mage: The Ascension 20th Anniversary Edition‘s Truth Beyond Paradox, Chronicles of Darkness‘ God Machine Chronicle, Mummy: The Curse‘s Curse of the Blue Nile, and Beast: The Primordial‘s The Primordial Feast!

And now you can get these books in the Barnes and Noble Nook store too!

Vampire: The Masquerade: The Endless Ages Anthology

Werewolf: The Apocalypse: Rites of Renown: When Will You Rage II

Mage: The Ascension: Truth Beyond Paradox

Chronicles of Darkness: The God-Machine Chronicle Anthology

Mummy: The Curse: Curse of the Blue Nile

Beast: The Primordial: The Primordial Feast Anthology

  And here are six more fiction books:

Vampire: The Masquerade: Of Predators and Prey: The Hunters Hunted II Anthology

Werewolf: The Apocalypse: The Poison Tree

Werewolf: The Apocalypse: Songs of the Sun and Moon: Tales of the Changing Breeds

Vampire: The Requiem: The Strix Chronicle Anthology

Werewolf: The Forsaken: The Idigam Chronicle Anthology

Mage: The Awakening: The Fallen World Chronicle Anthology

  Andand six more more:

Vampire: The Masquerade: The Beast Within Anthology (Kindle, Nook)

Werewolf: The Apocalypse: W20 Cookbook (Kindle, Nook)

Exalted: Tales from the Age of Sorrows (Kindle, Nook)

Chronicles of Darkness: Tales of the Dark Eras (Kindle, Nook)

Promethean: The Created: The Firestorm Chronicle Anthology (Kindle, Nook)

Demon: The Descent: Demon: Interface (Kindle, Nook)

      Looking for our Deluxe or Prestige Edition books? Here’s the link to the press release we put out about how Onyx Path is now selling through Indie Press Revolution: http://ift.tt/1ZlTT6z

You can now order wave 2 of our Deluxe and Prestige print overrun books, including Deluxe Mage 20th Anniversary, and Deluxe V20 Dark Ages! And Screens…so many Screens!

    ON DRIVETHRURPG.COM:

From the massive Chronicles of Darkness: Dark Eras main book, we have pulled this single chapter, Dark Eras: Lily, Sabre, and Thorn (Changeling: The Lost Swashbuckling France 1600s – early 1700s). In the Age of Reason under the reign of Louis XIV, enlightenment went hand-in-hand with court intrigues. The Sun King’s court influenced a time when changeling freeholds gained increasing unity and communication. It is a time of adventure, deception, betrayal, and passion — the roar of cannon, the rustle of silk, the ring of steel. The joys and sorrows and outrageous fortunes of the swashbuckler — these are all too well-known to the Lost.

On sale in PDF and PoD versions at DTRPG.com this Weds!

    Satyr Phil Brucato beckons you once more into the Annex of Mage: The Ascension with this 300 page follow-up to M20. The M20 Book of Secrets is NOW on sale in PDF and PoD versions at DTRPG.com! http://ift.tt/2tKyJtb

More Than Magick

For mages who think they have everything, this trove of treasures expands upon the wealth of material presented throughout Mage: The Ascension’s 20th Anniversary Edition. New Traits, new rules, essays, answers, information… the Secrets are revealed within.

Enter the Annex

Building upon the M20 core rulebook, this Book of Secrets features updated rules and setting material, such as…

An M20 FAQ Genres & Resources

Matters of Focus Justice & Influence

New Abilities, Archetypes, Merits & Flaws

Expanded Rules for Combat, Resonance, Wonders, Computer Systems, and More

This Ascension Continues…

      Chomping it’s way to you comes the Dagger of Spiragos adventure PDF for Scarred Lands! This second in the Spiragos trilogy for levels 4-6 is now in both 5e and Pathfinder PDF versions on DriveThruRPG.com!

PF: http://ift.tt/2uvy38a

5e: http://ift.tt/2uS6FDT

The Titans’ Relics Must Be Destroyed! 

Artifacts from the fallen titan Spiragos have been recovered, and forces are at work that would see them used for ill. The Dagger of Spiragos and the Ring of Spiragos are now in the player characters’ hands — and they must do what they can to rid Scarn of the foul relics of the titans, whatever the cost!

What Came Before 

Dagger of Spiragos is a sequel to the 2014 Gen Con Scarred Lands Special Preview adventure, Gauntlet of Spiragos (available as a free download on DriveThruRPG. com and RPGnow.com). It is also the second adventure in the Spiragos Saga, with Ring of Spiragos, the dramatic finale, as the third and culminating title.

In Gauntlet of Spiragos, the PCs traveled to the legendary Chasm of Flies, where they discovered a tribe of spider-eye goblins who possessed relics of their fallen master, Spiragos. Now, with those items in hand, the PCs travel to the city of Fangsfall, where they must seek aid in destroying the foul objects.

But others wish to possess these items, too,

      Sailing out of the dark, the V20 Dark Ages Companion PDF and physical book PoD versions are going on sale Wednesday on DriveThruRPG.com! http://ift.tt/2pX42dq

Travel the long roads and deep seas in search of power and experience danger, or tackle the wilderness to hunt monsters and face death. Settlements large and small dot the black expanse with the promise of sanctuary, life, and community. These bastions of civilization present cold comfort, when playing host to vampire warlords and sadistic Cainite faiths. Whether led by a Prince, a coordinated belief, or hounded by monsters from without and within — no domain is truly the same as another.

Dark Ages Companion includes:

• Domains scattered across the world, from small fiefdoms to massive cities. Bath, Bjarkarey, Constantinople, Rome, Mogadishu, and Mangaluru each receive coverage.

• Apocrypha including plot hooks, new Paths, and mysteries to explore in your games.

• A how-to guide on building a domain within your chronicle, including events and servants necessary to make a domain as functional or dysfunctional as you wish.

• A study on warfare in the Dark Ages period, so combat in your chronicles can gain authenticity and lethality.

      From the Primordial to your Chronicles, Beast‘s Building a Legend has risen in PDF and PoD formats on DTRPG.com!

http://ift.tt/2u1BBkU

CREATING A CHRONICLE IS REWARDING…

…so why should the Storyteller have all the fun?

The whole troupe should get in on the action, making for a chronicle that reflects the preferences and predilections of all the players.

Building a Legend is a guide for doing exactly that — making a cohesive chronicle, starting with character creation, for Beast: The Primordial. It includes advice on creating Storyteller characters, folding in real world history, and populating the Primordial Dream.

        From the massive Chronicles of Darkness: Dark Eras main book, we have pulled this single chapter, Dark Eras: Requiem for Regina (Vampire: The Requiem Elizabethan London 1593). We have shared the world with monsters for millennia. In Elizabeth’s London, vampires built their own empire brick by bloody brick while Elizabeth I cemented her grip on newly Protestant England. Carefully balancing demands from those with Catholic and Lutheran sympathies, she forged a police state. Yet London emerged as a thriving cultural center, and from the crucible emerged a Kindred society forever changed.

http://ift.tt/2sl0Zh4

On sale in PDF and physical copy PoD versions on DTRPG!

      What dark secrets do the eldest vampires hold? Find out in Thousand Years of Night for Vampire: The Requiem! Advance PDF version available now on DriveThruRPG.com. http://ift.tt/2sV8lZR

You may think that with a multitude of people coming, going, dying and running away, we’d be tired, done, or ready to give up. Instead, I find myself restless, looking for the next thing.  There’s always a next thing, and I for one am not yet ready to die.

– Elder Kincaid, Daeva Crone

This book includes:

• Detailed instructions on creating elder vampires, including how to base chronicles around them

• A look into the lives of elders, how they spend their nights, who they work with, and why including their roles in both their clans and covenants

• New Devotions, Merits, and Rituals for elder vampires

• The kinds of creatures that pose a threat to elder vampires, including Inamorata, Lamia, Sons of Phobos, a new elder conspiracy, and more!

        Curated by Matthew McFarland, developer of Changeling: the Dreaming Twentieth Anniversary Edition and featuring authors such as Myranda Kalis, Wren Handman, and Peter Woodworth, this C20 Anthology of Dreams is on sale in electronic/PDF and physical copy PoD formats on DTRPG.com! http://ift.tt/2snBT0X

We dream, and we tell stories. We dream of love and the sort of person who might complete us. We dream of horror and wake breathless. We dream of magic, of flying through the air, or breathing underwater. We dream of fantastic vistas and amazing monsters.

We dream, and then we wake, and we tell stories. Our dreams create the Kithain, the changelings. Our stories are sustenance.

  CONVENTIONS!

Gen Con 50 IS THIS WEEK!!!! August 17th – 20th, Indianapolis. Our booth will actually be 20? x 30? this year that we’ll be sharing with Nocturnal Media and White Wolf. We’re looking at new displays this year, like a back drop and magazine racks for the brochure(s). FYI, the con is almost entirely sold out for the first time ever! Here’s the map again of where we’ll be:

  The week after GenCon, you can find Matt, Monica, and Naughty Neall Raemonn Price as Guests of Honor at Geek.Kon http://www.geekkon.net/ starting on Friday, August the 25th, in Madison, WI.

In November, we’ll be at Game Hole Con in Madison, WI. More news as we have it, and here’s their website: http://ift.tt/RIm6qP

  And now, the new project status updates!

DEVELOPMENT STATUS FROM ROLLICKING ROSE (projects in bold have changed status since last week):

First Draft (The first phase of a project that is about the work being done by writers, not dev prep)

Trinity Continuum: Aeon Rulebook (The Trinity Continuum)

M20 Gods and Monsters (Mage: the Ascension 20th Anniversary Edition)

M20 Book of the Fallen (Mage: the Ascension 20th Anniversary Edition)

C20 Novel (Jackie Cassada) (Changeling: the Dreaming 20th Anniversary Edition)

Monarchies of Mau (Monarchies of Mau)

Night Horrors: The Tormented (Promethean: The Created 2nd Edition)

Deviant: The Renegades (Deviant: The Renegades)

Redlines

Kithbook Boggans (Changeling: the Dreaming 20th Anniversary Edition)

Hunter: the Vigil 2e coree (Hunter: the Vigil 2nd Edition)

Exalted 3rd Novel by Matt Forbeck (Exalted 3rd Edition)

The Realm (Exalted 3rd Edition)

Second Draft

WoD Ghost Hunters (World of Darkness)

Pugmire Fiction Anthology (Pugmire)

Dragon-Blooded (Exalted 3rd Edition)

Development

Signs of Sorcery (Mage: the Awakening Second Edition)

SL Ring of Spiragos (Pathfinder – Scarred Lands 2nd Edition)

Ring of Spiragos (5e – Scarred Lands 2nd Edition)

Pugmire Pan’s Guide for New Pioneers (Pugmire)

Scion: Origin (Scion 2nd Edition)

Scion: Hero (Scion 2nd Edition)

Trinity Continuum Core Rulebook (The Trinity Continuum)

GtS Geist 2e core (Geist: the Sin-Eaters Second Edition)

DtD Night Horrors: Enemy Action (Demon: the Descent)

  WW Manuscript Approval:

M20 Cookbook (Mage: the Ascension 20th Anniversary Edition)

Ex Novel 2 (Aaron Rosenberg) (Exalted 3rd Edition)

  Editing:

M20 Cookbook

C20 Ready Made Characters (Changeling: the Dreaming 20th Anniversary Edition)

  Post-Editing Development:

W20 Changing Ways (Werewolf: the Apocalypse 20th Anniversary Edition)

Changeling: the Lost 2nd Edition, featuring the Huntsmen Chronicle (Changeling: the Lost 2nd Edition)

  Indexing:

    ART DIRECTION FROM MIRTHFUL MIKE:

In Art Direction

W20 Pentex Employee Indoctrination Handbook – Ellis is working on painting everything up. Finals coming in.

Cavaliers of Mars

W20 Changing Ways – AD’d and Contracted.

Ex3 Monthly Stuff

VDA Jumpstart

Scion Origins

Ring of Spiragos

Ex 3 Arms of the Chosen – Finals continue to come in.

Beast PG – Finals rolling in for most of the stuff.

VtR Half Damned – AD’d and Contracted.

Book of Freeholds

DtD Enemy Action

C20 RMCs 

  Marketing Stuff

  In Layout

Prince’s Gambit – New Cards out for playtesting.

Beckett’s Jyhad Diary 

Wraith 20

  Proofing

M20 Art Book – At WW for approval

  At Press

Beckett Screen – Shipped to shipper.

Scarred Land PGs & Wise and the Wicked PF & 5e

Dark Eras: Lily Sabre and Thorn – On sale Wednesday in PDF and PoD on DTRPG.com.

Dark Eras: A Grimm Dark Era

Dark Eras: God’s Own Country

Dark Eras: After the Fall

VTR: Thousand Years of Night

Changeling: the Dreaming 20th Anniversary Edition (Changeling: the Dreaming 20th Anniversary Edition) – PoD uploaded and processing…

C20 Jumpstart PDF – Out to backers… errata gathering.

CtL Huntsmen Chronicle Anthology PDF

  TODAY’S REASON TO CELEBRATE: I was on vacation last week and caught a bunch of fish with my kids. I like catching fish (we released them back).

[a-mist-in-the-trees]

My Favorite Beauty and the Beast Things

Review: Beauty and the Beast (2017)

                       ·         Note: will update this once it comes out on DVD and I can add gifs.

·         To start off, I genuinely think this is the best Disney remake yet, it keeps the heart and best moments of the original while improving the story, developing the characters even more and making it its own with a few new moments.

·         It's always difficult adapting an originally animated feature into live-action, technicalities and such that are sometimes impossible since you can do literally anything in animation and it's rarely questioned. In addition, this is a fairy-tale, logic and reality isn't 100% there. So some random character tendencies are glossed over a bit. They really improved the overall story with filling in a few plot-holes, little details that wouldn't have made sense in a live-action version. They brought a good measurement of realism while still keeping the beloved enchantment of the original. Adam was given a little more a back story, as well as Belle, and brought alittle bit more weight of the impending curse by taking away everyone's humanity if all had failed.

·         The opening was very orchestrated and well-narrated in explaining some of the plot holes away, but I still prefer the stain glass, it was so beautiful with David's gentle voice narrating. Although, it was nice actually seeing it play out. <3

·         Audra McDonald is queen. Right next to Julie Andrews.

·         The enchantress just barging in cause it's odd that a prince would answer his own door. A+ to Stephen Chbosky & Evan Spiliotopoulos.

·         I loved how even in the beginning of the film, we don't see Adam's real face until the end with Belle, with all that rococo make up and such. Just beautiful details.

·         The script was very well written, with its foreshadowing and subtleties especially.

·         I didn't know about anyone besides a few cast members (Emma, Josh and Luke) so it was ever a surprise when I saw Stanley and Audra at the beginning and Ewan and Ian at the end. :)

·         "....athletically inclined."

·         I understand the criticism with Emma's voice being "auto tuned." I personally wouldn't say auto tuned, maybe a little too unnaturally polished but I would give her some slack. She's not a professional singer, it's just softer in comparison to Paige O'Hara's Broadway experience. I do think it was better than having another singer on top of her acting, although debatable as that is, I think that would've been less well-received than what she gave us.

         "Busy?" "...No."

·         "It is love we must hold onto / Never easy, but we try."

·         I like the addition that Belle is an inventor, it really adds a good sweetness and endearment to her and Maurice's relationship and it doesn't overshadow her character as a whole. She still mostly loves books.

·         The placement of belle and her father's house was a little odd though, just in the middle of the square like that, I'm sure Gaston wasn't the only one to step on her cabbages, accidentally of course.

·         "...his little wife. UGH!"

·         I loved the small addition of Maurice getting Belle a rose, that's a nice nod to the original version of the tale by Jeanne-Marie Leprince de Beaumont and it does come back around more logically when Belle takes Maurice's place in the dungeon.

·         Even the wolves felt more like their own characters, I really love the theory that they are the castle guards.

·         Oh my gosh, the castle was so ridiculously rococo, I couldn't stand it! <3

·         "Forget you? Everything I am is because of you."

·         Emma's Belle was very well-done. In her acting, she brought a bold confidence to Belle. She's a lot more assertive in her actions and of course, headstrong, in addition to Belle's kindness and bravery that we all know and love.

·         I was very surprised how Belle replacing her father in the dungeon scene was written, it was very different but I won't say better and I'll explain why. I liked how different they were, again partially separating itself from the original but still paying tribute to it. LA: Belle is more physical in her sacrifice, pushing Maurice out of the cell whereas A: Belle was more decisive and made a deal and gave her word that she wouldn't leave. That took a lot of courage and I'm not preferring one over the other because that's impossible, just acknowledging how different the two are even while they're the same character. I guess, I relate more to A: Belle's decision making where LA: Belle's quick-witted actions I look up to. Because of how that scene was orchestrated, it also bleeds into the differences of LA: Belle beating Lumiere with a stool and devising a plan to escape as soon as she got to her room and A: Belle making a deal and being given a tour by the beast on the way to her room as sad as she is. I feel like the original made more sense in that regard, but that's just me.

·         Love how Belle asks him to come into the light and he doesn't so she brings the light to him.

·         "Forever can spare a minute."

·         I loved that the feather duster was also an enchanted flying bird, that was a beautiful and elegantly magical surprise.

·         The effects of the magic mirror were a little too small which made it look weird to me.

·         I felt that Be Our Guest was a little too focused on Lumiere and explosive with him flipping and dabbing everywhere (yeah, I caught that), just not as colorful as the original, but I do understand with how much detail they put into the set and costume design that an exact replica might've been too expensive to animate, which fits since it's not meant to be a carbon copy of the original anyway. ·         As much as I would've loved to see Human Again in the live action version, Days in the Sun was incredible. Plus that would be a lot of enchanted objects to render.

·         "Days in the sun / Where my life had barely begun / Will I have leave you?"

         "How in the midst of all this sorrow / Can so much hope and love endure."

·         "I can feel a change in me. I'm stronger now, but still not free."

·         All the little subtleties really made this remake shine.

·         I was a little disappointed that the "Gaston trio" all looked the same and didn't have their different colored dresses but never mind... ;) and the girls do have their own individual patterns in you look close enough.

·         I was surprised that Gaston actually went with Maurice to see about the beast, he did start off as an okay guy...but then he ties him up...

·         "You need to help me. You need to stand."

·         "...Okay, I'm older."

·         The addition of the enchanted book was interesting, but aside from helping with belle's back-story more, felt a little unnecessary or just one too many magical items given by the enchantress. (She really wanted to torture the beast, didn't she?) But I do like that it was a nod to the Enchanted Christmas sequel where Belle gives Beast a book. :3 I still love the song Stories so much and the animation!!!

·         "These were the borders of my life / In this crumbling, dusty attic / Where an artist loved his wife / Easy to remember, harder to move on / Knowing the Paris of my childhood is gone."

·         "Let's go home." ...and then he just melts. :3

·         I never thought the addition of the back-story for Belle's mother and how Beast acts (his mother as well) would affect the tale so beautifully. It never crossed my mind how much of a deeper connection that would establish for the two of them until that scene with the book came on screen. Just beautiful writing, I can't say anymore without crying. (Trust me, I've cried enough over the perfection of this movie already.)

·         One of my favorite scenes: The Beast and Belle eating dinner and reading their books together at the table like they're already married. Just...happy sigh. :3

·         Chip is adorable, I liked that they gave him an older voice.

·         Josh Gad was brilliant as always.

·         Luke Evan's Gaston was well executed and just not in looks. (Points to Lucy Bevan for casting!) I liked that they gave him alittle more depth as well, with being in the war and a little more cruel than in the original, again bringing more realism and makes him more grounded as a true villain..or just a monster as Belle said.

·         They even made Lefou a more prominent character than just the villain's sidekick I love it so much! He had such a redemption arc and realized HE can do better than Gaston. ;-) 

·         "There's a beast running wild, there's no question / But I fear the wrong monster's released." I like this too much. Chills.

·         "We don't like what we don't understand / In fact, it scares us / And this monster is mysterious at least." Wow.

·         Belle and Adam's relationship was well fleshed out more. They have such adorable banter! It was brilliance. I loved how they related to each other through books. It creates a better basis for their relationship. Even though I also love how belle taught beast how to read, they're just two different types of relationships. Good relationships, but different. 

·         He just gives Belle an entire library because he doesn't like her taste in books! Like oh my gosh, Adam... you beast.....wait.

·         As much as I loved the library scene in the LA version, I can't get over how sweet the original is, just look at how happy the beast is because she's happy! :3

·         The emphasis on the Beast's very expense education and him being widely read does well in this version making him relate easier to belle and makes more sense in general I guess but I would argue for the sake of the original, which does have the 10 years stamp on it, that the Beast even said himself in Human Again that it's been so long since he's last read anything. If the last time he did read was when he was still human at 10-11 with how much of a despair and depression he fell into after being cursed, I would say it's understandable and it helps him and Belle form a connection with her patiently teaching him. How to read and fall in love.

·         "I never thanked you for saving my life." I love this line cause of how much it can have a double meaning.

·         "I saw her in the ballroom and said we should have a dance tonight, I'd never imagined she'd say yes!" HAHA! AWWW!!! :333333

·         I see nothing wrong with the dress, it was beautiful. It flowed very nicely and I loved in the scene, the animation of the golden flecks being added to the hem. That ear cuff was dope too.

·         As much as I love you Emma Thompson, I'm sorry but you don't hold a candle to Angela Lansbury. But you still did very nicely. :)

·         "Can anyone be happy if they aren't free?"

·         One thing that bothered me a bit was how it seemed they made Belle feel so bad whenever she tried to leave the castle, even towards the end with her father. Like, really? That never felt like an issue in the original.

·         All of Evermore. Thank you Alan Menken, and Dan Stevens.

·         "Waiting here, fore evermore..." and the long zoom out with the last shot being Belle riding away still in her dress and then sudden black and the ORCESTRA! :D So perfect.

·         “I set her free. I’m sorry I couldn’t do the same for all of you.”

·         WHY DID MISS POTTS TAKE AWAY THE BEAST LINE AT THE END!!! IT WAS SO POWERFUL, EVEN IF WE ALREADY KNOW HE WAS SUPPOSED TO SAY "BECAUSE I LOVE HER", UGHHHH!!

·         I prefer Gaston using a knife instead of a gun when fighting Beast, the stab was more imitate. Also, three gun shots, geez!

·         The ending was a little off to me. I kept waiting for Belle is say I love you and then the last petal fell and everyone froze but the enchantress just waltz in and is like "I'll just fix everything now." Like, what?! I thought they were going to pull an evil frozon-hans card and just leave it there but whatever. I don't know...maybe I'm ruminate over it a little more but that's just how I feel about it at the moment.

·         [From: destielydia.tumblr.com: You know what I LOVE about the transformation scene? Adam waits for Belle to come to him. He just stays where he stands, he stays still because he doesn’t want to scare her. She is the one who takes the first step because he still gives her a chance to go away. That’s how much he respects and loves her. But you can see everything in his eyes - how much he wants to finally touch her gently with his real human hands, finally, and not to be worried about hurting Belle. His eyes have some true excitement in them and love and I’m crying I love Adam and Belle."]

I love this as well, it’s a wonderful parallel to the dance scene when Belle offers her hands to him and lets him come to her.

·         I think Emma did wonderfully originating her role as Belle. Paige O'Hara and Susan Egan gave their blessings so if you didn't like her, go enjoy the original animated feature.

·         Ewan, you stole my heart at Moulin Rouge! So you were golden..or is he brass?

·         "How would you feel about growing a beard?"

·         Oh my, that growl...I can just imagine how many dirty fanfiction is written based on that moment.

·         The addition of the new songs were wonderful. :)

·         The costume and set design was just magnificent and so beautifully detailed, I have no other words.

·         Also I'd like to point out how wonderful it is there are two interracial couples in this movie with at least three more movies featuring them coming out this year. Yay.

·         Why is no one talking about Belle's wedding dress at the end though?! It's so beautifully and simply white with all the freakin' roses on it!!?!!?!!?!

·         As for a note on the gay moment at the end, I am so happy that all I saw previewed for this before seeing it in theaters was the teaser trailer cause they blew it way out of proportion. I mean, it's pretty obvious that LeFou is gay right from the beginning, the Stanley moment was cute and funny and then the literal 3-second moment that brought them together was cute. That's all I have to say.

·         Personally, some of the minor continuity errors that people analyzed from the original, I didn't give a whole lot of attention to because it's simply a fairy tale. (how belle lifted the beast onto her house after being attacked, why the villagers didn't know they have a cursed prince, the Eiffel Tower, etc.) That's almost like saying, "oh, why is Tarzan riding a high wheeler in the jungle? That's so impractical!" It's just a form of imagery for the scene but I digress and in spite of that, the corrections really improved the characters and helped form a complete story.

·         I love how they brought Celine Dion back to sing an end credits song, it's so nice. :)

·         Even the end credits are stunning!

I just really hope they reconsider not keeping the songs in the Mulan remake. Even if, as Chris Weitz said [http://www.hypable.com/disney-cutting-songs/], it is easier to do animated musical Disney movies, the new Beauty and the Beast proved that you can do it and do it well. Which is more than I can say for the Cinderella remake they did in 2015. The casting was spot on but if you take away what made the original the classic that it is, it won't be received kindly.

[fangirlinganditswonders]

Truth comes first ~P.1

► Summary: 

Despite the fact that the reader is just a teenager, she has bigger problems, some of them unable to handle. 

Also when the Jason Blossom’s case starts to become an attractive mystery to her, she looks for someone else to help her which leads her to Jughead Jones. 

► Pair: Jughead Jones x Reader

►  Word Count: 1,668

► Warnings: none

► A/N: Hello and welcome to the first part of the new Jughead Jones’ series. I hope you like and enjoy it, if that’s the case, let me know! I will appreciate it a lot and also I would know if I should start working on the next part! Tags are opened! 

Riverdale high school. First class in the morning.

The students start to fill the classrooms. Some of them are sleepy, as if they still were on their beds. Some others were ready to keep learning another day more and the rest just hated to be there.

You couldn’t be put in none of the groups mentioned before. You were just there. Ready for the classes? Of course. Eager for them? Not that much, at least usually. First class on Mondays were always an exception. Your favorite subject; psychology.

You were sitting in the placed you always used to occupy since the very first day without a partner by your side. Not that you didn’t have friends at all, you just knew how to enjoy loneliness most of the times.

The teacher was about to begin when a new face entered in the room. Whispers started almost immediately allowing you to know who the new girl was; none other than Veronica Lodge.

While everybody else in the classroom kept whispering and looking at the brunette your eyes lowered to your notebook. You had heard about her and her family but it was none of your business and probably the girl was probably uncomfortable enough without your participation. Seconds later you felt someone by your side. Knowing who it was you just raised your head to look at Veronica’s dark eyes.

“Hi” she greeted with a wide and friendly smile.

“Hello… and welcome to Riverdale” You greeted back being a little bit sarcastic. You couldn’t help yourself but to look at the rest of empty chairs on the classroom before turning to her. “Why here?” She smiled, knowing exactly what you were asking to her.

“Well, you’ve been the only one who hasn’t started judging me when I’ve walked in. I appreciate that” She smiled again and you imitated her but your little conversation was cut when the teacher faked a cough.

 ~

 When the class ended you could finally have a proper conversation with Veronica. She was nice and really different from what usually could be found in those corridors.

“Veronica!” You instantly closed your eyes in annoyance when Betty Cooper’s voice sounded right behind you. “I’ve been looking for you. We need to…” She froze when she realized that you were Veronica’s accompanist. “Oh… Hello Y/N” Your lips became a thin line. What an awkward moment…

“Hello Betty” You could felt Veronica’s eyes wandering between you two in a very curious way.

“Uh… Veronica, is it okay for you to start the tour now?”

“Sure” The brunette one answered.

“Well, I’ll leave you two alone so you can…”

“Wait” Veronica interrupted you “Why don’t you come with us? If that’s okay for you” She turned to Betty. Obviously she was fully aware of what she was doing. She felt the awkwardness between you two before and certainly wanted to know why. Betty and you locked eyes for a second before she spoke.

“Of course. It would be great if you joined us” There was truly honesty in her words. Veronica turned to you with a please say yes smile.

“I don’t know…”

“Please…” Who could say no to the puppy face Veronica was giving you?

“Okay…”

The blonde one started to explain multiple things about the school and its story while you were walking through the corridors.

Another really awkward moment happened when you stumbled with Archie Andrews. The situation was pretty uncomfortable for you already but when Veronica talked about flirting with Archie and how attractive he was it didn’t improve. Not a bit. Luckily for you Kevin appeared to save the day.

Just moments after that and announcement was made through the public address system. All the students had to reunite in the sports hall.

 ~

 It was about the Blossoms.

Jason Blossom had disappeared on July 4th and no one seemed to know anything about it. It was a mystery no one in Riverdale could comprehend.

Betty, Veronica and Kevin were listening to Cheryl, Jason’s sister and the one who saw Jason for the last time. You were also listening to her, but you seemed to be the only one to find Cheryl’s words a little bit weird.

What the Blossom girl was saying was that despite her brother’s disappearance the ball programmed for that same night couldn’t be cancelled because that’s what Jason would have wanted. You frowned. Cheryl didn’t seem the same one you saw on the corridors before the classes started. Not to question his sadness and pain about her beloved brother but still, weird.

Looking around you searched for someone who was or at least seemed confused as well but everyone seemed okay with what was happening. Everybody except the guy at the end of the stands. The brunette one with the same beanie as always and his laptop on his lap; Jughead Jones.  He was staring at Cheryl the same way you were.

The words the red-haired was saying were confusing for him as well.

Your thoughts got interrupted when the crowd started to clap and cheer, happy about the ball still happening that night.

~

 That afternoon you had your books opened in front of you but your head was not really interested in what you had to study and do as homework.

A lot of things had happened in the same day…

Veronica Lodge, the famous one, had arrived to Riverdale high and apparently you two got along together.

What about you and Betty talking to each other again after… One year? Probably a little bit more than that.

Cheryl’s speech and everything related to Jason. The weirdness of the situation in general.

The last big thing that happened that day was Veronica convincing Betty to ask Archie for the ball and when everything looked bad, Veronica convincing them both to go with her as a trio.

Of course she had tried to convince you as well to go to the ball with them, but you refused the idea every single time she tried.  You just didn’t want to go because that sort of public exposition was not something you liked. You thought of it as something unreal. Everything had to be perfect for one night and then you could go back to your teenager problems. How you missed that time when the only worries you had were being a teenager.

Annoyed and frustrated you closed the books and grabbed your jacket to hit the streets. The only thing that could calm you that day was a lonely night walking.

After approximately half an hour of walking and enjoying the magic the night always have you found yourself in front of Pop’s. The time was perfect for a little snack.

When you entered the place the bell seemed to sound louder than usually. Just by looking at the entire establishment you could see that the ball was happening that night because Pop’s was almost empty. The only people there were a couple of old age, a group of men you could see working at the building site near the high school and last but certainly not least, Jughead Jones.

“Goodnight Y/N” the waiter behind the bar saluted “So you haven’t gone to the ball uh?”

“No… Thank you” He slightly laughed.

“What can I do for you?”

“To be honest… Onion rings would make my night”

“Five minutes” he winked

“Wait! Eh… Could you please bring me those to that table?” Your index pointed to the table where the boy of the beanie was.

“Sure” You smiled to him as an answer before turning and started walking towards Jughead. He was so concentrated in what he was typing on his computer that didn’t seemed to feel your presence. “Mind if I join?” His blue eyes raised to meet with yours. His face told you that he was thinking about it. His answer ended up being his arm raised to point the sit in front of him with his hand as a yes. “Great, thanks”

You sat right in front of him and he lowered the screen of his laptop, giving you all of his attention.

“Fine. I’ll go straight to the point. I’ve heard that you’re writing a novel about Jason’s… case” Jughead remained silent but he nodded with his head. “And… I’ve seen you today when Cheryl was giving her speech. I will dare to say that both of us thought it was kinda weird.” His brow raised and his torso bent down a little bit, with that he was showing interest by what you were saying. Time to drop it. “I want to help you”

“Help me?” He finally talked.

“Yes. Look if you’re writing a novel you’re needing information, if you need information research has to be done and it would be easy for you to have someone else. Besides, in this particular case you’re going to need a little bit of psychology and criminal stuff knowledge which leads to me. I want to help you and I need you to help me as well.”

“Why?” You sighed.

“Look, I don’t feel the confidence to tell you about the reason yet but… I can say that one big part of my reason is the truth. It should always come first.” Doubts were clearly running through his mind, you could see them written in his forehead. “Would it make you feel more comfortable about this if we signed a contract where I promise not to steal your novel ideas or similar?” Again, he remained silent but you could see a little and playful smile appearing on his lips.

“Just one condition Y/L/N” The fact that he called you by your last name surprised you but you didn’t show it.

“Sure”

“Whatever we find out, even if it’s the slightest detail we’ll…”

“We’ll tell each other first” You ended the sentence at the same time, which surprised him and made you smile.

“I guess we have a deal then” He said settling you two as a team.

PART TWO

Series Masterlist

[renaroo]

Wednesday Roundup

We have an interesting week! Not the least of which because of Saga’s newest volume release which I have been highly anticipating for months. There’s a lot of storylines beginning, ending, and everything in between this week, and we’ve got a spread between DC, Marvel and Indie. So let’s see how it plays out!

Marvel’s Amazing Spider-Man: Renew Your Vows, DC’s Detective Comics, Image’s Saga, DC’s Titans, DC’s Wonder Woman 

Marvel’s Amazing Spider-Man: Renew You Vows (2016- ) #6 Gerry Conway, Ryan Stegman, Jesus Aburtov

We’ve officially gone into territories that I honestly hadn’t expected for this series to take, that being the confirmation as of this issue that this is a parallel universe where the Superhero Registration Act and Civil War never happened. But... oddly enough it seems to also be a world where Conway is happily ignoring Slott’s miniseries that started Renew Your Vows because the X-Men, including ones we very much saw were dead in the mini, are well and alive and running the Xavier institute just fine. 

And just to add to weirdness, everyone’s in their 90s uniforms but Jean is married to Logan and they have an adorable daughter. How’s that supposed to work with my perception of reality? I have absolutely no idea, but Annie gets a possible future friend in little baby mutant so I think I can consider myself happy. 

It’s interesting to see Gerry Conway, who in many ways as I revisit the various comics of the past (as you may have noticed through my liveblogging here) really is fundamental for me personally in how I perceive Peter, MJ, and their relationship, is writing the first book I’ve been able to read in a long time that feels like them. And it’s not perfect marital bliss -- there’s conflict, opposition, and a sense of flaws that both of them bring to the table. 

Basically all the things that Slott and co. whined and bemoaned were gone simply because Peter and MJ tied the knot. y’know. Thirty years ago. 

Still enjoying the book, but I’m extra curious/worried where our cliffhanger leaves us. Also wow, poor Beast.

DC’s Detective Comics (2016- ) #954 James Tynion IV, Marcio Takara, Marcelo Maiolo

*long heralding sigh and a wistful look into the distance*

We’re smack in the middle of this storyline and I’m sure there’s a lot of things that will be better once it’s fully played out, but I’m running out of ways to defend Tynion’s run on ‘Tec. Mostly because for all the frustration that I have with people being way too critical of this run -- which there more than has been -- I’m getting less and less out of Tynion’s work that fills me with the joy and exuberance that helps me want to defend his comics to begin with.

Probably because I have always said his pacing is awful, his reveals have almost no setup, he repeatedly robs us of emotional catharsis, his views of morality are about as black-and-white as someone can get out of a high school creative writing class, and just structurally I’ve never enjoyed his arcs. 

What I do like from Tynion and have defended again and again is his understanding of the main team’s characters. The Belfry team, as written by him, have so many amazing character moments that they far outshine his stories and villains time and time again. He understands why people love these characters and he wants to share why he loves them, and that enthusiasm has repeatedly been a saving grace on issues that had everything else working against them during his run.

Soooooo This issue is completely devoid of those good things. Because our only goodguy left standing is Bruce. I continue to be... less than apathetic toward the Colony and the assassination of Jacob Kane’s character, or Ulysseus’ gamer-brat return. Bruce continues to be an IDIOT about this League of Shadows thing to the point that my brain breaks trying to figure out why in Detective Comics it seems like the World’s Greatest Detective can’t get a clue. And it all just blehhhhssss toward the middle. 

Now for the controversy. Because god forbid we not have controversy every week ‘Tec comes out. Cass’ reentry in the last two pages is awesome for the first page and stupid on the giant splash page. yes, she’s going to be the one to take down the League of Shadows, and she’ll probably FINALLY get to say one of her famous lines herself for once (IMAGINE). but Tynion or Takara one dropped the ball on that last page by having Cass holding bloody katanas and make it look like she had actually killed Shiva’s ninjas. If this was a mistake, DC is... itself again and we’ll have to ignore it. If it’s meant to make us doubt Cass and that she’s taken Shiva’s words to heart it’s a cheap cliffhanger and we know better. If if if, doesn’t matter, it’s not what it seems and it annoys me.

I was annoyed by this issue and outside of Takara’s continued excellent work in the art department this is going to be lost in the overall storyline of this arc like every single other middle issue Tynion has written for this run. Nothing was gained for this experience. 

Well, it gave me the energy to rant. And I know that’s what some of you come to this blog for, so it gave you that much. 

Image’s Saga (2012- ) Volume 7 Brian K. Vaughn, Fiona Staples

Few comics hit the milestones and accolades which Saga have without stumbling across bumps in the path, and that goes nearly triple when it comes to pushing the envelope with themes of interracial relationships, multiethnic found families, clashing cultures, war, sexual politics, and discussions of sexuality and gender all at once. 

But somehow, amazingly, Saga not only continues to maintain this path and always manages to find new and impressive ways to surprise me -- someone who I’d consider to be a pretty hardened veteran of nearly all forms of storytelling in comics at this point -- but it manages to make each punch still feel like a direct hit to my gut. 

There is so much anguish in the trials of our space opera family for this adventure, so much loss that it’s hard to pin down what hit me harder -- the loss of a long time friend, the sanity of a former dignitary, the home of a beloved survivor, the respect of a former mentor, or -- as Hazel herself so eloquently put it in the last pages of this volume -- the loss of things that never were, the missing energy of what could have been. 

There’s a lot throughout this, and as always Saga delivers. We continue to have one of the most badass trans women I’ve seen in comics to date, the fall from grace of Marko’s professed pacifism, and the fear of Sophie’s inevitable manipulations at the hand of The Will, something that will break my heart a thousand times more. 

Fiona Staples’ art is next level comic storytelling, but I also need to emphasize just what a fantastic writer Brian K. Vaughn truly is. As someone very aware and concerned about portrayal and voices of women in comics, I have to say that Vaughn is up there with Rucka as some of the few male writers that write female characters in a way that truly speak to me on a fundamental level.

DC’s Titans (2016- ) #10 Dan Abnett, Brett Booth, Norm Rapmund, Andrew Dalhouse

Our fight with the Fearsom Five comes to quite the stunning end, really utilizing all of our characters and their strengths as well as their weaknesses. But what really captured my attention here was just how well the comic did when it came to showing off how truly formidable the Five were, with maybe only Gizmo not getting a real moment to shine out of the entire lot. 

The Titans were believably taken down, but not without showing off their prowess first and foremost, an that’s really all I ask for in a story where our heroes ultimately don’t win -- that their strengths are still on display and it’s believable how the battles’ outcome got to where it was. 

Perhaps our Seventh Ranger’s late entry with Bumblebee really showing off her powers and surprising us all does seem like a cheap way to end a battle the Titans mostly lost, but I think that was softened by showing that, in return, Karen has lost something that we have spent many issues building up as being highly important to her: her family and the memories and love she holds for them. 

That plus the reintroduction of H.I.V.E. and Deathstroke has me very curious about just how the “Lazarus Contract” is going to play out here, especially with its title’s obvious signifiers. 

Very good issue through and through, really enjoyable.

DC’s Wonder Woman (2016- ) #20  Greg Rucka, Bilquis Evely, Romulo Fajardo Jr. 

I have been incredibly curious to see what is Veronica Cale’s motivations in all of this and why she wants to get to Themyscira so badly, and it seems as though our past and present storylines have finally come to a head, proving my suspicions correct that the two Doberman that Cale has with her are the twins -- though I thought they were common disguise and not binding of them thanks to a revamp of Circe.

Now, of course, if you follow me long enough to know my Wondy opinions, you know that Circe is by far my favorite villain in Diana’s rogues gallery, and so I have been very excited about her turn to come into Rucka’s reimagining. And it didn’t disappoint, I rather like her modern redux. 

And in all honesty, Rucka’s second time around with Veronica Cale has been delightful to see take form -- moving her motivations to something more powerful and more relatable than “women be jealous of other successful women” is just so much more engaging. There’s definitely been a lot learned since his last run of Wonder Woman and I appreciate it.

The art continues to be just beautiful for the past storylines, I mean beyond gorgeous and so colorful. Which just makes me dread the upcoming more dour, dark, and all around depressing take on the present. 

And if that isn’t a culmination of my feelings about comic trends in general I don’t know what is. 

If I didn’t think it’d be entirely unfair, I’d easily give this week to Saga which just continues to impress and amaze me every volume, but as I read it by volume rather than by monthlies, that seems completely unfair. 

Usually my weeks are difficult because there’s more than a few standouts but this week I didn’t really have anything that really stuck out to me. But, ultimately I’m going to give my pick of the week to Wonder Woman. Rucka’s past storylines are just a joy over and over again. 

[cherylandjasonblossom]

Comic Book Resources: INTERVIEW: Petsch Rages as Riverdale's Reigning Mean Girl Cheryl Blossom

In the comics, Cheryl Blossom is a redheaded siren with often devilish charms who frequently threatens to tempt Archie Andrews away from his usual back-and-forth with Betty and Veronica. On The CW’s “Riverdale,” however, Cheryl’s a full-fledged, queen bee mean girl, lashing out in every direction since the death of her beloved brother Jason — and actress Madelaine Petsch tells CBR she’s loving dishing out Cheryl’s disses. 

CBR: Given your generation, did you know anything about Archie Comics, other than it was a thing that existed somehow? 

Madelaine Petsch: Do you remember the Sunday strips? My dad used to pull those out for me every single morning. That was my relationship to “Archie” for the most part, just the Sunday strips. I had no idea who Cheryl was. She wasn’t really that prevalent in the comics, and then I read the script and I was like, “Whoa. She’s a big character. I need to get to know her.” So I made my own Cheryl. Not a lot to work with, so I made my own. 

Did you try to do a little more research once you knew that that was your role? 

I didn’t. Comics are so one-dimensional, especially “Archie.” The old “Archie” girls are all about boys, and laughing, and whatever, and that’s not what this show is about. It’s about so much more than that. I wanted to bring a realness to her and make her three dimensional. I didn’t really want to make her anything like the comics, other than in the respect that I look like her, yes, and she is the mean girl, yes, and she’s rich, yes. But those are all things that are brought to me by the writers. I got to do all these other things and make her a real person. 

What were the little touches that you wanted to contribute to her? 

The most important thing that I needed to do after reading the script was make her human. She’s very witty and quick and sharp, and mean, and she drives the knife in. I really wanted to make people see the other side of that coin, how she’s actually really broken, and the loss of her brother and how it affects her. So yeah, she can be driving a knife into your stomach, but she’s actually extremely emotional and hurt in this moment, and the anger comes from a place of hurt, not a place of anger. That was really important to me from the very, very beginning. 

Most actors would say that this is the role you want with material like this. This is the lady you want to play. 

Definitely! 

Tell me about having fun with the “mean girl” aspect of Cheryl. 

They make is so easy because the writing is so witty and so funny, that when I read a script, I’m dying of laughter the whole time. I get the best lines! It is a lot of fun, but I love everybody who I’m mean to. So after we’re done with a take, I’m like, “I love you guys!” But it is really fun to go from here to here, to here. I’m always changing levels. I’m always changing where I’m at in the world that we live in. I almost feel like she’s got a little like mental imbalance, or something. She’s always going from different levels of happy to sad to angry to mad to mean. It’s really fun. 

Tell me about peeling back the layers and figuring out where you were starting, as far as who you were presenting her as, and who she is as we learn more about her and start to feel a little more empathy for her – even though she’s pretty wicked. 

Wicked is the perfect word for her. I started with the family, because the first episode she loses Jason. I started with that relationship and I moved forward from there. I learned a lot about her in the pilot. She might put on the facade during all of her speeches about him or whatever that he was the love of her life, or her soulmate of whatever, but that’s really true. He was the only person who unconditionally loved her, the only person who cared about her, who showed her any sort of empathy or love. 

Her parents are terrible to her. Her relationship with her parents is awful, so she lost that buffer. Then, I moved into my relationship with my parents — Nathalie and Barclay, who play my mom and dad — and I sat there and I’m like, “What is it like in our family and our house? What is a dinner like?” Quiet. You can hear a pin drop at our dinners. We don’t have communication. I wasn’t the golden child – Jason was. My parents always hated me from the get-go. My parents have a company that Jason was going to take over. 

It was all about building the family, and then from there, I totally understood why she was the way she was to other people because if you don’t have that home base, if you don’t have that love and the functionality of a home base, you’re not able to go out in the world and have a functional relationship with another human. I totally understood it from there. 

Let’s talk about the physical transformation and trying to get where she is in the show, but also approximate the Cheryl Blossom that the fans are looking for. 

She’s definitely like the babe on the show, right? Padded bras, heels, tight skirts, tight outfits. Everything’s very tight and fitted, very sexy, and it’s all bright red. Always this color nails, always the toenails, everything’s bright red. Her wardrobe is phenomenal. I would die for her wardrobe. 

Did you take to it right away? Or did you like, “Is this me that I’m looking at in the mirror?” 

Oh, I loved it. I get to wear the best designers. I love her wardrobe. I never wore red before this show. In fact, when they called me when I booked the show they’re like, “Any colors you don’t like on yourself?” I was like, “Orange and red.” They’re like, “You’re referred to as the Red Queen on the show, so red’s kind of a theme you’re going to have to go with.” I was like, ‘Guess I’m doing it!” Now, I love red on myself. It’s always been really fun. We dress so differently and we are so different, that the minute I put on her outfit and I get my hair done and I get my heels on, I’m Cheryl. There’s no doubting it. 

 ... 

Do you get to bring more and more of those dance skills to the show, beyond the cheerleading we see early on? 

I don’t know how much I’m allowed to give away, but I do dance. I just finished doing a lot of dancing for the show, where I got bruises on my knees that are covered up by makeup. So yes, yes we do

... 

Is it exciting to think that you’re not just the current custodian of this character on this show, but the character might move more toward your portrayal as new comics are made, and she’ll evolve in the direction that you get to set for her. 

I would love that! Cheryl’s not really that prevalent, like we talked about. I’ve noticed her physicalities have changed a lot, just in the new “Archie.” I saw the new “Archie” edition cover: they actually look a lot more like me. I don’t know if that’s on purpose, or if that’s just an illustrator doing that. I’m excited to see how they evolve. I wonder if that will be the case. I have no idea.

... 

Let’s talk about this very interesting time to be exploring these issues of how young women treat each other. Betty and Veronica and the frenemy element of them as they meet, and then Cheryl – she’s got some issues with other women. Tell me about what it means to you to be able to talk about these things in the show right now? 

 I definitely wasn’t the Cheryl in high school, and I feel like I kind of encountered the Cheryl a lot. So I know the backlash that you get from that character. I think it’s really important that we bring this to light, because bullying, cyberbullying, school bullying, it’s such a real thing that people deal with on the daily. It’s so important that people really see that. It’s very common, and high school shows have that bullying kind of idea. I fully understand that. I think it’s really important that we bring these kinds of things to light. 

People need to know that this is how it really is in high school. It is pretty cutthroat. Nobody really understands that until they go through it. The beautiful thing about the way that we do it is that, we also show young women that it’s okay to be single. It’s okay to not have a man. Actually, it’s probably better when you’re young to like figure out what you want to do with your life, and if you can be strong when you’re independent and you’re alone, and that’s so rare on TV shows. Every girl has a man in every TV show, and every guy has a girl, or every guy has a guy. Whoever it is, they always have a partner. I feel like the majority of the strong women on our show do not have partners. I think that’s really, really great.

[Read more at CBR.com]